Rascal News
Rascal News is an independent, worker-owned outfit composed of Chase Taylor-Carter, Thomas Manuel, Caelyn Ellis, Rowan Zeoli, and Lin Codega. Join them in exploring the tabletop industry and its associated online spaces across two shows: Rascal Radio Hour is a biweekly show where the crew dig deeper into the biggest news and newest games; and Rascal Reading Club allows Thomas to wax long on RPG rulebooks.
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Talkback: Draw Steel
05/11/2026
Talkback: Draw Steel
Book club episode! We respond to people's responses about my discussions questions regarding Draw Steel. Party Members can nominate games for this series about GM advice Show Notes: Games mentioned: D&D, Pathfinder, Lancer, Daggerheart, Dolmenwood Caio's youtube channel, My article about and also, just for good luck, my article about . The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a . The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit
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Rascal Radio Hour E36: Scouting Days, feat. Mollie Russell
05/01/2026
Rascal Radio Hour E36: Scouting Days, feat. Mollie Russell
Check out the ! Rascal is partnering with five other independent outlets and creators to offer a group subscription at 50% for the first month. -- Chase and Caelyn are joined by Wargamer's resident haunt-lover, Mollie Russell, to discuss (among other games) Call of Cthulhu's campfire scouts-meets-cosmic horror RPG -- Campfire Tales. The crew also explore the new union with Magic: The Gathering Arena's team and their plea to Hasbro for voluntary recognition. After that, Mollie describes D&D's official actual play, Dungeon Masters, and its distinct offerings. In the Question Dungeon, everyone decides what color of miniatures paint they would be. -- Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (). Featuring Caelyn Ellis () and special gust Mollie Russell () Find . Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (). -- Games we discuss: Magic: The Gathering Arena Dungeons & Dragons Campfire Tales Magic of Inventorying SPINE A Land Once Magic Chronicles of Darkness --
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Reading Club: Draw Steel
04/27/2026
Reading Club: Draw Steel
Book club episode! We discuss Draw Steel by MCDM. Read As always participate in the talkback episode, either post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to . Discussion Questions What do you think of Draw Steel? What do you think of the GM being called a Director? What differences does the evoke from simply the GM? Does it sound cooler than just Gamemaster? What do you think about the idea that Mothership and Draw Steel have a different ideology about what rules do? Do you think Apocalypse World has a different view from Draw Steel? Do you think a GM of Draw Steel is a game designer in a way that a GM of Apocalypse World isn't? As a GM, do you have a way of "making time matter" without using mechanics? Are you able to do with just narrative or fiction? Do you think there's a (theoretical) recurring tension between heroic game and the idea of a more political game? The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a . The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit
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Rascal Radio Hour E35: Countless Bridges, feat. Austin Walker and Tyler Crumrine
04/17/2026
Rascal Radio Hour E35: Countless Bridges, feat. Austin Walker and Tyler Crumrine
Chase and Thomas invite Austin Walker and Tyler Crumrine onto the show to discuss the upcoming science fantasy RPG, Realis. Austin explains his history of facilitating tabletop games and how writing the book's GM sections forced him to imrpove his craft. Tyler shares his love for big, beautiful books made as much for the hand as the shelf. Bridges are for the sickos (complementary). -- Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel (), with special guests Austin Walker () and Tyler Crumrine () Find and . Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (). -- Games we discuss: Realis Beam Saber Mothership FIST --
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Talkback: Deathmatch Island
04/10/2026
Talkback: Deathmatch Island
Book club episode! We respond to people's responses about my discussions questions regarding Deathmatch Island by Tim Denee & Evil Hat. Read Party Members can nominate games for this series about GM advice Show Notes: Games mentioned: Apocalypse World, Mothership, Last Train To Bremen, Cairn 2e, Dream Askew/Dream Apart, Blades in the Dark, The Wizards Grimoire Jason Morningstar on (mentioned by Sam Dunnewold) Yochai Gal on The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a . The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit
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Rascal Radio Hour E34: AI Can't Replicate My Terrible Sense of Humor
04/03/2026
Rascal Radio Hour E34: AI Can't Replicate My Terrible Sense of Humor
Chase and Caelyn grind a pair of well-worn axes in this episode, beginning with crowdfunding campaign culture before moving onto to generative AI in creative fields. Later, they discuss the games hitting their personal tables -- Chase has dipped into a rare sequel, while Caelyn is discovering why Sword World has remained so cherished over the decades. In the Question Dungeon, the pair find a surprising adversary in a simple ask: must rulebooks explain what an RPG is? -- Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel () and Caelyn Ellis (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (). -- Games we discuss: MIIRU Sword World Cyberpunk TCG Altered TCG Realis Traveller 5E Legends of the Five Rings --
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Reading Club: Deathmatch Island
03/27/2026
Reading Club: Deathmatch Island
Book club episode! We discuss Deathmatch Island by Tim Denee & Evil Hat. Read As always participate in the talkback episode, either post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to . Discussion Questions What do you think of Deathmatch Island? What do you think of its GM section? Do you think that it needed a more robust GM section? Do you agree that the combination of a tight procedure and clear setting is much more robust GM support than any generic advice? What do you think of the idea of player advice? Do you think that there is the sense that “players don’t read” or "players don't want/need advice" and that’s why we don’t really have a well-established format for giving that kind of advice? What’s your favorite bit of player advice that you received within a game? Show Notes: by Sidney Icarus The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a . The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit
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Rascal Radio Hour E33: Attempted Aura Farming
03/20/2026
Rascal Radio Hour E33: Attempted Aura Farming
Suffuse with expected ribaldry is the only way to describe this episode, where Thomas and Caelyn join Chase to create a Rascal trifecta. The news? Discussed. The Question Dungeon? Delved. Tangents and meanderings? Absolutely assured. From the cancelled Neopets RPGs to pedantic arguing over the definition of a licensed RPG, the crew cover all expected bases. -- Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel () and Caelyn Ellis (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (). -- Games we discuss: Girl Frame Children of Time: The Roleplaying Game (Cancelled) Neopets RPG Esoteric Ebb [video game] Tacklebox City of Winter Pendragon --
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Talkback: Apocalypse World
03/16/2026
Talkback: Apocalypse World
This is the talkback episode for our Rascal Reading Club about the MC section of Apocalypse World. Listeners wrote in with responses to the discussion questions. As usual, there was a range of responses: people agreeing, disagreeing, finding stuff I didn’t see, telling me about stuff I didn’t know. Today, I'm joined by my colleague and journalist Lin Codega as well as game designer Luke Jordan. Check it out! Show Notes: Games mentioned: Harvest, Grand Guignol, The King is Dead, The Emperor is Undead, Sorceror. Vincent Baker article about and My review of The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a . The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit
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Rascal Radio Hour E32: Printing Popularity, feat. Joe Parlock
03/06/2026
Rascal Radio Hour E32: Printing Popularity, feat. Joe Parlock
Despite what Chase says in the intro, this is the 32nd episode of the Rascal Radio Hour. He and Thomas welcome Joe Parlcok, editor-in-chief at new TCG website Booster Pack, to talk about tabletop's most vibrant and financially dubious product category. Later, the crew discuss alleged unfair labor practice against members of Kickstarter's union, a final look at how Dungeons & Dragons will be releasing books and supporting the RPG in 2026, and a discussion of what we've been playing recently. -- Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel () and Joe Parlock (). Support independent TCG journalism at . Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (). -- Games we discuss: Pokémon Trading Card Game Magic: The Gathering One Piece Card Game Dungeons & Dragons Coriolis: The Great Dark Kala Mandala
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Reading Club: Apocalypse World
02/27/2026
Reading Club: Apocalypse World
