19 Hits the Dragon (19 Hits the Dragon)

What's the scariest place you could possibly be this weekend? If you guessed stuck in a corporate office, you are correct. 

Conan Lybarian returns this time as H.R. and running his game  "Corner Office." My fellow Actioneers Alex Rodriguez and Josh Newton join me as we navigate our way through Company Co. HQ. In today's episode we meet our Actioneers in the morning huddle, discuss our objectives for the workday, and learn that hell really is other people. We head to the stairwell where we encounter the most blood-thirsty type of office worker there is, a Temp. 

Follow Conan on Twitter @Conan_Lybarian, you can find his games Including Corner Office on his itch.io page here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/ check out his videos on Obsidian Portal's YouTube Channel and go to https://www.obsidianportal.com/ for some great campaign building and management tools.

Hear more from Josh Newton on The Table Top Journey's Podcast, you can go to their website https://ttjourneys.com/ or find wherever you get your podcasts. Follow them on twitter @TTJourneys. Alex Rodriguez can be found on Two Weeks One Shot a hilarious TTRPG variety podcast. Follow him on twitter @uncle_andross to see what other streams and games you can find him in.

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on Twitter @Bad8uddhist to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

There are so many different types of Game Masters out there. It can be easy to try and emulate what you've seen on Actual Plays or try to copy your previous GM in your own games. But how do you find your own voice, your own style? 

Today I'm joined by Justin aka 4everDM_Justin to talk about his own style and approach to the table. We swap stories about how we've found our own style and the ways it's impacted our games for better or worse and how we've learned from mistakes along the way. 

For some great insight and hilarious sketches, you can follow Justin on Twitter or TikTok or catch him streaming with Bards and Brews or catch his DM Prep streams. 

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

19 Hits the Dragon is back! *cue epic guitar solo*

We've got a great season ahead and we're off to a hot start with our first guests, the creative minds behind The Real Thing RPG. We chat about some lessons learned in the development of this project and how their take on empowering players to be co-creators at the table influenced the decisions they made. They offer some great advice to designers and GMs about how to enable your players to tell the story they want to tell. 

Check out the Real Thing Kickstarter and back it starting March 15th. Follow them on twitter for more updates @ThingRPG. 

You can follow the Art Director and Illustrator James Mosingo on  Twitter or Instagram. 

Find Co-Writer Jason Peercy on Youtube and check out his Music project Synthas on Youtube or Bandcamp 

Wanna listen to get a taste for what playing The Real Things is like? You can listen to the Actual Play we did with The Tabletop Journeys podcast. Find the first episode here.

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts.

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of you closest friends about us!

19 Hits the Dragon is back in action May 8th! Join Mike as he sits down with some awesome TTRPG creators to talk shop about our favorite aspects of gaming.

Reality is weird, really weird. Scientists work to understand just how weird our world is and have given us many wonders to marvel at. 

Today I'm joined my the twice graduated Reed, GM of Bring your Own Mech and Deimos Paradox. They're hear to tell ups about the weird and fantastical side of science and how to use it to inspire your Tabletop RPGs. From strange real world creatures and phenomena to fascinating applications of science and technology, we talk about how you can use real world science to inspire the worlds you make and stories you tell. 

If you want to hear more from Reed you can check out their podcasts: Deimos Paradox - Twitter: @DeimosParadox

Bring Your Own Mech - Twitter @OwnMech  

You can follow Reed on Twitter @ReedPlays

Follow me on twitter @19HitstheDragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see their awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

19 Hits the Dragon is back for a further look at Mike and Rob's favorite D&D spells! Last episode was all about combat spells, giving our intrepid co-hosts the chance to spread their wings and soar as majestic, contrarian hipster eagles who don't care for Magic Missile.

But this episode is all about all those other weird spells. These spells don't pop off of the page as effective murder hobo implements; rather, these are the kinds of spells guaranteed to make your D&D game weirder and therefore, better. These are spells that read minds and animate trees and transport parties across vast distances in the blink of an eye; they also give Mike and Rob reminders of a certain Claire Danes film from times of yore.

Also, there's an innocent discussion of the spell Identify that will send our heroes down a dark and strange path in the coming episodes...

All this and more in Episode 9 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Welcome to the darkest, most chilling reaches of deep space.

This is the Actual Play Miniseries, Chariot of the Gods, hosted by the Dads with Nerdy Ambitions, Tabletop Journeys, and 19 Hits the Dragon podcasts.

Subscribe at the following links so that you don’t miss a minute of the thrilling adventure:

Dads with Nerdy Ambitions:  https://redcircle.com/shows/dads-with-nerdy-ambitions

Tabletop Journeys:  https://www.ttjourneys.com

19 Hits the Dragon:  https://nineteenhitsthedragon.podbean.com/

Prepare for a weekend of frightening encounters, wicked abominations, and fantastic role play.

This presentation is uncensored, and contains profanity and references to body horror and violence. Listener discretion is advised.

Have you ever gone to your well of inspiration, whatever mental or emotional place you go to draw up ideas for your stories, and found that well dry or close to empty? Well today I'm joined by Ryan Johnson author of the DMs Guild campaign Wintry Blast to talk about his strategy for forcing inspiration. 

Ryan draws random MTG cards and converts them to D&D creatures, encounters, magic items and the like. His campaign on the DMs guild call came from ideas he got out of one booster pack. 

In our chat we discuss the challenges of incorporating disparate elements into your stories and how everything doesn't always come together easily. The answer isn't always obvious. Sometimes you have to stew on things and shift them around to make them fit. 

Ryan introduces the concept of resonance into our conversation and how, even though we're using random elements we still have to fold each of those elements into the bigger picture to create a story that is unified. 

If you are interested in seeing Ryan's conversion process for yourself you can follow him on twitter  @rjquestgiver or check out his blog. You can also support him by buying his adventure Wintry Blast on the DMs Guild. 

Here is a link to the M.T. Black article Ryan references in today's episode  Narrative Resonance and Random Dungeons

Thanks again for checking out today's episode, don't hesitate to leave a comment letting us know what you think of Ryan's idea generation advice. And tell 19 f your closest friends. 

As always a huge thank you to Paul Mackie for our power metal theme music, and of course to the lovely Hannah Miller for editing the show together. 

There are some incredibly talented people in the TTRPG community. With new content getting churned out all the time you gotta wonder, how do creators keep coming up with ideas? Well today I'm joined by Zac Harrison aka Conan Lybarian to discuss ways to keep filling your well of ideas. We talk about how to draw on other works, monster books, mythology and the like. Zac gives some insight into the card pack cracking he does to create TTRPG adventures on the Obsidian Portal page and about how the absurdity of corporate America influenced the design of his TTRPG Corner Office. 

If you want to know more about Zac you can follow him on Twitter @Conan_Lybarian, check out his videos on Obsidian Portal's YouTube Channel, or get his games on his itch.io page here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/ 

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts.

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

One of the unspoken roles of the Game Master is the responsibility for bringing everyone together for each session. Doing that successfully requires a certain set of skills. Investing your players in the games, in their characters, and in each other as a group takes work. Without the knowhow it can be really difficult. Often TTRPG groups will fall a part due to a lack of cohesion or fall prey to the highest CR monster of all, the dreaded Schedule Conflicts. 

