Creating Better RPG Maps – RPPR Episode 209

Maps are an essential part of tabletop RPGs. Who doesn’t love poring over a campaign map or fighting a massive set piece battle on a custom battle map? I talked to Joe at Heroic Maps about RPG map making. I recently collaborated with Joe to make a Mothership scenario available on both of our Patreons as a free download. We talk about what makes for a good RPG map and how to avoid some mistakes when making your own map. Check out The Oblivion Broadcast on Patreon! There’s an actual play, with a video version that showcases the map. Heroic Maps has a ton of maps available for download.

In this episode, we focus on a single D&D adventure called The Immortal Storm. This is a crazy scenario, designed for godlike PCs. It involves messing with stars, traveling to a dimension of sheet music and 1986 Manhattan. We also talked about Far West and Ken Whitman, both of whom are still around, 10 years later. Join the RPPR Patreon to get access to more episodes of After Hours, full RPG scenarios, original games, videos, and more! Use discount code OCCULT to get 50% off your first month!

Ross Payton, Ennie Award winning host of Role Playing Public Radio, Caleb Stokes of Delta Green Dead Channels, Ethan Cordray of Technical Difficulties Podcast, and Zach Reeves of Pretending to be People podcasts have years of experience creating, running, and promoting podcasts. Running a podcast is very rewarding but challenging and time consuming. Learn what pitfalls to avoid and the best way to get started! This panel was recorded at Gen Con 2025.

Caleb reviews Bad Medicine for Dr. Drugs, Aaron tries to explain Mekton Zeta mecha construction rules, I use a plot from the master fantasy plot generator and we talk about Bob Ross on Twitch.tv. Oh and there’s some discussion of Dragon #136 and Grimtooth’s Traps! If you enjoyed this episode and want more, there are over 10 years of bonus podcast episodes waiting for you on the RPPR Patreon! In our most recent episode, we looked at a d20 modern scenario that statted out Saddam Hussein. I’ve also started a newsletter with scenario writeups, cool links and more. In other RPPR news, I posted an interview with Gareth Hanrahan about his book on Moria for The One Ring RPG on our Youtube channel.

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