- Episode 14: Relationships in Play feat. Avery Alder
In this relatable episode, we’re joined by special guest Avery Alder - creator of Monsterhearts, Dream Askew, and The Quiet Year - to talk about relationship mechanics.
How does your game change when you model relationships as variable stats, states of being, currencies, cycles, roles, or power dynamics?
How do you provide mechanical handles for specific types of relationships, while allowing them to be messy and emergent? What happens when two characters have wildly different interpretations of their mutual relationship? Where do relationships even exist, in terms of the physical sheet or game component that bears them?
Avery sees the kids for the trees. Violet hassles her vassals. Freya sticks to the classics. Avery seizes the means of narration. Violet doctors the narrative. Freya draws her friends close.
*** Check out Avery’s Stuff! ***
https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/
*** Check out JourneyMon! ***
https://ilgingell.itch.io/journeymon
*** Check out Freya’s Blue Skies Sabbatical, Volume 1! ***
https://severalseals.itch.io/drake-barcode-morse-inspector
https://severalseals.itch.io/foleynauts
*** Timestamps ***
No mailbag this time!
Intro to topic [*1] - 0:15:16
Why mechanise relationships? - 0:20:37
Design questions - 0:31:00
History - 0:53:47
Three angles on the Taxonomicon - 1:01:30
Rivalries - 1:07:51
Digression about Shock and conceptual poles - 1:13:45
Authority hierarchies - 1:21:46
Peer relationships - 1:30:49
Relationships as a resource - 1:39:00
Parasocial relationships - 1:45:16
Odds and ends and anecdotes - 1:53:17
Difficult relationships (and more Monsterhearts) - 2:02:16
Design Dreams - 2:12:27
Wrapup - 2:27:45
*** Design Dreams ***
Freya: the League of Super Frenemies
Violet: Hand Inarticulate Hand
Avery: Love’s Letters Lost
Bonus: The Dream Ghost Conspiracy [*2]
*** Games discussed ***
Monsterhearts
Dream Askew / Dream Apart
The Quiet Year
JourneyMon
Underwhelming Acolytes of an Ageing Immortal [-]
D&D 3.5e
D&D 4e
AD&D
Good Society
The Deep Forest
Masks
Exalted Essence
Vampire: The Masquerade
Delta Green
Pendragon
Sagas of the Icelanders
Girl Frame
Hot Guys Making Out
Star Crossed
Interstitial
Riddle of Steel
Burning Wheel
Blades in the Dark
Reign
A Place To Fuck Each Other
Thirsty Sword Lesbians
Lady Blackbird
Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine
Dogs in the Vineyard
Apocalypse World
Masks
Dungeon World
Bluebeard’s Bride
World of Darkness (assorted)
Aberrant
Genius: the Transgression
Over The Moon
Tournament Arc
Transit
Shock
Lasers & Feelings
Avatar Legends
Flabbergasted
The Between
Pathfinder
Everyone Is John
Belonging Outside Belonging
Mad Alien With A Box
Golden Sky Stories
Blue Rose
The Serpent’s Tooth
Lost Kingdom (The many gm one streamer game)
Dialect
Going For Broke
Smallville
Last Fleet
Exalted (not Essence)
The Thunder Perfect Mind
Silver And White [-]
Microscope
Children of Time [-] [*3]
Seven-Part Pact [-]
Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast
Voidheart Symphony
Midnight Muscadines
*** Other media discussed ***
Earthborne Rangers
Steven Universe (obliquely)
The L Word
Animal Crossing
Homestuck (inevitably)
Kingdom Hearts
Beastieball
Pride & Prejudice
Jeeves & Wooster
Dr Who
The Order Of The Stick
Mage Knight
Gloomhaven
Battlestar Galactica [*4]
Final Fantasy XIV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer [*5]
Dispatch
Persuasion
Portal 2
Philosophers in Space
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
A Close And Common Orbit
Shogun (the board game, not the show)
The World Ends With You: NEO
*** Notes & Links ***
[*1] …and apparently a local dog immediately goes wild in the background of Freya’s audio, sorry! It doesn’t last forever.
[*2] if you know of a game that already implements Dream Ghost Conspiracy’s mechanics, tell us about it! It saves us having to write it ourselves.
[*3] Predictably, the Children of Time crowdfunder ended some time before we finished editing this episode.
[*4] the board game, but also the licensed RPG I guess!
[*5] all this Monsterhearts talk and it took us two hours to mention Buffy. Spoilers at ~2:12:00!
[-] games with this tag are unpublished (not yet released) or un-published (un-released).
It is a fact universally acknowledged that when you make a joke and say “that was rubbish, you can edit it out,” that makes it funny enough to leave in.
According to the dictionary wot I done red, a pastiche does not have to also be parody. The term, delightfully, is derived from a name of a pie with a melange of many ingredients.
Sorry, Francis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_History_and_the_Last_Man
*** Contact us! ***
Thank you to everyone who has emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
*** Additional Credits ***
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
System Shop is made by humans. We do not use generative AI at any stage of our process, from research to editing.
E14 - 2h 33m - Sep 4, 2026 - Bonus Episode: Ennies Exploration 2026
Hello, systemic shoppers! This is (hopefully) part one of a 2-part bonus about the nominations for the 2026 Ennies: the annual public-vote awards for TTRPGs.
We realised that the games tended to fall into either “I own and have played this” or “I haven’t even heard of this”.
Now, we’re not going to talk at length about impressions of games we haven’t played, because judging a book by its cover is only appropriate for the games nominated for Best Cover Art.
But we are going to each pick one game, give it a spin in the near future, then reconvene with part 2 to talk about our experiences.
******
Voting will have closed by the time this episode goes up (it’s only open for like a week!) but the list of categories and nominees is on their website:
https://ennie-awards.com/2026-nominees/
******
The Girl Frame review Freya references is by Caelyn Ellis of Rascal News: https://www.rascal.news/girl-frame-confidently-stomps-its-way-into-a-niche-mecha-genre/
******
We also had a discussion about Deadline: A Clockwork Press that was definitely comedy gold, but (ironically enough) didn't make the cut because we’d decided to end the recording immediately before it. Whoops!
21m - Jul 31, 2026 - Episode 13: Vehicles
Vrrrroom! (Sorry, I had to). In this all-hands-on-deck episode, we’re talking about vehicular play and the scale shifts it introduces as it opens new horizons.
What happens when you bring a knife to a tank fight - and how do you avoid trivialising the whole game when you’re the one in the tank? How do you set stakes when everyone might go down with the ship? And when does hyper-specialisation for crew roles actually cripple your cooperation?
Violet puts the cart before the oars. Freya mounts her soapbox. Violet rigs the game. Freya floats a flotilla.
