Inspiration Point (Adam Power, Andrew Geertsen, & Tiana Ren Hanson)

This week, Adam and Tiana continuing talking about first level D&D spells and where we rank them. Bucking the usual tier list conventions, we rank them by things like RP potential and how much they serve the secret ingredient in a tabletop party. There's definitely some interesting opinions about the spells in this list! Come join us as we talk about them.

Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana start talking about first level D&D spells and where we rank them. Bucking the usual tier list conventions, we rank them by things like RP potential and how much they serve the secret ingredient in a tabletop party. There's definitely some interesting opinions about the spells in this list! Come join us as we talk about them.

Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana continuing talking about first level D&D spells and where we rank them. Bucking the usual tier list conventions, we rank them by things like RP potential and how much they serve the secret ingredient in a tabletop party. There's definitely some interesting opinions about the spells in this list! Come join us as we talk about them.

Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about the lessons Adam learned from running two different sessions of Death: one on Friday for a private group of Patrons, and one on Tuesday for the livestream crew. No matter how long we've been playing or GMing, there's always something new to learn if we're willing to dig in!

To watch the Death Campaign live: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

Join the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana introduce the second secret ingredient. We've talked about it before in passing, but this time, we dive deep into why curiosity is the second secret ingredient and how it can elevate your games. Be curious, not judgmental.

To watch the Death Campaign live: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

Join the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about managing information in a TTRPG and how best to give players information without their eyes glazing over. We all know the desire to tell players everything, but is that the best way to get information across? Let's talk about it!

This week, Adam and Tiana are joined by Dan Waszkiewicz, Handler of The Redacted Reports, to talk about running a horror game. We talk about tone and themes, along with some safety tools that we think are essential to the experience.

Join our Discord to offer your opinions! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

Dan's preferred safety toolkit: https://ttrpgsafetytoolkit.com/

Check out Dan and Tiana on The Redacted Reports! www.theredactedreportspodcast.com

Check out a product in the Tiny D6 system Dan wrote for! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/258276/tinyzine-issue-7

And check out Tiana's channel for the Death game Adam runs and the Vampire: the Masquerade one-on-one game Dan runs for Tiana! www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about the session zero Adam ran for the new Patron games, including going over his table rules and the general conceit for the upcoming game.

The streamed version of Death can be found here! https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

Join our Discord to offer your opinion! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

In this episode, Adam and Tiana discuss the hot-button issue of races in TTRPGs. While we briefly touch on some of the real world problems connected to fantasy races, we focus more on what makes a race within storytelling interesting while using the mechanics, because the story is the most interesting aspect of the game for us.

This week, Adam and Tiana had a plan for the episode topic. It was even going to be a good one! And then we kinda rabbit trailed in a bunch of different directions, all at once. So grab a mug of your preferred comfort drink, wrap up in a blanket against the autumn weather, and come hang with us as we talk about burnout and how to prevent it, campaign planning, Big Moments in our personal gaming history, and a bunch of things in between. Including Bluey!

Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/Qwc7KSfwtd

This week, Adam and Tiana continue the conversation by delving deeper into the mental stats: Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. We definitely have opinions about which stat is the most important, but we feel that a blend of the stats is necessary for every player.

This week, Adam and Tiana continue their discussion about the changes to the player classes in the 2024 Player's Handbook. We discuss Rogue and Monk, with some digression into YouTubers and Star Wars.

Rogue blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1752-2024-rogue-vs-2014-rogue-whats-new

Monk blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1758-2024-monk-vs-2014-monk-whats-new

Death Campaign live on Tuesdays at 6 pm Pacific: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about NPCs who become part of the party, or otherwise aid the campaign in significant ways. There are real dangers about DMPCs, or other ways that NPCs can steal the show; join us as we talk about the benefits and pitfalls, and build our own NPC with a series of dice rolls.

Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam wraps up taking Tiana through a campaign planning document he assigns to his D&D students in his day job. We've been having a good time diving deep into the core concepts of creating a campaign, so grab a notebook and start noodling your own ideas!

The document Adam uses: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Alwm8ghRSKMFnOEP941VcYERXMxKadL3Df0WYmjKXsE/edit

Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about character voices and do a short exercise to play with voice. We can put so much of what makes a character who they are into the way we choose to speak as them, and it's a lot of fun to dig into that kind of thing.

Continue the conversation in the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about the Do's and Don'ts of balancing optimization and roleplay. We all know the kinds of players who focus on getting their numbers higher, or the players who want to do something unoptimized for the sake of a good roleplay flavor. Where's the balance between the two, and what are some pitfalls to watch out for?

This week, Adam and Tiana discuss something we consider to be the meat and potatoes of a good TTRPG experience: making quests that are meaningful for players. Everything in a TTRPG experience should be character-centric, but how does that translate to quests and getting PCs where we want them to be?

This week, Adam and Tiana begin talking about the changes to the player classes in the 2024 D&D Player Handbook. We're working from the playtest bundles and the D&DBeyond blog posts, comparing the 2014 classes to the new changes.

Barbarian blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1750-2024-barbarian-vs-2014-barbarian-whats-new

Fighter blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1746-2024-fighter-vs-2014-fighter-whats-new

Death Campaign live on Tuesdays at 6 pm Pacific: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

This week, Adam and Tiana continue their discussion about the changes to Player Character classes in the upcoming 2024 Player's Handbook. It's charisma hour with Warlocks and Bards, two of the funnest classes to play!

Warlock blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1756-2024-warlock-vs-2014-warlock-whats-new

Bard blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1768-2024-bard-vs-2014-bard-whats-new

Death Campaign: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

Join the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about making encounters more than just trading hit points, using an encounter that happened in the Westgate Patron game Adam runs. We specifically look at page 81, where the DMG talks about Character Objectives that drive encounters. When you know your characters and what they want, focusing in on how to make the players feel is incredibly rewarding.

Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about jobs the players can take on to relieve some of the burden the GM carries. This is a great way to build up some of that Strength player stat, and make things easier for the GM as well. This is by no means an exhaustive list! Add to the list or take away as suits your table.

This week, Adam and Tiana take a break from discussing TTRPGs to discuss a game franchise we both hold dear: Dragon Age. There's a new trailer released (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F3N4Lxw4_Y), and we have OPINIONS.

Check out the upcoming Death game run by Adam with Tiana as a player at https://www.twitch.ttv/vanalosswen

And join our Discord to offer your opinions! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana discuss the recently-finished Patron game, Gnarled Frontier. Adam reflects on the lessons he learned as a GM from this campaign, and goes over some of his Roses (high points) and Thorns (challenges/learning opportunities).

Join our Discord to offer your opinion! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Tiana takes on the solo host role and welcomes Alandra Hileman onto the show to talk about tips and tricks for running mob combat in D&D 5e. We use examples from Phandelver and Below, a campaign Tiana recently wrapped up, to discuss ideas for making the juggling act behind the GM screen as smooth as possible.

Join our Discord to continue the conversation!

Alandra's itch.io page: https://ladybedivere.itch.io/

Keys from the Golden Vault, GM'd by Alandra, over on Quests and Chaos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSM6UhQ5Q6LIyy4uUQVV2sAG0MeA-P6t

Phandelver and Below, GM'd by Tiana, over on Quests and Chaos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSM6UhQ5Q6JF3hrzaTwY8zlbanZ9vWxc

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about the ways Baldur's Gate 3 changed D&D 5e rules, and which of the changed rules we'd bring into our games. Some of the changes are great! Others...well, it's a video game, there's thing we can't really do around the table. Check out the resource we used here: https://bg3.wiki/wiki/D%26D_5e_rule_changes

Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam continues taking Tiana through a campaign planning document he assigns to his D&D students in his day job. We'll be diving deep into the core concepts of creating a campaign over the next few weeks, so grab a notebook and start noodling your own ideas!

