Running Off The Rails podcast

49:26

In this episode Ariel and Ray take one last look at the Armorsmith's Handbook, a massive endeavor from the Grim Press that has to introduce twenty unique places to your campaign setting. Ray and Ariel discuss how to read and prepare box text so that your players immediately know where they are and why they should care about it. Then they talk about how to expand on a setting idea once you've settled on where you want to go, so that the setting feels alive and your players feel engaged after the first impression. Sign up for your copy of the ⁠Armorsmith's Handbook⁠ at ⁠bit.ly/armorsmith⁠ today! Included in this this 175+ page sourcebook, we've created 20 drop-in merchants for your game of 5th Edition. Accompanying each armorsmith is A fully-illustrated portrait art piece A detailed background and roleplaying guideline A top-down map of their shop and a full table of unique wares tailored to their shop specifically. On these tables you will find food, wonderous magic items, spell scrolls, potions, and of course, magical armor. In fact, Aaron Gentry and Ray created 10 new pieces of magical armor for each armorsmith and Sandy Lawson created art for every single piece. That's 200 brand new fully arted pieces of magical armor for your game of 5th edition.…

Running Off The Rails

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The Armorsmith's Handbook is Live! Ray Dives Into The Character Creation Process 1:10:02

28 weeks fa1:10:02

1:10:02

Sign up for your copy of the Armorsmith's Handbook at bit.ly/armorsmith today! Included in this this 175+ page sourcebook, we've created 20 drop-in merchants for your game of 5th Edition. Accompanying each armorsmith is A fully-illustrated portrait art piece A detailed background and roleplaying guideline A top-down map of their shop and a full table of unique wares tailored to their shop specifically. On these tables you will find food, wonderous magic items, spell scrolls, potions, and of course, magical armor. In fact, Aaron Gentry and Ray created 10 new pieces of magical armor for each armorsmith and Sandy Lawson created art for every single piece. That's 200 brand new fully arted pieces of magical armor for your game of 5th edition.…

Running Off The Rails

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What Makes Compelling Magic Armor? Ft. Armorsmith's Handbook 1:17:21

32 weeks fa1:17:21

1:17:21

In this episode, Ariel tries to convince Ray that the very best magic items have abilities that make your character immediately recognizable, but don't overshadow their already heroic abilities, using magic items that Ray himself designed in Grim Press's new Armorsmith's Handbook! Ariel picks his five favorite magic items out of the two hundred brand new magic armors in the Grim Press Fifth Edition supplement, The Armorsmith's Handbook. Ariel argues why each modestly-powered item is the perfect fit for the PCs at your table, while Ray gives behind the scenes details on how they were designed. Armorer's Handbook: https://bit.ly/armorsmith Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery's Physical Copy: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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Freelance RPG Writing and the Armorer's Handbook Kickstarter 41:16

36 weeks fa41:16

41:16

Last Summer Ray collaborated as a co-author on a book of 20 Armorers and the 200 pieces of magical armor that they offer. Ray discusses what the experience of writing the ~35,000 words was like and what the book has to offer players and Dungeon Masters.

Running Off The Rails

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Catching Up 1:18:35

1 year fa1:18:35

1:18:35

Ray and Ariel play 2024 catch up. We discuss what has been going on in our lives and chat about books and media we've been consuming. We will return to topic-focused, prepared content next episode. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery's Physical Copy: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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Notoriety in D&D | Why One Piece is Better Than Gloomhaven 46:09

1 year fa46:09

46:09

Ray and Ariel discuss how to make your players feel like they are as infamous as Robin Hood or Geralt of Rivia in their own fantasy worlds. Unfortunately, these cherished characters from fiction are also infamous, and risk being chased out of any town they enter. So we need a system of notoriety for our games that still allow the PCs to walk through the world even after they've made some enemies. Ray and Ariel review two examples of Notoriety: the bounties from One Piece which create benchmarks for progress and comparison with other pirates, vs Reputation from Gloomhaven which is multidirectional but can actively erase progress. Through these examples, Ray and Ariel devise a framework that is both multidirectional and tracks consistent forward progress. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery's Physical Copy: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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Kick The Dog | A Guide To Dastardly Villains 55:51