*** Timestamps ***
Mailbag - 0:09:02
Topic intro & design questions - 0:17:34
History - 0:49:20
Comparing Wildsea experiences - 0:55:59
Taxonomicon - 1:03:13
Freya admits her serial salvage surplus & shipmate shortage - 1:41:59 to 1:52:05
Design Dreams - 1:53:23
Freya’s insectile aspiration announcement - 2:12:01
Wrapup (and oops, more bugs) - 2:12:54
*** Design Dreams ***
Violet - Record of a Spaceborn Fugitive
Freya - Disney Pixar’s Cars: The Driver’s Licensed TTRPG
Violet - Wormhole Long Haul
Freya - Transform and Role Out
*** Games discussed ***
Tool Team[*1]
Bestial Princess Disease: A Torture Chamber[*1] (can be seen here: https://files.catbox.moe/5mb50b.webp)
Several collage contributors
Drake Barcode: Morse Inspector [*1]
Shadowrun (2e, specifically)
Pathfinder
Lancer
D&D 5e
Scherzando! [*2]
Break!!
Sword World
Pico
Classified
Rifts
Traveller
Mothership
OD&D
D&D 3.5e
Star Trek Adventures
Wildsea
Last Caravan
Ribbon Drive
Car Wars
GURPS
Heavy Gear
Apocalypse World
Scum and Villainy
Blades in the Dark
Edge of the Empire / Genesys
Fate
Homeworld [*3]
Mothership: Gradient Descent
Transit
Horse Girl
My Girlfriend Has Turned Into A Car (And We’re Escaping This City)
Savage Worlds
Cypher
The Magnus Archives RPG [*4]
Electric Bastionland
Mythic Bastionland
Intergalactic Bastionland
Wanderhome
Stars Without Number
Eberron
Ion Heart
Last Fleet
Songs for the Dusk
Pasión de las Pasiones
Honey Heist
Good Society
*** Other media discussed ***
Affinity Publisher (does that count as media??)
Magic: the Gathering
Camel Up, Heat, Thunder Road, and Magical Athlete
The works of Adrian Tchaikovsky (as usual)
Shadowrun series (Harebrained Schemes)
Fuga: Melodies of Steel
Slay the Spire
Captain Sonar
Star Trek (Voyager & DS9 specifically)
Sunless Sea
Rogue Trader
Get in the Car, Loser!
Subnautica
Star Wars: Galactic Racer
X-Wing
Radio On (1979, dir. Christopher Petit)
One Piece Live Action Season 2
Pacific Drive
Magic Mike XXL (and other roadtrip movies)
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Shut Up & Sit Down
Gaslands
Akira
Hot Fuzz
Bug Fables
The Wandering Village
Dunecrawl
Star Trek: Armada
XCOM
Moby Dick
Railsea
Embassytown
Record of a Spaceborn Few
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters
Battlestar Galactica
Disney Pixar’s Cars
Rocket League
Iron Lung
Shards of Earth (The Final Architecture)
Transformers
Thunderbirds
Nowhere (1997)
Cowboy Bebop
Shadows of the Apt
*** Notes & Links ***
[*1] if you haven’t heard of these games, that’s because they’re ours and some of them aren’t released yet.
[*2] now with canon-compliant exclamation mark.
[*3] which is indeed published by Modiphius.
[*4] the Magnus Archives RPG is indeed based on the Cypher system.
Some research thanks to my local tank museum (and also, totally normal people on the internet) suggests that modern tanks have dedicated commanders among a crew of 4, and WW1 tanks had crews of 8 or more because they were huge and horrible and required a lot of manual labour. My tolerance for military history forums hit its limit at that point so I refuse to research WW2.
American Psycho (Wet) - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eY9ccvv7Nlg
Living spaces in space, from Cowboy Bebop - https://www.tumblr.com/bluedelliquanti/123202722454/one-of-my-favorite-things-about-rewatching-cowboy
Random bug generator - https://perchance.org/bug-species
My chair is unusually creaky in this one, so keen ears will probably pick it up occasionally. Sorry about that!
*** Contact us! ***
Thank you to everyone who has emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
*** Additional Credits ***
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
E13 - 2h 18m - Jul 27, 2026 - Bonus Episode: Violet's Conpulsion Con-trived Title
In this bonus episode, Violet discusses the games she ran and played at Con-Pulsion 2026…. Which she in-con-veniently forgets to name during the recording. Whoops!
***** Timestamps *****
Panels & speakers - 02:55
Unravel - 06:01
Unravel… again! - 13:57
Spoilers for the Unravel quickstart scenario - 15:39 to 16:53
More mechanical discussion of Unravel - 17:39
Freya’s extremely subjective opinions about Earthborne Rangers - 21:40
The Thunder Perfect Mind - 25:08
Dream Askew - 34:57
Reflection & Wrapup - 43:13
***** Games discussed *****
Unravel
Liminal Horror
Delta Green
Lasers & Feelings
CBR+PNK
Earthborne Rangers
The Thunder Perfect Mind[*1]
Vampire: The Masquerade
Daggerheart
Dream Askew
PbtA
Wanderhome
Mad Alien With A Box
Gloomhaven
***** Other media discussed *****
Black Wave, by Michelle Tea
Cross stitch (like, the actual textiles hobby)
Elder Scrolls 3 : Morrowind
Arkham Horror (the card game)
Arkham Horror (the board game)
Elder Sign (the other Arkham Horror board game)
Orphan Black
Trios
***** Notes & Links *****
Unravel quickstart: https://studio-mothmen.itch.io/unravel-the-work-is-in-good-hands
Discord link: https://discord.gg/cMP257y8
[*1] the game by Tanya Floaker, not the 2,000 year old poem
Freya will be wandering the halls of UK Games Expo in May, wearing her white JourneyMon t-shirts as usual. (In related news - the digital edition of JourneyMon has now released to kickstarter backers! Exciting!).
48m - May 8, 2026 - Episode 12: What is a Roleplaying Game?
In this foolish episode, we…. Wait, what is it we do here again? I… I can’t remember… we’ve got a long road ahead of us if we’re going to make sense of all this.
(Seriously. It turns out we can’t even begin to answer this question without talking about the nature of storytelling, improv, kayfabe, the role of GM, the purpose of rules, being instructed to *break* those rules, what it means to “play”, the promises made when a game describes itself… this was meant to be a silly joke episode, dangit!)
Freya turns her lovers into fighters. Violet collates a collaborative coventure. Freya is drawn to a new role. Violet explores the past pre-tense. Freya breaks free of her bindings. Violet imagines a world without imagination.
*** Timestamps ***
What’s new - 02:56
Mailbag - 11:07
Intro to the topic - 18:30
History - 25:12
Taxonomicon - 40:16
Actual start of the taxonomicon - 41:06
Just kidding, it’s a discussion of the spectrum between ‘board game’ and ‘improv theatre’ - 41:07
Could this be the taxo- oh, no, now we’re talking about the nature of rules - 46:32
Listen, I think we’re just not going to have a normal taxonomicon in this one - ?:??:!?
