Rene Plays Games

LOOT | Sleigh Down Slayground - Holiday One-Shot

Happy holidays! I'm a sucker for holiday themed one-shots, so here we are taking the very cool LOOT by GilaRPGs and reskinning all of its West Marches fantasy goodness into cartoon holiday movie shenanigans!
 
I'm joined by Troy and Jess from the DMs After Dark, friend of the DMs Eileen (@comradeeileen.bsky.social), and home group homie returning to the show Raso (Raso's Beacon) as we play through a holiday themed LOOT sleigh down event.
 
Santa has crashed the sleigh in Tinsel Town (really?) and the locals have taken advantage of the magic of his toy bag to create chaos. Our freelancers are supposed to be on the easiest shift of the year for their interplanar security detail, but now they have to go rescue Santa, his sleigh, and find that toy bag before things get worse and Christmas is ruined...
 

Bucket of Bolts | Sleigh Full of Santas Holiday One-Player-One-Shot

Happy Merry & hope your holidays are going wonderfully cozy, easy, and not at all stressful.
 
In this Christmas Eve solo holiday special, I'm reskinning Jack Harrison a.k.a. Mousehole Press' Bucket of Bolts from a futuristic spaceship POV experience to inhabiting the iconic sleigh of St. Nicholas himself, instead playing as the sleigh for the many Santas throughout the centuries.
 
It's short, simple, and fun, but definitely made me think about how I would run this game if I was playing in a sci-fi game, especially because it opens up such interesting ideas for sentient ships, AI co-pilots, and just fleshing out the story of an oft-overlooked member of any spacefaring party - the ship itself.
 
Other contributors to Bucket of Bolts whose tables I used included: 
Riley Rethal
Matt Sanders a.k.a. Sealed Library
Anna Blackwell a.k.a. Blackwell Games

2024 Retrospective | Rene Plays Games, Year 1

Fill out the Google Form here!
 
It has been 1 full year of my foray into the world of podcasting all on my own, and wow has it been a fulfilling one!
 
I go over some stats, numbers, achievements, goals met and yet to be accomplished, and talk about some more I have for 2025.
 
I am so grateful for anyone out there listening, and I really hope I've shown you a game that makes you want to explore a new way of playing games, or introduced you to a creator you've come to love, or anything that you feel like made your time spent listening to me this year worth it. 
 
See you in 2025.
 
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 0 - Campaign Creation

We'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 season!
 
TTRPG Charity Event for Doctors Without Borders!
Please please please check out friend of the podcast Star from Characters Without Stories and her friends' charity event going on all through January over at: https://tinyurl.com/TabletopTitan . You can donate however you'd like, but you can also redeem great things with your donation like TTRPGs, a seat at professionally GM'd tables, and more! It's a great cause, so consider going and donating. If you do, send me proof and I'll send you a free copy of MECH or some stickers or something!
 

Perspective Checks | Amber & Jess (DMs After Dark) - Getting Into TTRPGs

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 month's episode is a late upload from last year, but it fits perfectly well to kick off 2025 - we're talking about getting into TTRPGs with Amber & Jess from DMs After Dark, my original RPGs on the internet homies! We talk about how to approach playing as a new player, where to find games, how to best communicate and find a good group, as well as tips for new GMs to avoid common early pitfalls.
 
Go check out the EXTENSIVE backlog of great RPG actual plays on the DMs After Dark channel (podcast & YouTube)! 
 
TTRPG Charity Event for Doctors Without Borders!
Please please please check out friend of the podcast Star from Characters Without Stories and her friends' charity event going on all through January over at: https://tinyurl.com/TabletopTitan . You can donate however you'd like, but you can also redeem great things with your donation like TTRPGs, a seat at professionally GM'd tables, and more! It's a great cause, so consider going and donating. If you do, send me proof and I'll send you a free copy of MECH or some stickers or something!
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 1 - Threads Take Shape

Aaaaand it's officially begun! Ironsworn: Sundered Isles season 2 is underway with the first episode of this series. Cassidy makes her way to the Talan Flotilla, a neutral collection of traders dealing in vice and smuggling in Kyrody waters, to track down the captain of the Enduring Blade, who may or may not have valuable information toward achieving her goal of ridding herself of her ex-lover's ghost haunting her.
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.

