Episodes
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Noroi and Kinki, plus Stu Does Something Stupid
If you listen to this podcast, you'll be cursed. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we're looking at Japanese documentary horror films Noroi: The Curse and About a Place in the Kinki Region (and the novel the latter is based on) and how they both parallel and inform horror RPGs. Plus, Stu…
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We're Back!
As promised, we're back! You didn't doubt us, did you? Catch up on the last couple months, hear about Stu's current crowdfunding for Old-School from the Start: 25 Years of Goodman Games (ends Friday, so back it now!) and find out what's in store for the next few weeks. We're psyched to be back on...
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Vacation
We'll be back. But not before a nice, long vacation. After just shy of 363 episodes in eight years, the Vintage RPG Podcast is going to take a hiatus. For lots of reasons, many of which we explain in this episode (along with some general kvetching about the state of the contemporary internet…
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The Black Spire Pact
Two legendary artists, one head-to-head infernal adventure. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, two of the most metal artists around, Arik Roper and Skinner, chat about The Black Spire Pact. That's a player-versus-player gamebook by Max Moon and Janaka Stucky, with Arik illustrating the wizard...
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Abattoir Hymnal
Yes, meat sorcery! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we're theoretically talking to Tiger Wizard about Abattoir Hymnal, his collaboration with Donn Stroud for Demon Month. In practice, we wind up talking about a lot of other stuff too! * * * Back Abattoir Hymnal on Backerkit now! Instagram?…
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Monster Dinosaur
Oh wait, this is supposed to be a podcast about roleplaying games? This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we're talking local news, Daniel Cohen books, new phones and more, pretty much everything but RPGs. Sometimes that happens! * * * Instagram? Old news. Join the Vintage RPG Newsletter! That's...
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Sea and Land
In which I make the baseless argument that this is the first Monster Manual. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we're going back in time to 1887 to check out J.W. Buel's unhinged tome of natural history, Sea and Land. 800 pages, with 300 illustrations depicting the natural world at its...
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Night of the Ninja (and More!)
Ninjas, ninjas, ninjas, they're all Stu wants to talk about these days. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we're dodging shuriken in order to keep talk about shinobi, both generally and somewhat specifically regarding the Night of the Ninja RPG. Also a follow-up on the Worlds of TSR art book…
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TSR Art Books
Art & Arcana? Pffft, go back to the source! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we pull the TSR art books off the shelf. That's The Art of Dragon Magazine, The Art of the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Game, The Art of Dragonlance and The Art of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Game. That's…
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Trollpak
Troooooooooll! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out Trollpak, Chaosium's boxset that explores the nature of RuneQuest's trolls. It's a thoughtful approach to a "monstrous" species that sharply contrasts with most games of the period, and a lot of games now, even. Plus: An update on...
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Castle Thrax
Of stock lists and ancient history. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we explore Castle Thrax and the Spellbinders' treasure. That is, Spellbinders Games, a shop in Akron that published Castle Thrax, also had a lot of interesting titles in their stock list that don't seem to exist. Or do…
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The Privilege of Play and Other Topics
Another collection of chit-chats. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we rummage through the grab bag again. We discuss Lite-Brite, Tony Bath's 1975 article "Fantasy Gaming," Aaron Trammell's The Privilege of Play, Dungeon Crawler Carl and doanes, among other things. * * * Check out Stu's essay...
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Mythic Britain & Ireland
Exploring a country still all mystery. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we venture to Mythic Britain & Ireland, a Vaesen sourcebook by Graeme Davis. A labor of love, the book presents all you need to run a game of Vaesen in the British Isles, including scenarios, monsters and mystery seeds....
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Shadowdark
If the lights go out, you're dead. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out Shadowdark, a recent hack that brings the old school feel to 5E. Pack extra torches! [I think it was Epidiah Ravachol who I saw recently saying "D&D and its shadows] * * * Instagram? Old news. Join the Vintage…
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The End Times
All the news after the apocalypse that's fit to print. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out The End Times, a monthly newspaper from 12 years after the end of the world as we know it. From the minds of Benjamin Percy and some guy named Stephen King. * * * Get a digital subscription…
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Delta Green, Among Other Things
There can be only one. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we chat about the original Highlander film. Also on tap: Delta Green: The Conspiracy and the recently released adventures for the same. And some other stuff that I've forgotten! It'll be a surprise! * * * Instagram? Old news. Join the...
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Dragons & Daggers
Stu's got more plastic flotsam from the 1980s. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we take a look at Stu's new(ish) to him plastic tile puzzles from Imperial Toys, featuring gorgeous ripped-off art and bright colors (you'll have to wait until 2027 to see them on the feed, sorry). Also, D&D...
