Best Mucked Up Productions Podcasts (2025)

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The Ring Knight Honors the Weeping Seer-with Jeremy Bent & Chris McDowall Ep. 71 58:04

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2d ago58:04

58:04

Welcome to D&D Outloud with Ben Riggs, I am Ben Riggs, apparently controversial D&D historian and author of Slaying the Dragon A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons, and over the past 13 years of writing and podcasting, I have met hundreds of creative geniuses in and around the world of TTRPGs. Here on this show, I ask two of these flaming torches…

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"D&D is Not in the Innovation Biz" A Conversation with Two 4th Ed Designers- Ep 70 1:04:18

11d ago1:04:18

1:04:18

Does 4E D&D have the best combat? The question leads us to a conversation with two of the game's three lead designers. First up, we have Rob Heinsoo, one of the leading minds behind Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition. He’s also the co-creator of 13th Age, a system that blends narrative freedom with crunchy mechanics in amazing ways. He’s a designer, a …

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"All of the $ should be coming to Wizards-" an interview with the former WotC Book Team Ep. 69 56:29

17d ago56:29

56:29

Wanna know what the hell is going on at WotC? Let’s ask people who used to work there. It is difficult to describe what a superstar gathering this is on the show. These are not the first names that you think of when you hear D&D, but they are just as significant if not more so than the names we all know. First Liz Schuh, whose final title at Wizard…

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This Guy Reviewed an RPG that Doesn't Exist! Ep. 68 with Luke Gearing & Leo Hunt 48:48

24d ago48:48

48:48

An in-depth conversation with two of the most remarkable adventure-writers working today: Luke Gearing & Leo Hunt! Luke Gearing, is an incredible voice in the tabletop RPG world. His work includes Acid Death Fantasy for Troika!, the epic and disturbing Gradient Descent for Mothership and the Wages of Sin bounty book. His work is gritty, evocative, …

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"Corporations are colonizing your imagination for profit. TTRPGs are a liberation movement!"- Ep. 67 59:32

1M ago59:32

59:32

Today, enjoy this conversation between 3rd edition D&D lead designer Jonathan Tweet and TTRPG historians Shannon Appelcline and Ben Riggs! They discuss one of the hotbeds of gaming ferment, St. Olaf College, which produced nerd legends like Lisa Stevens, Mark Rein-Hagen, Nicole Lindroos, and Tweet himself. Then they move on to discuss one of the mo…

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Secrets of the Bestselling D&D Adventure of All Time- Ep 66 57:39

1M ago57:39

57:39

Our guest tonight is a giant in the realms — literally and figuratively. Richard Baker is a legendary Dungeons & Dragons designer, novelist, and world-builder whose fingerprints are all over the game we love. He’s helped shape settings like the Forgotten Realms, Birthright, and Alternity. He designed iconic adventures. He wrote novels that bring fa…

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Solving the Mysteries of the D&D Business: A Gen Con 2025 Seminar- Ep. 65 54:28

1M ago54:28

54:28

D&D is bigger than it has ever been, but being a D&D fan in 2025 is deeply confusing. The questions come on and on. Why do extensive promotion of a virtual tabletop for D&D, Sigil, and then give it no marketing at rollout and kill it a month later? Why has there been an exodus of staff from the company? Why, after a golden age during the game’s 5th…

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Is WotC Mucking this Up? Ep. 64 1:00:58

2M ago1:00:58

1:00:58

Is Wizards messing this up? We discuss with two titans of the TTRPG industry! First up, David M. Ewalt – journalist, editor, and author of the engaging and wonderful Of Dice and Men. He is currently the editor in chief of Scientific American, which may make him the most prestigious personage I’ve ever had on this podcast. He is also the author of D…

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OSR Secrets Revealed! Ep. 63 55:31

2M ago55:31

55:31

This week, we go deep into the Old School Revolution with Old School Essentials creator Gavin Norman and Josh McCrowell of His Majesty the Worm! Gavin Norman is the mind behind some of the most exciting work in the modern OSR scene. He is best known for Old-School Essentials, the gold standard for clean, accessible retro-gaming rules that have brou…

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Is this the Best RPG Book of All Time? Ep. 62 1:09:09

