Shows
Rene Plays GamesChristmas Is Coming | DMs After Dark Family Holiday One-ShotHappy Holidays!
DO YOU HAVE THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IN YOU?
Welcome back to another DMs After Dark holiday one-shot! This year we decided to do a sequel to a previous holiday special - the Thursday time loop cheesy holiday movie set in a strange little bean tree town that we have appropriately named Beantree! This year, a group is traveling to avoid holiday get-togethers in a one-shot of Grant Howitt's Christmas Is Coming, a folk horror RPG, which, honestly tracks for how our holiday one-shots tend to go...
In...
2025-12-231h 59Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Kat The Dungeon Mom - TTRPGs as a VillageWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
The last Perspective Checks of 2025 is a wonderful conversation with Kat The Dungeon Mom, a GM, actual play performer, teacher, mom, and so much more as a community member. We sit down to talk about raising the next generation of nerds, maintaining a curiosity and interested approach to new things in familiar spaces, and recontextualizing the concept of the broad, internet-sized TTRPG community more in terms of "t...
2025-12-091h 35Rene Plays GamesColostle | Dungeons Episode 7 - No Going Back NowWelcome back for another episode of Colostle - Dungeons!
Sybil wants to return to Oubliette to have her new unique rookstone appraised, but she didn't get here alone, so she continues deeper into the Dungeons with Zorn and the rookling to find the lost rooklings and possibly a Rookling Forge.
Sybil finds a way back to the surface, but with too many questions left unanswered, she stays in the Dungeons and finds yet another major labyrinth...
Learn more about Colostle and the Dungeons supplement here! If you like...
2025-12-0555 minRene Plays GamesMidnight Melodies | One-Player One-ShotWe're a few days late, but if it means anything to you, dear listener, it made me haul a lot of my music equipment up to my office and I am definitely going to try and do more original music for my episodes now!
Welcome to another one-player one-shot where I play games I have been dying to get to the table all by myself. This time it's another by one of my favorite designers in the TTRPG community, Midnight Melodies by Cezar Capacle.
In Midnight Melodies, you play as a ja...
2025-11-291h 20Rene Plays GamesColostle | Dungeons Episode 6 - Whispers of Rookling & StoneWelcome back for another episode of Colostle - Dungeons!
Sybil and the Rookling are joined by the traveling Bastion monk, Zorn, who is searching for something known as a Rookling Forge after many of the rooklings from his monastery have left to destinations unknown. When their expedition hits a dead end, they are waylaid by a Lichen Rook and rush away only to find that Sybil's Whisperstone is pulling her somewhere. Remembering her strange experience with a Spectral Rook, she follows it into a labyrinth where she finds another unique rookstone as well as more c...
2025-11-181h 00Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Craig Hatler - Learning & Teaching RPGsWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month's episode is with Craig Hatler (a.k.a. Tezrak the Impslayer most places on the internet), a game designer and educator who came on to talk about the importance of a game's communication and resources when sitting down to learn how to play, run the game, or even for designers before it goes out. We talk about his game Shadowlight & Personae, a genre-agnostic neutral system a...
2025-11-111h 18Rene Plays GamesColostle | Dungeons Episode 5 - Spectral Chains & FostlesWelcome back to the new series of Colostle - Dungeons!
Sybil ventures out of the hanging city of Oubliette with her ice rookling in tow to attempt to find her way back to the surface. The two have more time to appreciate the immensity of the subterranean world and its architecture, but hear a cry for help while investigating a chained rook husk. The find a stranger bound with spectral chains, but before they can help, he is pulled away into the darkness below. When Sybil and the rookling give chase, they find an archaeological d...
2025-11-0451 minRene Plays Games[Bonus] Halloween Star CrossedBonus Halloween day episode release and it's one we teased wayyyy back in February in our Valentine's Day bonus episode! I'm joined by my wife Lynn to play another game of Star Crossed (and in digital) by Alex Roberts, published by the wonderful Bully Pulpit Games, but this time we're not leaning hard into the expected romance tropes or characters, we're getting spooky! (spoiler: it is not, in fact, spooky).
In this Halloween-flavored game of forbidden love, we take on the roles of a House and the Ghost that really, really wants to haunt it, bu...
2025-10-311h 16Rene Plays GamesSpellbook | One-Player One-ShotCan't forget to do a solo one-shot for spooky month, so here is my one-player one-shot experience of Spellbook by DValeris a.k.a. Edaureen Muhamad Nor! This game is based on a familiar game from last year's holiday one-shots, Bucket Of Bolts by Jason Price and uses the Lost & Found SRD to simulate the life of a sentient spellbook that is past down through the hands of witches over three Acts. It was a very fun session and I fully admit I fall hard into stereotypical Rene tropes (sorry not sorry).
Definitely give this a...
2025-10-281h 02Rene Plays GamesColostle | Dungeons Episode 4 - The Hanging City of OublietteWelcome back to the new series of Colostle - Dungeons!
In episode 4, new friend Thorug guides Sybil and the Rooklings to the capital of the Dungeons - the Hanging City of Oubliette! This incredible city hangs from the top of an enormous cavern, lit up in all different colors in a perpetual nightlife. Run by four clans (Cups, Rings, Keys, and Shards), the city is both powerful and dangerous. What will Sybil find in Oubliette?
Learn more about Colostle and the Dungeons supplement here! If you like all of the new ad...
2025-10-2157 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Characters, Cosplay, and Don't Kill My Character with Kate the GreatWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month's episode is with Kate the Great Cosplays talking about the many, many angles she approaches the TTRPG scene through. Not only a cosplay event coordinator including TTRPG cosplay photo sessions and meet-ups, but an actual play performer and producer of the Don't Kill My Character stream, Kate does a lot in the games world!
Personally, I couldn't agree more with her per...
2025-10-141h 14Rene Plays Games[Bonus] The Witch Is DeadIt's spooky month 2025, and that means bonus episodes! They can be Halloween-y, generally spooky, or related to common tropes of the season, but this year it's kicking off with a one-shot of The Witch Is Dead by the incomparable Grant Howitt!
The Witch Is Dead is a one-page RPG by the master of the one-pager about a kind and good witch who is brutally and unfairly MURDERED by a witch-hunter! Luckily, you are the cute woodland animals this wonderful witch taught some spells, and she told you to avenge her death and bring her killer's eye...
