Tome Travelers
by Southgate Media Group
As the Tome Travelers, hosts John and Roxy go on a journey through roleplaying games of the past, present, and future. Sure, you know the big names in RPGs, but this is the show where we take a look at those settings and systems that you may not have heard of, and maybe even some that are out of print. Join us every other week as we travel through the tomes!
Episodes
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Call of Cthulhu
This week, John and Sam get together to discuss the history of Call of Cthulhu RPG by Chaosium, Inc. with special guests, Matt and John Quiett of Nerd's Domain! Besides a mutual appreciation for the works of H.P. Lovecraft, The Quietts have been part of one of the longest-running Call of Cthulhu...
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Deadlands
Welcome to 2020! On this episode, join the Thompsons and special guest host, Craig Campbell as we head into an alternate and decidedly weirder version of the Wild West in Deadlands. PS: Craig has a Kickstarter going RIGHT NOW and we'd love our listeners to help get him to his goal! Support it…
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Credits Page: Owen K.C. Stephens' 52-IN-52
If you're into TTRPGs then there is a really good chance that Owen KC Stephens has touched something you like. Now, Owen is taking on a new project boasting 52 new products in 52 weeks - each of which will be compatible with Pathfinder, Starfinder, and D&D 5e. Come hear about this awesome project...
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Credits Page: Ben Sandfelder's Lightning War
In a distant fantasy world, an ancient evil bides its time sewing discord and chaos and twisting the souls of men. Welcome to Lightning War, a new fantasy game set in a World War I parallel where heroic squads with machine guns and magic face a modern, cunning enemy! Host: John Thompson Guest…
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Credits Page: CAPERS Covert with Craig Campbell
Today on Tome Travelers, John sits down with Craig Campbell to talk about his newest Kickstarter, CAPERS Covert, and the future plans of Nerdburger Games. Get your wallets ready for spies, private eyes, villains, henchmen, and a touch of superpower! Host: John Thompson Guest: Craig Campbell Check...
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GenCon Post Show
GenCon 2019 is behind us, but we want to take an episode and share what we saw, what we did, who we met, and what we enjoyed! We also have a special guest with us, Cobb, who played in the Star Trek Adventures multi-table event we were a part of! Hosts: John and Roxy Thompson Featuring: Cobb Find...
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Credits Page, Episode 10: Alex Flagg, Live from Dreamhack Dallas
A few months back I got to talk with Ed Healy of Gamerati; you may know them as distributors and troubleshooter-extrodinaires linked to Crafty Games and Sean Astin's upcoming Grimmerspace. Ed invited me up to take a look around when some of the groups they represented hit Dreamhack in Dallas. It...
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GenCon Year-In-Review
The summer is winding down and that means ... GENCON! While we're packing up for the best four days in gaming, we sat down with our friend, Matt Quiett from The Nerd's Domain and discussed what had happened in gaming since last year, and what we're looking forward to the most this year. If you're...
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World of Darkness (Live from Comicpalooza 2019)
In May, the Thompsons got the opportunity to broadcast LIVE from the show floor at Comicpalooza 2019 as part of the Comicpalooza Podcast Program! John and Roxy discuss White Wolf's World of Darkness, John's history in the Camarilla, and see where this much-beloved property stands today! Hosts…
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Credits Page, Episode 9: Ed Healy
This week, Tome Travelers delves into the hidden world behind RPGs to talk to the legendary Ed Healy of Gamerati. Gamerati is a company that offers services to the game publishing community with distribution, media solutions, and more! Host: John Thompson Guest: Ed Healy Check out Gamerati!...
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Season 2, Episode 4: Spycraft Revisited
This week, the Thompsons and Sam stealthily sneak back into a game from Season 1, Spycraft! It's just so good (and Sam really wanted to do it), how could we not go back? Check out our interview with one of the game's creators that we posted last night! Hosts: John and Roxy Thompson, and Sam…
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Credits Page, Episode 8: Interview with Patrick Kapera
On this episode of Credits Page, John sits down with Patrick Kapera, formerly of AEG and now co-leader of Crafty Games, to talk about the company and their beloved IP, Spycraft! Host: John Thompson Guest: Patrick Kapera Check out Crafty Games' website! Passionerdly Passionerdly on Facebook…
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Season 2, Episode 3: Little Fears
This episode, our team dives head-first into the horror property, Little Fears! Little Fears is the granddaddy of the "Bizarre Coming of Age" style games like Kids on Bikes or Tales from the Loop. Also, Passionerdly Podcasts is proud to have the first interview for the launch of Little Fears -...
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Season 2, Episode 2: Anima: Beyond Fantasy
The team is back to talk about the fantasy RPG, Anima: Beyond Fantasy. Originally from Spain, this property combined anime and fantasy visulas to create a unique experience! Passionerdly Passionerdly on Facebook Twitter: @passionerdlypds, @passionerdly, @roowerks Instagram: @passionerdlypds,...