2M ago1:09:09

1:09:09

My guest tonight is a legend in the world of game design and storytelling. Richard Dansky is best known as the mind behind some of the darkest and most compelling corners of the World of Darkness. He served as the developer for Wraith: The Oblivion and helped shape the haunting masterpiece Charnel Houses of Europe: The Shoah, one of the most powerf…

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D&D Designer Meets the Questing Beast! Ep. 61 1:01:22

2M ago1:01:22

1:01:22

This one’s a banger: D&D designer Steve Winter meets Ben Milton of Questing Beast! Ben Milton is a game designer, YouTube sage, and sorceror-king of the OSR demigod! He’s the mind behind Knave 2e and the force behind Questing Beast, your portal to the wild, weird wonders of old-school RPGs. If you like sharp rules, deadly dungeons, and freedom at t…

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A Conclave of RPG Historians- Ep. 60 58:57

3M ago58:57

58:57

Not one, not two, but THREE RPG HISTORIANS in one hour of amazing audio! Today, we are fortunate to have with us Shannon Appelcline, author of the magisterial THIS IS FREE TRADER BEOWULF, which is a history of the Traveller RPG. He’s probably most famous for DESIGNERS AND DRAGONS, which is his multi-volume history of seemingly every role-playing ga…

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Legendary RPG Designer Breaks Media Silence- Ep. 59 1:07:53

3M ago1:07:53

1:07:53

I can't believe I got these two on the show together! First, Kevin Crawford is a TTRPG design legend. My favorites from his work are Stars Without Number, and Worlds Without Number, both of which have been tremendously successful and influential as paragons of sleek game design and peerless GM tools. Stars was what I ran during the pandemic, and Wo…

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Did this guy save Dungeons & Dragons? Ep 58 1:01:00

3M ago1:01:00

1:01:00

Who saved Dungeons & Dragons? How many people could say that they saved Dungeons & Dragons? Off the top of my head, I would say that the list of people who could say they saved D&D at some point over the course of its 51-year history is less than 20. But I believe I have one of those people who could credibly tell a story explaining how they saved …

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Commander Shephard in Ravenloft Ep. 57 59:10

3M ago59:10

59:10

The theme of today’s conversation is Ravenloft, but I don’t know think that’s the best place to actually start introducing my three guests. Instead, I am going to say that I have a very addictive personality. I play one video game about every three years. But one of the video games I have played is MASS EFFECT, and with us today is the accomplished…

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Are Hexcrawls the Adventure's Final Form? with Jacob Hurst & WF Smith Ep. 56 58:09

4M ago58:09

58:09

Are hexcrawls the adventure's final form? We discuss that very question with two of the premier purveyors of the hexcrawl format in the 21st century: Jacob Hurst & WF Smith, aka Prismatic Wasteland. Jacob is one of the brilliant minds behind The Dark of Hot Springs Island, a hexcrawl of evil elves, interdimensional drug dealers, and beached whales.…

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Are TTRPG Creators Geniuses? with Stephen Radney-Macfarland Ep. 55 57:33

4M ago57:33

57:33

I have interviewed bestselling authors, Ivy League professors, and comic creators whose work has gone on to generate billions at the box office. But as a class, TTRPG professionals seem to be the smartest people I regularly talk to. I discuss this and other fascinating points this week with Stephen Radney-Macfarland, a designer with a TTRPG resume …

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Advanced World Creation with Jeff Grubb & Kevin Kulp Ep. 54 1:01:20

4M ago1:01:20

1:01:20

Kevin Kulp & Jeff Grubb have, between them, created entire cosmologies and entire timelines. Kulp is the award-winning creator of Timewatch and the investigative fantasy game, Swords of the Serpentine. Grubb, a legend in his own time, is the engineer of the Forgotten Realms, creator of Spelljammer, and writer of Manual of the Planes. Hear the pair …

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A Brief History of Traveller with Shannon Appelcline Ep 53 59:56

4M ago59:56

59:56

Shannon Appelcline is a TTRPG historian par excellence. His Designers & Dragons set a high bar for the field and I cannot recommend it too highly. HIs recent Traveller history, This is Free Trader Beowulf, is similarly excellent. Today, we talk with Shannon about his time in the trenches of RPG history! Ben interviewed 2nd ed designer Zeb Cook in H…

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What was the first RPG? It ain't what you think... Ep 52 59:38

