Variant Rules: Recent Episodes
Variant Rules
Variant Rules is a game development and actual play RPG podcast set out to develop the Arcane & Iron tabletop RPG system through storytelling, community feedback and mechanics discussions. We test the mechanics of a brand new system and tinker with game design by the best method possible: play. We release two different types of episodes biweekly on Wednesdays: a core actual play episode featuring the campaign’s storyline, players and their characters, and The Forge companion episodes, where we discuss the system and how to play it with the game’s designer and its players.
Spotlight on your friendly neighborhood Inday. Special guest Noy illuminates her decision to build Inday and shape her character with such flavor.
Inday begins to explore the culture and the needs of Montepec following their occupation by the Empire.
Sometimes being a DM/GM/Storyteller is hard. What can you or your players do to share the load? Try out the new story building mechanic designed by Brandon Raab, creator of Arcane & Iron.
Birch finds his place among the people of Montepec through good food and conversation. But what happens when Brassley clearly wants to go on a journey?
This week our illustrious Alex Sanchez joins us to discuss his experience playing Arcane and Iron and his fabled character Birch.
Kit and Josephine explore Montepec in the weeks following the battle with Violet. Both are in for new experiences as they encounter forces they have not before.
Josephine finds herself with dozens of soldiers at her command while the rest of the party has a long overdue discussion with Gus.
How do you make health relevant in a narrative system? Can healing be accessible to all?
This week Josephine takes charge, Inday supports everyone, Serafin works to save his father, Kit faces off against his sister, and Birch tries to control a large bird. Plus, a special guest!
No family is without its complications. With Serafin's father held behind bars by Kit's sister, Princess Valentine, how will our heroes navigate this awkward family reunion?
This week our heroes continue to receive visits from the Dealmaker, Rys. Will anyone accept the tempting offers?
Please consider donating to the following #BlackLivesMatter funds if you are able to:
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Our heroes steel themselves to face a threat they know not the scope of to save Serafin's village of Montepec. What will they find and what will stand in their way?
The Kutar are marching towards our heroes and the Ancient One they are trying to protect. Will they find a way to escape and preserve this entity? Or are they trapped inside a living mountain without time to escape?
Can our heroes make it through a city under siege to the Undying One they need to speak to? What dangers will they face and can chamomile tea save them all?
Our heroes face a siege that may overtake a city that potentially contains a crucial piece of the puzzle of the Eloi. Will they find what they need or are they needlessly headed into danger?
Our heroes depart the morning after a savage attack from the Kutar. They head towards Montepec and the troubles that they have foreseen, but what lies ahead of them?
Will the heroes make it to Kutar'tai? What happened to the camp they passed the previous day?
Listen as Birch extorts Inday for snacks post-prayer and our heroes learn of more danger that lies ahead.
Join Emma, Ben, and Brandon as they discuss character progression and leveling throughout a myriad of RPGs and Arcane & Iron.
Our heroes depart from the Lyceum to search out a race that may know more of the danger that lies ahead...
Their pancake map has led them closer to the Lyceum, and now our heroes must discover all they can from the tomes within. Will they be able to find anything?
It seems our heroes have some (personal?) problem(s!) to face. Will Birch reconcile with Hurain? Will Josephine figure out why her betrothed is suddenly her horse? And will the group find out how to leave this mountain?
Our heroes enraged the ancient race they had sought out for more information. They must leave and face the road ahead, but the mountain itself seems to fight against them.
Our heroes try to find out more from these ancient beings about the planes colliding, while everything around them begins to crumble.
Our heroes enter the home of the Eilings after everyone (but Kit) has taken a vow to preserve their secrets. Will they learn more from this ancient race about the threat that faces the realm or be forced to search elsewhere?
The winds are shifting and our snow creatures are dwindling in their magic. Do they have enough to finish helping their creators before they turn back to pure snow?
Guest Storyteller: Chris Van Houten
Special Guests: Addie Gia & Tommy Cottin
The terrifying alien ice bunnies are approaching the lollipop fence as our snow heroes have readied for battle. Can they defend their humans and Earth from this threat, and at what cost? Join us this week for the next part of our Winter Arc.
Guest Storyteller: Chris Van Houten
Guest Players: Addie Gia and Tommy Cottin
Magical snow creatures are crafted when the wind blows from the Up, carrying with it magic and wonder. But are all things crafted with wonder wonderful?
Guest storyteller Chris Van Houten
Special Guests Addie Gia and Tommy Cottin of Waypoint Live and the (former) Essential NPCs Podcast fame!
Join us this week as we establish a world and create characters for a winter mini-series with guest storyteller Chris Van Houten. Ben, Brandon, and Emma will be at the table joined by Addie Gia and Tommy Cottin of Waypoint Live and the (former) Essential NPCs Podcast fame!
Our heroes have found their way up the mountain, but what information will they find inside? What will they have to sacrifice to get it?