This week I am joined by Christian Borchert the creator of My Sound Delve who is hear to share his insight into how to keep your player group engaged, keep them interacting with each other and keep them coming back to the table every session. 

We discuss ways to create a group identity via various social platforms (Not sponsored by Discord), using minis or character art, unique maps or terrain, and giving players agency over things happening in game. All of these tools and more can be used to invest players in your game and have them anxiously awaiting your next session. 

A Huge thank you to Christian for coming on to the show today. You can find his app My Sound Delve available on Android https://t.co/YX0KfrcCnT?amp=1 and Apple https://t.co/ZUaRK3hJxo?amp=1 or learn more on his website: https://t.co/kKUadpndnY?amp=1. You also can find them on the socials like Twitter https://twitter.com/MySoundDelve, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/my_sound_delve/ and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mysounddelve

Lastly but certainly not leastly, a huge shout out to Paul Mackie for the rockin' Intro and Outro Themes. And our Editor Hannah Miller for mixing all of this together.

Dungeon Master. Storyteller. Game Mom. Keeper of Arcane Lore. Whatever you are called, running any Tabletop RPG requires a lot of effort and a ton of labor on the part of the narrator. Countless hours can be poured into planning and preparing your games, especially if you're running a long form campaign. Well today I'm joined by Artemis the GM of the podcast Cyberpunk Tales From the Oasis to offer advice on how to cut down on the time you spend planning and put that effort into each session instead. We talk about how to keep your stories personal, keep the action of your games flowing, and how to make it all look like you were planning everything to happen that way all along. 

To hear more from Artemis and the story he and his crew are telling you can head over to https://talesfromtheoasis.com/ or follow them on twitter @OasisCyberpunk

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

Hello listeners, Mike here with a quick announcement. You may have noticed we don’t have a full episode this week. We’re beginning a brief hiatus as we make some adjustments to the show moving forward. I explain in more detail in the clip we have uploaded today.

In the meantime I’ll still be reachable on twitter @19hitsthedragon or via email at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com. If you are a creator in the TTRPG world and are interested in making a guest appearance with the show feel free to drop me a line by your preferred means of contact. 

We thank you all for your support thus far and ask for your patience as I get things sorted and find the best way to move forward. We’ll see you real soon on 19 Hits the Dragon.

CW for this episode: Extreme bodily harm, drug use/addiction, mental illness, discussion of psychopathy and dissociation

We return to the Dark Future of Cyberpunk Red for our final installment (for now) of this series of episodes. LAst week we talked about combat and all the ways that bullets can hurt you. Today we continue this conversation by covering the critical injuries that can occur when you take damage some of which are quite grim indeed. From there the discussion leads into the ways injuries are treated, the difficulties and costs associated with getting treatment. We also talk about how in this fictional setting one can afford better health care if you have more money. Again totally fictional and any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental. We also touch on the various street drugs that can be purchased and used in the game, how they effect your character, and what happens when you get addicted to them. 

You may be thinking to yourselves, “This reality is full of dark and grim circumstances and consequences, how could anyone be ok living in a world like this.” You would be right to wonder such things. The good news is your characters can always go to therapy. We cover the mechanics of how therapy works in game and what the benefits and costs are for such services. 

This leads us into talking about certain aspects of mental health as detailed in the game mechanics. The consequences of your character losing too much Humanity and Empathy and empathy are quite dire and you can easily teeter on the edge of a psychopathic breakdown if you’re not careful. 

All this and more in Episode 14 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Our Actioneers reach the IT Archives floor and they are within reach of finding the Floppy Disk and fulfilling their daily objectives. It won't be so easy though as they are met with the dread and depression of the IT collective who have been under the boot of Senior Leadership. How can the Actioneers persevere in the face of utter despair caused by corporate abuse? 

If you want to hear more from the creator of Corner Office, follow Conan on Twitter @Conan_Lybarian, you can find his games Including Corner Office on his itch.io page here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/ check out his videos on Obsidian Portal's YouTube Channel and go to https://www.obsidianportal.com/ for some great campaign building and management tools.

Hear more from Josh Newton on The Table Top Journey's Podcast, you can go to their website https://ttjourneys.com/ or find wherever you get your podcasts. Follow them on twitter @TTJourneys. Alex Rodriguez can be found on Two Weeks One Shot a hilarious TTRPG variety podcast. Follow him on twitter @uncle_andross to see what other streams and games you can find him in.

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on Twitter @Bad8uddhist to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

Are you an aspiring Game Master? Have you and your friends been interested in playing D&D or another TTRPG but no one wants to step into the Role of GM? Maybe you've been watching Critical Role and now you're itching to run a game yourself but you're feeling nervous about getting behind the screen? Well fret no longer friend. Today Dan Ryan of Non-Fiction Gaming sits down with me to share some tips on how to get started as a new GM. 

Dan has been involved in D&D and TTRPGs for many years and has had the chance to coach up many new DMs at various PAX events (Penny Arcade Expos). He is here to share the knowledge and wisdom he has gained and gleaned from time teaching others as well as running games himself. 

So whether you've been creating a homebrew world from scratch and are sitting on all of your deep lore, or you've never looked at a D&D adventure in your life but you're eager to play, We're here to coach you on how to pick up a starter set get some friends around the table, be it virtual or physical, and get to rolling them bones right away. 

With some hot tips such as: Start in the action, have the players interact with the game mechanics as soon as possible, walk your players through their first dice rolls, include a small combat some developments and then wrap the first session up with their first boss battle; you'll be GMing like a pro in no time.

You can Find Dan and Non-Fiction Gaming on their website at https://www.nonfictiongaming.com/ or catch them on Youtube, Twitch, or twitter @nfglive or @SheriffDann.  Dan talk about turning the Hangover into a 1-Shot. You can read more about that here:  https://www.nonfictiongaming.com/2016/09/28/turning-hangover-star-wars-rpg-eote-session/ 

His session 0 character questionnaire can be found here: https://www.nonfictiongaming.com/2017/05/16/questions-dm-ask-players-starting-dd-campaign/

He also mentions Sly Flourish's videos Tips for the Lazy Dungeon Master.  You can find the playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb39x-29puapg3APswE8JXskxiUpLttgg

As always a huge thank you to Hannah Miller for editing the episodes and to Paul Mackie for our rocking theme song.

There are a ton of things that go into producing TTRPG supplements. Beyond creating whatever adventures, creatures, items and the like that are the focus of the supplement, there's artwork, layouts, edits upon edits to make it all look great and be the thing you're proud to publish. As one of our guests puts it "Writing a book is hard." 

Today I'm joined by my good friends Josh Glen and Lewanika from Tabletop Journeys to talk about many of the challenges they faced and the lessons they learned along the way. they're here to offer advice on idea generation, to collaboration, play testing and incorporating feedback and so much more. 

The resources they mentioned can be found below:

Art work: Deposit Photos Pixabay

Stat blocks: Tetracube, CR Calculator

You can find The Traveler's Guide to the Multiverse on the DMs Guild here

Check out their podcast by going to their website https://ttjourneys.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Support their fully funded Kickstarter A Multiverse of Subclasses and help them hit their stretch goals. 

