RedCircle VERIFY_TOKEN_6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7 -- Rendered At Thu, 28 May 2026 15:55:55 +0000 System Shop https://redcircle.com/shows/system-shop en-GB All rights reserved. Violet & Freya Welcome to System Shop, the podcast where we deep dive into RPG design, one subsystem at a time. Join us as we explore the origins, empirical trends, and future design space of all aspects of tabletop game design. What’s the point of mechanising carrying capacity or NPC attitudes? Why distinguish between armour and evasion, or attributes and skills? Many stories may begin with “because D&D did it”, but that’s far from the end… We dig deeper by asking: how do differences in design decisions make players act and feel, and is this wholly intended? What is gained or lost by being able to sum up a monster with a challenge rating? How can initiative checks be used to make combat feel chaotic, tactical, or somewhere in between? Finally, we suggest our own ideas for future innovations. Can we introduce new technologies and props? Can we shed assumptions of the past? Or should we bring them to the fore and embrace them to the extreme? Restrictions breed creativity, and our best ideas are often our most ridiculous. System Shop is independent and ad-free. New episodes release whenever we have the time and energy to research and record a new topic. Violet (She/her) is a recovering academic and alleged game designer, with a particular interest in system design and ludology. Freya (She/her) is a demographer turned data engineer by day. She moonlights as collaborator, sounding board, and bad idea generator to her beloved and prolific game designer fiancée. ... Cover design by Fallible Things (fallible.net). Font on-cover is Lineal by Frank Adebiaye, with the contribution of Anton Moglia, Ariel Martín Pérez. Distributed by velvetyne.fr. 6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7 Welcome to System Shop, the podcast where we deep dive into RPG design, one subsystem at a time.


Join us as we explore the origins, empirical trends, and future design space of all aspects of tabletop game design. What’s the point of mechanising carrying capacity or NPC attitudes? Why distinguish between armour and evasion, or attributes and skills? Many stories may begin with “because D&D did it”, but that’s far from the end…


We dig deeper by asking: how do differences in design decisions make players act and feel, and is this wholly intended? What is gained or lost by being able to sum up a monster with a challenge rating? How can initiative checks be used to make combat feel chaotic, tactical, or somewhere in between?


Finally, we suggest our own ideas for future innovations. Can we introduce new technologies and props? Can we shed assumptions of the past? Or should we bring them to the fore and embrace them to the extreme? Restrictions breed creativity, and our best ideas are often our most ridiculous.


System Shop is independent and ad-free. New episodes release whenever we have the time and energy to research and record a new topic.


Violet (She/her) is a recovering academic and alleged game designer, with a particular interest in system design and ludology.


Freya (She/her) is a demographer turned data engineer by day. She moonlights as collaborator, sounding board, and bad idea generator to her beloved and prolific game designer fiancée.

...

Cover design by Fallible Things (fallible.net).


Font on-cover is Lineal by Frank Adebiaye, with the contribution of Anton Moglia, Ariel Martín Pérez. Distributed by velvetyne.fr.

]]> episodic no Violet & Freya systemshoppodcast@gmail.com no bonus Bonus Episode: Violet's Conpulsion Con-trived Title Bonus Episode: Violet's Conpulsion Con-trived Title Violet & Freya In this bonus episode, Violet discusses the games she ran and played at Con-Pulsion 2026…. Which she in-con-veniently forgets to name during the recording. Whoops!


***** Timestamps *****


Panels & speakers - 02:55

Unravel - 06:01

Unravel… again! - 13:57

Spoilers for the Unravel quickstart scenario - 15:39 to 16:53

More mechanical discussion of Unravel - 17:39

Freya’s extremely subjective opinions about Earthborne Rangers - 21:40

The Thunder Perfect Mind - 25:08

Dream Askew - 34:57

Reflection & Wrapup - 43:13


***** Games discussed *****


Unravel

Liminal Horror

Delta Green

Lasers & Feelings

CBR+PNK

Earthborne Rangers

The Thunder Perfect Mind[*1]

Vampire: The Masquerade

Daggerheart

Dream Askew

PbtA

Wanderhome

Mad Alien With A Box

Gloomhaven


***** Other media discussed *****


Black Wave, by Michelle Tea

Cross stitch (like, the actual textiles hobby)

Elder Scrolls 3 : Morrowind

Arkham Horror (the card game)

Arkham Horror (the board game)

Elder Sign (the other Arkham Horror board game)

Orphan Black

Trios


***** Notes & Links *****


Unravel quickstart: https://studio-mothmen.itch.io/unravel-the-work-is-in-good-hands

Discord link: https://discord.gg/cMP257y8


[*1] the game by Tanya Floaker, not the 2,000 year old poem


Freya will be wandering the halls of UK Games Expo in May, wearing her white JourneyMon t-shirts as usual. (In related news - the digital edition of JourneyMon has now released to kickstarter backers! Exciting!).

]]> <p><span>In this bonus episode, Violet discusses the games she ran and played at Con-Pulsion 2026…. Which she in-con-veniently forgets to name during the recording. Whoops!</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong>***** Timestamps *****</strong></p><p><br></p><p><span>Panels &amp; speakers - 02:55</span></p><p><span>Unravel - 06:01</span></p><p><span>Unravel… again! - 13:57</span></p><p><span>Spoilers for the Unravel quickstart scenario - 15:39 to 16:53</span></p><p><span>More mechanical discussion of Unravel - 17:39</span></p><p><span>Freya’s extremely subjective opinions about Earthborne Rangers - 21:40</span></p><p><span>The Thunder Perfect Mind - 25:08</span></p><p><span>Dream Askew - 34:57</span></p><p><span>Reflection &amp; Wrapup - 43:13</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong>***** Games discussed *****</strong></p><p><br></p><p><span>Unravel</span></p><p><span>Liminal Horror</span></p><p><span>Delta Green</span></p><p><span>Lasers &amp; Feelings</span></p><p><span>CBR+PNK</span></p><p><span>Earthborne Rangers</span></p><p><span>The Thunder Perfect Mind[*1]</span></p><p><span>Vampire: The Masquerade</span></p><p><span>Daggerheart</span></p><p><span>Dream Askew</span></p><p><span>PbtA</span></p><p><span>Wanderhome</span></p><p><span>Mad Alien With A Box</span></p><p><span>Gloomhaven</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong>***** Other media discussed *****</strong></p><p><br></p><p><span>Black Wave, by Michelle Tea</span></p><p><span>Cross stitch (like, the actual textiles hobby)</span></p><p><span>Elder Scrolls 3 : Morrowind</span></p><p><span>Arkham Horror (the card game)</span></p><p><span>Arkham Horror (the board game)</span></p><p><span>Elder Sign (the other Arkham Horror board game)</span></p><p><span>Orphan Black</span></p><p><span>Trios</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong>***** Notes &amp; Links *****</strong></p><p><br></p><p><span>Unravel quickstart: </span><a href="https://studio-mothmen.itch.io/unravel-the-work-is-in-good-hands" rel="nofollow">https://studio-mothmen.itch.io/unravel-the-work-is-in-good-hands</a></p><p><span>Discord link: </span><a href="https://discord.gg/cMP257y8" rel="nofollow">https://discord.gg/cMP257y8<span></span></a></p><p><br></p><p><span>[*1] the game by Tanya Floaker, not the 2,000 year old poem</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>Freya will be wandering the halls of UK Games Expo in May, wearing her white JourneyMon t-shirts as usual. (In related news - the digital edition of JourneyMon has now released to kickstarter backers! Exciting!).</span></p> 93bb3d20-94be-4eb4-aee0-4e9d9cafbbe7 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/430a833d-62e7-4186-bfee-f932000c3069 Fri, 08 May 2026 10:38:56 +0000 2939 no full Episode 12: What is a Roleplaying Game? Episode 12: What is a Roleplaying Game? 12 Violet & Freya In this foolish episode, we…. Wait, what is it we do here again? I… I can’t remember… we’ve got a long road ahead of us if we’re going to make sense of all this.


(Seriously. It turns out we can’t even begin to answer this question without talking about the nature of storytelling, improv, kayfabe, the role of GM, the purpose of rules, being instructed to *break* those rules, what it means to “play”, the promises made when a game describes itself… this was meant to be a silly joke episode, dangit!)


Freya turns her lovers into fighters. Violet collates a collaborative coventure. Freya is drawn to a new role. Violet explores the past pre-tense. Freya breaks free of her bindings. Violet imagines a world without imagination.


*** Timestamps ***


What’s new - 02:56

Mailbag - 11:07

Intro to the topic - 18:30

History - 25:12

Taxonomicon - 40:16

Actual start of the taxonomicon - 41:06

Just kidding, it’s a discussion of the spectrum between ‘board game’ and ‘improv theatre’ - 41:07

Could this be the taxo- oh, no, now we’re talking about the nature of rules - 46:32

Listen, I think we’re just not going to have a normal taxonomicon in this one - ?:??:!?

Wait! A list of games in quick succession! This must be it! - 53:20

Discussion about Wanderhome and Kishotenketsu and game Promises and- are we sure we actually know what this podcast is about at all? - 01:05:36

Who’s Game is it anyway? (Discussion on the nature of GMs) - 01:21:08

The Counterexampliad, whatever that means - 01:27:25

Exclusive unlocked patreon content preview [*1]: international paper size deep dive - 01:31:51 to 01:33:17

Design Dreams - 01:56:58

We made it! - 02:12:59


*** Design Dreams ***


Two Truths And A Lie-Fall

Parasocial Investigations

Diararchaeology

Redaction RPG

PBTA Chaos Draft

Co-Op Adventure QWOP

RPG: Rebus-Picto-Glyphs


*** Games discussed ***


D&D 3.5e

Heavy Gear

D&D 1e

Pathfinder 1e

Eat the Reich

Unravel

Stories from the Grave

Wildsea

Eberron

GoGo Golf

Kagematsu

Triangle Agency

Hyborea

Coventry [*2]

Tunnels & Trolls

Pasión de las Pasiones

In Nomine Satanis / Magna Veritas

Vampire: the Masquerade

Apocalypse World

Dogs in the Vineyard

World Wide Wrestling

Monsterhearts

A Song Of Ice And Fire RPG

Genesys

Fellowship

Masks

Do: Fate of the Flying Temple

Avatar Legends

Yazeba’s Bed And Breakfast

Troika

Mausritter

Golden Sky Stories

Savage Worlds

Wanderhome

Journeymon

Alas for the Awful Sea

Transit

Lancer

Chuubo’s Marvellous Wish-Granting Engine

Slugblaster

Interstitial

Pitcrawler

Triangle Agency

Mothership

Cypher

RuneQuest II

Monster of the Week

Brindlewood Bay

Scherzando

Lost Kingdom

Belonging Outside Belonging

Colostle

For Small Creatures Such As We

Wreck This Deck

Hot Damn Deadly Alien Overlord Au Pair [*3]

Tacklebox

For The Queen

Our Queen Crumbles

The Tragedy of GJ237B

Paranoia

Toon

Microscope

I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic

Acts Of Evil [*4]

“Messed Up Little Guy” [*5]

Goblin Country

Dream Askew

Band of Blades

Ars Magica

Everyone Is John

Star Trek Adventures

This Discord Has Ghosts In It

Goblonia

Everything Is Tables

Your Body A Landscape

Spire

De Profundis

Apothecaria


*** Other media discussed ***


Mass Effect

The Twilight Zone (and its ilk)

Majora’s Mask

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

The Elusive Shift

Kriegsspiel [6]

The Lord of the Rings

Battleship

Mastermind

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Star Wars: Empire At War

FTL

Nier

Final Fantasy XIV

Fighting Fantasy

Grapefruit (Yoko Ono)

Foundation

Unwritten Earths Symposium

October: Ten Days That Shook The World

Spyfall

Pacific Rim

Dicey Dungeons

City of the Six Moons

Wildermyth

Penny Arcade


*** Notes ***


[*1] This is a joke, we don’t have a patreon and if we did we’d serve you something better than this gag, probably.

[*2] As you’ll discover when listening, this and several other entries on this list are debatably proto-RPGs. I’m giving them the honour of not being relegated to the ‘other media’ zone…

[*3] Once again - I’m sorry, world.

[*4] The author’s name is Paul Czege.

[*5] By Grant Howitt. This is a paraphrasing of the game’s name, but delightfully, you will find it if you google this.

[*6] Unlike Coventry, this one definitely goes on the ‘other’ list. Because it definitely is a wargame. It’s in the name.