Wait! A list of games in quick succession! This must be it! - 53:20
Discussion about Wanderhome and Kishotenketsu and game Promises and- are we sure we actually know what this podcast is about at all? - 01:05:36
Who’s Game is it anyway? (Discussion on the nature of GMs) - 01:21:08
The Counterexampliad, whatever that means - 01:27:25
Exclusive unlocked patreon content preview [*1]: international paper size deep dive - 01:31:51 to 01:33:17
Design Dreams - 01:56:58
We made it! - 02:12:59
*** Design Dreams ***
Two Truths And A Lie-Fall
Parasocial Investigations
Diararchaeology
Redaction RPG
PBTA Chaos Draft
Co-Op Adventure QWOP
RPG: Rebus-Picto-Glyphs
*** Games discussed ***
D&D 3.5e
Heavy Gear
D&D 1e
Pathfinder 1e
Eat the Reich
Unravel
Stories from the Grave
Wildsea
Eberron
GoGo Golf
Kagematsu
Triangle Agency
Hyborea
Coventry [*2]
Tunnels & Trolls
Pasión de las Pasiones
In Nomine Satanis / Magna Veritas
Vampire: the Masquerade
Apocalypse World
Dogs in the Vineyard
World Wide Wrestling
Monsterhearts
A Song Of Ice And Fire RPG
Genesys
Fellowship
Masks
Do: Fate of the Flying Temple
Avatar Legends
Yazeba’s Bed And Breakfast
Troika
Mausritter
Golden Sky Stories
Savage Worlds
Wanderhome
Journeymon
Alas for the Awful Sea
Transit
Lancer
Chuubo’s Marvellous Wish-Granting Engine
Slugblaster
Interstitial
Pitcrawler
Triangle Agency
Mothership
Cypher
RuneQuest II
Monster of the Week
Brindlewood Bay
Scherzando
Lost Kingdom
Belonging Outside Belonging
Colostle
For Small Creatures Such As We
Wreck This Deck
Hot Damn Deadly Alien Overlord Au Pair [*3]
Tacklebox
For The Queen
Our Queen Crumbles
The Tragedy of GJ237B
Paranoia
Toon
Microscope
I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
Acts Of Evil [*4]
“Messed Up Little Guy” [*5]
Goblin Country
Dream Askew
Band of Blades
Ars Magica
Everyone Is John
Star Trek Adventures
This Discord Has Ghosts In It
Goblonia
Everything Is Tables
Your Body A Landscape
Spire
De Profundis
Apothecaria
*** Other media discussed ***
Mass Effect
The Twilight Zone (and its ilk)
Majora’s Mask
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
The Elusive Shift
Kriegsspiel [6]
The Lord of the Rings
Battleship
Mastermind
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Star Wars: Empire At War
FTL
Nier
Final Fantasy XIV
Fighting Fantasy
Grapefruit (Yoko Ono)
Foundation
Unwritten Earths Symposium
October: Ten Days That Shook The World
Spyfall
Pacific Rim
Dicey Dungeons
City of the Six Moons
Wildermyth
Penny Arcade
*** Notes ***
[*1] This is a joke, we don’t have a patreon and if we did we’d serve you something better than this gag, probably.
[*2] As you’ll discover when listening, this and several other entries on this list are debatably proto-RPGs. I’m giving them the honour of not being relegated to the ‘other media’ zone…
[*3] Once again - I’m sorry, world.
[*4] The author’s name is Paul Czege.
[*5] By Grant Howitt. This is a paraphrasing of the game’s name, but delightfully, you will find it if you google this.
[*6] Unlike Coventry, this one definitely goes on the ‘other’ list. Because it definitely is a wargame. It’s in the name.
*** Links ***
The term “ashcan edition” derives from quick, low-quality mockups used in the comics industry to quickly establish trademarks, and not intended to be read: something you’d take one look at, then thrown in the (tr)ashcan. In publishing, the term has shifted to mean early promotional materials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashcan_comic
Ironically, if you haven’t seen this xkcd, we may have overestimated your familiarity. https://xkcd.com/2501/
“Fafhrd”, of “Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser”, probably isn’t pronounced the way Violet valiantly attempted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fafhrd_and_the_Gray_Mouser
Violet quotes from The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia, by ludologist Bernard Suits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusory_attitude
Freya only references webcomics if they’re at least 17 years old. https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/03/20/in-search-of-a-robust-cosmology
*** Contact us! ***
Thank you to everyone who has emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
*** Additional Credits ***
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
E12 - 2h 16m - Apr 1, 2026 - Bonus Episode: Freya's Contingency Con-Return
In this tradition-setting bonus episode, Freya debriefs about the mechanics and tabletop experiences of seven games she played, two she ran, and one she designed (!) at Contingency 2026, the UK’s premier seasonally skewed seaside TTRPG convention.
As always, a massive thank you to all the GMs and players who make this con a highlight of my year ~
Timestamps
Immediate digression about competitive tabletop games - 0:07:04
The Code of Steam and Steel - 0:13:35
Tournament Arc - 0:22:42
Guest appearance from my cat - 0:29:53
Nibiru - 0:33:42
Inhuman Game Jam - 0:38:51
Phoenix: Dawn Command - 0:49:28
Goblonia - 0:57:26
Digression about games for actual toddlers - 1:05:20
Demigods - 1:08:55
Slugblaster* - 1:12:49
Rivers of London - 1:14:42
Break!! - 1:27:14
Con Haul - 1:35:10
Digression about settings where you’re just a lil guy - 1:38:32
Wrap up & what we’d like to play again - 1:42:48
Games discussed
Wildsea
Cosmere RPG
Shadowdark
Black Code
Black Rune
The Code of the Space Lanes (briefly)
The Comics Code
Belonging Outside Belonging
JourneyMon
Interstitial
The We-ness
Warhammer (briefly)
Wanderhome
Vampire: The Masquerade
Spire
The Sprawl
The PBTA genre in genre-al
Call of Cthulhu
D&D
Pathfinder
Delta Green
The One Ring
Die
Avatar Legends**
Cypher System (2019 edition)
Magnus Archives RPG (briefly)
Genesys
Mouse Guard
Mausritter
Mythic Bastionland
Other media discussed
Warhammer
Magic: the Gathering
Battletech
(Is Tarot “media”? Hmm.)
Megaman: Battle Network
Yu-Gi-Oh
Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged
The works of Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Mind
The concept of the mechsploitation genre
Leverage
That children’s memory game where you flip and match pairs of cards
Baby youtuber thumbnails
Various other infant toys, sorry, we got stuck on A Thing
Rivers of London (the novels themselves)
Inscription
Iron Lung (briefly)
Waters of Leith***
Battlecon: War of Indines
Millennium Blades (briefly)
Hollow Knight
Roadside Picnic****
STALKER
Notes & Links
* You may have noticed this section is short. There’s not much to say about Slugblaster! It’s good. More verbose and video-oriented reviewers have talked much about it already.
