Improvised Radio Theatre - With Dice

Improvised Radio Theatre - With Dice! is a podcast by Roger Bell_West and Michael Cule, in which we pontificate on role-playing games.

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You can also listen on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

Please email us your comments and suggestions, to "podcast" at the domain "tekeli.li", or comment on individual episodes. Most discussion is now happening on the forum.


Slug Stores 01 March 2024 - 1 comment

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This month, Mike and Roger consider how to do character sheets right, and ponder the future of generic systems.

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My Sex Life is Cosmically Important 01 February 2024

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This month, Roger and Mike can't get away from bashing dungeons, and consider the (sadly still-extant) adversarial relationship between players and game masters.

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James Wallis Burned My Boat 01 January 2024

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This month, Mike and Roger review a bumper set of Bundles of Holding, consider our gaming plans for 2024, and consider the deep history of RPGs.

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Character Description Language 01 October 2023

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This month, Roger and Mike consider class-and-level and other ways of building and improving characters.

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As Long As They're Not Nibbling On Your Leg 01 September 2023

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This month, Mike and Roger indulge once more in RPG-a-Day all at once.

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Something John Dee Whipped Up 01 July 2023

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This month, Mike and Roger reveal that really the world was like this all along, and consider how the Planning Scene can be restrained (and when it should be).

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A Strong Antinomian Tendency 01 May 2023 - 2 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger do an end-of-the-season review of one of Roger’s masterpieces and let their inner Grumpy Old Men out to have a rant or two.

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Unresolved Rage About Billy Bunter 01 April 2023

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This month, Roger and Mike consider social interactions modelled as combat, and magical school stories.

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You Could See Coronation Street From There 01 December 2022

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It's our tenth anniversary! So as a special exception to our usual format we talk to each other.

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Too Busy Starving to Have a Civil War 01 November 2022

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This month, Mike and Roger try to end slavery. Turns out it's quite hard.

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Extensive Rules On Clothing 01 September 2022

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This month, Mike and Roger make our usual annual visit to RPG a Day.

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Mapping the Kitchens of Camelot 01 August 2022

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This month, Roger and Mike discuss settings that didn't start as RPGs, and how to make your home base more interesting.

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Out on the Sharp and Bitey End 01 May 2022

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This month, Mike and Roger contemplate madness in gaming, and attempt to don a veil of ignorance.

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Straitjackets and Scaffolds 01 April 2022

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This month, Roger and Mike consider the history and utility of character classes… and do not reveal their True Names.

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Eccentrics and Lunatics and Fanatics 01 January 2022

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This month, Mike and Roger wonder whether they're indulging in NPCs too much, while considering what the late Stephen Sondheim can tell us about game design.

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Being Wealthy and a Bastard 01 December 2021 - 3 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike look for inspiration for a new campaign, and look into a very old-fashioned one.

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Down These Mean Streets With A Mint Julep 01 November 2021

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This month, Mike gets Roger to talk about his Second World War campaign, recently ended after fourteen years of play.

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Only One Serious Case Of Assault 01 August 2021

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This month, Roger and Mike attempt to work out what GM skills are.

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Tattered Stockings and Last Year's Surcoat 01 July 2021

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This month, Mike and Roger look at Realm Management and other game modes which move away from the individual PC, and consider how to write a TV show bible.

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The Fantasy Gratification Thing 01 June 2021

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This month, Roger and Mike (with guest vocals by Bruce) consider the British style of role-playing (if any), and a year and more of remote gaming.

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Fundamental GURPSiness 01 May 2021

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This month, Mike and Roger have played James Bond 007 (thanks to friend of the show Brett Evill) and consider how to de-crunch a crunchy game.

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People's Bad Dreams, Gamified 01 April 2021

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This month, Roger and Mike celebrate episode 100.

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A Favour You Can Pick Up And Load 01 March 2021

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This month, Mike and Roger regret a failed campaign, do each other favours, and contemplate the role of the trap in a modern game.

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Agonised about AGON 01 December 2020

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This month, Roger and Mike talk about what they're up to and how on-line conventions are working for them, discuss GM nerves, and talk about how they choose a setting .

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She Had Her Teeth in Boris Johnson 01 November 2020

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This month, Mike and Roger look at the Dracula Dossier, do RPG-a-Day only a few months late, and generate another Ars Magica character.

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A Large Tick in my Book of Vengeance 01 October 2020

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This month, Roger and Mike generate a character for Ars Magica, and worry about not fitting into the campaign.

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People are Multipurpose Tools 01 July 2020

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This month, Mike and Roger consider play styles enforced by game mechanics, and review a couple of unusual RPGs.

