Podcast
Rascal News
Hosted by Rascal News · EN
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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Episodes
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Talkback: Draw Steel
3d ago01:01:57Tap to summarizeBook 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 through this form. Show Notes: Games mentioned: D&D, Pathfinder, Lancer, Daggerheart, Dolmenwood Caio's youtube channel, The Dice Society My article about what makes Lancer so popular and also, just for good luck, my article about how MCDM designed Draw Steel. The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit Rascal News.
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Rascal Radio Hour E36: Scouting Days, feat. Mollie Russell
2w ago01:19:04Tap to summarizeCheck out the Indie Media Collective Bundle! 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 (@chasecarter.bsky.social). Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social) and special gust Mollie Russell (@spookysyntax.bsky.social) Find Mollie's work at Wargamer. Theme song by People Need Goals. Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social). -- 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
2w ago01:26:47Tap to summarizeBook club episode! We discuss Draw Steel by MCDM. Read more here. As always participate in the talkback episode, either post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to thomas@rascal.news. 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 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit Rascal News.
Transcribe →Rascal Radio Hour E35: Countless Bridges, feat. Austin Walker and Tyler Crumrine
4w ago02:23:32Tap to summarizeChase 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 (@chasecarter.bsky.social). Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social), with special guests Austin Walker (@austinwalker.bsky.social) and Tyler Crumrine (@possibleworlds.bsky.social) Find Realis on Kickstarter and Possible Worlds Games. Theme song by People Need Goals. Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social). -- Games we discuss: Realis Beam Saber Mothership FIST --
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Talkback: Deathmatch Island
Apr 1000:42:33Tap to summarizeBook club episode! We respond to people's responses about my discussions questions regarding Deathmatch Island by Tim Denee & Evil Hat. Read more here. Party Members can nominate games for this series about GM advice through this form. 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 editing scenes (mentioned by Sam Dunnewold) Yochai Gal on people hacking Cairn The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit Rascal News.
Transcribe →Rascal Radio Hour E34: AI Can't Replicate My Terrible Sense of Humor
Apr 302:05:03Tap to summarizeChase 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 (@chasecarter.bsky.social). Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social). Theme song by People Need Goals. Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social). -- Games we discuss: MIIRU Sword World Cyberpunk TCG Altered TCG Realis Traveller 5E Legends of the Five Rings -- More than half of board game designers in TTGDA survey have used generative AI in their work Meet the Tech Reporters Using AI to Help Write and Edit Their Stories
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Reading Club: Deathmatch Island
Mar 2701:02:52Tap to summarizeBook club episode! We discuss Deathmatch Island by Tim Denee & Evil Hat. Read more here. As always participate in the talkback episode, either post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to thomas@rascal.news. 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: Decaying Orbit by Sidney Icarus The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit Rascal News.
Transcribe →Rascal Radio Hour E33: Attempted Aura Farming
Mar 2001:51:00Tap to summarizeSuffuse 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 (@chasecarter.bsky.social). Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social). Theme song by People Need Goals. Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social). -- Games we discuss: Girl Frame Children of Time: The Roleplaying Game (Cancelled) Neopets RPG Esoteric Ebb [video game] Tacklebox City of Winter Pendragon -- Chris Cocks in full cosplay during an Exodus actual play episode Former Neopets RPG worker alleges payment problems and other issues within Geekify
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Talkback: Apocalypse World
Mar 1602:34:15Tap to summarizeThis 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 What is PbtA? and the one about Narrativism My review of Harvest by Luke Jordan The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen. For more from us, visit Rascal News.
Transcribe →Rascal Radio Hour E32: Printing Popularity, feat. Joe Parlock
Mar 601:51:58Tap to summarizeDespite 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 (@chasecarter.bsky.social). Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and Joe Parlock (@joeparlock.bsky.social). Support independent TCG journalism at Booster Pack. Theme song by People Need Goals. Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social). -- 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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