Inspiration Point
185 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 14 ratingsWhat's the point?! Join Adam and Tiana for some friendly, off-the-cuff discussion about their ideas on D&D, RPGs, or just games in general!
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Episodes
S6E16: Find Your Voice
April 25, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 84.9 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about character voices and do a short exercise to play with voice. We can put so much of what makes a character who they are into the way we choose to speak as them, and it's a lot of fun to dig into that kind of thing. Continue the conversation in the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E15: The Intention Is Not To Intend
April 18, 2024 07:00 - 58 minutes - 80.4 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana reflect on the Patron Westgate game we played the day before, and what it taught Adam in terms of GM control and how to let go. At the core of it all, punitive punishment AND mercy are forms of control that GMs need to examine and grow beyond. Join the conversation in the Discord: https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E14: Triton with a Trident - A Quiz Show
April 11, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBThis week, Adam takes Tiana through a series of D&D 5e rules questions used on the YouTube channel Jorphdan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qfhVN64AiA&t=100s) to see how well she knows more obscure D&D 5e questions. Take the quiz yourself, and let us know how you did in our Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E13: Campaign Planning Part 3
April 04, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 85.2 MBThis week, Adam wraps up taking Tiana through a campaign planning document he assigns to his D&D students in his day job. We've been having a good time diving deep into the core concepts of creating a campaign, so grab a notebook and start noodling your own ideas! The document Adam uses: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Alwm8ghRSKMFnOEP941VcYERXMxKadL3Df0WYmjKXsE/edit Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E12: Campaign Planning Part 2
March 28, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 86.8 MBThis week, Adam continues taking Tiana through a campaign planning document he assigns to his D&D students in his day job. We'll be diving deep into the core concepts of creating a campaign over the next few weeks, so grab a notebook and start noodling your own ideas! The document Adam uses: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Alwm8ghRSKMFnOEP941VcYERXMxKadL3Df0WYmjKXsE/edit Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E11: Campaign Planning Part 1
March 21, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 92.2 MBThis week, Adam begins taking Tiana through a campaign planning document he assigns to his D&D students in his day job. We'll be diving deep into the core concepts of creating a campaign over the next few weeks, so grab a notebook and start noodling your own ideas! The document Adam uses: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Alwm8ghRSKMFnOEP941VcYERXMxKadL3Df0WYmjKXsE/edit Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E10: Afflictions - Diseases and Poisons
March 14, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 83.1 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about a part of the Dungeon Master's Guide that isn't commonly used: Chapter 8, Diseases and Poisons. While diseases and poisons touch our real world in some interesting ways (*cough cough*), we're interested in how they can be used to tell a story. Come join us! Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E9: Level One Spells Tier List - Part 3
March 07, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana continuing talking about first level D&D spells and where we rank them. Bucking the usual tier list conventions, we rank them by things like RP potential and how much they serve the secret ingredient in a tabletop party. There's definitely some interesting opinions about the spells in this list! Come join us as we talk about them. Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E8: Level One Spells Tier List - Part 2
February 22, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 96.7 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana continuing talking about first level D&D spells and where we rank them. Bucking the usual tier list conventions, we rank them by things like RP potential and how much they serve the secret ingredient in a tabletop party. There's definitely some interesting opinions about the spells in this list! Come join us as we talk about them. Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E7: Level One Spells Tier List - Part 1
February 15, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 100 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana start talking about first level D&D spells and where we rank them. Bucking the usual tier list conventions, we rank them by things like RP potential and how much they serve the secret ingredient in a tabletop party. There's definitely some interesting opinions about the spells in this list! Come join us as we talk about them. Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E6: DMG Deep Dive - Creating Encounters
February 08, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 85.1 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about making encounters more than just trading hit points, using an encounter that happened in the Westgate Patron game Adam runs. We specifically look at page 81, where the DMG talks about Character Objectives that drive encounters. When you know your characters and what they want, focusing in on how to make the players feel is incredibly rewarding. Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E5: DMG Deep Dive - Building a Monster
February 01, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 90.3 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about making a monster for encounters that may not fit the typical mold. Whether that's something silly for a joke game (as we inevitably did) or changing up a known monster to keep people from metagaming, GMs should never be afraid to mess with monsters to keep things interesting. Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E4: D&D 5e vs Baldur's Gate 3
January 25, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 95.8 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about the ways Baldur's Gate 3 changed D&D 5e rules, and which of the changed rules we'd bring into our games. Some of the changes are great! Others...well, it's a video game, there's thing we can't really do around the table. Check out the resource we used here: https://bg3.wiki/wiki/D%26D_5e_rule_changes Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E3: Factions and Families
January 18, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 89.9 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about ways to begin your TTRPG game that doesn't involve "you walk into a tavern..." While that is a time-honored tradition, we feel like there's a ton of ways to get player characters together for that first session so they can start learning about each other, and one of our favorite ways is factions. Have a listen, see what you think! (Gnarled Frontier players, Adam requests that you skip 51:03 to 51:53 because of spoilers for your Patron game.) Join our Dis...