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on Twitter @Bad8uddhist to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

Traps are a longstanding tradition in Dungeons and Dragons and many other tabletop RPGs. Whether is through ambush, bamboozle, ensnarement, pitfall, or a demonic face with a sphere of annihilation in it, Game Masters have a variety of ways they can ensnare their player.

Today I am joined by Josh Newton and Lewanika Miller of Tabletop Journeys to inspire you our listeners on how to craft unique traps for your games. From the intrigue laden social snares, to simple mechanical traps, to deadly environmental hazards, we cover a variety of options that you can fill your toolkit with to keep your players on their toes. 

As a bonus we've each crafted a unique trap that would make Admiral Akbar scream in surprise and terror. Feel free to steal and use in your games. Let us know how your party responds to them!

If you're interested in learning more about my guest or checking out their show you can follow them on all of the socials @ttjourneys or on their website at https://ttjourneys.com/

As always a huge thank you to Hannah Miller for editing the show and to Paul Mackie for our rocking theme song. 

It's a very special episode of 19 Hits the Dragon!

For the very first time in the show's extensive and prestigious history, Mike and Rob are venturing all the way out of the high fantasy adventure gaming space and dive headlong into the world of Cyberpunk Red! It is a distant, bleak, dystopian future, where a small cabal of hyper-wealthy elites exerts pulls the strings of society at every level, while the rest are left to scrounge to survive. Boy, aren't we all happy that doesn't remind us of any current prevailing conditions, am I right?

Anyway, this episode is the first part of a three part examination of Cyberpunk Red, as Mike and Rob share their first impressions of the system, take a look at the major Roles and talk about how they work, and talk about what characterizes Cyberpunk as a genre, and how the game's setting and rules reflect those characteristics. 

Also here is a list of some of the other Cyberpunk and otherwise punk related titles we mention in the episode: 

Hard Wired by John Williams

Nueromancer and the rest of The Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson 

Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azzerod

Bubblegum Crisis

Ghost in the Shell

Akira

All this and more in Episode 12 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Behold! 19 Hits the Dragon!

Open the Eleventh Seal! The Epoch of Orcus is at hand!

By this, I of course mean welcome to the launch of 19 Hits the Dragon, a new tabletop gaming podcast featuring me. Rob Mackie, and my good friend Mike Daniel!

There's some good old fashioned breeze shooting to start off, and here, we must issue a correction. Mike and I discussed the game Cyberpunk Red without giving due credit to its creator, Mike Pondsmith. Mike Pondsmith is a living legend of the tabletop RPG world, and he deserves all the shine. On behalf of Mike and myself, we would like to apologize for this research failure. This was the first episode we recorded, and we didn't think to look it up at the time. We promise to do better.

The bulk of our first episode, however, is a discussion about how to get started as a new player in Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition. What class do you wanna be? How does playing the game actually work? How should you comport yourself at the gaming table? Should you be a dick? (The answer there is decidedly, no. Don't be a dick!)

If you want to contact us, you can find us on Twitter (@19hitsthedragon) or drop us an email (19hitsthedragon@gmail.com).

Check it out! Tell your friends! Remember to like, rate, and subscribe! 

They mystery comes to a head as the investigators gather the final clues they need. Theories swirl and unbelievable truths are uncovered. What spirits are plaguing Antenna 8 and why is Billy Ray Cyrus at the center of it all? The crew of Paranormal Inc. cracks the case wise open but will they be able to lay these spirits to rest?

A huge thanks to our guests for joining us for this incredible game. Genuinely the most fun I had all season. 

Alex Rodriguez will be playing Madame Nancy, the medium. Alex can be found on Two Weeks One Shot a hilarious TTRPG variety podcast and guesting on lots of other great actual plays. Follow him on twitter @uncle_andross to see what other streams and games you can find him in. David Easley plays Sasha Graymatter, the Ghost. David is the GM Trials of the Apocalypse you fan find them wherever you get your podcasts or check  follow this link to find them on your podcatcher of choice: https://linktr.ee/TotaPodcast or follow them on twitter while you can @TotaPodcast

Reed plays Dr. Parsimony Dimer the scientist. If you want to hear more from Reed you can check out their podcasts: Deimos Paradox - Twitter: @DeimosParadox; Bring Your Own Mech - Twitter @OwnMech  or follow them on Twitter @ReedPlays

Conan on Twitter @Conan_Lybarian, you can find his games Including Corner Office on his itch.io page here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/ check out his videos on Obsidian Portal's YouTube Channel

I chat about my character Humphrey the Bookworm and then we dive into the mechanics of the game and how the game itself works. 

If you want to check out paranormal Inc. for yourself you can go to https://afurness.itch.io/paranormal-inc to buy yourself a copy. I strongly encourage such actions cause this game is great. 

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on Twitter @Bad8uddhist to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

The music for this mystery is "Sad Strings" performed by Ivan Duch. You can hear this song and many more on his website ivanduch.com

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

Happy Holidays listeners!  The Holiday Special continues as our crew, Santa's Helpers, takes to the streets to find the rest of the Yule Lads and stop them from kidnapping any more children. But they had better watch out for that Yule Cat!  Special Guests: 

Alex Rodriguez From Two Weeks One Shot

Christian Borchert From My Sound Delve

Ishmael Alvarez aka Elven Wizard King

Ryan Johnson aka RJ Quest Giver

Zac Harrison aka Conan_Lybarian

Theme by Paul Mackie

Music by Ivan Duch

Sound Effects courtesy of My Sound Delve and the contributors to https://freesound.org/

Edited by Hannah Miller

Happy Holidays listeners!  We've got a special Holiday treat for all of you. Today I'm joined by many of the friends we've made through the year for a Yuletide adventure!

It is a wintery night in the cozy village of Mitten on the first night of the Solstice. A motley crew is heading home after the festivities  when they come upon some mischievous lads kidnapping the good children of Mitten!  Special Guests: 

Alex Rodriguez From Two Weeks One Shot

Christian Borchert From My Sound Delve

Ishmael Alvarez aka Elven Wizard King

Ryan Johnson aka RJ Quest Giver

Zac Harrison aka Conan_Lybarian

Theme by Paul Mackie

Music by Ivan Duch

Sound Effects courtesy of My Sound Delve and the contributors to https://freesound.org/

Edited by Hannah Miller

The role of Game Master at a table is something of a circus act, a juggler or plate spinner keeping all the pieces moving and enthralling your players as a participating audience. This is something that requires skill and like all skills requires time and practice to execute flawlessly. Like any showman however you must also be aware of audience or your table in the case of a Game Master. The biggest difference between the Game Master and a typical performer is this direct interaction. So being aware of your players, their intentions, interests, and involvement is absolutely vital to having an enjoyable game. 

Today I am Joined by Ishmael Alvarez  A.K.A. Elven Wizard King, a community manager and Dungeon Master of his own live streamed game and DMs Guild author, to discuss these aspects of table management. He's got some really great advice on how to craft your sessions and stories around your players intentions and fuel the things that keep them excited as well as how to handle conflicting interests at the table and keeping everyone happy while finding the best compromise. 

