Listen Now

Two changes in my life have opened up a larger-than-expected chunk of free time. I’ve been able to turn over some of that time to gaming… and, specifically, to solo tabletop gaming. How have I found the time and why, having found some time, would I not just schedule it for more social gaming? That’s what I wanted to address today. Thanks to Reese for the call-in that inspired the episode. Roleplay Rescue Details: Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon. Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue  Blog: roleplayrescue.com  MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Buy Che Webster a Coffee: ko-fi.com/cwebster

More call-ins have been coming in over the past week or two, so I thought I would share them along with my replies. Hope it's of interest to someone else out there too. Big thanks to the callers: Spencer, Karl, and Frank. Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon. Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue  Blog: roleplayrescue.com  MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Buy Che Webster a Coffee: ko-fi.com/cwebster

What is it with dice? Why do these small objects hold such a fascination for me? How can something as simple as a six-sided die have such an impact on how I think and feel? Today I want to talk about dice. I want to talk about dice because, for me, these are probably the single greatest mood enhancer that I know. When I am down - and that can be a pretty frequent emotional state for me - dice are a useful trick for kick-starting some positivity and getting me back to an equilibrium. Roleplay Rescue Details: Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon. Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue  Blog: roleplayrescue.com  MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Buy Che Webster a Coffee: ko-fi.com/cwebster

There were a bunch of call-ins received at the tail end of Season 8 that I wanted to share. Some are sublime, others utterly ridiculous. Make of it what you will. Big thanks to the callers: Gav, Brian, and Frank.  Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon. Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue  Blog: roleplayrescue.com  MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Buy Che Webster a Coffee: ko-fi.com/cwebster

I’ve arrived at a place of change and growth. I have recently turned 50 years of age and am beginning to wonder if I’ll ever become the Game Master, Referee, and Creative World Builder that I have been meaning to get around to becoming since I was about 10 years old. Having experienced a mental health crisis in November 2020, I have also had to learn to let go of old unhelpful patterns of thinking and re-chart my pathway back to the hobby. Essentially, I’ve needed to put all the theory and discussion shared on this podcast over the past couple of years into action. The irony is that, today, I am myself in need of a rescue when it comes to my hobby. Thanks to Brian ("Have To Look That Up") for the call-in that inspired the episode. Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon. Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue  Blog: roleplayrescue.com  MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Buy Che Webster a Coffee: ko-fi.com/cwebster

Hello. This is Roleplay Rescue - the podcast about rediscovering your lost roleplaying hobby. Welcome to the introduction to Season 9 - a great starting point for anyone new to the show. This short episode outlines the background of your host, Che, and gives a brief outline of what RPR is all about. I hope you'll consider giving the show a go and continue listening as we roll on in to a new season. Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon. Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster

Hello Rescuers! Yes, I’m pleased to say that it’s another bonus interview episode. This one’s popping up during the Interregnum between seasons because… well… there’s an excellent Kickstarter opportunity that I wanted to make GURPS fans - and, actually, any fan of fantasy roleplaying - aware of… and it’s from Gaming Ballistic. Douglas H. Cole is the owner of Gaming Ballistic, the first licensed third-party publisher for the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game and The Fantasy Trip, working in support of Steve Jackson Games’ popular roleplaying games. His more recent projects include Five Perilous Adventures for The Fantasy Trip and the Nordland Sagas for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG. This time we are talking about his latest project in Kickstarter now! Many thanks to Doug for coming to talk on the show! Delvers to Grow (Dungeon Fantasy RPG, Powered by GURPS) by Douglas H. Cole — Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/gamingballistic/delvers-to-grow-dungeon-fantasy-rpg-powered-by-gurps Gaming Ballistic: gamingballistic.com "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean.com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue")

It was Friday April 1st 2016 when my regular D&D group got together and, on a whim, decided to play “Red Box” D&D (BECMI). The weekend before, I’d been doodling around with that set and enjoyed myself enough to ask the guys to play the “First Adventure” with me. Little did I know that I was taking the first steps into a larger World - the classic fantasy realm of Mystamyr.  Today, I am treading softly and steadily towards that realm I first discovered back in 2016. It’s the realm that led to the publication of my own first adventure module in May 2017 and which has brought me a great deal of creative joy ever since. For me, it’s time to rediscover the path back to gaming. It's also the final episode of Season 8. Thanks to all the callers: Jason C, Emil, Frank T, Andy G, and Evil Jeff. Game on! "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean.com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

