PODCAST · leisure
Ludonarrative Dissidents
by Ross Payton
Ludonarrative Dissidents is a podcast from Greg Stolze, James Wallis, and Ross Payton to explore and analyze tabletop RPGs. What does each game do, how does it work, and why do people play it? We are currently in season 3, and we've expanded to include sourcebooks and adventures. Visit our website at https://www.ludonarrativedissidents.com/ to get detailed show notes. Join our Discord at https://discord.gg/CQt5DbFZCD
Episodes
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The One Ring RPG and Microscope 2E: Live with Gareth Hanrahan and Ben Robbins
Special guests Gareth Hanrahan (The One Ring RPG and too many games to count) and Ben Robbins (Microscope) join us for another live episode of LND to discuss game design and history. Back the LND Kickstarter today and join our book club on game design!
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Vincent and Meg Baker and Season 4 Kickstarter Launch!
We hosted a live episode to talk about the launch of our Season 4 Kickstarter. Join me, Greg Stolze, James Wallis and special guests Meg and Vincent Baker (Apocalypse World, Dogs in the Vineyard and many more) as we discuss the history of RPGs, possible games we may review for Season 4 and many...
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The Quiet Year: An Actual Play featuring creator Avery Alder and Dr. Emily Friedman
The Season 4 LND Kickstarter pre-launch page is live! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rosspayton/ludonarrative-dissidents-podcast-season-4The Quiet Year is a map game. You define the struggles of a post-apocalyptic community, and attempt to build something good within their quiet year. Every...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Season 4 Pre-Launch Live Episode 0 and Mothership: Wages of Sin Review
We recently completed season 3 and are going to launch a Kickstarter on October 13 to fund a fourth season! Follow the Kickstarter campaign to be notified when the campaign goes live! This live episode discusses what will be new for the fourth season. We plan to have shorter book reviews in our...
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Swords of the Serpentine Actual Play
IN OUR TRADITIONAL style, as we reach the end of the season we’re bringing you a couple of Actual Play sessions of games that we’ve covered in earlier episodes, putting some actual ludo-ing into the customary narrative. This episode is the first part of the Ludonarrative Dissidents Season 3…
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Dialect
DIALECT: A Game About Language And How It Dies is a 2018 single-session RPG by Hakan Seyalioglu and Kathryn Hymes, published by Thorny Games. It’s a game about a small community, isolated from larger groups, that first creates its own verbal forms to describe its situation, and then must adapt or...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for August 2026
Our livestream discussion for August! Watch the episode on Youtube Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Swords of the Serpentine
SWORDS OF THE SERPENTINE is a game of fantasy shenanigans in a labyrinthine sinking city populated by rogues, schemers, cultists, swashbucklers and your player characters, written by Kevin Kulp and Emily Dresner, and published by Pelgrane Press in 2022. It uses a variation of the Gumshoe system...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for June 2026
Our livestream discussion for June! Watch the episode on Youtube Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Chicago by Night: Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition
CHICAGO BY NIGHT is a 2018 city sourcebook for Vampire the Masquerade 5th edition, written by Matthew Dawkins and a host of others, and published by Renegade Game Studios, who have the rights to do all this stuff these days. The most recent iteration of a sourcebook that first appeared in 1991,...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for May
Our livestream discussion for May, featuring special guest Jerry Grayson of Khepera Publishing. Check out the Godsend Agenda today. Watch the episode on Youtube Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for April 2026
Our April livestream! Watch the livestream on Youtube Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Call of Cthulhu: In Medias Res
IN MEDIAS RES is a short modern-horror scenario (‘adventure’ is the wrong word for it) by John Scott Tynes, originally designed for Cthulhu Now and first printed in The Unspeakable Oath issue 10 in 1993. It was reprinted in The Resurrected #3 – Out of the Vault in 2003. Thirty years after its...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for March 2026
Our March livestream! Watch the livestream on Youtube Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Maelstrom
MAELSTROM is a paperback-format RPG written by Alex Scott and published in 1984 by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Books in the UK. It contains rules for roleplaying in Europe, mostly England, at the time of the Tudors (the 1500s), with a solo adventure, a sample adventure and a herbiary. It…
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Livestream for February 2026
We have a special guest, Adam Scott Glancy, one of the Delta Green co-authors! He clarifies a few points about Delta Green Countdown. Watch the livestream on Youtube Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Delta Green: Countdown
Sponsor: Technical Difficulties Podcast - check out an excellent actual play RPG podcast, featuring Delta Green, Eclipse Phase, and many other fine systems featured on LND. Delta Green Countdown is a massive sourcebook for the original edition of Delta Green. It blows the doors off the world of...
