Rene Plays Games
Hi! I’m Rene (pronounced Rainy) and I want to share my love of roleplaying games with you! Join me as I play through smaller publisher games, talk design and gaming topics with friends, and explore all the ways you can be a better game master or player.
Hi! I’m Rene (pronounced Rainy) and I want to share my love of roleplaying games with you! Join me as I play through smaller publisher games, talk design and gaming topics with friends, and explore all the ways you can be a better game master or player.
Episodes

Tuesday Jun 11, 2024
Perspective Checks | Jordan (Goosepoop Games) - Zines & Indie Publishing
Tuesday Jun 11, 2024
Tuesday Jun 11, 2024
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the TTRPG world and discuss a topic of their choice!
I met this episode's guest on the relatively new social media platform Threads, where the RPG community is still pretty small and interactive. Jordan is a Mainer and runs the small game company Goosepoop Games where he is focused on making silly, wholesome games. I knew I had to talk to them when I saw a recent game of theirs called Good Soup - a wholesome game where you play as woodland creatures in the Soup Troupe with alternate mechanics involving spoonfuls of a real, shared soup (preferably separate bowls but you do you).
In this episode we talk about zines in the TTRPG space, the importance of community, why we love silly games, and creativity as an outlet but also as a job.
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Tuesday Jun 04, 2024
NOTORIOUS/OUTSIDERS | Episode 1: ISIL-8 & The Crystal Contract, Part I
Tuesday Jun 04, 2024
Tuesday Jun 04, 2024
A brand new beginning! For the first time since the podcast started I'm starting a brand new series, and I'm super excited to be playing "Trilogy Mode" combining NOTORIOUS and OUTSIDERS by Jason Price, a.k.a. Always Checkers Publishing. These games recreate the solo bounty hunter vibes of Star Wars (especially the Mandalorian), Cowboy Bebop, and westerns/space operas so well.
Also, Jason has a Kickstarter running for another week at the time of this episode publishing for Revolt!, a fantasy TTRPG of overthrowing a monarchy with card based mechanics for solo to 4 players, so check it out!
In our new series, we create our Nomad, the Bot-Human Construct known as ISIL-8, one of many identical bots created by the Trade Alliance for use in war, but who has gained individual sentience through a malfunction, damage, or clever hacking.
They are employed as a bounty hunter as they live on the run from the corporation that still considers them property, and they've taken a bounty for Aura Day, a Pellucid (crystalline humanoid) hiding out on the frozen planet Utov, wanted for stealing and sharing blueprints of The Old Empire's with the New Uprising (oh yea, we're going there).
This may end up being more than 3 episodes, because this first one doesn't go super well, but it certainly was full of awesome events!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
Warriyo - Mortals (feat. Laura Brehm) [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSoundsFree Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/mortals Watch: http://youtu.be/yJg-Y5byMMw
Docking Bay from TabletopAudio.com
Gravity from TabletopAudio.com
Lonesome West from TabletopAudio.com
Robot Scrapyard from TabletopAudio.com
Solemn Vow from TabletopAudio.com

Tuesday May 28, 2024
Mining Media | Fallout TV Series
Tuesday May 28, 2024
Tuesday May 28, 2024
Welcome to another Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences. In this episode we're talking about Amazon Prime's new video game to TV adaptation Fallout. Based on the hit video game franchise, season one takes some liberties with what's been established in the games but succeeds in making an enjoyable, pretty true to universe story that uses a lot of great techniques you can pull for your tabletop RPG campaigns.
The take home points are:
Give your characters "ghosts" (from YouTuber ALuckyMuse), which are people, events, and obligations from their past which continue to haunt PCs, either through traumatic experiences, voices always heard when they look inward (trusted or derogatory), or similar which inform their misconceptions about the world, their beliefs, and can justify their actions when they're not necessarily the best.
Don't worry about character imbalance when it comes to power. Everyone has a role in the party, it's okay for someone to be overpowered in one aspect, but make sure it has a drawback (e.g. the Ghoul's need for the drugs, Maximus's inexperience with the jumpsuit, Lucy's naivety).
When adapting canon, don't play in what's known - focus on the "what ifs." What if this took place in the northern forests of Canada? Each faction might still exist, but they'd have very different goals, problems, and methods. What if we played our story before the events of New Vegas? or after?
Download Rene's One-Page RPG One Last Quest and bring back your favorite characters for one more mission as elderly versions of themselves!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/adi-goldstein/i-dont-need-your-love License code: FSMKKQOUT4ZD4EHK