The document Adam uses: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Alwm8ghRSKMFnOEP941VcYERXMxKadL3Df0WYmjKXsE/edit

Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana continue their deep dive into Chapter 3 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. This time, we're talking about random encounter tables; when to use them, how to use them, and thoughts for how to build them for your campaign. While we agree that fights just for the sake of fights can be a massive pain, we think there's value in using encounter tables to flesh out the world. See what you think!

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about making a monster for encounters that may not fit the typical mold. Whether that's something silly for a joke game (as we inevitably did) or changing up a known monster to keep people from metagaming, GMs should never be afraid to mess with monsters to keep things interesting.

Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana look at principles presented by Treant Monk for handling design choices. There's a lot of thought that goes into game design balance, but we think Treant Monk had a good set of thoughts with the series of questions we go into.

Continue the conversation in the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about ways to begin your TTRPG game that doesn't involve "you walk into a tavern..." While that is a time-honored tradition, we feel like there's a ton of ways to get player characters together for that first session so they can start learning about each other, and one of our favorite ways is factions. Have a listen, see what you think! (Gnarled Frontier players, Adam requests that you skip 51:03 to 51:53 because of spoilers for your Patron game.)

Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/fQkm2tFh7U

This week, Adam and Tiana dive into a topic that can be a challenge for both GMs and players: the death of a player character. We talk about examples from games that we've played, as well as looking at how character death can shape a story. While it can be a somber topic, as we all get deeply attached to the characters we play, we hope that this discussion can open up some discussion about when and why it's sometimes the right play.

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about the first session of the new Patron game, Westgate, and discuss a cool realization Adam had during the game. There's a lot of ways to get information to players and their characters! But one of the more interesting ways is for the players to know at least some of the knowledge, and let them pass it along in character whenever and however they see fit.

Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/Qwc7KSfwtd

This week, Adam and Tiana continue digging into the five principles of design, using subclasses we designed for this project. Do you have thoughts about what we've done? Want to try the subclasses out for yourself? Let us know at the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam takes Tiana through a series of D&D 5e rules questions used on the YouTube channel Jorphdan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qfhVN64AiA&t=100s) to see how well she knows more obscure D&D 5e questions. Take the quiz yourself, and let us know how you did in our Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana take a break from mechanics to talk motivation. There's a lot of anxiety around GMing TTRPGs; every one of us have felt it. But! Letting anxiety and fears block the stories you have to tell is a crime, and we're here to pump you up and hopefully inspire you to get out there and tell your stories.

Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/Qwc7KSfwtd

In this episode, Adam gives a brief explanation about what's been going on behind the scenes and introduces his new co-host: Tiana Ren Hanson. It's been a while since she was last on this show, so we talk about her experience in TTRPGs, performance, podcasts, and life in general. We then discuss a topic near and dear to both of our hearts: romance in TTRPGs and how it can add greater depths to the emotional experience at the table. While romance can be considered to be one of THOSE topics, we think there's a lot to be gained if players and GMs want to explore those emotions.

This week, Adam and Tiana are thrilled to announce that Adam will be running a livestreamed D&D 5e game on Tiana's personal Twitch channel. The live session zero will be June 11th, with the campaign running through the summer. We're excited to give our listeners a sneak peek into what's coming down the pike. Join our Discord to stay updated! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

Tiana's channel where the campaign will be aired: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

This week, Adam and Tiana dive into a rewrite of the Ranger player class that Adam's been working on. The goal is to design to the Ranger fantasy, without being overly reactive to the 2024 changes to the class.

The Google Doc with the rewritten class: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gCHFMjrHrnmmdlVeOJqFGaYVbxNY4flfQz-EeBcPlAE/edit?usp=sharing

To watch the Death Campaign live: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

Join the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana take a step back and talk about the Patron game that just wrapped up, Wrath of the Scorned. We discuss themes and how the final confrontation fit within the narrative of the game overall, and how Adam has been seeding things throughout that Tiana entirely missed until they came to fruition. We then switch over to talking about game tables and what we want from the spaces where we play. There's so many variables when it comes to tables and lighting and music; we have our preferences, but we're always open to new ideas.