2025-10-102h 09Rene Plays GamesColostle | Dungeons Episode 3 - Nowhere To Go But Down...Welcome back to the new series of Colostle - Dungeons!
In episode 3, Sybil has escaped the major labyrinth of the Cistern only to find herself forced to explore further down into the Dungeons, which turn out to be much more interesting than expected. Incredible architecture and mechanisms are in place from who knows when - a whole world beneath the surface of the Roomlands... But before she can do much investigating, one of her new rookling friends wanders into another labyrinth!
Learn more about Colostle and the Dungeons supplement here! If yo...
2025-10-0751 minRene Plays GamesThe Librarian's Apprentice | One-Player One-ShotIt's time for another one-player one-shot!
The Librarian's Apprentice is a solo game I've had near the top of my list to play for a LONG time, and it's a shame it's taken me so long to get this to the table. This is a game by friend of the channel Daniel Bronson-Lowe, a.k.a. Almost Bedtime Theater who you may remember from the Tabletop Tutorial episode of i'm sorry did you say street magic? where we built a city within this game's infinite library together on this podcast!
This is a...
2025-09-301h 12Rene Plays GamesMining Media | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an incredible new game by French developers Sandfall Interactive, and it is AMAZING. This is not a light lift for you TTRPG folks who may want to emulate the game at the table, but that doesn't mean there isn't a LOT for you to mine for your own games without having to try and replicate this masterpiece.
Take home notes:
Asymmetric design is awesome, and each character feeling like they're doing something unique and totally different is a great way to keep things interesting while finding combos and letting people h...
2025-09-2322 minRene Plays GamesColostle | Dungeons Episode 2 - The CisternWelcome back to the new series of Colostle - Dungeons!
In episode 2, we pick up with our main character Sybil as she emerges from the water deep below the surface where she fell at the end of episode 1. As she gets her bearings, she realizes she is in an ancient, underground mechanism with no way back to the surface, so the only way out is through. Luckily (or not), she rescues a small Rookling friend to join her as they navigate the major labyrinth known as The Cistern.
Learn more about Co...
2025-09-161h 02Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Willow (The RPG Goblin) - Finding The Right TTRPG For YouWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
There are a lot of tabletop roleplaying ganes, and there is an almost 100% chance you will never sit down and play them all, and even if you could, there would be a a lot of games you probably wouldn't enjoy. This month's episode is a chat with Willow, a.k.a. The RPG Goblin (which has to be one of the best internet user handles) all about findi...
2025-09-091h 18Rene Plays GamesColostle | Dungeons Episode 1 - Falling In100 Episodes! That's pretty neat, and it feels right to go back to the very first series I ever played solo for a podcast - the incredibly wonderful Colostle by Nich Angell!
In this series, we'll be playing a whole new character, so you don't have to have listened to my previous Colostle series on the DMs After Dark podcast feed, and I'll be going through all of the character creation, rules, and mechanics so new listeners can learn about the game through this series.
However, we aren't going to be playing th...
2025-09-0247 minRene Plays GamesMining Media | Dungeon Crawler CarlWelcome back to Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences by telling the next episode or next book "You will not break me," and soldiering on anyway because goddamnit, Donut, someone's gotta try and save all these ideas.
This month we're talking about the absurdly popular (and deserving) LitRPG book series Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. These books follow Carl and his ex-girlfriend's prize show champion cat Donut into a televised level-0 funnel on the newest season of Dungeon Crawler World, a popular galactic game show where survivors fight through 18 l...
2025-08-2622 minRene Plays GamesBOW | One-Player One-ShotLet's do another one-player one-shot!
This time it's BOW by the design duo (and team at) Hatchlings Games!
BOW is a solo journaling game that uses the Carta SRD by Peach Garden Games, much like Hatchlings' other solo game Dragon Dowser (which you can hear me play in the backlog!). In BOW, you play a Praeloran diver going out in an annual competition known as The Shoaling, a grueling sailing race between strong candidates on the hunt for relics to bring back to their city and make it to their marker and...
2025-08-1952 minRene Plays GamesTwo-Hand Path | One-Player One-ShotTime for another one-player one-shot!
This is Two-Hand Path, a modern roll-and-write dungeon crawler by Mikey Hamm, designer of Slugblaster. In Two-Hand Path you play a mage searching the cursed ruins of a post-fall city for loot and power after a supernatural war left everything destroyed.
The mechanics use Yahtzee-style combinations with a full set of polyhedral dice, sending you through very simple but deadly dungeons with time pressure and limited HP before you "surge," after which every roll is a gamble for points and power.
The charact...
2025-08-121h 06Rene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 14 - FinaleWelcome to the finale of the Heart of the Dominion, season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
Cassidy, Leigh, and the Captain continue to trek toward the center of the cursed Razor Isle at the heart of the Kyrody Dominion's myriad capital, with the Captain experiencing flashbacks to life in this ruined city's heyday. When they reach the three towering iron pillars at the city's center, everything falls apart at once.
Learn more about Ironsworn here.
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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
I...
2025-08-051h 03Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Mat (Role Play Chat) - GM-less Games, Romance, and First Date Update!Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This special 1st of the month Perspective Checks episode is with Mat of Role Play Chat, a similar interview-style TTRPG discussion podcast which I think you'll enjoy if you like these episodes!
Mat comes on to talk about the wonder of GM-less games, how they foster collaboration and shared storytelling, including romance in your games, and his new game First Date Update, where yo...
2025-08-011h 09Rene Plays Games[Bonus] MECH Cities 2 | HraunvollrGet the 2 New MECH Cities Out Now (for Free!)
Felt like a good time to play through a little bit of me & Raso's Carved by RUNE solo Mech vs. Kaiju TTRPG MECH!
In this demo, I play through Hraunvollr, a city on a fjord below a volcano where a greedy energy company has awakened the ancient lava Dormant Surtr!
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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help...
2025-07-301h 17Rene Plays Games[Bonus] 2025 DesignologueI've heard people like this, so here's an update on some of the games I've got rattling around in my brain, in GoogleDocs, and in various levels of development on notebook pages, sticky notes, and half formed notes on my phone.
If any of these sound like they're games you'd love to play, please let me know so I can get on it and see if I can't put out something you'll love!
