Roleing Imperfection
183 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 months ago -Our podcast features two friends with over fifteen years of gaming experience chatting about tabletop role playing games. Our philosophy involves complex character design integrated with fully fleshed out worlds. We aim to help people write characters, play tabletop rpgs, and run their own games. Each episode will break down a different roleplaying topic with stories from our past games and suggestions for how to make your games better.New episodes launch Thursdays! Remember to play what you love, and, may your characters do something epic!
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Episodes
Ep. 23: New Years RP Resolutions & GM Forgetfulness
December 31, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 41.3 MBIn this double-topic episode, Kevin and Steve look at some resolutions that could improve your tabletop roleplaying games as well as some ways to deal with forgetfulness between sessions. We also give some of our resolutions. Episode 27 will be our Backstory Writing 101 Episode! Some Pics of Steve's Sos Kitbash: https://roimperfection.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sos1-scaled.jpg https://roimperfection.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sos2-scaled.jpg https://roimperfection.com/wp-content/up...
Ep. 22: Making Merry Memories
December 24, 2020 06:00 - 49 minutes - 34.4 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve discuss making a holiday episode. We look at what makes a holiday episode festive. We also take a look at what Kevin did when he planned a holiday episode based on "The Snow Queen." We conclude by suggesting some holiday inspiration. Yes, one of them is Die Hard. We hope you enjoy! Read "The Snow Queen" here Listen to "The Snow Queen" here Magic items: Iceglass Fragment here Memory Comb here Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection ...
Ep. 21: Min-Maxing, Not the Best Idea
December 17, 2020 05:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBIn this episode, Steve and Kevin give their thoughts on Min-Maxing, which is the process of maximizing one element of the character at the expense of other elements. We outline the problems as well as some possible benefits. We conclude with giving our thoughts on using a "build" for characters. We hope you enjoy! Also, I made a Barbarian Rice magic item! https://roimperfection.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Barbarian-Rice.png Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection...
Ep. 20: Quirk vs. Character
December 10, 2020 07:00 - 37 minutes - 25.9 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve go over the difference between quirk and character. We discuss how to distinguish the two, how they influence each other, and the balance to strike when making a character. We use some examples from media and explain how the concepts have been used effectively by players in our games. We hope you enjoy! Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our website: https://roimperf...
Ep. 19: Helping a Weaker GM
December 03, 2020 05:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBKevin and Steve aren't done with the spirit of helpfulness yet! This episode is all about giving GMs a boost! We provide several tips to help out the gracious host and planner of adventures, including bringing up some of our own weaknesses and where we could improve. We hope you enjoy! Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our website: https://roimperfection.com/ Send us a tip on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi...
Ep. 18: Helping Weaker Players
November 26, 2020 05:00 - 59 minutes - 40.9 MBIn our Thanksgiving episode, Kevin and Steve discuss how to help out weaker players. We start out with who a weaker player might be, and then we discuss dos and don'ts. We conclude with a bonus involving fantasy food because food is the centerpiece of Thanksgiving. We thank you for watching and hope you enjoy! We hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, even if you're outside the U.S.! Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: roimperfection@...
Extra 2: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything Awesome!
November 19, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve check out Tasha's Cauldron of Everything! We examine the new rules and the new subclasses. We explore some of our favorites and provide some ideas about what to do with all this stuff! We hope you enjoy! Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our website: https://roimperfection.com/ Send us a tip on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/roimperfection Interact with us on Mastodon:...
Ep. 17: Tables & Randomness
November 19, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 45.5 MBIn this episode, Steve and Kevin discuss using chance to decide how things go. Sometimes, it's good; sometimes, it's bad. The main thing is that the dice don't control the game: the GM does. We hope you enjoy! Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our website: https://roimperfection.com/ Send us a tip on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/roimperfection Interact with us on Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@RoImp...
Ep. 16: Character Death, Killing Your Darlings
November 12, 2020 05:00 - 52 minutes - 36.1 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve talk about when and when not to kill your player characters. We start by finishing our cliffhangers from last episode, and then move on to exploring various reasons that a player character might be killed off in a story-driven campaign. We follow that up with some reasons why one might not want to kill a character. We hope you enjoy! A cool cage for your bad dice. Another cool dice cage for your bad dice. Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoI...
Ep. 15: When to do Something Epic
November 05, 2020 05:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBIn this episode, Steve and Kevin put their motto where their title is! We discuss how and when to do something epic. Also, our first cliffhanger! We hope you enjoy! Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our website: https://roimperfection.com/ Send us a tip on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/roimperfection Interact with us on Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@RoImperfection Interact with us on Twitter: ht...
