Just One More Roll: Writing Mysteries for RPGs – Panel at Gen Con 2025

Writing a good mystery for a RPG can be tough to accomplish but it’s not impossible. Get tips from Ross Payton and Caleb Stokes on writing a great whodunit in your game! Threading the line between making the investigation too easy and too hard can be difficult, but we have enough experience to make it easier for you. This panel was recorded at Gen Con 2025. Check out Delta Green Dead Channels to support Caleb! Note: this panel was recorded at the Crowne Plaze hotel, which has an active railroad operating through it. I reduced noise as much as I could.

In 1968, in response to sinister influences that threatened to corrupt America from within and without, the Federal Government established a new agency – one that quickly acquired a reputation for ambitious operations overseas, for covert action, and for doing what had to be done, no matter the cost. This new agency was the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, the BNDD. And within it – the forces of DELTA GREEN. This is the Borellus Connection. We recently finished the campaign on RPPR Actual Play and now we join up to discuss it. Join Aaron, Caleb, Chris, Tom, and I as we go through the book and discuss what we liked and didn’t like. There’s a video version of this episode on Patreon as a public post. I screenshared the PDF so you can see what I’m talking about.  Check out Hebanon Games and Delta Green Dead Channels to support Caleb’s work. Chris makes great videos on Youtube about video game history. 

Alpha Omega is a Shadowrun-esque heartbreaker that covers a lot of territory. Its Wikipedia entry notes that its major claim to fame was the ARG/fake conspiracy theory called Ethan Haas was Right, which was briefly thought to be part of the Cloverfield viral marketing campaign. It got a lot of things right and a lot of things so very wrong. We also talk about conspiracy theorists and the Conspira-Sea Cruise, which has a lot of great guest speakers! Enjoy another classic episode of After Hours, now featuring Caleb, Ross, Tom, and Aaron, now with improved audio quality! In RPPR Patreon news, I posted the first episode of our Megadungeon Meandering series on Moria, the fabled lost dwarven city from Lord of the Rings, now available as a book for The One Ring. Check it out! I also made a survey about what content I should write for next year on the RPPR Patreon. See the scenarios I’ve made in the last year and let me know what you want to see from me.

Aaron, Dan, Tom, and I discuss an adventure for Rogue Trader. It’s called Soul Reaver and Aaron has no knowledge of the 40k setting, which makes him the perfect reviewer for this adventure. We then devolve into madness, thanks to random roll tables in Mutant Chronicles, System Failure, Immortal: The Invisible War, and fan-created critical hit tables for Warhammer Fantasy. RPPR News: Get 20% off an annual membership to RPPR at the $5 or $10 level by using discount code RPPRMAS at checkout. You can even gift memberships now, so give the gift of RPG scenarios, (8 so far!) and over 10 years of bonus podcasts, artwork, and more rewards! We have a new PDF scenario for patrons. Check out Alienation of the Flesh today and listen to our actual play episode.

Gen Con 2025 was a blast and we saw a lot and played a lot of great games! I talk with Caleb, Tom, Aaron, Elle, and David about their experiences this year. I’ve included links below for games we discuss. RPPR News: I just posted my sixth original PDF, Alienation of the Flesh, I’ve made in the last year for the RPPR Patreon! To celebrate, I’ve created a new discount! Get 20% off for an annual membership for RPPR by using discount code RPPRMAS You can even gift memberships now. It’s the perfect holiday gift! No need to wrap it, no need to ship it. The RPPR Patreon has over 10 years of bonus podcast episodes, full games, scenarios, artwork, and other exclusive content. We have a great Discord community and I run games every month for patrons. Click below for all the links to the games and other things mentioned in this episode. Ross and Caleb Diana Jones Awards ARKYVR: mothership module Shadowdark RPG Godzilla Trading Card Game Mythic Bastionland Ave Nox Helluva Town RPG Hangry Games Labyrinth Signal Ruins card game Lightning Train board game Dawn of the Orcs RPG Outgunned RPG Salvage Union RPG Botany board game Tom Island of Dr. Moreau RPG Eat the Reich RPG Legends: a superhero RPG (Tom thought it started with Freedom but it is called Legends) Wild Skies: Liberating Strife: RPG source book Aaron and Elle Ticket to Ride board game Lorcana card game Starship Horizons video game Expeditions board game Gundam Assemble skirmish game Artis Opus paintbrushes Turbo Dork paints David Pin Bazaar Good Strong Hands RPG Landmarks board game Squirrel Away board game David’s pins

I interviewed Rhodrick Magsino, author of ARKYVR at Gen Con 2025 about his new module. ARKYVR is a multimedia MOTHERSHIP 1E setting & toolkit to play documentary filmmakers in space. Equipped with only their camera gear, ARKYVRs will attempt to document life in space and expose corporate client atrocities while surviving the void’s unspeakable horrors. We talked about his inspiration for creating the module, playtesting, and what he plans next. Get ARKYVER on DTRPG  Watch this interview on Youtube

We review Judge’s Guild Journal #18, d20 Kazakhstan for System Armageddon,, Atlas Shrugged the third movie, and Arkham Knight’s terrible batmobile. This is a classic episode from the archives of the RPPR Patreon, now with improved audio quality. Enjoy! RPPR News: The price of our lowest tier on the RPPR Patreon is going up from $2 to $3 on October 10. Current subscribers will be grandfathered in at the current price, so join today to keep the lower price! You can also sign up on annual basis and get a free month of RPPR! Join today!

Red Markets 2nd Edition is holding an open beta playtest for all of 2025. Come discuss the ongoing process! The new edition of the Profit System is more concise, more vicious, and closer than ever before. A panel of the game’s creators will take questions on the upcoming new edition or Red Markets in general. Caleb Stokes is the author of Red Markets, and he is joined by Ross Payton of Role Playing Public Radio, the award-winning podcast on which the game got its start nearly ten years ago. Download the Red Markets 2E playtest beta here! Listen to actual plays of Red Markets 2E at Hebanon Games on Patreon. More Red Markets APs can be found on the RPPR Patreon Games Youtube channel.

We review three RPG source books: Tarlkin’s Landing from Judge’s Guild, Earthshaker from TSR, and The Nightlife RPG by Stellar Games. We also discuss the gradual merging of bad movies like Samurai Cop and the Room into a schlock singularity and the future of bad-good movies. If you enjoy this episode, join the RPPR Patreon to get instant access to the full After Hours podcast collection and more rewards! We have over 10 years of episodes, plus full RPG scenarios on PDF, artwork, other podcasts, and a great Discord community.

Shadowdark is a fantasy role playing game built on OSR design principles with several new mechanics, including a real time torch light rule and experience point rules that emphasize exploration over violence. I sat down with the game’s creator, Kelsey Dionne at Gen Con to discuss the game’s creation, its mechanics, and how Kelsey has been able to build a community for the game. Learn more about the game at Arcane Libary’s website. https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark