Dice in Mind: Recent Episodes
theguys2
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs!
Dr. José P. Zagal is a game scholar and Director of the School of Interactive Games and Media at the Rochester Institute of Technology and avid game player as well. He teaches courses on game design, ethics in video games, and experimental games. Professor Zagal taught his first university-level class in 2000, has since supervised multiple award-winning student projects, and many of his former students work at leading game studios worldwide. Dr. Zagal has edited and authored numerous books and articles on game ethics, games education, game design, role-playing games, and more. He most recently co-authored Seeing Red: Nintendo’s Virtual Boy (MIT Press 2024) and co-edited Fifty Years of Dungeons & Dragons (MIT Press 2024) and The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies (Routledge 2024). He was honored as a Distinguished Scholar by the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA) and named a Fellow of the Higher-Education Videogame Alliance (HEVGA) for his contributions to games research. He also serves as the Editor-In-Chief of DiGRA’s flagship journal Transactions of the Digital Games Research Association (ToDiGRA).
Please check out these relevant links:
RIT School of Interactive Games and Media
The Quiet Year
Prof. Zagal's Google Scholar Profile
Tabletop Role-Playing Games in Chile: Early History, Context, and Adoption
Cyberpunk 2020
Ghost Busters (West End Games)
Phoenix Dawn Command
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, creativity, and literature through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Please follow us:
Twitter/X: https://x.com/diceinmind
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/diceinmind.bsky.social
Due to our respective family and travel plans, this week we are bringing back one of our favorite guests. The topic is especially relevant as Brad recently moved and Jason is about to become an empty nester. Enjoy!
Shelly Mazzanoble is an award-winning author of essays, books, two unfinished novels, some short stories, and one-act plays that have actually been produced. Most surprising, she is someone’s a mother. She loves writing about reality TV almost as much as parenting. Then there’s all the Dungeons & Dragons stuff. Shelly has written three books about D&D: Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girl’s Guide to the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons: One Woman's Quest to Trade Self-Help for Elf Help, and Welcome to Dragon Talk: Inspiring Conversations About Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Love to Play It (co-authored by Greg Tito.) Most recently, Shelly has written How to Dungeon Master Parenting: A Guidebook for Gamifying the Child Rearing Quest, Leveling Up Your Skills, and Raising Future Adventurers.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Tertulia
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Barnes & Noble
University of Iowa Press
Middle-Aged Lady Mom (on Substack)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason A. Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Ari Bowie is an editor and proofreader with Fox and Boar Games, now lending a hand in outreach and managing the company Discord. She has worked on a number of projects, including TrashSexy, 100 Ways, and ShadowWest. Despite being easily spooked, she has found herself working on several horror themed projects.
Fox and Boar Games is the tabletop publication company run by John R Harford – writer, artist and game content developer of over 30 years. Above all of his other pursuits – creating worlds for players has been John’s lifelong passion. He’s been running games from an early age in 1983. He immediately began drawing on the existing worlds for emerging games like DragonQuest, Dungeons and Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, MERP and Gamma World to create his own scenarios and settings. His most current works leans into horror and dark fantasy in quasi-historical settings. Even when working in high fantasy or adjacent settings, John draws deeply on real world research to make his settings come alive. John is also a tenured professor who teaches (among other things) game narrative and tabletop system design at Raritan Valley Community College. His GMing style is narrative, fluid and employs immersive audio, visuals and narrative prose. Find out where Fox and Boar Games is going to be exhibiting or attending to get in on one of his games!
Please check out these relevant links:
Fox and Boar Games
Fox and Boar Games on DriveThruRPG
Game Art, Raritan Valley Community College
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, creativity, and literature through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Please follow us:
Twitter/X: https://x.com/diceinmind
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/diceinmind.bsky.social
Magnus Seter is an award-winning educational writer and game designer and a founder of The Yellow Hand creative collective. He is a well known figure in the Swedish RPG industry, both as an avid gamer and as an accomplished creator. Magnus started playing roleplaying games in 1982 with the very first version of Drakar och Demoner. Because of this, he began tapping away at the family typewriter, writing extra rules and adventures for his own gaming group and shamelessly copying the style of the trailblazers of the day. Immersing himself in the hobby, Magnus soon discovered other RPGs, such as Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and Cyberpunk.
Please check out these relevant links:
Outside the Box (book)
The Yellow Hand
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Kelli Fitzpatrick is a science fiction writer, gamewriter, and teacher. She is the author of Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers Declassified (from BenBella Books, 2025) and is a contributing writer for the Star Trek Adventures role-playing game from Modiphius. Her Star Trek story “The Sunwalkers” won the 2016 Strange New Worlds contest from Simon and Schuster. Her short fiction has been published by Baen Books, Crazy 8 Press, Flash Fiction Online, and others, and her essays on sci-fi pop culture appear at StarTrek.com, Women at Warp, and in anthologies from Sequart and ATB Publishing. She has written for NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope outreach team and Arizona State University’s Interplanetary Initiative. She has over a decade of experience teaching high school and college courses. Find her at KelliFitzpatrick.com and on Bluesky @KelliFitzWrites.
Derek Tyler Attico is a speculative fiction author, essayist, and award-winning photographer. In fiction, Derek has won the Excellence in Playwriting Award from the Dramatist Guild of America, and he is a two-time winner of the Star Trek Strange New Worlds short story contest (“Alpha & Omega,” “The Dreamer and the Dream”) published by Simon and Schuster. Derek is also the author of the bestselling, critically acclaimed “Star Trek novel The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko” by Titan Publishing.
Jim Johnson was born about the same time Apollo XII landed on the moon (and has always been kinda spacey) and shares a birthday with the Kindle. He is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids weird western series and the Potomac Shadows urban fantasy series. He's also written a bunch of other stuff in and around the SFF genres and pen and paper RPGs. He's currently the project manager and line editor for Modiphius's Star Trek Adventures RPG.
Michael Dismuke is a Certified Professional in Talent Development and Certified Leadership Development and Succession Strategist. He is a national speaker/trainer and consultant, a freelance writer for the Star Trek Adventures RPG, and a published comic creator.
Please check out this relevant link:
Star Trek: Timelines
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dan Labrecque is a consultant by day, husband and father of three by everything else, and a tabletop RPG player since 1982, back when Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was the gateway drug and the Satanic Panic was trying to convince everyone's parents otherwise. He survived those troubling times as his parents were too busy working at Velcro USA to bother with that hype. These days, he writes and creates for the Yellow Hand, contributing to the Simulacrum RPG and the Eyes That Behold Call of Cthulhu campaign, and has authored the Monster of the Week mysteries Web of Shadows (also converted to Call of Cthulhu) and Tidings of Dread. Currently, he's deep in Alea Temporis, a Forged in the Dark time travel game, plus faction guides for Monster of the Week starting with the Pact of Mammon.
Please check out these relevant links:
Monster of the Week: Web of Shadows
The Yellow Hand
Jetpack Comics
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Magnus Seter is an award-winning educational writer and game designer and a founder of The Yellow Hand creative collective. He is a well known figure in the Swedish RPG industry, both as an avid gamer and as an accomplished creator. Magnus started playing roleplaying games in 1982 with the very first version of Drakar och Demoner. Because of this, he began tapping away at the family typewriter, writing extra rules and adventures for his own gaming group and shamelessly copying the style of the trailblazers of the day. Immersing himself in the hobby, Magnus soon discovered other RPGs, such as Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and Cyberpunk.
Please check out these relevant links:
Outside the Box (book)
The Yellow Hand
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Five years into the podcast, this is the first time one of our episodes has released on May the 4th. We are departing from our typical interview schedule to take this opportunity to chat about what Star Wars has meant and continues to mean to both of us as to our generation. MTFBWY.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Jay Sojdelius is a founder and game designer, writer, illustrator, and graphic designer at The Yellow Hand, a creative collective that concerns itself with the independent conceptualization, development, and publishing of hobby gaming products, aiming to become a thriving game publishing business of quality and distinction.
Please check out these relevant links:
Simulacrum Kickstarter
Simulacrum Free Quickstart
The Yellow Hand
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
It's the annual State of the Dice! Join us as we review the first five years of Dice in Mind and share our plans for the coming years. Happy five-year anniversary!
Where will we go in 2026/2027?
- Writing
- Attending a Con
- Playing RPGs
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Tom and Cathy Thrush are the founders of Urban Realms. D&D is a huge part of their lives. It’s the way they stay in touch with friends, an escape from everyday life, and a creative outlet. It’s something they’ve been doing together since before their marriage in May of 2003. So, it was no surprise that they wanted to share some of their best ideas with the rest of the D&D community. But as their list of ideas for projects grew, they realized they couldn’t do it all themselves. So they enlisted their good friend, Daryen O’Dell to help. Now the three of them do their best to stay in touch with the amazing people they’ve met through Urban Realms and bring more passion projects to life.
Please check out these relevant links:
Date Night Dungeons
Date Night Dungeons (Amazon)
Urban Realms
Lady Blade (Amazon)
Libram of Lists (Kickstarter Video)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Jonah and Tristan Fishel are the authors of The Game Master's Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying and The Game Master's Handbook of Collaborative Campaign Design.
Jonah Fishel has been playing TTRPGs for nearly twenty years, and has game mastered far more than his fair share of campaigns. Away from the gaming table, Jonah is a learning differences tutor. He lives in Charlottesville, VA with his wife, daughter, and dog. For some reason, Jonah has a degree in Storytelling.
Tristan Fishel is an author and RPG writer living in Newport News, Virginia. Tristan has written several adventures, rules expansions, and other content for both 5e and a few of his other favored systems. In his spare time, Tristan enjoys running home games for his friends, writing fiction, and serving as a devoted caretaker to his beloved cat, Cupcake.
Please check out these relevant links:
The Game Master's Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying
The Game Master's Handbook of Collaborative Campaign Design
Game Master's Laboratory
Media Lab Books
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Raised in the mild climate of Northern California, Christopher Griffen's steady diet of Marvel comic books, Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and all the sci-fi he could read turned him into the man-child that he is today. Now a writer of both role-playing games – Traveller, from Mongoose Publishing is his game of choice – and comics from Markosia Publishing, he is living the dream, collaborating with some of the best in the business to create narratives for all to enjoy.
Please check out these relevant links:
Pioneer RPG
Christopher Griffen on DriveThruRPG
Christopher Griffen on Amazon
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Robert M. Hazen is Senior Staff Scientist at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory and Clarence Robinson Professor of Earth Sciences at George Mason University. He received the BS and SM in geology at the MIT, the PhD at Harvard University in Earth science, and was NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at Cambridge University.
Michael Wong is an astrobiologist and planetary scientist whose primary scientific interests are planetary atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures, and the emergence of life. He is co-authoring a revised edition of the textbook Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. He also hosts a podcast that examines science, technology, and culture through the lens of Star Trek. He is working with Staff Scientist Bob Hazen to assess the network topologies of exoplanet atmospheres for potential biosignatures.
Please check out these relevant links:
Dr. Robert Hazen (Carnegie Science)
Dr. Robert Hazen (George Mason University)
Dr. Michael Wong (Carnegie Science)
Dr. Michael Wong (Website)
Time's Second Arrow: Evolution, Order, and a New Law of Nature
Strange New Worlds: A Science & Star Trek Podcast
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Matt Forbeck is an award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author and game designer with over thirty-five novels and countless games published to date. His projects have won a Peabody Award, a Scribe Award, and numerous ENnies and Origins Awards. He is also the president of the Diana Jones Award Foundation, which celebrates excellence in gaming. His latest work includes the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game, Hard West 2, Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus, Minecraft Legends: Return of the Piglins, and the Shotguns & Sorcery 5E Sourcebook based on his novels. He is the father of five, including a set of quadruplets.
Please check out these relevant links:
Matt Forbeck (website)
Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game: Core Rulebook
Shotguns and Sorcery: The 5E Sourcebook
Star Trek Adventures Second Edition: Species Sourcebook
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
And now for something completely different...
Welcome to our first and only actual play episode! Join us as we embark on a homebrewed session of Star Trek Adventures titled "Ethics of the Fathers".
Please check out this relevant link:
Star Trek Adventures Second Edition
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Keith Ammann is an ENNIE Award–winning writer based in Chicago. He’s the author of several books of advice for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons players, including The Monsters Know What They’re Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters, MOAR! Monsters Know What They’re Doing, How to Defend Your Lair, and most recently Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games, as well as the blog The Monsters Know What They’re Doing. He’s been a role-playing gamer and game master for more than thirty years. He likes to play outwardly abrasive helpers, out-of-their-element helpers, and genuinely nice, helpful helpers. Mostly, though, he plays non-player characters. And monsters.
Please check out these relevant links:
Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games
Spy & Owl
The Monsters Know What They're Doing (blog)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Ben Robbins has spent most of his life elbow-deep in role-playing games. He created Microscope, Kingdom, and In This World, writes the ars ludi blog, and spent years running Story Games Seattle to bring total strangers together at the table. He's working on his new game, Rules of Law, as soon as he finishes writing this bio.
Please check out these relevant links:
Lame Mage Productions
Microscope RPG
Pioneer RPG
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
W.M. Akers is a novelist, playwright, editor, game designer, copywriter and, well, just about any other kind of writer you might require. He is the author of Westside, Westside Saints and Westside Lights, the creator of Deadball: Baseball With Dice and Comrades: A Revolution RPG, and too many plays to mention here. He is also responsible for Strange Times, a weekly newsletter that investigates the weirdest news 1921 has to offer, and Strange Pulp, an irregular journal of weird fiction.
Please check out these relevant links:
Website
Deadball: Baseball with Dice
Letters to the Stars
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dr. Jason von Stietz is a licensed psychologist and cognitive behavior therapist who specializes in the treatment of people with OCD, Panic, Insomnia, and Sport/Performance related issues.
Please check out these relevant links:
Dr. Jason von Stietz (website)
Movie House Sports Psychology (podcast)
The Mentally Fit Athlete (podcast)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Aaron Pollyea has a background in astronomy and physics, but currently has a day job dealing with climate change and its intersection with agriculture. He has been a life-long Star Trek fan, and has been working as a freelance writer for Star Trek Adventures since it began. In his free time, Aaron may be found gazing through his telescope, reading a good book, or doing historical reenacting with his wife.