** Mild spoiler warning in the final few minutes for some of the season premises (and a canon ship, ha) of Legend of Korra.
*** I have now *finished* listening to Waters of Leith. It’s a fun and competent production… but despite the GM’s stated intentions, it doesn’t really engage with the anticolonialist antagonist in an interesting or nuanced way. Which is not great, considering it’s set in (a version of) the real world and names real locations, peoples, and cultural artifacts.
**** Spoiler warning for a seminal 1970s sci fi story.
Wolfram Alpha reports that the probability of at least one 4 on 4d4 is a bit over 2/3rds. https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=probability+of+at+least+one+4+on+4d4
“Nibiru” is an Akkadian term for “point of transition”. Nice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_(Babylonian_astronomy)
Games For Crabs is running July 18th - 19th, 2026, in Sheffield (UK). https://gamesforcrabs.co.uk/
Toast Tea in Edinburgh is indeed a good café, and they are not - unfortunately - paying us.
Violet will be at Conpulsion in April - https://conpulsion.org/
1h 46m - Mar 4, 2026 - Episode 11: Hunger feat. Roz Leahy
In this ravenous episode, Violet is joined by returning guest Roz Leahy as we* talk about hunger mechanics. Don’t get confused with cozy campfire cooking: we’re discussing the tension and drama of *not* getting the sustenance you need. Everyone’s gotta eat in real life, but what does it mean for our storytelling?
How do you make ingestion interesting? Should there be benefits to “staying hungry”? Does it matter whether your tummy is half full or half empty? Are toothless hunger mechanics worse than none at all?
And most importantly, why does mechanised hunger work great for vampires, but not so well for hunters, a grab bag of “beasts”, and *checks notes* mummies?
Violet’s calamari hooks her on a white whale. Roz struggles to retain retainers. Violet snacks on a hunger bar. Roz hungers for punishment. Violet rates rational numbers. Roz has one square meal.
Timestamps
What’s new? - 0:01:18
Intro to the topic - 0:11:16
Content warning (eating disorders) - 0:29:41 to 0:30:49
History - 0:34:37
Deep dive on Vampire: the Masquerade et al - 0:51:27 to 1:04:59
Taxonomicon** - 1:07:47
Strong opinions about “usage dice”*** - 1:46:54 to 1:53:13
Content warning (eating disorders) - 1:55:25 to 1:56:25
Design Dreams - 1:56:36
Wrapup - 2:09:44
Design Dreams
Violet - Expeditions & Anticipations
Roz - Truly Miserable Hunger: Trench Foot Edition
Violet - Hungry Hungry Homunculi
Games discussed
Carved in Stone
Leathers
OD&D
Bluebeard's Bride
Heart
Castle Ravenloft/Curse of Strahd
Vampire the Masquerade (in particular, 5th edition)
Mothership
Black Hack
Wilderfeast
Delving Deeper
Basic Fantasy
OSE
Hyperborea
Chivalry and Sorcery
Traveler
AD&D, specifically Wilderness Survival Guide, and Dark Sun
The Morrow Project
Aftermath!
GURPS
Rifts (briefly)
Werewolf the Forsaken
Mage the Awakening and Exalted (briefly)
Hunter: the Vigil
D&D 3.5, 5e
Beast: the Primordial
Vampire: the Requiem, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Hunter: the Reckoning, Changeling: the Lost (briefly)
Mummy: the Curse
Monsterhearts
Masks
Apocalypse World
Torchbearer
Ryuutama: Book of Gastronomy
Golden Sky Stories
Lamentations of the Flame Princess
His Majesty the Worm
Errant
Knave (Briefly)
Mausritter
Daggerheart (Beast Feast)
Yes, Chef
Bakto's Terrifying Cuisine
Algophilia
Nechronica (Briefly)
Spire
Swyvers
Other media discussed
Articles by Jay Dragon (see links below)
Resident Evil & Stardew Valley (in the same breath!)
It Has Come To Pass (painting by Sergei Lukin, 1958)
Delicious in Dungeon / Dungeon Meshi
Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit
Outdoor Survival
Chainmail (briefly)
The Complete Guide To Role-Playing Games (Rick Swan, 1990)
Article by Merritt K (see links below)
The Score (Thi Ngyuyen)
Radical Uncertainty (John Kay & Mervyn King)
Battle Chef Brigade
Consume Me
Fear and Hunger
Notes & links
* Well, not me, Freya. I’m writing the shownotes, but I wasn’t in this one!
** …which does, as it happens, start with two more World (well, Chronicle) of Darkness games!
*** We don’t strictly define “usage dice” in this section, though! Basically, instead of tracking item quantity / durability on a numerical scale, you roll a die of a certain size when you use it, and something bad (such as the die shrinking next time) happens if you roll badly. As Violet remarked when I was writing this comment, we *did* talk about usage dice way back in episode 1, so, long time fans will surely remember ;-)
The official-ish website for ZiMo - Zine Month - doesn’t actually commit to when exactly Zine Month might happen, other than to clarify that it’s distinct from the two other things also called “Zine Month”. So, keep an eye out and solve their riddles three if you want to participate next year! https://iwanttoplay.games/zinemonth
Jay Dragon articles:
https://possumcreek.medium.com/a-dozen-fragments-on-playground-theory-684104bcb4ab
https://possumcreek.medium.com/the-game-left-unplayed-60062beadded
https://possumcreek.medium.com/rules-are-a-cage-and-im-a-puppygirl-69e8d569b2b6
The rather endearing life level index chart from Outdoor Survival:
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/254292/outdoor-survival
The Merritt K article no longer seems to be available, or at least neither of us could find it - sorry!
“Sekhem” appears to be etymologically related to words for “power” and “form”, with connotations along the same lines as mana / chi / your life force of choice. Googling it in 2026 provides a long list of new-age healing businesses…. Followed by the White Wolf wiki. Disclaimer: I am not an egyptologist.
Content warnings
Given the subject of this episode, we discuss:
- Eating disorders
- The biology and physiology of starvation
Notable instances are logged in the timestamp section.
Contact us!
Thank you to everyone who has emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
Additional Credits
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
E11 - 2h 13m - Feb 22, 2026 - Episode 10: Monster Taming feat. Imogen Gingell
In this genre-defining episode, Violet and Freya are joined by fiancée of the show Imogen Gingell to talk about bringing a beloved videogame genre to the tabletop. How can you faithfully capture the themes while adapting mechanics to a new medium? How do you make each little guy mechanically unique and full of personality, without losing track of your travelling zoo? We explore how different games answer these questions - including, of course, Imogen’s upcoming JourneyMon, on Kickstarter right now!
Freya builds buzz for her broadcasting bees-ness. Violet dabbles with disobedience. Imogen reflects on symmetry. Freya draws a circle, then a blank. Violet bundles babies in her backpack. Imogen opens a box of dogs.
