“My Eggs Are Exploding!” - TTRPG Rules Vs Story

This week! The Halflings are back to dive into the tug of war between rules and story, the chaos of GMless games, and rules-lite versus rules heavy systems. Along the way, they explore how imagination can completely change the way players approach gameplay, proving that with the right mindset, even the crunchiest mechanics can become pure storytelling magic. Also - did you miss out on our first 🎉FULLY FUNDED🎉 Kickstarter, the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in collaboration with ⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press? Well, good news! The pledge manager is now open! So everyone gets a chance to grab a copy of the book and any extras you'd like! Follow the halflings: Jasper William Cartwright: @JW_Cartwright Jeremy Cobb: @JeremyCobb1 Liv Kennedy: @livkennedy Candace: @candacethemagnificent Find all of our links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tbhalflings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can buy all our lovely merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠as featured on Critical Role! Connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook @3blackhalflings, on our Discord, or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week! Candace the Magnificent joins Jeremy Cobb and Liv Kennedy for a whirlwind of laughter and discussion. Get ready for the many magnificent puns on Candace’s name, a look back at Candace’s early TTRPG experience and the journey of how those first games shaped their unique GM'ing skills. Hear all about Candace’s approach to rules in a system, what makes a good story for their players and the importance of character growth. The episode wraps with Candace’s own unforgettable tale from the table, bringing the adventure to a perfect close. Blood on the Clocktower - ⁠⁠https://bloodontheclocktower.com/buy⁠. Also - did you miss out on our first 🎉FULLY FUNDED🎉 Kickstarter, the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in collaboration with ⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press? Well, good news! In the next few weeks, it'll be open to late pledges and pledge manager edits! So everyone gets a chance to grab a copy of the book and any extras you'd like! Follow the halflings: Jasper William Cartwright: @JW_Cartwright Jeremy Cobb: @JeremyCobb1 Liv Kennedy: @livkennedy Candace: @candacethemagnificent Find all of our links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tbhalflings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can buy all our lovely merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠as featured on Critical Role! Connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook @3blackhalflings, on our Discord, or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content Warning: Descriptions of slasher and horror films, sexual themes in horror, and brief body horror.Spoiler Alert: This episode contains spoilers for a bunch of horror films, including ALIEN, Terminator, Let the Right One In, Cabin in the Woods, Totally Killer, Time Cut, Ready or Not, Fresh, Barbarian, and Twilight. This week! Liv, Candace the Magnificent, and Jeremy Cobb are back for Part 2 of our femmes-in-horror chat. This time, we’re breaking down the Final Girl trope...what works, what’s overdone, and how it shifts from film to film. We then take a dive into how different character perspectives change the story and whether horror hits differently when it’s directed by women, taking a closer look at how horror treats its heroines and who is telling their stories. Blood on the Clocktower - ⁠https://bloodontheclocktower.com/buy. Also - did you miss out on our first 🎉FULLY FUNDED🎉 Kickstarter, the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in collaboration with ⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press? Well, good news! In the next few weeks, it'll be open to late pledges and pledge manager edits! So everyone gets a chance to grab a copy of the book and any extras you'd like! Follow the halflings: Jasper William Cartwright: @JW_Cartwright Jeremy Cobb: @JeremyCobb1 Liv Kennedy: @livkennedy Candace: @candacethemagnificent Find all of our links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tbhalflings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can buy all our lovely merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠as featured on Critical Role! Connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook @3blackhalflings, on our Discord, or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, The Halflings speak on the shocking assassination of controversial right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. They examine his career, the infamous quotes, and the rage bait that defined his public persona. Jeremy, Liv, and Candace each share their candid and complicated feelings on his death before diving into the wider impact this event will have on the political landscape moving forward. Content/Trigger Warnings Examples of Racism and Racist Statements Examples of Transphobic and Homophobic Statements Commentary on Political Violence Article Links