Roll For Topic

Can Chris and Andy design a shop for a roleplaying game that’s actually interesting to visit? Listen as they brainstorm a quirky shop that provides not only items for your players to purchase, but opportunities for investigation and adventure. Episode 87 appendix (aka show notes): The Deep House, a horror movie that takes place entirely […]

Test your might and win the prize of listening to this episode where Chris and Andy take on the design challenge of: “Create a festival” (a topic added by Tim Saucer)! Chris reminisces way too much his stint in Indiana and Andy relives some memories of horrible footwear. Then they imagine a totally normal festival […]

What space object or event would be so insanely interesting that even the most dedicated PCs will divert course to go check it out? Chris and Andy brainstorm three space anomalies that even the least curious characters couldn’t stop themselves from investigating.

Big news in this episode! Roll for Topic isn’t on its own anymore–we’re now part of a brand-new podcast network. After discussing this news (and nerding out about Michael Moorcock’s Elric novels), Chris and Andy puts their GM brains together to come up with an idea for an underwater adventure that sounds not just workable, […]

Andy and Chris ambush Peter Dillman, creator of the Dillman’s Dungeon: A Gamer’s Retreat Kickstarter campaign, and force him to design an ambush scenario for a fantasy roleplaying game. Along the way we learn all about Peter’s amazing vision for an “Air D&D” venue to host gaming getaways. Show notes: The Dillman’s Dungeon Kickstarter campaign. […]

Ever given the player characters a magic item that seems to have no practical use… only to have the players figure out a good use for it anyway? Andy and Chris brainstorm up several such “useless” magic items you could drop into your campaign.

We’re starting something new with this episode! Join as we roll on our brand new Table of Design Challenges to determine a random GM design challenge for Andy and Chris to create on air. The first challenge is to create a love triangle that can be added to any D&D campaign!

It’s a brand new year! We start with Chris’ reflections on running last episode’s live game, and then Andy and Chris both talk about GMing goals for 2022—as well as about plans for the podcast!

Join Nicole, Cory, Phill, and Brandon as they explore the crazy sci-fi dungeon we created in Episode 78! With Chris as GM, they encounter space pirates, escape from space bugs, and do many other exciting space-related things. The system used to run this game is the excellent Caltrop Core, which puts the divisive d4 to […]

It’s our annual Build a Dungeon Special! Andy and Chris are joined by John Corey and Kyle Latino to brainstorm and build out a dungeon/adventure live on-air. Our next episode will be a play-through of the dungeon with some other special guests. Enjoy!

It’s our last “normal episode” of the year! Listen as Andy and Chris talk about what locations and time periods would make for great RPG settings.

Do the family, friends, and loved ones of your PCs play a role in your campaigns? Are they mostly there to disadvantage the PCs, or do they contribute something more to the game?

It’s Halloween one-shot season! Andy and Chris are both prepping spooky one-shots, and talk about how to quickly ease players into game rules that are new to them and make the most of the session.

This episode takes an unusual turn as Chris and Andy chat about the experience of “imposter syndrome”—of feeling unworthy to participate in this hobby we all love. After a heartfelt discussion, the episode closes out with a more upbeat talk about Halloween one-shots.

Andy and Chris discuss ways to get your players more invested in a roleplaying game—but not before they pursue tangents including Jack Vance’s “Dying Earth” novels and how to handle keeping-watch sequences at the table.

This week Chris talks with GM Phill Cameron! We talk about a lot of stuff including Vampire: The Masquerade, make a d6 table about the places you’ll go if you follow a butterfly, and then we even roll on the table to talk about designing puzzles.

Andy and Chris diverge from the show’s regular format to discuss a novel they both love and how to set meaningful stakes for RPG encounters… until Chris fails his saving throw and goes into a wild rant about the character creation process in D&D. Listen as they try to salvage some positive insight from Chris’ […]

We had ourselves a game convention! Chris and Andy share some brief reflections on the first Roll for Topic Con, a (very) mini-convention at which games were run, old RPG sourcebooks were traded, and fun was had.

Special guest Laura joins us to talk about the challenge of finding the right balance of tone and story at the gaming table. We also hear about Laura’s experience helping to organize the U-Con convention, and about her recently-finished East Texas University campaign, in which her players dealt with supernatural threats, midterm exams, and mean […]

What do large-scale battles look like in the games you run? Chris and Andy discuss the different ways that big battles can play out in a roleplaying game, and talk about the appeal and limitations of large-scale combat.