*** Links ***


The term “ashcan edition” derives from quick, low-quality mockups used in the comics industry to quickly establish trademarks, and not intended to be read: something you’d take one look at, then thrown in the (tr)ashcan. In publishing, the term has shifted to mean early promotional materials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashcan_comic 


Ironically, if you haven’t seen this xkcd, we may have overestimated your familiarity. https://xkcd.com/2501/ 


“Fafhrd”, of “Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser”, probably isn’t pronounced the way Violet valiantly attempted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fafhrd_and_the_Gray_Mouser 


Violet quotes from The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia, by ludologist Bernard Suits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusory_attitude 


Freya only references webcomics if they’re at least 17 years old. https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/03/20/in-search-of-a-robust-cosmology 


*** Contact us! ***


Thank you to everyone who has emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com


*** Additional Credits ***


Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

]]> <p>In this foolish episode, we…. Wait, what is it we do here again? I… I can’t remember… we’ve got a long road ahead of us if we’re going to make sense of all this.</p><p><br></p><p>(Seriously. It turns out we can’t even begin to answer this question without talking about the nature of storytelling, improv, kayfabe, the role of GM, the purpose of rules, being instructed to *break* those rules, what it means to “play”, the promises made when a game describes itself… this was meant to be a silly joke episode, dangit!)</p><p><br></p><p>Freya turns her lovers into fighters. Violet collates a collaborative coventure. Freya is drawn to a new role. Violet explores the past pre-tense. Freya breaks free of her bindings. Violet imagines a world without imagination.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>*** Timestamps ***</strong></p><p><br></p><p>What’s new - 02:56</p><p>Mailbag - 11:07</p><p>Intro to the topic - 18:30</p><p>History - 25:12</p><p>Taxonomicon - 40:16</p><p>Actual start of the taxonomicon - 41:06</p><p>Just kidding, it’s a discussion of the spectrum between ‘board game’ and ‘improv theatre’ - 41:07</p><p>Could this be the taxo- oh, no, now we’re talking about the nature of rules - 46:32</p><p>Listen, I think we’re just not going to have a normal taxonomicon in this one - ?:??:!?</p><p>Wait! A list of games in quick succession! This must be it! - 53:20</p><p>Discussion about Wanderhome and Kishotenketsu and game Promises and- are we sure we actually know what this podcast is about at all? - 01:05:36</p><p>Who’s Game is it anyway? (Discussion on the nature of GMs) - 01:21:08</p><p>The Counterexampliad, whatever that means - 01:27:25</p><p>Exclusive unlocked patreon content preview [*1]: international paper size deep dive - 01:31:51 to 01:33:17</p><p>Design Dreams - 01:56:58</p><p>We made it! - 02:12:59</p><p><br></p><p><strong>*** Design Dreams ***</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Two Truths And A Lie-Fall</p><p>Parasocial Investigations</p><p>Diararchaeology</p><p>Redaction RPG</p><p>PBTA Chaos Draft</p><p>Co-Op Adventure QWOP</p><p>RPG: Rebus-Picto-Glyphs</p><p><br></p><p><strong>*** Games discussed ***</strong></p><p><br></p><p>D&amp;D 3.5e</p><p>Heavy Gear</p><p>D&amp;D 1e</p><p>Pathfinder 1e</p><p>Eat the Reich</p><p>Unravel</p><p>Stories from the Grave</p><p>Wildsea</p><p>Eberron</p><p>GoGo Golf</p><p>Kagematsu</p><p>Triangle Agency</p><p>Hyborea</p><p>Coventry [*2]</p><p>Tunnels &amp; Trolls</p><p>Pasión de las Pasiones</p><p>In Nomine Satanis / Magna Veritas</p><p>Vampire: the Masquerade</p><p>Apocalypse World</p><p>Dogs in the Vineyard</p><p>World Wide Wrestling</p><p>Monsterhearts</p><p>A Song Of Ice And Fire RPG</p><p>Genesys</p><p>Fellowship</p><p>Masks</p><p>Do: Fate of the Flying Temple</p><p>Avatar Legends</p><p>Yazeba’s Bed And Breakfast</p><p>Troika</p><p>Mausritter</p><p>Golden Sky Stories</p><p>Savage Worlds</p><p>Wanderhome</p><p>Journeymon</p><p>Alas for the Awful Sea</p><p>Transit</p><p>Lancer</p><p>Chuubo’s Marvellous Wish-Granting Engine</p><p>Slugblaster</p><p>Interstitial</p><p>Pitcrawler</p><p>Triangle Agency</p><p>Mothership</p><p>Cypher</p><p>RuneQuest II</p><p>Monster of the Week</p><p>Brindlewood Bay</p><p>Scherzando</p><p>Lost Kingdom</p><p>Belonging Outside Belonging</p><p>Colostle</p><p>For Small Creatures Such As We</p><p>Wreck This Deck</p><p>Hot Damn Deadly Alien Overlord Au Pair [*3]</p><p>Tacklebox</p><p>For The Queen</p><p>Our Queen Crumbles</p><p>The Tragedy of GJ237B</p><p>Paranoia</p><p>Toon</p><p>Microscope</p><p>I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic</p><p>Acts Of Evil [*4]</p><p>“Messed Up Little Guy” [*5]</p><p>Goblin Country</p><p>Dream Askew</p><p>Band of Blades</p><p>Ars Magica</p><p>Everyone Is John</p><p>Star Trek Adventures</p><p>This Discord Has Ghosts In It</p><p>Goblonia</p><p>Everything Is Tables</p><p>Your Body A Landscape</p><p>Spire</p><p>De Profundis</p><p>Apothecaria</p><p><br></p><p><strong>*** Other media discussed ***</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Mass Effect</p><p>The Twilight Zone (and its ilk)</p><p>Majora’s Mask</p><p>Final Fantasy Tactics Advance</p><p>The Elusive Shift</p><p>Kriegsspiel [6]</p><p>The Lord of the Rings</p><p>Battleship</p><p>Mastermind</p><p>Kiki’s Delivery Service</p><p>Star Wars: Empire At War</p><p>FTL</p><p>Nier</p><p>Final Fantasy XIV</p><p>Fighting Fantasy</p><p>Grapefruit (Yoko Ono)</p><p>Foundation</p><p>Unwritten Earths Symposium</p><p>October: Ten Days That Shook The World</p><p>Spyfall</p><p>Pacific Rim</p><p>Dicey Dungeons</p><p>City of the Six Moons</p><p>Wildermyth</p><p>Penny Arcade</p><p><br></p><p><strong>*** Notes ***</strong></p><p><br></p><p>[*1]<strong> </strong>This is a joke, we don’t have a patreon and if we did we’d serve you something better than this gag, probably.</p><p>[*2] As you’ll discover when listening, this and several other entries on this list are debatably proto-RPGs. I’m giving them the honour of not being relegated to the ‘other media’ zone…</p><p>[*3] Once again - I’m sorry, world.</p><p>[*4] The author’s name is Paul Czege.</p><p>[*5] By Grant Howitt. This is a paraphrasing of the game’s name, but delightfully, you will find it if you google this.</p><p>[*6] Unlike Coventry, this one definitely goes on the ‘other’ list. Because it definitely is a wargame. It’s in the name.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>*** Links ***</strong></p><p><br></p><p>The term “ashcan edition” derives from quick, low-quality mockups used in the comics industry to quickly establish trademarks, and not intended to be read: something you’d take one look at, then thrown in the (tr)ashcan. In publishing, the term has shifted to mean early promotional materials. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashcan_comic" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashcan_comic</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Ironically, if you haven’t seen this xkcd, we may have overestimated your familiarity. <a href="https://xkcd.com/2501/" rel="nofollow">https://xkcd.com/2501/</a> </p><p><br></p><p>“Fafhrd”, of “Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser”, probably isn’t pronounced the way Violet valiantly attempted. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fafhrd_and_the_Gray_Mouser" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fafhrd_and_the_Gray_Mouser</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Violet quotes from The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia, by ludologist Bernard Suits. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusory_attitude" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusory_attitude</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Freya only references webcomics if they’re at least 17 years old. <a href="https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/03/20/in-search-of-a-robust-cosmology" rel="nofollow">https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/03/20/in-search-of-a-robust-cosmology</a> </p><p><br></p><p><strong>*** Contact us! ***</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Thank you to everyone who has emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email <a href="mailto:systemshoppodcast@gmail.com" rel="nofollow">systemshoppodcast@gmail.com</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>*** Additional Credits ***</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p> ab3e5f4a-b091-47d4-9348-64958bc4d5fb https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/f8cbbd1f-5e66-4a16-8b41-a7e08514db33 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:00:30 +0000 8170 no bonus Bonus Episode: Freya's Contingency Con-Return Bonus Episode: Freya's Contingency Con-Return Violet & Freya In this tradition-setting bonus episode, Freya debriefs about the mechanics and tabletop experiences of seven games she played, two she ran, and one she designed (!) at Contingency 2026, the UK’s premier seasonally skewed seaside TTRPG convention.


As always, a massive thank you to all the GMs and players who make this con a highlight of my year ~


Timestamps

Immediate digression about competitive tabletop games - 0:07:04

The Code of Steam and Steel - 0:13:35

Tournament Arc - 0:22:42

Guest appearance from my cat - 0:29:53

Nibiru - 0:33:42

Inhuman Game Jam - 0:38:51

Phoenix: Dawn Command - 0:49:28

Goblonia - 0:57:26

Digression about games for actual toddlers - 1:05:20

Demigods - 1:08:55

Slugblaster* - 1:12:49

Rivers of London - 1:14:42

Break!! - 1:27:14

Con Haul - 1:35:10

Digression about settings where you’re just a lil guy - 1:38:32

Wrap up & what we’d like to play again - 1:42:48


Games discussed

Wildsea

Cosmere RPG

Shadowdark

Black Code

Black Rune

The Code of the Space Lanes (briefly)

The Comics Code

Belonging Outside Belonging

JourneyMon

Interstitial

The We-ness

Warhammer (briefly)

Wanderhome

Vampire: The Masquerade

Spire

The Sprawl

The PBTA genre in genre-al

Call of Cthulhu

D&D

Pathfinder

Delta Green

The One Ring

Die

Avatar Legends**

Cypher System (2019 edition)

Magnus Archives RPG (briefly)

Genesys

Mouse Guard

Mausritter

Mythic Bastionland


Other media discussed

Warhammer

Magic: the Gathering

Battletech

(Is Tarot “media”? Hmm.)

Megaman: Battle Network

Yu-Gi-Oh

Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged

The works of Adrian Tchaikovsky

The Mind

The concept of the mechsploitation genre

Leverage

That children’s memory game where you flip and match pairs of cards

Baby youtuber thumbnails

Various other infant toys, sorry, we got stuck on A Thing

Rivers of London (the novels themselves)

Inscription

Iron Lung (briefly)

Waters of Leith***

Battlecon: War of Indines

Millennium Blades (briefly)

Hollow Knight

Roadside Picnic****

STALKER 


Notes & Links

* You may have noticed this section is short. There’s not much to say about Slugblaster! It’s good. More verbose and video-oriented reviewers have talked much about it already.


** Mild spoiler warning in the final few minutes for some of the season premises (and a canon ship, ha) of Legend of Korra.


*** I have now *finished* listening to Waters of Leith. It’s a fun and competent production… but despite the GM’s stated intentions, it doesn’t really engage with the anticolonialist antagonist in an interesting or nuanced way. Which is not great, considering it’s set in (a version of) the real world and names real locations, peoples, and cultural artifacts. 


**** Spoiler warning for a seminal 1970s sci fi story.


Wolfram Alpha reports that the probability of at least one 4 on 4d4 is a bit over 2/3rds. https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=probability+of+at+least+one+4+on+4d4 


“Nibiru” is an Akkadian term for “point of transition”. Nice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_(Babylonian_astronomy) 


Games For Crabs is running July 18th - 19th, 2026, in Sheffield (UK). https://gamesforcrabs.co.uk/ 


Toast Tea in Edinburgh is indeed a good café, and they are not - unfortunately - paying us.


Violet will be at Conpulsion in April - https://conpulsion.org/ 

]]> <p><span>In this tradition-setting bonus episode, Freya debriefs about the mechanics and tabletop experiences of seven games she played, two she ran, and one she designed (!) at Contingency 2026, the UK’s premier seasonally skewed seaside TTRPG convention.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>As always, a massive thank you to all the GMs and players who make this con a highlight of my year ~</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p><span>Immediate digression about competitive tabletop games - 0:07:04</span></p><p><span>The Code of Steam and Steel - 0:13:35</span></p><p><span>Tournament Arc - 0:22:42</span></p><p><span>Guest appearance from my cat - 0:29:53</span></p><p><span>Nibiru - 0:33:42</span></p><p><span>Inhuman Game Jam - 0:38:51</span></p><p><span>Phoenix: Dawn Command - 0:49:28</span></p><p><span>Goblonia - 0:57:26</span></p><p><span>Digression about games for actual toddlers - 1:05:20</span></p><p><span>Demigods - 1:08:55</span></p><p><span>Slugblaster* - 1:12:49</span></p><p><span>Rivers of London - 1:14:42</span></p><p><span>Break!! - 1:27:14</span></p><p><span>Con Haul - 1:35:10</span></p><p><span>Digression about settings where you’re just a lil guy - 1:38:32</span></p><p><span>Wrap up &amp; what we’d like to play again - 1:42:48</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games discussed</strong></p><p><span>Wildsea</span></p><p><span>Cosmere RPG</span></p><p><span>Shadowdark</span></p><p><span>Black Code</span></p><p><span>Black Rune</span></p><p><span>The Code of the Space Lanes (briefly)</span></p><p><span>The Comics Code</span></p><p><span>Belonging Outside Belonging</span></p><p><span>JourneyMon</span></p><p><span>Interstitial</span></p><p><span>The We-ness</span></p><p><span>Warhammer (briefly)</span></p><p><span>Wanderhome</span></p><p><span>Vampire: The Masquerade</span></p><p><span>Spire</span></p><p><span>The Sprawl</span></p><p><span>The PBTA genre in genre-al</span></p><p><span>Call of Cthulhu</span></p><p><span>D&amp;D</span></p><p><span>Pathfinder</span></p><p><span>Delta Green</span></p><p><span>The One Ring</span></p><p><span>Die</span></p><p><span>Avatar Legends**</span></p><p><span>Cypher System (2019 edition)</span></p><p><span>Magnus Archives RPG (briefly)</span></p><p><span>Genesys</span></p><p><span>Mouse Guard</span></p><p><span>Mausritter</span></p><p><span>Mythic Bastionland</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Other media discussed</strong></p><p><span>Warhammer</span></p><p><span>Magic: the Gathering</span></p><p><span>Battletech</span></p><p><span>(Is Tarot “media”? Hmm.)</span></p><p><span>Megaman: Battle Network</span></p><p><span>Yu-Gi-Oh</span></p><p><span>Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged</span></p><p><span>The works of Adrian Tchaikovsky</span></p><p><span>The Mind</span></p><p><span>The concept of the mechsploitation genre</span></p><p><span>Leverage</span></p><p><span>That children’s memory game where you flip and match pairs of cards</span></p><p><span>Baby youtuber thumbnails</span></p><p><span>Various other infant toys, sorry, we got stuck on A Thing</span></p><p><span>Rivers of London (the novels themselves)</span></p><p><span>Inscription</span></p><p><span>Iron Lung (briefly)</span></p><p><span>Waters of Leith***</span></p><p><span>Battlecon: War of Indines</span></p><p><span>Millennium Blades (briefly)</span></p><p><span>Hollow Knight</span></p><p><span>Roadside Picnic****</span></p><p><span>STALKER </span></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes &amp; Links</strong></p><p><strong>* </strong><span>You may have noticed this section is short. There’s not much to say about Slugblaster! It’s good. More verbose and video-oriented reviewers have talked much about it already.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>** Mild spoiler warning in the final few minutes for some of the season premises (and a canon ship, ha) of Legend of Korra.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>*** I have now *finished* listening to Waters of Leith. It’s a fun and competent production… but despite the GM’s stated intentions, it doesn’t really engage with the anticolonialist antagonist in an interesting or nuanced way. Which is not great, considering it’s set in (a version of) the real world and names real locations, peoples, and cultural artifacts. </span></p><p><br></p><p><span>**** Spoiler warning for a seminal 1970s sci fi story.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>Wolfram Alpha reports that the probability of at least one 4 on 4d4 is a bit over 2/3rds. </span><a href="https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=probability+of+at+least+one+4+on+4d4" rel="nofollow">https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=probability+of+at+least+one+4+on+4d4</a><span> </span></p><p><br></p><p><span>“Nibiru” is an Akkadian term for “point of transition”. Nice. </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_(Babylonian_astronomy)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_(Babylonian_astronomy)</a><span> </span></p><p><br></p><p><span>Games For Crabs is running July 18th - 19th, 2026, in Sheffield (UK). </span><a href="https://gamesforcrabs.co.uk/" rel="nofollow"><strong>https://gamesforcrabs.co.uk/</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p><br></p><p><span>Toast Tea in Edinburgh is indeed a good café, and they are not - unfortunately - paying us.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span>Violet will be at Conpulsion in April - </span><a href="https://conpulsion.org/" rel="nofollow">https://conpulsion.org/</a><span> </span></p> 36781a5e-fd71-4f90-8d6f-8c77688ec1f8 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/806f488a-b493-46c8-baa6-b27759403b8e Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:57:20 +0000 6378 no full Episode 11: Hunger feat. Roz Leahy Episode 11: Hunger feat. Roz Leahy 11 Violet & Freya In this ravenous episode, Violet is joined by returning guest Roz Leahy as we* talk about hunger mechanics. Don’t get confused with cozy campfire cooking: we’re discussing the tension and drama of *not* getting the sustenance you need. Everyone’s gotta eat in real life, but what does it mean for our storytelling?

