Leveling up is great, but it can be BETTER.

Missed a session? Your GM should send you a love letter

What do you do when a player misses a session? We talk session zero, love letters from Apocalypse World, and how Blades in the Dark solves RPG scheduling by rethinking the adventuring party. Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5h4ChTl0gN4 [https://youtu.be/5h4ChTl0gN4] And sign up for the newsletter: https://www.start-a-quest.com [https://www.start-a-quest.com] ▼▼ SOURCES MENTIONED ▼▼ 1. Love Letters PbtA https://community.openlegendrpg.com/t/gm-tech-love-letters-informing-absent-players/1921 [https://community.openlegendrpg.com/t/gm-tech-love-letters-informing-absent-players/1921] 2. Old School Essentials https://oldschoolessentials.necroticgnome.com/srd/index.php/Main_Page [https://oldschoolessentials.necroticgnome.com/srd/index.php/Main_Page] 3. Blades in the Dark https://bladesinthedark.com/greetings-scoundrel [https://bladesinthedark.com/greetings-scoundrel] 4. Band of Blades https://evilhat.com/product/band-of-blades/ [https://evilhat.com/product/band-of-blades/] 5. Stonetop https://plusoneexp.com/collections/stonetop [https://plusoneexp.com/collections/stonetop]

Rory's Story Cubes are better than any random table

Rory Story Cubes are more than random tables — they’re RPG tools for asking better questions, building character backstory, and creating shared fiction in session zero. This episode is about better GM prep, better DM tools, and how fiction-first prompts can make your D&D and TTRPG games stronger. Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gjbxeRG_7oY [https://youtu.be/gjbxeRG_7oY] And sign up for the newsletter: https://www.start-a-quest.com [https://www.start-a-quest.com] ▼▼ SOURCES MENTIONED ▼▼ 1. Rory Story Cubes https://www.storycubes.com/en/ [https://www.storycubes.com/en/] 2. Blades in the Dark https://bladesinthedark.com/greetings-scoundrel [https://bladesinthedark.com/greetings-scoundrel] 3. John Harper’s article about The Line https://mightyatom.blogspot.com/2010/10/apocalypse-world-crossing-line.html?m=1 [https://mightyatom.blogspot.com/2010/10/apocalypse-world-crossing-line.html?m=1] 4. Dixit https://www.libellud.com/en/our-games/dixit/ [https://www.libellud.com/en/our-games/dixit/] 5. The digital tools episode https://youtu.be/3FlPfMzNX60 [https://youtu.be/3FlPfMzNX60] 6. Monster of the Week https://evilhat.com/product/monster-of-the-week/ [https://evilhat.com/product/monster-of-the-week/] 7. Mothership https://www.tuesdayknightgames.com/pages/mothership-rpg [https://www.tuesdayknightgames.com/pages/mothership-rpg] 8. Tim Denee's blog post about low gear and high gear mechanics https://blog.olddog.games/posts/gears-of-system-gears-of-lore [https://blog.olddog.games/posts/gears-of-system-gears-of-lore] 9. Decaying Orbit https://storybrewersroleplaying.com/decaying-orbit/?v=8bcc25c96aa5 [https://storybrewersroleplaying.com/decaying-orbit/?v=8bcc25c96aa5]

Leveling up is great, but it can be BETTER.

What does levelling up actually mean in D&D? Let’s talk XP, classes, fictional weight, Skyrim crabs, Warhammer careers, and how to make character progression feel better at the table. Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6NcsGTfbyic [https://youtu.be/6NcsGTfbyic] And sign up for the newsletter: https://www.start-a-quest.com [https://www.start-a-quest.com] ▼▼ SOURCES MENTIONED ▼▼ 1. Monte Cook / Ivory Tower Game Design https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=13812.0 [https://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=13812.0] 2. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay https://writeups.letsyouandhimfight.com/night10194/warhammer-fantasy-roleplay-1st-edition/ [https://writeups.letsyouandhimfight.com/night10194/warhammer-fantasy-roleplay-1st-edition/] 3. Apocalypse World http://apocalypse-world.com/ [http://apocalypse-world.com/] 4. Blades in the Dark https://bladesinthedark.com [https://bladesinthedark.com] 5. Through the Breach https://www.wyrd-games.net/through-the-breach [https://www.wyrd-games.net/through-the-breach] 6. Malifaux https://www.wyrd-games.net/malifaux-fourth-edition [https://www.wyrd-games.net/malifaux-fourth-edition] 7. Zombie World https://magpiegames.com/collections/zombie-world [https://magpiegames.com/collections/zombie-world]

Why was the D20 invented?

