Campaign Spotlight

Game Mechanics as a Poem Structure: Self-paced TTRPGs with Satah [S4E9]

In this week's episode, we chat with Satah about the distinction between games and writing exercises, the social expectations of GMing, and a table writing 150,000 words of fanfiction about their own campaign. We get into some of the themes that have been bubbling up through Campaign Spotlight since the beginning: the role of the GM in guiding the gameplay, player expectations around telling a cohesive story, and the way games changed in 2020 during the lockdown era. In the months since we recorded this interview, this conversation has changed how we've incorporated writing exercises in our own home games. Satah [https://gaygothvibes.online/] runs Folio [https://foliopod.carrd.co/], a very cool podcast about solo and epistolary games. Go check out their Itch [https://satah.itch.io/] for some very cool TTRPGs they've released. They also make music as People You Meet Outside of Bars [https://peopleyoumeetoutsideofbars.bandcamp.com/] (which Jake has been listening to for a decade now) and Piloting the Animal [https://pilotingtheanimal.bandcamp.com/]. We discuss a whole lot of TTRPG systems in this episode: * Mothership [https://www.tuesdayknightgames.com/pages/mothership-rpg], which we previously heard about in this onsite session at Vulpine Taproom [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/03/19/on-location-at-vulpine-taproom-s3f7/] * Galactic [https://metagame.itch.io/galactic], a Star Wars-inspired space opera game * Masks [https://magpiegames.com/products/masks-a-new-generation-hardcoverpdf], which we discussed in this interview with Garrett and the Bucket Buddies [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/08/14/the-hackensack-hack-n-slash-rotating-gms-with-garrett-and-the-bucket-buddies-s4e4/] * Strange Places [https://adventurebymail.itch.io/strange-places] and other AdventureByMail [https://adventurebymail.itch.io/] games * Fiasco [https://bullypulpitgames.com/products/fiasco], which we heard about our interview with Erika about using multiple systems to build the campaign [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2024/07/17/messy-entanglements-with-erika-s2e4/] * Furyya [https://oddpress.itch.io/furyya], a solo survival journalling game * Monsterhearts [https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/monsterhearts], about the messy lives of teenage monsters * Dungeon World [https://www.dungeon-world.com/], which we discussed with Prim way back in our very first season [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2024/01/17/episode-2-narrative-control-with-prim/] * Alone Among the Stars [https://noroadhome.itch.io/alone-among-the-stars] and all its hacks on Itch [https://itch.io/search?q=alone+among+the+stars] Satah was also kind enough to share with us the letters generated by playing the AdventureByMail game The Resistance of New Holloway [https://adventurebymail.itch.io/the-resistance-of-new-holloway], which you can read here [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AvK0f2WVIamcoaGkYVvyuOdsz4zcyZmKgw-Pwpdlhsw/edit?usp=sharing]. Thanks to Lavitts for providing the introduction to this week's episode! Beep boop. This episode also marks the end of Season 4. This has been our longest and most ambitious season yet, with some incredibly thoughtful guests and a very busy schedule of onsite recording sessions. Thank you to all the guests who's taken the time to share their games with us - and to all the listeners who keep tuning in, telling us what they think of the episodes, and supporting the production on Patreon. We're getting right back into the studio to record some more interviews and try some new episode types. Get ready to hear more of Jake and Reilly rolling big handfuls of dice in Season 5. If you like the music on the show, go check out more of Reilly's music [https://tastefulnude.bandcamp.com/track/be-gentle-its-my-first-time?label=72167637&tab=artists].  You can also listen to Reilly's DJ sets on Mixcloud. [https://www.mixcloud.com/tastefulnude/] Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F06bFSsFrliCpzTfUYqloGd&t=MDQ2OTViNjNlOGI0MDg0NmE4ZTAzZTNlZjBiM2Y2ZjBiNWJmYjIwYSxhNDE0ZGE2NzU3MGVkYjZhZjMwZTI3OGRiYzM1YTBlY2M0MGEwZWIz&ts=1712772716], Apple Podcasts [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fcampaign-spotlight%2Fid1724098373&t=YTJiZDkzM2EzOTdjMzljNGMzNTVlYTY1ZTFhMDFmZjk4NzVmZjQ0OSwzZTI1YzUyZmNiYjRlM2NiNTA2MzE1YmI0MmE1MzJiODA3ZTRiZjRl&ts=1712772716], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@campaignspotlight]. You can also get episodes right from the source at our RSS feed [https://feeds.transistor.fm/campaignspotlight]. If you enjoy Campaign Spotlight, consider subscribing to our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight] or supporting us on Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/campaignspotlight]. A special thanks to Hannah W, Jake K, Perry C, Elvin Prince, Jason K, Smokie Derg, and Maureen H for supporting us on Patreon! For more on the show, including links to all our social media, visit our website [https://foldedfrequencies.com/campaignspotlight/].  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight]