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The Best Sort Of Disease 01 June 2020

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This month, Roger and Mike look back on Man to Man and consider disease when applied to other people.

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In 1895? I Don’t Think So! 01 March 2020

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This month, Mike and Roger are ill, look at paperless play and finish off our play of The Fathomless Sleep

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Sub-Standard Crocodiles 01 November 2019

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This month, Mike and Roger consider the phenomenon of the Adventurers' Guild, start a Monster Hunters campaign, and look at what goes wrong with combat.

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Uninfected Curates 01 September 2019

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This month, Mike and Roger do RPG-a-day, or more accurately RPG-a-3.1-minutes. Apologies for the audio quality; Roger messed up the setup (it won't happen (in that specific way) again), then mostly rescued the recording with Heroic Sound Engineering Skills.

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Council of Guilds and Disgustingly Rich People 01 July 2019

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This month, Mike and Roger get into character, and look at the differences between Fantasyland and mediaeval Europe.

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Paradisia, A Lawful Good Kingdom 01 June 2019 - 1 comment

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This month, Roger and Mike consider what to do once the adventures are rich beyond even their wildest dreams, try to avoid the boring bits of game prep, and experiment with an actual play recording.

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Last-Minute Improvised Thrown-Together Wah-Wah 01 May 2019

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This month, Mike and Roger look into conspiracy theories, and pick apart mystery adventures.

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Teaching Woodlice to Sing 01 March 2019

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This month, Mike and Roger consider characters cleverer than they are, fail to assume they're sitting round a table, and consider the narrative implications of The Law.

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Gooshy Stuff 01 February 2019 - 4 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike feel burned out, consider the fun of being evil, and try to work out how to get better at GMing.

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In the Unlikely Event That They Survive 01 December 2018

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This month, Roger and Mike look at random tables, random character generation and particularly social class, and consider what to do when the system lets you down.

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I'm Not Quite Sure How You Pervert the Halflings 01 October 2018

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This month, Roger and Mike run through the GURPS Spaceships series, and consider how and when to construct your own setting.

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Fire Has to Mean Something 01 September 2018 - 1 comment

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This month, Mike and Roger revisit RPG-a-Day, and consider some possibilities for role-playing without violence.

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Weird Oogly-Boogly in the Bigger Picture 01 August 2018

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This month, Roger and Mike consider demonstration scenarios, revisit the Infinite Worlds, and contemplate how to encourage new players.

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Deceleration Trauma is Not Your Friend 01 July 2018

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This month, Mike and Roger indulge in crass commercialism, consider players who don't turn up reliably, look at high-powered games and how to keep them interesting, and delve into the pulps and what gaming can learn from them.

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Rupert of Hentzau Wants You Dead 24 May 2018

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This month, Roger and Mike (plus a supporting cast of birds and trains) fire players, think about themes that make them uncomfortable, and indulge in Ruritanian romance.

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I Shoot the Horde of Bees With My Rifle 01 May 2018

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This month, Mike and Roger look at RuneQuest that isn't RuneQuest, ponder why some campaigns just flow more easily than others, think about GURPS books that were never written, and work on long-term goals.

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I Have Nightmares That Are Like That 01 April 2018

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This month, Roger and Mike consider a historical mystery, ponder how little you can get away with telling your players, and wonder whether a rigid lack of metaplot can be as bad as having metaplot in the first place.

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And His Mother-in-Law and His Flat Feet 01 March 2018

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This month, Mike and Roger look at two games on special offer and one that's just interesting, and examine name lists and stats for NPCs.

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When You Stumble Into the Underworld 01 February 2018 - 2 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike revisit Fall of Magic, and take a long introductory look at GURPS.

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It Still Feels Like Dying While You're Doing It 01 January 2018

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This month, Mike and Roger look at what it takes to do Star Trek "right", and explore the language of role-playing and its native narrative forms; and Mike perpetrates a carefully-organised surprise.

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Plus One Per Adjective 01 December 2017 - 12 comments

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This month, for our sixtieth episode, Roger and Mike are inspired by music, get decadent, and consider their equipment lists. The inspirational tracks for the first segment are Rocketman by the Red Elvises, and Lucifer by The Alan Parsons Project.

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Unity of Purpose, Comrade 01 November 2017 - 7 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger wonder how you know when you're a good GM, consider their exploits as players, and consider the ideal composition of a player group.

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I Blamed It On a Dragon Of Their Acquaintance 01 October 2017 - 26 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike lack enthusiasm, contemplate great big detailed settings, and wonder how you lot got involved in role-playing games.

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Chunky Policeman Kibble 01 September 2017 - 9 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger contemplate types of government, and look at #RPGADay for 2017.