Looking forward to working on these more & hopefully hearing from all of you. May all your games go gre...
2025-07-2929 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Clark R. Rowenson - Magic Systems & LitRPGsWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
The second Perspective Checks this month on RPGs and their intersection with creative writing is with Clark R. Rowenson, a.k.a. The Magic Engineer on YouTube, an engineer, author, and writing coach with a lifelong interest in magic systems.
We discuss magic system design, the importance of using the right kind of system for your stories, the explosion in popularity of the Li...
2025-07-221h 21Rene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 13 - Return to the Razor IsleJoin the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
The penultimate episode sees Azriel Stirling send off Senator Minos and bring down the ruins beneath the Kyrody capital city of Carcordia, while Drake McCabe and others resurrected by the Church of the Enduring Servants find themselves with a strange new gift...
Cassidy and the crew of the Revenant return to the Razor Isle, and the mysterious ghost bound to the ship known as "The...
2025-07-1551 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Steve Morrison (Errant Adventures) - RPGs & WritingWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
The first of two Perspective Checks this month on RPGs and their intersection with creative writing is with Steve Morrison of Errant Adventures, an excellent solo actual play podcast which has followed a sci-fi epic through multiple seasons (appropriately called Books) using different systems and more! Steve is also one half of the Ironsworn Guyz podcast along with Matt Risby (a.k.a. The Bad Spot, see pr...
2025-07-081h 40Rene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 12 - The Dark Heart of the DominionJoin the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
As Cassidy & crew make their way to the Kyrody capital of Carcordia to make contact with the Ebb and find out what's next, Azriel Stirling avoids Kyrody law enforcement by hiding out down in the ruins below the capital, and he's not the only one down there...
Learn more about Ironsworn here.
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I made a Ko-Fi if you f...
2025-07-0153 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Adrian & Alex (Dungeons & Degrees) - Finding Your Place in the TTRPG CommunityWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
June is (apparently) community month here on Perspective Checks, and the first interview is with Matt Caulder, host of the Whatcha Doing? Podcast, a wonderful interview podcast with creators about their projects, as well as Twitch Streamer (video & card games), and more! I very much recommend Matt's podcast and streams as he is an excellent host, and if you want to keep your ears to the ground a...
2025-06-241h 16Rene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 11 - Free From Cursed BondsJoin the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
Cassidy and the crew of the Revenant are on their way back to the main island of Kyros to meet up with an Ebb contact in the capital city of Carcordia. Along the way, Cassidy attempts to reverse the Bloodsworn curse on Marama, but their ship is recognized in the middle of the ritual, and old grudges against Raskhar must finally be put to rest.
Le...
2025-06-171h 02Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Matt Caulder (Whatcha Doing?) - Boosting CommunityWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
June is (apparently) community month here on Perspective Checks, and the first interview is with Matt Caulder, host of the Whatcha Doing? Podcast, a wonderful interview podcast with creators about their projects, as well as Twitch Streamer (video & card games), and more! I very much recommend Matt's podcast and streams as he is an excellent host, and if you want to keep your ears to the ground a...
2025-06-101h 22Rene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 10 - DisruptionJoin the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
After cleansing the second altar, the Bloodsworn are affected and taken aboard the Revenant, which is also experiencing negative effects. The crew make for safe harbor on the island of Nuboka, headquarters of the Cynosure Society and Explorer's Guild to rest and recuperate, and Damaris Iver makes contact with an Ebb spy to relay information and make moves back in Kyros.
Learn more about Irons...
2025-06-0450 minRene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 9 - The Puzzle AltarsJoin the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
The small crew of the Revenant scatter to fight the Bloodsworn who have ambushed them at the second altar, and when Cassidy enters the narrow tunnels of the sea cave system where the altar lies, she finds more traps and puzzles await...
Learn more about Ironsworn here.
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I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want t...
2025-05-2754 minRene Plays GamesPespective Checks | A Couple of Drakes - Jammin' on TTRPGsWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
Perspective Checks #2 this month! I'm joined by the prolific duo A Couple of Drakes to talk about their journey in the TTRPG space. If you don't recognize the name, maybe you've heard of any of their incredible games out there, like:
Court of Blades - Political Intrigue Forged in the Dark!
Dead Belt - Solo/Co-op Space Salvage Survival!
Dungeon Jam! - Literal Jam makin' dungeon d...
2025-05-201h 39Rene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 8 - Next StepsGet MECH & more in the TTRPGs for Trans Rights - Ohio Itch Bundle!
Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
Cassidy has an experience with the island of Nameera, but while she is unconscious her crew struggles to escape the island unscathed. After a short sojourn with the nomadic Sularia, the crew splits up to follow up on information from the expedition of Nameera, but both groups walk straight into traps...
2025-05-1344 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Game Master Mom - Tales of Aetheria & Gaming with KidsGo check out Tales of Aetheria - An Unexpected Quest on Kickstarter now!
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
For the first Perspective Checks this month I'm joined by Nicole, a.k.a. Game Master Mom to talk about playing TTRPGs with kids and her upcoming children's book / TTRPG for kids Tales of Aetheria! Nicole has an amazing social media persona where she gives great advice on playing games wit...
2025-05-061h 08Rene Plays GamesPilgrimage of the Sun Guard | One-Player One-ShotGet MECH & more in the TTRPGs for Trans Rights - Ohio Itch Bundle!
Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
Time for a little one-player one-shot!
I sat down to play Pilgrimage of the Sun Guard by Amanda P! This is a prompt-based solo game about playing the last knight or other capable member of the Sun Guard setting off on a pilgrimage to an ancient holy site for the order. It captures a lot of classic romantic stories, myths, and more but as soon as I was...
2025-04-2247 minRene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 7 - Writing on the WallsJoin the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
Cassidy & Senator Minos explore the cavern full of mysterious glyphs, but struggle to make sense of the complicated language. Leigh does his best to interpret for the island's bound souls but trouble is closing in on all sides, and Cassidy pushes herself too far.
Learn more about Ironsworn here.
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I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly gener...
2025-04-1550 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Peach (the Dice Sisters) - Creating Safe Spaces for TTRPG CommunitiesWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month I'm joined by Peach of The Dice Sisters discord! They're a community who helps curate and provide safe gaming space for women, nonbinary, and trans TTRPG players. As I say early on in the episode, I'd love to believe that the community at large is as welcoming and accepting a place as I believe it to be because of fortunate experiences and friends groups, but t...
