LUDO
NARRATIVE
DISSIDENTS
a podcast about RPGs, how they’RE MADE AND HOW THEY’RE PLAYED
SEASON 3 HAS BEGUN!
After a Kickstarter that funded at 368% of the original goal,
we’re busy releasing 27 new episodes, and livestreaming monthly!
Find out more and join the conversation on our Discord server
ABOUT
Ludonarrative Dissidents is a podcast about roleplaying games, their culture, design and play. Each episode deep-dives on one specific tabletop RPG, mechanic or style of game, taking it apart to see how it works, and putting it back together to understand how people play it.
It’s playful, insightful, informed, and thoroughly entertaining. New episodes drop every 2-3 weeks.
Ludonarrative Dissidents is funded by our generous Kickstarter backers, sales of merchandise, and affiliate fees.
THE TEAM
Ludonarrative Dissidents is compiled by three well known, respected creators from the RPG design community: Ross Payton of Roleplaying Public Radio and the designer of Base Raiders; Greg Stolze, the creator of REIGN, co-creator of Unknown Armies and co-writer of Delta Green; and James Wallis, the inventor of the storygame format, designer of The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen and founder of the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming.
SEASON 1
Our first season kicked off in August 2021. Across 16 episodes we cover:
- Apocalypse World
- Blades in the Dark
- Outlaws of the Water Margin
- Lancer
- Nights Black Agents
- Delta Green
- Continuum
- Bluebeard’s Bride
- Ars Magica
- The Quiet Year
- Thousand Year Old Vampire
- 13th Age
- Unknown Armies
- The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen
- Base Raiders
- Dueling Fops of Vindamere (actual play)
Click below for links to the episodes and our notes on them.
SEASON 2
The second season of the podcast began in November 2022, with 18 episodes. This time we also look at specific RPG mechanics and design tropes.
- Card mechanics in RPGs
- Coyote and Crow
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th edition
- Red Markets
- Metacurrencies in RPGs
- The Laundry RPG
- MÖRK BORG
- Eclipse Phase 2nd edition
- Initiative systems
- Call of Cthulhu 7th edition
- Planet Mercenary
- Dread
- Tales from the Loop
- Diceless RPGs
- Fiasco
- Experience points
- Mongoose Traveller
- Pendragon 6e
- Hole In The Sky for DCC (actual play)
Click below for links to the episodes, and notes on each one.
SEASON 3
Season 3 began in June 2024. Its listing format is a little different: each episode has its own page.
Episode 0: Hole in the Sky by Brendan LaSalle. This is the level-zero peasant-funnel adventure that we actually actual-played at the end of Season 2. Now hear what we thought of it.
Episode 1: Heart The City Beneath by Grant Howitt and Chris Taylor. This episode is currently only available to our Kickstarter backers, but will go public in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile you can read the shownotes by clicking the link above.
Episode 2: Delta Green Convergence by John Scott Tynes. This episode is currently only available to our Kickstarter backers, but will go public in a month. Meanwhile you can read the shownotes by clicking the link above.
Homepage for all Season 3 episodes