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Livestream for January 2026
Our first livestream of the year! We talk about new games we played and a grabag of topics. Watch the livestream on Youtube Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Alice is Missing
ALICE IS MISSING is a self-contained one-session RPG for 3–5 players, designed by Spenser Stark and released in 2020 by Hunters Entertainment with Renegade Game Studios, after a Kickstarter that raised $138,000. It’s been described as ‘unique’, ‘sublime’ and ‘a little masterpiece’, and has won a...
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LND Livestream for December
Our monthly livestream for December! Watch the livestream here. Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Mothership: Gradient Descent
Gradient Descent is a module/campaign setting/megadungeon for the SF-horror RPG Mothership, released in 2020. It is written by Luke Gearing, with art by Nick Tofani and layout by Sean McCoy, and was published by Tuesday Night Games. Dimensionally it is a tightly packed 64-page digest-sized…
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Livestream for November 2025
Our monthly livestream for November 2025. We talk about larping, new games in development and Dragonmeet! Watch the Livestream here. Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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EABA v 2.01
EABA (End All Be All) 2e is a generic roleplaying system with a core rulebook and a collection of sourcebooks designed by Greg Porter and published by his company BTRC (Blacksburg Tactical Research Centre). The first edition was released in 2003, the second – which is what we discuss in this...
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Livestream for October 2025
Our livestream for October 2025! Watch it on Youtube. Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Livestream for September 2025
Our livestream for September 2025! Watch it on Youtube. Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Red Markets: Trabajo
Trabajo (Hebanon Games, 2019) is a 32-page ‘portfolio’, part sourcebook and part adventure pack, for the Red Markets post-apocalypse RPG of economic and undead horror, written by Ludonarrative Dissidents’ own Ross Payton. We analysed Red Markets last season and liked it a lot, as you can imagine,...
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Brindlewood Bay
Brindlewood Bay is a tabletop roleplaying game that combines Murder, She Wrote with H.P. Lovecraft. In it, you play a group of elderly women, members of the local Murder Mavens Mystery Book Club, who help the authorities solve murder cases in a picturesque New England Town. Read the show notes…
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Unknown Armies: Jailbreak
JAILBREAK is a one-session scenario for Unknown Armies, originally written by Greg Stolze of this parish, in 1998 as a demo adventure for conventions, and subsequently published in the One Shots adventure anthology. It has since been described as one of the great horror adventures for any RPG.…
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Livestream for July 2025
Our livestream for July! We talk about Gencon, the Ennies, and we get a surprise visit! Watch the episode here on Youtube if you want to see the visuals. Discuss this episode on our Discord.
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Rifts: Ultimate Edition
RIFTS is a role playing game designed by Kevin Siembieda and originally published by his company Palladium Books in 1990. In this episode we examine the Rifts Ultimate Edition from 2005, a revised and expanded version of the original game rulebook. Like it, hate it or previously unaware of it,...
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Cyberpunk RED: Black Chrome
BLACK CHROME IS A 2023 gearbook for the Cyberpunk Red roleplaying game, written by James Hutt, Jay Parker, Turbo, J Gray, Anne Morrison, Chris Spivey, Fran Stewart, and Linda M Evans, and published by R Talsorian Games. Read the Wikipedia entry for the Cyberpunk RPG Read about Black Chrome on...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for May 2025
We talk a bit about conventions - Greg visited a small con called Forge Midwest and Ross prepares for Gencon this year with 7 events. We also answer audience questions. Watch the livestream if you want to see the visuals. Discuss this episode on our Discord server!
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Cyberpunk RED
Cyberpunk RED is the latest edition of the dystopian sci-fi RPG series originally created by Mike Pondsmith. Set in 2045 after a major war, characters in Cyberpunk RED can pull off jobs for secretive clients, roam the wastelands, or reclaim them. It contains everything needed to play. Full Show...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for April 2025
James went on vacation to Pompeii, so he's sharing his photos and discussing ancient Roman history. If you want to see the video version with the photos, it's on Youtube. Discuss this episode on our Discord server!
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Paranoia: The Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues
The Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues is a 48-page adventure for the Paranoia RPG. It was written by John M. Ford, published by West End Games in 1985, and is generally regarded as one of the classic adventures for the game, and a milestone in the development of comedy in RPGs. It was re-released…
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Dogs in the Vineyard
THIS EPISODE COVERS DOGS IN THE VINEYARD, a 2004 game by Vincent Baker, who is better known as the co-designer of Apocalypse World, the game that the entire Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) RPG design movement is based on. Dogs in the Vineyard is no longer available for sale, for reasons that we...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream #9 February 2025
Our latest livestream! Greg talks about his new fantasy serial and we discuss zines, crowdfunding, and more! Watch it here if you want to see the visuals. Discuss it on the LND discord!