This week, Tiana takes on the solo hosting role again and welcomes Sam Tillis to the podcast to discuss his journey to becoming a professional GM and how he handles the differences between games as recreation and games as profession.

Sam's Links: https://linktr.ee/stillis.gaming

Emissary link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/447790/emissary

Death Campaign: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

Join the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

Happy New Year, everyone! This week, Adam and Tiana look back at the year we just wrapped up and talk about what we liked, and what we want to improve. New Year's Resolutions are always a challenge, but we think there's been a lot of interesting things happening in the TTRPG space lately.

Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana finish their evaluation of the changes to the Player Classes with a deep dive into Druid 2024. We have access to the full book now, so there's a lot more to dig through and discover; come along with us as we wrap up our discussion on Player Classes!

Death Campaign: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen

Join the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs

This week, Adam and Tiana take a bit of a step back from the mechanics of the game and talk about some of the struggles that come with running and playing games. Specifically, we discuss anxiety and the tendency to overthink every decision, and talk about some of the ways we handle that kind of mental struggle. We're not mental health professionals, but we are gamers and GMs who deal with this issue on a regular basis.

Tonight, we're joined in the tavern by special guest Thomas Koch from the terrific tabletop livestream channel Quests & Chaos so we can pick his brain about the basics of livestreaming a tabletop RPG (as so many of us would love to do). We also find out how an ordinary horse rose from its humble roots to be the open Lord of Waterdeep. So come pull up a chair, the fire's warm and the drinks are cold!

Find Quests & Chaos on Twitch and YouTube!

Go check out The Deck of Inspiration Kickstarter!

On this episode, Adam and Andrew talk about the awesomeness that are pets, (both in your TTRPG, as well as just in general)! So sit down right meow as we look at the various ways pets can contribute to your experience (and how they can sometimes hamper it).

Mentioned in this episode:

Pokemon Rusty: https://youtu.be/ZVTLsQ8iNCM

Elements of Inspiration Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nordgames/elements-of-inspiration

On this episode, we take a shot at the humble "One-Shot," the shortest, most bite-sized of session types, and we look at what's so great about them, and why you, dear listener (yes you!), should consider giving them... well... a shot!

On tonight's episode, Adam brings a bunch of questions he received from GMs new to the hobby who are wondering many things that are often echoed by the general community at large.

On this episode we take a look at MOAR questions about RPG fundamentals, including how someone who is unsure how an attack roll works should go about homebrewing custom races and classes (see if you can guess what our answer to that is going to be)!

Tonight, Adam and Andrew crack open Andrew/Nord Games' pdf of Dangerous Destinations, the sequel to the ever-inspirational Spectacular Settlements! The results are.... well.... You'll just have to hear for yourself, but suffice to say we feel that it rises to the challenge set forth by its predecessor: the infamous Bayou Barbarians from way back in Episode 4 of Season 2.

On this episode, we look at the task of building a world! To do this, we discuss the basics, and then we dive into a book called The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide by James D'amato. In this book, there are 20 questions you can ask yourself to get you on your way with building your setting, and tonight we answer the first half, and next time we will answer the others and take a look at what we've put together.

Suggestion: Grab a piece of paper and something to write with, and try to answer the questions as we go along! We'd love to hear what you come up with. :)

On this episode, Andrew and Adam continue and conclude their foray into worldbuilding using 20 questions found in The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide by James D'amato.  If you haven't listened to part 1, we encourage you to do so! :D

Suggestion: Grab a piece of paper and something to write with, and try to answer the questions as we go along! We'd love to hear what you come up with. :)

Elden Ring is a game that has captured (and brutally stomped on) the hearts of the gaming community in recent weeks, and we decide to give it a shot for ourselves. Tune in to hear exactly how we feel about it, and maybe determine whether or not you should take a crack at this vast, ambitious open-world epic.