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Sounds from RPGS
What does an RPG sound like? This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we take a look at some bands that seem to draw inspiration from tabletop roleplaying games. On tap: Hällas, Slough Feg, Shadowland, Castillo, Lost Legion and Castle Rat. * * * Instagram? Old news. Join the Vintage RPG Newsletter!...
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Talkin' About Stuff
Catchin' up on some TV and movies. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we chat about the use of Dungeons & Dragons in Stranger Things, the continuing appeal of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films and discovering the original TV movie version of Woman in Black. * * * Read Stu's essay on the...
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Dark Tower
Can you defeat the tower before the tower defeats you? This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out Milton Bradley's legendary Dark Tower board game from 1981. One of the most powerful examples of fantasy's moment in the mainstream limelight, the electronic game is actually pretty fun to...
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Roads
Santa did what?! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we reveal the secret origin of Santa Claus, as told by Seabury Quinn in the novella Roads (1948). Saying more than that would spoil the fun. Ho, ho, ho? That's it for this year. We hope you have a most excellent holiday season! We'll be back...
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Monsters
Just what is a monster? This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we're talkin' monsters. The best thing to talk about! Specifically, we're talking about the changing definition of monsters over the last several centuries. Laying the groundwork for future episodes about monsters? Maaaaaybe! * * *...
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Mausritter: Tails from the Night Market
So nice, we recorded it twice (because we lost the first recording). This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we talk to Tiger Wizard and Joey Royale about their entry for Mausritter Month. What happens at the circus while the humans are asleep? Find out in Tails from the Nightmarket! * * * Tails…
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The Spark Devil and Other Horrors
It's another one of them there pot-pour-ee episodes. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, the main game-related topic is the HPL Historical Society's new Call of Cthulhu scenario The Spark Devil. Other topics include how angry Stu is about the horror film Loop Track, excitment for Predator:...
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The Far Side
Cows, cavemen, monsters and more. No, it isn't a Monster Manual! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we go to The Far Side, Gary Larsen's legendary comic strip and a staple of '80s absurdity. Plus: brown corduroy! * * * Instagram? Old news. Join the Vintage RPG Newsletter! That's where all the...
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Thousand Year Old Campfire
It belongs in a museum! Oh, wait, that doesn't work here... This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out Thousand Year Old Campfire, also known as Old Morris Cave: A Continuous Use Campsite in Mammoth Cave National Park. A descendant of Thousand Year Old Vampire, this game examines…
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Murder She Wrote: A Board Game of Strategy and Pursuit
Send in the clones! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, Jessica Fletcher guest stars in a very special episode about Murder, She Wrote: A Board Game of Strategy and Pursuit. In fact, six Jessica Fletchers have shown up. Join us, as we dig into a surprisingly decent retro board game based on one...
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The Future King
Remember the twist ending of the Arthurian romances when Bruce Lee appears at Camlann to kick Mordred's ass? Me neither. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out The Future King, a stand-alone adventure/system by Tom Moldvay. It spins somewhat out of his earlier bat-shit RPG Lords of...
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The Means of Production
Brian Colin becomes an ink-stained wretch. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, Vast Grimm creator Brian Colin is back. He's got a new crowdfunding campaign for Vast Grimm in zine form, but he's got something even more exciting that we wanted to talk to him about: a printing press! * * *...
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The Stars are Right!
The end was nigh! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we welcome the apocalypse(s) with The Stars are Right! (1992), an anthology of scenarios for Cthulhu Now (AKA Call of Cthulhu Modern). As these things go, its a solid set of cases, but the book has a surprising legacy of censorship and...
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Cults of RuneQuest
Blurring the line between mythology and roleplaying games. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we take a look at the first six (!) of ten (!!) volumes of Chaosium's Cults of RuneQuest series of sourcebooks. Taken together, they form an important foundation for bringing mythology to life in...
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The S-Series Continues?
That is not dead which can eternal lie...wait, no, that's the wrong franchise. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, Stu learns that there are more than four modules in D&D's S-series. After a brief recap of the originals, we chat about The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga and Labyrinth of Madness, which...
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Space Marine II
A videogame? On the Vintage RPG Podcast? Yes! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we talk Space Marine II, an excellent, pleasingly violent shooter and how it manages to be an entertaining experience despite being propaganda for the shriveled, impotent husk of the so-called Emperor of Mankind…
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Wargames West
There's no time machine quite like an old catalog. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we talk about Wargames West, a games mail order catalog from the late '80s and early '90s. Extremely hard to find, but a precious snapshot of the past. We also talk about collecting, and not collecting, and...