Onsite at OrcaCon [S4T9]

This week, we're on location at OrcaCon 2026! We hear about taste mechanics, Canadian orthography, and products for the sloppy player. Thanks to everyone who took the time to chat with us: * [2:01] GameStorm [https://tabletop.events/conventions/gamestorm-26] is a very cool convention in Portland - and they offered listeners a promo code for discounted registration in this episode! You'll have to listen to find out what it is. * [4:57] Aspiring Youth [https://www.aspiringyouth.net/], which offers some very cool TTRPG programming for neurodivergent youth. * [12:06] Brush Wielders Union [https://www.brushwieldersunion.com/], whose founder Simon has come on the podcast to talk about miniatures in combat [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/07/09/tactical-immersive-experience-miniatures-combat-with-simon-s4e2/]. (Some very cool pictures of painted minis at that link.) * [13:06] Found Family Adventurecrafts [https://foundfamilyadventurecrafts.com/], whom we first met at Dragonflight GameCon a few months ago. (Go listen to our Dragonflight episode [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/09/24/onsite-at-dragonflight-s4t8/]! And then come back to finish this one.) * [15:36] RipCrypt [https://gritsilk.com/], who've made a video directly addressing the game's whole raison d'être [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsavvVZ4lKk], which feels like something all indie TTRPG developers should think about. * [22:08] Legends of Gadia [https://www.legends-of-gadia.com/], whom we first encountered at OrcaCon last year and who've released a full-fledged card game in the year since then! Here's an example of how the gameplay works [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHauYpRgLp4]. * [32:47] The Game Shelf [https://gameshelfwa.com/], an old-school local game store in Kent. * [33:45] Studio Hexe [https://studiohexe.com/], who set Jake straight on some questions about dice balance. * [38:55] Inclusive Imagination [https://inclusiveimagination.co/], who make some very thoughtfully designed games. * [41:01] Nailon Realm [https://www.nailonrealm.com/], whom we also first met back at Dragonflight a few months ago. * [43:25] Mice of Legend (by Alchemical Press) [https://alchemicalpress.io/], whom we also first met back at Dragonflight, and who currently have Kickstarters going for a new OSR adventure [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miceoflegend/mice-of-legend-burrow-gods-and-big-bad-kitty] and a Shadowdark version of Mice of Legend [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miceoflegend/mice-of-legend-shadowdark-edition]. We talk quite a bit about the Shadowdark [https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark] system in this conversation. We also talk about OSR, which we previously talked about with Max [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2024/07/03/old-school-with-max-s2e3/] - and then again with Max, focusing on exploration in OSR games in particular [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/08/27/six-mile-hex-grids-with-seventeen-locations-exploration-in-osr-games-with-max-s4l1/].  At the beginning of the episode, we talk about our experience at OrcaCon 2025. Here's the first part [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/02/12/on-location-at-orcacon-part-1-s3f5/] and here's the second part [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/02/26/on-location-at-orcacon-part-2-s3f6/] of our time at OrcaCon last year! Last year's OrcaCon is also where we met Dante of Chance Encounter Games - and then later we interviewed Dante [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/06/11/cats-that-herd-themselves-running-a-campaign-across-multiple-tables-with-dante-s4e1/] and attended the grand opening of the Chance Encounter Games storefront (part 1 [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/06/25/onsite-at-the-grand-opening-of-chance-encounter-games-part-1-s4t2/] and part 2 [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/07/16/onsite-at-the-grand-opening-of-chance-encounter-games-part-2-s4t3/]). Go check out our website for some pictures from OrcaCon [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2026/02/12/onsite-at-orcacon-s4t9/]! We're trying to figure out some opportunities to get out to more cons in 2026. We're definitely getting to NorWesCon 2026 [https://www.norwescon.org/] in April - but let us know if there's anywhere else in the PNW we should check out. If you like the music on the show, go check out more of Reilly's music [https://tastefulnude.bandcamp.com/track/be-gentle-its-my-first-time?label=72167637&tab=artists].  You can also listen to Reilly's DJ sets on Mixcloud. [https://www.mixcloud.com/tastefulnude/] Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F06bFSsFrliCpzTfUYqloGd&t=MDQ2OTViNjNlOGI0MDg0NmE4ZTAzZTNlZjBiM2Y2ZjBiNWJmYjIwYSxhNDE0ZGE2NzU3MGVkYjZhZjMwZTI3OGRiYzM1YTBlY2M0MGEwZWIz&ts=1712772716], Apple Podcasts [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fcampaign-spotlight%2Fid1724098373&t=YTJiZDkzM2EzOTdjMzljNGMzNTVlYTY1ZTFhMDFmZjk4NzVmZjQ0OSwzZTI1YzUyZmNiYjRlM2NiNTA2MzE1YmI0MmE1MzJiODA3ZTRiZjRl&ts=1712772716], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@campaignspotlight]. You can also get episodes right from the source at our RSS feed [https://feeds.transistor.fm/campaignspotlight]. If you enjoy Campaign Spotlight, consider subscribing to our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight] or supporting us on Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/campaignspotlight]. A special thanks to Hannah W, Jake K, Perry C, Elvin Prince, Jason K, Smokie Derg, and Maureen H for supporting us on Patreon! For more on the show, including links to all our social media, visit our website [https://foldedfrequencies.com/campaignspotlight/].  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight]

