What do adventurers do when they're not waist-deep in mortal danger? They hardly sit in the road all day, twiddling their thumbs. And how do you keep players invested in story during the long days or weeks between sessions? Out from our near-decade of live-action experience (LARP), we bring you: IBGAs! A veritable goldmine of possibility. We're also introducing a new segment this week: Rick's Roles! Meet miscellaneously-recurring NPC Marvelous Marv and hear about the withering exercises he put a band of pirates through - with not-so-subtle nods to an episode of The Adventure Zone. And, of course, we finish out the episode with Session Notes, the oft-only-one-sentence write-ups that guide Rick through each game. Get ready for Session 4 of our beloved campaign Heroes of Brehill. Our fictional ad space this week features Thrallmart: Make money. Live forever. Watch an animation of our first three comedic adverts on our YouTube channel. We're also on Twitter @rollinspired and Instagram @heroesofbrehill. Stop by and say hello - we'd love to hear from you! Milestone time: Our first review! "Great advice from funny hosts!! Highly recommend :)" Thanks, HannahM, for your support! Created by Rick Blatz and Mariah Lamour Theme music by Guifrog - "Beyond the Warriors" Thrallmart music by Kevin MacLeod - "Nervous Piano"

You want to give players agency, present them with options, but you have a problem. You worked overtime this week, and you only have ten minutes to drum up a session plan. You've come on with a bad case of writer's block and this world of yours is as fleshy as it gets. You've got great plans and you want to guide the party to a particular outcome, but you don't want to be accused of railroading! Woe be unto thee who would stymie player creativity! So, what can you do? In this episode, experienced storyteller Rick Blatz guides dungeon masters through the art of making their world seem bigger: full of things to do, details to study, and choices to make, all with minimal effort! Because game masters are finite beings with limited time on their hands, just like anyone else. (Shhh--don't tell the players!) We use examples from actual-play podcasts Dungeons and Daddies and The Adventure Zone (again?), and other popular media, to showcase multiple ways to Choose Your Own Adventure. As has become tradition, we finish out the episode with Rick's session notes, the oft-only-one-sentence write-ups that guide him through each game. Get ready for session 3 of our beloved campaign Heroes of Brehill. Our fictional adspace this week features Bards and Nobles: More Than Just Looks Watch an animation of our first 3 comedic adverts on our YouTube channel. We're also on Twitter @rollinspired and Instagram @heroesofbrehill! Stop by and say hello - we'd love to hear from you! Created by Rick Blatz and Mariah Lamour Theme music by Guifrog - "Beyond the Warriors" Bards and Nobles music by Nikos Spiliotis - "Love Waltz"

A fork in the road. A room with three doors. Each one leads to mystery. Sweat beads on your brow as you look to one, then the other, and back again to the first. You strain with all your senses. What slight differences might give away their secrets? Must you always go left? Or was it right? Your comrades argue amongst themselves. Which path do you choose? What fate awaits you behind... door number two? We all know that game-runners are omniscient schemers. In this episode, experienced storyteller Rick Blatz guides fellow DMs through the art of making their world wider, deeper, twistier, turnier, and more compelling--with all the ease and finesse befitting an unfathomable master of dungeons! We use examples from actual-play podcasts Dungeons and Daddies and The Adventure Zone (again?), and other popular media, to showcase multiple ways to Choose Your Own Adventure. As has become tradition, we finish out the episode with Rick's session notes, the oft-only-one-sentence write-ups that guide him through each game. Get ready for session 3 of our beloved campaign Heroes of Brehill. Our fictional adspace this week features Bards and Nobles: More Than Just Looks Watch an animation of our first 3 comedic adverts on our YouTube channel. We're also on Twitter @rollinspired and Instagram @heroesofbrehill! Stop by and say hello - we'd love to hear from you! Created by Rick Blatz and Mariah Lamour Theme music by Guifrog - "Beyond the Warriors" Bards and Nobles music by Nikos Spiliotis - "Love Waltz"

People join role-playing games to feel cool, to be creative. DMs run games for the same reason. This week's episode is about trusting your party, and making sure that everyone, DMs and players alike, can have fun! Rick describes how DMs can give their players agency without completely breaking the fiction, and how to present consequences to players in a way that's engaging (rather than frustrating). Through it all, we reference Dungeons and Daddies, The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, our own past campaigns, and create new examples with improvised scenes. Also, Mariah is an incomprehensible creature of madness. As has become tradition, we finish out the episode with Rick's session notes, the oft-only-one-sentence write-ups that guide him through each game. Get ready for session 2 of our beloved campaign Heroes of Brehill. Our fictional adspace this week features The Gnome Depot: You Can Brew It, We Can Help. Watch an animation of our first 3 comedic adverts on our YouTube channel. We're also on Twitter! Give us a shout @rollinspired! Created by Rick Blatz and Mariah Lamour Music by Guifrog - "Beyond the Warriors"

The introductory episode to this podcast tackles a very appropriate topic. "Session Zero" is all about beginnings! Get your game off to the right start with storytelling advice from co-hosts Rick Blatz (the DM) and Mariah Lamour (a player) at the beginning of their newest journey! Hear tales from our favorite past campaigns, like Rick's six-session tour de force called Heroes of Brehill, in which each of the players started off as simple villagers--with no class and no modifiers, but a whole lot of heart. Enjoy an advertisement from this week's fantasy sponsor: Bloodbath and Beyond! Watch an animation of our ads from episodes 1-3 on our YouTube channel, and visit us on Twitter and Instagram! Music by Guifrog - "Beyond the Warriors"