Book club episode! We discuss Apocalypse World 2nd edition. To participate in the talkback episode, either post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to . Discussion Questions 1. What do you think of Apocalypse World? What do you think of the MC section? 2. What do you think about the game's statement: "follow these as rules"? Do you think that sentence makes its MC section different from other games? 3. What does "play to find out" mean to you? Do you think its a universal aspect of games? 4. What is your favorite or least favorite principle and why? 5. What was your first reaction to the idea of GM moves? What do you think about it now? Show Notes: on The Alexandrian (blog) Vincent Baker on (blog) The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a . The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit
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Rascal Radio Hour E31: Fan-pilled on Faerûn, feat. Joshua Rivera
02/20/2026
Rascal Radio Hour E31: Fan-pilled on Faerûn, feat. Joshua Rivera
Chase is joined by writer and television critic Joshua Rivera to discuss what we should expect from HBO's upcoming Baldur's Gate 3 television series. The pair discuss showrunner Craig Mazin's history with both Dungeons & Dragons and adaptation, how the series may diverge from The Last of Us, and what fandom means for this property to take another stab at going transmedia. Later, Chase runs down some of the bigger news pieces and essays on Rascal along with what he's been playing recently. He also gives a little preview of our State of the Rascal article coming towards the end of the month. Speaking of, you can still subscribe during our anniversary pledge drive with a 20% discount on the first six months . Thank you for making two years of Rascal possible, and here's to another two. (or five, or even ten??) -- Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (). Featuring Joshua Rivera (). Read more of Joshua's writing on . Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (). -- Games we mentioned: Dungeons & Dragons Magic: The Gathering The Last of Us HOME - Mech x Kaiju Dispatch
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Rascal Shopping Spree 2026
02/18/2026
Rascal Shopping Spree 2026
It's a shopping episode! As part of , Thomas and Chase jumped on a call to spend their professional development money on a whole mess of games. Come along for the audio version of their journey, wherein they discuss their choices and banter about each other's RPG proclivities. If you're interested in the video version, head over to Rascal's YouTube channel to watch them emote at various webstore pages. Subscribe and all that other business while you're there; why not? Interested in also donating to the and snagging a bunch of cool games? Check out the currently running on itch.io. -- Games we purchased/mentioned: Chase 52 Realms Dragon Reactor Before the Storm A Land Once Magic CBR+PNK: Augmented Lighthouse at the End of the World Exclusion Zone Botanist Glatisant Soul Cemetery The Magus A Mending Thomas Tacklebox The Yellow Curtain The Invisible Labyrinth The Sun's Ransom They Came to Play Ball The God of Spite and Violence Our Time on Earth Cain Rules of Law Oathbreakers Dragon Braggin' An Infinity of Ships Menagerie of Unbearable Things
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Talkback: Warden's Operations Manual
02/13/2026
Talkback: Warden's Operations Manual
This is the talkback episode for our Rascal Reading Club about the Warden's Operations Manual. Listeners wrote in with responses to the discussion questions. There was a range of responses: people agreeing, disagreeing, finding stuff I didn’t see, telling me about stuff I didn’t know. It’s pretty great. It led to some thoughts and ideas that tumbled out rough in the moment but I am excited to polish into a shine in the future. Show Notes: (blog post) Games mentioned: Blades in the Dark (and Deep Cuts), Vagabond, Honey Heist, Lancer, Salvage Union, Call of Cthulhu, Alien, The Nightmares Underneath, Spacewyrm vs Moonicorn Adventures mentioned: Terminal Delays at Anarene’s Folly (Ian Yusem’s 0e pamphlet module) and Vontrey Colony 17 (Alan Gerding’s contribution to Dissident Whispers), VR_Dead, Yonkers Fleshless Love (blog post) John Harper explains (video) The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a . The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit
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Rascal Radio Hour E30: A Postage Stamp Is Not A Paywall
02/04/2026
Rascal Radio Hour E30: A Postage Stamp Is Not A Paywall
Rascal's article about , and that of its creators, sparked a significant amount of interest, questions, and criticism. The team decided to dedicate this week's podcast episode to a larger and more casual conversation tackling those inquiries. Thomas and Chase start by discussing the reporting process and the limitations this article faced, paired with frustrations regarding how tabletop news is discussed online. In the second half, the pair tackle some direct questions and criticism sent in by readers. It's a long episode, and maybe not as fun as our normal fare. But if you're curious about how Rascal does journalism then this will hopefully be an insightful listen. Regular programming resumes next week! -- Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (). -- Games we mentioned: Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast
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Reading Club: Warden's Operations Manual
01/23/2026
Reading Club: Warden's Operations Manual
Today, we're launching a new podcast. The host, Thomas Manuel, talks about from Tuesday Knight Games, as a part of the Rascal Reading Club. If you'd like to participate in the discussion, you can respond to Thomas via email or on the official Rascal discord before Feb 3rd 2026. If you're a member of the Party Member tier, you can nominate a book to be next in this series, where we look at how books talk about GM advice. Discussion Questions Do you have thoughts about the Warden's Operations Manual? Do you have a favorite part that I didn't mention? Do you think that the Mothership GM guide should have more advice about running pre-written adventures? If so, is there something you would cut from the existing manual to keep it to 60 pages? Do you think there is a line where advice becomes so critical to the vision of play that it should be incorporated into the rules design at some point? What do you think about my statement that the core mechanic of the game is "underdesigned"? Are there Mothership adventure that plays with horror that feels "real" but isn't economic horror? More gendered or racialized horror, maybe? If the rules of Mothership point towards one question, is it "are you dead yet"? Show Notes Alfred Valley's , my article about OSR sandbox design Chris McDowall's A Pound of Flesh The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a . The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit
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Episode 29: The Mothership has Landed, feat. Maddy Myers and Zoë Hannah
01/16/2026
Episode 29: The Mothership has Landed, feat. Maddy Myers and Zoë Hannah
The Rascal crew are joined this week by Maddy Myers and Zoë Hannah of the recently launched (and you definitely pronounce the "dot"). The former Polygon editors discuss their website's goal of publishing smart and inclusive writing about games from a feminist angle and talking about media in ways that corporate journalism just cannot, or will not, support. Later, everyone discusses Wizards of the Coast's video games, Games Workshop's proud ignorance towards generative AI, whether the Decemberists' front man designed Illimat, and why romancing Shadowheart is not a basic take. You should subscribe to , where they're offering a lifetime 15% discount until January 26th. Follow Mothership on , , , and . Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Caelyn Ellis (), with special guests Maddy Myers () and Zoë Hannah (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (). -- Games we mentioned: Runecairn Lancer Magic: The Gathering Illimat The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy Mario and Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
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Episode 28: Holiday Special 2025
12/22/2025
Episode 28: Holiday Special 2025
Ho-ho-howdy, Anklebiters! The crew bring you a hefty podcast episode to get your through the final days of 2025, wherever they may take you. Caelyn, Lin, and Chase spelunk deep into the Question Dungeon to clear out as many lingering inquiries as possible before someone's bottle of, er... cheer runs dry. Topics include Apocalypse World's historical impact, your friendly neighborhood Warwick Davis, and Lin's career as a professional hater and cackler. Travel safe, everyone, and happy new year! See y'all in 2026. Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Lin Codega () and Caelyn Ellis (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 27: Orc Flickin' in Blighty
12/05/2025
Episode 27: Orc Flickin' in Blighty
Chase and Caelyn return from Dragonmeet to show off the games, memories, and various illnesses they collected over the weekend. Later, the pair discuss DriveThruRPG's heavily criticized Partner Shipping Program, two big evils within trading card games (licensed crossovers and speculative markets), and how fun it is to flick orcs. Finally, the Question Dungeon summons the ghosts of conventions past and asks us to name a ton of cool worker-owned websites that deserve your time and patronage. -- Games we discuss: Mappa Mundi Gallows Corner Into the Espers Space Gits Pokemon TCG Magic: The Gathering Girlframe Dungeon Pulp -- Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Lin Codega Caelyn Ellis (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 26: Bring out your Soapboxes