If you're interested in seeing or hearing more from my guest today you can find his streams and Vods on Twitch or YouTube, check out his DMs Guild publishings here, or follow him on Twitter @ElvenWizardKing.

As always a huge shout out to Paul Mackie for our rockin theme song and a big thank you to our editor Hannah Miller. 

The Big Bad Evil Guy is a tried and true trope. No matter what story your game is telling there is going to be someone or something that is working against your players. Someone to personify the forces of evil; some nefarious creature out to cause havoc and destruction; Or maybe one character's dad is just an asshole. But how do you make the BBEG interesting? What makes for a compelling villain? Can my players smooch my villains? 

Well today I'm joined by Aubrey and Aki, the creative force behind Goblets and Gays and Animam Agere, to answer all those questions and more. From fighting Jeff Bezos to dealing with family trauma we've got tons of tricks you can use to create compelling characters that oppose your players. 

If you want to hear and see more from Aubrey and Aki you can check them out on Goblets and Gays, Animam Agere, and Wayward Arcadium by following the links here or catch them on Bring Your Own Mech Follow Aubrey everywhere on social media @MadQueenCosplay  Follow Aki everywhere on social media @akinomii_art 

Follow me on twitter @19HitstheDragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see their awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

And as always f*ck Jeff Bezos

What is a One shot and why do we play them? Where do I begin the creation process? What should I focus on when writing? How do I prepare for when my players inevitably ignore the tasks in front of them and go have a light lunch instead? 

My very first guests Alex Rodriguez and Brian LeBlanc aka Helix Missionary from the delightfully chaotic Two Weeks One Shot are here to answer these very questions.  They've joined me to  share the lessons they've learned in their own misadventures. We begin with how to attack the conceptual phase and bring all of your ideas together for the game you're interested in running. From there we talk tips for game prep, what you need to have at the ready in order to run the game. Then we talk how to actually sit down and run this game.

It seems like a tall task when you never know what shenanigans your friends will get up to. I mean you've got maybe 4 hours to tell this story and everyone might head off in different directions and completely ignore the clues you've left them. Or maybe they'll get to the place and then all split up and decide to do their own thing. How are you supposed to manage all that? 

Well rest assured my friend that with the shared insight of Alex, Brian and myself you'll have all the tools you need to manage this very situation and have a great time at your table. 

We've included their trailer at the top of the show for a glimpse of what to expect! You can find our guest wherever you get your podcast or check this link: https://linktr.ee/twoscast

Be sure to like, comment, leave a rating or review, and tell 19 of your closest friends! 

Special thanks as always to Paul Mackie, for a rocking theme song, and to Hannah Miller for editing our nonsense together into something worth listening to! 

19 Hits the Dragon is back to bring you the second part of our two-part combat series!

Part one was dedicated to staying organized before combat begins, that you are set up for success once the dice start falling. Part two expands on this, as Mike and Rob delve into what to do once combat begins to make it an interesting and immersive extension of the roleplaying experience, and not a dull exercise in things hitting other things until some of those things are dead.

The question of how to do this is examined largely through examining the teachings of tactics guru Keith Ammann, author of the essential blog The Monsters Know What They're Doing (www.themonstersknow.com), which he has spun off into books on the subject. Check his stuff out; Keith is a great writer who knows what he's talking about, and does a great job of breaking his considerations down, so that they make sense to everybody. It's a revelation!

Also, Mike and Rob get into a civil, reasonable, and spirited debate about flanking rules. Dissent and discord! Similar premises leading to separate conclusions! All this and more in Episode 5 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

I had the good fortune of connecting with our intrepid DM for this One-Shot Zac Harrison a.k.a. @Conan_Lybarian a while back and cracking random trading card pack with him and and Hannah and then concepting a One Shot based around the cards we pulled from the pack.  Today we bring you a play through of that very One-Shot that Zac has put together using the concepts we came up with in that pack cracking session. 

I am also delighted to welcome back some of our guests from this season! Alex Rodriguez of Two Weeks One Shot, David Stallings of Pair-o-Dice Lost, David Easley of Trials of the Apocalypse, and Ryan Johnson a DMs Guild writer and D&D blogger have all returned to the show to play through this adventure with us. Joining us on the podcast for the first time is our astounding Editor and my wonderful spouse Hannah Miller.

In Part One of this story, our group of adventurers is out on the town celebrating and cavorting after a successful job when they are approached by 2 factions, each asking them to spy on the other and uncover the mysteries behind the strange deaths in their town because, as every good businessperson knows, death is bad for business.

A huge thanks to our returning guests. You can find more about them from the links below. 

More from Zac can be found here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/corner-office and https://www.obsidianportal.com/profile/Conan_Lybarian

Two Weeks One Shot: https://linktr.ee/twoscast

Pair-o-Dice Lost: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbuMY4gfqrm6_WNxoWkR1Iw, or https://anchor.fm/p0dlost

Trials of the Apocalypse: https://pod.link/1546812050

RJ Quest Giver Blog: https://rjquestgiver.weebly.com/

The music in todays episode was recorded and released by Ivan Duch, you can find more his music here: https://ivanduch.com/linktree/

All Sound effects courtesy of https://freesound.org/

As always a big thank you to Paul Mackie for our rocking intro and outro themes and to the wonderful Hannah Miller for editing this all together. If you've enjoyed this Actual play and departure from our usual discussion episodes leave a comment or review letting us know or you can connect with me on twitter @19HitstheDragon to tell me what you think. But the best way to help the show is of course to go out and tell 19 of your closets friends to listen.

We have a lot of great content in store this season and I'm super excited to get all of our episodes to you our listeners. In the mean time enjoy a peek at the conversations to come! 

Huge thank you to Paul Mackie for the rocking theme song and our editor Hannah Miller for all the amazing work she does! 

Happy Holidays listeners!  Our Holiday Special concludes! With the Yule Cat having been run off and some special gifts from the big man himself, Santa's Helpers hop into his sleigh and pursue the Yule Lads back to their mother Gryla's hut for a final showdown to rescue the children of Mitten.  Special Guests: 

Alex Rodriguez From Two Weeks One Shot

Christian Borchert From My Sound Delve

Ishmael Alvarez aka Elven Wizard King

Ryan Johnson aka RJ Quest Giver

Zac Harrison aka Conan_Lybarian

Theme by Paul Mackie

Music by Ivan Duch

Sound Effects courtesy of My Sound Delve and the contributors to https://freesound.org/

Edited by Hannah Miller

I've mentioned several times that Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition is a build-your-own TTRPG. The source books also do a great job of encouraging players and GMs to create their own content for the game. In today's episode I'm joined by some excellent creators who are doing just that. 

Daniel Lieberman and Rene Beauregard of DragonRoc RPG Design have built up a catalogue of player focused homebrew content. They've created lots of great subclass options, spells, feats, races, and even a few original classes and they're here today to share what they've learned in the design process to make sure the homebrew you create is the exact fit for your table or is something great to put out into the world for others. 