Tabletop Tutorial | i'm sorry did you say street magic? with Dan Bronson-Low (Almost Bedtime Theater)

A new series?! I hope so! I'd love to make this concept for a monthly episode happen, so if you have a game that you're itching to play but have no one to play it with, please email me at reneplaysgamespod@gmail.com !
 
For the very first Tabletop Tutorial I'm joined by Dan Bronson-Lowe of Almost Bedtime Theater, a podcast of a father and daughter (and her cousin) who learn and play TTRPGs together. You may also know Dan as the creator of the Crit Award winning solo TTRPG The Librarian's Apprentice or his other games you can find on his itch.io page.
 
We sit down to play i'm sorry did you say street magic? by Caro Asercion, which is an incredible city-building game derived from games like Microscope by Ben Robbins.
 
By the end, we build a pretty awesome little city built around a strange natural incursion into an infinite library as part of Dan's upcoming Song of the Scryptwyrm Backerkit campaign for Pocketopia! So if you like what you hear, go sign up to be notified when it goes live and get a copy so you can play in this endless library!

Perspective Checks | Tanya Floaker - Mum Chums & the Evolution of Game Terminology

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 month's episode is dropping on the first of the month because Tanya Floaker's newest game Mum Chums is now crowdfunding on Kickstarter! Tanya is a game designer, writer, and consultant out of Edinburgh, Scotland and they are someone I've always enjoyed hearing their WEALTH of knowledge about roleplaying games all over the internet.
 
During this interview we talk about what made Tanya want to make a slice of life game about the people who care for young children, and how those relationships between parents, carers, friends, and kids all intersect, how people grapple their daily burdens in the routine of it all, and more. We also talk a lot about roleplaying game theory and how terms have changed over time, making these experiences better, a trend which will hopefully continue!
 
You can find more of Tanya's games on their Itch.io page
 
Here are some of the games & TTRPG things brought up in the episode:
Grasping Nettles by Adam Bell
i'm sorry did you say street magic by Caro Asercion
Dice Exploder podcast & discord
Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern by Takuma Okada
Wanderhome by Possum Creek Games / Jay Dragon
Cold City / Hot War by Jon Hodgson
Archipelago by Matthijs Holter
Inspectres by Jared Sorensen
Fiasco by Jason Morningstar
Witch: The Road to Lindisfarne
Wraithlands by Leckie
Wise Women by Aleksandra Brokman
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 2 - Vows in Blood and Bondstone

Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series. 
 
In this episode, Cassidy negotiates with Azriel - an Inquisitor of the Church of the Enduring Servants and the resurrected brother of her ghost lover Leigh Stirling. After swearing an iron vow to protect the Enduring Blade in the upcoming race to the sky isle, she then reflects on the vow made in blood to her ship, The Revenant, and travels to the city of Crania on the largest island of Kyros, home of the Kyrody Dominion, to meet with her clockwork contact for the Ebb, who has an urgent, unexpected question...
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.

[Bonus] Star Crossed Valentine's Special!

Happy Heart Day! As a bonus episode for the month of February (and because we love a good reason to do a holiday themed session), I've brought my wife Lynn back for a Valentine's Day one-shot. Last year was the not-so-romantic Call of Cthulhu scenario, but this year we're really leaning into the theme with...
 
Star Crossed by Alex Roberts! A game about two characters with a forbidden love, who really really want to, but really really can't!
 
We decide to keep the TTRPG vibes strong and go with a love story about two adventurers in the same party on a long, arduous quest. Would their love bring about the ruin of their mission, or are they just holding themselves back? Hope you enjoy!
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 3 - Races Against Time

Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series. 
 
After a brief conversation with Quon, the clockwork contact for the Ebb, about freeing an important prisoner in Deepwater Harbor's dungeons, Cassidy rushes to fulfill her iron vow to Church of the Enduring Servant's Inquisitor Azriel Stirling to protect the crew of the Enduring Blade as they claim it for resources. However, when the Revenant arrives before any others, Cassidy investigates the sky island and experiences a horrible prophecy in the mists... One that quickly comes true as the Bloodsworn descend on the sky island.
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.