11/20/2025
Episode 26: Bring out your Soapboxes
Hear that? It's the sound of well-ground axes. Of longstanding grudges. Thomas watches Chase remount a vertiably parade well-trod soapboxes on today's episode. These include the transient nature of Discord, crowdfunding platforms, and valorizing dungeon mastery as work done in the service of play. Chase tries to keep the griping to a minimum because we've got a Kickstarter union win and Satanic Panics to discuss. Mostly the pair dive into the fascinating and lovely emergent culture inside Over/Under, Chase's thoughts about RPGs and comics mixing at the recent Thought Bubble convention, and about Musk and Co. wanting to reclaim D&D from The Woke. Afterwards, it's a cavalcade of game recommendations and advice on approaching design from the outside as the duo land on an exoplanet called Question_Dungeon and explore its rugged expanses. Good luck to everyone flying for PAX Unplugged and/or the impending US holidays! -- Games we discuss: Orbital Blues Orbital Blues: The Wanderer Dungeons & Dragons Oddfolk Mothership/Cataphracts A Modern Prometheus Our Time on Earth In This World For The Queen An altogether Different River The Quiet Year Harvest Last Train To Bremen Ex Novo Beak, Feather and Bone Stewpot World Ending Game Deadline Signal to Noise Ironsworn & Starforged im sorry did you say street magic Gun&Slinger -- Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 25: Crunch's Catan Activations - ft. Mike Didymus-True
11/07/2025
Episode 25: Crunch's Catan Activations - ft. Mike Didymus-True
It's a board game bonanza this week as Chase and Thomas are joined by 's Mike Didymus-True to discuss a news week heavily skewed towards the meeple-side of the tabletop industry. The crew talks about Spiel Essen, the largest trade show-convention hybrid in the world, and some of the most interesting games Mike saw while in Germany. They also discuss the state of content creators and criticism as it pertains to board games but manage to wrap back around to a conversation on actual play's future. Later, the trio dig into two different troubling crowdfunding stories: Altered TCG's publishers profess a mea culpa after telling backers their massively successful campaign may not be enough to secure the game's future; and Steamforged's deluxe version of Terra Mystica fails to garner enough, er... steam at launch, so they're dramatically whacking down the price. What can we extrapolate from these case studies? And how much is Chase just grinding his ol' battleax? Finally we answer your questions about old trading card games that should come back from the dead, along with a long tangent into Catan's weird recent licensing. What does a basketball team, Netflix, and the phrase "interactive concourse activations" have in common? Why, it's everyone's favorite board game about sheep, wood, and walls. Games we discuss: Gibberers Collect Castles of Burgundy Altered TCG Terra Mystica Summoner Wars -- Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel () and special guest Mike Didymus-True (@). Find Mike's work at . Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 24: Stare The Devil in the Face and Walk Forward - ft. Cameron Kunzelman
10/24/2025
Episode 24: Stare The Devil in the Face and Walk Forward - ft. Cameron Kunzelman
Chase is joined on this episode by writer, critic, academic, friend of the show, and hater of Commander: Cameron Kunzelman. The two wax long on the current, Fortnite-ified state of Magic: The Gathering, as well as its carefully and expertly maintained past. How does one square financial success and wide availability with an anemic playerbase and eroding creative identity? Later on, the pair discuss how tabletop companies deal with the new 130% tariffs against China, Cameron's home plastic extrusion setup, Chase's deepening concerns with both Daggerheart and the Cosmere RPG, and the precarity shared between journalism and academia. They wrap it up with a discussion of trashy reality television. Cameron has a new book coming out soon! explores the sprawling series and its effects on video games as both creative and economic product. What does it mean to be "an Assassin's Creed game", and what can we learn from the real-world histories portrayed through the eyes of parkouring time travelers? You can buy the paperback now . Games we discuss: Magic: The Gathering Necropolis Michigan Dogman Consume Me (video game) Daggerheart Cosmere RPG Apocalypse World: Burned Over -- Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Cameron Kunzelman (). Find Cameron's other shows on the . Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 23: Trickle-down Gamenomics
10/07/2025
Episode 23: Trickle-down Gamenomics