How do you make ingestion interesting? Should there be benefits to “staying hungry”? Does it matter whether your tummy is half full or half empty? Are toothless hunger mechanics worse than none at all?

And most importantly, why does mechanised hunger work great for vampires, but not so well for hunters, a grab bag of “beasts”, and *checks notes* mummies?

Violet’s calamari hooks her on a white whale. Roz struggles to retain retainers. Violet snacks on a hunger bar. Roz hungers for punishment. Violet rates rational numbers. Roz has one square meal.


Timestamps

What’s new? - 0:01:18

Intro to the topic - 0:11:16

Content warning (eating disorders) - 0:29:41 to 0:30:49

History - 0:34:37

Deep dive on Vampire: the Masquerade et al - 0:51:27 to 1:04:59

Taxonomicon** - 1:07:47

Strong opinions about “usage dice”*** - 1:46:54 to 1:53:13

Content warning (eating disorders) - 1:55:25 to 1:56:25

Design Dreams - 1:56:36

Wrapup - 2:09:44


Design Dreams

Violet - Expeditions & Anticipations

Roz - Truly Miserable Hunger: Trench Foot Edition

Violet - Hungry Hungry Homunculi


Games discussed

Carved in Stone

Leathers

OD&D

Bluebeard's Bride

Heart

Castle Ravenloft/Curse of Strahd 

Vampire the Masquerade (in particular, 5th edition)

Mothership

Black Hack

Wilderfeast

Delving Deeper

Basic Fantasy

OSE

Hyperborea

Chivalry and Sorcery

Traveler

AD&D, specifically Wilderness Survival Guide, and Dark Sun

The Morrow Project

Aftermath!

GURPS

Rifts (briefly)

Werewolf the Forsaken

Mage the Awakening and Exalted (briefly)

Hunter: the Vigil 

D&D 3.5, 5e

Beast: the Primordial

Vampire: the Requiem, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Hunter: the Reckoning, Changeling: the Lost (briefly)

Mummy: the Curse

Monsterhearts

Masks

Apocalypse World

Torchbearer

Ryuutama: Book of Gastronomy

Golden Sky Stories

Lamentations of the Flame Princess

His Majesty the Worm

Errant

Knave (Briefly)

Mausritter

Daggerheart (Beast Feast)

Yes, Chef

Bakto's Terrifying Cuisine

Algophilia

Nechronica (Briefly)

Spire

Swyvers


Other media discussed

Articles by Jay Dragon (see links below)

Resident Evil & Stardew Valley (in the same breath!)

It Has Come To Pass (painting by Sergei Lukin, 1958)

Delicious in Dungeon / Dungeon Meshi

Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit

Outdoor Survival

Chainmail (briefly)

The Complete Guide To Role-Playing Games (Rick Swan, 1990)

Article by Merritt K (see links below)

The Score (Thi Ngyuyen)

Radical Uncertainty (John Kay & Mervyn King)

Battle Chef Brigade

Consume Me

Fear and Hunger 


Notes & links

* Well, not me, Freya. I’m writing the shownotes, but I wasn’t in this one!


** …which does, as it happens, start with two more World (well, Chronicle) of Darkness games!


*** We don’t strictly define “usage dice” in this section, though! Basically, instead of tracking item quantity / durability on a numerical scale, you roll a die of a certain size when you use it, and something bad (such as the die shrinking next time) happens if you roll badly. As Violet remarked when I was writing this comment, we *did* talk about usage dice way back in episode 1, so, long time fans will surely remember ;-) 


The official-ish website for ZiMo - Zine Month - doesn’t actually commit to when exactly Zine Month might happen, other than to clarify that it’s distinct from the two other things also called “Zine Month”. So, keep an eye out and solve their riddles three if you want to participate next year! https://iwanttoplay.games/zinemonth 


Jay Dragon articles:

https://possumcreek.medium.com/a-dozen-fragments-on-playground-theory-684104bcb4ab

https://possumcreek.medium.com/the-game-left-unplayed-60062beadded

https://possumcreek.medium.com/rules-are-a-cage-and-im-a-puppygirl-69e8d569b2b6 


The rather endearing life level index chart from Outdoor Survival:

https://boardgamegeek.com/image/254292/outdoor-survival 


The Merritt K article no longer seems to be available, or at least neither of us could find it - sorry!


“Sekhem” appears to be etymologically related to words for “power” and “form”, with connotations along the same lines as mana / chi / your life force of choice. Googling it in 2026 provides a long list of new-age healing businesses…. Followed by the White Wolf wiki. Disclaimer: I am not an egyptologist.


Content warnings

Given the subject of this episode, we discuss:


- Eating disorders

- The biology and physiology of starvation


Notable instances are logged in the timestamp section.


Contact us!

Thank you to everyone who has emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com


Additional Credits

Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

]]> <p>In this ravenous episode, Violet is joined by returning guest Roz Leahy as we* talk about hunger mechanics. Don’t get confused with cozy campfire cooking: we’re discussing the tension and drama of *<em>not* </em>getting the sustenance you need. Everyone’s gotta eat in real life, but what does it mean for our storytelling?</p><p>How do you make ingestion interesting? Should there be benefits to “staying hungry”? Does it matter whether your tummy is half full or half empty? Are toothless hunger mechanics worse than none at all?</p><p>And most importantly, why does mechanised hunger work great for vampires, but not so well for hunters, a grab bag of “beasts”, and *checks notes* mummies?</p><p>Violet’s calamari hooks her on a white whale. Roz struggles to retain retainers. Violet snacks on a hunger bar. Roz hungers for punishment. Violet rates rational numbers. Roz has one square meal.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p>What’s new? - 0:01:18</p><p>Intro to the topic - 0:11:16</p><p>Content warning (eating disorders) - 0:29:41 to 0:30:49</p><p>History - 0:34:37</p><p>Deep dive on Vampire: the Masquerade et al - 0:51:27 to 1:04:59</p><p>Taxonomicon** - 1:07:47</p><p>Strong opinions about “usage dice”*** - 1:46:54 to 1:53:13</p><p>Content warning (eating disorders) - 1:55:25 to 1:56:25</p><p>Design Dreams - 1:56:36</p><p>Wrapup - 2:09:44</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Design Dreams</strong></p><p>Violet - Expeditions &amp; Anticipations</p><p>Roz - Truly Miserable Hunger: Trench Foot Edition</p><p>Violet - Hungry Hungry Homunculi</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games discussed</strong></p><p>Carved in Stone</p><p>Leathers</p><p>OD&amp;D</p><p>Bluebeard&#39;s Bride</p><p>Heart</p><p>Castle Ravenloft/Curse of Strahd </p><p>Vampire the Masquerade (in particular, 5th edition)</p><p>Mothership</p><p>Black Hack</p><p>Wilderfeast</p><p>Delving Deeper</p><p>Basic Fantasy</p><p>OSE</p><p>Hyperborea</p><p>Chivalry and Sorcery</p><p>Traveler</p><p>AD&amp;D, specifically Wilderness Survival Guide, and Dark Sun</p><p>The Morrow Project</p><p>Aftermath!</p><p>GURPS</p><p>Rifts (briefly)</p><p>Werewolf the Forsaken</p><p>Mage the Awakening and Exalted (briefly)</p><p>Hunter: the Vigil </p><p>D&amp;D 3.5, 5e</p><p>Beast: the Primordial</p><p>Vampire: the Requiem, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Hunter: the Reckoning, Changeling: the Lost (briefly)</p><p>Mummy: the Curse</p><p>Monsterhearts</p><p>Masks</p><p>Apocalypse World</p><p>Torchbearer</p><p>Ryuutama: Book of Gastronomy</p><p>Golden Sky Stories</p><p>Lamentations of the Flame Princess</p><p>His Majesty the Worm</p><p>Errant</p><p>Knave (Briefly)</p><p>Mausritter</p><p>Daggerheart (Beast Feast)</p><p>Yes, Chef</p><p>Bakto&#39;s Terrifying Cuisine</p><p>Algophilia</p><p>Nechronica (Briefly)</p><p>Spire</p><p>Swyvers</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Other media discussed</strong></p><p>Articles by Jay Dragon (see links below)</p><p>Resident Evil &amp; Stardew Valley (in the same breath!)</p><p>It Has Come To Pass (painting by Sergei Lukin, 1958)</p><p>Delicious in Dungeon / Dungeon Meshi</p><p>Lord of the Rings &amp; The Hobbit</p><p>Outdoor Survival</p><p>Chainmail (briefly)</p><p>The Complete Guide To Role-Playing Games (Rick Swan, 1990)</p><p>Article by Merritt K (see links below)</p><p>The Score (Thi Ngyuyen)</p><p>Radical Uncertainty (John Kay &amp; Mervyn King)</p><p>Battle Chef Brigade</p><p>Consume Me</p><p>Fear and Hunger </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes &amp; links</strong></p><p><strong>* </strong>Well, not me, Freya. I’m writing the shownotes, but I wasn’t in this one!</p><p><br></p><p>** …which does, as it happens, start with two more World (well, Chronicle) of Darkness games!</p><p><br></p><p>*** We don’t strictly define “usage dice” in this section, though! Basically, instead of tracking item quantity / durability on a numerical scale, you roll a die of a certain size when you use it, and something bad (such as the die shrinking next time) happens if you roll badly. As Violet remarked when I was writing this comment, we *did* talk about usage dice way back in episode 1, so, long time fans will surely remember ;-) </p><p><br></p><p>The official-ish website for ZiMo - Zine Month - doesn’t actually commit to when exactly Zine Month might happen, other than to clarify that it’s distinct from the two other things also called “Zine Month”. So, keep an eye out and solve their riddles three if you want to participate next year! <a href="https://iwanttoplay.games/zinemonth" rel="nofollow">https://iwanttoplay.games/zinemonth</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Jay Dragon articles:</p><p><a href="https://possumcreek.medium.com/a-dozen-fragments-on-playground-theory-684104bcb4ab" rel="nofollow">https://possumcreek.medium.com/a-dozen-fragments-on-playground-theory-684104bcb4ab</a></p><p><a href="https://possumcreek.medium.com/the-game-left-unplayed-60062beadded" rel="nofollow">https://possumcreek.medium.com/the-game-left-unplayed-60062beadded</a></p><p><a href="https://possumcreek.medium.com/rules-are-a-cage-and-im-a-puppygirl-69e8d569b2b6" rel="nofollow">https://possumcreek.medium.com/rules-are-a-cage-and-im-a-puppygirl-69e8d569b2b6</a> </p><p><br></p><p>The rather endearing life level index chart from Outdoor Survival:</p><p><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/image/254292/outdoor-survival" rel="nofollow">https://boardgamegeek.com/image/254292/outdoor-survival</a> </p><p><br></p><p>The Merritt K article no longer seems to be available, or at least neither of us could find it - sorry!</p><p><br></p><p>“Sekhem” appears to be etymologically related to words for “power” and “form”, with connotations along the same lines as mana / chi / your life force of choice. Googling it in 2026 provides a long list of new-age healing businesses…. Followed by the White Wolf wiki. Disclaimer: I am not an egyptologist.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Content warnings</strong></p><p>Given the subject of this episode, we discuss:</p><p><br></p><p>- Eating disorders</p><p>- The biology and physiology of starvation</p><p><br></p><p>Notable instances are logged in the timestamp section.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Contact us!</strong></p><p>Thank you to everyone who has emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email <a href="mailto:systemshoppodcast@gmail.com" rel="nofollow">systemshoppodcast@gmail.com</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional Credits</strong></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p> 10b17522-6a44-4b60-8b53-753eb869e821 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/234d24a6-7bce-4162-895b-b20384e5c346 Sun, 22 Feb 2026 15:57:47 +0000 8033 no full Episode 10: Monster Taming feat. Imogen Gingell Episode 10: Monster Taming feat. Imogen Gingell 10 Violet & Freya In this genre-defining episode, Violet and Freya are joined by fiancée of the show Imogen Gingell to talk about bringing a beloved videogame genre to the tabletop. How can you faithfully capture the themes while adapting mechanics to a new medium? How do you make each little guy mechanically unique and full of personality, without losing track of your travelling zoo? We explore how different games answer these questions - including, of course, Imogen’s upcoming JourneyMon, on Kickstarter right now!


