Modern Mythology | Story & Setting in RPGs and beyond

Modern Mythology
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How do stories and systems intersect and influence each other? This push and pull offers us a chance to deepen our understanding and appreciation of how writing and role-playing games connect and co-evolve. Through conversations and one shot Actual-play episodes, we explore how the tools we use shape the stories we tell, whether those tools are implicit or explicit. Whether you’re a veteran or new to the scene, we invite you to join us.

  1. Episode 23: Burning Wheel

    2D AGO

    Episode 23: Burning Wheel

    Burning Wheel has stayed Scott’s favorite RPG for a reason, and this two-hour episode digs into the specifics. We look at how the game’s tools reinforce each other at the table: lifepath character creation, goal-driven play, organic advancement, and combat with real risk. In combination, those systems tend to produce strong characterization and narrative momentum without forcing outcomes. Burning Wheel is an fantasy RPG designed by Luke Crane that pretty consistently shows up in many of the top lists of Indie RPG’s. It uses a d6 dice-pool engine and centers play on character beliefs and consequential choices. The current core book, Burning Wheel Gold Revised, is presented by the publisher as the definitive revised edition. Even in this short session, the interplay of these mechanics creates standout moments—scenes shaped by player intent, and tension that comes from pressure rather than pre-scripted plot. If you’re interested in how system and story lock together in practice, this episode works as a clear case study. Hope you enjoy as much as we did. Topics discussed: 00:00:30 Introduce Characters 00:16:45 Scene One - The Arrival 00:28:10 Scene Two - The Prodigal Child Returns 00:37:00 Scene Three - The Race to the Throne 00:48:25 Scene Four - Slip Away 00:56:00 Scene Five - Involving the Etharch 01:05:00 Scene Six - The Receiving Room 01:08:50 Scene Seven - Sibling Reunion 01:23:00 Scene Eight- Gathering Storm 01:37:00 Scene Nine - Now We Hunt Orc 01:59:30 Debrief - Song of Unraveling For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. ModernMythology.net

    2 min
  2. Episode 22: Technology and TTRPGs

    FEB 3

    Episode 22: Technology and TTRPGs

    Modern Mythology Ep. 22 — Technology takes a reflective look at how changing technologies have shaped tabletop role-playing games over time. From physical tools at the table to digital spaces that bring groups together across distance, we talk about what stuck, what faded, and why. Along the way, we explore how randomness, connectivity, and new creative tools altered player expectations and game culture. The discussion moves through technology adoption, miniatures, bringing technology to the table, and the question of what the “big jump” was. We also talk about RNG, online gaming, getting the party together, virtual tabletops (VTTs), streaming, and artificial intelligence and LLMs—then close by considering where technology helps the most, and where it’s best to step back. Throughout we ponder the pros and cons and implicit tradeoffs that always arise in the course of adopting technology into our lives. Topics: 00:00:00 A Looming Threat 00:02:00 Jump right in 00:08:30 Technology adoption 00:13:45 Miniatures 00:19:15 Bringing technology to the table 00:25:15 What was the big technological jump? 00:36:40 RNG 00:40:44 Online gaming 00:55:20 Getting the party together 01:05:00 Virtual Tabletop (VTT) 01:13:45 Streaming 01:17:35 Artificial Intelligence and LLMs 01:31:30 Technological Sweet Spot For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. ModernMythology.net