Al Spader is a middle school science teacher, father of five-year-old twin boys, and a freelance RPG writer and game designer. As a regular writer for Star Trek Adventures and lead designer of the Sentience 2d20 RPG, Al brings his knowledge of neurodivergence and social-emotional learning to the TTRPG community.
Please check out these relevant links:
REDACTED! Core Rulebook (coming soon!)
Saucer Squadron Core Rulebook
Pioneer RPG Kickstarter
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dr. Aaron Peterson comes to Converse University from the North Star State of Minnesota. He holds an EdD in Educational Leadership with a focus on higher education administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato, an M.S. in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from Creighton University’s School of Law and a B.S. in a double major of Communication Studies and Aviation Operations from St. Cloud State University. Dr. Peterson is the Director for the Doctorate in Professional Leadership and Assistant Professor of Leadership. He teaches in the Doctorate in Professional Leadership and the Master’s in Management programs. He is also currently developing graduate courses focusing on higher education leadership. He previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership with emphases in higher education and student affairs at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Prior to faculty roles, he served in multiple leadership roles in higher education and student affairs. These areas include residential life, financial aid, and student advising.
Please check out these relevant links:
Faculty Website
Second Star to the Right: Essays on Leadership in Star Trek
Call for Chapter Proposals: Beyond the Next Star
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Derek Tyler Attico is a speculative fiction author, essayist, and award-winning photographer. In fiction, Derek has won the Excellence in Playwriting Award from the Dramatist Guild of America, and he is a two-time winner of the Star Trek Strange New Worlds short story contest (“Alpha & Omega,” “The Dreamer and the Dream”) published by Simon and Schuster. Derek is also the author of the bestselling, critically acclaimed Star Trek novel The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko by Titan Publishing.
Please check out these relevant links:
Website
The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dr. Michael Wong is an NHFP Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Science's Earth & Planets Laboratory working with Robert M. Hazen and others. His primary scientific interests are planetary atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures, and the emergence of life. He is also co-authoring a revised edition of the textbook “Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach” with Professor Jonathan Lunine. His other passions include photography, writing, public speaking, graphic design, and playing a variety of team sports. He hosts a podcast called Strange New Worlds, which examines science, technology, and culture through the lens of Star Trek.
Please check out these relevant links:
Paper in Nature (behind a paywall)
Strange New Worlds Podcast
Website
Twitter
Instagram
Pioneer RPG Kickstarter
Traveller RPG
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Ross Leiser is an asexual geek, math-loving theater and choir kid, and forever GM (by choice) who specializes in player-facing design. He's worked many jobs, from math teacher, to grocery store pizza maker, to flooring wholesaler, to landscaper, but he's a lot happier making games full-time. Since March of 2017, he's operated under the brand Outlandish Adventure Productions, with products that spark whimsy and capture the imagination, but with a serious focus on system syntax, narrative-mechanical cohesion, inter-party balance, and positive gameplay experiences for both the player and game master. His body of work primarily includes independent, third-party supplemental products for D&D 5e on the Dungeon Master's Guild, but now he's a senior designer on the core design team of the award-winning Cosmere RPG as a decade-long Sanderfan who's utterly obsessed with the Cosmere's magic systems, and having an absolute blast working alongside the most wonderful team in the world.
Please check out these relevant links:
LinkedIn
Ross on Dungeon Masters Guild
Cosmere BackerKit
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Katrina Ostrander has served as editor for over a dozen media tie-in novellas spanning multiple genres including cyberpunk, fantasy, Lovecraftian horror, and science fiction. She has worked with emerging writers as well as New York Times–bestselling authors. As the Creative Director of Story and Setting with the Asmodee Franchise Development Team, she oversees the internal and licensed development of the company’s proprietary IPs. Besides her work as an editor of tie-in fiction and developer of IPs, she has written for or developed over a dozen roleplaying game products, including adventures, supplements, and core rulebooks.
Please check out these relevant links:
Website
The Worlds of Android
Asmodee
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
It's a midsummer night's interlude! Instead of a full episode, we bring you this brief PSA.
Please check out these relevant links:
Fantasy Flight Games
Edge Studio
Cosmere RPG
Second Star to the Right: Essays on Leadership in Star Trek
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
It's our sesquicentennial episode!
Jim Johnson was born about the same time Apollo XII landed on the moon (and has always been kinda spacey) and shares a birthday with the Kindle. He is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids weird western series and the Potomac Shadows urban fantasy series. He's also written a bunch of other stuff in and around the SFF genres and pen and paper RPGs. He's currently the project manager and line editor for Modiphius's Star Trek Adventures RPG.
Please check out these relevant links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Books on Amazon
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dr. Michael Wong is an NHFP Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Science's Earth & Planets Laboratory working with Robert M. Hazen and others. My primary scientific interests are planetary atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures, and the emergence of life. I am also co-authoring a revised edition of the textbook Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach with Professor Jonathan Lunine. My other passions include photography, writing, public speaking, graphic design, and playing a variety of team sports. I host a podcast called Strange New Worlds, which examines science, technology, and culture through the lens of Star Trek.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Strange New Worlds
Website
Twitter
Instagram
Boldly Go!
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Ross Leiser is an asexual geek, math-loving theater and choir kid, and forever GM (by choice) who specializes in player-facing design. He's worked many jobs, from math teacher, to grocery store pizza maker, to flooring wholesaler, to landscaper, but he's a lot happier making games full-time. Since March of 2017, he's operated under the brand Outlandish Adventure Productions, with products that spark whimsy and capture the imagination, but with a serious focus on system syntax, narrative-mechanical cohesion, inter-party balance, and positive gameplay experiences for both the player and game master. His body of work primarily includes independent, third-party supplemental products for D&D 5e on the Dungeon Master's Guild, but now he's a senior designer on the core design team of the award-winning Cosmere RPG as a decade-long Sanderfan who's utterly obsessed with the Cosmere's magic systems, and having an absolute blast working alongside the most wonderful team in the world.
Please check out these relevant links:
LinkedIn
Ross on Dungeon Masters Guild
Cosmere BackerKit
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Peter Tinaglia is a human teacher who wants to use TTRPGs in places of work as a team building tool. His day job is teaching teenagers about history, but his evening job is running an after school D&D club for teenagers and teachers.
Please check out these relevant links:
ShadowDark
SoloDark
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Greta K. Kelly is (probably) not a witch, death or otherwise, but she can still be summoned with offerings of too-beautiful-to-use journals and Butterfingers candy. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her husband EJ, daughters Lorelei and Nadia who are doing their level-best to take over the world. The Warrior Witch duology, consisting of THE FROZEN CROWN and its sequel THE SEVENTH QUEEN are both out now. Greta’s third novel, THE QUEEN OF DAYS, a stand alone adult fantasy is also out now.
Please check out these relevant links:
Website
The Frozen Crown
The Seventh Queen
The Queen of Days
SFF Addicts Podcast
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Aaron Pollyea has a background in astronomy and physics, but currently has a day job dealing with climate change and its intersection with agriculture. He has been a life-long Star Trek fan, and has been working as a freelance writer for Star Trek Adventures since it began. In his free time, Aaron may be found gazing through his telescope, reading a good book, or doing historical reenacting with his wife.
Please check out these relevant links:
Star Trek Adventures: Technical Manual
Star Trek Adventures: Utopia Planitia
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
We apologize for the low-gain issue with Meric's microphone
Meric Moir is a digital marketing manager at an international engineering company, a MacEwan University graduate from the sadly defunct Professional Writing program, a father of four, and a constant storyteller and worldbuilder. He recently became the book lead on Cosmere RPG’s Mistborn World Guide.
Please check out these relevant links:
Cosmere Roleplaying Game
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
It's our fourth anniversary episode! Join us for a brief look back and candid look forward to what you can expect from Year 5 of Dice in Mind.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Jim Johnson was born about the same time Apollo XII landed on the moon (and has always been kinda spacey) and shares a birthday with the Kindle. He is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids weird western series and the Potomac Shadows urban fantasy series. He's also written a bunch of other stuff in and around the SFF genres and pen and paper RPGs. He's currently the project manager and line editor for Modiphius's Star Trek Adventures RPG.
Al Spader is a middle school science teacher, father of five-year-old twin boys, and a freelance RPG writer and game designer. As a regular writer for Star Trek Adventures and lead designer of the Sentience 2d20 RPG, Al brings his knowledge of neurodivergence and social-emotional learning to the TTRPG community.
Michael Dismuke is a Certified Professional in Talent Development and Certified Leadership Development and Succession Strategist. He is a national speaker/trainer and consultant, a freelance writer for the Star Trek Adventures RPG, and a published comic creator.
Please check out these relevant links:
Star Trek Adventures: Technical Manual
Star Trek Adventures: Second Edition Core Rulebook
Sentience 2d20
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Kelli Fitzpatrick is a science fiction writer, gamewriter, and teacher. She is the author of Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers Declassified (from BenBella Books, 2025) and is a contributing writer for the Star Trek Adventures role-playing game from Modiphius. Her Star Trek story “The Sunwalkers” won the 2016 Strange New Worlds contest from Simon and Schuster. Her short fiction has been published by Baen Books, Crazy 8 Press, Flash Fiction Online, and others, and her essays on sci-fi pop culture appear at StarTrek.com, Women at Warp, and in anthologies from Sequart and ATB Publishing. She has written for NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope outreach team and Arizona State University’s Interplanetary Initiative. She has over a decade of experience teaching high school and college courses. Find her at KelliFitzpatrick.com and on Bluesky @KelliFitzWrites.
Please check out these relevant links:
Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers Declassified
Star Trek Adventures: Shackleton Expanse Campaign Guide
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dr. Jesse Rogerson is an Assistant Professor at York University. He is a passionate scientist, educator, and communicator. Whether in the classroom or on social media, he seeks to create conversations on how science and society intersect, and why science is relevant in our daily lives.
Please check out these relevant links:
Daydreaming in the Solar System
Traveller RPG
The Millennial Project
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dr. John Moores is an Associate Professor at York University and Director of the Graduate Program in Earth and Space Science. He is the Science Advisor to the President of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and also serves as the Director of the Technologies for Exo-Planetary Science NSERC CREATE Program, which provides unique training opportunities for graduate students. He previously served as the Associate Dean of Research & Graduate Studies for the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University.
Please check out these relevant links:
Daydreaming in the Solar System
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Michael Dismuke is a Certified Professional in Talent Development and Certified Leadership Development and Succession Strategist. He is a national speaker/trainer and consultant, a freelance writer for the Star Trek Adventures RPG, and a published comic creator.
Please check out these relevant links:
Star Trek Adventures: Klingon Core Rulebook
Dune: Adventures in the Imperium Core Rulebook
Starforged Rulebook
Continuing Mission Article
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Michael Low is a live-scan certified CA high school English teacher, parent, story-teller, and game designer. He teaches kids non-violent conflict resolution, collaboration, confidence, critical thinking, and creative writing using games, inspired by a love of learning, not fear of failure. #LAStrong
Please check out these relevant links:
InfiniBrix Kickstarter
Luck of Legends
Michael’s Wonderful Video
Stories RPG Podcast
Brick Loot
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Welcome to our second RPG review through the lens of LitRPG! We hope you enjoy it.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Star Trek Adventures 2e Starter Set
Star Trek Adventures 2e Core Rulebook
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason A. Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Happy New Year!
Sophie May is the PR Manager at publisher of tabletop games, Modiphius, working on games such as Star Trek Adventures, the Discworld RPG, and more. Having worked in PR since 2018, Sophie has previously worked in agency, where she worked for brands such as BT, JP Morgan, PizzaExpress, and more, before working in-house at sustainable fashion brand, Lucy & Yak. Having joined Modiphius in January 2024, Sophie now leads Modiphius' PR efforts, including media relations, influencer marketing, and PR events.
Please check out these relevant links:
Modiphius
Dungeons & Dragons
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
With the holiday season approaching across the Northern Hemisphere, we are taking two weeks to explore the importance of mental health and how RPGs and adjacent canons and games can promote it. Please join us for this timely conversation...and please be well.
If you are in need of talking with someone, please consider calling:
911: Emergency Assistance
988: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
You can also check out this list of resources curated by the American Psychological Association.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Matthew Sprange is co-founder and managing director of Mongoose Publishing, where he has been running the company for more than two decades. A game designer who has designed, authored, or edited more than 50 game products, Matthew also has magazine credits in Signs & Portents and several other popular publications.
Please check out these relevant links:
Mongoose Publishing
State of the Mongoose 2024
Traveller
Paranoia
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dr. Peterson is an Assistant Professor of Leadership in the Department of Leadership. He teaches in the Doctorate in Professional Leadership and the Master’s in Management programs. He is also currently developing graduate courses focusing on higher education leadership. He previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership with emphases in higher education and student affairs at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Prior to faculty roles, he served in multiple leadership roles in higher education and student affairs. These areas include residential life, financial aid, and student advising.
Dr. Reynolds is a professor civil procedure, conflict of laws, negotiation, and mediation at the University of Oregon. Her research interests include negotiation, dispute systems design, and cultural influences and implications of alternative processes. She holds the Orlando John and Marian H. Hollis endowed professorship at the law school. She is currently serving as the law school's Interim Dean.