Freya builds buzz for her broadcasting bees-ness. Violet dabbles with disobedience. Imogen reflects on symmetry. Freya draws a circle, then a blank. Violet bundles babies in her backpack. Imogen opens a box of dogs.


Check out JourneyMon on Kickstarter now!


journeymonrpg.com


Funded in seven hours, and (at time of press) well on the way to our second stretch goal! Campaign ends on Thursday, November 27th 2025.


Timestamps


What’s new? - 0:03:25

Tabletop Scotland - 0:11:03

Mailbag - 0:15:36

Intro to the topic - 0:23:37

Mechanics & design questions - 0:33:27

History - 0:56:44

Digression about 00’s homebrew forums - 1:08:21

Taxonomicon - 1:13:55

Design Dreams - 1:55:59

Wrap up - 2:13:02


Design Dreams


Violet - PokémOSR, Squires & Spirits

Freya - Isekai Ecologists, Everyone Is Mon

Imi - JourneyMon!


Games Discussed


Eberron

Cosmere RPG

Journeymon

Mythic Bastionland

Monsterhearts

Stonewalkers (Cosmere adventure path)

Escape From Riedra (Eberron adventure path)

Fall of Magic

City of Winter

Delve

Microscope

Armour Astir

Masks

Daggerheart

Apocalypse World

D&D

OSR (in general)

Runequest

Shin Megami Tensei TTRPG

Big Eyes, Small Mouth

Cute And Fuzzy Cockfighting Seizure Monsters

Pokéthulhu

Pokemon Tabletop Adventures

Pokémon Tabletop United

Pokémon 5e

Pokéroll

Pokeymanz

Monsters Tail

Magimonsters

Animon Story

Monsters And Other Childish Things

Monster of the Week

Pocket Monster of the Week

Lancer

Everyone is John

Lasers & Feelings

Kids With Critters

How To Train Your Mutant Fire Dog

Genepals

Convocation Prime

Bones Deep

ForeverDex

Transit

Wilderfeast


Other media discussed


Arkham Horror (card game)

Game Soup

Escape This Podcast

Pokémon*

Final Fantasy

Digimon**

Dark Souls

Battletech (the tabletop wargame)

His Dark Materials

Megami Tensei

Dragon Quest

Critical Ditto

The Adventure Zone

Microsoft Excel

Battletech (the videogame (2018))***

Ben 10

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Pokemon: Too Many Types

What Beats Rock

World of Warcraft

Let’s Learn Everything

Decktamer

My Card Is Better Than Your Card

Encounters of the Spooky Kind

Cassette Beasts

Jade Empire

My Trainer is Dumb?!

Disco Elysium

Inside Out

Monster Hunter

Dungeon Meshi


Notes and links


* we make it 25 minutes before naming Pokemon…

** …and it took us 42 minutes to namedrop Digimon!

*** I got the year wrong, clearly I’m not a True Fan


ProZD’s Q&A about his home Pokemon TTRPG -https://youtu.be/pndtlIKl0Qw?t=272 


One youtuber’s report from the front lines of Pokemon: Too Many Types - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjoLQvj7lAE 


I couldn’t find the Chansey Death Stranding game again. I’m moderately confident that it wasn’t a fever dream.


Contact us!


At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com


Additional credits


Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/


]]> <p>In this genre-defining episode, Violet and Freya are joined by fiancée of the show Imogen Gingell to talk about bringing a beloved videogame genre to the tabletop. How can you faithfully capture the themes while adapting mechanics to a new medium? How do you make each little guy mechanically unique and full of personality, without losing track of your travelling zoo? We explore how different games answer these questions - including, of course, Imogen’s upcoming JourneyMon, on Kickstarter right now!</p><p><br></p><p>Freya builds buzz for her broadcasting bees-ness. Violet dabbles with disobedience. Imogen reflects on symmetry. Freya draws a circle, then a blank. Violet bundles babies in her backpack. Imogen opens a box of dogs.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Check out JourneyMon on Kickstarter now!</strong></p><p><br></p><p><a href="http://journeymonrpg.com" rel="nofollow">journeymonrpg.com</a></p><p><br></p><p>Funded in seven hours, and (at time of press) well on the way to our second stretch goal! Campaign ends on Thursday, November 27th 2025.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p><br></p><p>What’s new? - 0:03:25</p><p>Tabletop Scotland - 0:11:03</p><p>Mailbag - 0:15:36</p><p>Intro to the topic - 0:23:37</p><p>Mechanics &amp; design questions - 0:33:27</p><p>History - 0:56:44</p><p>Digression about 00’s homebrew forums - 1:08:21</p><p>Taxonomicon - 1:13:55</p><p>Design Dreams - 1:55:59</p><p>Wrap up - 2:13:02</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Design Dreams</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Violet - PokémOSR, Squires &amp; Spirits</p><p>Freya - Isekai Ecologists, Everyone Is Mon</p><p>Imi - JourneyMon!</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games Discussed</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Eberron</p><p>Cosmere RPG</p><p>Journeymon</p><p>Mythic Bastionland</p><p>Monsterhearts</p><p>Stonewalkers (Cosmere adventure path)</p><p>Escape From Riedra (Eberron adventure path)</p><p>Fall of Magic</p><p>City of Winter</p><p>Delve</p><p>Microscope</p><p>Armour Astir</p><p>Masks</p><p>Daggerheart</p><p>Apocalypse World</p><p>D&amp;D</p><p>OSR (in general)</p><p>Runequest</p><p>Shin Megami Tensei TTRPG</p><p>Big Eyes, Small Mouth</p><p>Cute And Fuzzy Cockfighting Seizure Monsters</p><p>Pokéthulhu</p><p>Pokemon Tabletop Adventures</p><p>Pokémon Tabletop United</p><p>Pokémon 5e</p><p>Pokéroll</p><p>Pokeymanz</p><p>Monsters Tail</p><p>Magimonsters</p><p>Animon Story</p><p>Monsters And Other Childish Things</p><p>Monster of the Week</p><p>Pocket Monster of the Week</p><p>Lancer</p><p>Everyone is John</p><p>Lasers &amp; Feelings</p><p>Kids With Critters</p><p>How To Train Your Mutant Fire Dog</p><p>Genepals</p><p>Convocation Prime</p><p>Bones Deep</p><p>ForeverDex</p><p>Transit</p><p>Wilderfeast</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Other media discussed</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Arkham Horror (card game)</p><p>Game Soup</p><p>Escape This Podcast</p><p>Pokémon*</p><p>Final Fantasy</p><p>Digimon**</p><p>Dark Souls</p><p>Battletech (the tabletop wargame)</p><p>His Dark Materials</p><p>Megami Tensei</p><p>Dragon Quest</p><p>Critical Ditto</p><p>The Adventure Zone</p><p>Microsoft Excel</p><p>Battletech (the videogame (2018))***</p><p>Ben 10</p><p>Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure</p><p>Pokemon: Too Many Types</p><p>What Beats Rock</p><p>World of Warcraft</p><p>Let’s Learn Everything</p><p>Decktamer</p><p>My Card Is Better Than Your Card</p><p>Encounters of the Spooky Kind</p><p>Cassette Beasts</p><p>Jade Empire</p><p>My Trainer is Dumb?!</p><p>Disco Elysium</p><p>Inside Out</p><p>Monster Hunter</p><p>Dungeon Meshi</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes and links</strong></p><p><br></p><p>* we make it 25 minutes before naming Pokemon…</p><p>** …and it took us 42 minutes to namedrop Digimon!</p><p>*** I got the year wrong, clearly I’m not a True Fan</p><p><br></p><p>ProZD’s Q&amp;A about his home Pokemon TTRPG -<a href="https://youtu.be/pndtlIKl0Qw?t=272" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/pndtlIKl0Qw?t=272</a> </p><p><br></p><p>One youtuber’s report from the front lines of Pokemon: Too Many Types - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjoLQvj7lAE" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjoLQvj7lAE</a> </p><p><br></p><p>I couldn’t find the Chansey Death Stranding game again. I’m moderately confident that it wasn’t a fever dream.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Contact us</strong>!</p><p><br></p><p>At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional credits</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p><p><br></p> 73fe0648-7f8a-4da0-8f3f-d6a279910c5d https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/c9a6b4b9-f88e-44fc-ab35-74d20c966e68 Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:23:04 +0000 8314 no full Episode 9: Mapmaking feat. Roz Leahy (Part 2) Episode 9: Mapmaking feat. Roz Leahy (Part 2) 9 Violet & Freya In this conclusive episode, we round off our discussion of mapmaking. How can random map generation both add and remove meaning in a world? Is verisimilitude in tension with playability? Do spaces need to generate conflicts?


Violet re-orients her priorities. Freya turns on the worm. Roz breaks the annual silence. 


Violet goes loopy. Freya goes flat-out. Roz throws shade on the dark. 


Violet’s ideal excludes idylls. Freya enjoys a beach episode. Roz edinburrows through Edinborough.


We will be at Tabletop Scotland!


In Edinburgh *this weekend* (5th - 7th September). 


Say hi if you spot us! Freya says if you spot her in her white JourneyMon t-shirt and enthuse about your favourite companion monster, she’ll give you a bag of monster munch.


Check out Roz’s stuff


Roz’s portfolio can be found here - https://rozleahy.carrd.co/


Her Philip K Dick podcast, Chicks with Dick, can be found in your preferred podcasting place.


Timestamps


Map-related news - 01:03

The ever-popular taxonomicon - 13:38

…including but not exclusively extended discussions of…

The Quiet Year - 17:20

Seas of Sand - 44:37

Wanderhome - 1:03:38

Mappa Mundi - 1:10:21

Spotlighting some games that we found through a keyword search on itch.io - 1:19:27

Design Dreams - 1:38:00

Surprise! Actually it’s a discussion about real world architecture - 1:38:01

Okay, now Design Dreams - 1:43:41

Wrapup - 2:10:11


Design Dreams


Violet: Spiral School, Blobworld, Urchins Under Adventurefication, Border Loopers, Gold Rush God Game

Freya: Isekai Leyline Wizards, Turns & Tides 


Games discussed


Keep on the Borderlands (“very slight spoiler” warning around the 1 hour mark)

On Mighty Thews

Swords Without Master

In A Wicked Age

Beyond the Wall - Further Afield

Microscope

The Quiet Year

I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic

Your Cool City Needs A Food Supply

Delve

Dawn of Worlds

Bottled Sea

Undying Sands

Umbra

Rise

Mothership

The Vast in the Dark

Seas of Sand

Dark Sun

Mausritter

D&D (took us a while to mention it this time!)

Wanderhome

Journeymon (took us a while to mention this, too!)

Ryuutama

Under Hill, By Water

Mappa Mundi

Heart

Bad Maps

World In Your Hand

Sock Puppets

A Show of Hands

Your Body a Landscape

Walking to France

Wisher, Theurge, Fatalist

My Bad Galaxy

Into The Odd

Delta Green

DOGS (which may or may not be in the Vineyard)

Cosmere RPG


Other media discussed


Pseudoregalia

Majora’s Mask (specifically the 3DS remake)

Blue Prince

Harvest (2024)

Conan the Barbarian

Lord of the Rings

The Domesday Book

Seeing Like a State

Invisible Cities (Violet tried not to talk about it, but successfully failed)

Hello Future Me

Victoria 3

Small World (board game)

Carcassonne

Civilization: New Dawn

Dwarf Fortress

Flatland

Planet Zoo

Dark Souls

Citizen Sleeper

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Magic: The Gathering

Diablo

Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Skyrim

The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis

Talisman

Captain Sonar

Zelda (in general)

Bloodborne

Hobbit Tales From The Green Dragon Inn

Hand of Fate

Advance Wars

Delicious in Dungeon

Lil’ Guardsman

Hundreds of Beavers

Too Many Cooks (cw: surprise horror)

Late Shift (2025)

Inis


Notes and links


The National Underground Asset Register appears to require an account to access its beta form - https://portal.nuar.uk/ 


Restrictions breed creativity in the WTF game jam - https://itch.io/jam/wtfjam2025/entries 


Watabou’s generators on itch are just one of the many map-making tools out there - https://watabou.itch.io/ 


If you find the post about the guy getting stuck in the backstage of a hotel, send it to Roz because she can’t find it and it’s driving her crazy.


Isekai is a truly prolific genre of anime and manga about protagonists who get magically transported to other worlds. But you knew that, you weeb ;-)


Contact us!