    2 min
  3. Episode 21: Sci-Fi RPG Season Debrief

    JAN 5

    Episode 21: Sci-Fi RPG Season Debrief

    Episode 21 closes our sci-fi season with a debrief: what we learned when theory met the table. We revisit the systems we ran—Coriolis, Freemarket, CBR+PNK, Mothership, Twilight Imperium among others—and pull out the through-lines that surfaced across very different design priorities, moving between genre, system, and setting. Across the season, certain levers kept showing up, including Dark Points and panic clocks. Downtime becomes a design layer, not just a breather. Tech and transportation aren’t just stylistic; they’re constraints you can plan around, exploit, or get trapped inside. Memory and transhumanism come into focus too: what happens to stakes when identity is modular. One question kept circling throughout the season: what makes something science fiction at the table? Vibes matter, but so do the costs the rules make visible—risk, logistics, scarcity, and human limits. The boundary gets tested against fantasy: when is “sci-fi vs. fantasy” a productive restriction, and when is it an empty category you paint over with aesthetic? No single answer lands, but a few useful ways to frame the problem emerge. If you’ve been with us all season, this is the after-action report. If you’re new, it’s a fast way to see how we read mechanics as part of story structure. Topics Discussed: 00:00:45 Talk of Genre 00:29:00 What we played 00:45:00 Heroes and the Everyman 00:01:00 Media Touchpoints 01:05:00 Downtime and Resource Management 01:19:15 Games we didn't play 01:52:30 Season Favorites For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. ModernMythology.net

    2 min
  4. Episode 20: Twilight Imperium Actualplay RPG (Genesys)

    12/23/2025

    Episode 20: Twilight Imperium Actualplay RPG (Genesys)

    This week is an interesting collision between board games and tabletop RPGs as we jump into Twilight Imperium: Ashes of Power, the Free RPG Day adventure built for the Genesys roleplaying system. Designed as an easy on-ramp, Ashes of Power comes with simplified Genesys rules and pre-made characters—so you can go from “what is Genesys?” to “roll initiative” fast. In play, we focus on what makes Genesys narrative dice work: a roll doesn’t just hinge on success or failure. It also includes story-driving fallout like Advantage vs. Threat, plus swingy moments of Triumph and Despair that change the scene in surprising ways. If you’re curious how a “board-game readable” resolution engine can still generate rich improvisation, this episode is a great sampler of Genesys in motion. This is also our final sci-fi themed system for the time being in our actual play series. Next episode, we’ll look back on the sci-fi games we’ve played and what we learned along the way. Topics Discussed: 00:00:30 Boardgame to RPG 00:03:40 Free RPG Day https://www.edge-studio.net/shares/twilight-imperium/ 00:11:35 Setting Info dump 00:17:45 Scene 1: Ashes of Power 00:22:15 Scene 2 00:41:40 Scene 3 00:48:40 Scene 4 01:05:25 Scene 5 01:11:25 Scene 6 01:18:30 Scene 7 01:40:30 Scene 8 01:44:10 Scene 9 01:48:00 Debrief 01:55:40 Let’s Roll Some Dice... For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. ModernMythology.net

    2 min
  5. Episode 19: Troupe-Style Play

    11/18/2025

    Episode 19: Troupe-Style Play

    In this episode, Jamie and Scott dig into troupe-style play—campaigns where each player might run multiple characters over time instead of a single, fixed PC. We talk about what changes when you treat the cast as an ensemble instead of a party, and how that shift can affect spotlight, continuity, and the kinds of stories your table can tell. Using games like Ars Magica, Pendragon, Blades in the Dark, Street Fighter, and Call of Cthulhu as examples—plus related play styles like West Marches, (featured in the newest Critical Role campaign), we trace how different designs handle rotating characters, support casts, and backup sheets. Some lean into covenants, households, or crews as the “real” protagonist; others quietly assume you’ll have replacement investigators or alternates waiting in the wings. We also get practical. Why would you run a campaign in troupe mode? How do you build emotional investment when players are juggling multiple sheets? What are the pros and cons—the real pitfalls like prep overhead, continuity snarls, uneven buy-in—and what tools actually help you avoid them? Topics discussed: 00:00:45 What is Troupe Style play 00:07:15 Why? Philip José Farmer's The Dungeon Series 00:16:50 Pros and Cons 00:30:00 The Funnel/Attrition Elder Goblin Games 00:39:00 Generational Play 00:42:00 Exploring the setting 00:49:40 The Hex Crawl Legendary Kalmatta #61 OSE West Marches Hexcrawl Actual Play 00:57:00 Implementation Ars Magica For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. ModernMythology.net