5M ago59:38

59:38

Ask a round of nerds what the first RPG was, and you'll likely get D&D as your answer. Some might shout out Blackmoor. A few may say Braunstein. But what if the answer was... something else? A long talk with the Thucydides of RPG history, Jon Peterson! Pick up the first volume of Playing at the World 2nd Edition here! Read Jon's article on Western …

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Why Sci-Fi with Author Mary Fan Ep. 51 50:20

5M ago50:20

50:20

Mary Fan is a sci-fi stalwart, a prolific author whose novels include the Jane Colt series among many, many, others, and lifelong reader. She shares with us her favorite short story, which happens to be by Polish genius Stanislaw Lem, and of course we argue about Star Wars and Star Trek. Ben interviewed 2nd ed designer Zeb Cook in Hugh Hefner's sui…

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Mike Mearls + Kelsey Dionne = An Hour of Happy Ep. 50 58:44

5M ago58:44

58:44

You will not regret spending an hour listening to this conversation between 5th edition designer Mike Mearls and Shadowdark designer Kelsey Dionne. The pair are without question two of the most outstanding game designers working in TTRPGs today, and in this episode, they each give us a peek into their persons and processes. You can find Mike's Patr…

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Lin Codega's Next Scoops Will Knock Your Socks Off- Ep 49 1:05:10

6M ago1:05:10

1:05:10

Lin Codega is the most important gaming journalist in the history of TTRPGs. They broke the OGL scandal wide open and changed the industry forever. In this hour-long conversation, Ben picks their brain about the state of things today, and where they are going next. Find further delight in Lin's words at Rascal! Ben interviewed 2nd ed designer Zeb C…

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Sword & Sorcery in School- Ep. 48 with Dr. Jason Ray Carney 1:00:17

6M ago1:00:17

1:00:17

The pulp fiction that influenced Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu was once considered disposable entertainment. But now it is taught in school! This week we pick the brain of Dr. Jason Ray Carney, a professor of English at Christopher Newport University who teaches weird fiction! The next thing we're going to release on the Patreon feed is an…

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The Best RPG History You Haven't Read- Ep 47 with Stu Horvath 1:00:59

6M ago1:00:59

1:00:59

Stu Horvath is an RPG historian you need to hear about. His book, Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground is enlightening, engaging, entertaining, and informative. Oh, and gorgeous! It is a romp through 50 plus years of iconic RPG products, from the obvious to the obscure. In this episode, we discuss Chaosium's Theives' World. Pick up Stu's book …

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Guess How Many Copies of Shadowdark Have Been Sold? Ep. 46 1:01:51

6M ago1:01:51

1:01:51

Shadowdark is the new hotness in the OSR community. Shadowdark is a cobra. Fast. Elegant. Deadly. Beautiful. I'm running Shadowdark because it is a game that demands to be played. The internet asks, is Shadowdark a D&D-slayer? In this hour-long seminar from Gary Con, Kelsey Dionne gives us a deep look into the workings of the game, her company, and…

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The Oldest Existing Publisher of RPGs is Still Making Waves- Ep. 45 55:31

6M ago55:31

55:31

Michael O'Brien is vice-president of Chaosium, the oldest extant RPG company, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! In this interview, Ben & Michael go back to the dawn of fantasy RPGs, and talk about the brilliant minds that have made Chaosium home this past half-century. Check out O'Brien's Sun Country, which he described as "Spart…

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D&D in Front of an Audience with PowerPoints- Ep. 44 53:35

7M ago53:35

53:35

Cory Burns is at the forefront of D&D actualplays, because his incorporates audience participation! We chew the fat with Burns, creator of Adventures Improvised, which plays D&D in front of an audience using powerpoints and audience participation. He has his own RPG, Wanderverse, which will be kickstarting on March 25th. Playtest materials for the …

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Sci-Fi in my Cthulhu is Delicious! with Matt Grau Ep 43 54:11

7M ago54:11

54:11

CthulhuTech smashes sci-fi anime with the work of Lovecraft to create something wholly new. In this episode we talk with the game's designer, Matt Grau about the game's creation, history, and his own time in video games. You can check out the CthulhuTech Kickstarter here! Want to hear Call of Cthulhu creator Sandy Petersen discuss game design with …

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Pirate Borg's Designer Knows the Smashing Pumpkins- Ep 42 1:01:03