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Credits Page, Episode 7: Jinkies!
This week, John sits down with Toby Strauss and talks about his current Kickstarter: Jinkies! His game is a fun RPG take on 70's cartoon mysteries using the Powered by the Apocalypse System. Host: John Thompson Special Guest: Toby Strauss Back the project: Jinkies! Kickstarter Passionerdly...
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Credits Page, Episode 6: GoblinPunk from Shotgun Angel Games
This week, John sits down with author James Robert Crews Wylder to talk about his recent release of "GoblinPunk" for Shotgun Angel Games. This new 30-page full-color module introduces the threat of steampunk goblins to the Pathfinder setting! Host: John Thompson Special Guest: James Robert Crews...
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Credits Page, Episode 5: Capers from NerdBurger Games
This week on Tome Travelers, John talks with Craig Campbell of NerdBurger Games about the release of his award-winning Capers, a game of superpowers in the roaring 20's! If you are interested in grabbing a copy of NerdBurger's Capers, check it out here! Host: John Thompson Special Guest: Craig...
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Credits Page, Episode 4: More Kittens Kickstarter
In a special joint release from Tome Travelers and Go Fund This, John sits down with Stentor Danielson to talk about the game Laser Kittens which they designed with co-creator Cheyenne Grimes. They also discuss the current ongoing Kickstarter project of More Kittens that builds upon the previous...
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Season 2, Episode 1: Shadowrun
Guess what? Tome Travelers is back with its second season! For our first episode of 2019, John, Roxy, and Sam travel into the great Northeastern sprawl of Seattle for the alternate cyberpunk world of Shadowrun. Unlike other cyberpunk properties Shadowrun combines the bleak futures of man and...
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Episode 20: Hero System
In our season 1 finale, we open up Hero System 4th Edition. Touting itself as the "world's best" RPG system, we discuss exactly how crunchy it is, as well as how long it may take someone to build a character completely from scratch. Is it really the best? It's at least Sam's favorite. Hosts: John…
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Credits Page, Episode 3: Adventure-A-Week
This week, John sits down with Jonathan G. Nelson of Adventureaweek.com to discuss his company and their current Kickstarter project, Adventure Omnibus! Host: John Thompson Featuring: Jonathan G. Nelson Check out the Kickstarter: AAW Games' Adventure Omnibus Check out Passionerdly at:...
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Episode 19: Robotech
As we wind down Season 1 of Tome Travelers and Sam prepares to move out, we decided to dedicate the last two episodes of 2018 to the games he loves the most. This week, we break out all the books we own between us from Palladium's Robotech RPG series. John and Sam indulge their nostalgia a little...
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Episode 18: Cthulhutech
(We had an audio-hiccough this episode, and our sound quality is not up to its normal standard. Still, we felt this was an episode that featured great commentary about a really solid property, and opted to release it. Thank you for listening, and be assured, our audio quality will return to…
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Episode 17: The Dark Eye with Special Guest John McGuire
This week, we had a great time chatting with John Hambone McGuire from The Vintage RPG Podcast (and others) to discuss the German fantasy roleplaying powerhouse, The Dark Eye! We have quite a collection for the fifth edition of this long-running RPG, as well as the boardgame releases! Join us as…
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Episode 16: Alpha Omega
Ethan Haas was right… Or so said a viral campaign in 2008 that referenced the writings and works of a prophet (Haas) who foretold a coming war. The campaign was launched to build intrigue around the release of Alpha Omega by Mindstorm Labs. In this (post-)post-apocalyptic roleplaying game, the...
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Episode 15: Rapture: The Second Coming
This episode is going up in the rapture. Or not, but we are going to talk about Quintessential Mercy Studios' 1995 release of Rapture: The Second Coming. Seeing as our three hosts come from different backgrounds with respect to the theme's inspiration, our discussion dives deep, chases a hundred...
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Episode 14: Dark Sun
This week, we crack open John's copy of Dark Sun, the highly-acclaimed setting for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition. Join us as we discuss the history of the property and take a deeper look at what it brought to the table, including the Thri-Kreen! Hosts: John & Roxy Thompson Check out...
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Episode 13: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness
Heroes in a half shell! Turtle Power! Right? Or are you like Sam and hate EVERYTHING about the beloved TMNT cartoon of the late 80s? This is the episode where Sam's OG love of the comics and Roxy's nostalgic love for the cartoons and movies come to a head as we talk about Teenage Mutant Ninja...