To see more from the guys at DragonRoc you can follow them on twitter @DragonRocRPG and IG @dragonrocrpgdesign you can search for their content on the DMsGuild or check out their link tree for a links to all of their released content: https://linktr.ee/DragonRocRPGDesign 

You can catch Rene's streams with the Red Hare Inn on twitch and The Initiative Order on Youtube or follow them on twitter @InitiativeOrder. They've got an upcoming Smash Bros themed Mythical Melee with subclasses designed by DragonRoc. Lastly look out for launch dates on the anime inspired setting "Deep Breadth" Kickstarter soon. 

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

The world is full of interesting and unique people, but filling the world up yourself can seem like a daunting task for a GM. You're players keep asking every guard their name, wanting to know the back story of every person in the tavern, or possibly the true motives of the quest giver. So how do you handle that?

Well never fear dear listeners. David Easley, the GM of Trials of the Apocalypse joins me today with his advice on whipping up unique NPCs with ease. He created a great acronym (that I'm definitely stealing) T.I.P.S. to give a framework for NPC creation. 

Additionally we discuss ways to use some of tools on the fly when you suddenly need a new NPC you hadn't planned for. The true secret, as we discuss, is to give the illusion of depth to these characters and we offer some great advice on how to create that facsimile.

A big thank you to David for joining me for today's discussion. You can hear him GM Trials of the Apocalypse wherever you get your podcasts or check  follow this link to find them on your podcatcher of choice: https://linktr.ee/TotaPodcast.

If you enjoy what you hear or make use of any of our advice it would be really great if you left us comments, ratings, or reviews wherever you get your podcasts. And of course be sure to tell 19 of your closest friends!

Huge shout out to Paul Mackie for our rocking intro an outro theme and as always to the incredible Hannah Miller for editing our nonsense together. 

Happy Black Friday! What better way to spend your day scrolling endlessly through online retail listings as your search in vain for the perfect wire breadbasket for your Great Aunt Eugenia than with us, Mike and Rob!

In this episode, we follow up on our guide for new players from Episode 1 with our guide for new Game Masters. How do you run tabletop games? How should you prepare and organize for running a game, and how do you deal when your players inevitably and frequently leave your grand master plans for the campaign in ruins? How openly and often should you communicate with your players? (The answers, respectively, are 'very' and 'constantly'!) Should you be a d*ick? Again, the answer is no, don't be a d*ick. 

All this and more in Episode 2 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!

You may contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

The TTRPG space is full of interesting and unique settings where your games can take place but sometimes the story you want to tell doesn't quite fit into any of the established locations and you need to set out for new waters and establish a land of your very own.  World building is a time honored tradition in the sci-fi/fantasy realm and something that we as TTRPG creators have a unique position in. 

Today I am joined by Jon Hodgson founder and owner of Handiwork Games and the creative force behind the ENnie nominated book "Beowulf: Age of Heroes." Jon joins me today to talk about his experience crafting the world of Beowulf with his team and impart his experience and wisdom on to you dear listener.

We chat about many different aspects that go into world building, choices to be made or deliberately not made and saved for later; how the story you want to tell with your players has an impact on your game; the places, peoples, and conflicts that are to be found in your setting.

If you're interested in checking out Beowulf: Age of Heroes, or any other of Handiwork Games creations you can find them through their website: https://handiwork.games/  follow them on twitter: @GamesHandiwork or support them on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/handimonsters

Beowulf: Age of Heroes was Nominated for Best Electronic Product ENnie award and their a|state primer, Nicely, Done was nominated for Best Free Product. you can find both of these on the Drive Thru RPG page here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/10726/Handiwork-Games

As Always a huge thank you to Paul Mackie for our rockin' theme song and to the fabulous Hannah Miller for editing the show together. 

Comments ratings and reviews definitely help the show out so please feel free to leave whatever you can where you get your podcasts and let me know what you thought of my discussion with Jon. And of course be sure to tell 19 of your closest friends.

See you next time when 19 Hits the Dragon! 

(Content Warning: Alcohol mention in the episode)

19 Hits the Dragon is back to delve further into the mysteries of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition! This episode is all about classes. You would think that classes would be pretty straightforward, right? Then, you start flipping through Chapter 3 and are immediately confronted with a maze of experience tables, ability score requirements, and essential details buried under dense mountains of text. And then, after that, you come across the rules for high-level Druid advancement, and all hell breaks loose.

Fortunately, Mike and Rob are here to decipher these riddles, so that you don't have to! What are these mysteriously specific Thief skills, and how do they work? What's all this Priest spheres business about? And can anyone dare to delve into the mysteries of THAC0?

All this and more in Episode 11 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Think back on the games you've played. What are some of the most memorable moments from them? I'm willing to bet it wasn't the I'm willing to bet it wasn't the slower sessions, the down time between adventures. No, usually the most memorable gaming moments are moments of  high tension. When something important is on the line and there's a risk of losing it all. 

Today I'm joined by Ian Tassin, the creator of Apotheosis, to talk about how to create those moments of tension at your games and to provide insight into how that drive to create tension factored into the mechanics he built for his game. 

Interested in trying out Apotheosis for yourself? You can check out the game here:

https://www.apotheosisrpg.com/

https://linktr.ee/ApotheosisRPG

If you want to listen to the Actual play I did with Two Weeks One Shot you can find that here or on your podcatcher of choice.

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts.

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of you closest friends about us!

Our episode today is the second part of a 1-Shot that was concepted by Zac Harrison a.k.a. @Conan_Lybarian, our editor Hannah Miller and Myself when we opened a random pack of "The Adventures of Johnny Quest" trading cards. 

In today's episode our motley crew pursues the leads of their jobs. They have a run in with some strange figures in an alley along the way. A horrific encounter they were not prepared for; though it gives them a glimpse at the nature of the horror plaguing Broken Cradle. 

If you want to check out the livestream I mention on the break you can get the vod here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1178848729

It should be up on Obsidian Portal's Youtube channel soon as well which you can find here: Obsidian Portal

A huge thanks to our returning guests. You can find more about them from the links below. 

More from Zac can be found here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/corner-office and https://www.obsidianportal.com/profile/Conan_Lybarian

Two Weeks One Shot: https://linktr.ee/twoscast

Pair-o-Dice Lost: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbuMY4gfqrm6_WNxoWkR1Iw, or https://anchor.fm/p0dlost

Trials of the Apocalypse: https://pod.link/1546812050

RJ Quest Giver Blog: https://rjquestgiver.weebly.com/

The music in todays episode was recorded and released by Ivan Duch, you can find more his music here: https://ivanduch.com/linktree/

All sound effects courtesy of https://freesound.org/

As always a big thank you to Paul Mackie for our rocking intro and outro themes and to the wonderful Hannah Miller for editing this all together. If you've enjoyed this Actual Play and departure from our usual discussion episodes leave a comment or review letting us know or you can connect with me on twitter @19HitstheDragon to tell me what you think. But the best way to help the show is of course to go out and tell 19 of your closets friends to listen.

19 Hits the Dragon is back again!

Episode 4 is the first in a two-part series on combat. Tabletop RPG combat sounds like a blast but often falls flat. What should be the most exciting part of your game can easily devolve into a grim slog, as both enemies and player characters alike spend two real-time hours running straight ahead into each other's faces, attempting to hit each other until one or both parties are dead.