2025-04-081h 01Rene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 6 - UndercurrentsJoin the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
Cassidy leads the Revenant to a mysterious island at the behest of Senator Minos. Along the way, Damaris Iver describes the terrible secrets he began to uncover about the Kyrody Dominion's use of sky iron, the nature of these islands in the Heart of the Dominion, and the picture begins to come into focus.
On the island, Cassidy and Senator Minos rush into a ruins...
2025-04-0157 minRene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 5 - Severed ConnectionsWelcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
Cassidy has reached Damaris Iver in the guise of the companion Blythe Bannister, but Leigh senses trouble coming to stop their prison break. Someone much higher up the social power ladder has taken an interest into the unfolding events that Cassidy has found herself wrapped up in, and she may just be overmatched...
Learn more about Ironsworn here.
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I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want...
2025-03-1854 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Christian (DMs After Dark) - Playing In The SandboxWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month is LONG overdue and is a sit down and chat with Christian from the DMs After Dark about playing games in sandbox worlds. Christian and I have been friends for many years now and have been fueling one another's RPG collecting and dissecting obsessions, and it's always great to sit down with him and talk games.
Christian has written multiple excellent Cal...
2025-03-111h 05Rene Plays GamesSundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 4 - Narrow EscapesWelcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
Having fled the horrible ambush on the sky island, Cassidy gets back to the Revenant just as several ships close in on the sky island for their own chance to reap the rare sky iron resources - known in the Dominion as oléthrios iron. She musters the crew and sails boldly back through the ships and meets back up with Quon to plan out the jailbreak of Damaris Iver, an Ebb Investigator currently being held in Deepwater Harbor's impe...
2025-03-0456 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Season 2 - Campaign CreationWe're back for season 2 of Ironsworn: Sundered Isles and this time the story will be taking place shortly after the conclusion of Dyne's story from last year in a very different location - The Heart of the Kyrody Dominion itself!
Rene goes through the campaign creation steps to adjust some of the Truths from season 1 to reflect for the new part of the world this story takes place in, creates his character for the game - Cassidy McCabe, a Haunted Cutthroat Spy - and makes a map of the Myriads we'll be exploring in this sea...
2025-01-071h 23Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Gloria (GlowPinkstah) - Body Representation in TTRPGsWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month I sat down with Gloria a.k.a. GlowPinkstah, a prolific content creator, TTRPG actual play podcaster, streamer, YouTuber, and advocate for body positivity throughout all media! We talk about all things body representation, playing hot fat characters, how games depict (or don't) all kinds of body shapes and sizes, and how mainstream depictions have created a default negative connotation with fat characters.
...
2024-11-121h 13Rene Plays GamesKoriko: A Magical Year | Volume 5: AutumnWelcome back to more Koriko: A Magical Year by Jack Harrison & Mousehole Press!
In this episode, Autumn tests Genie. We meet a few new Confidants and catch up with older friends in the tail end of the year as the emotionally charged prompts make their appearance. Heading into the final two Volumes of our Koriko AP, Genie doubles down and vows no more holding back.
I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I wa...
2024-11-0544 minRene Plays Games[Bonus] Ghost Club RPG | The Haunted MansionThere we already 5 Tuesdays in October, but why not upload a 6th episode just for Halloween?!
For a Halloween special Rene played alongside Jess from the DMs After Dark and returning guest Lynn (matrimonally obligated to occasionally game) for some Ghost Club RPG by Andrew Dowell (with some extra gear and archetypes from the New Kids Expansion)! Unlike our other spooky one-shots, this one is perfect for the younger crowd, with a minimal amount of truly terrifying content, landing somewhere between Scooby Doo antics and young adult content like Lockwood & Co. or Dead Boy Detectives.
2024-10-312h 19Rene Plays GamesDelta Green | Music From A Darkened RoomSpooky October one-shot #2, and this time it's a DEEP conspiracy of actual terror and horror, we're playing Delta Green by Arc Dream Publishing!
Specifically, we're playing the scenario Music From A Darkened Room, an investigation for Agents that takes them into 1206 Spooner Avenue, Meadowbrook, New Jersey, and IT. IS. NOT. OKAY.
Content Warnings: Suicidal ideation, Dead Children, Violence, and probably a lot more, so be safe, please!
I was lucky enough to be joined by two bonafide horrorheads in Amber (published horror author) and Christian (published horror sce...
2024-10-293h 03Rene Plays GamesWraithound | The Roots of Silvermist PavilionIt's Spooky October One-Shots time!
For the first of the three Halloween horror one-shots, Rene sits down with Troy from the DMs After Dark to play Wraithound by Cezar Capacle, an incredible Brazilian game designer whose philosophy I love so much, so it's very exciting to finally play one of his games on the podcast!
Wraithound is a zero-prep, GM-less game where you play ghost hunters of an ancient order, tasked with investigating and dealing with supernatural threats. The game uses 2d6 and a standard deck of playing cards (jokers included) to...
2024-10-222h 02Rene Plays GamesKoriko: A Magical Year | Volume 4: SummerWelcome back to more Koriko: A Magical Year by Jack Harrison & Mousehole Press!
In this episode, Summer brings the heat! Genie hangs out with some familiar confidants and gets new perspectives into their places in Koriko, as well as gets a peek behind the curtain, according to Koriko & Ace, glimpsing a bit more of the truth about this incredible city. Lastly, we end with a contentious new confidant and Genie's first impression isn't her best...
I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting co...
2024-10-151h 01Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Ross (Blades of Mayari) - Worldbuilding & Working Mythology into RPGsWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month's episode is a big one! Worldbuilding is an integral part of storytelling in RPGs, whether you're playing in an established universe like many big named systems provide, or are drawing maps and leaving blanks in the Powered by the Apocalypse emergent narrative style of newer indie games. The shared world that the characters interact with is as much a part of the story as the a...
2024-10-081h 09Rene Plays GamesKoriko: A Magical Year | Volume 3: SpringWelcome back to more Koriko: A Magical Year by Jack Harrison & Mousehole Press!
In this episode, our teenage witch Genie and her friendly 3-eyed mink Mog are pretty well established in the city of Koriko, and people are starting to come to her for help! We see some friends made from the last volume and make some new acquaintances in the city, as well, including the city itself, as Genie continues to learn more about herself, her magic, and the world beyond Bonetto as Spring comes and goes in Koriko.
