A show about tabletop RPG design. Each episode we bring you a single mechanic and break it down as deep as we possibly can. Co-hosted by Sam Dunnewold and a rotating roster of designers. Part of the Many Sided Network. <a href="http://diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>

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Transcripts available at diceexploder.comFurther Reading<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wundergeek/mars-watch" rel="nofollow">The Watch 2e is on Kickstarter now</a><a href="https://bullypulpitgames.com/products/night-witches" rel="nofollow">Night Witches</a> by Jason MorningstarSocialsAsh on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/ashthestampede.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a><a href="https://ashkreider.com/" rel="nofollow">Ash&#39;s website</a>, including listings for their games and booksSam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com/" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta.

Duty Stations (Night Witches) with Ash Kreider

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Transcripts available at diceexploder.com

New Episodes Next Week + An Announcement

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Transcripts available at diceexploder.comFurther Reading<a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1058690/Signs_of_the_Sojourner/" rel="nofollow">Signs of the Sojourner</a> by Echo Dog Games<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sdunnewold/band-aids-and-bullet-holes" rel="nofollow">Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes by Sam, on Kickstarter now</a><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2868840/Slay_the_Spire_2/" rel="nofollow">Slay the Spire 2</a> by Mega CritSocialsLady Tabletop on <a href="https://ladytabletop.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.

Deckbuilding (Signs of the Sojourner) with Lady Tabletop

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Transcripts available at diceexploder.comFurther Reading<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sdunnewold/band-aids-and-bullet-holes" rel="nofollow">Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes on Kickstarter</a><a href="https://lumpley.itch.io/firebrands" rel="nofollow">Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands</a> by Meguey &amp; Vincent Baker<a href="https://lumpley.itch.io/the-king-is-dead" rel="nofollow">The King Is Dead</a> by Meguey &amp; Vincent Baker<a href="https://evilhat.com/product/stewpot/" rel="nofollow">Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern</a> by Takuma OkadaSocialsViditya on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/vidityavoleti.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://vidityavoleti.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta.

Minigames (Firebrands) with Viditya Voleti

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Transcripts available at diceexploder.comMy new game Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes is still on Kickstarter! Check it out today.In honor of BABH, this month on Dice Exploder I&#39;m covering mechanics from other games that inspired it. In keeping with this show&#39;s increasingly loose definition of &#34;mechanic,&#34; today I&#39;m joined by Sam Roberts (Escape from Dino Island) to tackle one of this game&#39;s greatest influences: the 2014 Keanu Reeves movie John Wick.The first half of this ep is basically a movie podcast. We go deep on what makes John Wick tick (in brief: the first 30 minutes). But the back half we get into the extremely popular concept within indie rpgs of genre emulation: making games that evoke another piece of media or genre of media. What makes genre emulation work? What do we think most people get wrong when they attempt to do it? And is it even a worthy goal?Further Reading<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sdunnewold/band-aids-and-bullet-holes" rel="nofollow">Back Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes on Kickstarter now</a>!John Wick (2014)<a href="https://samnite.itch.io/escapefromdinoisland" rel="nofollow">Escape from Dino Island</a> by Sam Roberts and Sam TungSocialsSam Roberts on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/austinwalker.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a>Sam Dunnewold on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta

John Wick (2014) and Genre Emulation with Sam Roberts

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Transcripts available at diceexploder.comToday is the launch of Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes, my melodramatic action game of bloody revenge. It&#39;s a one shot, capsule game, box set, deckbuilder rpg. Check it out.In honor of BABH, this month on Dice Exploder I&#39;m covering mechanics from other games that inspired it, starting today with the idea of character nonmonogamy. Traditionally in rpgs each player gets one main character. This is often true regardless of whether or not there&#39;s a GM: certain characters &#34;belong&#34; to each player. Not so in Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes.But what does that look like? And what does it do to play? There&#39;s a lot of games that have played with other models, but to kick things off today we&#39;re digging into how it works in Jason Morningstar&#39;s Space Post, a game about delivering the mail in space, where main postman and space ship characters are passed around between players.And to do that I&#39;m joined by Sidney Icarus, game design smarty, designer of Decaying Orbit, and former host of The Hard Move aka the podcast whose format I stole for Dice Exploder. Come on, let&#39;s get into it...Further Reading<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sdunnewold/band-aids-and-bullet-holes" rel="nofollow">Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes on Kickstarter</a><a href="https://bullypulpitgames.itch.io/space-post" rel="nofollow">Space Post</a> by Jason Morningstar<a href="https://magpiegames.com/collections/bluebeards-bride" rel="nofollow">Bluebeard&#39;s Bride</a><a href="https://evilhat.com/product/band-of-blades/" rel="nofollow">Band of Blades</a><a href="https://overlycommonname.github.io/john.html" rel="nofollow">Everyone Is John</a><a href="https://www.atlas-games.com/arsmagica/" rel="nofollow">Ars Magica</a>SocialsSidney’s <a href="http://waxwings.com.au" rel="nofollow">website</a>, <a href="http://youtube.com/@startaquest" rel="nofollow">YouTube channel</a>, and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sidneyicarus.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a>Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta

