Roleplay Rescue

This is the second instalment of GM's Journal this week in which I dribble on about Arcana Gravitas, get a couple more call-ins, and then begin to work out how to get started with writing that genre-bending …

This one's a bonus bonus episode, so to speak. I rambled on quite a bit over the past few days and was afraid that the next Journal would end up …

In Season 1 we explored two major game structures that have stood the test of time: the Dungeoncrawl and the Hexcrawl. Ever since the release of The …

What a turbulent week! Full of challenges and essentially draining both mine and my wife's energy. I don't know how I've made it but here I am. Still …

I am stepping off into the wilds. I am going to talk about the game that I really want to run and I am going to invite you to do the same. This episode is filled with contentious statements and provocative claims. Take …

This episode was largely recorded during the school break when I was off work for a week. It's a mash-up of two elements: the usual ups and downs of …

Janet Forbes is the Director of World Anvil, a purveyor of world-building advice, a singer, writer of novels and worshipper of cats. Based in London, England, Janet and her husband Dimitris lead a small team in the …

Another week of random thoughts from my GM's Journal. The main topic is momentum and how to lose it. There's also an unboxing in there plus a …

Do you remember when Frank T called in and asked me about my choice of system for our fantasy roleplaying game? Frank’s getting his wish today …

Another instalment of my dronings about Gamemastering a roleplaying campaign. Good news with the teenaged gaming group, not so much with the adults. …

Whatever your rules system, there are two other big elements that you’ll want to create as you get started with your game. The first of those is the …

GM's Journal becomes a regular fixture at Roleplay Rescue with our first scheduled Wednesday release. This episode sees me focused on preparing for …

I wanted to create more episodes that explore other well-known roleplaying game systems. To do this, I decided it’d be a good idea to talk to people …

Here's the latest Journal in which I burble on about deciding what to do with the Friday Night Roleplayers. A decision is made.  As usual, this …

Over recent weeks, there have been a few people in the Anchorite OSR community talking about the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons. As …

Welcome to the Roleplay Rescue Game Master’s Journal. This episode covers the two week period from the end of Season 2 and the start of this new …

Welcome to Season 3 of Roleplay Rescue! Today we take a look at the meaning and importance of Escapism. We learn that we are healthier when we seek …

In Episode 58 of Plundergrounds, Ray Otus challenged his listeners to record a one-off podcast on the theme of "Something old, something new, …

Today’s episode is the last of Series Two. It began as a question posted on the MeWe group entitled “The Arduin Grimoire by Dave Hargrave”. From this stepped forward today’s guest. We arranged to chat online but, on the …

Well, GM's Journal #8 wasn't the last entry. Oh no. You guys got on Anchor and sent me a barrage of lovely voice messages which I have collected …

Rough edit from a rough week at the table. Shennanigans at the school club leading to the death of four characters, followed by the fourth Friday …

What if you don’t want to play in a fantasy roleplaying game? What are the options for getting a science-fiction game up to the table? Is anything …

Mash-up of clips from my day out to Birmingham on Saturday 30th March to attend Glorantha Games 2019, a convention held at Geek Retreat to celebrate the world and games of Glorantha. Organised by Pookie and Darren …

This episode is a grab-bag of moments from the week: unboxing the Black Hack, prep for the school game, thoughts on Traveller, and ending the week …

Following the interview with Rob Twohy, I’ve been feeling slightly more confident about putting together an episode on the the various online gaming …

Mainly, this is a regular GM's Journal episode with my blitherings from the last week of gaming, highs and lows included. I've changed the format …

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about getting started with online gaming and, frankly, I’ve been really struggling to put together an episode addressing those questions. Because I’m not an expert on the topic, I …

The twists and turns in my hobby over the past week or so, in what has been one of the toughest in my career, along with many of the joys that come …

Taking a bit of a risk, this episode discusses five games that have had a great impact on me. Along the way, I also touch on various matters of taste and icons who have influenced my play style. It's a bit of an …

A third dose of my GM prep ramblings during which I share my preparation for the Rise of The Dragon Kings campaign using  Castles & Crusades. I …

Mike Mason began roleplaying with what he calls “Purple Box” Dungeons & Dragons. Nowadays he is the Line Editor of Call of Cthulhu for the …

Follow-up to the first bonus episode which records my #SoloAModule month efforts, this is the first adventure from the Alternity Starter Set 1999. …

It's Solo A Module Month and, following the last episode on getting into solo play, I thought I would take part. In short, Spencer Salyer from the …

What if you can’t find any players or a game to join? Is it possible to roleplay on your own?

In this episode, we explore the slightly misunderstood …

Here it is:  a second helping of my GM prep ramblings during which I share my preparation for the Rise of The Dragon Kings campaign using Castles & Crusades. This is a laid-bare peek behind the GMs screen and …

What if you just want to come back and roleplay as a PLAYER? What are the ways back to the table as a player, as opposed to being a Game Master?

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Douglas H. Cole has been roleplaying since 1981, starting with the Holmes Basic Box and AD&D, and has been playing GURPS since 1988. Living near …

The first bonus of Season 2, the GM's Journal is a laid-bare behind-the-curtain peek into my preparation process for a one-shot game using Castles & Crusades. 

This is what a few listeners asked for and I think, …

Today, we have a question from a listener. One of my favourite podcasters… 

We take a look at ways to start heading back to the table. Starting with why you want to add gaming back into your life, I’ll challenge you to …

It’s been a couple of weeks and I’ve been thinking about what we talked about in Series 1 and where we might take things next. The best contribution to my thinking has been the steady stream of voice messages, comments, …

What if the reason your gaming group is collapsing is because the Game Master keeps cancelling the sessions?

In this final episode of Series 1, we …

This episode was inspired by Mike Bowers' question, back in Episode 3, about how to get established players of newer roleplaying games to give an …

Following on from last week, I hopped online and had a chat with Carl Bussler. He is the co-founder of Stormlord Publishing, hosted and produced the …

Having a stab at defining the concept of a "megadungeon", we take a look at the dungeoncrawl as the best and most successful game structure from the …

Following on from the last episode, in which I outed my story of discovery and the success experienced with B/X Essentials, I hopped online and …

Sharing my own journey of revelation about roleplaying games and describing one route back into hobby. This is the story of what happened to me in …

What are roleplaying games and why should we play them? Taking a look at what lies at the heart of RPGs, their value to us as human beings, and the …

Taking a look at three big barriers to playing RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, Traveller, or RuneQuest. This episode introduces some of the key …

The Series 1 trailer in which I make a plea for lapsed roleplayers to come back to the gaming table. Ever play D&D or similar roleplaying games …