https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/12/black-students-colleges-racist-threats https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/charlie-kirk-quotes-beliefs  https://aftermath.site/bluesky-charlie-kirk-dead-rest-in-piss https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-last-words/  https://www.factcheck.org/2025/09/viral-claims-about-charlie-kirks-words/ https://www.wired.com/story/charlie-kirk-tpusa-mlk-civil-rights-act/ https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/we-must-not-posthumously-sanitize Video Links https://x.com/Kaimandante/status/1965903777401295008 - Charlie’s thoughts on George Floyd https://x.com/alluring_nyc/status/1965893013059907788 - Black women do not have brain processing power quote Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week! Jeremy is diving headfirst into the world of contemporary Black cinema, sharing his favorite films from the last ten to fifteen years and spotlighting directors like Ryan Coogler, Jordan Peele, Shaka King, Ava DuVernay, and Spike Lee. Inspired by the brilliance of F.D. Signifier, he also shouts out incredible POC creators including Foreign Man in a Foreign Land, Khadija Mbowe, Kat Blaque, Princess Weekes, and T1J. Along the way, he digs into the current mess of AI on YouTube and what it means for creators, all while celebrating stories, voices, and the power of Black creativity on screen. Also - did you miss out on our first 🎉FULLY FUNDED🎉 Kickstarter, the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in collaboration with ⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press? Well, good news! It's now open to late pledges and pledge manager edits! So everyone gets a chance to grab a copy of the book and any extras you'd like! Follow the halflings: Jasper William Cartwright: @JW_Cartwright Jeremy Cobb: @JeremyCobb1 Liv Kennedy: @livkennedy Candace: @candacethemagnificent Find all of our links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tbhalflings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can buy all our lovely merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠as featured on Critical Role! Connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook @3blackhalflings, on our Discord, or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week! Jeremy, Liv, and Candace are joined by James Introcaso, Lead Game Designer at MCDM and Draw Steel maestro, and Willy Abeel, the Mother of Monsters and creator of the playable clown race, the Clonns, as they share how they joined MCDM and dive into their most legendary nerdy stories. We talk about what a monster really is in Draw Steel, whether the game leans more on mechanics or story. James and Willy also share the inspiration behind the game, how inclusivity and diversity are built into the design, and, of course, some wild Tales from the Table. Also - did you miss out on our first 🎉FULLY FUNDED🎉 Kickstarter, the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in collaboration with ⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press? Well, good news! It's now open to late pledges and pledge manager edits! So everyone gets a chance to grab a copy of the book and any extras you'd like! Want more from Willy? Check out the Clonns, a fully playable clown race for D&D. Download the PDF. Read more on Geek Native. Get it on DMs Guild. Follow the halflings: Jasper William Cartwright: @JW_Cartwright Jeremy Cobb: @JeremyCobb1 Liv Kennedy: @livkennedy Candace: @candacethemagnificent Find all of our links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tbhalflings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can buy all our lovely merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠as featured on Critical Role! Connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook @3blackhalflings, on our Discord, or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content Warning: References to NSFW, SFW, and SA content. This week! Jeremy, Candace and Liv continue their discussion about the ongoing itch.io and Steam controversy, and how censorship of this nature impacts BIPOC and Queer creators and communities. From the definitions of censorship, the current state of ID Checks, and the blatant bid for data control, and how this all links back to the Satanic Panic. Also - did you miss out on our first 🎉FULLY FUNDED🎉 Kickstarter, the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in collaboration with ⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press? Well, good news! In the next few weeks, it'll be open to late pledges and pledge manager edits! So everyone gets a chance to grab a copy of the book and any extras you'd like! Follow the halflings: Jasper William Cartwright: @JW_Cartwright Jeremy Cobb: @JeremyCobb1 Liv Kennedy: @livkennedy Candace: @candacethemagnificent Find all of our links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tbhalflings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can buy all our lovely merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠as featured on Critical Role! Connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook @3blackhalflings, on