Rascal News

Book club episode! We are are discussing Realis by Austin Walker. As always, you can participate in the talkback episode by sending in a response to any or all of the following questions. You can record yourself speaking, you can post in the discord thread for this episode, or write to thomas@rascal.news. Looking forward to hearing from you.

• What do you think about Realis? Have you read the ashcan or even the latest version? Have you played it?
• How do you feel about the anti-canon approach to setting writing? (Less the weak version of "rule zero, change this however you want", more the strong version of "here are the questions, answer them at your table".)
• What's your experience with the trad process of prepping a new campaign (from deciding the premise to worldbuilding to communicating that to players)? Does this game's design and approach to prep feel like it alleviates some of the pitfalls of that mode or inspire you to try it?

Schedule: In December, we'll be doing Stars without Number by Kevin Crawford. In January, Wildsea by Felix Isaacs. And in February, we'll wrap up Season 2, with a finale on Blades '68.

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Chase and Thomas welcome publisher, designer, and union expert Eryk Sawicki of Peregrine Coast Press onto the podcast to discuss United Wizards of the Coast's two new unions and how these workers rights units operate in both the US and the UK. Later, the crew talk about the joys of delving into dungeons, dreams of magazine utopia, and the Carrot Cake maneuver.

Game Worker Solidarity tool

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and special guest Eryk Sawicki (@peregrinecoast.press).

Find Eryk's pubhlishing labors on Peregrine Coast Press and personal work here.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Games we mention:

Diplomacy

Old School Essentials

Ryne

Silent Titans

Magic: The Gathering

Lord of the Rings Trick-Taking Game

Summer Eternal (game-related book)

Book club episode! I am joined by Duamn Figueroa Rassol, game designer and Eberron afficionado, and we respond to people's responses about my discussions questions from last week. Audio is a little rough this week, apologies.

Also, in an attempt to make reading and writing into these games easier. I wanted to lay out the schedule for the rest of the season. In November, we'll be discussing Realis by Austin Walker. In December, we'll be doing Stars without Number by Kevin Crawford. In January, Wildsea by Felix Isaacs. And in February, we'll wrap up Season 2, with a special episode on Blades '68.

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Chase is joined by fellow tabletop RPG journalist Christopher Hutton from TTRPG Insider to discuss a very busy couple of weeks for the hobby. Wizards of the Coast laid off community and social media managers, while the licensing rights for World of Darkness games will fully leave Renegade at the end of the year. Convention news, Patreon statistics, and looking back at past predictions see the pair safely through the Question Dungeon.

Read more of Chris' reporting on TTRPG Insider, and bully them via email into implementing a tip jar. Speaking of, you can donate to Rascal News' tip jar or buy a subscription on our website! It's cool and sexy to support tabletop journalism.

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Christopher Hutton (@newsnerd.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Games we mention:

Vampire: The Masquerade

Werewolf: The Apocalypse

Dungeons & Dragons

Midnight of the Century

Sun Rot

Daggerheart

Candela Obscura

Cosmere RPG

Draw Steel

Book club episode! We discuss Eberron Campaign Setting by Keith Baker.

As always, you can participate in the talkback episode by sending in a response to any or all of the following questions. You can record yourself speaking, you can post in the discord thread for this episode, or write to thomas@rascal.news. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Discussion Questions

• What do you think of Eberron?
• Do you like the encyclopedia style? Has your relationship to that kind of book changed?
• If you've played it, what was your campaign about? How did you use the setting? Which part jumped out and grabbed you?
• How do you think about the pleasure of reading versus playability? Is this a binary or are there games that do both?

Show Notes:

• Michael Moorcock's anti-Tolkien essay Epic Pooh
• Aaron Trammell's new book about how quantification and orientalism affect D&D
• Prismatic Wasteland's The Keep On The Borderland is full of lies
• Daydreaming about Dragons episode about making history and lore useful at the table

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Book club episode! We respond to people's responses about my discussions questions regarding Blades in the Dark and Doskvol.

Show Notes:

Games mentioned: Mythic Bastionland, Spire, Paranoia, Silent Titans

Kieron's blog about Mythic Bastionland on Old Men Running the World

COTTONMOUTH LAW, THE 400 BLOWS & KUNG FU CAPITALISM, a blog from Was it Likely

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Book club episode! We discuss Blades in the Dark by John Harper. Read more here.

As always, you can participate in the talkback episode by sending in a response to any or all of the following questions. You can record yourself speaking, you can post in the discord thread for this episode, or write to thomas@rascal.news. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Discussion Questions

• What are your thoughts on Duskwall?
• Do you have a cool example of a moment in the game that came out of factions and their connections? As a GM or as a player?
• What do you think about the idea that Duskwall is "a city designed for heists"?
• Do you feel a strong difference between the rules in systems and the rules of the setting? Do you think one is easier for you to remember or forget?
• What do you think about the idea that a good setting helps you figure out cause and effect so that it's easier to make players' decisions and actions be meaningful?

