D&D is for Nerds

Thirst of Strahd is a cinematic Dungeons & Dragons actual-play series from Str1ker, presenting a dark, sapphic reimagining of the legendary Curse of Strahdcampaign. Drawn into the mist-shrouded land of Barovia, three adventurers find themselves trapped in a realm of gothic horror, dangerous secrets, restless dead, and a vampire lord whose influence reaches far beyond the walls of Castle Ravenloft. As the party searches for a way forward, every alliance, sacrifice, and decision pulls them deeper into Barovia's mysteries. Blending character-driven roleplay, gothic horror, mystery, emotional storytelling, dark humor, and brutal encounters, Thirst of Strahd approaches tabletop roleplaying like an unfolding dark fantasy series. Its story focuses not only on terrifying monsters and cinematic battles, but also on the relationships, personal struggles, and choices of the characters trying to survive them. New episodes of Thirst of Strahd are released every Wednesday at 8:00 AM Central. Welcome to Barovia. The mists are waiting.

The channel is primarily for Live Play roleplaying game sessions. This is the home of Rostfin, Caldera, Momentum, Chrome City, Dowrenland, Acid Reign, and Arrath. There is also an ever-growing collection of other one shots and triologies in a multitude of systems and settings. This is also the official birthplace of my own system, The Expedition Engine! So sit back, grab some snacks, hit play, and hold onto your butt! Links youtube.com - Youtube channel ko-fi.com - Ko-Fi page

Untitled Game is a Dungeons & Dragons actual play podcast and the premise is pretty simple: A group of strangers crash lands on a remote tropical island and survival instinct quickly kicks in. The deeper they go into the jungle, the stranger things get—old cave paintings, impossible storms, things whisper threats in the dark. It’s played pretty loose and natural—no actors, no heavy editing polish—just a group of nerds leaning into the creepy weirdness and seeing where the story goes. Sometimes tense, sometimes funny, occasionally very bad decisions, always a bunch of cursing. If you’re into: slow-burn mystery horror with a weird edge tabletop actual play that feels more like a late-night campfire story …you might just enjoy it. Join our survivors as they peel back the layers of a mystery where every choice matters - and one wrong step might just be their last. Links rss.com - Podcast feed youtube.com - Youtube channel spotify.com - Spotify feed podcasts.apple.com - Apple Podcasts feed untitledgame-alpha.vercel.app - Modified 5E rules patreon.com - Patreon page

Role Playing Public Radio presents a weekly Actual Play podcast of tabletop role playing game sessions. It is run by Ross Payton, a tabletop RPG writer and podcaster.The cast rotates for different games, but our regular players include Caleb Stokes, Aaron Carsten, Tom Church, Maddy Gibbons, and Thaddeus Stoklasa. We play a wide variety of RPGs, including Call of Cthulhu, Delta Green, Blades in the Dark, Eclipse Phase, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Heart: The City Beneath, and Monster of the Week. We alternate between full campaigns and one shot adventures. Links actualplay.roleplayingpublicradio.com - Official website podcasts.apple.com - Apple Podcasts feed

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5E) burst onto the scene in 2014, taking a game that’d been around since the ‘70s and giving it new life. After a huge public playtest called "D&D Next," the creators wanted to smooth over old division and give everyone. Whether you’re an old-school fan or totally new. A game that feels both classic and modern. D&D quickly stopped being just a niche hobby and it started becoming more popular, showing up everywhere: streams, podcasts, and mainstream pop culture (Community, Stranger Things, D&D movie). In 2024 the game system was given a major overhaul, providing smaller changes and fixes to various parts of the game. This is now known as Dungeons & Dragons 5.5 Edition (2024) Description In D&D 5E, the players create fantasy adventurers. From elven rogues to dragonborn paladins, while one player takes up the role of the Dungeon Master (DM). The DM is the one who builds and describes the world, acts and voices the non-player characters and controls the monsters and the world around them, acting as both the lead storyteller and generally the rules referee. The heart of 5E is “rulings over rules.” Instead of pages of complicated charts, the DM is encouraged to make quick calls and keep things moving, not letting rules stop the game in it's tracks. The game is built on the "Three Pillars": Combat, Exploration, and Social Interaction.

Released in 2014 by Chaosium, Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition is the latest version of the cult-classic cosmic eldritch horror role-playing system originally launched in 1981. The story is based off of the  literary works of H.P. Lovecraft and lovecraftian works. Instead of setting the players up as heroes, the characters are regular investigators who are exploring cults, forbidden knowledge and various eldritch-cosmic entitites and threats. Description Occupations in the game for the characters include academics, reporters, and private investigators. The gameplay loop revolves around uncovering information, analyzing clues, and evading dangers. As the supernatural elements in the game are considered more powerful than the investigators, they have are not expected to actually confront most of the threats head on. Instead they usually have to resort to avoiding or escaping any situation that may arise. Combat is lethal and usually leads to characters getting permanently killed or pushed to insanity (which eventually is the same).  System Overview & Key Features Percentile Framework (d100) Every action is resolved by rolling two ten-sided (d10) dice to get a result from 1 to 100. If you roll is equal to or under your skill rating, the action is deemed a success. This approach simplifies the mechanical process of the game, as there are no complex tables to keep track of and compare to decypher whether it is a success or failure. Pushed Rolls If a character fails a skill check, they may attempt to "push" the roll, allowing for a second attempt. This requires the player to come up with a new, more desperate approach to performing the task. If this subsequent pushed roll also fails, the Keeper describes a severe and immediate negative consequence. Sanity and Madness A core mechanic of the system is the tracking of mental stability. Investigators lose points from their Sanity gauge when exposed to anomalous creatures or disturbing truths. Drops in Sanity result in the character experiencing temporary or permanent forms of madness, which can manifest as new phobias, delusions, or a temporary loss of player agency over the character. Bonus and Penalty Dice To account for situational advantages or disadvantages, the game employs a system of bonus and penalty dice. If a character possesses a distinct advantage when performing a task, an extra d10 is rolled and taking the higher result. A disadvantage means rolling an extra d10 and taking the lower result. Combat Lethality Physical altercations are inherently dangerous by design. Investigators possess limited hit points, and the damage output of both conventional firearms and anomalous entities is high. Recovery mechanics are slow, simulating realistic healing times. This structural lethality serves to discourage combat and incentivize stealth and investigation. Expendable Luck Players can spend points from their character's Luck pool to retroactively lower a dice roll. The points are subtracted on a one-to-one basis until the dice result qualifies as a success. This ensures that the Luck pool is a limited resource which should be used and utilized in the most critical situations. Additional links chaosium.com - Official publisher website and digital storefront drivethrurpg.com - Digital repository for official scenarios and sourcebooks