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It All Comes Down to Fire In the End 01 August 2017 - 6 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike give advice to the GM of a new time travel game, and consider the thousands of worlds of a Traveller-style setting: what makes them interesting? How can this work?

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Much More Likely To Survive the First Civil War 01 July 2017 - 5 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger contemplate long-term campaigns with gaps, travel in gaming time, and consider tech levels: threat or menace?

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You Can't Adjust For Player Competence 01 May 2017 - 13 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger criticise themselves regarding Pendragon, consider intuition, revisit game recordings, and plan for disaster.

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Let's Not Become Blasphemous This Early 01 April 2017 - 13 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike talk about the core concepts of magic, and distinguishing personality from backstory in character generation.

With spoilers for Dennis Wheatley's The Ka of Gifford Hillary and Larry Niven's The Magic Goes Away.

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A Complete Pain, Because They Have Principles 01 March 2017 - 6 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger talk about adding new players to a long-running group, spy stories (including a game Roger didn't know he wanted to play), and the golden age(s) of gaming.

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Watching Robert Go Geeble 01 February 2017 - 5 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike consider the games we always run, the laws of magic, and gaming within a chain of command.

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The Wish-Fulfilment Oyster 01 January 2017 - 16 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger talk about why superheroes are terrible, killing Hitler, utopias, and appropriate rewards and treasures.

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There Would Probably Be Some Aristocratic Totty Involved 01 December 2016 - 6 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike consider steampunk, the tendency to add magic to everything, and epic games.

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Because the Bookshop Owner is an Idiot 01 November 2016 - 5 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger outline a new magic system, consider Trail of Cthulhu as it's on sale at the Bundle of Holding this month, and contemplate the practical application of Microscope.

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You Are X That Do Y In a World In Which... 01 October 2016 - 11 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike consider Dungeon Fantasy Powered By GURPS, when campaigns go wrong, and GURPS Adaptations.

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A Cycle of Death, Depression and Gloom 01 September 2016 - 7 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger talk with Marcus Rowland, take a wildly accelerated pass through #RPGADay2016, and find that they're both starting to run The Great Pendragon Campaign.

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God Says No Backsies 01 August 2016 - 2 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike consider inappropriate laughter, player-driven world-changing, training, the tension of paradigms, and temptation. (Yes, it's longer than usual.)

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Ludo-Narrative Dissonance 01 July 2016 - 2 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger talk with Nick Marsh, consider the ending of Roger's Torg game (and what's likely to follow it), and anatomise Michael's engagement with this year's Game Chef.

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Carry On Up the UNIT HQ 01 June 2016 - 6 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike finish our talk with John Dallman and Dr Bob, promote a new game book, and talk about cliffhangers.

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There Ought To Be A Housekeeping Section 01 April 2016 - 8 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike consider After the End, problems peculiar to long-running campaigns, and the layout of role-playing rules.

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Random Political Shenanigans Generation Table 01 March 2016 - 3 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger look at politics, and particularly how to bring political elements into games.

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Groupies Wearing Corsets and Top Hats 01 January 2016 - 4 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger examine some real-life weirdness, interview Phil Masters, discuss the passage of game time, and consider the future of the future of role-playing games.

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The Rough Wheels of their Intellects 01 November 2015 - 7 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger talk about how to get started in Tékumel, the negotiations at the start of a campaign, an anniversary adventure, and the shaving of yaks.

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Find Our Werewolf, Please, and Try Not to Get Eaten By Him 01 October 2015 - 13 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike discuss RPG a Day 2015, and how to get started as a GM.

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A Step Over into the Anything Can Happen 01 September 2015 - 10 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger compare generic systems, get romantic, and touch on more real-life weirdness.

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Politically Subversive Occultism Disguised as Pornography 01 May 2015 - 8 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger look at Savage Worlds, the Amazing Engine, and GM-player miscommunications.

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Why Feudalism Is Not A Good Idea 01 April 2015

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This month, Roger and Mike look at the turbulent fourteenth century, and cross-universe games.

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Corrupt and Decadent Astrophysicists 01 March 2015 - 1 comment

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This month, Mike and Roger consider doom and gloom: backwards character progression, campaigns after the big hero or villain is gone, and game worlds in which things are slowly getting worse.

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The Snake May Disagree 01 February 2015 - 5 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike look at single-protagonist stories, end campaigns, and pontificate on what should be in a new edition of an old game.

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Plain Tales from Olympus Mons 01 January 2015 - 7 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger consider three games of pulp space, and look at surrealism in RPGs.

