Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned

RPG Lessons Learned

The show where you can learn from our mistakes... We talk about our games, and the lessons we learned while playing them.

Tracks

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Cyberpunk, Part 3! (Cyberpunk RED)

Tanner and Dusty talk the finale of their Cyberpunk RED mini-campaign, discussing tactical combat on battle maps, virtual tabletop gaming, and the campaign and system as a whole. 2-Minute Tabletop: https://2minutetabletop.com/product/secret-research-facility-pack/  Intro / Outro Music: Mirror Image by BernardW100!

4/14/25 • 27:26

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Cyberpunk, Part 2! (Cyberpunk RED: Agents of Desire)

Dusty and Tanner talk about their second session in Cyberpunk RED, playing the published adventure Agents of Desire, discussing pre-written adventure layouts, PC and GM expectations for combat, and if a twist can be too obvious. Tales of the RED: Street Stories: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/404486/tales-of-the-red-street-stories  Intro / Outro Music: Mirror Image by BernardW100!

4/7/25 • 26:12

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Cyberpunk, Part 1! (Cyberpunk RED: Cyberpunk RED Easy Mode)

Tanner ran the quick-start adventure for Cyberpunk RED for Dusty, and they chat after the game about their first impressions of the system, cyber Joe Rogan, the necessity for a Cyberpunk game to feel like cyberpunk, strangely-written adventures, pre-made characters, and combat rules. Cyberpunk RED Easy Mode: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/409912/cyberpunk-red-easy-mode  Intro / Outro Music: Mirror Image by BernardW100!

3/31/25 • 27:59

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Martin's Game, Part 2! (Old-School Essentials: Palace of the Silver Princess)

Dusty gives Tanner an update on his long-running OSE campaign with the world's greatest GM, Martin, and they talk simulationism in RPGs, GMPCs, missing content in games, remembering RPGs for posterity, and expanding a published adventure into a campaign. Old School Essentials: https://necroticgnome.com/products/old-school-essentials-basic-rules Palace of the Silver Princess: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17159/b3-palace-of-the-silver-princess-basic  Intro / Outro Music: Mirror Image by BernardW100!

3/24/25 • 31:38

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Carnival of Crime, Part 3! (Mutants & Masterminds, 3E)

Dusty and Tanner discuss the conclusion to their Mutants & Masterminds game, and cover the volatility of 1-on-1 combat encounters, sidestepping GM prep, luck rolls, and how to talk GM-to-player instead of GM-to GM. Carnival of Crime, Part 3: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11D7cdBx1fZtZ7FK483V8um6RSWY6qb7P/view?usp=sharing Dusty's Mutants & Masterminds Cheat Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11fyTPL_Yqr81e6DLY1hbNRmULuNjpnls/view?usp=sharing Mutants and Masterminds Quickstart: https://freeronin.com/3e_files/MnM3_Quickstart.pdf Intro / Outro Music: Mirror Image by BernardW100!  

3/17/25 • 28:15

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Carnival of Crime, Part 2! (Mutants & Masterminds, 3E)

Dusty and Tanner chat about Part 2 of Carnival of Crime in Mutants & Masterminds, and talk three-act structures, player agency vs railroading, and more. Carnival of Crime, Part 2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WuEwj5T8twwJ0gS5qA3FvDawyFW4OkTr/view?usp=sharing Dusty's Mutants & Masterminds Cheat Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11fyTPL_Yqr81e6DLY1hbNRmULuNjpnls/view?usp=sharing Mutants and Masterminds Quickstart: https://freeronin.com/3e_files/MnM3_Quickstart.pdf Intro / Outro Music: Mirror Image by BernardW100!  

3/10/25 • 33:34

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Carnival of Crime, Part 1! (Mutants & Masterminds, 3E)

Dusty and Tanner discuss the first session of their three-part Carnival of Crime mini-campaign in Mutants & Masterminds! Carnival of Crime, Part 1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pDz9vxtWEGHk_Vl-GdlJgwegNtSYWOzl/view?usp=drive_link Dusty's Mutants & Masterminds Cheat Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11fyTPL_Yqr81e6DLY1hbNRmULuNjpnls/view?usp=sharing Mutants and Masterminds Quickstart: https://freeronin.com/3e_files/MnM3_Quickstart.pdf Intro / Outro Music: Mirror Image by BernardW100!

3/3/25 • 34:13

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Rat Trap! (Mutants & Masterminds, 3E: Rat Trap)

Dusty ran "Rat Trap," the adventure in the "Mutants & Masterminds" third edition quickstart, for Tanner! Mutants and Masterminds Quickstart: https://freeronin.com/3e_files/MnM3_Quickstart.pdf Dusty's Mutants & Masterminds Cheat Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11fyTPL_Yqr81e6DLY1hbNRmULuNjpnls/view?usp=sharing Intro / Outro Music: Mirror Image by BernardW100!