Hailing from Portsmouth, Virginia, Christopher R. Rice is constantly writing, tinkering with, and running GURPS. A frequent contributor to Steve Jackson Games’ Dungeon Fantasy and Pyramid, if he's not writing for GURPS, he's blogging about it. His site “Ravens N' Pennies” is well-stocked with more GURPS goodies than you could shake a stick at. This episode was originally conceived as a bonus interview but, having recorded and edited it, I realise that Christopher has acted as a powerful catalyst in my transition from old to new ways of thinking. Yes, this is a GURPS focused discussion but there is gold hidden inside for any Game Master. I hope you find some useful nuggets for yourself. Thanks to Christopher for agreeing to do the interview. Game on! "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean.com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

The Roleplay Rescue Dungeon Master’s Diary features me, a microphone, and whatever gaming-related nonsense flows from my mind. This is recorded in short snippets throughout the week and then roughly edited together to form a diary of one man’s journey in gaming, shared week-by-week. It’s raw, glaringly personal, and not everyone’s cup of tea. This is a bonus episode of the DMD that I am sharing with the wider RPR community of listeners because it feels significant.  WARNING! Mental health content. Mature listening. Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

It's a call-in show! I had so many responses in recent weeks that the only way to share and respond to them was to put them together into their own show. Lots of good content from the community here and it's well worth the listen. Thanks to Evil Jeff, Jon C, Wolfchild, Gav, Menion (aka Rob), Colin, and Lieren for their kind call-ins this episode! Game on! "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean.com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

I’ve been bothered lately by the perception I have developed that the roleplaying game community is dominated by negativity. For a while now, I’ve found myself increasingly repelled by that negativity and this has led to a massive downward shift in the quantity of blogs, podcasts, and other social media that I consume. In short, I hear and read a lot of tearing down. I’ve been wondering how to respond. Is it negativity to call out the negativity you perceive in the community? Is it healthy to focus on the negasphere? How can we lift ourselves out into a more positive space?Today, I’d like to engage you in asking: what can we do to reduce the negativity and increase the usefulness of our positive efforts? Thanks to Frank T, Evil Jeff, and Wolfchild for their kind call-ins this episode! Game on! "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean..com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

Recently, I’ve been trying to finish a whole bunch of books that I’ve been reading but not quite managed to complete. One of these books was the latest tome from Dungeons & Dragons scholar Jon Peterson, “The Elusive Shift”. This book revealed a number of insights, not least of which was the simple truth that there really is no discussion or debate in which I have ever shared on the topic of roleplaying games which had not already begun between the release of Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 and those first 10 years or so of the hobby.  Today, I wanted to simply reflect on three areas in which the book gave me some new things to ponder. I’m not sure this is a book for everyone but it was a good book for me and I wanted to share why. Thanks to Safer for his kind call-in this episode! Game on! "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean..com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

Peter Laws is an ordained minister with a fascination for the macabre, an author, journalist, film critic, public speaker, and regular writer for Fortean Times. He is the creator of the Matt Hunter novel series and the host of the Creepy Cove Community Church podcast - an immersive, horror-themed ‘church service’, broadcast from the mysterious fishing town of Creepy Cove. Besides from horror, Peter is said to hail from somewhere down south and enjoys retro TV and Krispy Kreme donuts. This episode once more crosses a divide which I have always felt is a false one: the division between fiction and reality, between movies and the creativity of imaginative games. Hear Peter and I discuss: the Cleric in Dungeons & Dragons; the shift from post-modernism to well, whatever we are going to call the current mindset towards truth; the dichotomy between Evil and Good; how this all relates to culture, movies, and gaming... and whole bunch of other stuff. Fair warning: We do touch on some dark places and don’t shy away from some difficult questions. Big thanks to Peter Laws for willingly crossing the podosphere and doing the interview. Game on! Useful Links: Creepy Cove Community Church: creepycove.com Support the Creepy Cove Patreon: patreon.com/creepycove Peter Laws' website: peterlaws.co.uk "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean..com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

Something strange has been happening over the past few weeks. I’ve been pushing the edges of my comfort zone and stepping out to see what kind of tabletop roleplaying experience lies outside of the rather narrow confines I had backed myself into. On a whim, I grabbed a copy of the Pathfinder 2nd edition Beginner Box and, well, I’ve been grubbing around with it ever since. This episode I want to share my early impressions of the game and bring you in on the process of taking the Beginner Box to the virtual table.  Thanks to Reese, Hobbs, Aaron, and Tim for their kind call-ins this episode! Game on! "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean..com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