Character Nonmonogamy (Space Post) with Sidney Icarus

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Transcripts available at diceexploder.comMy first stand-alone print game, Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes, goes live on Kickstarter next week on May 5th. I have a lot to say about it, and I&#39;m gonna say a lot of it: May&#39;s going to be all episodes about mechanics from other people&#39;s games that inspired me in this design.Today I wanted to talk about Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes straight up, but I didn&#39;t want you to just take it from me all the stuff I love about it, so I&#39;m handing the show over once again to Lady Tabletop and Seraphina Garcia Ramirez. They&#39;re gonna tell you about Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes through its core mechanic: take a marker, sharpie your character&#39;s core traits onto playing cards, then shuffle those up and flip them at each other, high card wins. As Sera says, somehow adding flavor to the classic card game War makes it so much better...Further Reading<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sdunnewold/band-aids-and-bullet-holes" rel="nofollow">Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes</a> on KickstarterSocialsSeraphina on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/seraphimseraphina.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://seraphim-seraphina.itch.io/my-blog/devlog" rel="nofollow">itch</a>Lady Tabletop on Tumblr and itchThe Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta

Calling Cards (Band-Aids & Bullet Holes) with Lady Tabletop and Seraphina

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Transcripts available at diceexploder.comI love pregens! But why do I love pregens? I dug into this a bunch on an episode last year with Aaron Lim about the characters in Last Train to Bremen: I love being given a clear goal and baseline temperament when I sit down to play so I can get into drama as fast as possible. But the game Lady Blackbird goes a step further. Each character has &#34;Keys&#34; which lay out not just character traits and goals, but the central dramatic questions and stakes each character&#39;s arc is likely to concern itself with. And that, more than anything else, is probably what I want from my pregens.Whitney Delaglio joins me to talk about Lady Blackbird&#39;s Keys (originally from The Shadow of Yesterday by Clinton R. Nixon). She&#39;s got her own game coming to Backerkit next month - The Old, The Cold, The Bold - which iterates on Keys. So today we get into not just how they work but how you can make them work for you.Further Reading<a href="https://johnharper.itch.io/lady-blackbird" rel="nofollow">Lady Blackbird</a> by John HarperThe Shadow of Yesterday by Clinton R. NixonThe Old, The Cold, The Bold by Whitney Delaglio - <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/projects/toastyseahorsestudio/the-old-the-cold-the-bold" rel="nofollow">second edition on Backerkit soon</a>!SocialsWhitney on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/toastyseahorse.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a>Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com/" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.

Keys (Lady Blackbird) with Whitney Delaglio

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Transcripts available at diceexploder.comAustin Walker&#39;s new game Realis is on Kickstarter now, and it&#39;s been making splashes in the indie rpg scene since last year when the ashcan came out. The game&#39;s core mechanic, Sentences, feels like the exact kind of mechanic I love covering on this show. But where did it come from? I asked Austin to come talk to me about it and bring one of his influences, and he came back with another diceless, GM-less resolution mechanic: the token economy of weak, strong, and regular moves from Dream Askew / Dream Apart. So today we&#39;re completing Dice Exploder&#39;s accidental Dream Askew / Dream Apart trilogy (paired with the episodes on lures and setting elements from the past couple months) and then digging into what makes this system work and what Realis learned from it.Further Reading<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crum/realis" rel="nofollow">Realis is on Kickstarter now</a>!<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sdunnewold/band-aids-and-bullet-holes" rel="nofollow">Follow Sam’s game Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes on Kickstarter</a>!<a href="https://store.buriedwithoutceremony.com/products/dream-askew-dream-apart" rel="nofollow">Dream Askew / Dream Apart</a> by Avery Alder and Benjamin RosenbaumSocialsAustin on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/austinwalker.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a>Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta

Weak, Strong, and Regular Moves (Dream Askew / Dream Apart) with Austin Walker

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/4/3/22/9b2febcf-493c-4ea4-a99f-19ea27453d0c_de_2607_the_awards_nico.mp3

Transcripts available at diceexploder.com<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sdunnewold/band-aids-and-bullet-holes" rel="nofollow">Follow Band-Aids &amp; Bullet Holes on Kickstarter</a>!The Awards are back! The rpg awards show with a bent towards indie games and the guaranteed worst SEO of all time is back for another around, and the current steward of The Awards - Nico MacDougall - is back on the show this week to talk through some of our favorite mechanics from the last batch of winners.If you want to get involved in The Awards, you can apply to be a judge through the end of April and you can submit your games during the month of May! This year&#39;s Awards will cover games published between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025.Further Reading<a href="https://theawards.games/?page_id=1143" rel="nofollow">The Awards 2026</a> - apply to be a judge today!<a href="https://worldsbywatt.itch.io/cloudempress" rel="nofollow">Cloud Empress</a> by Watt<a href="https://stoutstoatpress.itch.io/border-riding" rel="nofollow">Border Riding</a> by Stout Stoat Press<a href="https://w.itch.io/this-maze" rel="nofollow">This Maze Will Be Big Enough To Call Home Someday</a> by Anna Anne Anthropy<a href="https://heycentaur.itch.io/hetthamsya" rel="nofollow">Stirring the Hornet&#39;s Nest at Het Thamsya</a> by MunkaoSocialsNico on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/gigantic-spider.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a>Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.

The Awards 2024 with Nico MacDougall

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/3/28/5/cf39af9b-7c33-4069-8cfd-7a27dd7bd4e1_de2606_tbc.mp3

Transcripts are available at diceexploder.comBee and Barclay are the hosts of Tabletop Book Club, a podcast that is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a show with such fun energy, and of course good design talk. Because Barclay has a new belonging outside belonging game that&#39;s just come out - Begin Again, check the link below - today I&#39;m talking with them about lures, maybe my favorite part of the belonging outside belonging engine, and specifically how they&#39;re implemented in Heave in the Dust...Further Reading<a href="https://plusoneexp.com/products/heaven-in-the-dust" rel="nofollow">Heaven in the Dust</a> by Luke Jordan<a href="https://plusoneexp.com/products/begin-again" rel="nofollow">Begin Again</a> by Barclay Travis<a href="https://store.buriedwithoutceremony.com/products/dream-askew-dream-apart" rel="nofollow">Dream Askew / Dream Apart</a> by Avery Alder and Benjamin RosenbaumSocials<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/tabletopbookclub.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Tabletop Book Club</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/beealexander.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bee</a>, and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/barcstravis.itch.io" rel="nofollow">Barclay</a> on BlueskySam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta.

Lures (Heaven in the Dust) with Barclay Travis and Bee Alexander

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/20/8/71288e7e-1030-433e-99de-9d04736ec788_de_2602_tz.mp3

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comMy friend Tristan Zimmerman is currently crowdfunding Ballad Hunters, a GUMSHOE game, meaning it’s based on a core mechanic built for investigation games and gathering clues. That mechanic goes like this: “always give the players the clue.” Simple! And I think so astute as to what the actual fun part of investigation is in RPGs: it’s not “can we roll high enough to progress,” it’s “once we have all these clues, how do we put them together and what do we do with them?”Further Reading<a href="https://bit.ly/4u4AOuw" rel="nofollow">Ballad Hunters</a> by Tristan Zimmerman, now on Kickstarter<a href="https://pelgranepress.com/2018/02/14/gumshoe/" rel="nofollow">GUMSHOE</a> by Cat Tobin, a list of resources for and articles about GUMSHOE<a href="https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/5742/The-Rule-BookThe-Building-Blocks-of-Games" rel="nofollow">The Rule Book: The Building Blocks of Games</a> by Jaakko Stenros and Markus MontolaSocialsTristan on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/moltensulfur.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a>.<a href="https://moltensulfur.com/" rel="nofollow">Molten Sulfur Blog</a>, <a href="https://www.nationsandcannons.com/" rel="nofollow">Nations &amp; Cannons</a>, and <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/361935/Shanty-Hunters?affiliate_id=288067" rel="nofollow">Shanty Hunters</a> from TristanSam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>.The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta.