On this episode, Adam brings an important topic to the table: Rewards and Incentive. Rewards are the one of the best way to teach those playing your games what you would like to see from them. In this episode, we not only discuss the theory of rewards and why they work, but also various tangible and intangible rewards you can use in your next game! So join us for an episode we hope you'll find very... well, rewarding!

Join us for this introspective episode where we take a look back at Andrew's experience running (and Adam's experience playing) Curse of Strahd for just over the past year. Andrew takes a close look at what he learned, and we explore the different preferences we as players and GMs have, as well as other elements such as using modules, playing in person vs. virtually, and even the idea that not every player will fit well with every GM (and vice versa). 

Join us on this unique episode as Adam runs Andrew through a scenario using a system he developed in an hour, and hang out for the discussion about the results afterward! Please be advised that while there is no content in this episode that is directly offensive, some of it may feel a bit intense for younger listeners. Thanks and enjoy!

On tonight's episode, we have a casual chat that touches on both narrative and mechanical tiers of play. Join us as Andrew tries to explain what he's thinking about, and Adam tries to decipher what Andrew is explaining (lol).

Come sit down with us for this Q&A episode where we address common questions submitted by young players and GMs who are looking to grow and get the most out of their experience.

Mentioned in this episode:

DragnaCarta's 3-Step Session Prep for Running D&D 5e Adventure Modules

On this episode, Andrew wants to throw you all a bunch of free ideas for things like campaigns, adventures, player character connections, and stuff like that. This episode is far less about teaching you to fish ('cuz we do that a lot already, lol) and instead decides to just hand you a big net full of fish. It's up to you to decide which ones you like, and which ones seem... well... fishy.... :P Enjoy! 

Tonight, Adam brings a super duper Adam-y topic to the show: the Player Type Tier List! So, sit on down and join us as we discuss which types of players we find ourselves wanting at our table, and of course, which we don't.

NOTE: This episode is not intended to call anyone out, but instead encourage us to emphasize the things that we all do best, and work on the areas in which we struggle. All of us are a mix of many (if not all) of these different player types, and there is always room for any and all of us to grow and learn not only about the games we play, but the way we play it with the people around us.

Here's a link to the tier list so you can play along at home! https://tierlists.com/create/player-types

On this week's episode, Adam wants to talk about "shopping" sessions—basically sessions that have to do with gathering items/goods/materials/etc. and in what ways a session based around that can be fun. Join us as we bounce ideas around and talk some shop. ... ping... :D

In this somewhat unique episode, Andrew brings a topic to the table, hoping to pitch the idea of wanting to play in a game where the story and theme(s) are emergent rather than planned by the GM. The discussion does not go according to plan and turns into... well... something a bit deeper.

Fair warning: this episode may seem a bit meandering or I (Andrew) may sound crazy or my  idea may even seem half-baked (it wasn't, but I am sure I could have explained things far better), but I think there is a lot of valuable stuff in this episode that, frankly, involved me getting perhaps a bit more vulnerable and introspective than I had planned. I thought for a moment about scrapping this episode, but thought better of it. I hope at least one person out there, whoever you may be, finds this episode helpful, or even just enlightening.

Cults have to be one of the most common groups of bad guys that players are likely to run into in tabletop RPGs (probably right behind Bandits), but does the whole "Dark robes and doing objectively scary stuff" thing really make sense? Tonight we take a look at how cults work in the real world, and at ways you can use it to make the fake cults in your game a lot more believable, insidious, and hate-able.

Trigger Warning: Cults ARE a real, and do exist in the real world, and have often brought serious harm to people who thought they only meant well, only to find out later that they are in some serious trouble, or even life-threatening danger. Cults use, manipulate, and hurt people. We encourage you, if you (or someone else you know) is—or may be—in a cult, there is help out there, and people who care. Check out The Freedom of Mind Resource Center for more information.