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Credits Page, Episode 2: EVERYVERSE RPG
While celebrating Free RPG Day here in our corner of the world, John met Debra Hoenig Parizek of ParDen Us Gaming, publisher of EVERYVERSE RPG. We were lucky enough to be able to schedule some time with her at Houston's own Tea + Victory Boardgame Café for an interview. Links below to find out…
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Credits Page, Episode 1: Women in RPG Gaming
Welcome to our first episode of Tome Travelers: Credits Page! In these special bonus episodes, our hosts will take a closer look at some of the influential women that have worked on the games that we all love to play. This list is not exhaustive by any means, and we hope to return to the subject…
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Episode 12: BESM - Big Eyes, Small Mouth
Here at Passionerdly, we love anime. This month, we invited our friend and long-time anime fan, Sam, to join us in discussing the quintessential Japanese Anime RPG – Big Eyes, Small Mouth, or simply, BESM. Listen in for our thoughts, let us know if you've ever played BESM in any of its editions,...
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Episode 11: Tokyo Brain Pop - Modern Day Japan
Whatever edition of this game you prefer to use, Tokyo Brain Pop/Panty Explosion (Perfect) is a game whose original title was completely unrelated to the content, but certainly got consumers to stop and look. We have played this game more than once and it is always a good time, so we had to move…
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Episode 10: Aberrant - Character Creation
Drawing inspiration from another superhero RPG, Roxy creates "Shadowscape", a Nova with enhanced perception and super-stealth abilities in Aberrant, a 1999 release from White Wolf, now being published by Onyx Path Publishing. Hosts: John & Roxy Thompson Check out Passionerdly at: passionerdly.com...
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Episode 09: Aberrant - The Modern Age
Welcome to the Trinity Universe! This week, we're taking a look at the second era available in White Wolf's foray into the world of superheroes: Aberrant. Roxy has strong feelings about the look of the book, but let's see what John has to say about his experience with this 1999 release from White...
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Episode 08: MechWarrior - Character Creation
Let's create a Battlemech Pilot using the Battletech Classic RPG rules from Topps' Fan Pro edition, circa mid-2000s. Hosts: John & Roxy Thompson Check out Passionerdly at: passionerdly.com facebook.com/passionerdly Twitter/Instagram: @passionerdly, @roowerks, @tometravelers Check out The Nerd's...
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Episode 07: MechWarrior - 31st Millennium
This month, we are going back to one of John's very first introductions to tabletop gaming: Battletech, and its RPG counterpart, 1991's MechWarrior by FASA. The property has been around for a long time, and is still one of the most popular mech-combat franchises, even today! Hosts: John & Roxy...
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Episode 06: Dark Heresy - Character Creation
Taking her character inspiration from one of her favorite video games, Roxy attempts to create an inquisitor worthy of the grim dark future of the 41st Millennium. Dark Heresy was originally released in 2008 by a subdivision of Games' Workshop, Black Library. Links to purchase are below! Hosts:...
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Episode 05: Dark Heresy - 41st Millennium
In this episode, we find ourselves in the grim dark future of the 41st Millennium, as inquisitors in service of the God Emperor, the Carrion Lord of the Imperium. Dark Heresy was originally released in 2008 by a subdivision of Games' Workshop, Black Library. Links to purchase are below! Hosts…
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Episode 04: Spycraft - Character Creation
In our second episode this month, Roxy attempts to use the Spycraft character creation rules to generate Agent 86 of CONTROL, the clumsy but lovable spy portrayed by Don Adams in Get Smart. Spycraft (or Classic Spycraft) is a D20 roleplaying game written by Patrick Kapera and Kevin Wilson,...
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Episode 03: Spycraft - 20th-21st Centuries
This week, John and Roxy travel don their black turtlenecks and night-vision goggles and dive into the action-packed world of secrets and espionage in Spycraft. Written by Patrick Kapera and Kevin Wilson, this D20 System was published by Alderac Entertainment Group in 2002. Hosts: John & Roxy...
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Episode 02: Babylon 5 - Character Creation
For our second show this month, Roxy attempts to create a character that would be right at home on an intergalactic, diplomatic space station. This is our second week looking at the Babylon 5 Roleplaying Game and Factbook: Signs and Portents, by Matthew Sprange, published by Mongoose Publishing…
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Episode 01: Babylon 5 - 2258 A.D.
This week, John and Roxy travel to the year 2258 A.D. to a diplomatic space station from the popular science-fiction television series, Babylon 5. Let's take a look at the Babylon 5 Roleplaying Game and Factbook: Signs and Portents, by Matthew Sprange, published by Mongoose Publishing in 2003....
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Episode 00: Welcome to Tome Travelers
Welcome to Tome Travelers, the debut podcast from Passionerdly and hosts, John and Roxy Thompson. In this episode, we take a few moments to introduce ourselves and the show. Each month, we'll focus on a new "old" RPG setting or system by taking one episode to look at the core materials, and a...
About this show
As the Tome Travelers, hosts John and Roxy go on a journey through roleplaying games of the past, present, and future. Sure, you know the big names in RPGs, but this is the show where we take a look at those settings and systems that you may not have heard of, and maybe even some that are out of print. Join us every other week as we travel through the tomes!
Hosted by
Southgate Media Group