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The Guru Who Lives at the Pointy Big Mountain 01 December 2014 - 1 comment

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This month, Roger and Mike consider preparation for a seasonal one-shot, Dragonmeet and what we want for Christmas, and at least two sorts of handwavium.

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Just Look at All the Flashing Lights 01 November 2014 - 4 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger consider how much weirdness is too much, discuss how to steal material, contemplate pre-written adventures and look back on a gaming classic.

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Cthulhu Doesn't Want to be Stroked 01 October 2014 - 7 comments

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There's something off with the sound quality this time round, possibly interference on the recording. Sorry about that.

This month, Roger and Mike consider disease, recorded game sessions, running the same scenario with different systems, and how to worry experienced role-players.

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You have specialised tastes, sir! 01 September 2014 - 5 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger answer David F. Chapman's RPG a Day questions, and consider GMing advice.

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Miraculous Geography 01 August 2014 - 9 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike consider maps and other visual aids to gaming, contemplate the problems and opportunities afforded by foreign languages, and venture with some trepidation into the politics of RPGs.

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I Would Want to Hunt Out a Virgin 01 July 2014 - 7 comments

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This month, Mike and Roger hurl some games aside with great force, consider their local area as a role-playing setting, try to be consistent, and discuss a possible new way of introducing people to gaming.

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That "Oh, Wow" Moment 01 June 2014 - 3 comments

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This month, Roger and Mike discuss Paranoia and adversarial GMing, ask how little you can tell your players before a campaign starts, have a rant about story games with limited-use abilities, and praise thematic worldbuilding.

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All the Brass Bands in the World 01 May 2014

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This month, Mike and Roger discuss how to get started at worldbuilding, how you can persuade your players to co-create, Roger's Torg campaign, and how to be a good playtester.

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Still Plenty of Doom to Go Around 01 April 2014

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This month, Mike and Roger discuss types (and pathologies) of GM, apocalyptes, campaign design when uninspired, and adapting settings.

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Can't Go Wrong with a Mad Nun 01 March 2014

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This month, Roger and Mike talk about Rolemaster and Microscope, and are Never Unprepared.

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A lot less criminality in my family 01 February 2014 - 1 comment

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This month, Mike, Roger, and special guest John Dallman talk about gaming in the Second World War, and a little about military role-playing in general.

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You Can Do Awesome Stuff Right Now 01 January 2014 - 1 comment

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This month, Roger and Mike consider Dragonmeet and games that aren't RPGs, look back at Tékumel, consider what's different about modern games, and contemplate seasonal adventures.

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Everybody Ignores Radiation Shielding 01 December 2013

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This month, Mike and Roger bring 2300AD out of the cupboard, take another look at Torg, and consider death and other things players don't like.

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Competing Mostly Against Each Other 01 November 2013

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This month, Roger and Mike consider weather and other things too complicated for realistic simulation, and bring In Nomine out of the cupboard.

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A Chance to Die Well 01 October 2013

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This month, Mike and Roger look at Torg, consider campaigns we don't have time to run, and ask: "Is it fun?".

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Mostly by blowing them up 01 September 2013

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This month, Mike and Roger look at Feng Shui, metaplot and big changes to campaigns, and restarting an old campaign.

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As long as they don't have to be too French about it 01 August 2013

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This month, Roger and Mike (and bonus aeroplanes and police cars courtesy of a sweltering High Wycombe) revisit being a better player, build a modern British Empire, and bring out an old game from the cupboard.

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Bits of the Bard 01 July 2013

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This month, Mike and Roger look at story games, campaign design, and Shakespeare in gaming -- but not Cyberpunk (at least not this time). The first three and a half minutes have some untoward hum, for which we apologise.

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Giant Radioactive Scorpions 01 June 2013

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This month, Roger and Mike look at how to be a better player, classic campaigns like the Slave Lords and Masks of Nyarlathotep, games you can play at short notice, and a new feature: Counterfactuals to Order.

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Systems and Settings 01 May 2013

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This month, Mike and a newly-married Roger consider systems, settings, and how each gets adapted to the other.

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In Space 01 April 2013

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This month, Roger and Mike look at Space Opera, and interstellar science fiction gaming in general.

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Back to the Dungeon 01 March 2013

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This month, Roger and Mike go back to the roots of role-playing. We also have an interview with Michael Mornard, also known as Old Geezer, who brings us recollections of the early days of what would become Dungeons and Dragons.

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Modern Horror 01 February 2013

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This month, Mike and Roger contemplate horror in the modern world.

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The Singularity... and After 01 January 2013

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Welcome to our first show. Roger and Mike discuss the Singularity and how to game it,

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Archive
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