In tonight's episode, Adam references the book: Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan, Ph. D. 

Tonight, we talk about real magic: the magic of the number THREE (3!)! It's everywhere and you, yes YOU, can harness it's incredible power to help you run and play your very best games. So come, stay a while, and listen as we reveal the true potential of this tiny, but mighty number!

On this episode we discuss what we think does and doesn't stink about f̶e̶e̶t̶s FEATS! The idea behind them (though, we discover, has fluctuated slightly over time) is really cool, but since their inception there have been some inherent issues: the primary one being a somewhat misleading promise of freedom and choice. So, come hang out with us as we talk about all that and more, as well as what a potential future solution might be.

The better title for this episode is "A Date With FATUM" but it only works once you know how to pronounce FATUM (FATE-um), so instead that title up there is what you get. On the other hand, FATUM is an awesome character backstory creation tool that uses a bunch of really cool cards. Adam takes us through it and we come up with something both new and yet all-too-familiar. Sit on down and take your FATE...um... into your own hands!

We, here at Inspiration Point, love us some Marvel Cinematic Universe (which has come to be colloquially known as "The MCU"). Most of the time they tell stories that are reliably fun, exciting, and dramatic stories. But, like any massive collection of books, movies, tv shows, ice cream flavors, or... anything, really... some are better than others. Of course, what is "better" is just an opinion, but on this episode (and the next one!) we work through what our opinions are on which MCU movies stood mightily above the rest, and which just may not quite pull their own heroic weight.

In the current MCU there are 29 movies, so this episode would have taken FOREVER, so this episode is Part 1, and next week we'll wrap it up with Part 2. Excelsior!

Hey everyone! Last week we started our big o' tier list breakdown the Marvel Cinematic Universe (only the movies, not the TV shows). Join us this week as we wrap up this Hulk-sized bunch of superhero films.

On tonight's episode, we go completely off-book and make. a. planet. FROM SCRATCH! Join us for an incredible, memorable adventure.

In tonight's episode, we sit down to talk about the idea of "Skill Expression," the idea of reflecting the idea of a character class or monster type via the skills, abilities, and tools at its disposal. Look at an ogre: huge teeth and claws, lore says they love to eat, and they're real dangerous about it. Now look at its abilities: No bite, no claw, just a single basic melee attack and a ranged attack. Let's explore this!

Join us on this episode where we discuss the recently-released 5th edition Spelljammer materials released for 5e Dungeons & Dragons!

We always say "The Secret Ingredient is love!"  but what does that really mean? What are the ways that we can actually put that into practice? On this episode, we dive into a bunch of ways that you (yes you!) can put a heaping helping of that good ol' secret ingredient into your TTRPG experience. You're gonna like the results... we guarantee it. :D

On this episode, we take a look at Adam's ongoing epic, level 1-20 campaign that is nearing its conclusion, and we discuss the many lessons that have been learned over the course of this massive journey.

On this episode, Adam presents a terrific idea: let's take the base attributes from D&D (strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma), and see how those could apply to a GM. Listen in, think about what your stats and class would be, and be sure to let us know!

Please toss us a great rating and write us a review!
Check out the patreon over at patreon.com/inspirationpoint

On tonight's episode, we discuss the GM "physical" stats of Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution and dive into the ways in which we can level them all up!

Last week, Adam and Andrew discussed how a GM could level up their "physical" attributes. This week, they discuss how a GM can increase their Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma!

Learn how to play the FATE RPG system! This is the first episode in a multi-part mini-series where FATE Guru Robert Hanz joins us to help us all understand this unique and fascinating RPG system.

You can find the rules, as well as the Book of Hanz, in digital form for FREE at the links below!

- Fate Core, Accelerated & Condensed
- The Book of Hanz

Fate School is BACK! On this episode, we dive deeper into character creation and try the SUPER cool character bonding tool: THE PHASE TRIO.