Check out JourneyMon on Kickstarter now!
Funded in seven hours, and (at time of press) well on the way to our second stretch goal! Campaign ends on Thursday, November 27th 2025.
Timestamps
What’s new? - 0:03:25
Tabletop Scotland - 0:11:03
Mailbag - 0:15:36
Intro to the topic - 0:23:37
Mechanics & design questions - 0:33:27
History - 0:56:44
Digression about 00’s homebrew forums - 1:08:21
Taxonomicon - 1:13:55
Design Dreams - 1:55:59
Wrap up - 2:13:02
Design Dreams
Violet - PokémOSR, Squires & Spirits
Freya - Isekai Ecologists, Everyone Is Mon
Imi - JourneyMon!
Games Discussed
Eberron
Cosmere RPG
Journeymon
Mythic Bastionland
Monsterhearts
Stonewalkers (Cosmere adventure path)
Escape From Riedra (Eberron adventure path)
Fall of Magic
City of Winter
Delve
Microscope
Armour Astir
Masks
Daggerheart
Apocalypse World
D&D
OSR (in general)
Runequest
Shin Megami Tensei TTRPG
Big Eyes, Small Mouth
Cute And Fuzzy Cockfighting Seizure Monsters
Pokéthulhu
Pokemon Tabletop Adventures
Pokémon Tabletop United
Pokémon 5e
Pokéroll
Pokeymanz
Monsters Tail
Magimonsters
Animon Story
Monsters And Other Childish Things
Monster of the Week
Pocket Monster of the Week
Lancer
Everyone is John
Lasers & Feelings
Kids With Critters
How To Train Your Mutant Fire Dog
Genepals
Convocation Prime
Bones Deep
ForeverDex
Transit
Wilderfeast
Other media discussed
Arkham Horror (card game)
Game Soup
Escape This Podcast
Pokémon*
Final Fantasy
Digimon**
Dark Souls
Battletech (the tabletop wargame)
His Dark Materials
Megami Tensei
Dragon Quest
Critical Ditto
The Adventure Zone
Microsoft Excel
Battletech (the videogame (2018))***
Ben 10
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Pokemon: Too Many Types
What Beats Rock
World of Warcraft
Let’s Learn Everything
Decktamer
My Card Is Better Than Your Card
Encounters of the Spooky Kind
Cassette Beasts
Jade Empire
My Trainer is Dumb?!
Disco Elysium
Inside Out
Monster Hunter
Dungeon Meshi
Notes and links
* we make it 25 minutes before naming Pokemon…
** …and it took us 42 minutes to namedrop Digimon!
*** I got the year wrong, clearly I’m not a True Fan
ProZD’s Q&A about his home Pokemon TTRPG -https://youtu.be/pndtlIKl0Qw?t=272
One youtuber’s report from the front lines of Pokemon: Too Many Types - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjoLQvj7lAE
I couldn’t find the Chansey Death Stranding game again. I’m moderately confident that it wasn’t a fever dream.
Contact us!
At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
Additional credits
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
E10 - 2h 18m - Nov 17, 2025 - Episode 9: Mapmaking feat. Roz Leahy (Part 2)
In this conclusive episode, we round off our discussion of mapmaking. How can random map generation both add and remove meaning in a world? Is verisimilitude in tension with playability? Do spaces need to generate conflicts?
Violet re-orients her priorities. Freya turns on the worm. Roz breaks the annual silence.
Violet goes loopy. Freya goes flat-out. Roz throws shade on the dark.
Violet’s ideal excludes idylls. Freya enjoys a beach episode. Roz edinburrows through Edinborough.
We will be at Tabletop Scotland!
In Edinburgh *this weekend* (5th - 7th September).
Say hi if you spot us! Freya says if you spot her in her white JourneyMon t-shirt and enthuse about your favourite companion monster, she’ll give you a bag of monster munch.
Check out Roz’s stuff
Roz’s portfolio can be found here - https://rozleahy.carrd.co/
Her Philip K Dick podcast, Chicks with Dick, can be found in your preferred podcasting place.
Timestamps
Map-related news - 01:03
The ever-popular taxonomicon - 13:38
…including but not exclusively extended discussions of…
The Quiet Year - 17:20
Seas of Sand - 44:37
Wanderhome - 1:03:38
Mappa Mundi - 1:10:21
Spotlighting some games that we found through a keyword search on itch.io - 1:19:27
Design Dreams - 1:38:00
Surprise! Actually it’s a discussion about real world architecture - 1:38:01
Okay, now Design Dreams - 1:43:41
Wrapup - 2:10:11
Design Dreams
Violet: Spiral School, Blobworld, Urchins Under Adventurefication, Border Loopers, Gold Rush God Game
Freya: Isekai Leyline Wizards, Turns & Tides
Games discussed
Keep on the Borderlands (“very slight spoiler” warning around the 1 hour mark)
On Mighty Thews
Swords Without Master
In A Wicked Age
Beyond the Wall - Further Afield
Microscope
The Quiet Year
I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
Your Cool City Needs A Food Supply
Delve
Dawn of Worlds
Bottled Sea
Undying Sands
Umbra
Rise
Mothership
The Vast in the Dark
Seas of Sand
Dark Sun
Mausritter
D&D (took us a while to mention it this time!)
Wanderhome
Journeymon (took us a while to mention this, too!)
Ryuutama
Under Hill, By Water
Mappa Mundi
Heart
Bad Maps
World In Your Hand
Sock Puppets
A Show of Hands
Your Body a Landscape
Walking to France
Wisher, Theurge, Fatalist
My Bad Galaxy
Into The Odd
Delta Green
DOGS (which may or may not be in the Vineyard)
Cosmere RPG
Other media discussed
Pseudoregalia
Majora’s Mask (specifically the 3DS remake)
Blue Prince
Harvest (2024)
Conan the Barbarian
Lord of the Rings
The Domesday Book
Seeing Like a State
Invisible Cities (Violet tried not to talk about it, but successfully failed)
Hello Future Me
Victoria 3
Small World (board game)
Carcassonne
Civilization: New Dawn
Dwarf Fortress
Flatland
Planet Zoo
Dark Souls
Citizen Sleeper
Tress of the Emerald Sea
Magic: The Gathering
Diablo
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Skyrim
The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis
Talisman
Captain Sonar
Zelda (in general)
Bloodborne
Hobbit Tales From The Green Dragon Inn
Hand of Fate
Advance Wars
Delicious in Dungeon
Lil’ Guardsman
Hundreds of Beavers
Too Many Cooks (cw: surprise horror)
Late Shift (2025)
Inis
Notes and links
The National Underground Asset Register appears to require an account to access its beta form - https://portal.nuar.uk/
Restrictions breed creativity in the WTF game jam - https://itch.io/jam/wtfjam2025/entries
Watabou’s generators on itch are just one of the many map-making tools out there - https://watabou.itch.io/
If you find the post about the guy getting stuck in the backstage of a hotel, send it to Roz because she can’t find it and it’s driving her crazy.