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Toys, Toys, Toys
More plastic for the sculpture gallery. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, Stu's playing with toys again! First, an amazing rarity, the Tara Toys Roll-A-Mat Dark Adventure play set (1983). Next we talk about MUSCLES and Monsters in My Pocket. Finally, there's Arrizak, a recent toy from Four...
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49 Pounds of RPG Books
You bring a suitcase with your clothes, and an empty suitcase for all the crap you're gonna buy. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, Stu sifts through the gigantic pile of stuff he bought at GenCon, including The Sutra of Pale Leaves for Call of Cthulhu, Age of Vikings, Bunny Borg, Kala Mandala...
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GenCon 2025
Once again, Stu journeys to the biggest tabletop gaming convention in the US. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, Stu reports back from GenCon 2025. How was the train? Did he survive his panel? Did he play any games? Did he make it back without having to take the bus? Listen to learn the…
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Dragon Kings
Are you ready to turn into a extraterrestrial angel? This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, Stu is feeling nostalgic about Dark Suns past, so we take a look at Dragon Kings, the best-worst book in the line! Also, a fair amount of discussion about our late Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne...
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Drunk Jousting
In which the horse, the rider, or both can be dangerously inebriated! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out two cool things from the mailbox! First up, Nick Boreli's amazing minature kitbashing art book Mold Mold Mold which is hideously beautiful. Second is Tabletop Cowboy's very…
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Midnight of the Century
An RPG inspired by the TV show Millennium? SIGN ME UP! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out the primer for Midnight of the Century, from By Odin's Beard! It's a lightweight game in the mode of Cairn, but tailored around investigating supernaturally tinged murders in the mode of...
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Land Of Eem
What lies beneath the Mucklands? The Underlands, naturally! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we welcome the creators of Land of Eem, Ben Costa and James Parks! Eem is a bit of a multimedia project, currently consisting of a series of graphic novels, young readers novels and a shockingly...
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Hambone Goes to the Library
The local library has fantasy books and air conditioning, what else do you need for a great summer? This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, Hambone's cracked into Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea novels and asked for more fantasy fiction recommendations. On tap: Fritz Leiber, Lloyd Alexander, Margaret...
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12 Years at Sea
Longer than Odysseus' journey home. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, Max Moon joins us to chat about the latest expansion for 12 Years, the nautical 12 Years at Sea, coming to Kickstarter this week! We talk about art, fantasy touchstones, solo play, Max's new studio and more! * * * Go get 12...
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Weird Heroes of Public Access - The Book
Tune in to the static and await news from the Station Manager. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we got our rewards from the Weird Heroes of Public Access RPG crowdfunding campaign and just had to talk about them. What a delightful pile of odd, creepy, spooky, quirky and lightly nostalgic...
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Grenadier Miniature Catalogs
Don't play gray! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out some old catalogs from Grenadier Models. Funny thing, back when these catalogs first came out, they'd stop working after a while. But now, with the internet and the infinite store that is eBay, old catalogs work again. I can just...
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Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Bringing occult detective work to the common man! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we hang out with reporter Carl Kolchak, TV's most important monster hunter. Truly, you don't get stuff like The X-Files, Supernatural, Buffy and even maybe The Sopranos without Kolchak, not to mention a couple...
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Two Years of West Marches
Don't get too attached to those characters... This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we're joined by Justin Wigard and Clay Fleischer, two of Stu's victims...er...players in the Patron-only West Marches game that has been running for two years now. They share anecdotes about the adventures they've...
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Just Riffin'
Sometimes you just gotta shoot the breeze, ya know? This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, it's a little bit of this and a little bit of that. There's Stu's new radio show, Games People Play (co-hosting with Unwinnable's own Sara Clemens)! There's Hambone's reaction to Sinners! There's the Rifts...
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Fiddler's Green Peculiar Parish Magazine
Embark on a quest for the most perfect green paper! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we chat with Clint Marsh, the man behind the Fiddler's Green Peculiar Parish Magazine and many, many other zines that intersect with esoteric pursuits, genre fiction and tabletop roleplaying games. We talk...
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The Job
Let's get rich! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we chat with Games Omnivorous mastermind Andre Novoa about The Job: Boxset Edition! Now on Backerkit, this is the deluxe expanded edition of Andre's excellent 2023 heist game, inspired by flicks like The Italian Job and Ocean's Eleven. Unlike...