Roleplay Rescue

In episode one, I introduced the way in which I have learned to manage the specific ways in which my mind operates. As an anxious person with a fast-moving and deeply curious mind, I have found it necessary to lean into the specific differences that make me who I am over trying to shoe-horn my hobby into someone else’s methods. I’m moving away from viewing my mental differences as pathology and towards creating an Architecture for Play that fits the way my mind prefers to work. This time, we take the first of three deeper dives into the stances outlined in Episode 1. The Sentinel is a mental stance adopted before play begins. It is the act of circumscribing the circle for play—a "creative constraint"—that defines the Where, When, and How of the Otherworld. He is the one with one eye on consistency and the other on the rules. The Sentinel is the arbiter of the game’s reality. To help us move away from theory and into practice, I am going to actively connect these episodes to the development of the next long-form roleplaying game campaign that I would like to create. By grounding everything I am talking about in a practical example, it’s my hope that you’ll be able to see both the methodology in play and draw out ideas for working on your own approaches. If you’ve struggled with consistently running a believable fantastic Otherworld for upwards of a half-dozen sessions without driving yourself crazy, there might be something here for you.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:roleplayrescue@pm.meBlogroleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

For a long time, I thought the friction in my hobby was a personal failure. I used to record my GM's Journal while running, wind hitting the mic, breathless and fumbling, calling myself the "world's flakiest GM." I saw my diagnoses of ADHD, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, and Social Anxiety as bugs in the system—things I had to "overcome" just to run an RPG session.This season, we’re stopping the drift. I’m moving away from viewing my mental differences as pathology and towards creating an Architecture for Play that fits the way my mind prefers to work. I have stopped trying to 'fix' my brain. I’ve realised my brain isn't broken; it's just a different kind of receiver to the one some people have. I’ve stopped fighting the symptoms that troubled me and started seeing them as features rather than bugs. I call this 'High-Fidelity' play. The invocation of the Otherworld with as little distortion as possible. Aiming for an experience that feels like something original and real. A true secondary world created with and for my players.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:roleplayrescue@pm.meBlogroleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

This one's responding to a question about what you tell the players about the Otherworld before they use a Bio Sheet to create a character concept. Answer: give them an Otherworld Skeleton.Based on Jamison's methodology and drawing on my own approaches to running RPGs, this one gives an example drawing on current work to establish an Open Table fantasy game at the school club.Thanks to UberGrog for the call-in.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:roleplayrescue@pm.meBlogroleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

In this episode I lay out where Roleplay Rescue stands after the whirlwind of twenty episodes in Season 16. I dive into my “dark sorcery” experiments with AI—how tools like Lumo, Gemini and Notebook LM have become useful sidekicks for prep, NPC stats, and campaign organisation. Finally, I give listeners a quick roundup of the various tabletop groups you’re shepherding, from GURPS sci‑fi to D&D 5e, and thank the Patreon supporters who keep the hobby alive at the School RPG Club.Thanks to Alex for the call-in.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:roleplayrescue@pm.meBlogroleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

This one arose from the Karameikos recap last week and explores the way in which in-character as-character roleplay drives the emergent story in the Otherworld.Included is a reflection on what roleplay is, the approaches to play I've adapted from a couple of major sources, and the practical impact these approaches have on play. I also reflect on how much the player's input to the game is driving the play.Thanks to my players - Pat, Ryan, Chris, Matt, Derek, and Josh - for the awesome campaign we're enjoying!Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:roleplayrescue@pm.meBlogroleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

This one's a bit of an indulgence... responding to Alex's recent call-in asking to hear the story so far in Karameikos, I've cobbled together some words and shared the tale.It's impossible to do justice to the experience at the table after the fact. I hope it's worth the listen.Thanks to Alex for the request.Thanks to my players - Pat, Ryan, Chris, Matt, Derek, and Josh - for the awesome campaign we're enjoying!Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:roleplayrescue@pm.meBlogroleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

What's the power of pretend and the power of the imaginary? Of inhabiting a different Otherworld, of inhabiting a different person within an emergent tale? What is it about that which is so compelling?Thanks to Pat and Alex for the call-ins.Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:roleplayrescue@pm.meBlogroleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/

What do you do when it's game night and you're sleep-deprived or sick? You've got six players waiting and you don't want to let everyone down.What do you do?Big thanks to UberGrog for the call-in!Pat's "Processing GURPS" blog, including examples for the Bio Sheet:The Process – Processing GURPSORhttps://processinggurps.com/2025/12/04/the-process/Game on!Roleplay Rescue Details:Voice Message:speakpipe.com/roleplayrescuePatreon:patreon.com/rpgrescue Email:roleplayrescue@pm.meBlogroleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social:https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.socialRoleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/