Isekai is a truly prolific genre of anime and manga about protagonists who get magically transported to other worlds. But you knew that, you weeb ;-)
Contact us!
At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
Additional credits
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
E9 - 2h 15m - Sep 2, 2025 - Episode 8: Mapmaking feat. Roz Leahy (Part 1)
In this trailblazing episode, we have our first ever guest and our first ever two-parter! We’re joined by Roz Leahy, game designer and editor, to talk all about maps. Who makes the map, and when? How is the act of mapmaking at the table reflected within the fiction? And when can a “bad” map be better than a “good” one?
Freya invents Bawdy&D. Roz lays her cartography on the table. Violet joins the little leagues. Freya is inclined to descend. Roz delivers a north-winded explanation. Violet goes dotty. And most importantly, everyone enthuses about local history. There’s no pun there, we just think it’s neat.
Check out our various things!
The kickstarter prelaunch page for Journeymon, the monster-training RPG written mostly by Freya’s award-winning fiancée but also partially by her, is waiting for you at https://journeymonrpg.com/ . There’s also a free quickstart adventure. Check it out!
Roz’s portfolio can be found here - https://rozleahy.carrd.co/ . Her Philip K Dick podcast, Chicks with Dick, can be found in your preferred podcasting place.
Timestamps
What’s new - 3:05
Mailbag - 11:46
Intro to topic - 15:05
Design Qs - 22:00
History - 58:50
Wrapup - 1:18:55
TTRPGs (and a lot of specific modules this time!)
Border Riding
Keep on the Borderlands
Journeymon
Going for Broke
Masks
Dungeons & Dragons: Men & Magic booklet
Cosmere RPG
Stars Without Number
Mothership
Mausritter
Mörk Borg
Planescape
Dawn of Worlds
Hyperborea
Hyboria (not to be confused!)
Descent into the Depths of the Earth
West Marches
Dungeon Geomorphs
Traveller
Microscope
The Quiet Year
Dark Forest
I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
Songs for the Dusk
Other media things discussed
The Carry On film series, for some reason
Kill James Bond
Original Podcast Do Not Steal
Escape This Podcast
City of Six Moons
Chicks with Dick
Pathologic
A prospective map of unified Germany from 1848
Shadow & Bone (season 2)
Game of Thrones
Babylon 5
Sword of the Stars
Stellaris
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Captain Sonar
Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space
Outdoor Survival
Chainmail
Guild Wars 2
Elden Ring
Big Walk
Ratatouille
Fallout 3
Assassin’s Creed
Notes and links
The virtual escape room “Break this Game” praised in Freya’s intro can be found here - https://mattj375.itch.io/vr-game-escape-room
“On Exactitude in Science”, by Jorge Luis Borges, happens to only be one paragraph long, and you can read the text in translation here - https://neilgreenberg.com/ao-quote-borges-on-exactitude-in-science/
The National Library of Scotland’s archive of maps is available here - https://maps.nls.uk/
Mystic Arts’ Video on 3-mile hexes is on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEIg1DlRkLg
More information about the singular phenomenon that is Hyboria can be found here - https://snv-ttm.blogspot.com/p/tony-baths-hyboria.html
Contact us!
At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
Additional credits
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
S1E8 - 1h 19m - Aug 4, 2025 - Episode 7: Pre-Generated Characters
In this tailor-made episode, we discuss the advantages and challenges of using and writing pre-generated character sheets. Is there a sweet spot of player choice? And what are the risks of telling players exactly who they are and how they should feel?
Freya watches for waspmen. Violet horseshoes around. Freya posits a post-it plan. Violet digs up a classic Indie game.
As a bonus, we also have a themed mini-debrief of the 2025 UK Games Expo. And that theme is? Themes.
As a double bonus, we introduce a new segment: “game ideas that it turns out somebody else has already done which is great because it means it already exists in the world”!
As a triple bonus, the Journeymon Kickstarter prelaunch page and free quickstart adventure went live while we were editing this episode! Check them out here - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ilgingell/journeymon-monster-trainer-roleplaying/
Timestamps
UGKE discussion - basically from the start
GITITOSEHADWIGBIMIAEITW - about 19:40
Mailbag - about 25:44
Intro & design Qs - about 30:53
History - 1:02:06
Taxonomicon - 1:11:45
Design Dreams - 1:40:00
Wrap up - 2:02:13
TTRPGs discussed
The Vanilla Game
Keep on the Borderlands
OSR in general
D&D (4e, 5e)
Psychodungeon
Voidheart Symphony
Subway Runners
iHunt
Call of Cthulhu
Changeling: the Lost
Tales of the Kytin Age *
Sagas of the Icelanders
For the Honor
Animon Story
Journeymon
Mappa Mundi
SPEEDRUN RPG
Pathfinder 1e
Biosphere Guardians 2050
Trickster’s Net
Rifts
Aberrant
Shadowrun
Savage Worlds
PbtA
Lady Blackbird
Monsterhearts
Dream Askew
World of Darkness (in general)
AD&D
The Adventures of Indiana Jones
Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast
Mistborn Adventure Game
The Exes of Casey Estrada
Last Day at Honkwarts
Genesys
Black Code
Pirate Borg
Edge of the Empire
Armour Astir
Stealing the Throne
Interstitial: Our Hearts Entwined
Mothership
Daggerheart
Other games and things discussed
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
Shadows of the Apt **
https://www.tumblr.com/haveyouplayedthisttrpg
Fullmetal Alchemist
Crescent Moon (board game)
Battlestar Galactica (board game)
The Commedia dell’arte
Lord of the Rings: the Third Age
“I Finished A Videogame”’s LotR adaptations retrospective ***
Escaflowne
Wheel of Time
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Dark Souls
Nier Automata
Root
https://www.youtube.com/@Hollandspiele
Original Podcast Do Not Steal ****
Notes
* as promised in the audio, the artist for this game is Yasen Stoilov https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:37fsd5g3kwmkmi5dvs2yxsgj
** yes, I must mention this every single episode
*** not merely four hours - it’s actually five. Enjoy. https://youtu.be/poMnJKLGYo0?si=ynx0cQu_43vamIZE
**** the bugworld guest episode is not yet up! They must have a mighty buffer. https://open.spotify.com/show/4a3x2GlQw0jsSk4vFTdpus
Violet’s oft-referenced LARP design handbook is “LARP Design: Creating Role-play Experiences”, available from the authors at https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/136330/978-952-03-2260-1.pdf
The Hungarian for “thank you” is “Köszönöm”.
Contact us!
At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
Additional credits
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
S1E7 - 2h 6m - Jun 30, 2025 - Episode 6: Multi-Attacks & Dual Wielding
In this all-out episode, we discuss dual wielding and various other kinds of multiplicative modes of attack. How can frequency-focused fighting styles make different characters feel different? And how can you balance attack and defense mechanics so that “just attack more” isn’t the only answer?