Where to...
2024-10-011h 00Rene Plays GamesMining Media | The Murderbot Diaries by Martha WellsWelcome back to Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences by using every monitoring drone we have access to to analyze every last bit of information and set our performance stability to 98% efficiency.
This week we're talking about The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, a far future dystopian sci-fi series that follows Murderbot, the Sec-Unit with freedom from its governor module as it explores the universe with free will for the first time and protects humans from being stupid and hurting themselves while just trying to watch its media.
...
2024-09-2421 minRene Plays GamesKoriko: A Magical Year | Volume 2: ArrivalWelcome back for episode 2 of Koriko: A Magical Year by Jack Harrison & Mousehole Press, who just so happen to be running a Kickstarter campaign to print some of their other great games like Artefact, Bucket of Bolts, and CounterPart! Go check it out!
In this episode, our teenage witch Genie settles into the city of Koriko and meets her first Confidants - NPCs who will be recurring throughout the story as we feel like interacting with them, interspersed with the moments and events of every day life throughout the year. We start using the gameplay l...
2024-09-1757 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Michael Low (Stories RPG) - All Ages Gaming & InfiniBrix!Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
I was so honored to have this month's guest Michael Low on to chat about his philosophy in all things TTRPGs. Michael is a teacher and game designer whose work you can hear on his podcast Stories RPG, his writing classes which use RPGs over at Luck of Legends, and check out all his games on his Itch.io page!
Not only am I...
2024-09-101h 35Rene Plays GamesKoriko: A Magical Year | Volume 1: DepartureHello and welcome to a new solo RPG series, switching up tone completely and exploring the wonderfully cozy journaling game Koriko: A Magical Year by Jack Harrison & Mousehole Press, creators of other incredible solo games like Artefact, Orbital, and Bucket of Bolts (Jack also did layout for Notorious & Outsiders, so clearly he knows what he's doing)!
Koriko is a game about a teenage witch leaving their home village to spend one year in a new city where they will work their craft, expand their horizons, and learn to be the witch they are destined to b...
2024-09-0346 minRene Plays GamesMining Media | PokémonWe're back to Mining Media for this month, because I keep seeing "How do you hack 5e to do Pokemon?!" and I don't have the hair to tear out over it... so let's talk bringing everyone's favorite monster catcher/befriender to the table!
The thing about Pokemon is that it's so much more than just an 8-bit handheld video game now, there's multiple TV series, video game series, manga, movies (even a live-action one with the guy who plays Deadpool!), a card game! So where do you begin thinking about how to port to the t...
2024-08-2723 minRene Plays GamesNOTORIOUS/OUTSIDERS | Episode 6: The FinaleWelcome back for the explosive finale of our trilogy following the bot-human construct Nomad ISIL-8 in NOTORIOUS and OUTSIDERS by Jason Price, a.k.a. Always Checkers Publishing.
The Admiral's Fleet has taken over Nos and set up Chedo Robay and his Ghol assistants to reverse engineer the cloning program designs stolen by ISIL-8's first lead, Ka Lirra (as Aura Day). The Trade Alliance has followed ISIL-8's ship's signature out to Nos and is rooting around for exclusive IP about the clones themselves, and ISIL-8 is just trying to put an end to t...
2024-08-2056 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Monument Studios - Music for TTRPGs & the Fantasy+ KickstarterWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss a topic of their choice!
This month's episode concerns the power of music, ambience, and sound in TTRPG play, and I'm joined by brothers Noah & Tyler that make up Monument Studios, which is launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for their upcoming Fantasy+ app full of music, ambience, and sound effects for fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and more.
We talk about their history with music, how their journey led them to doing am...
2024-08-131h 04Rene Plays GamesNOTORIOUS/OUTSIDERS | Episode 5: Nos, Planet of Crystal & ConstructsWelcome back to the developing trilogy of the bot-human construct Nomad ISIL-8 in NOTORIOUS and OUTSIDERS by Jason Price, a.k.a. Always Checkers Publishing.
ISIL-8 has narrowly avoided the Trade Alliance and escaped through FTL travel to a remote corner of the galaxy. Through interrogating the mystic-marked assassin nomad and covert communications to ally nomads and other contacts throughout the galaxy, the bot-construct narrows down their answers to a small section of space on their star chart. But, as they close in, a terrifyingly well-encrypted message from an Old Empire base goads ISIL-8 to a...
2024-08-061h 00Rene Plays Games[Bonus] Dragonbane - The Sinking Tower Part 2While technically a bonus for 5 Tuesdays in July, editing is a process and I'm a busy person, so this one took a few more days, enjoy the second half of our Dragonbane Free RPG Day one-shot scenario The Sinking Tower to kick off August!
Also! All episodes during the month of August will be using music from Monument Studios, who is running a Kickstarter campaign for their Fantasy+ collection of TTRPG music, ambience, sound effects, and more! Click the link to sign up and be notified when the campaign goes live and get TONS of i...
2024-08-011h 06Rene Plays Games[Bonus] Dragonbane - The Sinking Tower Part 15th Tuesdays are for bonus episodes and this one comes IN TWO PARTS! Part 2 will be releasing on Thursday August 1st!
For July's Bonus Episode, we're playing Free League's 2024 Free RPG Day scenario for Dragonbane called The Sinking Tower. It's a tight one-shot adventure for the classic Swedish fantasy RPG that's designed for "tournament style" play, and all happens on a two hour clock! After character creation, start the timer and speedrun this tower!
In the past, a mad sorcerer named Kamandur built a seaside tower to honor his sister and pl...
2024-07-301h 44Rene Plays Games[In Development] | Rene's TTRPG Design DiariesGet deep enough into the indie tabletop RPG scene and eventually you'll come up with an idea that you want to play out in a game, but you can't find a good match for it (despite the thousands of games out there). So what do you do? You start making one yourself!
Most people homebrew rules in their favorite RPGs, and if you think about it, even that is game design in a way. You're no longer playing the game you were before right out of the book or box, you've added your own piece t...