Mike and Rob are here to let you know it doesn't have to be that way! Combat can be as dynamic and varied as everything else in your game, but the first step towards making it so is getting your sheets together. Therefore, the first part of our combat series is dedicated to organization, so that when the Initiative dice have fallen, you'll be able to focus on making the fight as rad as possible instead of scrambling to remember whose turn it is.

All this and more in Episode 4 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe! 

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Often in my conversations with guests, we talk about how TTRPGs are really just a form of collaborative storytelling. But DnD and other games like it have a habit of becoming a situation where the players are playing through a story that kind of exists without them specifically. So how do we change that and make our games something that can feel more like players have an impact on the story? 

Well I'm joined by Tyler of Miss-Rolled Adventures to discuss exactly that. Tyler talks us through his journey as a beginning DM that went from focusing on every little detail of the world and rigid story structure to a more engaging and interactive game that is much more fun for everyone. We discuss a lot of great tips and talk about some missteps that have been made a long the way. We also have some fun story time talking about our games and giving examples of things that have gone well or poorly and what we've learned from those experiences. 

If you're interested in seeing what other shenanigans Tyler and his players have gotten up to you can check them out on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/missrolled_adventures or give them a follow on Twitter: @missrolled

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

Sometimes when two, or more, classes really like each other they come together and make something really special. That dear listeners is called a Multi-class Character. 

Today I'm joined by the hosts of Undercommon Taste to discuss mulit-classing in Dungeons and Dragons 5e. Ian and James and I got together for a cross-podcast collaboration to really dive into this topic. On their show we delved into the crunchy side of multiclassing where we discussed the intricacies of making a multiclass characters, talked about some neat options from previous editions like Gestalt characters.

As they joined us we got a little weird with things. There are so many ways to mish-mash classes in 5e and we offer a lot of great options for interesting builds. We cover common combinations, unique pairings, and busted builds then get into some fun character concepts we created to showcase the things we discuss. We wrap things up with a conversation about our current characters and potential multi-class options we could take in our personal games. 

Interested in hearing the crunchier side of this discussion? Catch the episode I joined Undercommon Taste for here. And check out the rest of their episodes while you're at it.

You can find them on Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube or check out their free and patron exclusive content on Patreon

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts.

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

Tabletop RPGs come in a variety of forms and offer a myriad of options in terms of style, setting, theme, goals or purpose. One thing that is central to all TTRPGs however is the player character. As Sean so aptly puts it in our discussion, "It's hard to have a story without characters." And while the Lone Wolf Rogue can be fun to play for a time we want to peel back the layers to discover who these characters are and what makes them interesting. 

Today Sean McStravick of The Arcanery and Game Master's Toolbox joins me for a conversation about how to create interesting characters for your Tabletop RPGs. They help me breakdown several questions that you our listeners can ask about the characters you are crafting for your games: What do I want from my life? Who, or what do I value most? What do you do when you come across a seemingly decent fellow but are being paid to kill them? So if you're feeling like your Player Characters are getting stagnant, or if you are tired of playing Generic Human Fighter for the umpteenth time, these questions and more will help you create dynamic characters, with personality and depth to them.  A special thanks to Sean to for joining me on this journey today. If you want to hear or see more from them you can find them on twitter with the handle @That_One_Guy or @TheArcanery and check out their work with the Arcanery and Game Master's Toolbox here: https://linktr.ee/TheArcanery

As always a huge thank you to Hannah Miller for editing the show and to Paul Mackie for our rocking theme song. 

Welcome to the darkest, most chilling reaches of deep space.

This is the Actual Play Miniseries, Chariot of the Gods, hosted by the Dads with Nerdy Ambitions, Tabletop Journeys, and 19 Hits the Dragon podcasts.

Subscribe at the following links so that you don’t miss a minute of the thrilling adventure:

Dads with Nerdy Ambitions:  https://redcircle.com/shows/dads-with-nerdy-ambitions

Tabletop Journeys:  https://www.ttjourneys.com

19 Hits the Dragon:  https://nineteenhitsthedragon.podbean.com/

Prepare for a weekend of frightening encounters, wicked abominations, and fantastic role play.

This presentation is uncensored, and contains profanity and references to body horror and violence. Listener discretion is advised.

"Aliens: The RPG" and the "Chariot of the Gods" module are both copyright Free League Publishing.

Sound effects obtained from ZapSplat.com.

Introduction and Trailer music "Sea Hag's Shack" by Sean at McRoMusic.

"Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor" by J.S. Bach (Episode 1), courtesy of Daniel Lozakovich, © 2018 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin.

"Roadkill" (Episode 1) written and recorded by David Herrera.

Other music and sound effects by Josh Newton.

Galaxy image above by Luminas Art from Pixabay

Our team of Actioneers continues to pursue their objectives and deliver on their KPIs. The Halloween party on the HR floor is, well no longer lively and the Company Co. snack table has left them wanting something...juicier. 

I've heard Corporate Offices were full of mindless drones but this is ridiculous! 

Join us for Part 2 of our Actual Play Series of Corner Office!

Follow Conan on Twitter @Conan_Lybarian, you can find his games Including Corner Office on his itch.io page here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/ check out his videos on Obsidian Portal's YouTube Channel and go to https://www.obsidianportal.com/ for some great campaign building and management tools.

Hear more from Josh Newton on The Table Top Journey's Podcast, you can go to their website https://ttjourneys.com/ or find wherever you get your podcasts. Follow them on twitter @TTJourneys.

Alex Rodriguez can be found on Two Weeks One Shot a hilarious TTRPG variety podcast. Follow him on twitter @uncle_andross to see what other streams and games you can find him in.

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on Twitter @Bad8uddhist to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

You come into consciousness, floating in nilspace. You are unsure if you have corporeal form, or any sort of physical extension, for that matter. As far as you know, you are only the sum of your thoughts and mental processes. Before you are able to fully acclimate to this nothing, a voice calls out to you: “Roll 3d6. 11? Ok, that's your Strength score, write that down.” This process repeats five more times, at which point, you emerge fully formed, a 1st level wizard doomed to die in a panic after your one use of Magic Missile is insufficient to kill the hobgoblin.

This episode is the first part of a look at character creation in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, a strange system from a strange time. Mike and Rob begin the descent into this nilspace to examine D&D as it was long ago, to look at what has changed and what has changed less than you'd think. 

This system is a bizarre place, full of weird ability modifiers and confusing racial restrictions. Those racial restrictions give our heroes a fantastic opportunity to criticize race as indicator of abilities, which the game has moved on from in some ways, but not others.

All this and more in Episode 10 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe! 

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Game Masters not just creators of stories, we are also enjoyers of stories. And with so many great stories that have been told throughout the history of humanity it's inevitable that you're going to find other stories that inspire you, stories you want to bring to your table and share with your friends. 

Today I'm joined by Kate the Master Teacher over on "Of Mice And Men And Monsters" who shares the insight's she's gained from bringing works of literature to her table. OMAMAM has played through several classic works and Kate and the party as well do a great job of adapting these stories in such a way that they feel true to the source but are also their own "Twist" on the story. And we're here to provide advice, examples, and insights on how to effectively adapt the stories you like into your Tabletop games. 