S6E2: Necessary Suffering
January 11, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 83.9 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about suffering in games, and how conflict results in a story that everyone remembers. While we don't advocate for GM sadism, there is an element of suffering and striving that makes the storytelling better for everyone. Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S6E1: New Year's Resolutions
January 04, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 93 MBHappy New Year, everyone! This week, Adam and Tiana look back at the year we just wrapped up and talk about what we liked, and what we want to improve. New Year's Resolutions are always a challenge, but we think there's been a lot of interesting things happening in the TTRPG space lately. Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S5E23: Winter Wrap-up!
December 14, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 121 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana welcome Andrew back onto the podcast to wrap up the year. We talk about Baldur's Gate, give Andrew a pop quiz on the subject we've talked about without him, and talk about holiday plans. Come join us as we finish up this year with warmth, laughter, and love.
S5E22: Players, Engage
December 07, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 87.5 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about the issue of player engagement from the player side. It's so easy to get distracted and veer off in various directions, but it's so important to keep combat turns focused and RP moments engaged. We offer some tips on the subject, but would love to hear thoughts from you! Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S5E21: DMG Deep Dive - NPCs
November 30, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 90.9 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about NPCs who become part of the party, or otherwise aid the campaign in significant ways. There are real dangers about DMPCs, or other ways that NPCs can steal the show; join us as we talk about the benefits and pitfalls, and build our own NPC with a series of dice rolls. Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs
S5E20: Grab Bag
November 16, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 84.1 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana had a plan for the episode topic. It was even going to be a good one! And then we kinda rabbit trailed in a bunch of different directions, all at once. So grab a mug of your preferred comfort drink, wrap up in a blanket against the autumn weather, and come hang with us as we talk about burnout and how to prevent it, campaign planning, Big Moments in our personal gaming history, and a bunch of things in between. Including Bluey! Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/...
S5E19: Let Your Player Characters Know Things!
November 09, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 90 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about the first session of the new Patron game, Westgate, and discuss a cool realization Adam had during the game. There's a lot of ways to get information to players and their characters! But one of the more interesting ways is for the players to know at least some of the knowledge, and let them pass it along in character whenever and however they see fit. Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/Qwc7KSfwtd
S5E18: Session Zero Activities
November 02, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 101 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about a very important part of any gaming experience: the session zero. Running a successful session zero can feel very intimidating, so we're talking about activities that a GM can use to explore themes and ideas with their players in a fun and engaging way. Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/Qwc7KSfwtd
S5E17: Just Do It
October 26, 2023 07:00 - 55 minutes - 75.7 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana take a break from mechanics to talk motivation. There's a lot of anxiety around GMing TTRPGs; every one of us have felt it. But! Letting anxiety and fears block the stories you have to tell is a crime, and we're here to pump you up and hopefully inspire you to get out there and tell your stories. Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/Qwc7KSfwtd
S5E16: DMG Deep Dive - Random Encounter Tables
October 19, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 85.5 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana continue their deep dive into Chapter 3 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. This time, we're talking about random encounter tables; when to use them, how to use them, and thoughts for how to build them for your campaign. While we agree that fights just for the sake of fights can be a massive pain, we think there's value in using encounter tables to flesh out the world. See what you think!