Violet trades a strike in the hand for two in the bush. Freya studies the studs. Violet decides Drizzt is a decent dude. Freya accidentally designs a videogame (again).
Timestamps
Mailbag - 8:29
Intro to the topic - 11:08
History - 26:23
Taxonomicon - 33:15
Design Dreams - 59:21
TTRPGs discussed
Band of Blades
Blades in the Dark
Exalted (various editions) & Exalted Essence
PbtA (in general)
D&D (various editions)
Lancer
Cosmere RPG
Empire of the Petal Throne
Runequest
Pathfinder
OSR (in general)
Dark Heresy
Old World of Darkness
Vampire: the (various things)
One Roll System (Reign, Monsters and Other Childish Things, etc)
Genesys
Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy
Tiles and Truenames*
Last Days at Honkwarts*
Other games and things discussed
Blue Prince
Gone Home
Animal Well
Link’s Crossbow Training
XCOM
Knights of the Old Republic 2
Battletech
Bushido
Knights of the Old Republic… 1!
Total War
Warhammer 40k
Dissidia: Final Fantasy
The concept of LARPing
Absolver
Combo Fighter
Yomi
Final Fantasy XIII
Signs of the Sojourner
Megaman: Battle Network
Cobalt Core
Paperback Adventures
Notes
*Dear listeners, allow us the brief indulgence of talking about our own games during the wrapup.
Some illustrated sources re the question of historic “studded leather armour”:
https://youtu.be/hmm_2GRa-o8?t=230
Pathfinder 2e does not use base attack bonus! It rolls the concept of weapon skill into its general tiered proficiency system, which applies the same rules to attacks, skills, saves, spellcasting, and probably several other things.
The referenced clown college gag on Tumblr is apparently from 2016 and the original poster has deactivated, but it lives on in our hearts and our reblog chains, e.g. https://sunbeamstarship.tumblr.com/post/656273434937016320/new-clown-in-town-juzavoices-im-in
Convention alert!
Freya will be at UK Games Expo in Birmingham on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June. She will be wearing a white Journeymon promo t-shirt on at least one and possibly both of those days. Say hi if you see her!
Contact us!
At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
Additional credits
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
S1E6 - 1h 19m - May 30, 2025 - Bonus Episode: Violet's Conpulsion Con-venture
In this unconventionally conventional episode, Violet talks about a recent event in Edinburgh.
Violet has to hand it to handouts. Freya learns about a Thing or two. Violet takes the wrong notes. Freya is unexpectedly out-gayed.
Thank you to everyone who emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
Timestamps
Start of Con Discussion: 3:07
Liminal Horror: 9:27
Delta Green: 21:22
Kaleidoscope: 26:41
The Family: 34:41
Games discussed
Liminal Horror
Delta Green
Kaleidoscope
The Family
Black Hack (and OSR in general)
Monsterhearts
Microscope
Belonging Outside Belonging / Dream Askew / Dream Apart / No Dice No Masters
Wanderhome
Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine
Mörk Borg
Avatar Legends
Masks
Games that aren't TTRPGs that we nonetheless discussed, sometimes at surprising length
Dead Rising
Battlestar Galactica (the board game)
Betrayal at the House on the Hill
Mario Party
Immortality (confirmed, this is on Netflix)
The Executive
Lost Odyssey
Notes & links
Itch page for the designer of the Family https://clevercrumbish.itch.io/
Weird Hope Engines: https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/events/events/2025/3/weird-hope-engines
Video essay about Lost Odyssey - https://youtu.be/iqgSDClU4Qo?si=M1vnb3gixwhaz8zM
Additional Credits
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
50m - May 3, 2025 - Episode 5: Challenge Rating
In this level-appropriate episode, we discuss encounter design through the lens of totally objective ratings of enemies’ power levels. Yes, we do mention Dragonball Z - but somehow entirely refrain from any “over 9000” jokes.
Violet shares tips on tipping points. Freya mopes about mopping up. Violet hates on Fate. Freya insists she liked D&D 4e all along.
Thank you to everyone who emailed into our mailbag - if you have any thoughts, comments, or questions please email us at: systemshoppodcast@gmail.com
Timestamps
Mailbag - 9:00
Intro to the topic - 11:18
Design questions - 19:40
History - 35:40
Taxonomicon - 47:45
Design dreams - 1:03:15
Games discussed
Star Trek Adventures
Last Days at Honkwarts*
The Great Dalmuti
Master and Apprentice*
Pathfinder
Fate
D&D
Dark Heresy
Capers
D&D 4E specifically
Vampire: the Masquerade
Lancer (like, a lot)
13th Age
Battletech (it’s back!)
Grimwild
Genesys
Time of Monsters
Vaesen
Mothership
*These are games designed by Violet herself. She apparently forgot to even mention the name of the second one :-P
Notes
It turns out that Freya’s graphics card has become eight years old since she last checked, so she’s definitely not going to play Monster Hunter Wilds, alas.
The nineteen-year-old Order of the Stick comic that Freya recalls with only moderate accuracy is https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0347.html
Additional credits
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
S1E5 - 1h 20m - Apr 3, 2025 - Bonus Episode: Freya's Con-tingency Conventure
In this first ever bonus episode, Freya reflects on the games she played at Contingency 2025 - a TTRPG convention on the wintry Norfolk coast. We discuss a pair of very yellow games, ruminate upon “A+B” dice mechanics, and analyse the comedy-to-therapy spectrum.
Timestamps
CBR+PNK - 2:02
Yellow King RPG (sort of) - 9:16
Confectioners vs Cromwell (using GM’s own system) - 16:56
Never Stop Exploding - 21:47
Troika! - 26:29
Star Trek Adventures (1E) - 30:40
JourneyMon - 39:21
Tool Team - 39:50
DIE - 41:57
One Ring (2E) - 1:02:29
Notes and links
The extremely long Lord of the Rings video Freya mentioned: https://youtu.be/poMnJKLGYo0?si=hQO5mbdDtRnAjKOu
The Meguey Baker article we discussed: https://lumpley.games/2021/12/30/ritual-in-game-design/
1h 12m - Feb 10, 2025 - Episode 4: Aid Another
In this camaraderie-ridden episode, we’re talking about mechanics for helping other characters in joint efforts. We discuss how teamwork can double the risks, double the rewards, and hopefully say something about the nature of your characters’ relationships in the process.
Violet uses "Stanford prison experiment" as a verb. Freya farms friends. Violet turns over an old leaf. Freya tears and shares.
Our thanks to Charlie, Joey, and Amber for writing in! If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com.
Timestamps
Mailbag - 5:35
Intro & history of helping - 14:34
Design questions - 24:33
Example deep dives - 32:57
Gradual slip into design dreams - 51:11
Games discussed in this episode
(In order of first mention)
Daggerheart
Sar-Stan
Tiles and Truenames
What’s In Your Mouth?!