Dice aren’t just about luck—they’re about uncertainty. In this episode of the Start a Quest podcast, we explore why the d20 exists, why the humble d6 still shines, and how weird or custom dice can transform your tabletop RPG. Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2B6GleNlrUc [https://youtu.be/2B6GleNlrUc] And sign up for the newsletter: https://www.start-a-quest.com [https://www.start-a-quest.com] ▼▼ SOURCES MENTIONED ▼▼ 1. Chainmail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainmail_(game) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainmail_(game)] 2. Psi*Run https://lumpley.itch.io/psirun [https://lumpley.itch.io/psirun] 3. 13th Age https://pelgranepress.com/13th-age/ [https://pelgranepress.com/13th-age/] 4. Dungeon Crawl Classics https://goodman-games.com/dungeon-crawl-classics-rpg/ [https://goodman-games.com/dungeon-crawl-classics-rpg/] 5. How to play Scattergories https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/play-scattergories/ [https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/play-scattergories/] 6. Guile’s theme https://youtu.be/Z4G9MU4wvTo?si=szcXqG2TjVq-ynUP&t=26 [https://youtu.be/Z4G9MU4wvTo?si=szcXqG2TjVq-ynUP&t=26] 7. Mouse Guard https://www.mouseguard.net/rpg [https://www.mouseguard.net/rpg] 8. Robert Worldert Buildert (Mr. Worldwide) @BobWorldBuilder 9. Genesys https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/genesys/ [https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/genesys/] 10. Fate Core https://evilhat.com/product/fate-core-system/ [https://evilhat.com/product/fate-core-system/]

Some game's tools STOP you from actually playing.

Are digital tools making your Dungeons & Dragons game better… or worse? We're looking at Foundry VTT, D&D Beyond, and smaller tools for specific TTRPGs, What's the REAL difference between a digital tool and an analog tool? Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3FlPfMzNX60 [https://youtu.be/3FlPfMzNX60] And sign up for the newsletter: https://www.start-a-quest.com [https://www.start-a-quest.com] ▼▼ SOURCES MENTIONED ▼▼ 1. Foundry VTT https://foundryvtt.com/ [https://foundryvtt.com/] 2. Slay the Spire: The Board Game (I promise it's good!) https://contentiongames.com/games/slay/ [https://contentiongames.com/games/slay/] 3. Alice Is Missing special timer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysOOFIOAy7A&list=RDysOOFIOAy7A&start_radio=1 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysOOFIOAy7A&list=RDysOOFIOAy7A&start_radio=1] 4. D&D First Quest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Quest [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Quest] 5. D&D Beyond's development roadmap https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2132-d-d-beyonds-2026-development-roadmap [https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2132-d-d-beyonds-2026-development-roadmap] 6. Bob World Builder's Fire Bolt skit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtAo9uA90Ts [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtAo9uA90Ts] 7. Mythic Game Master Emulator https://www.wordmillgames.com/page/mythic-gme.html [https://www.wordmillgames.com/page/mythic-gme.html] 8. Genesys Roleplaying System's dice roller https://dddice.com/genesys-dice-roller [https://dddice.com/genesys-dice-roller] 9. Shadowdark torch tool https://torchlighttimer.com/ [https://torchlighttimer.com/] 10. Cards Against Humanity https://www.cardsagainsthumanity.com/ [https://www.cardsagainsthumanity.com/] 11. Snake Oil https://www.snakeoilgame.com/ [https://www.snakeoilgame.com/]