Dr. Noam Ebner is a professor at Creighton University and former chair of its online graduate program in negotiation and conflict resolution, he has over fifteen years of experience in online teaching, curricular design, and program development. He has consulted to other academic programs in these areas, and has supported many teachers in the negotiation, conflict resolution, and ADR fields in their transition to teaching online.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Star Wars and Conflict Resolution II: My Negotiations Will Not Fail
Star Wars and Conflict Resolution
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason A. Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Ian Lemke is a game developer for Green Ronin and is responsible for The Expanse Roleplaying Game line. He has written for The Expanse line since the core rulebook and has also contributed writing to Blue Rose. Ian has been developing games (both tabletop RPGs and computer games) since 1993. He’s worked as a writer or developer for many companies including White Wolf, FASA, Modiphius, Zenimax Online, and more. He got his start running Vampire LARPs and ran a fantasy LARP for 10 years and loves all things sci fi and fantasy. He lives in the outskirts of Atlanta, GA with his wonderful wife (who secretly gives him a lot of his best ideas), a dog named Shakespeare, a rabbit named Marlowe, and several chickens.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Ian Lemke (Twitter/X)
The Expanse Transport Union Edition Quickstart
The Expanse Roleplaying Game
Green Ronin Publishing
Nevermore Roleplaying Game
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason A. Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Welcome to our first "official" RPG book review through the lens of LitRPG! We hope you enjoy it.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Star Trek Adventures 2e Core Rulebook
Continuing Conversations Episode 145
Continuing Conversations Episode (YouTube)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason A. Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Al Spader is a middle school science teacher, father of five-year-old twin boys, and a freelance RPG writer and game designer. As a regular writer for Star Trek Adventures and lead designer of the Sentience 2d20 RPG, Al brings his knowledge of neurodivergence and social-emotional learning to the TTRPG community.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Once Upon
Sentience
Star Trek Adventures: The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign
Al Spader (Twitter)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason A. Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Shelly Mazzanoble is an award-winning author of essays, books, two unfinished novels, some short stories, and one-act plays that have actually been produced. Most surprising, she is someone’s a mother. She loves writing about reality TV almost as much as parenting. Then there’s all the Dungeons & Dragons stuff. Shelly has written three books about D&D: Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girl’s Guide to the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons: One Woman's Quest to Trade Self-Help for Elf Help, and Welcome to Dragon Talk: Inspiring Conversations About Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Love to Play It (co-authored by Greg Tito.) Most recently, Shelly has written How to Dungeon Master Parenting: A Guidebook for Gamifying the Child Rearing Quest, Leveling Up Your Skills, and Raising Future Adventurers.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Tertulia (the publisher is offering a 25% discount until 12 November)
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Barnes & Noble
University of Iowa Press
Middle-Aged Lady Mom (on Substack)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason A. Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Katie Nickolaou is the Emmy Award Winning CBS Morning Meteorologist for WLNS in Lansing, Michigan. From reporting on tornadoes live in the field to tracking multi-day blizzards, she loves injecting her forecasts with unique and detailed information that captivates and educates her audience. She is the creator of the #FandomForecast, a project she started to bring together her love for pop culture and weather forecasting.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason A. Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Nearly two years ago, we had the opportunity to interview RPG royalty. Bill Smith is the writer and editor of the much hailed Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (2nd ed.) core rulebook, Game Master Handbook, and more from West End Games. He was so humble and kind when we spoke. We hope you enjoy listening to the chat half as much as we did having it!
Also, we promise this is the last rerun on Dice in Mind for a very, very long time.
This week we bring you RPG royalty! Seriously. We have the good fortune of sharing our fascinating conversation with Bill Smith, writer and editor of the much hailed Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (2nd ed.) core rulebook, Game Master Handbook, and more from West End Games. Bill's work on the mechanics and storytelling of Star Wars roleplaying should not be underestimated. His influences subtle and significant remain manifest throughout the science-fiction and fantasy RPG zeitgeist to this day. It also turns out that Bill is also a really neat person.
Please check out Bill's oeuvre old and new:
Website
Outlaw Galaxy
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (2nd ed.)
Bill Smith's books have sold nearly half a million copies. He has written for leading publishers such as Del Rey Books, Little Brown, Lucasfilm, Topps, West End Games, TSR Inc., and Wizard Press. From 1991 to 1997, he served as the Star Wars roleplaying game line editor for West End Games. In 1995, he was voted "Favorite Designer" by the RPGA, the world's largest organization for role-playing game enthusiasts. He has also written for Hershey Foods, the WIT Agency, and has been involved in motorsports promotion, marketing and journalism for nearly three decades. Bill works a day job to support his writing habit and continues to publish Outlaw Galaxy stories. He hopes you enjoy them.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Michael Dismuke is a Certified Professional in Talent Development and Certified Leadership Development and Succession Strategist. He is a national speaker/trainer and consultant, a freelance writer for the Star Trek Adventures RPG, and a published comic creator.
Please check out these relevant links:
Michael on Twitter
Continuing Conversations
Star Trek Adventures, Second Edition
Dune: Adventure in the Imperium
Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Sarah Al-Ahmed holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in astrophysics from the University of California at Berkeley. After some time as a data-taker for a supernova research team using instruments at Lick Observatory in Mt. Hamilton, California, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in science communication. Sarah spent six years as a museum guide, writer, and show producer at the historic Griffith Observatory. She was a monthly contributor to Griffith Observer magazine and a content creator for All Space Considered, the observatory’s monthly astronomy news program. Sarah joined The Planetary Society as Digital Community Manager in 2020, using her science communication skills to cultivate The Planetary Society's online communities. In 2023, she became the host and producer of Planetary Radio, The Planetary Society's weekly podcast and radio show. She continues to share the human adventure across our Solar System and beyond each week.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Planetary Radio
The Planetary Society
Griffith Observatory
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Brad and Jason are doing a bit of summer traveling. So, please join us this week for a rerun of one of our most popular episodes:
Katie Nickolaou is the Emmy Award Winning CBS Morning Meteorologist for WLNS in Lansing, Michigan. From reporting on tornadoes live in the field to tracking multi-day blizzards, she loves injecting her forecasts with unique and detailed information that captivates and educates her audience. She is the creator of the #FandomForecast, a project she started to bring together her love for pop culture and weather forecasting.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Star Trek: Lower Decks Campaign Guide (Star Trek Adventures RPG)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
James L. Sutter is a co-creator of the Pathfinder and Starfinder Roleplaying Games. From 2004 to 2017, he worked for Paizo Publishing, starting out as an editor on Dungeon Magazine, going on to do foundational work for Pathfinder, and eventually becoming the Creative Director in charge of launching Starfinder, as well as the Executive Editor of the Pathfinder Tales novel line for Paizo and Tor, before leaving to write full-time. James is also the author of the young adult romance novels Darkhearts and The Ghost of Us, as well as the fantasy novels Death's Heretic—a finalist for the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel—and The Redemption Engine, which won the 2015 Scribe Award for Best Original Speculative Novel. His short stories have appeared in such venues as Nightmare, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Escape Pod, and the #1 Amazon best-seller Machine of Death. In addition, he's written comic books, essays in venues like Clarkesworld and Lightspeed: Queers Destroy Science Fiction, a wealth of tabletop gaming material, and video games. When not writing, James has performed with musical acts ranging from metalcore to musical theater. He lives in Seattle.
Please check out these links from the episode:
The Ghost of Us
James L. Sutter (website)
Twitter/X
Tabletop Gaming Credits
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Michael Dismuke is a Certified Professional in Talent Development and Certified Leadership Development and Succession Strategist. He is a national speaker/trainer and consultant, a freelance writer for the Star Trek Adventures RPG, and a published comic creator.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Confirmation Bias (excerpt)
Continuing Mission
Star Trek Adventures
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Bradley Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dante Lauretta is a Regents Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. He is an expert in near-Earth asteroid formation and evolution. He is the leader of NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return mission, the United States' premier mission to visit one of the most Potentially Hazardous near-Earth Asteroids, survey it to assess its impact hazard and resource potential, understand its physical and chemical properties, and return a sample of this body to Earth for detailed scientific analysis. He also maintains an active research program in Cosmochemistry and Meteoritics.
Please check out these relevant links:
Dante Lauretta
OSIRIS-REx
The Asteroid Hunter
Xtronaut
Leadership in Star Trek
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Scott Fitzgerald Gray has been flogging his imagination professionally since deciding he wanted to be a writer and abandoning any hope of a real career in about the fourth grade. The time since has seen him indulge in educational forays in science, arts, and film, and the bewildering variety of occupations that have driven his search for the secret of the human condition to include information systems specialist, multimedia developer, teacher, facilitator, journalist, production manager, editor, graphic designer, and logger (because he lives in Canada, after all).
Please check out these relevant links:
Twitter
CORE20 RPG
Insane Angel
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Christina Mitchell is a senior multimedia specialist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, where she has worked since 2020. Christina specializes in production coordination but as a passionate storyteller she is always striving to find new and creative ways to engage audiences. Most recently, Christina led the creation of NASA’s first tabletop roleplaying game adventure, “The Lost Universe.” Christina graduated from Emory & Henry College in 2019 with a B.A. in Mass Communications and minor in Politics and Society, she is currently pursuing an M.A. in Communications Management at Webster University. When not working or studying, Christina can usually be found at the barn with her rescue horse, practicing archery, or curled up at home with her cats and a book.
Please check out these relevant links:
The Lost Universe
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Jeff Ashworth is the author and editor of the bestselling Game Master series of 5e sourcebooks, including The Game Master's Book of Random Encounters, The Game Master's Book of Non-Player Characters, and The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles and Dungeons. When he isn't working on special projects for Media Lab Books, he enjoys playing and designing games with his friends. He and his longtime campaign companion/wife live in Virginia with their dogs, Zelda and Lincoln.
Please check out these relevant links:
Everything I Need to Know I Learned from RPGs
Jeff's Books on Amazon
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Al Spader is a middle school science teacher, father of five year old twin boys, and a freelance RPG writer and game designer. As a regular writer for Star Trek Adventures and lead designer of the Sentience 2d20 RPG, Al brings his knowledge of neurodivergence and social-emotional learning to the TTRPG community.
Jim Johnson was born about the same time Apollo XII landed on the moon (and has always been kinda spacey) and shares a birthday with the Kindle. He is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids weird western series and the Potomac Shadows urban fantasy series. He's also written a bunch of other stuff in and around the SFF genres and pen and paper RPGs. He's currently the project manager and line editor for Modiphius's Star Trek Adventures RPG.
Please check out these relevant links:
Al Spader (Twitter/X)
Sentience RPG
Jim Johnson
Jim Johnson (Twitter/X)
Star Trek Adventures: The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign
AlphaSmart Neo
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Al Spader is a middle school science teacher, father of five year old twin boys, and a freelance RPG writer and game designer. As a regular writer for Star Trek Adventures and lead designer of the Sentience 2d20 RPG, Al brings his knowledge of neurodivergence and social-emotional learning to the TTRPG community.
Jim Johnson was born about the same time Apollo XII landed on the moon (and has always been kinda spacey) and shares a birthday with the Kindle. He is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids weird western series and the Potomac Shadows urban fantasy series. He's also written a bunch of other stuff in and around the SFF genres and pen and paper RPGs. He's currently the project manager and line editor for Modiphius's Star Trek Adventures RPG.
Please check out these relevant links:
Al Spader (Twitter/X)
Sentience RPG
Jim Johnson
Jim Johnson (Twitter/X)
Star Trek Adventures: The Federation-Klingon War Tactical Campaign
AlphaSmart Neo
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Sorry for the late episode, we had a technical glitch: Jason was on spring break.
Carl Niblaeus is a Stockholm-based tabletop RPG designer, one of two behind the gritty sci-fi RPG Death in Space and part of the creative coven Stockholm Kartell. With a PhD in astroparticle physics focusing on dark matter, he has a special interest in the cosmos and its inner workings. Today he spends his days working in data science, on evenings and weekends he takes the chances he can to escape to cold dark space and strange universes beyond our own. He is mostly an omnivore when it comes to RPGs, exploring all kinds of experiences the hobby can offer, but shies away from high page counts and large rulesets.
Please check out these relevant links:
Death in Space
Microscope
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space. Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
If you like what you hear, PLEASE leave us a 5-star rating on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
Gravitating to the darker sides of fantasy, Seth Skorkowsky has always preferred horror and pulp heroes over knights in shining armor. When not writing, Seth enjoys cheesy movies, tabletop roleplaying games, making YouTube videos, and traveling the world with his wife.
Please check out these relevant links:
YouTube
Twitter
Website
Books
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Author, interviewer, host, archivist, producer, voiceover, actor and and fan: Larry Nemecek has a background in news and theatre, but it is “Trekland” where he’s worked for over 25 years. A renowned Star Trek authority, Larry is the author of the bestselling classic, Star Trek The Next Generation Companion, and a regular convention guest worldwide, often referred to as “Dr. Trek.” Larry now brings his Trek insight, resources, and archives to the ultimate deep-dive experience for Trek fans at Portal 47.
Please check out these relevant links:
Trekland
Portal 47: Your Inside Access to all Things Star Trek
Trekland Treks Tours
Trekland on YouTube
Twitter
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
We're going long with this episode!
Jim Johnson was born about the same time Apollo XII landed on the moon (and has always been kinda spacey) and shares a birthday with the Kindle. He is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids weird western series and the Potomac Shadows urban fantasy series. He's also written a bunch of other stuff in and around the SFF genres and pen and paper RPGs. He's currently the project manager and line editor for Modiphius's Star Trek Adventures RPG.
Please check out these relevant links:
Scribe Ineti (website and books)
Twitter
Star Trek Adventures
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
In which we talk about our achievement, respectively recent and pending, of the age of 50. Also, the GM Corner is now Audubon Court! The tea must flow.
Please check out these relevant links:
Imperial Tea Court
Star Wars Outlaws
Star Trek Adventures
Star Wars Roleplaying Game
Classic Traveller Facsimile Edition
The One Ring
Dune: Adventures in the Imperium
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Emily Strand is an author, podcaster, teacher, speaker, award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She holds an MA in theology from the University of Dayton and has taught religion on the college level for nearly 20 years. She has published two books on Catholic sacraments and several peer-reviewed chapters and essays on the religious, symbolic and spiritual themes in popular fiction such as Harry Potter and Star Wars. With Dr. Kathryn N. McDaniel of Marietta College, she co-hosts Potterversity: A Potter Studies Podcast, a show in the MuggleNet family of podcasts.
