Rene Plays Games

Perspective Checks | Game Master Mom - Tales of Aetheria & Gaming with Kids

Go check out Tales of Aetheria - An Unexpected Quest on Kickstarter now!
 
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
 
For the first Perspective Checks this month I'm joined by Nicole, a.k.a. Game Master Mom to talk about playing TTRPGs with kids and her upcoming children's book / TTRPG for kids Tales of Aetheria! Nicole has an amazing social media persona where she gives great advice on playing games with kids and shares from her experiences as a nerd mom! Check her out on Instagram, YouTube, and all the social medias @gamemastermom.
 
We had an amazing chat about how she's developed her own system for playing with young players, how it inspired her book about imaginative worlds and play, and more.
 
Also, shout out to Raso, long-time home group member and recurring guest of the show for having his first ever D&D character Einar the dwarf immortalized in this book! Crazy coincidence and well deserved cameo haha!

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 8 - Next Steps

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 has an experience with the island of Nameera, but while she is unconscious her crew struggles to escape the island unscathed. After a short sojourn with the nomadic Sularia, the crew splits up to follow up on information from the expedition of Nameera, but both groups walk straight into traps...
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.

Pespective Checks | A Couple of Drakes - Jammin' on 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!
 
Perspective Checks #2 this month! I'm joined by the prolific duo A Couple of Drakes to talk about their journey in the TTRPG space. If you don't recognize the name, maybe you've heard of any of their incredible games out there, like:
Court of Blades - Political Intrigue Forged in the Dark!
Dead Belt - Solo/Co-op Space Salvage Survival!
Dungeon Jam! - Literal Jam makin' dungeon delving!
Fe Borg - Dark Fey a la Mork Borg!
HEDGE - Illuminated by LUMEN battle vs. Fey!
Disaster/Peace & Disaster/Wing - Magical Girl & Mecha Forged in the Dark!
Many, many Blades in the Darks resources!
and even more!
We sat down with no real goal in sight, but ended up talking about all things "doing this TTRPG thing," about how they've gone full time and don't give anything but the whole ass in their designs, and how they can't resist a good game jam / tinkering with a new SRD.
 
Definitely do yourself a favor and go check out literally any of the games by Shawn & Navi, you're sure to find something up your alley, and they're sure to have even more coming soon.

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 9 - The Puzzle Altars

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Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series. 
 
The small crew of the Revenant scatter to fight the Bloodsworn who have ambushed them at the second altar, and when Cassidy enters the narrow tunnels of the sea cave system where the altar lies, she finds more traps and puzzles await...
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.

Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 10 - Disruption

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Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series. 
 
After cleansing the second altar, the Bloodsworn are affected and taken aboard the Revenant, which is also experiencing negative effects. The crew make for safe harbor on the island of Nuboka, headquarters of the Cynosure Society and Explorer's Guild to rest and recuperate, and Damaris Iver makes contact with an Ebb spy to relay information and make moves back in Kyros.
 
Learn more about Ironsworn here.

Perspective Checks | Matt Caulder (Whatcha Doing?) - Boosting 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!
 
June is (apparently) community month here on Perspective Checks, and the first interview is with Matt Caulder, host of the Whatcha Doing? Podcast, a wonderful interview podcast with creators about their projects, as well as Twitch Streamer (video & card games), and more! I very much recommend Matt's podcast and streams as he is an excellent host, and if you want to keep your ears to the ground about upcoming TTRPG projects, his podcast is a gold mine!
 
In this episode we talk about what it's like to be a member of the TTRPG community and not necessarily in the "creator" seat, as far as game development. Matt is a big proponent of fans being louder about projects they're excited about, and I couldn't agree more. If you find something that sounds like fun, it goes a lot further with people spreading the word about something cool than coming from the creator, whose excitement might feel like they're just trying to sell you their game. So get louder! 
 
We also chat a bit about the state of the TTRPG community, interesting directions in recent game design, and ponder what a trading card roleplaying game (TCRPG) might look like, drawing inspiration from other games that have come close. I hope you enjoy!
 

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.

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!