In this series, we're learning in real-time how to play the FATE RPG system! If you haven't listened to the previous episodes, start with Fate School 1 HERE!

You can find the rules, as well as the Book of Hanz, in digital form for FREE at the links below!

Please SHARE and Support the show!

- Fate Core, Accelerated & Condensed

- The Book of Hanz

Support the show

On this episode, we take a small break from our Fate School mini-series and talk about the reasons why folks might find their characters dying when playing tabletop RPGs, and some ideas on how to get better about keeping that from happening.

IT'S ACTION TIME! Fate School is back for episode 3, and now it's time to jump into ACTIONS!  On this episode, the main attraction is, collectively, the 4 Action Types: Overcome, Create Advantage, Attack, and Defend. To get into these deeper, we take Sam, Charlotte, and Wrex and take our first crack at playing!

In this series, we're learning in real-time how to play the FATE RPG system! If you haven't listened to the previous episodes, start with Fate School 1 HERE, and Fate School 2 HERE.

You can find the rules, as well as the Book of Hanz, in digital form for FREE at the links below!

Please SHARE and Support the show!

- Fate Core, Accelerated & Condensed
- The Book of Hanz

Fate School is back for episode 4! This week, we start with some Q&A and get into doing a non-combat scenario.

In this series, we're learning in real-time how to play the FATE RPG system! If you haven't listened to the previous episodes, start with Fate School 1 HERE, 2 HERE, and 3 HERE!

You can find the rules, as well as the Book of Hanz, in digital form for FREE at the links below!

Please SHARE and Support the show!

- Fate Core, Accelerated & Condensed
- The Book of Hanz

Fate School is back for episode 5 and this week, we jump into how to go about RUNNING (GMing) the game!

In this series, we're learning in real-time how to play the FATE RPG system! If you haven't listened to the previous episodes, start with Fate School 1 HERE, 2 HERE, 3 HERE, and 4 HERE!

You can find the rules, as well as the Book of Hanz, in digital form for FREE at the links below!

Please SHARE and Support the show!

- Fate Core, Accelerated & Condensed
- The Book of Hanz

Fate School is back for episode 6 and this week, we talk about Adam's first time running Fate, answer more questions, and do some clarifications!

In this series, we're learning in real-time how to play the FATE RPG system! If you haven't listened to the previous episodes, start with Fate School 1 HERE, 2 HERE, 3 HERE, and 4 HERE, and 5 HERE!

You can find the rules, as well as the Book of Hanz, in digital form for FREE at the links below!

Please SHARE and Support the show!

- Fate Core, Accelerated & Condensed
- The Book of Hanz

Welcome to our FINAL episode of Fate School; lucky number 7! This week, we take our newly-minted skills and chase the big-shadowy-jerkface-man down into the sewers and when we get there, our way is blocked by someone new.

In this series, we have learned in real-time how to play the FATE RPG system! If you haven't listened to the previous episodes, start with Fate School 1 HERE, 2 HERE, 3 HERE, and 4 HERE, and 5 HERE, and 6 HERE!

You can find the rules, as well as the Book of Hanz, in digital form for FREE at the links below!

Please SHARE and Support the show!

- Fate Core, Accelerated & Condensed
- The Book of Hanz

Join us on this final episode of the year, Adam and Andrew sit down to talk about what they learned this year, and how we might be able to use those lessons learned in order for us all to have even better TTRPG experiences in the year to come.

On our first episode of this new year, we sit down to talk about the challenging issue of burnout. When does something fun become difficult or tiresome, and what can we do to help with that? Come along with us and let's see if we can't find out together!