Please check out these relevant links:
Potterversity: Essays Exploring the World of Harry Potter
Potterversity: A Potter Studies Podcast
Cogs, Cakes & Swordsticks
Fantasy Age Second Edition Core Rulebook
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Join us as look back at what 2023 meant for Dice in Mind as well as the RPG industry more broadly. We also share some of what you can expect from this fair little podcast in 2024.
(Correction: Jason goofed on the name of the restaurant in Kraków. The link is below.)
Please check out these relevant links:
Tawerna Wilczy Dół
Witcher RPG
Fantasy Age (2nd Edition)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
We are thrilled to bring you this chat from Episode 73 with Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito, the wonderful co-hosts of the Dragon Talk podcast and authors of the upcoming Welcome to Dragon Talk: Inspiring Conversations about Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Love to Play It. We spend most of our time exploring the book, diving into the potential for D&D to make the world a better place through fostering community, mental health, and so much more. And did we mention you can preorder the book?
Please check out Shelly's and Greg's book and other work:
Welcome to Dragon Talk
Dragon Talk (the official podcast of D&D)
Shelly Mazzanoble
Greg Tito
Every week, Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito go inside the walls of Dungeons & Dragons for exclusive interviews and previews! This D&D team sits down each week with celebrities and personalities from across gaming and pop culture to discuss one of the greatest fantasy brands of all-time. They talk about the tabletop roleplaying game, as the latest in D&D video games, comics, novels, movies, and television.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Prof. Benjamin Rogers’s research explores the meaning of work and narratives in the workplace, specifically the way that the stories we tell manifest in our organizational experiences to shape our well-being. His work particularly focuses on how these narratives can be used to design effective and scalable psychological interventions to help workers—and people, more broadly—to find more meaning and improve their well-being. His findings have included how a growth mindset can lead employees to help others at work, what leads workers to conclude their boss has naively “fallen for flattery,” and how seeing your personal narrative as similar to a “Hero’s Journey” can give life and work more meaning.
If you are in need of talking with someone, please consider calling:
911: Emergency Assistance
988: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
You can also check out this list of resources curated by the American Psychological Association.
Please check out these relevant links:
Boston College Website
Scientific American Article
TIME Article
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
With the holiday season approaching across the Northern Hemisphere, we are taking two weeks to explore the importance of mental health and how RPGs and adjacent canons and games can promote it. Please join us for this timely conversation...and please be well.
If you are in need of talking with someone, please consider calling:
911: Emergency Assistance
988: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
You can also check out this list of resources curated by the American Psychological Association.
You can also check out this link:
Lord of the Rings
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Disclaimer: This episode in no way constitutes a therapeutic interaction, the provision of clinical intervention, or a professional relationship in any manner.
Al Spader is a middle school science teacher, father of five year old twin boys, and a freelance RPG writer and game designer. As a regular writer for Star Trek Adventures and lead designer of the Sentience 2d20 RPG, Al brings his knowledge of neurodivergence and social-emotional learning to the TTRPG community.
Please check out these relevant links:
Twitter
Sentience Revised Core Rulebook
Star Trek Adventures: Missions Briefs 003 - Anomalies
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
We have noticed that there are a few OnlyFans content creators who are participating in some fairly high-profile RPG actual plays. What is the business model that motivates this synergy?
Please check out these relevant link:
Glass Canon Podcast
The One Ring
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Dr. Amy Sturgis holds a Ph.D. in Intellectual History and specializes in the fields of Science Fiction/Fantasy, the Gothic, and Indigenous American Studies. She serves as faculty at Lenoir-Rhyne University and Signum University and staff for the StarShipSofa podcast. She lives with her husband, Dr. Larry M. Hall, in the Appalachian highlands of Virginia, USA.
Dr. Emily Strand is an author, podcaster, teacher, speaker, award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She holds an MA in theology from the University of Dayton and has taught religion on the college level for nearly 20 years. She has published two books on Catholic sacraments and several peer-reviewed chapters and essays on the religious, symbolic and spiritual themes in popular fiction such as Harry Potter and Star Wars. With Dr. Kathryn N. McDaniel of Marietta College, she co-hosts Potterversity, a Potter Studies Podcast, a show in the MuggleNet family of podcasts.
Please check out these relevant links:
Amy Sturgis
Emily Strand
Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Please check out our new project on TikTok: Star Trek: New Voyages
Travis Baldree is a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. Apparently, he now also writes books. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog. He is the author of Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust.
Please check out these relevant links:
Website
Twitter
Boneshops and Bookdust
Legends and Lattes
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Please check out our new project on TikTok:
Star Trek: New Voyages
Chris Pramas is an award-winning game designer, writer, and publisher. He is best known as the designer of the Dragon Age RPG and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 2nd Edition, and as the founder and President of Green Ronin Publishing. He has been a creative director at Wizards of the Coast and Flying Lab Software and wrote a series of books about fantasy warfare for Osprey Publishing. Green Ronin continues to thrive under his leadership, publishing roleplaying games like The Expanse, Mutants & Masterminds, Blue Rose, and Modern AGE.
Please check out these relevant links:
Website
Twitter
Books on Amazon
Green Ronin Publishing
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
We have traditionally stayed away from current events and politics on the podcast. However, sometimes remaining silent means being complicit. We have thus chosen to share a few thoughts regarding the Israel-Gaza War (i.e., the Simchat Torah War).
It is difficult to know how to help those in need during this time. We suggest contributing to either or both of the following charitable organizations:
United Hatzalah
ANERA
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio. "Hatikvah" courtesy of https://www.science.co.il/israel/Anthem.php.
We changed our music drops! Stay tuned for Episode 104 for the explanation.
Michael Dismuke is a Certified Professional in Talent Development and Certified Leadership Development and Succession Strategist. He is a national speaker/trainer and consultant, a freelance writer for the Star Trek Adventures RPG, and a published comic creator.
Please check out these relevant links:
Twitter
Captain's Log
Star Trek Adventures
Please also check out our new project on TikTok:
Star Trek: New Voyages
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
We changed our music drops! Stay tuned for Episode 104 for the explanation.
Jason Kaufman, Ph.D., Ed.D., is a professor of educational leadership at Minnesota State University, Mankato and a licensed psychologist. His teaching uses a lean and lab-rich approach to promote scientific thinking. His research explores how nature-based and mind-body interventions can promote human functioning and academic success. He enjoys nature photography as time and travel allow. He is a co-host of the Dice in Mind podcast.
Aaron M. Peterson, Ed.D., was most recently an assistant professor of educational leadership with emphases in higher education and student affairs at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Prior to joining the faculty at Minnesota State University Moorhead, he served in multiple leadership roles within the arena of higher education and student affairs. Currently, he is conducting studies involving stress, coping, and leadership approaches involving university and college faculty during the pandemic. He is also the co-creator of The Leadership Lab, an online presence and hub for students, scholars, and practitioners to share research and best practices around multiple areas regarding leadership.
Please check out these relevant links:
Leadership in Star Trek (Amazon)
Leadership in Star Trek (McFarland)
Twitter
Please also check out our new project on TikTok:
Star Trek: New Voyages
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast hosted by Brad Browne and Jason Kaufman to explore the intersection of life, games, science, music, philosophy, and creativity through interviews with leading creatives. All are welcome in this space.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Royalty-free music "Night Jazz Beats" courtesy of flybirdaudio.
Scott Fitzgerald Gray has been flogging his imagination professionally since deciding he wanted to be a writer and abandoning any hope of a real career in about the fourth grade. The time since has seen him indulge in educational forays in science, arts, and film, and the bewildering variety of occupations that have driven his search for the secret of the human condition include information systems specialist, multimedia developer, teacher, facilitator, journalist, production manager, editor, graphic designer, and logger.
Please check out these relevant links:
Insane Angel Games
Twitter
Please check out our new project on TikTok:
Star Trek: New Voyages
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Drew Nichols a television is editor and most recently an associate producer on Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard. Drew started off in reality and documentary programming about 15 years ago and transitioned into scripted television as an assistant editor on great shows like Mad Men, True Detective, 12 Monkeys, and MacGyver.
Please check out these relevant links:
Please also check out our new project on TikTok:
Star Trek: New Voyages
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Please check out our new project on TikTok:
Star Trek: New Voyages
Sterling Hershey is a full-time architect and freelance game designer, who has worked on three different incarnations of the Star Wars role-playing game for West End Games, Wizards of the Coast and Fantasy Flight Games, and also on the Star Wars Miniatures game. He has pursued freelance writing and cartography work since the early 1990s.
Please check out these relevant links:
https://www.sterlinghershey.com/ DrivethruRPG Links
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Please check out our new project on TikTok:
Star Trek: New Voyages
Emily Care Boss is an independent role-playing game designer/publisher and conservationist living on land of the Wabanaki Dawnland Confederacy, in western Massachusetts of the United States. Emily’s designs include Breaking the Ice, Shooting the Moon, and Under my Skin which won the player’s choice Otto award at Fastaval in 2009. These games were published in a single volume compendium with additional hacks and mods, as the Romance Trilogy in 2016 and earned a nomination for the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming in 2017. An early participant at the Forge forums and a proponent of independent publishing, Emily founded JiffyCon in 2006, a regional role playing game convention showcasing independent and small press games.
Epidiah Ravichol, in addition to his writing in Dread, is the overeditor of and a contributor to the sword & sorcery ezine Worlds Without Master as well as the creator of other games, like Vast & Starlit, a game of interstellar crime that fits in your wallet; Time & Temp, adventures in history and underemployment; and What is a Roleplaying Game?, the game his mom has used to successfully explain the hobby to his aunt, which in turn may be the proudest moment of his life. Learn more about these and his other projects at Dig a Thousand Holes Publishing.
Please check out these relevant links:
Black & Green Games Dig 1,000 Holes
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Introducing:
Star Trek: New Voyages
Space, the final frontier. These are the stories of the Starship Gunflint. Told through the Logs of its staff and crew, come along as the USS Gunflint and its crew traverse space to search and explore. Dice in Mind presents Star Trek: New Voyages. Using the Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log Solo Roleplaying Game, follow along as Captain. Atman, Commander Nix, and crew adventure through space, boldly going where where needed or where nobody has gone before.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Matthew Sprange is co-founder and managing director of Mongoose Publishing, where he has been running the company for more than two decades. A game designer who has designed, authored, or edited more than 50 game products, Matthew also has magazine credits in Signs & Portents and several other popular publications.
Please check out these relevant links:
Mongoose Publishing State of the Mongoose 2022 Traveller Paranoia
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series, the Potomac Shadows series, and other prose fiction series currently under development. He has written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and paper roleplaying game companies, including Modiphius (Star Trek Adventures), Decipher (The Lord of the Rings RPG), and White Wolf (Mage: The Ascension). Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, son, and a pair of crazy cats.
Please check out Jim's oeuvre with and beyond Modiphius:
StarTrek.com Announcement Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log (USA) Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log (Global) Scribe Ineti: Jim Johnson's Writing Pistols and Pyramids
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series, the Potomac Shadows series, and other prose fiction series currently under development. He has written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and paper roleplaying game companies, including Modiphius (Star Trek Adventures), Decipher (The Lord of the Rings RPG), and White Wolf (Mage: The Ascension). Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, son, and a pair of crazy cats.
Please check out Jim's oeuvre with and beyond Modiphius:
Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook Scribe Ineti: Jim Johnson's Writing Pistols and Pyramids Star Trek Adventures
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series, the Potomac Shadows series, and other prose fiction series currently under development. He has written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and paper roleplaying game companies, including Modiphius (Star Trek Adventures), Decipher (The Lord of the Rings RPG), and White Wolf (Mage: The Ascension). Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, toddler, and a pair of crazy cats.
Please check out Jim's oeuvre with and beyond Modiphius:
Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook Scribe Ineti: Jim Johnson's Writing Pistols and Pyramids Star Trek Adventures
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Emily Care Boss is an independent role-playing game designer/publisher and conservationist living on land of the Wabanaki Dawnland Confederacy, in western Massachusetts of the United States. Emily’s designs include Breaking the Ice, Shooting the Moon, and Under my Skin which won the player’s choice Otto award at Fastaval in 2009. These games were published in a single volume compendium with additional hacks and mods, as the Romance Trilogy in 2016 and earned a nomination for the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming in 2017. An early participant at the Forge forums and a proponent of independent publishing, Emily founded JiffyCon in 2006, a regional role playing game convention showcasing independent and small press games.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Twitter
Green and Black Games
Star Trek Adventures
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Dr. Michael Wong is a Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution for Science's Earth & Planets Laboratory working with Robert M. Hazen, Shaunna M. Morrison, Peter Gao, and others. His primary scientific interests are planetary atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures, and the emergence of life. He is also co-authoring a revised edition of the textbook Astrobiology: A Multidisciplinary Approach with Professor Jonathan Lunine. Dr. Wong's other passions include photography, writing, public speaking, graphic design, and playing a variety of team sports. He hosts a podcast called Strange New Worlds, which examines science, technology, and culture through the lens of Star Trek.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Strange New Worlds
Website
Twitter
Instagram
Boldly Go!
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Katie Nickolaou is the Emmy Award Winning CBS Morning Meteorologist for WLNS in Lansing, Michigan. From reporting on tornadoes live in the field to tracking multi-day blizzards, she loves injecting her forecasts with unique and detailed information that captivates and educates her audience. She is the creator of the #FandomForecast, a project she started to bring together her love for pop culture and weather forecasting.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Star Trek: Lower Decks Campaign Guide (Star Trek Adventures RPG)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Jaime Green is a science writer, essayist, editor, and teacher, and she is series editor of The Best American Science and Nature Writing. She received her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia, and her writing has appeared in Slate, Popular Science, The New York Times Book Review, American Theatre, Catapult, Astrobites, and elsewhere. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and son.
Please check out these links from the episode:
The Possibility of Life (book)
Twitter
Jaime Green (website)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Katrina Ostrander has served as editor for over a dozen media tie-in novellas spanning multiple genres including cyberpunk, fantasy, Lovecraftian horror, and science fiction. She has worked with emerging writers as well as New York Times–bestselling authors. As the Creative Director of Story and Setting with the Asmodee Franchise Development Team, she oversees the internal and licensed development of the company’s proprietary IPs. Besides her work as an editor of tie-in fiction and developer of IPs, she has written for or developed over a dozen roleplaying game products, including adventures, supplements, and core rulebooks.