Always Give Them The Clue (GUMSHOE) with Tristan Zimmerman

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/4/3/22/364ea57d-e89c-4f93-a28a-149c8c35fac8_de_2610_sera.mp3

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comI bet you’ve heard of this game Triangle Agency. Big exciting Kickstarter, super flashy product design, a game with… spoilers in the back? It’s corporate horror, it’s packed gorgeous art, it’s a game I spent 20 sessions with in 2025. And I… had a pretty frustrating time with the game. There is so much I love and admire about Triangle Agency, but also so much I struggled with, and I wanted to break it all down on the show.And I didn’t want to do that without bringing on someone who could unabashedly sing this game’s praises, because I think the game deserves that too. So today I’m joined by the general manager of my campaign, moderator of the Dice Exploder discord, my friend Seraphina Garcia Ramirez, to talk about the voice of Triangle Agency&#39;s game text and really the whole game at large.It&#39;s the longest episode of Dice Exploder ever. Let&#39;s go.Further Reading<a href="https://shop.hauntedtable.games/collections/games-and-accessories" rel="nofollow">Triangle Agency</a> by Caleb Zane Huett and Sean IrelandSocialsSeraphina on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/seraphimseraphina.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://seraphim-seraphina.itch.io/my-blog/devlog" rel="nofollow">itch</a>Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.

The Voice of the Text (Triangle Agency) with Seraphina Garcia Ramirez

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/24/22/47d59fce-c82f-4a44-8066-e62ff8eaa084_de_2605_td.mp3

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comIf the thesis of last week’s episode was “hey the fiction of your game matters a lot and can even have mechanical effects,” how do you know how deeply to define that fiction? Maybe no one in indie games has recently faced that question on quite the scale of Tim Denee with Blades ‘68, an expansion to Blades in the Dark. I wanted to have him on to talk about when you completely reinvent the setting, how do you think about what parts of the fiction are important and need to be kept vs what parts should evolve and change?And to do that, we picked an old mechanic from Dungeon World that cuts to the heart of it: draw maps, leave blanks. But how detailed of maps, and how big of blanks?Further Reading<a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/evil-hat/blades-68" rel="nofollow">Blades 68</a> on Backerkit<a href="https://bladesinthedark.com/greetings-scoundrel" rel="nofollow">Blades in the Dark</a> by John Harper<a href="https://www.dungeon-world.com/" rel="nofollow">Dungeon World</a>Tim’s <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/307609/doskvol-street-maps-detailed-maps-for-blades-in-the-dark" rel="nofollow">maps of Doskvol</a>SocialsTim on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/olddog.games" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://www.olddog.games/" rel="nofollow">olddog.games</a>Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta.

Draw Maps, Leave Blanks (Dungeon World) with Tim Denee

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/20/7/ce40a0f4-973e-4254-bfa8-05c24d8d20bd_de_s08e02_nova.mp3

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comIn Blades in the Dark, you play as criminals in Doskvol a haunted city where the ghosts are such a problem that they built giant lightning barriers around the whole city to keep them out. That sentence alone already makes me want to get the game to the table, and we haven’t even gotten to the rules of Blades in the Dark yet.That’s the conversation I wanted to take a crack at today: rules are important, they can radically shape play, but the fiction a game brings is just as important. Doskvol’s lightning barriers mean you can’t just run away into the wilderness after you’ve committed some crimes, and that’s just as important for ratcheting up the tension and consequences of your campaign as the mechanic of devil’s bargains...Further ReadingBlades in the Dark by John HarperMythic Bastionland by Chris McDowallApocalypse World 3e/Burned Over by Meguey &amp; Vincent BakerWanderhome by Jay DragonVincent Baker on <a href="https://lumpley.games/2019/12/30/powered-by-the-apocalypse-part-1/" rel="nofollow">How Apocalypse World Is Structured</a> (like an onion)<a href="https://samsorensen.blot.im/in-praise-of-legwork" rel="nofollow">In Praise of Legwork</a> by Sam Sorensen<a href="https://samsorensen.blot.im/1d20-diegetic-rules-1d20-hypo-diegetic-rules" rel="nofollow">1d20 Diegetic Rules, 1d20 Hypo-Diegetic Rules</a> by Sam Sorensen<a href="https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/5742/The-Rule-BookThe-Building-Blocks-of-Games" rel="nofollow">The Rule Book: The Building Blocks of Games</a> by Jaakko Stenros and Markus MontolaSocialsNova on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/moltensulfur.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a>. Nova’s blog, <a href="https://idlecartulary.com/" rel="nofollow">Playful Void</a>.Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sdunnewold.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>.The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta.