At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com


Additional credits


Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/



]]> <p>In this conclusive episode, we round off our discussion of mapmaking. How can random map generation both add and remove meaning in a world? Is verisimilitude in tension with playability? Do spaces need to generate conflicts?</p><p><br></p><p>Violet re-orients her priorities. Freya turns on the worm. Roz breaks the annual silence. </p><p><br></p><p>Violet goes loopy. Freya goes flat-out. Roz throws shade on the dark. </p><p><br></p><p>Violet’s ideal excludes idylls. Freya enjoys a beach episode. Roz edinburrows through Edinborough.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>We will be at Tabletop Scotland!</strong></p><p><br></p><p>In Edinburgh *this weekend* (5th - 7th September). </p><p><br></p><p>Say hi if you spot us! Freya says if you spot her in her white JourneyMon t-shirt and enthuse about your favourite companion monster, she’ll give you a bag of monster munch.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Check out Roz’s stuff</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Roz’s portfolio can be found here - <a href="https://rozleahy.carrd.co/" rel="nofollow">https://rozleahy.carrd.co/</a></p><p><br></p><p>Her Philip K Dick podcast, Chicks with Dick, can be found in your preferred podcasting place.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Map-related news - 01:03</p><p>The ever-popular taxonomicon - 13:38</p><p>…including but not exclusively extended discussions of…</p><p>The Quiet Year - 17:20</p><p>Seas of Sand - 44:37</p><p>Wanderhome - 1:03:38</p><p>Mappa Mundi - 1:10:21</p><p>Spotlighting some games that we found through a keyword search on itch.io - 1:19:27</p><p>Design Dreams - 1:38:00</p><p>Surprise! Actually it’s a discussion about real world architecture - 1:38:01</p><p>Okay, now Design Dreams - 1:43:41</p><p>Wrapup - 2:10:11</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Design Dreams</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Violet: Spiral School, Blobworld, Urchins Under Adventurefication, Border Loopers, Gold Rush God Game</p><p>Freya: Isekai Leyline Wizards, Turns &amp; Tides </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games discussed</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Keep on the Borderlands (“very slight spoiler” warning around the 1 hour mark)</p><p>On Mighty Thews</p><p>Swords Without Master</p><p>In A Wicked Age</p><p>Beyond the Wall - Further Afield</p><p>Microscope</p><p>The Quiet Year</p><p>I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic</p><p>Your Cool City Needs A Food Supply</p><p>Delve</p><p>Dawn of Worlds</p><p>Bottled Sea</p><p>Undying Sands</p><p>Umbra</p><p>Rise</p><p>Mothership</p><p>The Vast in the Dark</p><p>Seas of Sand</p><p>Dark Sun</p><p>Mausritter</p><p>D&amp;D (took us a while to mention it this time!)</p><p>Wanderhome</p><p>Journeymon (took us a while to mention this, too!)</p><p>Ryuutama</p><p>Under Hill, By Water</p><p>Mappa Mundi</p><p>Heart</p><p>Bad Maps</p><p>World In Your Hand</p><p>Sock Puppets</p><p>A Show of Hands</p><p>Your Body a Landscape</p><p>Walking to France</p><p>Wisher, Theurge, Fatalist</p><p>My Bad Galaxy</p><p>Into The Odd</p><p>Delta Green</p><p>DOGS (which may or may not be in the Vineyard)</p><p>Cosmere RPG</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Other media discussed</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Pseudoregalia</p><p>Majora’s Mask (specifically the 3DS remake)</p><p>Blue Prince</p><p>Harvest (2024)</p><p>Conan the Barbarian</p><p>Lord of the Rings</p><p>The Domesday Book</p><p>Seeing Like a State</p><p>Invisible Cities (Violet tried not to talk about it, but successfully failed)</p><p>Hello Future Me</p><p>Victoria 3</p><p>Small World (board game)</p><p>Carcassonne</p><p>Civilization: New Dawn</p><p>Dwarf Fortress</p><p>Flatland</p><p>Planet Zoo</p><p>Dark Souls</p><p>Citizen Sleeper</p><p>Tress of the Emerald Sea</p><p>Magic: The Gathering</p><p>Diablo</p><p>Zelda: Breath of the Wild</p><p>Skyrim</p><p>The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis</p><p>Talisman</p><p>Captain Sonar</p><p>Zelda (in general)</p><p>Bloodborne</p><p>Hobbit Tales From The Green Dragon Inn</p><p>Hand of Fate</p><p>Advance Wars</p><p>Delicious in Dungeon</p><p>Lil’ Guardsman</p><p>Hundreds of Beavers</p><p>Too Many Cooks (cw: surprise horror)</p><p>Late Shift (2025)</p><p>Inis</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes and links</strong></p><p><br></p><p>The National Underground Asset Register appears to require an account to access its beta form - <a href="https://portal.nuar.uk/" rel="nofollow">https://portal.nuar.uk/</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Restrictions breed creativity in the WTF game jam - <a href="https://itch.io/jam/wtfjam2025/entries" rel="nofollow">https://itch.io/jam/wtfjam2025/entries</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Watabou’s generators on itch are just one of the many map-making tools out there - <a href="https://watabou.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">https://watabou.itch.io/</a> </p><p><br></p><p>If you find the post about the guy getting stuck in the backstage of a hotel, send it to Roz because she can’t find it and it’s driving her crazy.</p><p><br></p><p>Isekai is a truly prolific genre of anime and manga about protagonists who get magically transported to other worlds. But you knew that, you weeb ;-)</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Contact us</strong>!</p><p><br></p><p>At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional credits</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p><p><br></p><p><br></p> 18d90abf-65a8-4793-948e-bec54c8719d3 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/ab4ddfcd-4c50-459c-9505-9749417c9e3f Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:24:03 +0000 8150 no full Episode 8: Mapmaking feat. Roz Leahy (Part 1) Episode 8: Mapmaking feat. Roz Leahy (Part 1) 8 1 Violet & Freya In this trailblazing episode, we have our first ever guest and our first ever two-parter! We’re joined by Roz Leahy, game designer and editor, to talk all about maps. Who makes the map, and when? How is the act of mapmaking at the table reflected within the fiction? And when can a “bad” map be better than a “good” one?


Freya invents Bawdy&D. Roz lays her cartography on the table. Violet joins the little leagues. Freya is inclined to descend. Roz delivers a north-winded explanation. Violet goes dotty. And most importantly, everyone enthuses about local history. There’s no pun there, we just think it’s neat.


Check out our various things!


The kickstarter prelaunch page for Journeymon, the monster-training RPG written mostly by Freya’s award-winning fiancée but also partially by her, is waiting for you at https://journeymonrpg.com/ . There’s also a free quickstart adventure. Check it out!


Roz’s portfolio can be found here - https://rozleahy.carrd.co/ . Her Philip K Dick podcast, Chicks with Dick, can be found in your preferred podcasting place.


Timestamps


What’s new - 3:05

Mailbag - 11:46

Intro to topic - 15:05

Design Qs - 22:00

History - 58:50

Wrapup - 1:18:55


TTRPGs (and a lot of specific modules this time!)


Border Riding

Keep on the Borderlands

Journeymon

Going for Broke

Masks

Dungeons & Dragons: Men & Magic booklet

Cosmere RPG

Stars Without Number

Mothership

Mausritter

Mörk Borg

Planescape

Dawn of Worlds

Hyperborea

Hyboria (not to be confused!)

Descent into the Depths of the Earth

West Marches

Dungeon Geomorphs

Traveller

Microscope

The Quiet Year

Dark Forest

I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic

Songs for the Dusk


Other media things discussed


The Carry On film series, for some reason

Kill James Bond

Original Podcast Do Not Steal

Escape This Podcast

City of Six Moons

Chicks with Dick

Pathologic

A prospective map of unified Germany from 1848

Shadow & Bone (season 2)

Game of Thrones

Babylon 5

Sword of the Stars

Stellaris

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Captain Sonar

Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space

Outdoor Survival

Chainmail

Guild Wars 2

Elden Ring

Big Walk

Ratatouille

Fallout 3

Assassin’s Creed



Notes and links

The virtual escape room “Break this Game” praised in Freya’s intro can be found here - https://mattj375.itch.io/vr-game-escape-room 


“On Exactitude in Science”, by Jorge Luis Borges, happens to only be one paragraph long, and you can read the text in translation here - https://neilgreenberg.com/ao-quote-borges-on-exactitude-in-science/ 


The National Library of Scotland’s archive of maps is available here - https://maps.nls.uk/ 


Mystic Arts’ Video on 3-mile hexes is on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEIg1DlRkLg 


More information about the singular phenomenon that is Hyboria can be found here - https://snv-ttm.blogspot.com/p/tony-baths-hyboria.html 


Contact us!


At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com


Additional credits


Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

]]> <p>In this trailblazing episode, we have our first ever guest and our first ever two-parter! We’re joined by Roz Leahy, game designer and editor, to talk all about maps. Who makes the map, and when? How is the act of mapmaking at the table reflected within the fiction? And when can a “bad” map be better than a “good” one?</p><p><br></p><p>Freya invents Bawdy&amp;D. Roz lays her cartography on the table. Violet joins the little leagues. Freya is inclined to descend. Roz delivers a north-winded explanation. Violet goes dotty. And most importantly, everyone enthuses about local history. There’s no pun there, we just think it’s neat.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Check out our various things!</strong></p><p><br></p><p>The kickstarter prelaunch page for Journeymon, the monster-training RPG written mostly by Freya’s award-winning fiancée but also partially by her, is waiting for you at <a href="https://journeymonrpg.com/" rel="nofollow">https://journeymonrpg.com/</a> . There’s also a free quickstart adventure. Check it out!</p><p><br></p><p>Roz’s portfolio can be found here - <a href="https://rozleahy.carrd.co/" rel="nofollow">https://rozleahy.carrd.co/</a> . Her Philip K Dick podcast, Chicks with Dick, can be found in your preferred podcasting place.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p><br></p><p>What’s new - 3:05</p><p>Mailbag - 11:46</p><p>Intro to topic - 15:05</p><p>Design Qs - 22:00</p><p>History - 58:50</p><p>Wrapup - 1:18:55</p><p><br></p><p><strong>TTRPGs (and a lot of specific modules this time!)</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Border Riding</p><p>Keep on the Borderlands</p><p>Journeymon</p><p>Going for Broke</p><p>Masks</p><p>Dungeons &amp; Dragons: Men &amp; Magic booklet</p><p>Cosmere RPG</p><p>Stars Without Number</p><p>Mothership</p><p>Mausritter</p><p>Mörk Borg</p><p>Planescape</p><p>Dawn of Worlds</p><p>Hyperborea</p><p>Hyboria (not to be confused!)</p><p>Descent into the Depths of the Earth</p><p>West Marches</p><p>Dungeon Geomorphs</p><p>Traveller</p><p>Microscope</p><p>The Quiet Year</p><p>Dark Forest</p><p>I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic</p><p>Songs for the Dusk</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Other media things discussed</strong></p><p><br></p><p>The Carry On film series, for some reason</p><p>Kill James Bond</p><p>Original Podcast Do Not Steal</p><p>Escape This Podcast</p><p>City of Six Moons</p><p>Chicks with Dick</p><p>Pathologic</p><p>A prospective map of unified Germany from 1848</p><p>Shadow &amp; Bone (season 2)</p><p>Game of Thrones</p><p>Babylon 5</p><p>Sword of the Stars</p><p>Stellaris</p><p>Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes</p><p>Captain Sonar</p><p>Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space</p><p>Outdoor Survival</p><p>Chainmail</p><p>Guild Wars 2</p><p>Elden Ring</p><p>Big Walk</p><p>Ratatouille</p><p>Fallout 3</p><p>Assassin’s Creed</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes and links</strong></p><p>The virtual escape room “Break this Game” praised in Freya’s intro can be found here - <a href="https://mattj375.itch.io/vr-game-escape-room" rel="nofollow">https://mattj375.itch.io/vr-game-escape-room</a> </p><p><br></p><p>“On Exactitude in Science”, by Jorge Luis Borges, happens to only be one paragraph long, and you can read the text in translation here - <a href="https://neilgreenberg.com/ao-quote-borges-on-exactitude-in-science/" rel="nofollow">https://neilgreenberg.com/ao-quote-borges-on-exactitude-in-science/</a> </p><p><br></p><p>The National Library of Scotland’s archive of maps is available here - <a href="https://maps.nls.uk/" rel="nofollow">https://maps.nls.uk/</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Mystic Arts’ Video on 3-mile hexes is on youtube - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEIg1DlRkLg" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEIg1DlRkLg</a> </p><p><br></p><p>More information about the singular phenomenon that is Hyboria can be found here - <a href="https://snv-ttm.blogspot.com/p/tony-baths-hyboria.html" rel="nofollow">https://snv-ttm.blogspot.com/p/tony-baths-hyboria.html</a> </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Contact us</strong>!</p><p><br></p><p>At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional credits</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p> a5fc1be9-5272-4bca-8cb2-0cbcb0f2b96e https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/653d8b81-8090-4b61-956d-b6dc58835475 Mon, 04 Aug 2025 17:44:37 +0000 4795 no full Episode 7: Pre-Generated Characters Episode 7: Pre-Generated Characters 7 1 Violet & Freya In this tailor-made episode, we discuss the advantages and challenges of using and writing pre-generated character sheets. Is there a sweet spot of player choice? And what are the risks of telling players exactly who they are and how they should feel?

Freya watches for waspmen. Violet horseshoes around. Freya posits a post-it plan. Violet digs up a classic Indie game.

As a bonus, we also have a themed mini-debrief of the 2025 UK Games Expo. And that theme is? Themes.


As a double bonus, we introduce a new segment: “game ideas that it turns out somebody else has already done which is great because it means it already exists in the world”!