Please check out these links from the episode:
The Great Clans of Rokugan
KatrinaOstrander.com
Twitter
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Green Ronin developer at large Malcolm Sheppard has over 20 years of experience in the RPG industry as a writer, designer, and developer, starting with work on the Mage: The Ascension line for White Wolf. His other credits include work on Exalted, Shadowrun, Scion, Vampire: The Masquerade, numerous Chronicles of Darkness titles, Blue Rose, and Fantasy AGE. Now at Green Ronin, his work focuses on the Modern AGE RPG, along with other AGE system works, though he's also developed Ork! The Roleplaying Game, and performed writing and editing duties for the Sword Chronicle RPG. Malcolm lives in Ontario, Canada, and coaches historical fencing (rapiers and longswords and such) on the side.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Malcolm Sheppard at Green Ronin
Modern AGE
Fantasy AGE 2nd Edition
The AGE System Is a Map (blog post)
OZ: A Fantasy Role-Playing Game
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Green Ronin developer at large Malcolm Sheppard has over 20 years of experience in the RPG industry as a writer, designer, and developer, starting with work on the Mage: The Ascension line for White Wolf. His other credits include work on Exalted, Shadowrun, Scion, Vampire: The Masquerade, numerous Chronicles of Darkness titles, Blue Rose, and Fantasy AGE. Now at Green Ronin, his work focuses on the Modern AGE RPG, along with other AGE system works, though he's also developed Ork! The Roleplaying Game, and performed writing and editing duties for the Sword Chronicle RPG. Malcolm lives in Ontario, Canada, and coaches historical fencing (rapiers and longswords and such) on the side.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Malcolm Sheppard at Green RoninModern AGEFantasy AGE 2nd EditionThe AGE System Is a Map (blog post)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Dr. Aaron Peterson is an active researcher and most recently was an assistant professor of educational leadership as well as higher education and student affairs leadership at Minnesota State University-Moorhead. His research explores conflict engagement best practices for higher educational leaders, students, and the private sector.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Star Wars and Conflict Resolution (book)Star Wars and Conflict Resolution (website)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Aaron Dill is a veteran of Games Workshop, Gale Force Nine, and Monster Fight Club. With over 20 years in the tabletop hobby world, he is excited to be embarking on a new adventure Jolly Lark Games. Over the years, Aaron has run Grand Tournaments, designed gaming accessories, and collaborated on a number of popular board games. His work includes Firefly: the Game, Star Trek Ascendancy, Spartacus, the Sons of Anarchy board game, Tentacle Town, and more.
Please check out these links from the episode:
Jolly Lark GamesJolly Lark (videos)Games WorkshopGale Force NineMonster Fight ClubStar Trek: Picard (Season 3)Risk Board Game
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Matt Davids is a writer, a creator of tabletop role-playing game resource books, a novelist, a podcast host, and a former filmmaker. He is the author of the Amazon bestsellers, The Book of Random Tables and The Book of Random Tables: Quests. His first novel, The Spaceport Gambit, was released in June 2021. He lives in Missouri with his wife and their four children. His bookshelves groan under the weight of classic literature, science fiction, and fantasy. He enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons, studying cinema and philosophy, and knows more about 80s post-apocalyptic movies than any reasonable person should.
Please check out these links from the episode:
MattDavids.comdicegeeks.comGreen RoninSpy Game (Modiphius)Next Chapter Booksellers (Saint Paul, MN)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Happy New Year! As the world welcomes 2023, we wanted to take an episode to share our thoughts about where Dice in Mind will be going over the coming months. The result is a vamp session in which the two of us share some thoughts, tease some plans, and dive into a protracted GM Corner. Hey, that's what happens when we haven't recorded for three weeks due to our holiday schedules and travels.
An important change to note: For the next few months, we will be releasing episodes biweekly so that we can dedicate the necessary time to building the Dice in Mind brand.
But stay tuned! We already have great interviews lined up! Wait until you see what comes next.
Mentioned in the GM Corner this week:
Death in SpaceDune: Adventures in the ImperiumModern AGEThe One RingThose Dark PlacesOrc's Nest, London
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly/biweekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
It is our true pleasure to welcome back James Sutter, co-creator of Pathfinder and Starfinder, musician, and accomplished full-time author. Much as with our initial interview thirty episodes ago, James once again engaged us in deep and humane conversation about complex topics. Of course, we did invite him to explore the potential of moral ambiguity in writing and character development. James also shared with us some details regarding his upcoming book, Darkhearts, now available for preorder!
Please note there will be no new episode on 1/2/23.
More importantly, please check out James' varied work:
James L. SutterJames' Books on AmazonAnd All Their Silent Roars (a free story to read))Darkhearts (his new book available for preorder!)
James L. Sutter is a co-creator of the Pathfinder and Starfinder Roleplaying Games. From 2004 to 2017, he worked as an editor and developer for Paizo Publishing, starting on Dungeon Magazine, moving on to do foundational work for Pathfinder, and eventually becoming the Creative Director in charge of launching Starfinder, as well as the Executive Editor of the Pathfinder Tales novel line for Paizo and Tor/Macmillan. In 2017, he left Paizo to write full-time. Indeed, his latest novel, Darkhearts, a YA contemporary romance, is now available for preorder from Saint Martin’s. It will be published on June 6, 2023.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
With the holiday season approaching across the Northern Hemisphere, we are taking two weeks to explore the importance of mental health and how RPGs and adjacent canons and games can promote it. Please join us for this timely conversation...and please be well.
If you are in need of talking with someone, please consider calling:
911: Emergency Assistance988: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
You can also check out this list of resources curated by the American Psychological Association.
Disclaimer: This episode in no way constitutes a therapeutic interaction, the provision of clinical intervention, or a professional relationship in any manner.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
With the holiday season approaching across the Northern Hemisphere, we are taking two weeks to explore the importance of mental health and how RPGs and adjacent canons and games can promote it. Please join us for this timely conversation...and please be well.
If you are in need of talking with someone, please consider calling:
911: Emergency Assistance988: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
You can also check out this list of resources curated by the American Psychological Association.
Disclaimer: This episode in no way constitutes a therapeutic interaction, the provision of clinical intervention, or a professional relationship in any manner.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are geeking out this week to chat with Thomas Marrone. The creator of countless and stunningly beautiful starships, Thomas spent a bit of time with us walking us through his creative process, his evolution as an artist, and more. Join us as we explore the sacred duty of designing ships for Star Trek.
Please check out Thomas' oeuvre:
WebsiteTwitterArtStationStar Trek Online
As the Art Director for Star Trek Online, Thomas provides multidisciplinary art leadership on a long-running and successful MMORPG. His experience in live game development has taught him the importance of balancing speed and quality while maintaining relationships with licensors, overseeing external development resources, satisfying player expectations, and building team morale.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are thrilled to share with you this week our second interview with Keith Ammann, author of the definitive natural history texts on all things Dungeons & Dragons monsters about his upcoming book, How to Defend Your Lair. As we will hear, this is a work that transcends the gaming table and takes us to new depths. Join us as Keith talks of his creative process, his publishing success, and his upcoming book.
Please check out Keith's fascinating books and useful blog:
How to Defend Your Lair The Monsters Know What They're Doing Moar! Monsters Know What They're Doing Live to Tell the Tale The Monsters Know What They're Doing (blog)
Keith Ammann has been a Dungeons & Dragons player and DM for more than thirty years. He has been writing his fifth edition D&D–focused blog The Monsters Know What They’re Doing since 2016. He lives in Chicago.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are so pleased this week to chat with Aaron Hübrich, masterful artist and author of the recently released The Game Master's Book of Legendary Dragons. Join us as we explore the potential of legends and lore to enliven these most enigmatic of NPCs to the roleplaying table.
Please check out Aaron's oeuvre:
The Game Master's Book of Legendary Dragons Blog Posts JetPack7
Aaron Hubrich is a writer/artist/designer and publisher of JetPack7. He is the Creative Director at Conceptopolis, a company that contributed to hundreds of art pieces for the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition core books. Aaron has been playing Dungeons & Dragons since there were yellow character sheets that didn't take erasers very well...and has fond memories of THAC0.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Join us for a three-episode run of actual play! In this third and final episode, our protagonist discovers that imps can be impish. Also, Brad and Jason learn an important lesson about the difficulties of recording a truly interesting actual play podcast. Get us back to the interviews! Finally, we again give a shout-out to Beth and Jonathan Ball, the lovely people behind D&D Duet and previous guests of the podcast, for the one-shot adventure upon which this arc of episodes relies.
D&D Duet
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Join us for a three-episode run of actual play! In this second episode, Fred Rogers demonstrates how not to use a longbow in close combat during a training exercise. Also, we extend a shout-out to Beth and Jonathan Ball, the lovely people behind D&D Duet and previous guests of the podcast, for the one-shot adventure upon which this arc of episodes relies.
D&D Duet
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Join us for a three-episode run of actual play! In this first episode, we set up the worldbuilding and create two PCs, Fred Rogers and Elrond Hubbard. There is no fourth wall this time around, so grab a character sheet, sit yourself down, and get ready to roll!
Please check out our notes and sheets for the adventure:
Homeland (worldbuilding notes) Fred Rogers (character sheet) Elrond Hubbard (character sheet)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are thrilled to chat this week with Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito, the wonderful co-hosts of the Dragon Talk podcast and authors of the upcoming Welcome to Dragon Talk: Inspiring Conversations about Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Love to Play It. We spend most of our time exploring the book, diving into the potential for D&D to make the world a better place through fostering community, mental health, and so much more. And did we mention you can preorder the book?
Please check out Shelly's and Greg's book and other work:
Welcome to Dragon Talk (coming 12/5/22) Dragon Talk (the official podcast of D&D) Shelly Mazzanoble Greg Tito
Every week, Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito go inside the walls of Dungeons & Dragons for exclusive interviews and previews! This D&D team sits down each week with celebrities and personalities from across gaming and pop culture to discuss one of the greatest fantasy brands of all-time. They talk about the tabletop roleplaying game, as the latest in D&D video games, comics, novels, movies, and television.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are joined this week by Aaron Pollyea, chief engineer for Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius. We talk about his process of starting out nearly all of the starships of the game. Even more interestingly, Aaron shares with us his personal and professional story of how he became a scientist and then master of starships. We even dove into some serious talk about historical reenacting.
Although Aaron's work can be seen in all of the Star Trek Adventures sourcebooks, most notable is:
Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook
Aaron Pollyea has a background in astronomy and physics, but currently has a day job dealing with climate change and its intersection with agriculture. He has been a life-long Star Trek fan, and has been working as a freelance writer for Star Trek Adventures since it began. In his free time, Aaron may be found gazing through his telescope, reading a good book, or doing historical reenacting with his wife.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
An episode in which Brad and Jason catch up after not having recorded for awhile by exchanging their thoughts about science fiction, fantasy, and RPGs. Join us for a wide-ranging and rather unstructured conversation about the good stuff.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we bring you RPG royalty! Seriously. We have the good fortune of sharing our fascinating conversation with Bill Smith, writer and editor of the much hailed Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (2nd ed.) core rulebook, Game Master Handbook, and more from West End Games. Bill's work on the mechanics and storytelling of Star Wars roleplaying should not be underestimated. His influences subtle and significant remain manifest throughout the science-fiction and fantasy RPG zeitgeist to this day. It also turns out that Bill is also a really neat person.
Please check out Bill's oeuvre old and new:
Website Outlaw Galaxy Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (2nd ed.)
Bill Smith's books have sold nearly half a million copies. He has written for leading publishers such as Del Rey Books, Little Brown, Lucasfilm, Topps, West End Games, TSR Inc., and Wizard Press. From 1991 to 1997, he served as the Star Wars roleplaying game line editor for West End Games. In 1995, he was voted "Favorite Designer" by the RPGA, the world's largest organization for role-playing game enthusiasts. He has also written for Hershey Foods, the WIT Agency, and has been involved in motorsports promotion, marketing and journalism for nearly three decades. Bill works a day job to support his writing habit and continues to publish Outlaw Galaxy stories. He hopes you enjoy them.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week Brad, Jason, and his friend and colleague Dr. Aaron Peterson discuss the potential for Captain Pike of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to use humility to inform the practice of leadership. Along the way, they debate the realities of leading in the way in the real world, share some stories, and provide another update on their upcoming book. Please join us as we dive deeply into how Trek can inform our own leadership. And if you are interested in the book, drop us a note. Aaron and Jason would love to talk with you.
In the meantime, please check out Aaron and Jason's thoughts on leadership and Trek:
Leadership for a New World Leadership from the Ready Room
Aaron M. Peterson, Ed.D., is an active researcher and most recently was an assistant professor of educational leadership as well as higher education and student affairs leadership. His research explores conflict engagement best practices for higher educational leaders, students and also the private sector.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Friend of the podcast Jim Johnson is back! An accomplished author and project lead for Star Trek Adventures at Modiphius, Jim joins us to talk about the creative process behind the Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook. We see this latest expansion of the line as Jim's love letter to Star Trek. Join us for the second half of our two-part conversation on starships, Trek, and many things adjacent.
Please check out Jim's oeuvre with and beyond Modiphius:
Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook Scribe Ineti: Jim Johnson's Writing Pistols and Pyramids Star Trek Adventures
Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series, the Potomac Shadows series, and other prose fiction series currently under development. He has written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and paper roleplaying game companies, including Modiphius (Star Trek Adventures), Decipher (The Lord of the Rings RPG), and White Wolf (Mage: The Ascension). Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, toddler, and a pair of crazy cats.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Friend of the podcast Jim Johnson is back! An accomplished author and project lead for Star Trek Adventures at Modiphius, Jim joins us to talk about the creative process behind the Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook. We see this latest expansion of the line as Jim's love letter to Star Trek. Join us for the first half of our two-part conversation on starships, Trek, and many things adjacent.