Special bonus episode time! I hopped online to chat to my buddy Jason Hobbs about how mental health and roleplaying games mix. We enjoyed the chat and I felt it'd be good to share it... and quickly. Many thanks to Jason for coming back onto the show! We both hope that this bonus will help someone else out there. Game on! Hobbs & Friends: Hobbs & Friends – Tabletop RPG Podcast Hosted by Jason Hobbs (hobbsnfriends.com) See also Random Screed • A podcast on Anchor https://anchor.fm/jason-hobbs  "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean..com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

A third (and final) instalment of call-ins responding to Episode 2, "13 Game Master Rules", first released back on January 2nd. In Episode 2, I wanted to explore the Rules that I have - over a lifetime of gaming and roleplaying - constructed around the concept of being the Game Master. As I stated at the beginning of that episode, these Rules are all open to challenge and, in fact, are already undergoing challenge. My purpose has been to rock the foundations of these GM Rules and share with you the journey into finding some that are more helpful. The call-ins I have received have been immensely helpful in doing just that. Thank you to everyone who has called in about one or more rules. I am going to work through them one by one, as much as the messages allow, to present comments on each rule in turn. I will probably dive in and comment on some of the ideas shared... but I am not going to script those, so anything I do say from now on is completely off the cuff. Big thanks to Jason C, Arlen, Barry, Emil, Jason W, and Captain First Age for the call-ins! Game on! "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean..com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

A second instalment of call-ins responding to Episode 2, "13 Game Master Rules", first released back on January 2nd. In Episode 2, I wanted to explore the Rules that I have - over a lifetime of gaming and roleplaying - constructed around the concept of being the Game Master. As I stated at the beginning of that episode, these Rules are all open to challenge and, in fact, are already undergoing challenge. My purpose has been to rock the foundations of these GM Rules and share with you the journey into finding some that are more helpful. The call-ins I have received have been immensely helpful in doing just that. Thank you to everyone who has called in about one or more rules. I am going to work through them one by one, as much as the messages allow, to present comments on each rule in turn. I will probably dive in and comment on some of the ideas shared... but I am not going to script those, so anything I do say from now on is completely off the cuff. Big thanks to Jason C, Arlen, Barry, Emil, Jason W, James, and Reese for the call-ins! There were too many for just one episode, so look out for Part 3 next week. Game on! "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean..com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

Barney from Loco Ludus has been encouraging me to embrace the concept of the Manifesto as a means to discussing my new approach to gaming and I rather like that idea. To my mind, there will be two major parts to my Manifesto For Roleplay Gaming - the first being the principles, policies and intentions of the Game Master, and the second being the principles, policies and intentions of the Player. Today, I am beginning to write my Manifesto and we begin, as they say, at the beginning: I am going to talk about what I believe needs to be the first principle of the Game Master. Big thanks to Jason C, Spencer, Rob aka Menion, John Alan Large, and Jason W for the call-ins!  "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean..com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)

Today is the first official call-in episode of Season 8 - by which I mean an episode constructed around the audio messages sent in from loyal listeners. In Episode 2, I wanted to explore the Rules that I have - over a lifetime of gaming and roleplaying - constructed around the concept of being the Game Master. As I stated at the beginning of that episode, these Rules are all open to challenge and, in fact, are already undergoing challenge.  My purpose has been to rock the foundations of these GM Rules and share with you the journey into finding some that are more helpful. The call-ins I have received have been immensely helpful in doing just that. Thank you to everyone who has called in about one or more rules. I am going to work through them one by one, as much as the messages allow, to present comments on each rule in turn. I will probably dive in and comment on some of the ideas shared... but I am not going to script those, so anything I do say from now on is completely off the cuff. Big thanks to Jason C, Spencer, Barney, Barry, and Jason W for the call-ins! There were too many for just one episode, so look out for Part 2 in a couple of weeks time. Game on! "Roleplay Rescue" Theme and incidental music by Jon from Tale of the Manticore: taleofthemanticore.podbean..com Roleplay Rescue Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat Buy Che Webster a Coffee. ko-fi.com/cwebster - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get donations from fans, with a 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. (ko-fi.com)