98 episodes
Running Off The Rails Raymond O'Connor and Ariel Rascoe
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- Leisure
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5.0 • 16 Ratings
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Ray and Ariel equip new and experienced tabletop RPG players with actionable tips and tricks to bring their game to the next level.
We have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for years now and truly believe that tabletop RPGs offer a unique life experience that everyone should enjoy. Find out how you can adapt your game to your players and ensure a successful adventure at your table.
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Catching Up
Ray and Ariel play 2024 catch up. We discuss what has been going on in our lives and chat about books and media we've been consuming. We will return to topic-focused, prepared content next episode.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Physical Copy:
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails -
Notoriety in D&D | Why One Piece is Better Than Gloomhaven
Ray and Ariel discuss how to make your players feel like they are as infamous as Robin Hood or Geralt of Rivia in their own fantasy worlds. Unfortunately, these cherished characters from fiction are also infamous, and risk being chased out of any town they enter. So we need a system of notoriety for our games that still allow the PCs to walk through the world even after they've made some enemies.
Ray and Ariel review two examples of Notoriety: the bounties from One Piece which create benchmarks for progress and comparison with other pirates, vs Reputation from Gloomhaven which is multidirectional but can actively erase progress. Through these examples, Ray and Ariel devise a framework that is both multidirectional and tracks consistent forward progress.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Physical Copy:
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails -
Kick The Dog | A Guide To Dastardly Villains
Ray and Ariel discuss how to make a villain that your characters will care about—specifically care about killing them ASAP. This episode covers a classic screenwriting technique called "Kick the Dog" which establishes the bad guy by having them hurt a helpless character in the world.
Ray and Ariel review two great examples of Dog Kicking from the new One Piece series and the Disney Classic, The Emperor's new groove. Both masterclasses in establishing characters you want to punch right in the jaw.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery's Physical Copy:
https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails -
Sentient Magic Items | Sapient VS Awakened Vs Alien
Ray and Ariel discuss the different categories of sentient magic items that appear in popular fiction and Dungeons and Dragons.
From Nightblood to the One Ring, we deconstruct their sentience so that you can use the pieces to build your own items at your own tables.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails -
The Medium | Previewing Ariel's Class for the Planescape
Ray and Ariel discuss Ariel's homebrew class he first played seven(!) years ago that is in its final stages before publishing to the DMSGuild. The Medium is a fortune-telling, multi-verse traveling class for 5th edition inspired by all kinds of plane-shifting experiences from Stranger Things to Everything Everywhere All at Once. Ray and Ariel go over the process of homebrewing, the core functions of the class, and how core DnD classes don't always offer the same things that you can find in homebrew material.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails -
Playtesting a Boss Battle
Ray and Ariel have a more casual conversation this episode discussing the playtest Ray ran for the Emery's kickstarter stretch goal, featuring Za'ul the Lich King. They discuss what to prioritize for a major boss battle, and how to inject some new mechanics into minion fights with Za'ul's magical golems as examples. Ray and Ariel also tease the next episode where they will be reviewing Ariel's push-your-luck style homebrew class, which (he promises) will finally be ready for publishing.
Website: https://runningofftherails.com
Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails
Customer Reviews
Hooked!
I was never into D&D until I started listening to this! Ray explains everything so clearly and so completely, that I understand the game on such a fundamental level now! Keep it up!
Good place to mine fresh ideas.
The short rest / long rest talk was especially helpful.
Podcast is Awesome
Could listen to this all day! Great Podcast.