Game Engines and Grunk Pits: Running Green Ronin Publishing with Chris [S4E7]

In this week's episode, we chat with Chris Pramas of Green Ronin Publishing! We hear about adapting a series of novels as a TTRPG, implementing spaceship combat without writing a physics textbook, and the importance of considering what a fantasy city would smell like. Our conversation goes deep into the lifecycle of a tabletop game, the economics of the publishing industry, and the complications of crowdfunding. Spoilers abound for The Expanse and Broken Earth novel series. Thanks to Reilly for editing out the part where Jake tried to say "Fifth Season" but accidentally said "Fifth Element". Chris Pramas is the founder and co-owner of Green Ronin Publishing [https://greenronin.com/]. They're the publisher behind Mutants and Masterminds and Fantasy Age as well as some very in-depth adaptations. We talk about the adaptations for The Fifth Season [https://greenroninstore.com/collections/the-fifth-season-roleplaying-game] as well as The Expanse [https://greenroninstore.com/collections/the-expanse-rpg] in quite a bit of detail, but their original content like Lost Island of the Pirate Queen [https://greenroninstore.com/products/lost-island-of-the-pirate-queen-fantasy-age-2e-adventure-series] is also extremely fun and flavourful. This year has been their 25th anniversary, so they've been doing some cool monthly specials. Also, the bankruptcy of their physical books distributor has had them in a bit of a bind over the past few months [https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-green-ronin-in-critical-legal-defense], so possibly consider helping them out? Green Ronin Publishing also has some community sites for people interested in building their own game supplements: * AGE Creators Alliance [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/cc/39/AGE-Creators-Alliance] is for Adventure Game Engine supplements. * Chronicle System Guild [https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/cc/33/chronicle-system-guild] is for Sword Chronicle supplements, which is the genericized version of the A Song of Ice and Fire system. * Atomic Think Tank [https://atomicthinktank.com/] is a forum for Green Ronin TTRPGs more broadly. Chris has some great recommendations for nonfiction history: * SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome [https://bookshop.org/p/books/spqr-a-history-of-ancient-rome-mary-beard/0d346ad23e6e6a16] by Mary Beard * The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe  [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-bright-ages-a-new-history-of-medieval-europe-david-m-perry/9a02a880dbfde96f]by Matthew Gabriele and David M Perry * Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42 [https://bookshop.org/p/books/return-of-a-king-the-battle-for-afghanistan-1839-42-william-dalrymple/43b74369a715cc5e] by William Dalrymple * William Dalrymple and Anita Anand's podcast Empire [https://pod.link/1639561921] Finally, while we were putting these show notes together, we found the program for GenCon 2000, and it's an excellent examples of turn-of-the-century TTRPG graphic design. Head on over to our website to check it out [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/12/31/game-engines-and-grunk-pits-running-green-ronin-games-with-chris-s4e7/]. If you've enjoyed this interview, maybe go check out the first time we met Chris way back at OrcaCon 2025 [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/02/12/on-location-at-orcacon-part-1-s3f5/]! For more conversations about publishing TTRPGs, go listen to our interview with David about self-publishing TTRPGs, our interview with Simon about minis (where we talk a lot about indie TTRPG publishing in the 90s) [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/07/09/tactical-immersive-experience-miniatures-combat-with-simon-s4e2/], and our interview with Selius about publishing a third-party D&D supplement [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/10/11/a-delvers-guide-to-third-party-supplements-building-the-beast-world-with-selius-s4e6/]. For a discussion about TTRPG adaptations of sprawling fictional universes from the point of view of a GM, go listen to this episode with Jesse about playing a campaign in the Dune system [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2024/03/27/episode-7-dune-with-jesse/]. For some Flashlights where we talk about the history of Wizards of the Coast, here's the one where we talk about magazines and the birth of Paizo [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2024/08/07/dungeon-lore-v-playtesting-and-pathfinder-s2f5/]and here's the one where we talk about Chris Cox's tenure as Hasbro CEO [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2024/09/04/dungeon-world-vii-hasbro-and-the-ogl-controversy-s3f7/]. Thanks to Emmett for providing this week's intro! Emmett is one of the writers of the Heir of Smoke D&D supplement [https://emmettbaber.itch.io/heir-of-smoke], which is extremely cool. If you like the music on the show, go check out more of Reilly's music [https://tastefulnude.bandcamp.com/track/be-gentle-its-my-first-time?label=72167637&tab=artists]. You can also listen to Reilly's DJ sets on Mixcloud. [https://www.mixcloud.com/tastefulnude/] Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F06bFSsFrliCpzTfUYqloGd&t=MDQ2OTViNjNlOGI0MDg0NmE4ZTAzZTNlZjBiM2Y2ZjBiNWJmYjIwYSxhNDE0ZGE2NzU3MGVkYjZhZjMwZTI3OGRiYzM1YTBlY2M0MGEwZWIz&ts=1712772716], Apple Podcasts [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fcampaign-spotlight%2Fid1724098373&t=YTJiZDkzM2EzOTdjMzljNGMzNTVlYTY1ZTFhMDFmZjk4NzVmZjQ0OSwzZTI1YzUyZmNiYjRlM2NiNTA2MzE1YmI0MmE1MzJiODA3ZTRiZjRl&ts=1712772716], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@campaignspotlight]. You can also get episodes right from the source at our RSS feed [https://feeds.transistor.fm/campaignspotlight]. If you enjoy Campaign Spotlight, consider subscribing to our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight] or supporting us on Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/campaignspotlight]. A special thanks to Hannah W, Jake K, Perry C, Elvin Prince, Jason K, and Smokie Derg for supporting us on Patreon! For more on the show, including links to all our social media, visit our website [https://foldedfrequencies.com/campaignspotlight/].   ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight]

Goblins with Satellites: The Magical Land of Yeld with Maia [S4L2]

