Rene Plays Games

[Bonus] The Witch Is Dead

It'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 eyes to her body within one week so she may be resurrected. Will our chaotic crew be able to pull it off?!
 
Go get Grant's excellent games, support his Patreon, and if you're feeling really creative, he's currently hosting the One Hundred One Page Games Jam over on itch, where you can combine two of his absurd one-page RPGs into one game and submit it for folks to play! So do it!
 

Colostle | 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 you like all of the new additions and ideas constantly being added to the world of Colostle, I highly recommend checking out Nich's Patreon page!
 

The Librarian's Apprentice | One-Player One-Shot

It'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 game about playing a Librarian-to-be in an infinite library and working your way through its halls to find documents and uncover truths that will prove you worthy of the title Librarian. It is full of mystery, amazing oracles, prompts, and is so easy to play thanks to its elegant design. Not only that, the presentation of this game is so beautiful, coming in a package that unfolds into trifold pamphlets with bookmark character sheets, a library card, and the recently published Song of the Scryptwyrm expansion mystery adds even more amazing art through little hidden details and messages in the text. I can't recommend this game enough.
 
For this one-player one-shot, we follow apprentice librarian Corbyn on his first document retrieval assignment, slowly uncovering information about the strange inhabitants of the library known as the gnosiphages, a.k.a. booklickers.
 

Mining Media | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair 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 have an experience that matches their preferred style of game while at the same table.
Flawed characters are better than "good ones," because flaws give your characters things to challenge, overcome, or fall into to make their triumph over a struggle that much better.
Slow. Drip. Knowledge to pace decision making and draw parallels or crossroads for certain characters based on information learned about the wider world or story of your campaign. This makes conflict both external and internal to the characters and resonates more than just "wow that was a tough combat!"
Monoco is the best, you won't convince me otherwise.
 
Oh and good news, the team at Sandfall has already said that Expedition 33 is only one of the many stories they want to tell within the greater concept of Clair Obscur. THAT'S EXCITING!
 

Colostle | Dungeons Episode 2 - The Cistern

Welcome 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 Colostle and the Dungeons supplement here! If you like all of the new additions and ideas constantly being added to the world of Colostle, I highly recommend checking out Nich's Patreon page!
 

Perspective Checks | Willow (The RPG Goblin) - Finding The Right TTRPG For You

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!
 
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 finding the right game for you. Maybe you've only played D&D, maybe you've heard of Daggerheart from all the Critical Role hype, maybe you've even heard of some indie darlings like Blades in the Dark or Apocalypse World, but until you dip your toe in or peel back the curtain and look, you may not know what kind of game fits your style of playing/GMing the best until you read it/sit down and play it!
 
We also go over things like how to introduce folks to new games through one-page RPGs, silly one-shots, going very vibes-heavy on selling a game with a specific touchstone so people come in ready to harness the stylistic expectations and worry less about the mechanics and learning a new system, and more.
 
Willow is great, you should definitely check out her very infectious enthusiasm talking about TTRPGs and mechanics she's exploring on all her social media pages: Linktr.ee / RPG Goblin Podcast / YouTube 
 

Colostle | Dungeons Episode 1 - Falling In

100 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 the base game of Colostle anymore, we will be playing in the Dungeons supplement that recently came out! If you like all of the new additions and ideas constantly being added to the world of Colostle, I highly recommend checking out Nich's Patreon page!
 

Mining Media | Dungeon Crawler Carl

Welcome 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 levels of awful dungeon in hopes of making it out some kind of alive.
 
This series is 1) hilarious, 2) way better than it has any right being, and 3) somehow has you crying over the most insanely out-of-pocket characters in truly deranged dungeon level concepts, but it's full of great ideas, too! And it's the 2nd book series we've done on Mining Media that is actually getting a TTRPG!
 
I've been sick, so this is all you're getting for a description this week. Listen to the episode and let me know if you think I missed anything good to use at the gaming table!
 

BOW | One-Player One-Shot

Let'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 back first. 
 
In this one-shot, I play the underdog Dominic Eisenia, a short, underdeveloped youth going out for the Shoaling against much more physically capable rivals, but he has an edge in his cleverness and determination. Can he make it to his Marker and find any interesting relics? Will Dominic be crowned champion of this year's Shoaling?!
 

Two-Hand Path | One-Player One-Shot

Time 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 character sheet is just your two hands (or a drawing of two hands, if you're a coward) which you'll cover in tattoos, rings, scars, and more as you shape your spells and unleash your magic against the remnants of the world.
 
It's. Awesome. Get Two-Hand Path here.
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 14 - Finale

Welcome 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.

Perspective 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 you play two characters who just went on a date and their friends as they try and figure out why one of you is ghosting the other, and whether or not they can work to get you both face to face to potentially go on another date or come clean.
 
This episode has lots of fun ideas, one of which you may have heard me discuss in my recent design episode - a character relationship matrix idea that can be used at any table to track your character's relationship with NPCs/other PCs!
 
Hope you enjoy, and go check out First Date Update on RPC Press's itch.io page!
 

[Bonus] MECH Cities 2 | Hraunvollr

Get 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!
 

[Bonus] 2025 Designologue

I'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 great!

Perspective Checks | Clark R. Rowenson - Magic Systems & LitRPGs

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!
 
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 LitRPG genre, how both sides can still learn from its inspiration from the tabletop RPG space, and more. 
 
Stay tuned for more about Spawn Point, the first installment in Clark's upcoming LitRPG series A New Eternity about Topha & Nettle!
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 13 - Return to the Razor Isle

Join 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 Captain" is secretly the one at the helm... What awaits the crew at the cursed island in the center of the Dominion's myriads?
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.

Perspective Checks | Steve Morrison (Errant Adventures) - RPGs & Writing

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!
 
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 previous Perspective Checks episode for more with Matt).
 
Steve comes on to talk about his experiences with RPGs, writing, and doing a solo podcast, and how that Venn diagram has a lot of overlap, but it took some time to find the right balance. He recently changed up his process and it is really interesting to think about how TTRPGs (solo or otherwise) can really work alongside creative writing to make for better stories than doing either on their own. 
 
I cannot recommend Errant Adventures enough, go give it a listen!
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 12 - The Dark Heart of the Dominion

Join 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.

Perspective Checks | Adrian & Alex (Dungeons & Degrees) - Finding Your Place in the TTRPG Community

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!
 
In the 2nd community-focused Perspective Checks of the month, Adrian & Alex from the Dungeons & Degrees Podcast come on to talk about navigating the TTRPG space and finding your people. We keep it silly, do a little self-therapy, but talk a lot about how important it is to not just look for a table where you feel like you can trust the other players but be a good member of that table / community, too.
 
Follow Dungeons & Degrees, Adrian, and Alex on Instagram and more!
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 11 - Free From Cursed Bonds

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 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.
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.