2024-07-231h 00Rene Plays GamesNOTORIOUS/OUTSIDERS | Episode 4: WantedWelcome back to the developing trilogy of the bot-human construct Nomad ISIL-8 in NOTORIOUS and OUTSIDERS by Jason Price, a.k.a. Always Checkers Publishing.
ISIL-8 finds themselves wanted on the planet of Arro after their run-in with the hostile hunting down a rogue hacker. Bounties go up through the Guild to bring the missing Bot-Construct in however possible, but ISIL-8 still has a job through Huska's Corsairs and questions of their own to answer about the Company that created them.
Tracking down leads including the target Xed Gron's hacker ally, be...
2024-07-1658 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Matt Risby (The Bad Spot) - Solo Gaming for an AudienceWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the TTRPG world and discuss a topic of their choice!
If you're familiar with Ironsworn, especially Starforged, this week's guest likely needs no introduction - Matt Risby is the man behind the microphone for the incredible podcast The Bad Spot, which has 3 incredible seasons of Ironsworn: Starforged, some original Ironsworn, and is just beginning its brand new Sundered Isles series!
In this episode, we talk about playing solo RPGs, how it's a different experience as one sh...
2024-07-091h 17Rene Plays Games[Bonus] RUNE for JuneNot a 5th Tuesday bonus episode, but just keeping up the rhyming bonus episodes with Gila RPGs solo games and in June that means RUNE. Similar to REAP, which I played back in February for the Leap Year, RUNE is a solo TTRPG based on the Dark Souls and Elden Ring games, and it plays just as punishing (you'll see).
If you want to hear Spencer play through this realm on his YouTube channel, you can watch it here, and if you want pick up Aaron Joliffe's RUNE Realms and content, you can find his g...
2024-07-0257 minRene Plays GamesNOTORIOUS/OUTSIDERS | Episode 3: Arro, Planet of Crime & GrimeWelcome back to the developing trilogy of the bot-human construct Nomad ISIL-8 in NOTORIOUS and OUTSIDERS by Jason Price, a.k.a. Always Checkers Publishing.
ISIL-8 has failed The Guild and failed to complete a bounty, leaving the frozen planet of Utov without their target Aura Day, a.k.a. Ka Lirra, one of the masterminds behind the bot-construct clone army ISIL-8 was created for. However, Ka Lirra left a message and coordinates for ISIL-8 to follow if they survived which lead out to the far edges of the galaxy, to a corporate planet named A...
2024-07-0255 minRene Plays GamesMining Media | Persona Video Game SeriesWelcome to another Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences. In this episode we're talking about Atlus' video game franchise Persona. These JRPGs are some of the best video games I've ever played, they're full of great tactical turn-based combat, interesting dungeons, shadow worlds and slice of life as teenagers in modern Japan. But, most importantly, these games have TONS of great stuff to consider yoinking for your games!
Take home points:
Mechanizing social ranks between PCs and NPCs encourages them to search out certain types of scenes, interactions, and t...
2024-06-2519 minRene Plays GamesNOTORIOUS/OUTSIDERS | Episode 2: The Crystal Contract, Part IIWelcome back to the developing trilogy of the bot-human construct Nomad ISIL-8 in NOTORIOUS and OUTSIDERS by Jason Price, a.k.a. Always Checkers Publishing.
After wandering the frozen planet of Utov hunting for the whereabouts of a blueprint thief named Aura Day, a charming Pellucid, or crystalline species, member of the New Uprising, ISIL-8 was turned away and eventually outgunned by one of their potential leads. Luckily, they had saved a New Uprising mystic doctor - Ka Lirra - when they arrived on planet, and were brought in for treatment.
No...
2024-06-1853 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Jordan (Goosepoop Games) - Zines & Indie PublishingWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the TTRPG world and discuss a topic of their choice!
I met this episode's guest on the relatively new social media platform Threads, where the RPG community is still pretty small and interactive. Jordan is a Mainer and runs the small game company Goosepoop Games where he is focused on making silly, wholesome games. I knew I had to talk to them when I saw a recent game of theirs called Good Soup - a wholesome game where you play as...
2024-06-111h 09Rene Plays GamesNOTORIOUS/OUTSIDERS | Episode 1: ISIL-8 & The Crystal Contract, Part IA brand new beginning! For the first time since the podcast started I'm starting a brand new series, and I'm super excited to be playing "Trilogy Mode" combining NOTORIOUS and OUTSIDERS by Jason Price, a.k.a. Always Checkers Publishing. These games recreate the solo bounty hunter vibes of Star Wars (especially the Mandalorian), Cowboy Bebop, and westerns/space operas so well.
Also, Jason has a Kickstarter running for another week at the time of this episode publishing for Revolt!, a fantasy TTRPG of overthrowing a monarchy with card based mechanics for solo to 4 players, so check...
2024-06-041h 03Rene Plays GamesMining Media | Fallout TV SeriesWelcome to another Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences. In this episode we're talking about Amazon Prime's new video game to TV adaptation Fallout. Based on the hit video game franchise, season one takes some liberties with what's been established in the games but succeeds in making an enjoyable, pretty true to universe story that uses a lot of great techniques you can pull for your tabletop RPG campaigns.
The take home points are:
Give your characters "ghosts" (from YouTuber ALuckyMuse), which are people, events, and obligations from their p...
2024-05-2819 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 11 - The FinaleAs the sky island of Manao crumbles into pieces and plummets into the ocean below, Dyne and the crew of the Venture rush to warn the villagers of Isto Mavana of the coming disaster. Kyrody Dominion Admiral Magnus Cassidy calls for a parley with the leaders of the Resistance, but negotiations take a terrible turn, and the final battle of the Reaches begins...
To all the listeners who have made it this far (and who read the description), I am so honored you choose to spend your time listening to me play and weave these s...
2024-05-211h 27Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Sara (DMs After Dark) - Burnout, Creativity, & Taking BreaksWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the TTRPG world and discuss a topic of their choice!
This time I'm joined by another one of the OGs of Rene's nerdy life on the internet - Baby DM Sara from the DMs After Dark! If you're following this channel, you likely know that I've been playing games with these wonderful nerds for the last few years, and they're continuing to play games over on their Twitch every other Friday, I still edit their audio for podcasts and consider m...