In this week's episode, we chat with Maia about tracking the passage of time within a campaign, how GMing changes your persective on the game, and the challenges of playing coming-of-age narratives at a table of adults. Maia is part of the team behind the Magical Land of Yeld TTRPG system [https://yeldstuff.com/], and this ended up being a really thoughtful conversation about designing and playing a game that feels very different from the classical fantasy TTRPG. This season, we're experimenting with shorter conversations about how people play games. We heard from the Yeld team (briefly!) at the Dragonflight gaming convention [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2025/09/24/onsite-at-dragonflight-s4t8/] earlier this season, and we're really grateful to dive deeper into the system with Maia this week. If you like the music on the show, go check out more of Reilly's music [https://tastefulnude.bandcamp.com/track/be-gentle-its-my-first-time?label=72167637&tab=artists]. You can also listen to Reilly's DJ sets on Mixcloud. [https://www.mixcloud.com/tastefulnude/] Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F06bFSsFrliCpzTfUYqloGd&t=MDQ2OTViNjNlOGI0MDg0NmE4ZTAzZTNlZjBiM2Y2ZjBiNWJmYjIwYSxhNDE0ZGE2NzU3MGVkYjZhZjMwZTI3OGRiYzM1YTBlY2M0MGEwZWIz&ts=1712772716], Apple Podcasts [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fcampaign-spotlight%2Fid1724098373&t=YTJiZDkzM2EzOTdjMzljNGMzNTVlYTY1ZTFhMDFmZjk4NzVmZjQ0OSwzZTI1YzUyZmNiYjRlM2NiNTA2MzE1YmI0MmE1MzJiODA3ZTRiZjRl&ts=1712772716], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@campaignspotlight]. You can also get episodes right from the source at our RSS feed [https://feeds.transistor.fm/campaignspotlight]. If you enjoy Campaign Spotlight, consider subscribing to our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight] or supporting us on Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/campaignspotlight]. A special thanks to Hannah W, Jake K, Perry C, Elvin Prince, Jason K, and Smokie Derg for supporting us on Patreon! For more on the show, including links to all our social media, visit our website [https://foldedfrequencies.com/campaignspotlight/].    ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight]

A Delver's Guide to Third-Party Supplements: Building the Beast World with Selius [S4E6]

In this week's episode, we chat with Selius from Heartleaf Games [https://thedelversguide.com/] about building an economy where dungeon delving makes sense, the hazards of concentrating intellectual property in a single company, and the mechanics for noodle-bodied PC species. Initially, we planned to talk with Selius about the Delver's Guide to Beast World sourcebook [https://thedelversguide.com/product/the-delvers-guide/] (which is extremely cool!), but we ended up talking more broadly about the process of developing third-party supplements for D&D 5th Edition. Since the interview, Heartleaf Games has also released a deck of NPC cards for Beast World campaigns [https://thedelversguide.com/product/deck-of-delvers/]. We talked way more about Dungeons and Dragons, Wizards of the Coast, and intellectual property in this Flashlight back in Season 2 [https://foldedfrequencies.com/2024/09/04/dungeon-world-vii-hasbro-and-the-ogl-controversy-s3f7/]. Jake also mentions the Ironclaw system [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/82132/ironclaw-omnibus-squaring-the-circle].   Thanks to Beatrix for providing this week's intro!  If you like the music on the show, go check out more of Reilly's music [https://tastefulnude.bandcamp.com/track/be-gentle-its-my-first-time?label=72167637&tab=artists].  You can also listen to Reilly's DJ sets on Mixcloud. [https://www.mixcloud.com/tastefulnude/] Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fshow%2F06bFSsFrliCpzTfUYqloGd&t=MDQ2OTViNjNlOGI0MDg0NmE4ZTAzZTNlZjBiM2Y2ZjBiNWJmYjIwYSxhNDE0ZGE2NzU3MGVkYjZhZjMwZTI3OGRiYzM1YTBlY2M0MGEwZWIz&ts=1712772716], Apple Podcasts [https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fcampaign-spotlight%2Fid1724098373&t=YTJiZDkzM2EzOTdjMzljNGMzNTVlYTY1ZTFhMDFmZjk4NzVmZjQ0OSwzZTI1YzUyZmNiYjRlM2NiNTA2MzE1YmI0MmE1MzJiODA3ZTRiZjRl&ts=1712772716], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@campaignspotlight]. You can also get episodes right from the source at our RSS feed [https://feeds.transistor.fm/campaignspotlight]. If you enjoy Campaign Spotlight, consider subscribing to our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight] or supporting us on Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/campaignspotlight]. A special thanks to Hannah W, Jake K, Perry C, Elvin Prince, Jason K, and Smokie Derg for supporting us on Patreon! For more on the show, including links to all our social media, visit our website [https://foldedfrequencies.com/campaignspotlight/].   ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ [https://www.patreon.com/CampaignSpotlight]