Want to hear more from Kate and crew? Check out their podcast here or follow them on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok  by searching @OMAMAMShow. 

Follow me on twitter @19HitstheDragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see their awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

It's no secret that many TTRPG games are fairly short lived for a variety of reasons. There are however the chosen few out there that are able to carry a campaign to completion. Last episode I sat chatted with Christian Borchert to talk about how to keep your players invested so they return to your game week after week. Today we're going to talk about the other side of that. You've got your players coming back now what do you to to make sure the campaign you're running is interesting and has the momentum to take the players all the way to max level. 

I'm joined by David Stallings, the DM of Pair-O-Dice Lost, to discuss just this. We recognize that we are a bit of a rarity in the TTRPG space and have taken multiple D&D campaigns to a conclusion with the players at level 20. From concepting your campaign story idea, involving the player characters in a variety of ways, maintaining momentum and cranking up the difficulty, David and I offer tips on how you too can run a campaign and keep it going until your players are practically demi-gods. 

If you're interested in seeing or hearing more from David and Pair-O-Dice Lost you can check out there Youtube Channel here, or find them on Twitter @p0dlost  also available wherever you get your podcasts in audio version. 

As always a huge shout out to Paul Mackie for our rockin intro and outro music, and a big thanks to our wonderful editor Hannah Miller. 

Today's episode of 19 Hits the Dragon is a slice of something different. Up to now, the show has mostly talked shop about how to navigate tabletop RPGs. How do you play? How do you run a game?  Once you've got the basics of running down, how do you keep things interesting for the players?

But for the next couple of episodes, Mike and Rob are stepping away from this great responsibility, choosing instead to use their great power to geek out about their favorite D&D spells. This isn't meant to be a list of the 'best' spells, whatever that means; this is just two guys who like D&D elaborating on their favorite ways to make things go boom, starting with the coolest cantrips and working all the way up to the 9th-level reality benders.

Since there are so many spells that can do so many disparate things, this first part is focused entirely on combat spells – spells that do damage, heal damage, prevent damage and make it easier for your friends to do all of those things.

All this and more in Episode 8 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe! 

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

The battle is concluded, and, despite your best efforts to slay the player characters according to the precepts set forth in Episode 5, the heroes have emerged triumphant! Hooray! But also, uh...now what?

Now it's time for downtime, of course! It's not like all that sweet loot is just there to sit around and look pretty, after all. But, much like it's deeply unchill compatriot, combat, downtime can quickly devolve into a chore, as party members listlessly wander from tavern to shop to tavern.

But it doesn't have to be like that! Mike and Rob are here to talk you through how to spice up your downtime sessions. Through a combination of preparation, improv, and making your players do all the work, you can craft downtime sessions fun enough to satisfy even your group's twitchiest murder hobo!

All this and more in Episode 6 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe! 

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

Planning for player choices is incredibly challenging. TTRPG players are notorious for going left when you wanted them to go right or making any choice other than the ones you thought of and prepared for. So how can you as a Storyteller make your games just as enjoyable without spending so much time and energy on plans that you never use? 

Today I'm joined by Kerri Smith of Crossroad Games with her deceptively simple yet incredibly concise answer "Only plan what the players can't change." We talk about Kerri's experience weaving stories with several players across short adventures and how planning as little as possible helped her work with the players to create compelling narratives.

If you want to see Kerri in action you can find her games on YouTube to keep up to date with her latest projects follow her on Twitter @KerriSmith2012 catch all of her projects on her linktree as well: https://linktr.ee/KerriSmith2012

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

A spirit screeches through the air waves of the radio station Antenna 8. Voices call out to some listeners and whispers drive away others. The station has called in the investigators of Paranormal Inc. to appease or dispel the spirits. 

The mystery begins in our actual play of the Paranormal Inc. Mystery "Antenna 8" by Sven Truckenbrodt. 

Alex Rodriguez will be playing Madame Nancy, the medium. Alex can be found on Two Weeks One Shot a hilarious TTRPG variety podcast and guesting on lots of other great actual plays. Follow him on twitter @uncle_andross to see what other streams and games you can find him in. David Easley plays Sasha Graymatter, the Ghost. David is the GM Trials of the Apocalypse you fan find them wherever you get your podcasts or check  follow this link to find them on your podcatcher of choice: https://linktr.ee/TotaPodcast or follow them on twitter while you can @TotaPodcast

Reed plays Dr. Parsimony Dimer the scientist. If you want to hear more from Reed you can check out their podcasts: Deimos Paradox - Twitter: @DeimosParadox; Bring Your Own Mech - Twitter @OwnMech  or follow them on Twitter @ReedPlays

Conan on Twitter @Conan_Lybarian, you can find his games Including Corner Office on his itch.io page here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/ check out his videos on Obsidian Portal's YouTube Channel

I chat about my character Humphrey the Bookworm and then we dive into the mechanics of the game and how the game itself works. 

If you want to check out paranormal Inc. for yourself you can go to https://afurness.itch.io/paranormal-inc to buy yourself a copy. I strongly encourage such actions cause this game is great. 

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on Twitter @Bad8uddhist to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

The music for this mystery is "Sad Strings" performed by Ivan Duch. You can hear this song and many more on his website ivanduch.com

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

GMs, don't you just hate when your players trip you up by asking the name of an unplanned NPC and you have to make something up on the spot as if you had the answer all along? Well today I'm joined by Mike Ashmoore of Tales of Asperran to tell you to how to stop doing that. 

Aside from setting the precedent of having the first Mike to make a guest appearance on the show, I'm very excited for this discussion because it touches on a topic that is near and dear to my heart of how to make your players do some of the heavy lifting you do at a GM or at least sharing in the burden. 

Mike has some really great advice specifically on how to involve your players in the world building of your campaign. From Session 0 and beyond we've got tips for you to keep your players invested in the world around them by having them make decisions about who and what is in it. 

Tales of Asperran is an actual play podcast to hear Mike and his crew implement the techniques we discuss in todays episode you can check them out here: https://www.toapodcast.com/ and follow them on Twitter @TalesofAsperran

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

I talk a lot about how Tabletop RPGs are a collaborative storytelling experience. Friends around a table, whether physical or virtual, rolling dice and telling a story together. But maybe you don't know anyone who wants to game with you, or sometimes you can't get your friends together, or perhaps you'd rather just spend some time telling a story on your own. Whatever the reason you find yourself wanting or needing to roll some dice on your own, there is no shortage to Solo Tabletop RPGs. 

Today I'm joined by the solo RPG game designer Jordan a.k.a. Hypnos to talk share his advice for crafting your own Solo RPG. We talk about the importance of theme, setting, structure, character archetypes and how to leave room for a player to create their own narrative but without just handing over a sandbox for one person to play around in. 

If you want to hear more from Jordan you can follow him on Twitter @MichanikoMcleod or check out his games on itch https://michanikos.itch.io/

Follow me on twitter @19HitstheDragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow our editor Hannah on twitter @Bad8uddhist to see their awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie.

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

CW for suicide and body horror skip over 45:25-46:05 to avoid the suicide content.