2/24/25 • 20:33

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Abberant Reflections! (The Black Hack, 2E: Abberant Reflections)

Tanner ran "Abberant Reflections," an Old-School puzzle-based dungeon, for Dusty in "The Black Hack!" Abberant Reflections by Directsun on DrivethruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/419533/aberrant-reflections The Black Hack 2e by Gold Piece Publications on DrivethruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/255088/the-black-hack-second-edition

2/17/25 • 39:51

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Hex Dungeon Catchup! (D&D, 5E)

Tanner talks about taking the Hex Dungeon format back to his home group! The Hex Dungeon Manifesto by Tanner on Itch: https://thecrystalmaw.itch.io/the-hex-dungeon-manifesto The Slime Tunnels of Allorala by Tanner on Itch: https://thecrystalmaw.itch.io/the-slime-tunnels-of-allorala

2/10/25 • 27:45

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Hex Dungeon: Christmas Again! (Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game)

Dusty runs his original hex-based Christmas dungeon for strangers online! Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game: https://www.basicfantasy.org

2/3/25 • 21:08

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned The Veiled Society! (Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game)

Dusty runs "The Veiled Society" for Tanner as a Mystery Dungeon Crawl using Chris Gonnerman's "Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game!" Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game by Chris Gonnerman: https://www.basicfantasy.org

1/27/25 • 27:33

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Throne of the Owl! (D&D, 5E)

Tanner talks to Dusty about the 5th Edition D&D game he’s running for his home group. Monster Manual on a Business Card: https://www.blogofholding.com/?p=7338 Ironsworn RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/238369/Ironsworn Knave RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/250888/Knave Worlds Without Number: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/348791/Worlds-Without-Number D30 Companion: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/102567/d30-DM-Companion Dyson Logos Maps: https://dysonlogos.blog/maps Prismatic Wasteland on Procedures: https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/what-even-is-a-procedure

1/20/25 • 29:32

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Motor City Greens and Blues! (Trail of Cthulhu)

Tanner runs Dusty through a Trail of Cthulhu hack set in 1970s Detroit! Trail of Cthulhu by Pelgrane Press: https://pelgranepress.com/trail-of-cthulhu

1/13/25 • 37:35

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Hex Dungeon: Christmas! (Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game)

Dusty ran an original hex-based dungeon for Tanner using Chris Gonnerman's "Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game." Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game by Chris Gonnerman: https://www.basicfantasy.org

1/6/25 • 25:16

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Hex Dungeon: St. Patty's! (Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game)

Dusty ran an original hex-based dungeon for Tanner using Chris Gonnerman's "Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game." Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game by Chris Gonnerman: https://www.basicfantasy.org

12/30/24 • 27:01

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Hex Dungeon: Ruined Asylum of Uulgreth! (Scarlet Heroes)

Tanner ran an original hex-based dungeon for Dusty using Kevin Crawfords’s “Scarlet Heroes” system that enables one-on-one dungeon crawls! Ruined Asylum of Uulgreth by Tanner on Itch: https://thecrystalmaw.itch.io/the-ruined-asylum-of-uulgreth Skullfungus’s dungeon creation guide on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/lets-create-old-66740067 Scarlet Heroes by Sine Nomine Publishing on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes

7/28/23 • 37:11

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Hex Dungeon: Castle Frankenstein! (Scarlet Heroes)

Dusty ran an original hex-based dungeon for Tanner using Kevin Crawfords’s “Scarlet Heroes” system that enables one-on-one dungeon crawls! Scarlet Heroes by Sine Nomine Publishing on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes

7/19/23 • 27:24

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Hideous Daylight! (Scarlet Heroes)

Tanner ran “Hideous Daylight,” an Old-School Essentials dungeon by Brad Kerr, for Dusty using Kevin Crawfords’s “Scarlet Heroes” system that enables one-on-one dungeon crawls! Hideous Daylight by Brad Kerr on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/333639/Hideous-Daylight Scarlet Heroes by Sine Nomine Publishing on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes

7/12/23 • 25:37

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Awakening at the Old Well! (Scarlet Heroes)

Dusty ran “Awakening at the Old Well,” a one-page dungeon by BigfootBob, for Tanner using Kevin Crawfords’s “Scarlet Heroes” system that enables one-on-one dungeon crawls! Awakening at the Old Well by BigfootBob on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/c8qau1/oc_an_awakening_at_the_old_well Scarlet Heroes by Sine Nomine Publishing on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes

2/17/23 • 21:49

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned A mystery, Columbo-style! (Books & Bullets)