Chase and Thomas professionalize the tabletop podcast space one news story at a time. GAMA makes some serious-sounding moves -- including the surprise resignation of executive directory John Stacy -- but that includes a not-so-serious "rebranding". Kickstarter workers go on strike. Game designers aren't getting paid by itch.io. An updated Cypher System somehow earns over $1 million. And that's just the first half! Later on, the pair discuss the joy of oracles, what it means to roleplay revolution, and the importance of good graphic and information design in tabletop games. Finally, they face off against the Question Dungeon's latest threats: mono-system concerns and the threat of Harry Potter entering Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond. -- Games we discuss: Ironsworn: Sundered Isles MIRU Revolt Shadowrun Notorious -- Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 22: Fear of Hights
09/19/2025
Episode 22: Fear of Hights
Thomas returns to the podcast to discuss the two chunky investigations he produced since we last had him in front of a microphone. Zatu and Brandfox are not only depressingly common stories within the tabletop industry but also criticially important ones to tell. We talk inside baseball regarding how we structure stories and what it means to center a specific person within a broad narrative. The pair also discuss Wizards of the Coast's president, John Hight, and his weirdly specific love for AI -- and why doesn't he ever mention D&D? Later, crowdfunding's place in the tabletop industry, two popular games failing to connect on the table, and why a small academic press got involved wit fulfilling a famously late Kickstarter campaign. Later, Thomas and Chase wonder about the place adventures, supplements, and splatbooks fill within the tabletop industry's commercial ecosystem, and then they predict where all of these fantasy heartbreakers will end up in one year's time. -- Games we discuss: Daggerheart Draw Steel Cosmere RPG Oh Captain, My Captain! The Mountain Witch Dog Eat Dog Princess with a Cursed Sword Planet Shark Agon -- Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 21: Rogue's Gallery
09/05/2025
Episode 21: Rogue's Gallery
(Hey gang, Chase here. My audio produced this very strange, high pitched whine throughout. I've done my best to either cut or minimize it, but this could still be an unpleasant listen for some folks. My apologies -- will have this sorted by the next episode.) Two members of the newly founded Rogue.site, Ryan Gilliam and Cass Marshall, join Chase and Rowan to talk about their worker-owned video game website. More than simply "Rascal but for video games", Rogue is a continuation of human-centric writing from some of the best voices lost in Polygon's layoffs earlier this year. Afterwards, they discuss Rowan's changing place within Rascal's team. She's stepping away for several well considered reasons, but that doesn't mean she's out of the crew -- only the spotlight, for now. The site has a news writer, now: the excellent Khee Hoon Chan. Also, upcoming changes to subscription offerings, possible price increases in 2026, and a bunch of other important housekeeping. Oh, and we do eventually talk about games. Promise! -- -- Games we discuss: Hollow Knight: Silksong Cosmere RPG Rise, Wizards (currently playtesting) -- Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Rowan Zeoli (). Guests include Ryan Gilliam () and Cass Marshall (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 20: Pedant Party
08/22/2025
Episode 20: Pedant Party
Um, actually, it's pronounced 'PEE-dunt'. This is the slightly grating but technically correct energy that Caelyn and Chase bring to this episode. After discussing more tariff nonsense, the pair discover that most of the news is a huge bummer and they'd rather delve into their experience creating characters for the Cosmere RPG. Caelyn talks about hidden information and futzing about in Foundry, while Chase feels trapped by D20 combat assumptions. Later, both of them fondly remember a certain green box full of mutants while traversing the Question Dungeon. Someone has asked about trad RPGs that should (or are currently) making comebacks -- why don't we see more of that? -- Games we discuss: DIE RPG Magic: The Gathering's Standard format Cosmere RPG Gamma World Traveller 1990s-era Dungeons & Dragons -- Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Caelyn Ellis (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 19: Horus-scopes
08/08/2025
Episode 19: Horus-scopes