1 year fa55:51

55:51

Ray and Ariel discuss how to make a villain that your characters will care about—specifically care about killing them ASAP. This episode covers a classic screenwriting technique called "Kick the Dog" which establishes the bad guy by having them hurt a helpless character in the world. Ray and Ariel review two great examples of Dog Kicking from the new One Piece series and the Disney Classic, The Emperor's new groove. Both masterclasses in establishing characters you want to punch right in the jaw. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery's Physical Copy: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397328/Emerys-Log-of-Legendary-Eminences Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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Sentient Magic Items | Sapient VS Awakened Vs Alien 55:44

1 year fa55:44

55:44

Ray and Ariel discuss the different categories of sentient magic items that appear in popular fiction and Dungeons and Dragons. From Nightblood to the One Ring, we deconstruct their sentience so that you can use the pieces to build your own items at your own tables. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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The Medium | Previewing Ariel's Class for the Planescape 48:59

1 year fa48:59

48:59

Ray and Ariel discuss Ariel's homebrew class he first played seven(!) years ago that is in its final stages before publishing to the DMSGuild. The Medium is a fortune-telling, multi-verse traveling class for 5th edition inspired by all kinds of plane-shifting experiences from Stranger Things to Everything Everywhere All at Once. Ray and Ariel go over the process of homebrewing, the core functions of the class, and how core DnD classes don't always offer the same things that you can find in homebrew material. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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Playtesting a Boss Battle 1:21:10

2 years fa1:21:10

1:21:10

Ray and Ariel have a more casual conversation this episode discussing the playtest Ray ran for the Emery's kickstarter stretch goal, featuring Za'ul the Lich King. They discuss what to prioritize for a major boss battle, and how to inject some new mechanics into minion fights with Za'ul's magical golems as examples. Ray and Ariel also tease the next episode where they will be reviewing Ariel's push-your-luck style homebrew class, which (he promises) will finally be ready for publishing. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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New Tradeoffs, Counters, Hands, and Throws For Your Game of DnD 53:35

2 years fa53:35

53:35

Ray and Ariel provide mechanics that address specific criticisms they made of 5e in the previous episode. Here are some short rules that will... Prompt players to choose between a more diverse set of weapons Inspire new rivalries between different types of spellcasters Help you to present more varied loot and rewards to your players. Three design tools modern games use to make interesting encounters: power budgets, counters, and hands/throws. Dungeons and Dragons falls short in implementing these design principles sometimes for the sake of simplicity. Let's fix it. Show Notes: https://www.runningofftherails.com/en-us/articles/decisions-episode-notes Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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D&D Decisions are Dull | Using Video Games to Create Fun Choices 40:42

2 years fa40:42

40:42

Ray and Ariel discuss the three design tools modern games use to make interesting encounters: power budgets, counters, and hands/throws. Dungeons and Dragons falls short in implementing these design principles sometimes for the sake of simplicity, but often because it is catering to a different experience than a video game with instantaneous game-matching and player feedback. Ray and Ariel dig deeper though, and look for the specific places where Dungeon and Dragons could implement these concepts and improve on players' decision-making experience Amazing video by Game Designer's Toolkit that discusses Trade-offs, Counters, Hands and Throws and how video games get balanced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXQzdXPTb2A&ab_channel=GameMaker%27sToolkit Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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Finding Fantastic Familiars ft. The Fox from Worlds Beyond Number 35:24

2 years fa35:24

35:24

Ray and Ariel discuss how to spice up the Find Familiar spell in dungeons and dragons. Familiars can often feel like a spell effect in our campaigns rather than fully fledged characters. Ray and Ariel were both inspired the hilarious fox familiar in Worlds Beyond Number to think up different ways DMs can create memorable familiars for their players. Ray and Ariel present mechanics for familiar progression, discuss how to treat familiars as NPCs in your world, and come up with a few modifications to the find familiar ritual. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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Prestige Classes, Paragons And Other Discovered Character Paths in D&D 35:47

2 years fa35:47

35:47

Ray and Ariel discuss achieving prestige fantasies in D&D 5e. Why did the 5e Prestige Classes unearthed arcana miss the mark? Then Ray and Ariel present mechanics for how they think that discovered and unexpected character paths can be successful in D&D 5e. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Emery’s Log of Legendary Eminences: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/runningofftherails/emerys-log-of-legendary-eminences⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails…

Running Off The Rails

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Worlds Beyond Number 30:05

2 years fa30:05