As a triple bonus, the Journeymon Kickstarter prelaunch page and free quickstart adventure went live while we were editing this episode! Check them out here - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ilgingell/journeymon-monster-trainer-roleplaying/ 


Timestamps


UGKE discussion - basically from the start

GITITOSEHADWIGBIMIAEITW - about 19:40

Mailbag - about 25:44

Intro & design Qs - about 30:53

History - 1:02:06

Taxonomicon - 1:11:45

Design Dreams - 1:40:00

Wrap up - 2:02:13



TTRPGs discussed


The Vanilla Game

Keep on the Borderlands

OSR in general

D&D (4e, 5e)

Psychodungeon

Voidheart Symphony

Subway Runners

iHunt

Call of Cthulhu

Changeling: the Lost

Tales of the Kytin Age *

Sagas of the Icelanders

For the Honor

Animon Story

Journeymon

Mappa Mundi

SPEEDRUN RPG

Pathfinder 1e

Biosphere Guardians 2050

Trickster’s Net

Rifts

Aberrant

Shadowrun

Savage Worlds

PbtA

Lady Blackbird

Monsterhearts

Dream Askew

World of Darkness (in general)

AD&D

The Adventures of Indiana Jones

Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast

Mistborn Adventure Game

The Exes of Casey Estrada

Last Day at Honkwarts

Genesys

Black Code

Pirate Borg

Edge of the Empire

Armour Astir

Stealing the Throne

Interstitial: Our Hearts Entwined

Mothership

Daggerheart



Other games and things discussed


Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

Shadows of the Apt **

https://www.tumblr.com/haveyouplayedthisttrpg 

Fullmetal Alchemist

Crescent Moon (board game)

Battlestar Galactica (board game)

The Commedia dell’arte

Lord of the Rings: the Third Age

“I Finished A Videogame”’s LotR adaptations retrospective ***

Escaflowne

Wheel of Time

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Dark Souls

Nier Automata

Root

https://www.youtube.com/@Hollandspiele 

Original Podcast Do Not Steal ****


Notes


* as promised in the audio, the artist for this game is Yasen Stoilov https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:37fsd5g3kwmkmi5dvs2yxsgj 


** yes, I must mention this every single episode


*** not merely four hours - it’s actually five. Enjoy. https://youtu.be/poMnJKLGYo0?si=ynx0cQu_43vamIZE 


**** the bugworld guest episode is not yet up! They must have a mighty buffer. https://open.spotify.com/show/4a3x2GlQw0jsSk4vFTdpus 


Violet’s oft-referenced LARP design handbook is “LARP Design: Creating Role-play Experiences”, available from the authors at https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/136330/978-952-03-2260-1.pdf 


The Hungarian for “thank you” is “Köszönöm”.


Contact us!


At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com


Additional credits


Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

]]> <p>In this tailor-made episode, we discuss the advantages and challenges of using and writing pre-generated character sheets. Is there a sweet spot of player choice? And what are the risks of telling players exactly who they are and how they should feel?</p><p>Freya watches for waspmen. Violet horseshoes around. Freya posits a post-it plan. Violet digs up a classic Indie game.</p><p>As a bonus, we also have a themed mini-debrief of the 2025 UK Games Expo. And that theme is? Themes.</p><p><br></p><p>As a double bonus, we introduce a new segment: “game ideas that it turns out somebody else has already done which is great because it means it already exists in the world”!</p><p><br></p><p>As a triple bonus, the Journeymon Kickstarter prelaunch page and free quickstart adventure went live while we were editing this episode! Check them out here - <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ilgingell/journeymon-monster-trainer-roleplaying/" rel="nofollow">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ilgingell/journeymon-monster-trainer-roleplaying/</a> </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p><br></p><p>UGKE discussion - basically from the start</p><p>GITITOSEHADWIGBIMIAEITW - about 19:40</p><p>Mailbag - about 25:44</p><p>Intro &amp; design Qs - about 30:53</p><p>History - 1:02:06</p><p>Taxonomicon - 1:11:45</p><p>Design Dreams - 1:40:00</p><p>Wrap up - 2:02:13</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>TTRPGs discussed</strong></p><p><br></p><p>The Vanilla Game</p><p>Keep on the Borderlands</p><p>OSR in general</p><p>D&amp;D (4e, 5e)</p><p>Psychodungeon</p><p>Voidheart Symphony</p><p>Subway Runners</p><p>iHunt</p><p>Call of Cthulhu</p><p>Changeling: the Lost</p><p>Tales of the Kytin Age *</p><p>Sagas of the Icelanders</p><p>For the Honor</p><p>Animon Story</p><p>Journeymon</p><p>Mappa Mundi</p><p>SPEEDRUN RPG</p><p>Pathfinder 1e</p><p>Biosphere Guardians 2050</p><p>Trickster’s Net</p><p>Rifts</p><p>Aberrant</p><p>Shadowrun</p><p>Savage Worlds</p><p>PbtA</p><p>Lady Blackbird</p><p>Monsterhearts</p><p>Dream Askew</p><p>World of Darkness (in general)</p><p>AD&amp;D</p><p>The Adventures of Indiana Jones</p><p>Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast</p><p>Mistborn Adventure Game</p><p>The Exes of Casey Estrada</p><p>Last Day at Honkwarts</p><p>Genesys</p><p>Black Code</p><p>Pirate Borg</p><p>Edge of the Empire</p><p>Armour Astir</p><p>Stealing the Throne</p><p>Interstitial: Our Hearts Entwined</p><p>Mothership</p><p>Daggerheart</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Other games and things discussed</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Yumi and the Nightmare Painter</p><p>Shadows of the Apt **</p><p><a href="https://www.tumblr.com/haveyouplayedthisttrpg" rel="nofollow">https://www.tumblr.com/haveyouplayedthisttrpg</a> </p><p>Fullmetal Alchemist</p><p>Crescent Moon (board game)</p><p>Battlestar Galactica (board game)</p><p>The Commedia dell’arte</p><p>Lord of the Rings: the Third Age</p><p>“I Finished A Videogame”’s LotR adaptations retrospective ***</p><p>Escaflowne</p><p>Wheel of Time</p><p>Everything Everywhere All At Once</p><p>Dark Souls</p><p>Nier Automata</p><p>Root</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Hollandspiele" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@Hollandspiele</a> </p><p>Original Podcast Do Not Steal ****</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes</strong></p><p><br></p><p>* as promised in the audio, the artist for this game is Yasen Stoilov <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:37fsd5g3kwmkmi5dvs2yxsgj" rel="nofollow">https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:37fsd5g3kwmkmi5dvs2yxsgj</a> </p><p><br></p><p>** yes, I must mention this every single episode</p><p><br></p><p>*** not merely four hours - it’s actually five. Enjoy. <a href="https://youtu.be/poMnJKLGYo0?si=ynx0cQu_43vamIZE" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/poMnJKLGYo0?si=ynx0cQu_43vamIZE</a> </p><p><br></p><p>**** the bugworld guest episode is not yet up! They must have a mighty buffer. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4a3x2GlQw0jsSk4vFTdpus" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/show/4a3x2GlQw0jsSk4vFTdpus</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Violet’s oft-referenced LARP design handbook is “LARP Design: Creating Role-play Experiences”, available from the authors at <a href="https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/136330/978-952-03-2260-1.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/136330/978-952-03-2260-1.pdf</a> </p><p><br></p><p>The Hungarian for “thank you” is “Köszönöm”.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Contact us</strong>!</p><p><br></p><p>At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional credits</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p> 31e4ad48-5f42-4d4b-b9ff-d434df382d38 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/32a51504-3e52-4bd5-abc9-b34cf681ae29 Mon, 30 Jun 2025 15:35:44 +0000 7612 no full Episode 6: Multi-Attacks & Dual Wielding Episode 6: Multi-Attacks & Dual Wielding 6 1 Violet & Freya In this all-out episode, we discuss dual wielding and various other kinds of multiplicative modes of attack. How can frequency-focused fighting styles make different characters feel different? And how can you balance attack and defense mechanics so that “just attack more” isn’t the only answer?

Violet trades a strike in the hand for two in the bush. Freya studies the studs. Violet decides Drizzt is a decent dude. Freya accidentally designs a videogame (again).

Timestamps

Mailbag - 8:29

Intro to the topic - 11:08

History - 26:23

Taxonomicon - 33:15

Design Dreams - 59:21


TTRPGs discussed

Band of Blades

Blades in the Dark

Exalted (various editions) & Exalted Essence

PbtA (in general)

D&D (various editions)

Lancer

Cosmere RPG

Empire of the Petal Throne

Runequest

Pathfinder

OSR (in general)

Dark Heresy

Old World of Darkness

Vampire: the (various things)

One Roll System (Reign, Monsters and Other Childish Things, etc)

Genesys

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy

Tiles and Truenames*

Last Days at Honkwarts*


Other games and things discussed

Blue Prince

Gone Home

Animal Well

Link’s Crossbow Training

XCOM

Knights of the Old Republic 2

Battletech

Bushido

Knights of the Old Republic… 1!

Total War

Warhammer 40k

Dissidia: Final Fantasy

The concept of LARPing

Absolver

Combo Fighter

Yomi

Final Fantasy XIII

Signs of the Sojourner

Megaman: Battle Network

Cobalt Core

Paperback Adventures


Notes

*Dear listeners, allow us the brief indulgence of talking about our own games during the wrapup.

Some illustrated sources re the question of historic “studded leather armour”:

https://www.quora.com/Was-the-studded-leather-armour-used-in-D-D-ever-used-in-real-historical-combat-situations-If-so-was-it-useful 

https://youtu.be/hmm_2GRa-o8?t=230 

Pathfinder 2e does not use base attack bonus! It rolls the concept of weapon skill into its general tiered proficiency system, which applies the same rules to attacks, skills, saves, spellcasting, and probably several other things.


The referenced clown college gag on Tumblr is apparently from 2016 and the original poster has deactivated, but it lives on in our hearts and our reblog chains, e.g. https://sunbeamstarship.tumblr.com/post/656273434937016320/new-clown-in-town-juzavoices-im-in 


Convention alert!

Freya will be at UK Games Expo in Birmingham on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June. She will be wearing a white Journeymon promo t-shirt on at least one and possibly both of those days. Say hi if you see her!


Contact us!

At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com


Additional credits

Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

]]> <p>In this all-out episode, we discuss dual wielding and various other kinds of multiplicative modes of attack. How can frequency-focused fighting styles make different characters feel different? And how can you balance attack and defense mechanics so that “just attack more” isn’t the only answer?</p><p>Violet trades a strike in the hand for two in the bush. Freya studies the studs. Violet decides Drizzt is a decent dude. Freya accidentally designs a videogame (again).</p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p>Mailbag - 8:29</p><p>Intro to the topic - 11:08</p><p>History - 26:23</p><p>Taxonomicon - 33:15</p><p>Design Dreams - 59:21</p><p><br></p><p><strong>TTRPGs discussed</strong></p><p>Band of Blades</p><p>Blades in the Dark</p><p>Exalted (various editions) &amp; Exalted Essence</p><p>PbtA (in general)</p><p>D&amp;D (various editions)</p><p>Lancer</p><p>Cosmere RPG</p><p>Empire of the Petal Throne</p><p>Runequest</p><p>Pathfinder</p><p>OSR (in general)</p><p>Dark Heresy</p><p>Old World of Darkness</p><p>Vampire: the (various things)</p><p>One Roll System (Reign, Monsters and Other Childish Things, etc)</p><p>Genesys</p><p>Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy</p><p>Tiles and Truenames*</p><p>Last Days at Honkwarts*</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Other games and things discussed</strong></p><p>Blue Prince</p><p>Gone Home</p><p>Animal Well</p><p>Link’s Crossbow Training</p><p>XCOM</p><p>Knights of the Old Republic 2</p><p>Battletech</p><p>Bushido</p><p>Knights of the Old Republic… 1!</p><p>Total War</p><p>Warhammer 40k</p><p>Dissidia: Final Fantasy</p><p>The concept of LARPing</p><p>Absolver</p><p>Combo Fighter</p><p>Yomi</p><p>Final Fantasy XIII</p><p>Signs of the Sojourner</p><p>Megaman: Battle Network</p><p>Cobalt Core</p><p>Paperback Adventures</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes</strong></p><p>*Dear listeners, allow us the brief indulgence of talking about our own games during the wrapup.</p><p>Some illustrated sources re the question of historic “studded leather armour”:</p><p><a href="https://www.quora.com/Was-the-studded-leather-armour-used-in-D-D-ever-used-in-real-historical-combat-situations-If-so-was-it-useful" rel="nofollow">https://www.quora.com/Was-the-studded-leather-armour-used-in-D-D-ever-used-in-real-historical-combat-situations-If-so-was-it-useful</a> </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/hmm_2GRa-o8?t=230" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/hmm_2GRa-o8?t=230</a> </p><p>Pathfinder 2e does not use base attack bonus! It rolls the concept of weapon skill into its general tiered proficiency system, which applies the same rules to attacks, skills, saves, spellcasting, and probably several other things.</p><p><br></p><p>The referenced clown college gag on Tumblr is apparently from 2016 and the original poster has deactivated, but it lives on in our hearts and our reblog chains, e.g. <a href="https://sunbeamstarship.tumblr.com/post/656273434937016320/new-clown-in-town-juzavoices-im-in" rel="nofollow">https://sunbeamstarship.tumblr.com/post/656273434937016320/new-clown-in-town-juzavoices-im-in</a> </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Convention alert!</strong></p><p>Freya will be at UK Games Expo in Birmingham on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June. She will be wearing a white Journeymon promo t-shirt on at least one and possibly both of those days. Say hi if you see her!</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Contact us</strong>!</p><p>At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional credits</strong></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p> d42ad859-262b-4460-a6a1-79b213077734 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/26279a31-a6d8-4cfe-b9b0-9259c188f961 Fri, 30 May 2025 15:41:40 +0000 4763 no full Bonus Episode: Violet's Conpulsion Con-venture Bonus Episode: Violet's Conpulsion Con-venture Violet & Freya In this unconventionally conventional episode, Violet talks about a recent event in Edinburgh.

Violet has to hand it to handouts. Freya learns about a Thing or two. Violet takes the wrong notes. Freya is unexpectedly out-gayed.