    1 min
  6. Episode 18: Freemarket RPG Actualplay

    10/29/2025

    Episode 18: Freemarket RPG Actualplay

    Next in our first line-up of sci fi RPGs, we get to play a really exciting game in our catalogue – Freemarket by Luke Crane and Jared Sorenson. This is a system-forward, reputation-driven game that’s brilliant and notoriously opaque, at least at the outset. FreeMarket runs like an open-world sandbox. Your choices broadcast to the network; the network pushes back. Stakes aren’t hit points but status, access, and who will work with you tomorrow. The game excels in long-form play, but this session spotlights the core loop: scenes framed by goals, conflicts resolved without binary pass/fail, and consequences that reshape what you can credibly do next. We run a short actual play to show that loop in action while Scott lays the groundwork so you can see how it operates. We close with tools you can lift for any RPG: treat social capital as a resource, let player-defined objectives pull content, and use mechanics that reward collaboration while still pricing trade-offs. If the setting or rules feel unintuitive, this episode makes them legible—and immediately useful at your table. Topics discussed: 00:00 Character Creation 16:25 Scene Development 24:00 Initial discussion about “The Brand” 42:30 “The Hand That Feeds You” 70:20 “Party With Dodger” 85:25 “Desperate Search for Attention” 98:50 “Right Place, Right Falafel” 110:55 Endgame 121:00 Reflecting on Freemarket For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. For podcasts, articles and more, visit ModernMythology.net

    2h 25m

  7. 10/13/2025

    Episode 17: Trinity Aeon Storypath

    All four hosts join the table as Scott storyguides Trinity Continuum: Æon by Onyx Path, marking the first full-group session in our sci-fi series. We put the Storypath system through its paces, showing how Attributes + Skills shape scene pacing and spotlight moments, while smart resource management heightens tension and demands sharper decision-making. It’s a clear demonstration of our story-meets-mechanics approach—and a preview of the tone and tempo you’ll see in our live-streamed sci-fi campaign launching October 2025. Canon note: for the online campaign, the mission-briefing org is The Directive, not “Aegis,” to align with Trinity canon. For more on the discussion of System and Style check out James' article series, Rules in Practice and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. Topics discussed: 00:02:40 A piece of history 00:15:20 Actual Play - What are we doing here? 00:18:15 The crew of the Keres 00:23:20 Karu V 00:27:55 The Away Team 00:56:00 Planetfall 01:21:16 Day 2 - Second Wave 01:42:24 Recap of StoryPath System For podcasts, articles and more, visit ModernMythology.net

    2h 5m
  8. Episode 16: CBR+PNK Actualplay

    08/25/2025

    Episode 16: CBR+PNK Actualplay

    Recorded just before Episode 13 (Echoes of the Veil), this session has Scott running Mind the Gap—Emanoel Melo’s compact introduction to CBR+PNK—for James and Sean. The pamphlet delivers a self-contained cyberpunk heist in the Forged-in-the-Dark lineage, offering both a crash course in the system’s flow and a taste of its sharp, high-pressure style. We used it as a baseline for comparison with Raffi’s expanded version in Episode 13, highlighting what the core rules do well, where questions remain, and how the system might evolve when stretched into longer form play. Topics discussed: 00:01:15 Getting started with Characters 00:17:30 Getting started with Play 00:20:35 Car 18 00:21:38 Determine the package 00:23:32 The first thing that happens... 01:08:10 Entering Car 19 01:16:00 The lights turn red 01:19:00 Change direction! 01:23:00 Car 17 01:28:00 Car 16 -- turned around? 01:34:04 The Simulacrum 01:35:14 The bunny is a virus 01:47:46 Deliver to car 12 01:49:52 Denouement -- Crispr doesn't actually have a family, Diz has terminal cancer 01:55:08 Discussion on CBR+PNK and some comparisons with BitD For podcasts, articles and more, visit ModernMythology.net

    2h 15m
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How do stories and systems intersect and influence each other? This push and pull offers us a chance to deepen our understanding and appreciation of how writing and role-playing games connect and co-evolve. Through conversations and one shot Actual-play episodes, we explore how the tools we use shape the stories we tell, whether those tools are implicit or explicit. Whether you’re a veteran or new to the scene, we invite you to join us.

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