our Discord, or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content Warning: References to NSFW, SFW, and SA content. This week! Liv, Candace and Jeremy (aka the BG3 book hoarder) are exploring the Steam and Itch.io controversy of delisting games from their platforms revolving around the censorship of adult content, how this specifically impacts marginalised communities in ways these companies have clearly not considered, and how the Payment Giants are controlling the narrative Link to the "Tell MasterCard, Visa & Activist Groups: Stop Controlling What We Can Watch, Read, or Play" Change.org campaign Check out Transplanar ! Would you like to have a halfling movie night? Head over to the halfling discord! Also - did you miss out on our first 🎉FULLY FUNDED🎉 Kickstarter, the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in collaboration with ⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press? Well, good news! In the next few weeks, it'll be open to late pledges and pledge manager edits! So everyone gets a chance to grab a copy of the book and any extras you'd like! Follow the halflings: Jasper William Cartwright: @JW_Cartwright Jeremy Cobb: @JeremyCobb1 Liv Kennedy: @livkennedy Candace: @candacethemagnificent Find all of our links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tbhalflings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can buy all our lovely merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠as featured on Critical Role! Connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook @3blackhalflings, on our Discord, or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disclaimer: Minor spoilers for games in the Balder's Gate series This week! Liv gives Jeremy her recommendations on board games for folks who enjoy TTRPGs. From long form campaign games, to D&D style board games, to the stress of introducing the ADHD enemy of games - a timer! Check out Liv's recommendations here: Gloomhaven - ⁠https://cephalofair.com/pages/gloomhaven⁠ Decent Legends of the Dark - ⁠https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/descent-legends-of-the-dark/⁠ Betrayal Legacy - ⁠https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/avalon-hill-betrayal-legacy/⁠ Betrayal at Balder's Gate - ⁠https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/betrayal-at-baldurs-gate/⁠ Lords of Waterdeep - ⁠https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/lords-waterdeep/⁠ Eldritch Horror - ⁠https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/eldritch-horror/⁠ Unfathomable - ⁠https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/unfathomable/⁠ Mountains of Madness - ⁠https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/mountains-of-madness/⁠ Twilight Inscription - ⁠https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/twilight-inscription/⁠ Inhuman Conditions - ⁠https://www.robots.management⁠ Ultimate Werewolf - ⁠https://beziergames.com/products/ultimate-werewolf⁠ Blood on the Clocktower - ⁠https://bloodontheclocktower.com/buyAlso - did you miss out on our first 🎉FULLY FUNDED🎉 Kickstarter, the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in collaboration with ⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press? Well, good news! In the next few weeks, it'll be open to late pledges and pledge manager edits! So everyone gets a chance to grab a copy of the book and any extras you'd like! Follow the halflings: Jasper William Cartwright: @JW_Cartwright Jeremy Cobb: @JeremyCobb1 Liv Kennedy: @livkennedy Candace: @candacethemagnificent Find all of our links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tbhalflings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can buy all our lovely merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠as featured on Critical Role! Connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook @3blackhalflings, on our Discord, or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disclaimer: a longer unedited version of this podcast is available on the Patreon - A Snyder Cut, if you will. This week! Jeremy and Candace bring back a segment we've not done in a while - The Shirefolk Soapbox! Jeremy takes the soapbox to air his opinion that the film industry has a never-ending problem of serialised storytelling, and how it's having a knock on effect within the TTRPG Actual Play community. And Candace takes to the soapbox to talk about the grip that Blue Prince has on her! Also, head over to the Patreon where we will endeavour to record 'Candace's Most Offensive Takes On Anime'. Our anime loving producer is INTRUIGED AND SCARED. Follow the halflings: Jasper William Cartwright: @JW_Cartwright Jeremy Cobb: @JeremyCobb1 Liv Kennedy: @livkennedy Candace: @candacethemagnificent Find all of our links here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tbhalflings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can buy all our lovely merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠as featured on Critical Role! Connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook @3blackhalflings, on our Discord, or email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices