On A Roll

The Podcast that helps you Level Up Your RPG!

About the show

The On A Roll podcast focuses on better storytelling, better playing and better community through the belief that the only way to win an RPG is to have fun, so Ryan, Carie and Jason are sharing their experiences to help you spend more time winning! Join the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite as they talk about tabletop gaming, LARPing, MUSHing and keeping your investment in check.

Join us on Facebook and let us know your thoughts on the show, gaming and having more fun!

If you like the show, help support our production and keep us going by supporting On A Roll on Patreon.

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Episodes and Blog Entries

  • Episode 122: Snacktastic Help

    Episode  |  September 11th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 3 mins
    drawings, geeks, larp, mush, props, roleplaying games, snacks

    What sort of things that are NOT the game helps make your game better? This week, the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite discuss snacks, locations, music, props and everything else you can add to your game night to make things great. Ryan, Carie and Jason even explore the differences in these kinds of additions for tabletop games, LARPs and MUSHs.

  • Episode 121: Make Great Characters

    Episode  |  September 4th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  59 mins 13 secs
    characters, geeks, players, roleplaying games

    Ever wonder what makes a good character great? This week, the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite try to figure out what players can do to develop their good characters into characters that are great. Ryan, Carie and Jason formulate a four piece theory based on Depth, Substance, Usefulness and Awesome. How do your characters rate?

  • Episode 120: Problem Players part 2: Electric Boogaloo

    Episode  |  August 29th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 3 mins
    attention whore, bad players, cheaters, competitor, creeper, geeks, players, roleplaying games, storytelling

    This week, the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite continue their discussion about problem players. In the second of two parts, Ryan, Carie and Jason break down more types of problem players, what causes them and how to deal with them. They also talk about how to vet players as a means to prevent allowing problem players in to your gaming community in the first place.

  • Episode 119: Problem Players pt. 1

    Episode  |  August 21st, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 2 mins
    bad players, geeks, metagaming, players, powergaming, roleplaying games, storytelling, xp

    What do you do when one of your players is ruining the game for everyone? This week, the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite discuss how to address problem players. In the first of two parts, Ryan, Carie and Jason break down different kinds of problem players, what causes them and how to deal with them.

  • Episode 118: Player Agency

    Episode  |  August 14th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 13 mins
    geeks, player agency, players, roleplaying games, star trek, star wars

    Just what is player agency and how does it work... or not work? This week, the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite tackle defining Player Agency and then exploring the things that make up this mysterious idea. Ryan, Carie and Jason also talk about whether or not it's even real...

  • Episode 117: Toxic Fandoms

    Episode  |  August 7th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 2 mins
    characters, fandom, geeks, players, plot, roleplaying games, sherlock holmes, star wars, toxicity, vampire, white wolf

    Fandoms have become increasingly toxic and broken lately. This week, the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite examine the story of Sherlock Holmes and how even 150 years ago, people were dealing with harassment from fans. Ryan, Carie and Jason also talk about the current problems in fandom, particularly the Star Wars, Critical Role and White Wolf Publishing fandom problems in recent weeks!

  • Episode 116: Characters in the Spotlight

    Episode  |  July 31st, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 5 mins
    characters, geeks, players, plot, roleplaying games

    We all want our character to be in the spotlight from time to time. This week, the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite investigate what players can do to help make sure they can get in the plot and story limelight while also helping other players have their moments, too. Ryan, Carie and Jason also examine how storytellers can manage their gaming group to give everyone the time they want and desire in the spotlight!

  • Episode 115: Between Games

    Episode  |  July 17th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 7 mins
    downtimes, feedback, geeks, idaho, larp, mush, requests, roleplaying games

    What happens to characters in between games? The Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite take a look at the between games antics of characters, players and storytellers as they examine downtime actions, online or email scenes and player requests. Ryan, Carie and Jason work through the challenges and expectations of what happens between games.

  • Episode 114: DMing For The First Time

    Episode  |  July 10th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 13 mins
    community, dungeon master, geeks, hints, roleplaying games, running a game, scenes, storytelling, vampire, white wolf

    The very first time anyone runs a game can be nerve-wracking. The Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite navigate through advice and suggestions to help make running your first game less stressful and more successful. Breaking it down into what a new DM/Storyteller should do before, during and after their first game, Ryan, Carie and Jason do their best to help any novice game runner have a successful experience. They also take a few minutes to address the current controversy surrounding White Wolf's release of Vampire 5th Edition.

  • Episode 113: Constructing Scenes

    Episode  |  July 4th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  59 mins 54 secs
    beginning, end, geeks, middle, roleplaying games, scenes, storytelling

    A great story in a roleplaying game is made up of many different scenes The Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite get into the nuts and bolts of what makes a scene work. Examining all of the pieces, Ryan, Carie and Jason do a deep dive into the art of constructing a scene that is compelling, exciting, clear and most of all, in service to the overall story.

  • Episode 112: Into The Storyteller's Vault

    Episode  |  June 25th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 1 min
    conventions, geeks, hlg con, roleplaying games, storytellers vault, vampire, werewolf

    The On A Roll hosts are joined by game designer Josh Heath to talk about his companies, as well as learning all about how to create content for the White Wolf Storyteller's Vault.

  • Episode 111: Free RPG Day Special

    Episode  |  June 16th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 14 mins
    dicehead, dungeons and dragons, free rpg day, geeks, kids on bikes, roleplaying games

    This special episode celebrates the fun had at Free RPG Day! The Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite spent the day at Dicehead Comics and Games in Cleveland, Tennessee, where they played a ton of Dungeons & Dragons, got some great free shwag from some wonderful games and got to know a gaggle of local gamers in our community! Join Ryan, Carie and Jason as they get down in the trenches with Chad, Painter, Benito, Ian, Stacy, Marty, Scott and Dakota!

  • Episode 110: Villains vs. Bad Guys

    Episode  |  June 12th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 5 mins
    antagonists, bad guys, evil, geeks, npcs, roleplaying games, villains

    This week's episode is tuned to the key of E vil as the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite explore the differences between villains and bad guys. Ryan, Carie and Jason debate the finer points of constructing great antagonists and how these NPCs interact with the story being told.

  • Episode 109: Great ST Mistakes

    Episode  |  June 5th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 2 mins
    geeks, mistakes, roleplaying games, storytelling, trust

    Nobody's perfect, not even the Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite. Delving deep into their gaming history, Ryan, Carie and Jason tell the stories of the greatest mistakes they ever made while storytelling for roleplaying games. When it's all over, they're a bit surprised to discover a common theme in their ways...

  • Episode 108: Building Better Players

    Episode  |  May 29th, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 2 mins
    community, externals, geeks, internals, no, patience, players, roleplaying games, trust

    We are all players. Some of us are better players than others, but what qualities make a player "good?" The Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite take some time this week to delve into the traits that make a great player. Dividing the conversation into the Internals and Externals, they get into the meat of things we all can do to play better and have more fun.

  • Episode 107: Toxicity

    Episode  |  May 22nd, 2018  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 8 mins
    community, geeks, roleplaying games, safety, toxic

    Role-playing game communities, like most communities, have become increasingly aware of issues like safety, inclusion and behavioral problems. This week, The Curmudgeon, the Legend and the Favorite tackle the difficult and often uncomfortable topic of toxic players, toxic game runners and toxic environments in the world of tabletop RPGs, LARP and MUSH, and they explore ways we can all help to make our gaming spaces healthier.