Doskvol's Lightning Barriers (Blades in the Dark) with Nova

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/2/9/4/26410da7-33c2-40da-9755-27e3d4e9bf60_de_s08e01_kodi.mp3

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comThere&#39;s many ways to decide who has authority over what in an RPG. Traditional games have a bunch of players with one PC each and a GM responsible for everything else, while Dreams Askew / Dream Apart by Avery Alder and Ben Rosenbaum takes a very different approach: divide that &#34;everything else&#34; up into flavorful pieces, like &#34;gossip &amp; reputation&#34; and &#34;the wild forest&#34; and give everyone a piece. That choice has become one of the backbones of Belonging Outside Belonging games (hacks of Dream Askew / Dream Apart), and today I&#39;m joined by my good friend Kodi Gonzaga, a designer making just such a game, to break down exactly how it works at the table.Kodi&#39;s game <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jaztice/extra-ordinary-ttrpg-softcover-print-run" rel="nofollow">Extra Ordinary is on Kickstarter now</a>. Check it out!Further Reading<a href="https://store.buriedwithoutceremony.com/products/dream-askew-dream-apart" rel="nofollow">Dream Askew / Dream Apart</a> by Avery Alder and Benjamin RosenbaumSocials<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jaztice/extra-ordinary-ttrpg-softcover-print-run" rel="nofollow">Extra Ordinary on Kickstarter</a>!Kodi on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/jaztice.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a>.Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>.The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!Dice Exploder on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/DiceExploder" rel="nofollow">Patreon</a>CreditsOur logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Em Acosta.

Setting Elements (Dream Askew / Dream Apart) with Kodi Gonzaga

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/1/27/22/67360821-a5f3-4905-bb44-a50b21a5b7ea_afterimage_e03_erpl_and_the_letters.mp3

Dice Exploder: Afterimage is alternative show format, a cross between play report and personal memoir.The Experimental Role-Playing Laboratory, or ERPL, was a thrice a year mini convention put on by students at my college back in the 00s and 10s and onward to this day. It&#39;s how I got into indie games. I still think about it, and the people I met there, to this day. They still mean something to me. What might I still mean to them?Written, edited, and performed by Sam DunnewoldTristan Zimmerman at <a href="https://moltensulfur.com/" rel="nofollow">the Molten Sulfur blog</a>Steven’s <a href="https://clickworkspress.com/join/steven/" rel="nofollow">newsletter</a> and <a href="https://clickworkspress.com/books/" rel="nofollow">novels</a>. Try Black Velvet to start.Transcript available at www.diceexploder.comMusic by Blue Dot Sessions: https://app.sessions.blue/My games: sdunnewold.itch.ioFollow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/diceexploder.com

Afterimage: The Experimental Role-Playing Laboratory

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/12/22/20/9a722695-b0bc-4a2b-8bc0-adc524b0d224_de_s07e99_eoy_2025.mp3

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comIt&#39;s the Dice Exploder 2025 year end bonanza! This year I&#39;m joined by Lin Codega and Diogo Nogueira to go over a whole bunch of game mechanics that we think represent where rpgs were at in 2025 and where they might be going in the future.Further Reading<a href="https://chrismcdee.itch.io/mythic-bastionland" rel="nofollow">Mythic Bastionland</a> by Chris McDowall<a href="https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/abed5f86-0475-4722-bc71-cf5662ca987f/landing?ref=home-page" rel="nofollow">Praise the Hawkmoth King</a> by Sage the Anagogue<a href="https://www.rascal.news/i-want-to-fight-my-friends-in-the-back-of-a-moving-truck/" rel="nofollow">I want to fight my friends in the back of a moving truck</a> by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez<a href="https://lumpley.games/2024/05/08/traffic-lights-are-communication-tools/" rel="nofollow">Traffic Lights Are Communication Tools</a> by Meguey Baker<a href="https://www.daggerheart.com" rel="nofollow">Daggerheart</a><a href="https://shop.mcdmproductions.com/collections/draw-steel?srsltid=AfmBOorMVPyLvlWc5yVfAaJmKFd6ZFKaxnGZxH6oBFz5e1wJQam8FcB-" rel="nofollow">Draw Steel</a><a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/the-one-ring/starter-set/" rel="nofollow">The One Ring starter set</a><a href="https://samsorensen.blot.im/mothership-month-2025-wargame-over/under" rel="nofollow">Sam Sorensen’s overview of Over/Under</a> and <a href="https://www.rascal.news/how-to-find-an-ending-in-over-under-mothership-discord-megagame/" rel="nofollow">one of Lin’s pieces on the aftermath</a><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lumpleygames/apocalypse-world-burned-over" rel="nofollow">Apocalypse World 3e Kickstarter</a> (now finished)Socials<a href="https://rascal.news" rel="nofollow">Rascal.news</a><a href="https://oldskull-publishing.com/weird-games-and-weirder-people/" rel="nofollow">Weird Games and Weirder People</a><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/lincodega.com" rel="nofollow">Lin</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/diogooldskull.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Diogo</a> on Bluesky.Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>.The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!Dice Exploder on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/DiceExploder" rel="nofollow">Patreon</a>