The crew psychoanalyze each other at least twice during this episode of the Rascal Radio Hour, which features everyone but Rowan (she brought home an illness souvenir from Gen Con) wading through a dense thicket of tabletop news from the last two weeks. They discuss two new RPGs adapted from book licenses and what exactly is gained when making that jump. Later, they break down White Wolf's new creative director and an unfortunate (but ultimately not substantive) brush with AI. Oh, also, Gen Con happened! The back half of the podcast breaks down some of the more interesting bits that happened at, and around, the biggest US convention of the year. Gen Con is staying in Indianapolis through at least 2030, Shadowrun goes solo, and Brennan Lee Mulligan takes the reins of Critical Role's fourth season. Somewhere amongst it all, the crew manage to spelunk through The Question Dungeon and finally answer a really important questions: are y'all burned out? Also, it's at Rascal! We've published some incredible articles to celebrate our August Subscriber Drive. You can get by using code DJNAY. -- Games we discuss: Streets of Jade (unreleased) Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG (unreleased) Draw Steel Cyberpunk Red/Cyberpunk 2077 Beyond the Pale Mythic Bastionland Reach of the Roach God Daggerheart Lancer -- Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (). Featuring Lin Codega (), Thomas Manuel (), and Caelyn Ellis (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 18: Yard Goats to Throat GOATs
07/25/2025
Episode 18: Yard Goats to Throat GOATs
Rowan and Chase finally deliver a tight 60-minute podcast discussing itch.io's abrupt deindexing of explicit and games tagged as "NSFW" or "adult", among others, thanks to pressure from payment processors and right-wing citizen lobbyists from Australia. It's a strange and sad affair with ties to Steam, sex work, and the political wielded by corporations against individuals. The pair also wade into Hasbro's latest earnings call with investors, where Chase sees the IP-addled brainworms leading to some weird decisions regarding Magic: The Gathering's future. Rowan is deep into trick-taking and also antifascist sex robots. Chase is unpacking boxes. Both of them dip briefly into the Question Dungeon to answer a question about bioessentialist game mechanics with the caveat that they are both white. Grain of salt, please! -- Games we discuss: Inspirisles Magic: The Gathering Cat in the Box Mothership SUZi (by Sage The Anagogue) Vampire: the Masquerade -- Hosted by Chase Carter (). Featuring Lin Codega (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 17: A Franchise By Any Other Name
07/11/2025
Episode 17: A Franchise By Any Other Name
Chase and Lin Codega co-host an episode that is all about licensed games and this week's dirty word: franchise. The pair discuss the cancelled Tomb Raider RPG and what IP-scrubbed game might rise from its ashes, along with the continually disastrous Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy leaving some tabletop publishers bereft of consigned books. The big story of the week is D&D's apparent "full franchise" turn, which Chase argues is a meaningless distinction and Lin believes fits with Wizards of the Coast's past behavior. Both agree the word franchise is dumb. They also discuss collaborative storytelling games and how different titles balance freedom against handrails for the inexperienced. Lin has been enjoying Daggerheart for what it is. Chase played a Cyberpunk LCG with a very enticing cooperative hook. Both tackle some questions about whether licensed RPGs are healthy for the industry, as well as their favorite ENNIE nominations from the recent shortlist. -- Games we discuss: Canceled Tomb Raider RPG Dungeons & Dragons Spindlewheel Eat the Reich Daggerheart -- Hosted by Chase Carter (). Featuring Lin Codega (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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Episode 16: Cardboard Coercion
06/27/2025
Episode 16: Cardboard Coercion
We're tackling a stuffed two weeks of news on this week's episode. Thomas and Caelyn join Chase in discussing Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins' professional shuffle over to Darrington Press, and what it does and doesn't mean for the future of Daggerheart. We also cover Rebel Scum's censorship on DriveThruRPG, Draw Steel's imminent public launch, and the complicated politics of a crowdfunding bundle benefiting a Ukrainian organization. Elsewhere, Caelyn's parter has lovingly persuaded her to play Magic: The Gathering, much to Chase's horror. Thomas is serving his players their just desserts at the end of the campaign. Chase has spicy thoughts about whether information on the internet should be free. -- Games we discuss: Rebel Scum Draw Steel Daggerheart Blades in '68 Harvest Forbidden Psalm Five Leagues/Fives Parsecs Silver Bayonet Rangers of the Shadowdeep Heavy Gear (the old one) Iron Kingdoms RPG Lo, Thy Dread Emperor Black Death Walking The Dolorous Stroke -- Hosted by Chase Carter (). Featuring Thomas Manuel () and Caelyn Ellis (). Theme song by Cover art logo by Johan Nohr ().
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