The tabletop RPG community has been turned upside down recently (as of Jan 2023) ever since Dungeons & Dragons' owner Wizards of the Coast (and their parent company, Hasbro) were caught flat-footed when a new version of the company's previously well-regarded Open Game License was leaked to the community. Since then, it has been a war between Hasbro/WotC and the community (players/GMs/third-party publishers), as the big company tries to achieve its bottom-line goals, and the community tries to hold on to a well-fostered ecosystem that has delivered D&D record numbers in recent years while also creating a small-but-strong industry for third-party content creators. Let's take a look at some of the major problems surrounding OGL v1.1's release, as well as the initial interactions WotC has had with the community.

In the wake of some difficult times within the TTRPG hobby, we take a step back and ask the big questions, the tough questions, the real questions: why are we here? what is it all about? do our TTRPG systems really matter?!  Well, depending on your definitions of "here" and "it" are, we possibly answer all of those questions on this show! So sit on down and gain some new perspective with us, your pals, on your weekly dose of the secret ingredient.

When it comes to TTRPGs (or even life in general), it can become easy to fall into some bad habits that can suck all the joy out of what should be a really fun pass-time. Join us this week as Adam gets a handful of these off his chest in an effort to help us all to better how we treat one another.

On this episode, in light of the Wizards of the Coast OGL debacle, Adam is looking to workshop an idea for his own little RPG, so we do just that! Come sit down with us and see if you come up with any ideas of your own. :)

This week, we sit down to discuss something of dire import: that the machines are coming, and their champion is ChatGPT. You know what? So far, it's as amazing as it is unbelievable [read: terrifying]!

On this episode, we're joined for a second time by expert Dungeon Master: DragnaCarta to talk about what tabletop RPG prep should involve. We talk about resources and techniques that can help you manage session and campaign preparation without losing your mind, and even have fun while you do it! 

Also, on this episode we talk about Dragna's suped-up (and, if the copious feedback is to be believed, much more accurate) system for balancing encounters: Challenge Rating 2.0 (CR2.0). You can find the entire system HERE and, for a functioning CR2.0 calculator, or all sorts of various DMing tools and resources (such as templates, worksheets, etc.), make sure to check out DragnaCarta's patreon at patreon.com/DragnaCarta!

On tonight's episode, we get scrappy as we sit down to talk about what the use of various weapons might say about your character, and how having weapons that truly feel different to use can enhance one's sense of immersion.

Hey all! In this episode, we explore what could be at the root of why it can feel like getting along with folks, both in this hobby, and even just in life in general. Sit on down with us as we, in spite of the warnings of dwarves, delve deep, all the while hoping it's not too deep...

Within many TTRPGs, most folks consider there to be 3 pillars of gameplay: Combat, Exploration, and Roleplay. Combat, as most of us know, tends to get a lot of attention, but the other two get much less-so. So, this week, we explore exploration with a little hands-on time where we get to meet an Andrew character, and that character does his level best to move through the world that Adam has ready for him. Let's see what this fellow manages to get up to, and what we can learn from his... efforts. :)

In this episode, we chat about—and take a crack at an example of—the third of the 3 pillars of D&D (as well as the majority of other tabletop RPGs): Role-Playing. So sit on down with us as we discuss what makes for good, engaging dialogue and RP that can be fun for everyone at the table instead of just a select few. 

This week, we sit down to talk about how to go about Adam's process for getting ready to run a TTRPG session online using a Virtual Tabletop (VTT). So sit on down and join us as we get digital! :D

In this episode we discuss a more simplified method of story structure organization called The Story Circle, so sit on down 'n' learn somethin'! :D

In this episode, we do a bit of a spoiler-free review of the D&D movie (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves), and then we chat a bit about what good, satisfying character conclusions look like. 

In this episode, Adam wants to build a new dangerous destination to be used in one of his upcoming games (and you can, too!). So come sit down, and watch this place, and its story, come together in real time, right before our eyes.

In this episode, we sit down to talk about the experience of feeling embarrassment or the fear of looking silly when trying to GM, and how to get past those feelings and grow (as well as how to help each other grow), how we can best support one another, and how we can all meet each other where each of us is as an individual.