Rene Plays Games

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.

[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 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.

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
 

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!

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.

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 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!
 

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

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

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...
 

Perspective Checks | Star (Characters Without Stories) - Making Failure Feel Better

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!
 
2024's Perspective Checks episodes come to a close with Star from the *amazing* Characters Without Stories podcast as we talk about failure in TTRPGs. Star is a wonderful person I've met this past year and have been lucky enough to chat with on a few occasions, and we break down how failure in games like D&D 5e can leave you feeling a little let down, and how other games take different approaches that can make failure feel so much more meaningful and still satisfying. 
 
You've got homework! Go out there and find a new game that feels like it fits the kinds of stories you like telling at the table and TRY IT. Make a character, test out how it feels when you succeed and see how it prompts you when you fail. Think about why it frames it this way versus another mode of resolution. What do you like/not like?
 
Games mentioned in the episode (probably missed a few):
Brindlewood Bay
Call of Cthulhu
Blades in the Dark
general design principles from the Powered by the Apocalypse engine
Spire/Heart: The City Beneath
 

Koriko: A Magical Year | Volume 7: Year's End

Welcome back to more Koriko: A Magical Year by Jack Harrison & Mousehole Press!
 
Genie's Magical Year has come to an end, and the last few weeks of the year mean she faces the big decision - does she stay in Koriko? Return home to her mentor? Or move on and go somewhere new? I don't think anyone will be surprised by the answer, but there are some really nice moments in this episode to close out our time in Koriko.
 
What an incredible experience and I hope that you all enjoyed it. Oh, and listen to Yvette Young's incredible song Always (and the Fireside Version, too!).
 
"Am I a fool for laughing at the memories? Rainy days spent watching time slip through my fingertips. And I'll pull away. I'll tell myself it's better. Maybe now is not our time to be but I can't deny that always - I will love you always."

Mining Media | Holiday One-Shots

Welcome back to Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences by reminiscing on the innocent wonder of winter holiday magic in our youths... or was that just me?
 
This month I want to talk about mining holiday movies for ideas for your festive one-shots, whether you take a break to do something silly or expand the lore of your ongoing game's universe or prep something entirely from scratch for holiday shenanigans - there's gold in them there cheesy movies.
 
Take home points & some ideas based on holiday movies:
Everything in the one-shot should reinforce the themes of the holidays - community, charity, family (found or otherwise), innocence, memory, and tradition.
If it can't reinforce these themes, lean hard into the setting - go full winter wonderland.
A Muppet Christmas Carol (or any Christmas Carol, really, but Muppets >>>) - have your party experience visitations from ghosts of past, present, and future based on their actions throughout the campaign (or make specific backstories part of the character creation), then give them a chance to right their wrongs before it's too late.
Nightmare Before Christmas - This one's all setting. Have a transplanar hub where the spirits of the holidays are literally their own demiplanes or extradimensional areas, then have some of the traditions of the holiday they know of & what the party sees clash. While they figure out the true spirit of the holiday, chaos has escaped (or gotten in) and they have to fix things!
Die Hard - This one's perfect, just recreate it and reskin everything. Holiday celebration at an isolated location, lots of bad guys doing bad things, the party has to balance stealth and efficacy achieving their goals, with each success and failure heightening the tension in the race between party & bad guys to succeed.
Klaus - The party finds themselves in an isolated location for the holidays, but there is no festive cheer or spirit because the village/area is inhabited by two factions at war. The party must make connections on both sides, earn little bits of trust, find ways the two sides can connect and come together for the holiday, and just as things seem to be going well, one small infraction threatens all that progress - how will the party bridge the gap?!
Hot Frosty / Jack Frost - An inanimate object is awakened by true holiday magic, but for the most part it's just causing trouble. While most of the town is up in arms and wants this thing brought to justice, the few who've seen it in action can explain that it's naive and means well, the disasters aren't its fault! Fix the problems, find the magic being, and help everyone see the good in it or something equally cheesy.
Now go get your notebook, pop on some cheesy holiday movie, and tell me what you come up with!

Koriko: A Magical Year | Volume 6: Winter

Welcome back to more Koriko: A Magical Year by Jack Harrison & Mousehole Press!
 
Winter comes to Koriko, and Genie is coming up on the end of her Magical Year. She spends time with her Confidants, even meeting a few new ones, and pushes her limits as the city's witch. She steps a bit outside of her comfort zone, but sometimes that's the only way to grow. The season ends with a heartfelt gathering and gift from her friends.
 
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 want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)
 
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
LinkTree | Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
 
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
Court of the Count by TabletopAudio.com
Winter Encampment by TabletopAudio.com
Collegium Magica by TabletopAudio.com
The Madding Crowd by TabletopAudio.com
Winter's Tale by Vindsvept
Into The Mind's Eye, Part I by Vindsvept
Moment's Respite by Vindsvept
Night of the Fae by Vindsvept
Necromancer by Vindsvept
Winter's Quest by Vindsvept

Perspective Checks | Gloria (GlowPinkstah) - Body Representation in 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 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.
 
Gloria was super fun to talk to, an amazing person to follow online, and has some of the best character names I've ever heard.
 
Listen to all of her content at Charm Party, and see her as a guest on Castleton and Somebody's Heroes!
 
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 want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)
 
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
LinkTree | Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
 
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Koriko: A Magical Year | Volume 5: Autumn

Welcome 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 want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)
 
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
LinkTree | Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
 
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
Forest Shrine by Monument Studios
Something in the Dark by Monument Studios
Passion by Monument Studios
Cyberpunk Bar by TabletopAudio.com
Lonesome West by TabletopAudio.com
Sombre by Vindsvept
Storm by Vindsvept
Woodland Murmur by Vindsvept

[Bonus] Ghost Club RPG | The Haunted Mansion

There 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.
 
Join Zoe "Bunny" Hunt, Eleanor "Dandelion" Harrington, and Remington "Twinkles" Paige as they investigate the terror of Twin Falls - The Haunted Mansion.
 
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 want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)
 
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
LinkTree | Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
 
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
All Hallows Eve from TabletopAudio.com
The Attic from TabletopAudio.com
Barovian Castle from TabletopAudio.com
Haunted from TabletopAudio.com
Haunted Ramparts from TabletopAudio.com
House on the Hill from TabletopAudio.com
Vampire Castle from TabletopAudio.com

Delta Green | Music From A Darkened Room

Spooky 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 scenario writer) from the DMs After Dark, my streaming crew and local best gaming buds, who helped make this session a lot better, since real terrifying horror is usually not my strength!
 
I hope that you enjoy, but sincerely hope that you do so safely, because this game can be very, very dark. We try to keep it light, but if any content upsets you, make sure you take care of yourself.
 
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 want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)
 
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
LinkTree | Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
 
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
Dark 1 Hour Mix by Monument Studios
Horror Action Scene Setter by Monument Studios

Wraithound | The Roots of Silvermist Pavilion

It'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 create a location with escalating threats and obstacles to overcome until you confront the final boss!
 
Definitely go check out more of Cezar's games and let me know which you pick! I've got quite a few more to get to myself! In fact, you should go look into and back his new fantasy project Everspark!