Show Notes:

• Thursday Garreau's blog series on the history of Blades in the Dark and its setting
• Dice Exploder podcast episode on Lightning Barriers

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Rowan joins Chase and Thomas for a podcast that almost immediately flies off the rails and deep into tangent territory. Also, Chase gets roundly bullied by his friends and coworkers. The crew discuss Rowan, Rook and Decard's new union, Wizards of the Coast's vision keynote at Gen Con, and the culmination of a Band of Blades campaign that left Thomas and Rowan impressed with themselves and the Forged in the Dark-style fantasy RPG. Later in the Question Dungeon, the crew offer PbtA advice and discuss what a "normal player" would even look like.

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Games we mention:

Pirate Borg

Dungeons & Dragons

Band of Blades

Masks: A New Generation

Stonetop

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Rascal News needs your help. You might have seen our recent article laying out the potentially dire financial straits that the website finds itself facing. In this special episode of the podcast, Chase and Thomas tackle the reasons why and what you, dear listeners, can do to support us through this (hopefully) brief economic blip. It's a conversational and transparent discussion about finances, failed projects, experimentation, and dreams. We also answer some reader questions, which prompts a long tangent about reviewing tabletop RPGs.

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Chris Gethard Show's famous episode, "One Man's Trash"

No Pun Included's video on why they're rethinking the channel's approach to reviews.

Cameron Kunzelman, game critic and scholar, returns to our podcast feed with a conversation with Thomas about lifepaths, his new book Path Apparatus, and his love-hate relationship with Pendragon. This interview is also available as an article. You can read an edited excerpt here.

Show Notes:

Sword Coast: Coast 2 Coast (actual play): https://rangedtouch.com/sword-coast-coast-2-coast/

Maelstrom Domesday (game): https://beyondcataclysm.co.uk/product/maelstrom-doomsday-softcover/

Whale Roads: https://sulcata.itch.io/whale-roads

Podcast episode with the organizers of Whale Roads: https://www.patreon.com/rangedtouch/posts/rangers-upon-119380961

State of the Rascal 2026: https://www.rascal.news/state-of-the-rascal-august-2026/

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Thomas and Chase wade into a forum controversy over Deathrbringer that's about something other than the purile art and misguided promises of lethality. They also discuss delays to the Wolfenstein RPG adaptation and the slightly baffling (deep breath) Anne Rice's Immortal Universe Roleplaying Game, which will have plenty of vampires but somehow be distinct from Vampire: The Masquerade. Finally, they discuss the TTGDA's guidance on properly crediting game designers before hacking their way free of a Question Dungeon full of 20 bloodthirsty Jimothies.

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TTGDA Crediting Best Practices

Hollandspiele's video on René Soriano's games

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Games we mention:

Deathbringer

Shadowdark

Vampire the Masquerade

Diplomacy

A Perfect Rock

Band of Blades

Apocalypse World: Warriors of the World Ablaze

Heads up: We explain some large structural spoilers for SPINE during this interview but stay away from particular details.

While Thomas plans the next seasons of the Reading Club, Chase invites designer Asa Donald for a conversation about his ENNIE-nominated solo RPG, SPINE. The peculiar title wrestles with questions of player agency and the capacity of words to reflect ourselves - or, at least, a version of us. An academic and early modernist by day, Asa explains the literary and classical roots underpinning SPINE's tale of immortality and discusses how the endnotes system creates fruitful frustration.

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Find SPINE here and the rest of Asa's work on Backwards Tabletop.

Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring guest Asa Donald (@backwardsttrpg.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Games we discuss:

SPINE

The King is Dead

Firebrands

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Asa's retrospective on SPINE and printing your own copy of the game.

Game Studies Study Buddies' episode on The Ludic Self in Seventeeth-Century English Literature.

Chase is joined by designer and blogger Clayton Notestine of Explorer's Design to discuss the ENNIEs, both as a former judge and as a current nominee! Awards are a strange beast for tabletop RPGs, mattering very little but able to change smaller designers' career trajectory. How does the public's misapprehensions about these awards for ostensible "excellence" muddy the waters? And who is responsible for correcting course?

The duo also talk about generative AI sneaking into tabletop publishing via Adobe software backends. Later, Clayton explains his dual metric for rating board games (which involves mouthfeel), while Chase is still not facing consequences for quadruple-dealing in Diplomacy. Finally, they wade into the The Question Dungeon's muck and scare out a discussion on why more RPGs should play their genres straight.

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Read Clayton's work on Explorers Design.

Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring guest Clayton Notestine (@explorersdesign.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Games we discuss:

Intergalactic Bastionland

The One Ring

Mothership

Diplomacy

Carin 2E

Stonetop

Snakes of Wrath

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Clayton's official statement on his ENNIEs nom.

The Awards Debrief 2025, an ENNIEs post-mortem.

On why I hate awards, or "Please vote for me at the Ennies", by Em Acosta.

Book club episode! Sean Foer, professional GM and maker of videos, joined me to go through people's responses about my discussions questions on Stonetop.