Our episode part 3 and the finale of a 1-Shot that was concepted by Zac Harrison a.k.a. @Conan_Lybarian, our editor Hannah Miller and Myself when we opened a random pack of "The Adventures of Johnny Quest" trading cards. 

In today's episode the crew unravels the horrifying mystery plaguing Broken Cradle. Will they save the town, will they save themselves? You'll have to listen to find out. 

If you want to check out the livestream I mention on the break you can get the vod here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1178848729

It's up on Obsidian Portal's Youtube channel as well: https://youtu.be/QqzBOp-sXMY

A huge thanks to our returning guests. You can find more about them from the links below. 

More from Zac can be found here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/corner-office and https://www.obsidianportal.com/profile/Conan_Lybarian

Two Weeks One Shot: https://linktr.ee/twoscast

Pair-o-Dice Lost: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbuMY4gfqrm6_WNxoWkR1Iw, or https://anchor.fm/p0dlost

Trials of the Apocalypse: https://pod.link/1546812050

RJ Quest Giver Blog: https://rjquestgiver.weebly.com/

The music in todays episode was recorded and released by Ivan Duch, you can find more his music here: https://ivanduch.com/linktree/

All sound effects courtesy of https://freesound.org/

As always a big thank you to Paul Mackie for our rocking intro and outro themes and to the wonderful Hannah Miller for editing this all together. If you've enjoyed this Actual Play and departure from our usual discussion episodes leave a comment or review letting us know or you can connect with me on twitter @19HitstheDragon to tell me what you think. But the best way to help the show is of course to go out and tell 19 of your closets friends to listen.

This special episode officially kicks off the actual play portion of our season. In today's episode I read the journal wrote while playing "And The Gunslinger Followed" a solo RPG by Hypnos. Check out the previous episode for an interview with the creator and download the game on itch https://michanikos.itch.io/and-the-gunslinger-followed

Follow me on twitter @19HitstheDragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow our editor Hannah on twitter @Bad8uddhist to see their awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie.

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

It may not seem like it at times, but we do live in the future. Gone are the days in which tabletop gaming was a tyrannical affair, in which over-prepared Game Masters dominated their tables with iron fists and their nihilistic whims. In this new future, tabletop gaming is a democracy, where players and Game Masters collaborate to make the game fun for everyone. Neat!

One of the cornerstones of this brave new approach is known as Session Zero – an pre-campaign session in which the Game Master sets expectations, each player talks about what they want to get out of each session, so that when the game itself starts, everyone knows what's going on. Super neat!

But how do you conduct Session Zero in a way that is both productive and more fun than syllabus day in driving school? (Sit up straight, bud.) Fortunately, Mike and Rob are here to talk you through how to run a Session Zero that checks all the boxes, and leaves your players feeling respected and eager to get rolling!

All this and more in Episode 7 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe! 

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

19 Hits the Dragon returns! In Episode 3 of 19 Hits the Dragon follows up on Episode 2's advice for Game Masters with a discussion homebrewing, the art and science of creating your own adventures, campaigns and player options.

Homebrewing is a noble pursuit – every Game Master wants to run the campaign of their dreams – but it is also a fraught one. Game Mastering is always work, so how can you give yourself even more things to do as a GM without driving yourself crazy? Fortunately, Mike and Rob are here to ease this burden and help ensure that you aren't constantly scrambling to figure out your entire adventure to the last detail, and hopefully save you from utter madness.

All this and more in Episode 3 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

I love sitting down at a table with people who are new to TTRPGs. New players are the best! They bring such life and nuance to games without any presumptions and expectations about what a game "should be." Though it can be kinda tough to get them out of their shell and I guess teaching them the mechanics of a game can take a while. You know what? There's nothing like a veteran player that knows the game and can sit down with a filled out character sheet and is ready to roll. I love playing with experienced players; they're the best! Which do you prefer?

Today I'm joined by Chris Hussey aka The Hussman to talk about players old and new. What's so great about new players? Why is playing with the veterans of the game a great time? What are some struggles you might face with either type of player? How do you work with them? Well fret not cause we've got all the answers for you. 

You can follow Chris on twitter @TheHussman and check out his podcasts at youngandholt.com and gunnforhireap.com  

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on @Bad8uddhist twitter to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!

We are back in the dark future of Cyberpunk Red! Today we highlight the core mechanics of the game and how your edgerunner succeeds or fails in their attempts to topple the megacorps. 

We spend a little time talking through various aspects of the numerous skills before slowing down to unpack the role abilities. These are abilities and features that are distinct to each role and make each option unique. Are you a Rockerboy with a cult-like following? Maybe a Media with stories that will shake the foundations of society? Perhaps you’re a road warrior Nomad with a suped up ride? The possibilities and customization options to make your edgerunner unique are nearly endless.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Cyberpunk game without deadly firefights and combat encounters that can leave you hanging on to life by a thread. Swing your bats and swap bullets with the Boostergangers and hope your armor holds together long enough for you to flatline them. We talk some about how to get healed up and glance over the critical injuries but we save most of that for next week.

We wrap things up for this episode by talking about how you improve your character and how it differs from a traditional leveling system. It’s a longer episode but a lot of great info here so bear with us! Also Mike apologizes in advance for talking so much. 

All this and more in Episode 13 of 19 Hits the Dragon! Check it out! Tell your friends! And remember to like, comment, and subscribe!

Contact us on Twitter @19hitsthedragon, or email us at 19hitsthedragon@gmail.com.

We're back with another Actual Play arc! We begin our playthrough of Paranormal Inc. with meting the cast of characters and talking about how the game works.

Really excited for all of our guest players, all of whom will be familiar to long time listeners. 

Alex Rodriguez will be playing Madame Nancy, the medium. Alex can be found on Two Weeks One Shot a hilarious TTRPG variety podcast and guesting on lots of other great actual plays. Follow him on twitter @uncle_andross to see what other streams and games you can find him in. David Easley plays Sasha Graymatter, the Ghost. David is the GM Trials of the Apocalypse you fan find them wherever you get your podcasts or check  follow this link to find them on your podcatcher of choice: https://linktr.ee/TotaPodcast or follow them on twitter while you can @TotaPodcast

Reed plays Dr. Parsimony Dimer the scientist. If you want to hear more from Reed you can check out their podcasts: Deimos Paradox - Twitter: @DeimosParadox; Bring Your Own Mech - Twitter @OwnMech  or follow them on Twitter @ReedPlays

Conan on Twitter @Conan_Lybarian, you can find his games Including Corner Office on his itch.io page here: https://conan-lybarian.itch.io/ check out his videos on Obsidian Portal's YouTube Channel

I chat about my character Humphrey the Bookworm and then we dive into the mechanics of the game and how the game itself works. 

If you want to check out paranormal Inc. for yourself you can go to https://afurness.itch.io/paranormal-inc to buy yourself a copy. I strongly encourage such actions cause this game is great. 

Follow me on twitter @19hitsthedragon for updates on the season and general nerd shenanigans.

You can follow Hannah on Twitter @Bad8uddhist to see her awesome crafts and get updates on edits and her craft streams. 

Intro and Outro music by Paul Mackie

If you enjoy the show consider leaving us a comment, rating, or review on your platform of choice then go out and tell 19 of your closest friends about us!