Dusty ran a one-shot adventure for Tanner using Ray Otus’s “Books & Bullets” hack of “Lasers & Feelings.” Books & Bullets by Ray Otus on Itch: https://rayotus.itch.io/books-bullets Professor Thaldon is Dead by Dustinian Camburides at dustinian.com: https://www.dustinian.com/prototypes/eons.html

1/25/23 • 30:56

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Temple of 1000 Swords! (Scarlet Heroes)

Tanner ran “Temple of 1000 Swords,” an Old-School Essentials dungeon by Brad Kerr, for Dusty using Kevin Crawfords’s “Scarlet Heroes” system that enables one-on-one dungeon crawls! Temple of 1000 Swords by Brad Kerr on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/360211/Temple-of-1000-Swords Scarlet Heroes by Sine Nomine Publishing on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes

1/18/23 • 35:15

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Bloodstone!

Tanner ran a one-shot adventure for Dusty using Matteo Sciutteri’s “Bloodstone” forged-in-the-dark mini-game. Bloodstone by Matteo Sciutteri on Itch: https://matteosciutteri.itch.io/bloodstone

1/11/23 • 22:34

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Temple of the Moon Priests! (Scarlet Heroes)

Tanner ran "Temple of the Moon Priests," a one-page dungeon by Gildor Games, for Dusty using Kevin Crawfords’s “Scarlet Heroes” system that enables one-on-one dungeon crawls! Temple of the Moon Priests by Gildor Games on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/310492/Temple-of-the-Moon-Priests Scarlet Heroes by Sine Nomine Publishing on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes

1/4/23 • 46:18

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Rogues, Transformers, and Used Books!

Recorded on the road in 2019, Brian and Dusty are out shopping for RPG books at their favorite used book store. Along the way, they discuss several topics including how Chris’ rogue play shapes their understanding of the Rogue Class. They discuss their purchases, including what they found and what they didn’t. The show is rounded out with a long discussion about why we do what we do, why do we collect, and where do we draw the line with our hobbies.

10/10/21 • 54:06

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Arriviste, Part 13.5: Player Retrospective! (Vampire: The Masquerade)

Dusty and Brian discuss what’s next for RPGLL; then Dusty, Nathan, and Chris discuss the campaign. Vampire, The Masquerade Quickstart: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/55733 Our Custom Character Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gpxLG-cKwu3tzk46WbquGzPbLMv6Eiqh/view?usp=drive_link Our Expansion to the Quickstart Rules: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17L3Kg0Q0z5Ge34g4HBYid6-E8G8bQNeW/view?usp=sharing

8/31/21 • 32:54

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Arriviste, Part 13: Gehenna! (Vampire: The Masquerade)

Eduardo and Xep choose their fate and go on their last mission… Vampire, The Masquerade Quickstart: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/55733 Our Custom Character Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gpxLG-cKwu3tzk46WbquGzPbLMv6Eiqh/view?usp=drive_link Our Expansion to the Quickstart Rules: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17L3Kg0Q0z5Ge34g4HBYid6-E8G8bQNeW/view?usp=sharing

8/30/21 • 31:59

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Arriviste, Part 12: Progenitor! (Vampire: The Masquerade)

Eduardo and Xep have a conversation with their sire at long last… Vampire, The Masquerade Quickstart: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/55733 Our Custom Character Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gpxLG-cKwu3tzk46WbquGzPbLMv6Eiqh/view?usp=drive_link Our Expansion to the Quickstart Rules: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17L3Kg0Q0z5Ge34g4HBYid6-E8G8bQNeW/view?usp=sharing

8/29/21 • 31:27

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Arriviste, Part 11: Fauxdiluvians! (Vampire: The Masquerade)

The Camarilla takes Eduardo and Xep for Antediluvians… Vampire, The Masquerade Quickstart: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/55733 Our Custom Character Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gpxLG-cKwu3tzk46WbquGzPbLMv6Eiqh/view?usp=drive_link Our Expansion to the Quickstart Rules: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17L3Kg0Q0z5Ge34g4HBYid6-E8G8bQNeW/view?usp=sharing

8/28/21 • 44:04

Show cover of RPG Lessons Learned Arriviste, Part 10: Sire! (Vampire: The Masquerade)

Eduardo and Xep may have discovered the identity of their sire… Vampire, The Masquerade Quickstart: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/55733 Our Custom Character Sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gpxLG-cKwu3tzk46WbquGzPbLMv6Eiqh/view?usp=drive_link Our Expansion to the Quickstart Rules: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17L3Kg0Q0z5Ge34g4HBYid6-E8G8bQNeW/view?usp=sharing

8/27/21 • 24:31