Arcane & Iron went on the road to GenCon, and we're just now getting around to telling you about it. Listen to Emma, Ben, and Brandon discuss their experience preparing for and participating in the Playtest Hall at GenCon.
Our heroes shop, almost drop, and try to find out more about what threatens their world.
Every solid adventuring party has a face, a bard, a charlatan of some kind. What achievements in the Arcane & Iron can your social character take advantage of?
Our heroes face the edge of a steep crater, but do they also face the edge of their known universe? Tune in to find out!
It takes technical acumen to know when is the opportune moment. What technical achievements can be used to aid characters in the Arcane & Iron system. Listen to this episode with special guest Alex Sanchez to find out more!
After narrowly escaping a Kraken crushing the ship our heroes were attempting to commandeer, they found themselves escaping through portals that led them through a large clock. How and why did this happen, and what does it mean?
Magic adds that little touch of spark to any world. Listen in this week with special guest Noy Sasis as she talks with us about Magical Achievements in the Arcane & Iron system.
Timing is everything. Can our heroes find the right window to escape this predicament? Even if they can, what's on the other side of the window?
This week we are back behind the proverbial screen as Andrew and Emma berate Brandon with questions about physical achievements in Arcane & Iron.
Our heroes find themselves stranded on an island with a rowboat approaching the shore. Will they find friend or foe?
Ben has taken over as Storyteller, so we spoke with both Ben and Brandon about the process.
Our heroes are seemingly stuck on an island, unsure of what has happened to them, and no one (except Josephine) knows what to make of this Kit fellow. Can they find their way forward and off the island?
Gus went out with a bang. What does this mean for our adventurers, and who is this man in a grey coat that Josephine calls "Kit"?
Listen to hear what befalls our intrepid heroes on the next steps of their journey.
A door opened to a man in a grey coat, the sought after spirit, and magic flying through the air that no one could immediately understand. What will our heroes find here and where will it lead them next?
How does a character set itself apart from others in such a stripped down RPG? As the character rises in level, they receive unique achievements that continue to set them apart from their compatriots. Listen to learn more about how game designer, Brandon Raab, developed the Achievements mechanic for Arcane And Iron.
The last episode had our heroes facing real or imagined adversaries on their own as they broke through to face a large, ornate door. Can they find their way past it, and if so, what lies ahead?
The best craftspeople have defining marks. What makes a character dynamic in Arcane & Iron? Lend your ear to learn more about Brands & Bonds in this new RPG!
Each adventurer (and Acalan) were left facing their own door in the Gauntlet. What does each room hold and will our heroes emerge victorious, or even in one piece?
Why have there been no shopping montages? Does armor affect durability checks? Listen in to hear how items work in the world of Arcane & Iron.
The demon has descended through a crack in the floor while the party was distracted by mysterious visitors. Can they follow it and find out more about this enigmatic entity?
Are there bonus actions or reactions in Arcane & Iron? Not as such, but listen to hear about Special Actions and how they can impact play at the table outside a typical skill check.
Our last episode ended with our heroes facing a demon who began to shift into a humanoid form that had bested them over a year ago. What has happened to the demon in that time? Can our heroes do the right thing? Do they even know what that is?
This Forge has Andrew and Emma grilling Brandon about Skills & Resources. Why limit the number but expand the possibilities? Does Arcane & Iron have an initiative system and we just don't tell you?
Our heroes start separated, three trapped in an herbalist's shop by the husks that haunted them before. Can they find all the supplies they need to complete a ritual and restore the city to its former state? Can safety even be achieved for a city so far gone? Join us for this actual play episode to find out!
This week's Forge focuses on character creation. How are characters in Arcane & Iron different from those of most TTRPGs? What goes into making a character? Listen to find out those answers and more!
Variant Rules' second actual play episode picks up with our heroes barricaded in from the threatening husks they evaded last episode. Can they discover what has happened to this town and where the artificer Gus can be found?
Discover more from Arcane and Iron game designer, Brandon Raab, through an interview from Forge hosts Emma J. Hendren and Andrew Saenz. Learn about the system's inspiration, basic rules, and a few more insights into ourselves.
Our heroes are brought together, a year after their initial meeting, through cryptic and magical means to a town that is not all it seems. Can they find their way to safety and discover why they were summoned to this place?
Join us in this actual play episode using the under-development RPG Arcane and Iron, where a 6 is a success and the rest is limited only by your imagination.
Variant Rules is a game development and actual play RPG podcast set out to develop the Arcane & Iron tabletop RPG system through storytelling, community feedback and mechanics discussions. We test the mechanics of a brand new system and tinker with game design by the best method possible play. We release two different types of episodes biweekly on Wednesdays a core actual play episode featuring the campaign’s storyline, players and their characters, and The Forge companion episodes, where we discuss the system and how to play it with the game’s designer and its players.