Roleplay Rescue

Welcome to the Summer Conversations, a short series of podcasts in which I welcome a guest who brings their own topic of interest and we have a chat. The recordings are done in under one hour, barely edited, and released without fanfare.Episode 7: The Notes Behind the Screen — Campaign Journals in the Digital AgeHow do you keep six years of campaign lore from collapsing into chaos? Che and Evil Jeff compare notes — literally — on how they organise their RPG material. Jeff walks through his Obsidian setup for local, linked note-taking, while Che shares his journey from Campaign Logger to Gemini Notebook and LLM-assisted session writeups. Along the way they tackle NPC management, reaction rolls, extracting material from sourcebooks, and the elephant in the room: can AI tools help you run a better game without selling your data to the highest bidder? From pen-and-paper purists to encrypted digital workflows — this one's for every GM who's ever lost a crucial detail in a folder they can't find.Big thanks to Evil Jeff for raising the question.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialMerchandise via TeePublic:https://tee.pub/lic/kpgigrK23l4Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Summer Conversations, a short series of podcasts in which I welcome a guest who brings their own topic of interest and we have a chat. The recordings are done in under one hour, barely edited, and released without fanfare.Episode 6: Playing Well With Others — The Art of a Long-Running TableHow do you keep a six-player campaign going for six years without burning out? John McNally joins Che to talk about what makes a table thrive over the long haul — regular attendance, genuine fellowship, and players who show up for each other, not just for loot. We dig into the qualities of good players (listen more than you roll, engage the shared world, not just the mechanisms), how vulnerability can deepen your GMing without spilling into real-life drama, and the "mask" that separates in-character emotion from out-of-table relationships. From backyard Friday Night Fantasy sessions to knowing when newer players don't need perfect rules to tell great stories — this is the wrap-up episode, and it's about the people at your table, not the game itself.Thanks to Jon for coming on the show!Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialLogo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Summer Conversations, a short series of podcasts in which I welcome a guest who brings their own topic of interest and we have a chat. The recordings are done in under one hour, barely edited, and released without fanfare.Episode 5: Faith at the Table — Religion, Belief, and the Spiritual in RPGsWhat happens when your real-world faith walks through the door of your game? Alex Marsh joins Che for a conversation that goes deep — from how D&D's cleric class handles the divine to Ars Magica's unflinching take on medieval Christianity and RuneQuest's living paganism. Along the way, Che opens up about his own journey from atheism to Orthodox Christianity and how that shapes the way he builds religion into his worlds. No superficial flavour text here — this is about making faith feel real, messy, and woven into the bones of your setting. Pentacles optional.Thanks to Alex for coming on the show!Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialLogo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Summer Conversations, a short series of podcasts in which I welcome a guest who brings their own topic of interest and we have a chat. The recordings are done in under one hour, barely edited, and released without fanfare.Episode 4: Finding Your Table — Building a Gaming Club That LastsHow do you grow a tabletop community from twenty strangers into seventy-one paying members with two regular game nights? Brian McKay joins Che to share how the Northside Adventure Gamers Association in Brisbane pulled it off — incorporating as a nonprofit, securing a permanent home in a state school library, and running tables across everything from D&D 5e to Cthulhu to Dungeon Crawl Classics. Plus: managing player flow between tables, keeping table identities intact, and why finding your own space changes everything about how people show up at the game. This one's for anyone who's dreamed of building more than just a campaign — this is about building a home for other players too.Big thanks to Brian for coming on the show!NAGA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NorthsideAdventureGamersNAGA Public listing of games: https://public.naga.net.au/NAGA website to log in and book games: https://login.naga.net.au/index.php#Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialLogo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Summer Conversations, a short series of podcasts in which I welcome a guest who brings their own topic of interest and we have a chat. The recordings are done in under one hour, barely edited, and released without fanfare.Episode 3: Solo Skirmish — Where Wargaming Meets RoleplayingEver wished you could scratch that RPG itch without rounding up a whole group? Jason joins Che to explore how skirmish wargames like Five Parsecs from Home bridge the gap between solo tabletop gaming and full roleplaying. From programmed enemy "AI" that frees you to focus on your own character, to persistent worlds and character development in a lighter package — this is a conversation about what happens when the old wargaming DNA in RPGs resurfaces as something you can play alone at your kitchen table. Perfect for busy schedules, quiet nights, or sparking ideas for your next campaign.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialLogo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Summer Conversations, a short series of podcasts in which I welcome a guest who brings their own topic of interest and we have a chat. The recordings are done in under one hour, barely edited, and released without fanfare.Episode 2: Steal This Idea — How to Create Original Worlds Without Losing Your MindWhat does it mean to "steal" from your inspirations instead of copying them? Pat Mullen joins Che to unpack Baudrillard's concept of simulcra and pastiche, arguing that mature creators should adapt rather than imitate. From adapting Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest for a Star Trek campaign to building worlds that feel organically lived-in rather than assembled from IP fragments, this conversation digs into how research, historical accuracy, and deep immersion create authenticity. No pastiche, no shortcuts — just worlds that breathe.Big thanks to Patrick Mullen of GURPStalk for coming on the show.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialLogo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Summer Conversations, a short series of podcasts in which I welcome a guest who brings their own topic of interest and we have a chat. The recordings are done in under one hour, barely edited, and released without fanfare. Episode 1: Running Big Battles Without Losing Your PlayersHow do you run a battlefield with hundreds of combatants without turning your RPG session into a war game? Che and Arlen explore strategies for scaling combat beyond the usual skirmish, from positioning players as specialist units and scouts to using historical battles like Hastings as inspiration. Plus: keeping player agency alive when the stakes are army-sized, crafting authentic chaos through limited information, and letting strategy—not dice rolls—decide the fate of empires.Big thanks to Arlen Walker of Live From Pellam's Wasteland. Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialLogo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is finished.This is the episode where we hear from a couple of recent callers and then I tell you that this is the last show.If you’ve been here since the beginning, thank you. You’ve heard me say I’m done quite a few times over the years. Never say never, isn’t that what they say? Who knows what tomorrow brings?If you’ve just joined us, well, welcome … and farewell. There’s a back catalogue if you want to share the journey. Just know that it does have a destination. Thanks for listening and… well, I’ll still be around.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exploring the daunting transition from forever-GM to player. Preparing to join Pat's open-world Star Trek campaign, Imminent Destinies, Che discusses how to apply Jamison's Otherworld-immersion and Justin Alexander's clear "action and intent" loop directly from the player's seat. The episode dives into the gritty, espionage-heavy Rigel Basin setting and navigates a trilemma of character concepts ahead of 'Session Minus One'. Discover the framework for banishing rules-talk, leaning into maximum player agency, and becoming a true Sojourner in a living Otherworld.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do we spend hours prepping and playing our games, only to walk away feeling like we've just consumed another piece of disposable entertainment?What if the modern tabletop obsession with "managing the fiction" is actually the very thing breaking the spell of the Otherworld?And how do we stop trying to construct a narrative, and finally step into a shared, living myth?I believe we are a people starved of story, wandering a paved-over world looking for a genuine connection. In this episode, we are going to explore the deep, often unspoken reasons why we gather to play, and seek an answer to those questions.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:[email protected] Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.