2025 Year End Bonanza

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/11/23/21/d1b53c61-9645-4d52-9d2a-6531f409c457_de_s07e07_quinns.mp3

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comMausritter is an old school dungeon crawling game where instead of playing as elves fighting dragons, you play as mice fleeing from owls. It’s not unlike any number of other old school games like Cairn or Into the Odd, but its inventory system is the only inventory system I’ve ever actually liked. Does it work differently than other games? At a raw numbers level, not really! But instead of a bunch of paper bookkeeping, Mausritter turns items into little cardboard squares like board game pieces that you put in a grid on your character sheet. That physicality makes all the difference.Further Reading<a href="https://mausritter.com/" rel="nofollow">Mausritter</a> by Isaac Williams<a href="https://thisisvictor.itch.io/the-lonely-oak" rel="nofollow">The Lonely Oak</a> by Victor Lane<a href="https://cairnrpg.com/" rel="nofollow">Cairn</a> by Yochai Gal<a href="https://bladesinthedark.com/greetings-scoundrel" rel="nofollow">Blades in the Dark</a> by John HarperQuinns Quest on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Quinns_Quest" rel="nofollow">youtube</a> and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/qquest/posts" rel="nofollow">patreon</a>.SocialsQuinns on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/itsquinns.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a>.Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>.The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!Dice Exploder on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/DiceExploder" rel="nofollow">Patreon</a>

Inventory Tetris (Mausritter) with Quinns

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/11/8/20/d8e89fb3-b2d3-4acd-af32-ef1180e8e94e_de_s07e06_bakers.mp3

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comApocalypse World 3rd edition is on Kickstarter right now. In many ways, it hasn’t changed much. In many ways, it&#39;s a whole new apocalypse. So I thought it&#39;d be fun to have on the Bakers and go through a playbook - the Brainer in 2e vs its equivalent the Brain-Picker in 3e - and ask them about every single change on the sheet, from updating the basic moves all the way down to a single name on a single picklist.Further Reading<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lumpleygames/apocalypse-world-burned-over" rel="nofollow">Apocalypse World: Burned Over 3e on Kickstarter</a> and <a href="https://lumpley.games/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Apocalypse-World-3rd-Ed-Preview-The-Brain-Picker-the-Gearcutter-the-Volatile.pdf" rel="nofollow">a preview of The Brain-Picker</a><a href="http://apocalypse-world.com/" rel="nofollow">Apocalypse World 2e handouts</a>, including the Brainer<a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/143141670?pr=true" rel="nofollow">Designing a seduce or manipulate replacement</a> on the Dice Exploder PatreonPreview <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/apocalypse-world-142551952" rel="nofollow">the Bakers’ seduce or manipulate replacement</a> on their PatreonSocials<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/megueyb.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Meguey</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/lumpley.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">Vincent</a> on Bluesky.<a href="https://lumpley.games/" rel="nofollow">The Baker House Blog</a>Sam on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">Bluesky</a> and <a href="https://sdunnewold.itch.io/" rel="nofollow">itch</a>.The Dice Exploder blog is at <a href="http://www.diceexploder.com" rel="nofollow">diceexploder.com</a>Our logo was designed by <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sporgory.bsky.social" rel="nofollow">sporgory</a>, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is <a href="https://soundcloud.com/purelygrey/sunset-bridge" rel="nofollow">Sunset Bridge</a> by Purely Grey.Join the <a href="https://discord.gg/PhJStRPQDa" rel="nofollow">Dice Exploder Discord</a> to talk about the show!Dice Exploder on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/DiceExploder" rel="nofollow">Patreon</a>

The Brainer VS The Brain-Picker (Apocalypse World 2e/3e) with the Bakers

A show about tabletop RPG design. Each episode we bring you a single mechanic and break it down as deep as we possibly can. Co-hosted by Sam Dunnewold and a rotating roster of designers. <a href="diceexploder.com">diceexploder.com</a>