Tuesday May 21, 2024
Ironsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 11 - The Finale
Tuesday May 21, 2024
Tuesday May 21, 2024
As the sky island of Manao crumbles into pieces and plummets into the ocean below, Dyne and the crew of the Venture rush to warn the villagers of Isto Mavana of the coming disaster. Kyrody Dominion Admiral Magnus Cassidy calls for a parley with the leaders of the Resistance, but negotiations take a terrible turn, and the final battle of the Reaches begins...
To all the listeners who have made it this far (and who read the description), I am so honored you choose to spend your time listening to me play and weave these stories, and I sincerely hope I've inspired you to try out either solo RPGs or Ironsworn yourself (or any other tabletop games)! I also hope that you'll stick with me as I continue to explore more great games, systems, solo & group alike, as this little endeavor goes on, and reach out to me to let me know if you have any advice, ideas, or anything else to make this better.
And to Shawn Tomkin, if you ever see this, you've got a forever fan and backer in me, I'll always sing your praises on whatever small soapbox/platform/podcast I have. Thank you for an incredible line of games. Everyone go find out more about all things Ironsworn!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Harpies Nest from TabletopAudio.com
Haven from TabletopAudio.com
High Seas Pursuit from TabletopAudio.com
Interrogation Room from TabletopAudio.com
Lord of Bones from TabletopAudio.com
Pirates! from TabletopAudio.com
Puzzle Dungeon from TabletopAudio.com
Ship of the Line from TabletopAudio.com
Survivor's Bivouac from TabletopAudio.com
The Misty Marsh from TabletopAudio.com
Voyage Begins from TabletopAudio.com
Gunshot (Exterior) sound from Zapsplat.com

Tuesday May 14, 2024
Tuesday May 14, 2024
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the TTRPG world and discuss a topic of their choice!
This time I'm joined by another one of the OGs of Rene's nerdy life on the internet - Baby DM Sara from the DMs After Dark! If you're following this channel, you likely know that I've been playing games with these wonderful nerds for the last few years, and they're continuing to play games over on their Twitch every other Friday, I still edit their audio for podcasts and consider myself a member even though I can't play as often as I'd like on their schedule.
Sara is the youngest of the DMs, a fellow member of Team Wholesome, and came on to talk about something that happens to a lot of us when we get really into the TTRPG hobby (or any hobby really) - burnout. She recently took a little hiatus from the streaming and we discuss checking in with yourself, your fellow players outside of the game space, finding ways to be creative outside of the expectations of content creation, the importance of being silly, and more!
Content Warnings: language, Orcfuck, and silly one-shots being the leg day of the RPG hobby (this is just a good analogy)
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Tuesday May 07, 2024
Ironsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 10 - The Trial of the Heart
Tuesday May 07, 2024
Tuesday May 07, 2024
Dyne and the crew of the Venture confront the colossal skeletal creature in the heart of the sky island Manao, while dragging the injured Cynosure Society scientists to safety. Tamrin snags a sweet trophy. Maezyu finds a weak point in the Cynosure Society's complex sky iron contraption. Dyne realizes the terrible fate of Manao and the heavy truth of the Mystic Trials - the responsibility passed on to those who can wield such power. He reavows his dedication to protect the island of Isto Mavana and its inhabitants.
Having completed his trial, only one thing remains for the Resistance - to drive Admiral Magnus Cassidy and the rest of the Kyrody out of the Reaches for good...
Go learn more about everything Ironsworn and get your solo gaming on!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
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 Continent from TabletopAudio.com
Lost Mine from TabletopAudio.com
Infernal Machine from TabletopAudio.com
Starforged - Fray from TabletopAudio.com
Solemn Vow from TabletopAudio.com
Escape from Shadow from TabletopAudio.com
![[Bonus] Dragon Dowser One-Shot](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17743151/RenePlaysGames_3x3Logo_7aatd9_300x300.png)
Tuesday Apr 30, 2024
[Bonus] Dragon Dowser One-Shot
Tuesday Apr 30, 2024
Tuesday Apr 30, 2024
It's a 5th Tuesday, so here we are with another bonus episode! This time Rene sits down to play the one-player, card-based Dragon Dowser from Hatchling Games. It is a wonderful game where you take the role of a Dowser, someone who has dedicated themselves to saving dragon eggs from the clutches of the tyrannical Mecharchs, rulers who betrayed humanity's saviors for power and progress. It has wonderful environmentalist and conservation themes and uses Peach Garden Games' Carta SRD, which is intuitive and engaging!
Definitely check out more of Hatchling Games' releases like the sign-language teaching Inspirisles, Overisles (and soon Underisles), the supernatural scout solving Cryptid Creeks, and more on their store.
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | Itch.io | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
Stranded by Sascha EndeFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10375-stranded License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Elven Glade from TabletopAudio.com
Forgotten Forest from TabletopAudio.com
Mysterious Grotto from TabletopAudio.com
Secret Garden from TabletopAudio.com
Sun Dappled Trail from TabletopAudio.com

Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Mining Media | The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Welcome to another Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences. In this episode we're talking about Fonda Lee's incredible gangster fantasy trilogy The Green Bone Saga. This series is one of *very* few (maybe the only?) that I've rated 5 stars down the line. It has enough magic and urban fantasy to feel wondrous, incredibly emotional character development, intense martial arts action scenes, harsh betrayals, drugs, sex, crime, corruption, generational trauma and expectations... I could go on and on forever - please read it and talk to me about it!
Anyway, the take home points for how to make your TTRPG sessions better with The Green Bone Saga include:
Hack your favorite system to use the Jade Disciplines as Stats (along with others for non-Green PCs)
Consider using a relationship map/web to constantly keep pressure on your PCs from their connections, making every move dangerous in a faction-based turf war
If your setting has magic, include a culture or people who are immune or resistant to that magic - how are they viewed in society? How do they overcome this?
When making factions always have allied, antagonistic, and neutral parties to the party's goals. The Penitents & religious folk of these books are very cool, silent monks who are the ears of the gods - give them emotional, cultural depth
In the end, I think this episode was less "here's what to use in your game," and more "PLEASE READ THESE AND LET'S PLAY AN RPG CAMPAIGN IN THIS WORLD TOGETHER." If you're interested, please let me know. And Fonda Lee, if you ever see this and want someone to make your world an RPG, I'll help!
Download Rene's One-Page RPG One Last Quest and bring back your favorite characters for one more mission as elderly versions of themselves!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Midnight Room by | e s c p | https://www.escp.spacehttps://escp-music.bandcamp.com

Tuesday Apr 16, 2024
Ironsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 9 - Down With The Ship
Tuesday Apr 16, 2024
Tuesday Apr 16, 2024
Aboard another Kyrody Warship, Dyne and Ephraim learn the truth about the Kyrody Dominion's presence out here in the Reaches. However, the truth comes with a twist, and Dyne's attempts to persuade the sailors to accept an alternative option lands on deaf ears. His failure comes at a heavy cost, and a friend is lost...
Maezyu convinces Dyne to finish what's been started - a win against the Kyrody would be celebrated by all they've broken in the wake of their brutal war campaign. Together, the crew of the Venture flies to the cursed sky island of Manao for Dyne's last Trial, but the dying island is a terrifying maze of dry caves and colossal bones. What awaits Dyne at its heart?
Go learn more about everything Ironsworn and get your solo gaming on!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
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 Continent from TabletopAudio.com
Drowned Sailors from TabletopAudio.com
High Seas Pursuit from TabletopAudio.com
Shaman's Hollow from TabletopAudio.com
Solemn Vow from TabletopAudio.com
Trireme from TabletopAudio.com

Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Perspective Checks | Adam Kelly (The STF Network) - GMing for the Long Haul
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the TTRPG world and discuss a topic of their choice!
This time I'm joined by a fellow podcaster and GM who I respect and listen to constantly - Adam Kelly of The STF Network! The Strange Table Fellows have a whole lot of shows and content for you to enjoy, but we talk about the massive 3 Adventure Path kitbash Adam and friends put together to form the story of the Apollo Protection Agency, as well as his other experiences in gaming and the music world.
Adam was so easy to talk to and really cares about community in the creative scene. He gives great advice about running or playing in your home games, tips if you're thinking about podcasting, and has more than a few spot on analogies that show his background in music and TTRPG skills go hand in hand.
Find more of the STF Network on their website, join their Discord, subscribe to their podcast feeds, and maybe I'll see you at STFConline!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Ironsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 8 - The Dominion Deception
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Tuesday Apr 02, 2024
Dyne and the crew of the Venture make moves to secure The Chimera before a storm comes in and score a warship for the Resistance, which they plan to use to attack another of the Kyrody fleet with unexpectedly. However, villagers from Isto Mavana have been tested for sorcerous potential and taken captive aboard the remaining two Kyrody ships - The Warden and the flagship Ironclad.
The Resistance attempts to take The Warden from Commander Gavin, but learn that they don't know the whole story about the Kyrody Dominion's presence in these waters...
Go check out the sample guidebook and back Sundered Isles on Kickstarter!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
Ancient Beacon from TabletopAudio.com
Nordic Noir from TabletopAudio.com
Pirates! from TabletopAudio.com
![[Bonus] Mining Media | Baldur's Gate 3](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17743151/RenePlaysGames_3x3Logo_7aatd9_300x300.png)
Monday Apr 01, 2024
[Bonus] Mining Media | Baldur's Gate 3
Monday Apr 01, 2024
Monday Apr 01, 2024
Has anyone heard of this obscure CRPG called Baldur's Gate 3? Apparently there have been 2 others, but let me tell you something... they're pretty neat for getting tabletop RPG ideas!
Happy April Fool's, ya nerds, and I'm super grateful you're all listening. Thanks, hope you chuckled, and if you do play Baldur's Gate 3 (you should), send me your favorite character builds!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
![[Bonus] The Substratum Protocol Preview](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17743151/RenePlaysGames_3x3Logo_7aatd9_300x300.png)
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
[Bonus] The Substratum Protocol Preview
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
The Substratum Protocol is a scientific initiative to explore and investigate an unnatural, cosmic portal that has appeared at the very center of the Earth's core. At the time of its arrival, a massive fracture split the planet and swallowed entire cities. The first scientists to attempt any form of data analysis from signals emitted by the portal struggled with their sanity afterwards. Using patented DSPT Mk II exo-suits, a team of scientists will descend into the Fracture and travel to the portal to close it before things get even worse...
This game is WILD! Using the Hints & Hijinx engine which pits *depreciating* step dice skill rolls against a deck of playing cards, stress mechanics which aid understanding the unfathomable at the expense of your die results, and 10 levels of increasingly trippy areas to explore, this game is a blast. I can't wait to bring it to a table and play with others!
Go check out The Substratum Protocol now on Backerkit and keep up with more Pandion Games projects in the future!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
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 Continent from TabletopAudio.com
Dying World from TabletopAudio.com
Gravity from TabletopAudio.com
Infernal Machine from TabletopAudio.com
Protean Fields from TabletopAudio.com
Testing Chamber from TabletopAudio.com
Starforged Vault from TabletopAudio.com

Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Mining Media | Delicious In Dungeon
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Welcome to another Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences. In this episode we're talking about Delicious In Dungeon - a manga turned anime currently streaming on Netflix about a group of adventurers delving a massive dungeon and eating the monsters they encounter along the way!
This show is so obviously inspired by traditional TTRPGs from decades past, but does such an incredible job of environmental storytelling through meticulously designing each level of the titular Dungeon to portray a well thought out, functioning ecosystem. As a biologist/ecologist by day, this show is inspiring in its devotion to depicting believable dungeon ecology that helps tell a cohesive story and makes for much more interesting monsters/encounters.
So the next time you're prepping (as a GM) or exploring (as a player) a dungeon, take the time to think about how every creature here is carving out its place in the food web/ecosystem, what resources are abundant or scarce and how that affects survival or behaviors in the nearby region, and ask questions about how you can use them to your advantage!
If you want to read it, here's Sage Latorra's A 16 HP Dragon article!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Music by Patrick A. from Pixabay

Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Ironsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 7 - The Trial of the Sea
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Dyne is dragged out to sea after swearing an iron vow on the sky iron shard in Vega's Cave. The flooding recesses and pulls all of Captain Vega's Kyrody sailors out to a watery grave, but Dyne finds himself on a dry circle of sea floor at the bottom of a maelstrom - a shipwreck graveyard... What awaits him for his Trial of the Sea?
Go check out the sample guidebook and back Sundered Isles on Kickstarter!
Go learn more about everything Ironsworn and get your solo gaming on!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
Trireme from TabletopAudio.com
High Seas Pursuit from TabletopAudio.com
Sunken Temple from TabletopAudio.com

Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Perspective Checks | Liz Greene - Geek Therapy
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with a friend in the tabletop roleplaying game world and discuss a topic of their choice!
This time Rene is joined once again by Troy from the DMs After Dark to talk with Liz Greene, LMHC MFT TGM/DM GT, a licensed Geek Therapist who uses games and popular media in her sessions! We discuss games as a community, using characters as buffers to experiences, practicing social skills, and putting consequences into perspective, and more.
Please check out these amazing resources and tell us about experiences at the table you've had that have helped you in hard times!
You can find Liz at Serenity Coaching & Counseling, Psychology Today, and find other geek therapists in your area at Geek Therapeutics.
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Ironsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 6 - Escape from Vega's Cave
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Dyne is taken prisoner by Captain Vega and brought to a secret sea cave the Kyrody sailor has been stockpiling equipment in, as well as where he is experimenting with sky iron. An escape is attempted, but this episode keeps riding the dice luck of the previous, and things just keep getting worse...
You can sign up to be notified when Sundered Isles goes live on Kickstarter and/or pre-order Starforged physical books or get it digital from Modiphius!
Go learn more about everything Ironsworn and get your solo gaming on!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
Covert Ops from TabletopAudio.com
Drowned Sailors from TabletopAudio.com
Sunken Temple from TabletopAudio.com
![[Bonus] Leap Year REAP Year One-Shot](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17743151/RenePlaysGames_3x3Logo_7aatd9_300x300.png)
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
[Bonus] Leap Year REAP Year One-Shot
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
More bonus episodes because we get an extra day for the leap year, why not an extra episode?
In this episode I play REAP by Gila RPGs (aka Spencer Campbell) - a soulslike solo RPG and companion game to RUNE, where you take on the role of a Reaper - a necromancer wandering the realms of the dying world Obron, harvesting souls from the evil horrors that plague the denizens of their domains and helping the world find peace in its end.
The mechanics are super fun and easy to learn, but the game honors its source material - it is not easy! You constantly have to deal with your resource management, enemy tactics, and luck of the dice to get you through any fight. I had a great time playing it and loved the tactile appeal of the game, which doesn't translate super well into audio, but I strongly recommend you go check out REAP and RUNE (which I believe still has a free quickstart rules guide so you can test it out), and begin your reaper's journey!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Court of the Count from Tabletop Audio
Lord of Bones from Tabletop Audio
Goblin Ambush from Tabletop Audio
Witch Mountain from Tabletop Audio
Music Rewind 3 Sound Effect from ZapSplat.com

Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Mining Media | Sea of Stars
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Welcome to this month's Mining Media where I help you think about ideas from other forms of entertainment that can elevate your tabletop RPG experience. In this episode we're talking about Sabotage Studio's retro JRPG inspired Sea of Stars - a love letter to the 90s/early 2000s 16-bit JRPGs of my youth.
The game itself is a beautiful game with very evocative locations and, most importantly for this episode, interesting combat mechanics that I think would work to spice up your RPG's combats in very cool ways. The main takeaways from this episode are to include mini-puzzle like conditions to be achieved by your PCs mid-fight in order to mitigate (or altogether stop) a powerful special attack from going off, as well as encouraging teamwork combos in battle through connections made between PCs in or out of combat.
I forgot to mention another great bit of Fabula Ultima's combat mechanics that would work well for that telegraph/countdown to special attack is their option to take the Objective action and work toward a clock that would change the battle. It is generally used for more "end the conflict overall" type of actions, but could be scaled back potentially for this kind of use.
Games Mentioned in this Episode:
Fabula Ultima TTJRPG | BREAK! RPG
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Lucid Dreaming by | e s c p | https://www.escp.space https://escp-music.bandcamp.com

Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Ironsworn: Sundered Isles | Episode 5 - Trouble on Isto Mavana
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Dyne & crew wait out the night on the island of Gamadar, afraid of being spotted by the Dominion sky ship that flew out to the Cynosure Society research station after Dyne's Trial of the Storm. The night does not go peacefully, and their delay in returning to Isto Mavana does not help their cause either - all villagers are being tested for sorcerous potential - and it only gets worse...
Pre-order Starforged physical books or get it digital from Modiphius!
Go learn more about everything Ironsworn and get your solo gaming on!
Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:
Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter | Threads | DMs After Dark
email: RenePlaysGamesPod@gmail.com
Music in the Episode:
Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands
Shaman's Hollow from TabletopAudio.com
Escape the Shadow from TabletopAudio.com
Investigator's Office from TabletopAudio.com