S5E15: DMG Deep Dive - Building an Event-Based Campaign
October 12, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 84.6 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana take a look at chapter 3 of the Dungeon Master's Guide to discuss how to build a campaign around an event. We talk about Big Bad Evil Guys (BBEGs), the event at the center of the campaign, and how to hook players into the story. The results are rather absurd!
S5E14: Player Character Death
October 05, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 83.2 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana dive into a topic that can be a challenge for both GMs and players: the death of a player character. We talk about examples from games that we've played, as well as looking at how character death can shape a story. While it can be a somber topic, as we all get deeply attached to the characters we play, we hope that this discussion can open up some discussion about when and why it's sometimes the right play.
S5E13: Anxiety and Self-Consciousness
September 28, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 91.8 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana take a bit of a step back from the mechanics of the game and talk about some of the struggles that come with running and playing games. Specifically, we discuss anxiety and the tendency to overthink every decision, and talk about some of the ways we handle that kind of mental struggle. We're not mental health professionals, but we are gamers and GMs who deal with this issue on a regular basis.
S5E12: Wrath of the Scorned Post Mortem and Gamer Spaces
September 21, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 92.7 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana take a step back and talk about the Patron game that just wrapped up, Wrath of the Scorned. We discuss themes and how the final confrontation fit within the narrative of the game overall, and how Adam has been seeding things throughout that Tiana entirely missed until they came to fruition. We then switch over to talking about game tables and what we want from the spaces where we play. There's so many variables when it comes to tables and lighting and music; we have...
S5E11: Encounter Builders - Hags
September 15, 2023 19:47 - 1 hour - 88.3 MBThis week, inspired by events in Baldur's Gate 3, Adam and Tiana talk about hags. We talk about their origins in mythology, how they've been used in stories in the past, and how to set the stage to make the encounter truly memorable. CW: Light body horror.
S5E10: Setup and Payoff
September 07, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 91.5 MBIn this week's episode, Adam and Tiana talk about using setup and payoff to create memorable moments for your games. We show examples of setup leading to a satisfying payoff, and touch on a couple times in media when it doesn't work and discuss why that may be the case. Video referenced in the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGDdpXLc1CQ&t=1s
S5E9: Optimization and Roleplaying
August 31, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about the Do's and Don'ts of balancing optimization and roleplay. We all know the kinds of players who focus on getting their numbers higher, or the players who want to do something unoptimized for the sake of a good roleplay flavor. Where's the balance between the two, and what are some pitfalls to watch out for?
S5E8: Player Jobs
August 24, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 104 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about jobs the players can take on to relieve some of the burden the GM carries. This is a great way to build up some of that Strength player stat, and make things easier for the GM as well. This is by no means an exhaustive list! Add to the list or take away as suits your table.
S5E7: Player Stats - Mental
August 17, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 139 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana continue the conversation by delving deeper into the mental stats: Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. We definitely have opinions about which stat is the most important, but we feel that a blend of the stats is necessary for every player.
S5E6: Player Stats - Physical
August 10, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 116 MBThis week as a follow-up to the previous episode talking about GM stats, Adam and Tiana talk about physical player stats: Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so we talk about what it looks like to be strong in a stat, while offering some suggestions for how to improve your game in that area.
S5E5: Making Meaningful Quests
August 03, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 88.6 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana discuss something we consider to be the meat and potatoes of a good TTRPG experience: making quests that are meaningful for players. Everything in a TTRPG experience should be character-centric, but how does that translate to quests and getting PCs where we want them to be?
S5E4: Plot vs. Exposition vs. Dialogue
July 27, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBThis week, Adam and Tiana talk about managing information in a TTRPG and how best to give players information without their eyes glazing over. We all know the desire to tell players everything, but is that the best way to get information across? Let's talk about it!
S5E3: Races in TTRPGs
July 20, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 112 MBIn this episode, Adam and Tiana discuss the hot-button issue of races in TTRPGs. While we briefly touch on some of the real world problems connected to fantasy races, we focus more on what makes a race within storytelling interesting while using the mechanics, because the story is the most interesting aspect of the game for us.
S05 E2: Forgotten Rules of the Forgotten Realms
July 13, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 106 MBIn this episode, Adam and Tiana talk about the optional rules from the D&D Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide that are seldom used or generally ignored. While the devil is certainly in the details, we think that there's also a lot of flavor and storytelling that can really shine in the usage of optional rules.