Thank you to everyone who emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com

Timestamps

Start of Con Discussion: 3:07

Liminal Horror: 9:27

Delta Green: 21:22

Kaleidoscope: 26:41

The Family: 34:41


Games discussed

Liminal Horror

Delta Green

Kaleidoscope

The Family

Black Hack (and OSR in general)

Monsterhearts

Microscope

Belonging Outside Belonging / Dream Askew / Dream Apart / No Dice No Masters

Wanderhome

Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine

Mörk Borg

Avatar Legends

Masks


Games that aren't TTRPGs that we nonetheless discussed, sometimes at surprising length

Dead Rising

Battlestar Galactica (the board game)

Betrayal at the House on the Hill

Mario Party

Immortality (confirmed, this is on Netflix)

The Executive

Lost Odyssey 


Notes & links

Itch page for the designer of the Family https://clevercrumbish.itch.io/ 

Weird Hope Engines: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/events/events/2025/3/weird-hope-engines 

Video essay about Lost Odyssey - https://youtu.be/iqgSDClU4Qo?si=M1vnb3gixwhaz8zM


Additional Credits

Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

]]> <p>In this unconventionally conventional episode, Violet talks about a recent event in Edinburgh.</p><p>Violet has to hand it to handouts. Freya learns about a Thing or two. Violet takes the wrong notes. Freya is unexpectedly out-gayed.</p><p>Thank you to everyone who emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email <a href="mailto:systemshoppodcast@gmail.com" rel="nofollow">systemshoppodcast@gmail.com</a></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p>Start of Con Discussion: 3:07</p><p>Liminal Horror: 9:27</p><p>Delta Green: 21:22</p><p>Kaleidoscope: 26:41</p><p>The Family: 34:41</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games discussed</strong></p><p>Liminal Horror</p><p>Delta Green</p><p>Kaleidoscope</p><p>The Family</p><p>Black Hack (and OSR in general)</p><p>Monsterhearts</p><p>Microscope</p><p>Belonging Outside Belonging / Dream Askew / Dream Apart / No Dice No Masters</p><p>Wanderhome</p><p>Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine</p><p>Mörk Borg</p><p>Avatar Legends</p><p>Masks</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games that aren&#39;t TTRPGs that we nonetheless discussed, sometimes at surprising length</strong></p><p>Dead Rising</p><p>Battlestar Galactica (the board game)</p><p>Betrayal at the House on the Hill</p><p>Mario Party</p><p>Immortality (confirmed, this is on Netflix)</p><p>The Executive</p><p>Lost Odyssey </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes &amp; links</strong></p><p>Itch page for the designer of the Family <a href="https://clevercrumbish.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">https://clevercrumbish.itch.io/</a> </p><p>Weird Hope Engines: <a href="https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/events/events/2025/3/weird-hope-engines" rel="nofollow">https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/events/events/2025/3/weird-hope-engines</a> </p><p>Video essay about Lost Odyssey - <a href="https://youtu.be/iqgSDClU4Qo?si=M1vnb3gixwhaz8zM" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/iqgSDClU4Qo?si=M1vnb3gixwhaz8zM</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional Credits</strong></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p> 1cd850cc-ffd4-4c9a-b9ca-8cf1b9204da2 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/8510d452-3496-428f-9024-ac12e45df9de Sat, 03 May 2025 15:08:56 +0000 3026 no full Episode 5: Challenge Rating Episode 5: Challenge Rating 5 1 Violet & Freya In this level-appropriate episode, we discuss encounter design through the lens of totally objective ratings of enemies’ power levels. Yes, we do mention Dragonball Z - but somehow entirely refrain from any “over 9000” jokes.


Violet shares tips on tipping points. Freya mopes about mopping up. Violet hates on Fate. Freya insists she liked D&D 4e all along.


Thank you to everyone who emailed into our mailbag - if you have any thoughts, comments, or questions please email us at: systemshoppodcast@gmail.com


Timestamps

Mailbag - 9:00

Intro to the topic - 11:18

Design questions - 19:40

History - 35:40

Taxonomicon - 47:45

Design dreams - 1:03:15


Games discussed

Star Trek Adventures

Last Days at Honkwarts*

The Great Dalmuti

Master and Apprentice*

Pathfinder

Fate

D&D

Dark Heresy

Capers

D&D 4E specifically

Vampire: the Masquerade 

Lancer (like, a lot)

13th Age

Battletech (it’s back!)

Grimwild

Genesys

Time of Monsters

Vaesen

Mothership


*These are games designed by Violet herself. She apparently forgot to even mention the name of the second one :-P


Notes

It turns out that Freya’s graphics card has become eight years old since she last checked, so she’s definitely not going to play Monster Hunter Wilds, alas.


The nineteen-year-old Order of the Stick comic that Freya recalls with only moderate accuracy is https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0347.html 


Additional credits

Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

]]> <p>In this level-appropriate episode, we discuss encounter design through the lens of totally objective ratings of enemies’ power levels. Yes, we do mention Dragonball Z - but somehow entirely refrain from any “over 9000” jokes.</p><p><br></p><p>Violet shares tips on tipping points. Freya mopes about mopping up. Violet hates on Fate. Freya insists she liked D&amp;D 4e all along.</p><p><br></p><p>Thank you to everyone who emailed into our mailbag - if you have any thoughts, comments, or questions please email us at: systemshoppodcast@gmail.com</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p>Mailbag - 9:00</p><p>Intro to the topic - 11:18</p><p>Design questions - 19:40</p><p>History - 35:40</p><p>Taxonomicon - 47:45</p><p>Design dreams - 1:03:15</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games discussed</strong></p><p>Star Trek Adventures</p><p>Last Days at Honkwarts*</p><p>The Great Dalmuti</p><p>Master and Apprentice*</p><p>Pathfinder</p><p>Fate</p><p>D&amp;D</p><p>Dark Heresy</p><p>Capers</p><p>D&amp;D 4E specifically</p><p>Vampire: the Masquerade </p><p>Lancer (like, a lot)</p><p>13th Age</p><p>Battletech (it’s back!)</p><p>Grimwild</p><p>Genesys</p><p>Time of Monsters</p><p>Vaesen</p><p>Mothership</p><p><br></p><p>*These are games designed by Violet herself. She apparently forgot to even mention the name of the second one :-P</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes</strong></p><p>It turns out that Freya’s graphics card has become eight years old since she last checked, so she’s <em>definitely </em>not going to play Monster Hunter Wilds, alas.</p><p><br></p><p>The nineteen-year-old Order of the Stick comic that Freya recalls with only moderate accuracy is <a href="https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0347.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0347.html</a> </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional credits</strong></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p> 7c4a47fe-15ac-4f2c-8fb3-ca8a9df86a78 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/009f883f-8371-44f1-8496-0caefc30c266 Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:45:13 +0000 4837 no bonus Bonus Episode: Freya's Con-tingency Conventure Bonus Episode: Freya's Con-tingency Conventure Violet & Freya In this first ever bonus episode, Freya reflects on the games she played at Contingency 2025 - a TTRPG convention on the wintry Norfolk coast. We discuss a pair of very yellow games, ruminate upon “A+B” dice mechanics, and analyse the comedy-to-therapy spectrum. 

Timestamps

CBR+PNK - 2:02

Yellow King RPG (sort of) - 9:16

Confectioners vs Cromwell (using GM’s own system) - 16:56

Never Stop Exploding - 21:47

Troika! - 26:29

Star Trek Adventures (1E) - 30:40

JourneyMon - 39:21

Tool Team - 39:50

DIE - 41:57

One Ring (2E) - 1:02:29


Notes and links

The extremely long Lord of the Rings video Freya mentioned: https://youtu.be/poMnJKLGYo0?si=hQO5mbdDtRnAjKOu


The Meguey Baker article we discussed: https://lumpley.games/2021/12/30/ritual-in-game-design/

]]> <p><span>In this first ever bonus episode, Freya reflects on the games she played at </span><a href="http://www.con-tingency.uk/" rel="nofollow">Contingency 2025</a><span> - a TTRPG convention on the wintry Norfolk coast. We discuss a pair of very yellow games, ruminate upon “A+B” dice mechanics, and analyse the comedy-to-therapy spectrum. </span></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p><span>CBR+PNK - 2:02</span></p><p><span>Yellow King RPG (sort of) - 9:16</span></p><p><span>Confectioners vs Cromwell (using GM’s own system) - 16:56</span></p><p><span>Never Stop Exploding - 21:47</span></p><p><span>Troika! - 26:29</span></p><p><span>Star Trek Adventures (1E) - 30:40</span></p><p><span>JourneyMon - 39:21</span></p><p><span>Tool Team - 39:50</span></p><p><span>DIE - 41:57</span></p><p><span>One Ring (2E) - 1:02:29</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes and links</strong></p><p><span>The extremely long Lord of the Rings video Freya mentioned: </span><a href="https://youtu.be/poMnJKLGYo0?si=hQO5mbdDtRnAjKOu" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/poMnJKLGYo0?si=hQO5mbdDtRnAjKOu</a></p><p><br></p><p><span>The Meguey Baker article we discussed: </span><a href="https://lumpley.games/2021/12/30/ritual-in-game-design/" rel="nofollow">https://lumpley.games/2021/12/30/ritual-in-game-design/</a><span> </span></p> e06ce6b6-9047-430f-9ec2-26d772c4810b https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/c4a92dd7-a62d-4d7b-8561-4a71b1578951 Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:01:40 +0000 4355 no full Episode 4: Aid Another Episode 4: Aid Another 4 1 Violet & Freya In this camaraderie-ridden episode, we’re talking about mechanics for helping other characters in joint efforts. We discuss how teamwork can double the risks, double the rewards, and hopefully say something about the nature of your characters’ relationships in the process.


Violet uses "Stanford prison experiment" as a verb. Freya farms friends. Violet turns over an old leaf. Freya tears and shares.


Our thanks to Charlie, Joey, and Amber for writing in! If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com.


Timestamps

Mailbag - 5:35

Intro & history of helping - 14:34

Design questions - 24:33

Example deep dives - 32:57

Gradual slip into design dreams - 51:11


Games discussed in this episode

(In order of first mention)

Daggerheart

Sar-Stan

Tiles and Truenames

What’s In Your Mouth?!

Super Saviour Squad

The Token Bag Game Jam in general

Armour Astir

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

Mystery homebrew system by Joey Jones

Ars Magica

Dogs in the Vineyard

DOGS [*1]

City of Winter

Death of a Hero [*2]

Masks

Golden Sky Stories

Empire of the Petal Throne

D&D

Tunnels and Trolls

Traveller

Apocalypse World

Monsterhearts

Blades in the Dark

Genesys

Edge of the Empire

Vampire: the Masquerade

JourneyMon

Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined

Vaesen

Heart


Notes and links


Two of the more esoteric entries on the above list can be found here:


[*1] https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/274623/dogs


[*2] https://babblegumsam.itch.io/death-of-a-hero


The two UK TTRPG conventions mentioned are 


- http://www.con-tingency.uk/ 


- https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/ 


Submissions to the Token Bag game jam can be found here: https://itch.io/jam/token-bag/entries 


Its follow-up - the New Year, Old Ideas game jam - has indeed already ended. Submissions can be found at https://itch.io/jam/new-year-old-ideas-jam/entries

]]> <p>In this camaraderie-ridden episode, we’re talking about mechanics for helping other characters in joint efforts. We discuss how teamwork can double the risks, double the rewards, and hopefully say something about the nature of your characters’ relationships in the process.</p><p><br></p><p>Violet uses &#34;Stanford prison experiment&#34; as a verb. Freya farms friends. Violet turns over an old leaf. Freya tears and shares.</p><p><br></p><p>Our thanks to Charlie, Joey, and Amber for writing in! If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><p>Mailbag - 5:35</p><p>Intro &amp; history of helping - 14:34</p><p>Design questions - 24:33</p><p>Example deep dives - 32:57</p><p>Gradual slip into design dreams - 51:11</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games discussed in this episode</strong></p><p><em>(In order of first mention)</em></p><p>Daggerheart</p><p>Sar-Stan</p><p>Tiles and Truenames</p><p>What’s In Your Mouth?!</p><p>Super Saviour Squad</p><p>The Token Bag Game Jam in general</p><p>Armour Astir</p><p>Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay</p><p>Mystery homebrew system by Joey Jones</p><p>Ars Magica</p><p>Dogs in the Vineyard</p><p>DOGS [*1]</p><p>City of Winter</p><p>Death of a Hero [*2]</p><p>Masks</p><p>Golden Sky Stories</p><p>Empire of the Petal Throne</p><p>D&amp;D</p><p>Tunnels and Trolls</p><p>Traveller</p><p>Apocalypse World</p><p>Monsterhearts</p><p>Blades in the Dark</p><p>Genesys</p><p>Edge of the Empire</p><p>Vampire: the Masquerade</p><p>JourneyMon</p><p>Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined</p><p>Vaesen</p><p>Heart</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes and links</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Two of the more esoteric entries on the above list can be found here:</p><p><br></p><p>[*1] <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/274623/dogs" rel="nofollow">https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/274623/dogs</a></p><p><br></p><p>[*2] <a href="https://babblegumsam.itch.io/death-of-a-hero" rel="nofollow">https://babblegumsam.itch.io/death-of-a-hero</a></p><p><br></p><p>The two UK TTRPG conventions mentioned are </p><p><br></p><p>- <a href="http://www.con-tingency.uk/" rel="nofollow">http://www.con-tingency.uk/</a> </p><p><br></p><p>- <a href="https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Submissions to the Token Bag game jam can be found here: <a href="https://itch.io/jam/token-bag/entries" rel="nofollow">https://itch.io/jam/token-bag/entries</a> </p><p><br></p><p>Its follow-up - the New Year, Old Ideas game jam - has indeed already ended. Submissions can be found at <a href="https://itch.io/jam/new-year-old-ideas-jam/entries" rel="nofollow">https://itch.io/jam/new-year-old-ideas-jam/entries</a></p> 25c09ccf-99fb-4814-b522-46a7c8d8f863 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/86cd798a-3123-445a-88d3-e8d553a2b3ad Thu, 06 Feb 2025 14:44:56 +0000 4176 no full System Shop Update System Shop Update Violet & Freya Just a brief update on the podcast, which is going on a brief hiatus due to various personal issues.

Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

]]> <p>Just a brief update on the podcast, which is going on a brief hiatus due to various personal issues.</p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p> ec131b42-96a9-4603-ad44-2b6ed2c0f370 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/c697b567-1b4d-4042-b57a-e1ee19a3c144 Sat, 23 Nov 2024 15:37:05 +0000 91 no full Episode 3: Death Episode 3: Death 3 1 Violet & Freya In this nominally spooky episode, we’re talking about DEATH. Who decides when a hero falls - is it the whims of the dice, the demands of the narrative, or a knife-edge entente between the two?


Violet calculates the exact value of her friends’ lives. Freya uses a stake to take a break.

Violet brings a gun to a dice fight. Freya gets knocked down, but gets back up again.


Our thanks to the listeners who mailed in with comments on last week’s topic, Initiative - if you have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com!



Games discussed in this episode:


Call of Cthulhu

Wanderhome

OD&D

Traveller

Vampire: the Masquerade

Dogs in the Vineyard

Apocalypse World / Powered by the Apocalypse

Monsterhearts

Vaesen

Dread

Ten Candles*

Mothership

Delta Green

Paranoia

Phoenix: Dawn Command

Blades in the Dark

Pathfinder (1e)

Edge of the Empire / Genesys

Cosmere RPG

Armour Astir

Daggerheart

Wildsea

Old School Essentials

Heart

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins

Pendragon

Mummy: the Curse


Rogue Trader

Arkham Horror

Aeon’s End

Star Wars Armada

Grandia

Battletech**

Forbidden Stars

Game of Thrones (the board game)

Gears of War

Control

Wildermyth

Rogue***

Magic: the Gathering



Notes:


* less spooky, but perhaps more manageable, than thirteen candles.


** the videogame by Harebrained Schemes, not the tabletop wargame, for once!


*** and its roguelike descendants.


1. Violet’s Bag Jam can be found at https://itch.io/jam/token-bag , running from Friday 1st to Saturday 23rd November 2024.


2. Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds, by Gary Alan Fine, was first published in 1983.


3. A helpful chart: https://xkcd.com/1890/ 



A disclaimer: 


Freya is a volunteer playtester for both the Cosmere RPG and Daggerheart. She is not being paid in any way, and draws examples from their open beta material when relevant because they’re fresh in her mind!



Additional credits:


Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/


Spooky halloween music by Divider Line (dividerline.bandcamp.com)


Sound effects by the BBC © copyright 2024 BBC (https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/search?q=07043402)


Editing, musical stings, and other sound effects by Violet Henderson

]]> <p>In this <em>nominally spooky </em>episode, we’re talking about DEATH. Who decides when a hero falls - is it the whims of the dice, the demands of the narrative, or a knife-edge entente between the two?</p><p><br></p><p>Violet calculates the exact value of her friends’ lives. Freya uses a stake to take a break.</p><p>Violet brings a gun to a dice fight. Freya gets knocked down, but gets back up again.</p><p><br></p><p>Our thanks to the listeners who mailed in with comments on last week’s topic, Initiative - if you have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com!</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games discussed in this episode:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Call of Cthulhu</p><p>Wanderhome</p><p>OD&amp;D</p><p>Traveller</p><p>Vampire: the Masquerade</p><p>Dogs in the Vineyard</p><p>Apocalypse World / Powered by the Apocalypse</p><p>Monsterhearts</p><p>Vaesen</p><p>Dread</p><p>Ten Candles*</p><p>Mothership</p><p>Delta Green</p><p>Paranoia</p><p>Phoenix: Dawn Command</p><p>Blades in the Dark</p><p>Pathfinder (1e)</p><p>Edge of the Empire / Genesys</p><p>Cosmere RPG</p><p>Armour Astir</p><p>Daggerheart</p><p>Wildsea</p><p>Old School Essentials</p><p>Heart</p><p>Legacy: Life Among the Ruins</p><p>Pendragon</p><p>Mummy: the Curse</p><p><br></p><p>Rogue Trader</p><p>Arkham Horror</p><p>Aeon’s End</p><p>Star Wars Armada</p><p>Grandia</p><p>Battletech**</p><p>Forbidden Stars</p><p>Game of Thrones (the board game)</p><p>Gears of War</p><p>Control</p><p>Wildermyth</p><p>Rogue***</p><p>Magic: the Gathering</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>* less spooky, but perhaps more manageable, than thirteen candles.</p><p><br></p><p>** the videogame by Harebrained Schemes, not the tabletop wargame, for once!</p><p><br></p><p>*** and its roguelike descendants.</p><p><br></p><p>1. Violet’s Bag Jam can be found at <a href="https://itch.io/jam/token-bag" rel="nofollow">https://itch.io/jam/token-bag</a> , running from Friday 1st to Saturday 23rd November 2024.</p><p><br></p><p>2. Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds, by Gary Alan Fine, was first published in 1983.</p><p><br></p><p>3. A helpful chart: <a href="https://xkcd.com/1890/" rel="nofollow">https://xkcd.com/1890/</a> </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>A disclaimer: </strong></p><p><br></p><p>Freya is a volunteer playtester for both the Cosmere RPG and Daggerheart. She is not being paid in any way, and draws examples from their open beta material when relevant because they’re fresh in her mind!</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional credits:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Our intro music is </p><p>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</p><p>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p><p><br></p><p>Spooky halloween music by Divider Line (dividerline.bandcamp.com)</p><p><br></p><p>Sound effects by the BBC © copyright 2024 BBC (https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/search?q=07043402)</p><p><br></p><p>Editing, musical stings, and other sound effects by Violet Henderson</p> 873daec5-b6b0-449b-bde6-292091ea1df2 https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/5d3e1184-ee21-47ea-9bbb-01ad05331302 Wed, 30 Oct 2024 12:46:10 +0000 4833 no full Episode 2: Initiative Episode 2: Initiative 2 1 Violet & Freya How do you figure out who’s on first? And how do you balance the excitement of surprise against the satisfaction of a perfectly executed plan?


Violet advocates for inaction. Freya trusts in the heart of the cards. Violet reaches into her bag of tricks. Freya turns into a lighthouse.


Games discussed in this episode:

  • D&D
  • Tunnels & Trolls
  • Traveler
  • Phoenix: Dawn Command* 
  • Deadlands / Savage Worlds
  • Troika
  • Edge of the Empire / Genesys
  • Vaesen / Mutant Year Zero
  • Daggerheart**
  • Cosmere RPG
  • Mothership
  • 13th Age (briefly)
  • Monsters & Other Childish Things / Reign / One Role System


  • Arkham Horror
  • Blood Bowl
  • Battletech
  • Falling
  • Space Alert
  • Quacks of Quedlinburg
  • Cobalt Core
  • Tactical Breach Wizards


Notes:

* I don’t know why this is the only game where I also named the author. No disrespect intended towards other designers! - F


** Speaking of which, and to answer a Q from the discussion: the lead designer is Spenser Starke; Mr Mercer is credited as creative advisor.


A disclaimer: 

Freya is a volunteer playtester for both the Cosmere RPG and Daggerheart. She is not being paid in any way, and draws examples from their open beta material when relevant because they’re fresh in her mind!


Additional credits:

Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/


Editing, musical stings, and other sound effects by Violet Henderson

]]> <p>How do you figure out who’s on first? And how do you balance the excitement of surprise against the satisfaction of a perfectly executed plan?</p><p><br></p><p>Violet advocates for inaction. Freya trusts in the heart of the cards. Violet reaches into her bag of tricks. Freya turns into a lighthouse.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games discussed in this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>D&amp;D</li><li>Tunnels &amp; Trolls</li><li>Traveler</li><li>Phoenix: Dawn Command* </li><li>Deadlands / Savage Worlds</li><li>Troika</li><li>Edge of the Empire / Genesys</li><li>Vaesen / Mutant Year Zero</li><li>Daggerheart**</li><li>Cosmere RPG</li><li>Mothership</li><li>13th Age (briefly)</li><li>Monsters &amp; Other Childish Things / Reign / One Role System</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>Arkham Horror</li><li>Blood Bowl</li><li>Battletech</li><li>Falling</li><li>Space Alert</li><li>Quacks of Quedlinburg</li><li>Cobalt Core</li><li>Tactical Breach Wizards</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p>* I don’t know why this is the only game where I also named the author. No disrespect intended towards other designers! - F</p><p><br></p><p>** Speaking of which, and to answer a Q from the discussion: the lead designer is Spenser Starke; Mr Mercer is credited as creative advisor.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>A disclaimer: </strong></p><p>Freya is a volunteer playtester for both the Cosmere RPG and Daggerheart. She is not being paid in any way, and draws examples from their open beta material when relevant because they’re fresh in her mind!</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional credits:</strong></p><p><em>Our intro music is </em></p><p><em>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</em></p><p><em>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</em></p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow"><em>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</em></a></p><p><br></p><p><em>Editing, musical stings, and other sound effects by Violet Henderson</em></p> d7079833-3531-416b-9d2a-a9b176c8e31f https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/18e7e9ec-4bc0-4085-aa74-2b6c7266a98c Fri, 11 Oct 2024 13:35:37 +0000 3695 no full Episode 1: Inventory Management Episode 1: Inventory Management 1 1 Violet & Freya Welcome to the very first* episode of System Shop, the podcast where we deep dive into RPG design, one subsystem at a time.


Today, we’re talking about inventory systems: what’s the point of tracking all your bits and bobs, and can it actually be fun?


Violet can’t wait to talk about Ryuutama, and wants everyone to know it. Freya can’t stop talking about counting missiles (ancient and modern). Violet gleefully torments her players with maths homework. Freya has no idea how heavy 1lb is**. Blades in the Dark defies the Taxonomicon, for what will surely not be the last time.


Games discussed in this episode:

  • Dungeons and Dragons
  • World of Darkness
  • Apocalypse World / PBTA
  • Pathfinder
  • Blades in the Dark
  • Dogs in the Vineyard 
  • Knave
  • Ryuutama
  • Troika
  • Mausritter
  • Heavy Gear
  • Black Hack
  • Shadow of Mogg
  • They Do Not Stop, You Must Not Fail
  • Mistborn (the 2011 TTRPG, not the upcoming one)


  • Wingspan
  • Battletech (the tabletop wargame, not the excellent strategy videogame)
  • Battlestar Galactica (the board game)
  • Galaxy Trucker
  • Resident Evil
  • Diablo
  • Megaman: Battle Network 2 (Blue Version)
  • Backpack Hero
  • Halo: Combat Evolved
  • Going Under
  • Breath of the Wild
  • Gears of War
  • Homestuck


Notes:

* Unless we become bold enough at a later date to release our secret Episode Zero!


** The D&D 5e Player’s Handbook says a longsword weighs 3lbs, in defiance of Wikipedia’s estimate of 4-6.6lbs. Either way, I was way out - F.


The “inciting blog post” discussed in this episode can be found at https://harbingergames.blogspot.com/2020/04/if-your-torches-burn-for-only-one-hour.html


Additional credits:

Our intro music is 

"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/


Editing, musical stings, and other sound effects by Violet Henderson

]]> <p>Welcome to the very first* episode of System Shop, the podcast where we deep dive into RPG design, one subsystem at a time.</p><p><br></p><p>Today, we’re talking about inventory systems: what’s the point of tracking all your bits and bobs, and can it actually be fun?</p><p><br></p><p>Violet can’t wait to talk about Ryuutama, and wants everyone to know it. Freya can’t stop talking about counting missiles (ancient and modern). Violet gleefully torments her players with maths homework. Freya has no idea how heavy 1lb is**. Blades in the Dark defies the Taxonomicon, for what will surely not be the last time.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Games discussed in this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>Dungeons and Dragons</li><li>World of Darkness</li><li>Apocalypse World / PBTA</li><li>Pathfinder</li><li>Blades in the Dark</li><li>Dogs in the Vineyard </li><li>Knave</li><li>Ryuutama</li><li>Troika</li><li>Mausritter</li><li>Heavy Gear</li><li>Black Hack</li><li>Shadow of Mogg</li><li>They Do Not Stop, You Must Not Fail</li><li>Mistborn (the 2011 TTRPG, not the upcoming one)</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>Wingspan</li><li>Battletech (the tabletop wargame, not the excellent strategy videogame)</li><li>Battlestar Galactica (the board game)</li><li>Galaxy Trucker</li><li>Resident Evil</li><li>Diablo</li><li>Megaman: Battle Network 2 (Blue Version)</li><li>Backpack Hero</li><li>Halo: Combat Evolved</li><li>Going Under</li><li>Breath of the Wild</li><li>Gears of War</li><li>Homestuck</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p>* Unless we become bold enough at a later date to release our secret Episode Zero!</p><p><br></p><p>** The D&amp;D 5e Player’s Handbook says a longsword weighs 3lbs, in defiance of Wikipedia’s estimate of 4-6.6lbs. Either way, I was way out - F.</p><p><br></p><p>The “inciting blog post” discussed in this episode can be found at https://harbingergames.blogspot.com/2020/04/if-your-torches-burn-for-only-one-hour.html</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional credits:</strong></p><p><em>Our intro music is </em></p><p><em>&#34;Magic Escape Room&#34; by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)</em></p><p><em>Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</em></p><p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow"><em>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</em></a></p><p><br></p><p><em>Editing, musical stings, and other sound effects by Violet Henderson</em></p> 30300e8c-0e3f-4da5-a0da-26570d232edb https://redcircle.com/shows/6991e09e-dad5-44a5-8846-c37761c7f4c7/episodes/a770dd76-8129-4180-be67-9e3e882b65cf Fri, 11 Oct 2024 12:55:20 +0000 4457 no