2024-05-1454 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 10 - The Trial of the HeartDyne and the crew of the Venture confront the colossal skeletal creature in the heart of the sky island Manao, while dragging the injured Cynosure Society scientists to safety. Tamrin snags a sweet trophy. Maezyu finds a weak point in the Cynosure Society's complex sky iron contraption. Dyne realizes the terrible fate of Manao and the heavy truth of the Mystic Trials - the responsibility passed on to those who can wield such power. He reavows his dedication to protect the island of Isto Mavana and its inhabitants.
Having completed his trial, only one thing r...
2024-05-071h 01Rene Plays Games[Bonus] Dragon Dowser One-ShotIt's a 5th Tuesday, so here we are with another bonus episode! This time Rene sits down to play the one-player, card-based Dragon Dowser from Hatchling Games. It is a wonderful game where you take the role of a Dowser, someone who has dedicated themselves to saving dragon eggs from the clutches of the tyrannical Mecharchs, rulers who betrayed humanity's saviors for power and progress. It has wonderful environmentalist and conservation themes and uses Peach Garden Games' Carta SRD, which is intuitive and engaging!
Definitely check out more of Hatchling Games' releases like the sign-language t...
2024-04-3050 minRene Plays GamesMining Media | The Green Bone Saga by Fonda LeeWelcome to another Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences. In this episode we're talking about Fonda Lee's incredible gangster fantasy trilogy The Green Bone Saga. This series is one of *very* few (maybe the only?) that I've rated 5 stars down the line. It has enough magic and urban fantasy to feel wondrous, incredibly emotional character development, intense martial arts action scenes, harsh betrayals, drugs, sex, crime, corruption, generational trauma and expectations... I could go on and on forever - please read it and talk to me about it!
Anyway, the t...
2024-04-2318 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 9 - Down With The ShipAboard another Kyrody Warship, Dyne and Ephraim learn the truth about the Kyrody Dominion's presence out here in the Reaches. However, the truth comes with a twist, and Dyne's attempts to persuade the sailors to accept an alternative option lands on deaf ears. His failure comes at a heavy cost, and a friend is lost...
Maezyu convinces Dyne to finish what's been started - a win against the Kyrody would be celebrated by all they've broken in the wake of their brutal war campaign. Together, the crew of the Venture flies to the cursed sky i...
2024-04-1649 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Adam Kelly (The STF Network) - GMing for the Long HaulWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the TTRPG world and discuss a topic of their choice!
This time I'm joined by a fellow podcaster and GM who I respect and listen to constantly - Adam Kelly of The STF Network! The Strange Table Fellows have a whole lot of shows and content for you to enjoy, but we talk about the massive 3 Adventure Path kitbash Adam and friends put together to form the story of the Apollo Protection Agency, as well as his other experiences in g...
2024-04-0959 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 8 - The Dominion DeceptionDyne and the crew of the Venture make moves to secure The Chimera before a storm comes in and score a warship for the Resistance, which they plan to use to attack another of the Kyrody fleet with unexpectedly. However, villagers from Isto Mavana have been tested for sorcerous potential and taken captive aboard the remaining two Kyrody ships - The Warden and the flagship Ironclad.
The Resistance attempts to take The Warden from Commander Gavin, but learn that they don't know the whole story about the Kyrody Dominion's presence in these waters...
...
2024-04-021h 05Rene Plays Games[Bonus] Mining Media | Baldur's Gate 3Has anyone heard of this obscure CRPG called Baldur's Gate 3? Apparently there have been 2 others, but let me tell you something... they're pretty neat for getting tabletop RPG ideas!
Happy April Fool's, ya nerds, and I'm super grateful you're all listening. Thanks, hope you chuckled, and if you do play Baldur's Gate 3 (you should), send me your favorite character builds!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
T...
2024-04-0102 minRene Plays Games[Bonus] The Substratum Protocol PreviewThe Substratum Protocol is a scientific initiative to explore and investigate an unnatural, cosmic portal that has appeared at the very center of the Earth's core. At the time of its arrival, a massive fracture split the planet and swallowed entire cities. The first scientists to attempt any form of data analysis from signals emitted by the portal struggled with their sanity afterwards. Using patented DSPT Mk II exo-suits, a team of scientists will descend into the Fracture and travel to the portal to close it before things get even worse...
This game is WILD! U...
2024-03-271h 52Rene Plays GamesMining Media | Delicious In DungeonWelcome to another Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences. In this episode we're talking about Delicious In Dungeon - a manga turned anime currently streaming on Netflix about a group of adventurers delving a massive dungeon and eating the monsters they encounter along the way!
This show is so obviously inspired by traditional TTRPGs from decades past, but does such an incredible job of environmental storytelling through meticulously designing each level of the titular Dungeon to portray a well thought out, functioning ecosystem. As a biologist/ecologist by day, this s...
2024-03-2621 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 7 - The Trial of the SeaDyne is dragged out to sea after swearing an iron vow on the sky iron shard in Vega's Cave. The flooding recesses and pulls all of Captain Vega's Kyrody sailors out to a watery grave, but Dyne finds himself on a dry circle of sea floor at the bottom of a maelstrom - a shipwreck graveyard... What awaits him for his Trial of the Sea?
Go check out the sample guidebook and back Sundered Isles on Kickstarter!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs Af...
2024-03-1949 minRene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Liz Greene - Geek TherapyWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the tabletop roleplaying game world and discuss a topic of their choice!
This time Rene is joined once again by Troy from the DMs After Dark to talk with Liz Greene, LMHC MFT TGM/DM GT, a licensed Geek Therapist who uses games and popular media in her sessions! We discuss games as a community, using characters as buffers to experiences, practicing social skills, and putting consequences into perspective, and more.
Please check out these amazing re...
2024-03-121h 11Rene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 6 - Escape from Vega's CaveDyne is taken prisoner by Captain Vega and brought to a secret sea cave the Kyrody sailor has been stockpiling equipment in, as well as where he is experimenting with sky iron. An escape is attempted, but this episode keeps riding the dice luck of the previous, and things just keep getting worse...
You can sign up to be notified when Sundered Isles goes live on Kickstarter and/or pre-order Starforged physical books or get it digital from Modiphius!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Th...
2024-03-0551 minRene Plays Games[Bonus] Leap Year REAP Year One-ShotMore bonus episodes because we get an extra day for the leap year, why not an extra episode?