S05 E1: (Re)Introductions and Romance in TTRPGs
July 06, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 110 MBIn this episode, Adam gives a brief explanation about what's been going on behind the scenes and introduces his new co-host: Tiana Ren Hanson. It's been a while since she was last on this show, so we talk about her experience in TTRPGs, performance, podcasts, and life in general. We then discuss a topic near and dear to both of our hearts: romance in TTRPGs and how it can add greater depths to the emotional experience at the table. While romance can be considered to be one of THOSE topics, w...
S04 E17: Homebrew 5e Changes
May 28, 2023 23:00 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBAfter all the things that have been happening with WotC and the direction OneD&D seems to be going in, Adam has been thinking a lot about various alternative changes that could be implemented in order to bring a different feeling to playing the game. To top it off, many of the changes we discuss here are changes you could implement at your own table very easily; so give 'em a shot! Support the show
S04 E16: Less Cool, More Courage
May 22, 2023 17:00 - 52 minutes - 36.4 MBIn this episode, we sit down to talk about the experience of feeling embarrassment or the fear of looking silly when trying to GM, and how to get past those feelings and grow (as well as how to help each other grow), how we can best support one another, and how we can all meet each other where each of us is as an individual. Support the show
S04 E15: Let's Make A Dangerous Destination 2!
May 16, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBIn this episode, Adam wants to build a new dangerous destination to be used in one of his upcoming games (and you can, too!). So come sit down, and watch this place, and its story, come together in real time, right before our eyes. Support the show
S04 E14: Character Conclusions
April 17, 2023 07:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MBIn this episode, we do a bit of a spoiler-free review of the D&D movie (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves), and then we chat a bit about what good, satisfying character conclusions look like. Support the show
S04 E13: The Story Circle
April 10, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 41.6 MBIn this episode we discuss a more simplified method of story structure organization called The Story Circle, so sit on down 'n' learn somethin'! :D Support the show
S04 E12: VTT Prep Process
April 07, 2023 22:00 - 1 hour - 51.7 MBThis week, we sit down to talk about how to go about Adam's process for getting ready to run a TTRPG session online using a Virtual Tabletop (VTT). So sit on down and join us as we get digital! :D Support the show
S04 E11: The Role-Playing Pillar
March 27, 2023 07:00 - 59 minutes - 40.8 MBIn this episode, we chat about—and take a crack at an example of—the third of the 3 pillars of D&D (as well as the majority of other tabletop RPGs): Role-Playing. So sit on down with us as we discuss what makes for good, engaging dialogue and RP that can be fun for everyone at the table instead of just a select few. Support the show
S04 E10: The Exploration Pillar
March 20, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 47.4 MBWithin many TTRPGs, most folks consider there to be 3 pillars of gameplay: Combat, Exploration, and Roleplay. Combat, as most of us know, tends to get a lot of attention, but the other two get much less-so. So, this week, we explore exploration with a little hands-on time where we get to meet an Andrew character, and that character does his level best to move through the world that Adam has ready for him. Let's see what this fellow manages to get up to, and what we can learn from his... effo...
S04 E09: Attachment Styles
March 13, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBHey all! In this episode, we explore what could be at the root of why it can feel like getting along with folks, both in this hobby, and even just in life in general. Sit on down with us as we, in spite of the warnings of dwarves, delve deep, all the while hoping it's not too deep... Support the show
S04 E08: Weapon Expression
March 06, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 47.5 MBOn tonight's episode, we get scrappy as we sit down to talk about what the use of various weapons might say about your character, and how having weapons that truly feel different to use can enhance one's sense of immersion. Support the show
S04 E07: Practical Prep Practices (Guest Host: DragnaCarta)
February 27, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBOn this episode, we're joined for a second time by expert Dungeon Master: DragnaCarta to talk about what tabletop RPG prep should involve. We talk about resources and techniques that can help you manage session and campaign preparation without losing your mind, and even have fun while you do it! Also, on this episode we talk about Dragna's suped-up (and, if the copious feedback is to be believed, much more accurate) system for balancing encounters: Challenge Rating 2.0 (CR2.0). You can fin...