Please check out Jim's oeuvre with and beyond Modiphius:
Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook Scribe Ineti: Jim Johnson's Writing Pistols and Pyramids Star Trek Adventures
Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series, the Potomac Shadows series, and other prose fiction series currently under development. He has written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and paper roleplaying game companies, including Modiphius (Star Trek Adventures), Decipher (The Lord of the Rings RPG), and White Wolf (Mage: The Ascension). Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, toddler, and a pair of crazy cats.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This Week's Guest: Dr. Erin Macdonald
Erin Macdonald (PhD, Astrophysics) is a tattooed one-woman STEM career panel, with recognition as a researcher, speaker, engineer, and consultant before her current career. She lives in Los Angeles working as a writer and producer and is currently the science consultant for the entire Star Trek franchise. She is available for staff writing positions, consulting, and freelance work!
Please also out Erin's creative work:
Website Twitter YouTube Spacetime Productions Every Morning
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This Week's Guest: Steve Kenson
Steve Kenson has been a professional RPG author and designer since 1995 and has worked on numerous books and games, including the award-winning Mutants & Masterminds, Freedom City, and Blue Rose for Green Ronin Publishing. He has written nine RPG tie-in novels and runs his own imprint, Ad Infinitum Adventures, which publishes material for Icons Superpowered Roleplaying. He helped found the annual Queer as a Three-Sided Die panel series at Gen Con. Steve lives in Salem, New Hampshire with his partners, Adam and Christopher.
Please also out Steve's creative work:
Blog Twilight Accord: The Fallen City (Patreon) Green Ronin Blue Rose Mutants & Masterminds Ad Infinitum Adventures
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This Week's Guest: Laurie Ulster
Laurie Ulster is a transplanted Canadian who somehow survived a very confusing adolescence as the lone female Star Trek fan in middle school, then fell in love with Manhattan about 10 minutes after her arrival at NYU. After many years as a television producer, where networks like MTV had her producing everything from musician interviews in dive bars all over the East Village to game shows in Malaysia, she made the switch to digital, overseeing websites at Fuse and A&E. Now Laurie is a freelance writer who does researched articles, original interviews, personal essays, listicles, event coverage, trending news, and much more. She also still writes and produces for TV, and is a contributing writer on several books. Laurie has been a writer, editor, copy editor, and social media strategist for TrekMovie.com since 2016, where she co-hosts the All Access Star Trek podcast. It’s a passion project, along with popping up as a guest on other Star Trek and sci-fi podcasts. Laurie is also a co-founder of Read It All Up®, a media company focused on kids’ literacy. They are currently collaborating on the creation of an original TV series for kids.
Please also out Laurie's creative work:
Website TrekMovie.com All Access Star Trek Podcast Laurie's Books Little Riker (and more) Read It All Up
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This Week's Guest: Dr. Megan Connell
Dr. Megan Connell is a board-certified psychologist in private practice who formerly served in the US Army. In her current work she utilizes tabletop role-playing games as a clinical intervention. In 2017 she co-founded the media company Geeks Like Us which focuses on geek and gaming culture. She is the author of the upcoming book Tabletop Role-Playing Therapy. She is a board member for Geek Therapeutics a training platform that develops professional programs teaching the inclusion of games in clinical practices. Dr. Connell speaks nationally on the intersection of gaming and psychology and on geek culture.
Please also out Megan’s creative work:
Website D&D Therapy Tabletop Role-Playing Therapy: A Guide for the Clinician Game Master
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This Week's Guest: Dr. Gwendolyn Marshall
Dr. Gwendolyn Marshall (she/her) is a full-time game designer for 2CGaming, as well as a frequent freelancer for Pinnacle Entertainment, MCDM, Archvillain Games, and more. She is also designer and co-owner of Arcanist Press, with whom she won two ENnie Awards. Her titles include Ancestry & Culture: An Alternative to Race in 5e and S5e: Superheroic Roleplaying for 5th Edition. She is also a college philosophy professor, a parent, and a pansexual, transgender woman.
Please also out Gwen's creative work:
Ancestry & Culture (Arcanist Press) S5E (preorder) 2CGaming Twitter
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This Week's Guest: Us!
We take a step to the side this week from our regular schedule of interviews to chat about the joy (and potential) of worldbuilding. Along the way, Brad and Jason share their own creative processes of developing an entirely novel setting for D&D (Brad) and a new world-within-canon setting for Star Wars (Jason). It's time to grab a pencil and some paper!
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This Week's Guest: Ben Riggs
Ben Riggs is a writer, teacher, and podcaster. He traveled the world teaching in his 20s. During his journeys, he tutored a princess, saw both the Sahara and Mt. Fuji at dawn, and discovered his wife and fellow traveler, Tara. He has settled down in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he teaches English and history, and he and Tara have a son, Simon. Ben’s RPG podcast, Plot Points, has been running for the last decade, and his work has appeared on NPR and Geek & Sundry. Slaying the Dragon is his first book.
Please also out Ben's creative work:
Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons Ben Riggs (Twitter) Plot Points (podcast)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This Week's Guest: Travis Baldree
Travis Baldree is a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. Apparently, he now also writes books. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog.
Please also out Travis' creative work:
Travis Baldree Legends & Lattes (Amazon) Legends & Lattes (Barnes & Noble) Legends & Lattes (Audible)
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This Week's Guest: David Mack Please join us as we chat with prolific New York Time's bestselling author and grandmaster David Mack about his writing in and beyond Star Trek, his thoughts about where science fiction is headed, and his insights into the business of writing and publishing novels.
Please also out David's creative work:
David Mack (website) David Mack (Amazon author page) @DavidAlanMack
David Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 36 novels of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure. His writing credits span several media, including television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), games, and comic books. He has worked as a consultant for Star Trek: Prodigy, and in June of 2022 the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers honored him as a Grandmaster with its Faust Award. He resides in New York City.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week, we dive into the question of how to play a robot/android/droid as a PC or GM one as an NPC. It is a topic we have been thinking about for more than a year and finally had the time between interviews to record. Whether it be in the roleplaying worlds of Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune, Android, Starfinder, Dungeons & Dragons, or Red Dwarf (anyone? anyone?), we explore what it means to not be human behind the dice.
And now for something completely different, in the GM corner this week:
Midnight: Legacy of Darkness
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are pleased to bring you this week our interview with author, editor, and improv-er (is that a word?) Karen Twelves. As you will hear, Karen has keen insight into the potential of improv to improve our game not only at the table, but also in the real world. She is also a dynamic and lovely individual. Enjoy the chat!
Please also out Karen's creative work:
Improv for Gamers (workshops) Improv for Gamers (gamefound) Improv for Gamers (2nd ed.)
Also mentioned:
Leadership from the Ready Room Leadership for a New World
Karen Twelves has been teaching improv for over a decade for theater companies, corporate workshops, and through the GoogleArts program. She teaches her Improv for Gamers workshop series at conventions across the country, including Big Bad Con, Origins Game Fair, and GenCon. Karen is also an editor, and has worked on games such as Fiasco, Dialect, Blades in the Dark, and Thirsty Sword Lesbians. She loves playing one-shot games with epic wins and disastrous fails, and will tell you all about her Duelist character from a truly epic "Kingmaker" Pathfinder campaign.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin MacLeod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we chat with the prolific writer Tim Pratt about his work in science-fiction and fantasy. Along the way we discussion short stories, poetry, and of course roleplaying games. If you love any of those things, or living in Berkeley, this episode is for you!
Please also out Tim's creative work:
Homepage Short Stories on Patreon Tim on Twitter
Tim Pratt is a Hugo Award-winning science-fiction and fantasy author, and has been a finalist for World Fantasy, Philip K. Dick, Sturgeon, Stoker, Mythopoeic, and Nebula Awards, among others. He is the author of more than thirty books, most recently multiverse adventures Doors of Sleep and Prison of Sleep. His stories have appeared at Tor.com, Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, Asimov's, and other nice places. He's a senior editor and occasional book reviewer at Locus, the magazine of the science fiction and fantasy field. Since 2013 he's published a new story every month on Patreon, and he tweets incessantly. Tim lives in Berkeley, CA with his wife and kid.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCleod courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
And now for something completely different. This week Brad interviews Jason and his friend and collaborator Aaron as they share an update on their upcoming book, which explores leadership through the lens of the grand captains of Star Trek, and will be published by McFarland. Please join us as we dive deeply into how Trek can inform our own leadership. And if you are interested in the book, drop us a note. Aaron and Jason would love to talk with you.
In the meantime, you can check out these relevant links:
Leadership from the Ready Room McFarland & Company Publishers
Aaron M. Peterson, Ed.D., is an active researcher and most recently was an assistant professor of educational leadership as well as higher education and student affairs leadership at Minnesota State University-Moorhead. His research explores conflict engagement best practices for higher educational leaders, students and also the private sector.
Jason A. Kaufman, Ph.D., Ed.D., is a professor of educational leadership and director of the institutional review board at Minnesota State University, Mankato and a licensed psychologist. His teaching uses a lean and lab-rich approach to promote scientific thinking. His research explores how nature-based and mind-body interventions can promote human functioning and academic success. He co-hosts the podcast Dice in Mind.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we chat with Shamini Bundell, an individual who truly works (and plays) at the intersection of science and RPGs. When not producing a short film, recording an actual play podcast, or writing for theatre, you can likely find Shamini seeking out accoutrement for her next cosplay. Join us as we explore how these various activities can meaningfully inform one another!
Please also out Shamini's creative work:
Science and Dragons DIY Film Club Shamini on Twitter (you definitely want to follow her account) RPGeeks
Shamini Bundell is an award-winning science video journalist. After several years working on television documentaries she now makes short films for a major scientific journal. In her spare time, Shamini writes plays and performs in tabletop roleplaying games, podcasts and streams - including co-founding RPGeeks. Her many other interests include cosplay, musicals, and community theatre.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we chat with James L. Sutter, co-creator of both Pathfinder and Starfinder. Yet, as you will hear, James has done so much more in his creative work. From writing to performing on guitar, join us as we explore James' unique and diverse range of linguistic and artistic expression. And make certain to stick around until the end of the interview. That's when things get serious and we talk about what matters in life.
Please also out James' creative work:
James L. Sutter James' Books on Amazon And All Their Silent Roars (a free story to read!)
James L. Sutter is a co-creator of the Pathfinder and Starfinder Roleplaying Games. From 2004 to 2017, he worked as an editor and developer for Paizo Publishing, starting on Dungeon Magazine, moving on to do foundational work for Pathfinder, and eventually becoming the Creative Director in charge of launching Starfinder, as well as the Executive Editor of the Pathfinder Tales novel line for Paizo and Tor/Macmillan. In 2017, he left Paizo to write full-time. When not writing, James has performed with musical acts ranging from punk and metalcore to musical theater. He lives in Seattle, in a house he shares with his wife and several friends.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Join us this week as we chat with prolific author Ron Lundeen about his work on Pathfinder and so many other creative projects. However, what impressed us even more than Ron's oeuvre in and beyond gaming is his attitude toward what matters in life and his interest to pay it forward to aspiring writers. We went a little long with this interview because there was so much to consider. We welcome you into the discussion.
Please also out Ron's creative work:
Run Amok Games Run Amok Blog Ron's "Other" Work
Ron lives in the rural hinterlands outside of Seattle, Washington, where he finds the climate a pleasant change from his native Illinois. He and his brave wife Stephanie are outnumbered by three delightful but mischievous children and their ever-increasing number of animals. After a lengthy career as a corporate attorney, Ron took a full-time position with Paizo, Inc. as a developer and now development manager, working with freelancers to create fabulous worlds and monstrous threats for the Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games. Jason likes ‘em ass up and spread wide. He also designs games in his free time, creating a dizzying variety of perils, plots, and legends. Ron’s favorite RPG design work is adventure writing, to help others share exciting stories with their friends. Although his first game design credit came back in 1993, Ron has recently written for Paizo, Wizards of the Coast, Ulisses Spiele, Big Penis Johnson, Petersen Games, Rogue Genius Games, Legendary Cooter Games, and many others. Ron also runs his own gaming company, Run Amok Games. Jason loves the idea of running his own porn company, but can only find farm animals to film.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are very pleased this week to bring you our conversation with James D'Amato, prolific author of RPG guides and the host of the One Shot Podcast. As you will hear, James shared much more than his thoughts about roleplaying games and his upcoming NEW book. Along the way, we talked about the importance of how our decisions in real life have to fit...and the joy that can result when the mechanics of a game promotes gameplay. So, sit yourself down and take a listen to this wide-ranging and thoughtful interview!
Please also out James' creative oeuvre:
The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide (NEW!) The Ultimate RPG Guide Series (all of his books) One Shot Podcast Network
James D’Amato is the author of The Ultimate RPG Series, cofounder of the One Shot Podcast Network, and host of the One Shot and Campaign: Skyjacks podcasts. He trained at Second City and iO in Chicago in the art of improvisational comedy. He now uses that education to introduce new people to role-playing, and incorporates improvisational storytelling techniques to create compelling and entertaining stories for RPG campaigns and one-shot adventures.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Hang on, because this week we bring you a MEGASODE follow-up interview with Jim Johnson, accomplished author and project lead for Star Trek Adventures with Modiphius. We specifically asked Jim if he would offer a workshop of sorts on how to pitch and write for the new missions briefs so popular with Star Trek Adventures. We went long, but we think you will agree it was worth it. Enjoy!
Please check out Jim's oeuvre with and beyond Modiphius:
Scribe Ineti: Jim Johnson's Writing Pistols and Pyramids Star Trek Adventures
Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series, the Potomac Shadows series, and other prose fiction series currently under development. He has written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and paper roleplaying game companies, including Modiphius (Star Trek Adventures), Decipher (The Lord of the Rings RPG), and White Wolf (Mage: The Ascension). Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, toddler, and a pair of crazy cats.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we chat again with friend of the podcast Malcolm Sheppard, developer at large with Green Ronin, who joins us to talk about his work on the new Cthulhu Awakens. We also talk at length regarding the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the table and the importance of actively working against racism in RPGs.