In this episode I play REAP by Gila RPGs (aka Spencer Campbell) - a soulslike solo RPG and companion game to RUNE, where you take on the role of a Reaper - a necromancer wandering the realms of the dying world Obron, harvesting souls from the evil horrors that plague the denizens of their domains and helping the world find peace in its end.
The mechanics are super fun and easy to learn, bu...
2024-02-291h 17Rene Plays GamesMining Media | Sea of StarsWelcome to this month's Mining Media where I help you think about ideas from other forms of entertainment that can elevate your tabletop RPG experience. In this episode we're talking about Sabotage Studio's retro JRPG inspired Sea of Stars - a love letter to the 90s/early 2000s 16-bit JRPGs of my youth.
The game itself is a beautiful game with very evocative locations and, most importantly for this episode, interesting combat mechanics that I think would work to spice up your RPG's combats in very cool ways. The main takeaways from this episode are t...
2024-02-2722 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 5 - Trouble on Isto MavanaDyne & crew wait out the night on the island of Gamadar, afraid of being spotted by the Dominion sky ship that flew out to the Cynosure Society research station after Dyne's Trial of the Storm. The night does not go peacefully, and their delay in returning to Isto Mavana does not help their cause either - all villagers are being tested for sorcerous potential - and it only gets worse...
Pre-order Starforged physical books or get it digital from Modiphius!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Tw...
2024-02-2043 minRene Plays Games[Bonus] Call of Cthulhu | Mask of Desire Valentine's One-ShotNot every bonus episode has to be on a 5th Tuesday, holidays are good reason, too, right?
In this bonus one-shot, Rene ropes his wife Lynn into her first foray with Call of Cthulhu in a one-on-one scenario from the Does Love Forgive? collection.
Set in 1930s New York City amidst the bustling jazz scene, the scenario features a love triangle and questions just how far you'd go to achieve your goals. As Lynn's first dip into the system, it goes pretty off the rails in pretty fun ways!
...
2024-02-141h 46Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Matt Raso - Telling Hopeful Stories in Desperate SettingsWelcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the tabletop roleplaying game world and discuss a topic of their choice!
For this episode I was joined by artist, video game streamer, and long-time home party member of Rene's - Matt Raso. Matt is the graphic designer behind both the DMs After Dark and Rene Plays Games logos, and you can find his art on Instagram and game streams on Twitch. Matt is a big fan of the grimdark genre from Berserk! to Souls games, and really has a g...
2024-02-131h 00Rene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 4 - The Trial of the StormDyne unintentionally initiates his first Mystic Trial - the Trial of the Storm, and makes some mistakes (and a bit of a mess) before he gets a handle on his powers. However, he comes out the other side with a little more control and a lot more to do, both in his own journey to master his sorcery and the resistance against the Kyrody Dominion.
Pre-order Starforged physical books or get it digital from Modiphius!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark...
2024-02-061h 00Rene Plays Games[Bonus] One Last Quest Game Release!It's the 5th Tuesday of the month which means we're doing something special, and that means it's time to release One Last Quest, a one page RPG that allows you to bring back some of your favorite PCs of campaigns past and play them in their elderly retired years. However, a loose thread or problem arises that forces them to put down the shuffleboard and dust off the old heroics one more time.
Download at https://RenePlaysGames.itch.io/One-Last-Quest
It's a hack 'n' mash of the popular rules lite RPG La...
2024-01-301h 37Rene Plays GamesMining Media | The Faithful & The Fallen by John GwynneWelcome to the first episode of Mining Media, a short brainstorming style series that will come out every 3rd Tuesday of the month where I discuss a book, TV series, movie, video game, or any other kind of media I've been binging and think about what kind of inspiration and ideas you can take from it to use at your table and better your gaming experience.
This first episode dives into John Gwynne's The Faithful and the Fallen book series. It's generally low-fantasy and skirts the edges of grimdark, with plenty of battles, violence, and c...
2024-01-2320 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 3 - To The SkiesDyne, Laolo, and Ephraim return to Isto Mavana to seek medical attention for the puppet vine sprouting from Ephraim's arm. After an unfortunate surgery, the Resistance decides that the island explored by the crew of the Venture is the most promising, and they must return. This time, however, Dyne and friends are tasked with exploring the skyward half of the island floating above the oceans nearby, where more dangers await them than just flora and fauna.
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
2024-01-161h 03Rene Plays GamesPerspective Checks | Troy Bliss - Why We Play Our ”Type” & TropesWelcome to the inaugural episode of Perspective Checks, the new take on the DMs After Dark discussion show Modified Rolls!
In this series, I will be interviewing friends and folks from the hobby about something they like to think about when it comes to this wonderful world of tabletop RPGs, and what better way than to start with one of the first people to ever introduce me to the world of D&D, Troy Bliss!
You know Troy from the DMs After Dark, our Team Chaos wacky character loving ginger half of...
2024-01-0949 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 0 - Campaign CreationWelcome to the Sundered Isles, a setting expansion for the incredible Ironsworn: Starforged roleplaying game by Shawn Tomkin & Joshua Meehan.
In this series I'm going to be playing the (as yet) unreleased rules for the Sundered Isles setting, an age of sail take on Starforged with naval exploration, pirate themes, and general discovery built into the game. It was added on a stretch goal for the massively successful Starforged Kickstarter and is slated to be crowdfunded sometime in early 2024.
In episode 0 we talk about the basics of the system, Choose Our Tr...
2024-01-0244 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 2 - The Gamadar ExpeditionAfter the successful strike against one of the three Kyrodi battleships to procure medicine for the Eldarian Remnants on Isto Mavana, the crews decide it's time to find a new home for the resistance. Dyne takes his crew Laolo & Ephraim to the nearby island of Gamadar, half-torn into the sky a few leagues above during the Cataclysm. The expedition encounters some nasty local flora and one of the crew is in danger.
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
...
2024-01-0257 minRene Plays GamesIronsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 1 - The Resistance BeginsThe series begins in earnest! Dyne Aloma and his crew of the Venture are called upon to aid The Morien and Eldarian Resistances on the isle of Isto Mavana against the Kyrody Dominion arriving to claim the island after their victory in a generations long war... However, these islands far out in the Reaches will not fall easily, and the first punch in a long fight is thrown. All the while, Dyne looks for ways to visit the sky isle where his Mystic Trial awaits...
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | D...
2024-01-0257 min