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Ars Magica: Grogs
GROGS is a supplement for Ars Magica 5th edition, edited by longtime ArM line-editor David Chart, released in 2012 and still in print. Ars Magica is a roleplaying game of a community of wizards in a medieval world where magic is rare and feared by the general populace. This supplement presents...
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Livestream #8 January 2025
We're discussing European RPGs, especially the new wave of Italian games like Outgunned, plus action cinema and more. Watch this episode on Youtube. Discuss it on our Discord.
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Vampire the Masquerade: 5th Edition
This episode covers the roleplaying game VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE 5th edition, developed by Kenneth Hite and Karim Muammar, published in 2018 by White Wolf Entertainment in association with Paradox Entertainment and Free League. The original Vampire: The Masquerade was designed by Mark Rein•Hagen...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream #7 - December 2024
Ross talks about RPGs in Japan and other things he encountered during his vacation there. James talks about Mappa Mundi, an upcoming exploration RPG and more! Watch it on Youtube to see the photos Ross shared and more!
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Alien: Chariot of the Gods
Alien: Chariot of the Gods is an introductory/one-shot adventure for Free League’s Alien RPG, written by Andrew E. C. Gaska and set in the universe of most of the Alien/Aliens movies. It was published in 2019. READ THE FULL SHOW NOTES HERE Click here to see the Alien RPG on the Free League…
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream #6 - October 24
Our livestream for October. Watch it on Youtube to see what we're talking about.
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James Bond RPG
James Bond 007: Roleplaying In Her Majesty’s Secret Service was designed by Gerard Christopher Klug (known as Chris Klug these days) with development by Greg Gordon and Neil Randall, and was released by Victory Games between 1983 and 1987, selling over 100,000 copies. It is long out of print but...
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Double Tap - Night's Black Agents
Click here to read the full show notes! Night’s Black Agents: Double Tap is a ‘gear book’ from 2013, a collection of new equipment, background and game material for GM and players, written by Ken Hite and several others. It’s an expansion for Night’s Black Agents, an RPG of modern tactical...
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream #5 - September 24
Our livestream for September. If you want to see the visuals, watch it on Youtube.
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Savage Worlds Adventure Edition
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE) was designed and written by Shane Lacy Hensley with Clint Black, and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group in 2023. It’s a generic rules system of cinematic action with a historied pedigree and an amazing range of sourcebooks, but how does it fare…
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Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream #4 August 2024
We're talking about Gencon 2024 and new trends in games. Watch the livestream here for the visuals.
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Delta Green: Convergence
Delta Green: Convergence is a short adventure for the Delta Green RPG. Originally written by John Scott Tynes and published by Pagan Publishing in 1992, it is the first adventure ever set in the Delta Green universe, the original source, the motherlode, the primal zygote. In this episode of...
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Heart: The City Beneath
Heart: The City Beneath is a game of unconventional fantasy adventurers who are drawn to enter, explore and lose themselves in a very corporeal underworld beneath the city of Spire. They’ll face horrific foes, bizarre locations and a mysterious and eldritch subway system. It’s from the same...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Ludonarrative Dissidents is a podcast from Greg Stolze, James Wallis, and Ross Payton to explore and analyze tabletop RPGs. What does each game do, how does it work, and why do people play it? We are currently in season 3, and we've expanded to include sourcebooks and adventures. Visit our website at https://www.ludonarrativedissidents.com/ to get detailed show notes. Join our Discord at https://discord.gg/CQt5DbFZCD
HOSTED BY
Ross Payton
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Ludonarrative Dissidents have?
Ludonarrative Dissidents currently has 91 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Ludonarrative Dissidents about?
Ludonarrative Dissidents is a podcast from Greg Stolze, James Wallis, and Ross Payton to explore and analyze tabletop RPGs. What does each game do, how does it work, and why do people play it? We are currently in season 3, and we've expanded to include sourcebooks and adventures. Visit our website...
How often does Ludonarrative Dissidents release new episodes?
Ludonarrative Dissidents has 91 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Ludonarrative Dissidents?
You can listen to Ludonarrative Dissidents on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Ludonarrative Dissidents?
Ludonarrative Dissidents is created and hosted by Ross Payton.
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