7M ago1:01:03

1:01:03

Pirate Borg designer Luke Stratton is a true polymath. Not only did he make the setting and the rules for his brutal, fast, and fun pirate RPG, but he also did the art! Additionally, he is a famous lighting designer who traveled the world lighting grunge gods, the Smashing Pumpkins! Want to hear Call of Cthulhu creator Sandy Petersen discuss game d…

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How to Design a World with Ed Greenwood- Ep 41 1:04:39

7M ago1:04:39

1:04:39

Ed Greenwood may be the most successful Canadian fantasist of all time. His work has been translated into novels, comic books, games, movies, and (hopefully) a Netflix TV series. Come and learn the secrets of world-building from the creator of the Forgotten Realms! Pry loose the arcane secrets of Ed by subscribing to his Patreon here! Are you intri…

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Game Designers are Cool. Except for Owen KC Stephens. Ep. 40 1:04:59

8M ago1:04:59

1:04:59

Owen KC Stephens is the legendary game designer who co-designed the SAGA edition Star Wars RPG and Starfinder, but ask him if game designers are cool, and he'll tell you cool is for other people. We cover snake people, pirates, Cthulhu, and imposter syndrome on this week's episode of Reading D&D Aloud! Entertain your mind with Owen's visions by con…

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Why Mike Mearls Left D&D- Ep 39 1:09:28

8M ago1:09:28

1:09:28

Today, we continue our discussion about "Wish" in with 5E co-lead designer, Mike Mearls! And once that discussion is complete, I ask Mike a question that has fueled endless internet speculation since 2019: Why did Mike leave D&D? Did you know that in 1995, TSR sold $1 million of modules, but $1.2 million in Monstrous Compendiums? Become a Patreon s…

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Becoming the Shadow with Richard Dansky- Ep 38 47:33

8M ago47:33

47:33

Richard Dansky was one of the core voices during the golden age of White Wolf. In this episode, we discuss one of the most unusual parts of the most unusual game published by White Wolf in the 90s: the Shadow, a player at the table who played the voice of the devil in your head. Pickup Dansky's books here! Ben has begun to digitize his D&D history …

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Sex in D&D Fiction with Erin M. Evans- Ep 37 50:08

8M ago50:08

50:08

Erin M. Evans wrote seven Forgotten Realms novels, and she joins us today to talk about what happened when she referenced sex in her novel, The Adversary... Pick up Erin's novel, Empire of Exiles, here! Ben has begun to digitize his D&D history archive. Every Wednesday, he will be releasing one new digital document on the show's Patreon Discord. La…

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The Swine Dinner - Part 1 24:12

8M ago24:12

24:12

Virgil, Harmon and Aloysius hitch a ride all the way above the canal for a long-awaited pig roast that Harmon won on the radio.By Mucked Up Productions

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The Dungeons of Al-Qadim with Sue Weinlein- Ep 36 55:40

9M ago55:40

55:40

Behold the dark and deadly dungeons beneath the desert's sands! TSR alumna Sue Weinlein joins Ben Riggs to discuss the 2nd edition Al-Qadim supplement, Cities of Bone.By Brutal Segue Productions

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D&D on Death Row- Ep. 35 49:55

9M ago49:55

49:55

Billy Wardlow was executed in Texas on July 8th, 2020. He spent his last few weeks of life playing D&D. We only know about it because of the fantastic journalism of Keri Blakinger. Today, Ben Riggs and Dr. Aaron Trammell discuss her article, "The Dungeons & Dragons Players of Death Row" with Keri herself. Read Keri's article here. Like what we do? …

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The Designers of 3rd Edition & 4th Edition Talking About Wish Will be the Best Thing You Hear Today- Ep 34 55:45

9M ago55:45

55:45

Sometimes, you catch lightning in a bottle. That is what happened in this conversation between 3rd ed designer Jonathan Tweet, 4th ed designer Rob Heinsoo, and controversial D&D historian Ben Riggs about the spell "Wish" in D&D." Like what we do? Support the show on Patreon, and you'll get special episodes, such as Ben Riggs reading the Dungeon Mas…

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Wish in D&D with Skip Williams & Eliza Lambert- Ep 33 49:58

10M ago49:58

49:58

Wish is a spell that is ridiculously powerful, ridiculously fun, and (perhaps) ridiculously broken! We're going to do a deep dive and look at the spell across editions. Helping us look at the spell in 2nd and 3rd edition D&D are designer Skip Williams and show stalwart, Eliza Lambert! Like what we do? Support the show on Patreon, and you'll get spe…

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Appendix N in Dungeon Crawl Classics with James Lowder- Ep 32 50:08

10M ago50:08

50:08

Dungeon Crawl Classics designer Joseph Goodman set out to make a TTRPG that would recreate the wonders of fantasy and sci-fi literature as laid out by Gary Gygax in Appendix N of the 1979 Dungeon Masters Guide. In Appendix N of the Dungeon Crawl Classics, Goodman explains what he learned from Gygax's Appendix N, and how DCC is a response to it. Wri…

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The Bladesinger with Eliza Lambeert: Episode 31 55:17

10M ago55:17

55:17

Today, I humbly offer you joy and the bladesinger! The bladesingers were elven warrior-wizards who swore to defend Elvenkind against all foes. They were tattooed dandies who danced into combat, and they were so cool that they have appeared in every edition of D&D since. Here, I speak with actress and DM Eliza Lambert about them! Link in the comment…

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The Similarities Between God & Your D&D Group: Episode 30 15:18

11M ago15:18

15:18

In a solo episode, Ben reads aloud an essay from the 2nd edition Vampire: The Masqerade Player's Guide which asks us to consider: How is a TTRPG group like God? We are taking a break from the podcast until the week after the week of November 15th. I have turned off the Patreon payments, so no one will be charged for October. Frankly, this podcast h…

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The Best Defense of Orc as Other We’ve Heard: Ep. 29 53:44

12M ago53:44

53:44

If you give your villians psychology, do they lose their mythic status? Scott & Ben examine that and the debate between narrative-ism and game-ism in the TTRPG space on today's show!By Brutal Segue Productions

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A Tolkien Scholar, a Tolkien Game Designer, and Me: A Conversation with John Rateliff and Gareth Hanrahan: Episode 28 57:22

12M ago57:22

57:22

Gollum getting Sam those rabbits seems out of character somehow... Could there be something more behind it? I run a podcast, so I got Tolkien scholar John Rateliff and The One Ring game writer Gareth Hanrahan on the show to discuss! Buy The History of the Hobbit by John Rateliff here! As I write this, it is 50% off on Amazon! Sign up to be notified…

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Time is a Flat Circle Ep. 27 54:19

12M ago54:19

54:19

It's digression all the way down on this one folks! Are you looking for the juiciest of juice and the hottest of tea? Well, Ben has released his Gen Con 2024 seminar, "The Battle for the Soul of D&D," which is the culmination of dozens of hours of interviews with former Wizards of the Coast employees, and may be a sort of rough draft of his next bo…

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Who Really Created Dungeons & Dragons? Ep. 26 55:00

1y ago55:00

55:00

A reading of the spell Cure Blindness leads to the King James Bible, and a discussion of the most-controversial of D&D topics: the contributions of Gygax vs. Arneson in the creation of D&D. Are you looking for the juiciest of juice and the hottest of tea? Well, Ben has released his Gen Con 2024 seminar, "The Battle for the Soul of D&D," which is th…

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Was Gary Gygax Great or Lucky? Ep. 25 56:32

1y ago56:32

56:32

Was Gygax a great game designer? Or was he merely in the right place at the right time to connect and publish world-shaking ideas? We discuss, along with the implications of "Continual Light" from that 1st Ed DMG. Soon, we'll be releasing another of Ben's Gen Con seminars to Patrons. If you want that juicy historical goodness, join our Patreon here…

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Interview with Dr. Thomas Malaby Ep. 24 1:06:40

1y ago1:06:40

1:06:40

In this erudite and thoughtful episode, world-renowned anthropologist Dr. Thomas Malaby joins Scott & Ben to discuss the practice and history of the tabletop role-playing game. Fascinated by the ideas of Dr. Malaby? Get more of him on September 9th, when he teaches an online class at the Royal Anthropological Institute entitled, "Legitimacy through…

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D&D Should Be More Like Reading, Less Like Playing Risk Ep. 23 1:01:39

1y ago1:01:39

1:01:39

Does D&D succeed in translating the mythology of the vampire to the gaming table? Is the ritual of the tabletop role-playing game a rehearsal and practice for our own deaths? Today, we ponder these and other questions in our continuing discussion of combat as war vs. combat as sport with Harvard's own, Dr. Christopher Robichaud! Pick up the Robicha…