Show Notes:

Games mentioned: Secret of the Night Market, Perils & Princesses, Dictionary of Mu, Realis, Green Oaks by Roberto de Luca, Heart, Seven Part Pact, Book House / Nostos, The House Edge.

The excellent Blorb principles that outline that style of play

Jeremy Kerr's interactive map for Wildsea and guide

Also, check out our previous episodes about the Warden's Operations Manual for comparison and contrast.

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Union wins and hall of fame inductions headline a much more positive week for tabletop games. Chase and Thomas convene to discuss the major headlines, including some awards news out of Origins and United Wizards of the Coast officially electing the venerable company's first ever union. Later on, the pair saunter into the Question Dungeon's deadly political soiree to cross s(words) with half-year predictions and why the concept of dungeon crawling has such staying power in our imagination.

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Games we discuss:

Warhammer 40k

Magic: The Gathering Arena

Land of Eem

Apocalypse World

Berserkr

SPINE

Band of Blades

Diplomacy

Book club episode! We discuss Stonetop by Jeremy Strandberg. Read more here.

As always, you can participate in the talkback episode by sending in a response. You can record yourself speaking, you can post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to thomas@rascal.news. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Discussion Questions

• What do you think about Stonetop? What do you think about it as "a textbook for running games"?
• As a GM, do you find yourselves having a preference for pre-existing settings, setting created at the table, an original setting created by the GM alone, or something else? Do you find yourself moving between these modes? Or just sticking to one? Do you have a particularly memorable experience with one of these modes?
• Do you have a favorite question that you've asked as a GM or that you've been asked?
• What's the best pitch you've ever seen from a game (that wasn't an IP or a sequel)? What about it got you excited enough to run it? Was it very different from your usual thing or in the same wheelhouse?
• What game has made you feel most supported when it comes to improvising? How did it do that?

Show Notes:

• Types of GM Materials by Johnstone Metzger
• Quinns Quest review
• Interview with Jeremy Strandberg, Lucie Arnoux, and Jason Lutes on Rascal News

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

UPDATE: Thomas spoke with Paizo CEO Jim Butler after we recorded this.

Industry news looms heavy over the discussion between Chase, Thomas, and Caelyn, but they find plenty of time for regularly scheduled shenanigans. The episode leads with Paizo's recent layoffs, how Diamond Comics Distribution caused it, and where the publisher goes from here. Afterward, they move on to RPG Trader and what this new, indie-focused storefront does differently from the major players. Stay tuned for an infiltration-themed Question Dungeon, Thomas' extremely satisfying week of games, and Chase's dalliance with duplicity.

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Games we discuss:

SPINE

Asher's Ridge

Diplomacy

Apocalypse World

Band of Blades

Daggerheart

Neon Odyssey

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Book club episode! Andrew Gillis, designer of Girl by Moonlight, joined me to go through people's responses about my discussions questions on Burning Wheel.

Show Notes:

Games mentioned: D&D, Pathfinder, Fate, Blades in the Dark, Dogs in the Vineyards, Ironsworn, Realis, Apocalypse World, Gloomhaven, Frosthaven, Mythic Bastionland

My interview with Helena Real about Dungeon World 2

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Chase is joined on this episode (which is #37 despite what he says) by Jenna Stoeber and Tomas Franzese to discuss two overlapping issues between the tabletop and video game industries. First, the crew dive into Wizards of the Coast's response to unionization efforts within the Magic: The Gathering Arena team. Spoilers: it ain't friendly. Everyone then ponders the cancellation of an unnamed Dungeons & Dragons video game that was being developed by Giant Skull and why pinning all of Hasbro's digital hopes on Exodus and Warlock is... hm, well, ah. Nevertheless,

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring special guests Jenna Stoeber (@thejenna.bsky.social) and Tomas Franzese (@tomasfranzese.bsky.social).

Find Jenna's work on Patreon and Tomas' writing at Remastered.

Tomas' interview with Stig Asmussen from 2024.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

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Games we discuss:

Magic: The Gathering Arena

Warlock

Exodus

Rose and Locket

TetherGeist

Lego Batman

The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time

SPINE

Fatherfog 0e

Book club episode! We discuss Burning Wheel, the influential fantasy RPG from Luke Crane. Read more here.

As always, you can participate in the talkback episode by sending in a response. You can record yourself, you can post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to thomas@rascal.news. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think about Burning Wheel? 2. What's been your experience with games that ask players to write freeform statements like Beliefs in Burning Wheel or Aspects in Fate? Do you feel like you lose some of that freedom in games that just give you a list to pick from? 3. What do you think about the idea of system mastery as a GM? Does it feel different to run games that are about those versus games that don't offer that? Do you have different tastes as a player and as a GM when it comes to games that offer system mastery? 4. Do you agree with my statement that it feels like system mastery in the OSR or storygames is about mastering (specific, identifiable) skills that are broadly compatible across similar games? 5. What do you think about the classification of quests, struggles, and intrigues? Does that feel useful to you? Do you feel like you're better at some or prefer some over others?

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.