Super Saviour Squad
The Token Bag Game Jam in general
Armour Astir
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Mystery homebrew system by Joey Jones
Ars Magica
Dogs in the Vineyard
DOGS [*1]
City of Winter
Death of a Hero [*2]
Masks
Golden Sky Stories
Empire of the Petal Throne
D&D
Tunnels and Trolls
Traveller
Apocalypse World
Monsterhearts
Blades in the Dark
Genesys
Edge of the Empire
Vampire: the Masquerade
JourneyMon
Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined
Vaesen
Heart
Notes and links
Two of the more esoteric entries on the above list can be found here:
[*1] https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/274623/dogs
[*2] https://babblegumsam.itch.io/death-of-a-hero
The two UK TTRPG conventions mentioned are
- https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/
Submissions to the Token Bag game jam can be found here: https://itch.io/jam/token-bag/entries
Its follow-up - the New Year, Old Ideas game jam - has indeed already ended. Submissions can be found at https://itch.io/jam/new-year-old-ideas-jam/entries
S1E4 - 1h 9m - Feb 6, 2025 - System Shop Update
Just a brief update on the podcast, which is going on a brief hiatus due to various personal issues.
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
1m - Nov 23, 2024 - Episode 3: Death
In this nominally spooky episode, we’re talking about DEATH. Who decides when a hero falls - is it the whims of the dice, the demands of the narrative, or a knife-edge entente between the two?
Violet calculates the exact value of her friends’ lives. Freya uses a stake to take a break.
Violet brings a gun to a dice fight. Freya gets knocked down, but gets back up again.
Our thanks to the listeners who mailed in with comments on last week’s topic, Initiative - if you have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.com!
Games discussed in this episode:
Call of Cthulhu
Wanderhome
OD&D
Traveller
Vampire: the Masquerade
Dogs in the Vineyard
Apocalypse World / Powered by the Apocalypse
Monsterhearts
Vaesen
Dread
Ten Candles*
Mothership
Delta Green
Paranoia
Phoenix: Dawn Command
Blades in the Dark
Pathfinder (1e)
Edge of the Empire / Genesys
Cosmere RPG
Armour Astir
Daggerheart
Wildsea
Old School Essentials
Heart
Legacy: Life Among the Ruins
Pendragon
Mummy: the Curse
Rogue Trader
Arkham Horror
Aeon’s End
Star Wars Armada
Grandia
Battletech**
Forbidden Stars
Game of Thrones (the board game)
Gears of War
Control
Wildermyth
Rogue***
Magic: the Gathering
Notes:
* less spooky, but perhaps more manageable, than thirteen candles.
** the videogame by Harebrained Schemes, not the tabletop wargame, for once!
*** and its roguelike descendants.
1. Violet’s Bag Jam can be found at https://itch.io/jam/token-bag , running from Friday 1st to Saturday 23rd November 2024.
2. Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds, by Gary Alan Fine, was first published in 1983.
3. A helpful chart: https://xkcd.com/1890/
A disclaimer:
Freya is a volunteer playtester for both the Cosmere RPG and Daggerheart. She is not being paid in any way, and draws examples from their open beta material when relevant because they’re fresh in her mind!
Additional credits:
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Spooky halloween music by Divider Line (dividerline.bandcamp.com)
Sound effects by the BBC © copyright 2024 BBC (https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/search?q=07043402)
Editing, musical stings, and other sound effects by Violet Henderson
S1E3 - 1h 20m - Oct 30, 2024 - Episode 2: Initiative
How do you figure out who’s on first? And how do you balance the excitement of surprise against the satisfaction of a perfectly executed plan?
Violet advocates for inaction. Freya trusts in the heart of the cards. Violet reaches into her bag of tricks. Freya turns into a lighthouse.
Games discussed in this episode:
- D&D
- Tunnels & Trolls
- Traveler
- Phoenix: Dawn Command*
- Deadlands / Savage Worlds
- Troika
- Edge of the Empire / Genesys
- Vaesen / Mutant Year Zero
- Daggerheart**
- Cosmere RPG
- Mothership
- 13th Age (briefly)
- Monsters & Other Childish Things / Reign / One Role System
- Arkham Horror
- Blood Bowl
- Battletech
- Falling
- Space Alert
- Quacks of Quedlinburg
- Cobalt Core
- Tactical Breach Wizards
Notes:
* I don’t know why this is the only game where I also named the author. No disrespect intended towards other designers! - F
** Speaking of which, and to answer a Q from the discussion: the lead designer is Spenser Starke; Mr Mercer is credited as creative advisor.
A disclaimer:
Freya is a volunteer playtester for both the Cosmere RPG and Daggerheart. She is not being paid in any way, and draws examples from their open beta material when relevant because they’re fresh in her mind!
Additional credits:
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Editing, musical stings, and other sound effects by Violet Henderson
S1E2 - 1h 1m - Oct 11, 2024 - Episode 1: Inventory Management
Welcome to the very first* episode of System Shop, the podcast where we deep dive into RPG design, one subsystem at a time.
Today, we’re talking about inventory systems: what’s the point of tracking all your bits and bobs, and can it actually be fun?
Violet can’t wait to talk about Ryuutama, and wants everyone to know it. Freya can’t stop talking about counting missiles (ancient and modern). Violet gleefully torments her players with maths homework. Freya has no idea how heavy 1lb is**. Blades in the Dark defies the Taxonomicon, for what will surely not be the last time.
Games discussed in this episode:
- Dungeons and Dragons
- World of Darkness
- Apocalypse World / PBTA
- Pathfinder
- Blades in the Dark
- Dogs in the Vineyard
- Knave
- Ryuutama
- Troika
- Mausritter
- Heavy Gear
- Black Hack
- Shadow of Mogg
- They Do Not Stop, You Must Not Fail
- Mistborn (the 2011 TTRPG, not the upcoming one)
- Wingspan
- Battletech (the tabletop wargame, not the excellent strategy videogame)
- Battlestar Galactica (the board game)
- Galaxy Trucker
- Resident Evil
- Diablo
- Megaman: Battle Network 2 (Blue Version)
- Backpack Hero
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Going Under
- Breath of the Wild
- Gears of War
- Homestuck
Notes:
* Unless we become bold enough at a later date to release our secret Episode Zero!
** The D&D 5e Player’s Handbook says a longsword weighs 3lbs, in defiance of Wikipedia’s estimate of 4-6.6lbs. Either way, I was way out - F.
The “inciting blog post” discussed in this episode can be found at https://harbingergames.blogspot.com/2020/04/if-your-torches-burn-for-only-one-hour.html
Additional credits:
Our intro music is
"Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Editing, musical stings, and other sound effects by Violet Henderson
S1E1 - 1h 14m - Oct 11, 2024