Mining Media | Rom-Coms & Romance at the Table

Welcome back to Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences by missing my chance to say the right thing, then botching the chance I got to redeem myself, then thinking it's all hopeless until the stars align and we're standing across from one another in the first place we ever met... We're talking Romance!
 Continuing our February Valentine's theme through to Mining Media, let's talk about the oft-ill-handled but ever so tempting and promising idea of romantic plots in your tabletop RPGs. 
 
I watched a lot of rom-coms and referenced a fair amount of my RPG collection for helpful language and sections of books talking about handling romance responsibly, safely, and carefully, and here's my take-home points for romance at the table:
Consent & Communication is non-negotiable. Romance is different for everyone and honest discussions about themes or scenes or anything in between that may come up as one character explores their relationship should be open to the table at all times.
Let it simmer. Go slow, let it ramp up over the course of multiple (or many) sessions. Court of Blades uses a progress clock, think of it like that, you may have that spark the first time, but building up that trust and relationship takes time. 
Make it messy. Complicate it with NPCs, outside perception of the relationship, missed opportunities when adventure/the mission calls, miscommunication leading to bridges to be mended, etc.
Listen to RPG Design Panelcast - Level Up Your Sexy Game <-- This episode is great.
Games Referenced: 
Apocalypse World 2e
Blue Rose
Court of Blades
Good Society
Kids on Bikes
Masks: A New Generation
Monsterhearts 2e
Pasion de las Pasiones
Star Crossed
Homework: Think about your character and what type of person might draw their romantic side out. How would their behavior change? How would that affect their goals, existing relationships, and more?
 
Now go put on a rom-com or grab your favorite romance novel and tell me what kind of plot-line your character would want to explore!
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 4 - Narrow Escapes

Welcome 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 impenetrable dungeons...
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.

Perspective Checks | Christian (DMs After Dark) - Playing In The Sandbox

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 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 Call of Cthulhu scenarios (linked below) and is currently running the DMs through the RuneQuest campaign Company of the Dragon. This is a great chat full of really useful advice if you want to play better sandbox (as opposed to railroad) games at your table.
 
Also... we preview and promise a quickstart of our upcoming community rebuilding and survival after a grid down event game, so listen to the end for a little excited talk about that!
 
Get Deadfellas and Christian's other games (The Night Mother's Moon and Zennor & the Sins of St. Senara)
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 5 - Severed Connections

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 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.

Tabletop Tutorial | Hunt(er/ed) with Troy from DMs After Dark

Join the DMs After Dark discord!
 
Tabletop Two-torial! It's the second episode of this two-player "learn a game together" series and this time I'm joined by Troy from the DMs After Dark for a game of Hunt(er/ed) by Meghan Cross & Dillin Apelyan of the One Shot Podcast Network!
Hunt(er/ed) is a game of a hunter and a monster, and the back and forth in the game of life and death between them. The mechanics are SO fun and involve literally racing to try and roll doubles on dice faster, and then consulting prompts from a deck of cards which deepen the meaning behind the hunt with each step forward and back, coming closer or letting your prey slip between your fingers...
 
We had a blast with this game and I totally recommend it! Hope you enjoy!
 
Content Warnings: Language, descriptions of death, nightmares, and guilt.
 
Also, the Monument Studios folks are about to launch their Fantasy+ tabletop audio app after their successful Kickstarter, so I used music from their catalog for this episode to show you how you can use their library to improve your games! Go check it out!

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 6 - Undercurrents

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 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 chasing the ghost of Leigh Stirling and find strange carvings and writing all over. If deciphered, could they have the answers the Senator is looking for?
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.

Perspective Checks | Peach (the Dice Sisters) - Creating Safe Spaces for TTRPG Communities

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 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 that's not always the case, so places like these are important to ensuring people can play in a place they're comfortable.
 
I speak with Peach about her experiences getting the discord up and running, reaching out and networking to create a better community both online and in the real world, and exploring games in a safe way.
 
I hope you enjoy it, and if you want to reach out to Peach about the discord, you can find her @DungeonPeach or send an email to thedicesisters@gmail.com 
 
Stay safe out there!
 

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 7 - Writing on the Walls

Get 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 & 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.

Pilgrimage of the Sun Guard | One-Player One-Shot

Get 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 done I just wanted to run it back and do it with a different character!
 
I highly recommend this one for newer solo players!