Please check out Cthulhu Awakens:
Cthulhu Awakens
Green Ronin developer at large Malcolm Sheppard has over 20 years of experience in the RPG industry as a writer, designer, and developer, starting with work on the Mage: The Ascension line for White Wolf. His other credits include work on Exalted, Shadowrun, Scion, Vampire: The Masquerade, numerous Chronicles of Darkness titles, Blue Rose, and Fantasy AGE. Now at Green Ronin, his work focuses on the Modern AGE RPG, along with other AGE system works, though he's also developed Ork! The Roleplaying Game, and performed writing and editing duties for the Sword Chronicle RPG. Malcolm lives in Ontario, Canada, and coaches historical fencing (rapiers and longswords and such) on the side.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are very pleased to speak this week with Beth and Jonathan Ball, most notably the creators of D&D Duet. We think you will find them to be as sweet as they are creative, which is really saying something. Sidebar: It was Beth and Jonathan's work that helped us get into D&D a few years ago.
Please check out and purchase the creative work of Beth and Jonathan Ball:
D&D Duet Grove Guardian Press Patreon Buy Beth's books direct Find Buried Heroes wherever books are sold
Beth Ball is a weaver of words and worlds spinning stories of druidic magic and the power of nature that span the epic fantasy realms of Azuria and Eldura. If you enjoy lyrical tales of action and adventure, dragons, werewolves, fae, wily foxes, and more, then grab your enchanted amulet, flaming longsword, poisoned dagger, or other mystical accessory of choice, and let’s start our journey together!
When she’s not writing fantasy fiction, Beth is a tabletop RPG designer and a literary scholar. Her academic work focuses on contemporary novels that encourage readers to find agency and empowerment in their approach to nature and their impact on the natural world, and her TTRPG adventures incorporate lots of druids.
In addition to her writing work, Beth also has experience as an editor on several scholarly texts including revising her university’s introductory literature textbook.
Jonathan Ball is an educational coach for first-year teachers and an education consultant. He’s passionate about empowering teachers so they can, in turn, empower their students.
When he’s not working on lesson plans, grading, or learning more about education best practices, you can usually find him playing D&D with Beth or creating D&D content, either for their patrons, DMsGuild, or their home game. Between all of these things, he makes sure to work in time for entertaining their two silly labradors and for strength training.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we pause between interview series to look back at the 80s and how the creativity and future-thinking of that decade continues to influence us, society, and the world of RPGs. We also talk about how the character of Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: TNG was so impactful to us growing up. Finally, we share some book recommendations and beg for the sourcebooks we would like to see!
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We're going long! Episode 45 falls on the one-year anniversary of our first episode. For this special episode, we are grateful to share with you our interview with Jim Johnson, accomplished author and project lead for Star Trek Adventures with Modiphius. There is a lot to this episode, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Please check out Jim's oeuvre with and beyond Modiphius:
Scribe Ineti: Jim Johnson's Writing Pistols and Pyramids Star Trek Adventures
Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series, the Potomac Shadows series, and other prose fiction series currently under development. He has written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and paper roleplaying game companies, including Modiphius (Star Trek Adventures), Decipher (The Lord of the Rings RPG), and White Wolf (Mage: The Ascension). Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, toddler, and a pair of crazy cats.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are thrilled to share with you this week our interview with Keith Ammann, author of the definitive natural history texts on all things Dungeons & Dragons monsters. As we will hear, the monsters really do know what they are doing when they come after your PC. Join us as Keith talks of his creative process, his publishing success, and his upcoming book.
Please check out Keith's fascinating books and useful blog:
The Monsters Know What They're Doing Moar! Monsters Know What They're Doing Live to Tell the Tale How to Defend Your Lair (available for preorder) The Monsters Know What They're Doing (blog)
Keith Ammann has been a Dungeons & Dragons player and DM for more than thirty years. He has been writing his fifth edition D&D–focused blog The Monsters Know What They’re Doing since 2016. He lives in Chicago.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we speak with Matt Forbeck, an exceptionally creative author and entrepreneur who has written across some of the world's most popular franchises. Ever heard of Minecraft, Halo, Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, or Marvel? Yeah, we thought so. In addition exploring his creative process, Matt also shared with us some thoughts behind his Kickstarter-funded Shotguns and Sorcery campaign for 5e. And he chatted about all of this after a very long day of meetings. We invite you to join us for a wide-ranging discussion of RPG and adjacent topics.
Please check out Matt's diverse creative work:
Forbeck.com Shotguns and Sorcery About Matt Forbeck (definitely worth reading)
Matt spent most of his career as a freelancer, so he has done lots of different things for different people. Besides that, Matt co-founded Pinnacle Entertainment Group with Shane Lacy Hensley back in 1996, and he was company president for nearly four years, leaving in late 1999. In 2002, Matt joined Human Head Studios to head up their new adventure games division. He left them in September of 2004 to dedicate himself to freelancing full-time once again. In all, Matt has worked on projects that have been nominated for 28 Origins Awards and have won 17. They’ve also won 10 ENies and a number of InQuest Fan Awards, and a Scribe award.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we interview a gentlemen with whom we have been eager to chat. Michael Polkinghorn is the author of the very first adventure in Candlekeep Mysteries, our very favorite D&D adventure book from Wizards of the Coast. He is also an individual with a fascinating backstory of his own. Join us as Michael shares how he conceptualized his Candlekeep adventure, walks us through his broader familiarity with D&D (including his own podcast Relic of the Past), and shares with us some of his number of other nerdy interests.
Please check out Michael's diverse creative work:
Dragon Magazine Candlekeep Mysteries Relic of the Past
Michael Polkinghorn started his professional life as a geologist. He now works in the wine industry and can often be found walking the vineyards of Sonoma County with his family and four house tabaxi.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we have the good fortune of chatting with Jake Blouch and Michael Doherty, two of the minds and voices behind the wonderfully creative Mythic Thunderlute: A D&D Podcast Musical. If you have listened to MTL, we think you will agree it is one of the most creative things happening in the RPG community today. If you haven't listened to at least a few of their episodes, stop what you are doing and get on over to their feed. Yes, it's that good.
Please check out Mythic Thunderlute, and while you're there support their work through Patreon and buy their merchandise:
Mythic Thunderlute MTL Patreon MTL Merch
Jake Blouch is a Philly based actor, song writer, voiceover artist and future President of the United States. He has performed in theatres across the Philadelphia region, and even a couple times in Delaware! In addition to his "career" as an actor, his songwriting and musical projects include his parody band Jawbone Junction, which aims to give Southern Rock the Spinal Tap treatment (Roscoe Chubb on the drums). His original musical Something Like a War was commissioned by 11th Hour Theatre Co, and received a showcase reading in 2019. For his turn in their production of See What I Wanna See he won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical. He lives in South Philly with his true love, his wife Sophia, and her true love, their dog Teddy and cats Tobias and Sister Aloicius.
Michael Doherty is an east coast-based actor, writer, and comedian. He has participated in nearly 50 theatrical productions across the country, including productions at 59E59 Theaters, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, the Wilma Theater, and more. His television pilot, Los Jarochos, won Best Writing at the 2013 Independent TV Festival. Michael is a published educational researcher in an ongoing collaboration with the University of Denver, studying the thought processes of professional actors. In 2019, he married fellow actor and best friend Alex Keiper during preview week for The Nerd at Milwaukee Rep.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we interview...no one! Instead, we look back at our recent five interviews and look forward to the next five. Along the way we reflect on how Dice in Mind has changed yet remained true to exploring RPGs through the lens of real life. We also reveal that we are putting a narrative dice port of Star Trek on the back burner so that instead we can write (and share) a few mission briefs for playing Star Trek duets. Finally, we have a big announcement: Jason and his friend and co-author Aaron are writing a book on leadership through the lens of Star Trek!
You can check out Aaron and Jason's related article on StarTrek.com for a taste of what is to come with their book:
Leadership from the Ready Room
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we have the immense pleasure of chatting with Nami Melumad, composer for Star Trek: Prodigy and so much more, for a wide ranging discussion regarding music composition and production, gender inequity in professional music, and of course many things Trek. We honestly could have spent hours talking with Nami, who was gracious with her time and insights. May you enjoy the conversation as much as we did as the close to our first five-episode interview series.
Please check out Nami's work:
Website Twitter Instagram
Nami Melumad is an Israeli-Dutch film composer, based in Los Angeles, California. Her scoring credits include over 130 projects in a wide range of genres, most notably the HBO Max comedy, An American Pickle, starring Seth Rogen; the Amazon thriller-drama series, Absentia, starring Stana Katic; and EA’s VR video game Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. She also scored the Oscar® winning documentary short, Colette; and contributed music and arrangements to Amazon’s latest hit, Borat Subsequent MovieFilm. Her score to the Star Trek episode, Shorts Treks: Q&A, in 2019, landed her as composer for Star Trek: Prodigy, making her the first female composer for the franchise.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we have the pleasure of chatting with Michael Low, educator and innovator, on the potential to utilize RPGs to enliven education. Please join us for a deep dive into educational theory, passion for learning, and a delightful level of enthusiasm. You will not be disappointed!
Please check out Michael's ideas, join one of his classes, and follow him on Twitter:
Luck of Legends Can Kids Learn Academic Skills with RPGs? RPGs by Michael Low
Michael Low is a live-scan certified CA high school English teacher, parent, story-teller, and game designer. He teaches kids non-violent conflict resolution, collaboration, confidence, critical thinking, and creative writing using games, inspired by a love of learning, not fear of failure.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we are humbled to bring you our interview with Chris Birch, founder and CEO of Modiphius Entertainment. The brain behind what has arguably become one of THE major RPG publishing houses on the planet, Chris was generous with his time and thoughts. He also stressed an important point. If you have an idea in mind, make it happen. Write the story, design the game, put it out there. As our favorite captain would advise, make it so.
Please check out Modiphius and buy their games. You will be glad you did:
Modiphius Entertainment
Chris Birch founded Modiphius after running video games fashion label Joystick Junkies for 13 years and before that working in the dance music industry managing bands, tours and clubnights. Chris first played D&D and Steve Jackson's OGRE aged 9 and grew up on a diet of RPG's, wargames, and boardgames before writing Starblazer Adventures and founding Modiphius. Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we chat with Malcolm Sheppard, developer at large with Green Ronin, who joins us to talk about his writer, editing, and all around creativity working with the AGE dice mechanic and the many cool games that utilize it. Indeed, the interview ran long because of Malcolm's willingness to get into the weeds. Enjoy!
Please check out these wonderful Modern AGE publications:
Modern AGE Quickstart Modern AGE Basic Rulebook Modern AGE Threefold
Green Ronin developer at large Malcolm Sheppard has over 20 years of experience in the RPG industry as a writer, designer, and developer, starting with work on the Mage: The Ascension line for White Wolf. His other credits include work on Exalted, Shadowrun, Scion, Vampire: The Masquerade, numerous Chronicles of Darkness titles, Blue Rose, and Fantasy AGE. Now at Green Ronin, his work focuses on the Modern AGE RPG, along with other AGE system works, though he's also developed Ork! The Roleplaying Game, and performed writing and editing duties for the Sword Chronicle RPG. Malcolm lives in Ontario, Canada, and coaches historical fencing (rapiers and longswords and such) on the side.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are very pleased this week to chat with Kelli Fitzpatrick, author and editor with Modiphius Entertainment, who joins us to talk about Star Trek and so much more. Now studying toward her MFA, Kelli shares with us what it's like to serve as one of the lead writers on the Shackleton Expanse Campaign Guide, her early success as a writer, and what it means to be creative within one's writing. It was a true pleasure chatting with such a lovely person and we hope you will enjoy listening to the interview as much as we had recording it.
Please purchase Kelli's writing. You will NOT be disappointed:
Star Trek Adventures: Shackleton Expanse Campaign Guide "The Sunwalkers" in Strange New Worlds 2016 KelliFitzpatrick.com
Kelli Fitzpatrick is an author, editor, and educator from Michigan. Her Star Trek story “The Sunwalkers” was selected as a winner of the Strange New Worlds contest and is published by Simon and Schuster. She currently writes and edits for the Star Trek Adventures role-playing game line from Modiphius Entertainment. Her fiction is published by Flash Fiction Online, KYSO Flash, Crazy 8 Press, and others, and her poetry appears in Dunes Review and Still Life. She took fourth place in the 2016 international NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge. Kelli’s essays analyzing science fiction media appear on StarTrek.com, Women at Warp blog, and in anthologies from ATB Publishing and Sequart. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Beaverton Activity Center and the Saginaw Bay Writing Project and is an advocate for public education, gender equality and representation, and support for the arts in all their forms. Find her on Twitter @KelliFitzWrites.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we review the Genesys Expanded Player's Guide, a wonderful addition to the system's core rulebook. Along the way, we offer examples of how it has helped us think through our Star Trek adaptation. And wait to you hear our big news in the GM Corner. Exciting times are ahead!
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Genesys Expanded Player's Guide Edge Studio Moar! Monsters Know What They're Doing
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we explore Microscope, a narrative-based roleplaying game, and how it can be used for developing homebrew games. We then connect these ideas to the upcoming Star Trek Adventures Players Guide. Along the way we share a pivot in our development plans for a Genesys adaptation for RPGing in Star Trek canon. Hit it!
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Microscope Star Trek Adventures Player's Guide
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We return this week to issues of mechanics. Specifically, we question the various ways one might adapt the mechanics of their favorite published games to their own tables. We focus on the dice, eventually talk character sheets, and invariably ramble a bit along the way as we give a shout to a lot of different games and systems.
Along the way, we also highlight a few examples of especially interesting source material:
Green Ronin Modiphius DriveThruRPG
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
For the first time in a long time, we waited to record an episode until the evening before so that we could share our initial impressions of the brand new The Book of Boba Fett (on Disney+) as it pertains to RPGing. We also might have gotten slightly off the track toward the end of the discussion. Regardless, how to you think the new show can inform your own gaming? Drop us a line on Twitter and let us know!
@diceminmind
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
The Book of Boba Fett Tatooine Manhunt Cable Television
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
It's Episode 30...and the Count to 100 continues! This week we chat with Dr. Timm Woods, professional gamester, author, and educator who joins us to talk about his scholarship and work in roleplaying. We suspect you will find Timm to be as kind of a person as we did.
Please check out (and purchase!) Timm's book:
Random Tables: Cities and Towns
Also, consider booking Timm for your next event!
Dr. Timm Woods has been teaching and running tabletop RPGs professionally for over 12 years. He runs game events for students in afterschool programs, families, companies, and groups of friends. Timm received his PhD at St. John’s University on game-based education and the use of RPGs in the classroom. He partnered with A24 to design the Green Knight RPG in coordination with the film’s release, and has a published volume of Random Tables for Game Masters available for sale wherever books are sold.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
In this episode, we follow up to our recent Twitter post about the portrayal of psychotherapy in Star Trek: Discovery. That post garnered a lot of views (nearly 9400!) and we wanted to talk openly about the importance of psychological health and how RPGs can contribute to it. You can join the conversation by posting your feedback to us on Twitter! @diceminmind
If you are struggling, please reach out to someone. Here is a place to start: Crisis Hotlines and Resources
Along the way, we also refer to some interesting source material and people:
Wilson Cruz Star Trek: Discovery Writers Mary Wiseman Shelly Mazzanoble Thirsty Sword Lesbians Source Comics & Games
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
In this episode, we debate the relative merits of being creative beyond canon in some of our favorite RPGs. When does an adaptation or novel idea become a homebrew? Does it matter whether it is an issue of timeline, content, rules, or mechanics? Join us for the conversation by posting your feedback to us on Twitter!
@diceminmind
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Titansgrave Modern AGE Harry Turtledove Source Comics & Games
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Where do you play? We often neglect to develop the environments in which our adventures take place, instead focusing on the NPCs, combat, etc. In this episode, we discuss the potential for natural environments (as well as urban ones) to help set the context of our adventures.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
And now for something entirely different! In this bonus episode, Brad interviews musician and gamer Steve Matthews about their interest in computer gaming, how they got to know Brad, and especially about his awesome guitar playing. Please subscribe to Steve's YouTube channel You can find it here:
Steve Matthews on YouTube
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
It's time for the rubber to meet the road! For months we have shared how we think the various RPG dice mechanics are a way to quantify life. In this episode, we put that hypothesis to the test by challenging one another to use three different dice mechanics to see what might have happened had we used them to make professional and personal decisions. You know what? It would have worked out pretty well.
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
The Wayfarer Series by Becky Chambers Pathfinder Lost Omens: Gods & Magic
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
It's Episode 25...let the Count to 100 begin! Last week we began exploring the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in roleplaying. This week we chat with Shelly Mazzanoble, co-host of Dragon Talk and accomplished author, who joins us to talk about feminism in D&D. We hope you will find the discussion as impactful as we did. Please keep thinking about what you learn in this episode. We all share in the responsibility to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table.
Please check out (and purchase!) Shelly's books:
Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress: A Girl's Guide to the D&D Game Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons: One Woman's Quest to Trade Self-Help for Elf-Help
Also, be sure to be on the lookout for Shelly's upcoming third book!
Shelly Mazzanoble is the author of Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girl’s Guide to the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game and Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons: One Women’s Quest to Trade Self-Help for Elf Help and co-hosts the official Dungeons & Dragons podcast, Dragon Talk (the subject of her third book, coming Fall ‘22). When she’s not writing books with really long subtitles, she’s writing about her child who thankfully hasn’t added the word “litigation” to his vocabulary yet. Find her on Twitter or Instagram at @shellymoo and her blog at shellymazzanoble.com.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the hallmarks of vibrant society. Until that day truly arrives, we can all play our part to ensure that there is a place for everyone at the table. This week, we discuss this important topic relative to current and past RPGs. Okay, we ramble here and there as we try to address the topic in a meaningful way. We close with a question from Brad. What will be your answer?
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We go off the rails this week as we take a lighter look at the games that didn't quite make it. We eventually get more serious toward the end of the discussion as we identify three potentially factors for successful RPGs. We also tease our upcoming interview for Episode 25. Hold on to your dice!
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Dune FASA Firefly Last Unicorn Games
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we explore the concept of multiplatform gaming through an organic conversation in which we share our thoughts and explore our options. Along the way, pull up a seat at the table and join us for a few minutes of roleplaying in a galaxy far, far away!
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Arkenforge Neverending Dungeon On the Shoulders of Dwarves Edge Studio
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Last week we had a great time interviewing author Jeff Ashworth. During that interview we covered a number of ideas, but one topic especially stood out to us. What are the limits of GM prerogative? This week we debate the question by looking back on our own mistakes, considering our occasional successes, and reading a bit along the way.
Also, you should buy Jeff's two Game Master books and pre-order the third one right now. Seriously, they are that creative:
The Game Master's Book of Random Encounters The Game Master's Book of Non-Player Characters The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles, and Dungeons
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
It's Episode 20!
This week, we mark the 20th episode of Dice in Mind with a really special interview with author Jeff Ashworth. We think you will find Jeff to be creative, humble, and a truly good guy.
Jeff Ashworth is a writer, editor, and storyteller whose credits include The Game Master's Book of Random Encounters, The Game Master's Book of Non-Player Characters, and the upcoming The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles, and Dungeons, as well as work for Disney, Nickelodeon, and World Wrestling Entertainment. When he isn't working on special projects for Media Lab Books, he enjoys playing and designing RPG games with his friends. In his role-playing career he has bested beholders, sweet-talked succubi and devastated dragons without breaking a sweat. In the real world, after failing a late-night Perception check, he was nearly crippled by a foot-piercing d4. He and his wife live in Virginia with their dogs, Zelda and Lincoln.
You should buy Jeff's two Game Master books and pre-order the third one right now. Seriously, they are that creative:
The Game Master's Book of Random Encounters The Game Master's Book of Non-Player Characters The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles, and Dungeons
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
If you thought we were transparent in our creative process last week, then hold on to your dice! This is the episode where you get to hear how the sausage is made. This week we openly discuss what will be the PC options available to players. Along the way we take notes, make jokes, and move one step closer to developing a fully functional character sheet for our Genesys dice mechanic port of Star Trek.
But wait, there's more! In this week's GM Corner, we tease an upcoming interview for next week's 20th episode.
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Dice in Mind Worldbuilding Genesys Narrative Dice System
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
It's the episode you have all been waiting for! Today we take down the fourth wall and share with you our "live" discussion regarding the setting specifics of our upcoming Star Trek game that will rest atop the Genesys dice system. What does the Galaxy look like in 2401? What adventure is there to be had amidst the territory of the Fenris Rangers? And what's up with the Breen? Tune in for answers to these questions and more.
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Dice in Mind Worldbuilding Star Trek: Picard Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we continue a series of episodes on the craft of worldbuilding as a way to connect RPGS back to real life, and vice versa. We focus on introducing a model of worldbuilding that incorporates three player mechanics: exploration, interaction, and combat.
We are especially thrilled to share with you our interview with Rob Kolomyski. Rob James Kolomyski is an artist and educator based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Most recently his work has been selected for inclusion in the 2021 Drawing Discourse juried exhibition at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. In 2019, his work was featured at the Open Door 15 juried exhibition at the Rosalux gallery in Minneapolis, MN, and the One Shot exhibition at the Manifest gallery in Cincinnati, OH. He has also exhibited at the 2016 National Juried Exhibition at the First Street Gallery in Chelsea, New York and ‘The Retrieval of the Beautiful’ exhibition at The Painting Center, Chelsea, New York. Rob's work was also selected to exhibit at the ‘Fresh Paint’ Juried Biannual at Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, OH. His most recent solo show was ‘Liminal’ at the Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH. Over the last decade, Robert has exhibited at the Soo Visual Arts Center, in Minneapolis, MN; the Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts, TX; the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts in Taipei, Taiwan; the Da Xiang Art Space in Taichung City, Taiwan; Ever Gold Gallery in San Francisco, CA; The Lexington Art League in Lexington, KY; The Foundry Art Center in St. Louis, MO; and Max Fish Gallery in New York City, NY.
Robert's work has also been selected for inclusion in several publications including the “International Painting Annual”, by Manifest Press, Cincinnati, OH; “Weak Painting” Exhibition Catalog, by Garden City Publishing Taipei, Taiwan, “What is Weak Painting?”, Review by Tzu-Chieh, Jian, Garden City Publishing, Taipei, Taiwan; and “Studio Visit Volume 8”, by The Open Studio Press Boston, MA.
Rob’s first career was an engineer for the Toyota Motor Company in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he worked for ten years designing and producing rapid prototypes in the Research and Development area. He left that career in pursuit of a dream to become a public art educator. Since then, he has obtained a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Michigan State University as well as a K-12 teaching certification. He has taught all levels of college drawing, painting and design, including the graduate level as a visiting professor at Michigan State University. He has also taught at South Texas College and is currently a professor and Department Chair of the Art, Music and Theatre department at Inver Hills Community college in St. Paul Minnesota where he lives with his wife, twelve-year-old daughter Eva and Airedale Terrier, Nessie.
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Dice in Mind Worldbuilding Arkenforge Never Ending Dungeon
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we begin a series of episodes on the craft of worldbuilding as a way to connect RPGS back to real life, and vice versa. We focus on introducing a model of worldbuilding that relies on three factors: economic, cultural, and political.
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Dice in Mind Worldbuilding The Silk Roads A Sadness I Can't Carry Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Sit back and listen to "Ohm", a short story about an android who asks a question and seeks its answer. ©2021 Jason A. Kaufman.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we explore the FATE system and its core, condensed, and accelerated versions. We also spend some time in the GM Corner talking about a book that came out last year but is new to us.
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Fate Core Fate Condensed Fate Accelerated Fate Space Tookit The Game Master's Guide of Random Encounters
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We are back to games! This week we talk about some of the major features we like in Pathfinder, including our thoughts about the changes to the action economy from First to Second editions. We also drop a few hints as to what you can expect in the coming weeks. That's right...we are circling back to the true purpose of Dice in Mind to explore the intersection of RPGs and real life.
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Pathfinder First Edition Pathfinder Second Edition
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
This week we finally get around to exploring how economics manifests in some of our favorite roleplaying games. We focus mostly on D&D, Star Wars, and Star Trek.
*NOTE: We recorded this discussion while Brad's town was experiencing a fairly severe lightning storm. The result is that he occasionally sounds pixelated.
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Acquisitions Incorporated
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We conclude our exploration of religion across the range of RPGs from science-fiction to science-fantasy to fantasy. Along the way, we consider the faith, spirituality, or creed of specific characters in some of our favorite canons.
*NOTE: We recorded this discussion when we were still releasing episodes biweekly. Now that Dice in Mind is a weekly podcast, it is possible that our "future" references are not quite accurate.
Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material:
Dragonlance Chronicles Dragonlance Legends D&D Canon
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
We dive deep in this episode into matters of religion, spirituality, and belief as they manifest in the real world and present in our favorite RPGs and canons. Join us for a lesson in how Brad and Jason became friends (although why they remain so is a question) and an honest discussion of belief at and away from the table.
*NOTE: We recorded this discussion when we were still releasing episodes biweekly. Now that Dice in Mind is a weekly podcast, it is possible that our "future" references are not quite accurate.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
In this episode, we explore leadership in real life and analogously through serving as GM. What does it mean to lead compassionately while getting the best out of others? How can we lead in a manner that ensures everyone has a voice at the table? Join us to explore these questions and more.
We also refer to Leadership in the Ready Room, which Jason co-wrote for StarTrek.com; and Gross and Altman's recently released Secrets of the Force.
*NOTE: We recorded this discussion when we were still releasing episodes biweekly. Now that Dice in Mind is a weekly podcast, it is possible that our "future" references are not quite accurate.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
In this episode, we dive even deeper into the differences in mechanics and tone between D&D 1st Edition (aka, AD&D) and 5th Edition and tease the wonders that our coming in this fair podcast.
*NOTE: We recorded this discussion when we were still releasing episodes biweekly. Now that Dice in Mind is a weekly podcast, it is possible that our "future" references are not quite accurate.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
Also, check out Leadership in the Ready Room, an article on leadership that Jason and his friend Aaron wrote for StarTrek.com.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition and 5th Edition.
That's right...Dice in Mind is going weekly!
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
In this episode, we review the mechanics and tone of D&D 1st Edition (aka, AD&D) in comparison to 5th Edition and the expectations of today's GM and players.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition.
In this bonus episode, Brad interviews Jason and his friend and colleague Aaron about their recently published article on leadership through the lens of the grand captains of Star Trek. You can find it here:
Lessons from the Ready Room
Stay tuned for Episode 10, when we return to the topic of leadership and other topics through the lens of RPGs!
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
In this episode, we conclude our three-episode special with a deep dive into the philosophy, science, and faith of Star Trek.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring Star Trek Adventures.
In this episode, we continue a three-episode voyage into Star Trek Adventures with a focus on the dice mechanic and the power of the narrative.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring Star Trek Adventures.
In this episode, we begin a three-episode voyage into Star Trek Adventures through the lens of canon, its meaning to modern society, and its promise of a better 2d20 future.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring Star Trek Adventures.
In this bonus episode, we interview our good friend Brian regarding his history with RPGs, what it was like playing MechWarrior, and why we could all remain friends for so long.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring MechWarrior.
In this episode, we continue applying the the narrative dice system of Star Wars: Edge of the Empire to real-life events in our lives and to what is going on in society these days.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring Star Wars: Edge of the Empire.
In this episode, we explore the narrative dice system of Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. There is a lot to talk and we only get started.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring Star Wars: Edge of the Empire.
In this episode, we continue the discussion of Dungeons & Dragons 5e.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring Dungeons & Dragons 5e.
In this inaugural episode, we explore the purpose of this podcast, share some of our shared history, and dive into the d20 system of Dungeons & Dragons 5e.
Welcome to Dice in Mind, a monthly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs! In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.
If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron. You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.
Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).
Featuring Dungeons & Dragons 5e.