Ep. 14: Scheming Spooky Stories
October 29, 2020 04:00 - 50 minutes - 35 MBMuahahaha! Steve has been caught in the trap of the villainous Kevin! Now, he must navigate this treacherous episode with only the vague memories of RP past. Join him if you dare as he peers into the abyss of crafting a twisted tale. Kevin leads him along the planning of a dastardly past roleplaying session, but don't count Steve out yet! He has his own ideas of how to make things spooky... Enjoy, if you survive the experience... Some Seasonal Recommended Reading "Polaris" by H.P. Lovecraf...
Ep. 13: Grand Villains
October 22, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 43.9 MBOn this episode, Steve and Kevin discuss what makes villains memorable. We outline three loose and overlapping categories: force of nature, pure evil, and adversary. We also discuss what makes a villain stick in the minds of players. Finally, we talk about our favorite fictional villains. We hope you enjoy! Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our website: https://roimperfection.com/ Send us a tip on...
Ep. 12: Superb NPCs
October 15, 2020 07:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve give some suggestions on creating and playing NPCs. They discuss how to get players interested or not interested in an NPC. They discuss limiting NPC knowledge, and delve into the controversial waters of having a "party NPC." We hope you enjoy! NPC Random Traits Blank Long Character Background Blank Short Character Background Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our w...
Ep. 11: Get Hooked! Active Playing
October 08, 2020 04:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBIn this episode, Steve and Kevin talk about how to be the player who moves the story forward! We talk bout how a few of Steve's characters had qualities that were and weren't better for tabletop gaming. We talk about what qualities to keep in mind when making and playing a character. We also talk about some things GMs can do to help the players stay invested in the game. Then, Steve goes over what he means by being a dog-like player. We conclude by talking about potentially annoying characte...
Ep. 10: Naming Shit
October 01, 2020 06:00 - 48 minutes - 33.5 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve talk about some methods for naming shit in your tabletop campaign. We cover the general categories of naming campaign, characters, places, and several other things. Naming can also create some misconceptions, so we talk about what to avoid, especially in creating alien civilizations. We have also started a new campaign with the Kami as GM, the Burning Sands, and we talk about it quite a bit here. We hope you enjoy! BLAP: The classic! BPAL: The revision requi...
Ep. 9: Drunk Roleplaying
September 24, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 47.1 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve focus on the drunken antics of GMX. Primarily, we focus on a Game of Thrones and Warmachine inspired Pathfinder 1st edition game that went incredibly awry. We begin with minor stuff like a barren setting. Then, we move on the discussing how my Bard discovered the greatest kill spell ever in Time Loop Town. After that, the terror of being too low level gets to us, and our characters flee across the sea to open up a Bank/Tavern known as the Coin and Crow. Final...
Ep. 8: When Backstory and Setting Collide
September 17, 2020 04:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this episode, Steve and Kevin offer some ideas about integrating backstory and characters better. We also go into several ways to expand a character's backstory. We hope you enjoy! Blank Long Character Background Blank Short Character Background Sos Atka Mind Map Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our website: https://roimperfection.com/ Send us a tip on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/roimperfection...
Ep. 7: Creating a New Setting
September 10, 2020 04:00 - 52 minutes - 35.9 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve discuss some ways to create your own original setting. These include inspiration, maps, timelines, and political/social factions. We discuss some of our games and how we were initially inspired by certain things we loved and how we used them in our original settings. We hope you enjoy! Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our website: https://roimperfection.com/ Send ...
Ep. 6: Adapting an Existing Setting
September 03, 2020 04:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve discuss taking elements from existing properties and using them to form your own version. The most popular examples of this are Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda. They discuss two different adaptations of Final Fantasy for Dungeons and Dragons: one successful and one unsuccessful. They also give some tips keeping players engaged and making them feel like their abilities matter. Finally, they each discuss a franchise that they'd like to adapt for a tableto...
Episode 5: Working with Existing Settings
August 27, 2020 14:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBKevin and Steve discuss what to do when using a setting that is established or could be familiar to the players, like Star Wars or one of the established D&D settings. We discuss some bad times when GMX tried to use the original Vampire the Masquerade video game as a basis and hewed a bit too closely to the plot. To close out, we talk about what settings we'd really love to use. We hope you enjoy!
Ep. 5: Working with Existing Settings
August 27, 2020 14:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBKevin and Steve discuss what to do when using a setting that is established or could be familiar to the players, like Star Wars or one of the established D&D settings. We discuss some bad times when GMX tried to use the original Vampire the Masquerade video game as a basis and hewed a bit too closely to the plot. To close out, we talk about what settings we'd really love to use. We hope you enjoy! Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question...
Extra 1: Mythologizing Theros for D&D 5E
August 23, 2020 15:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBIn this bonus episode, Kevin and Steve take a look at The Mythic Odyssey of Theros sourcebook for Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition. We discuss some ideas that can be expanded upon, modifications to Greek Mythology, and how this sourcebook changed Steve’s mind about the Theros setting. We hope you enjoy! Link to Bird cat: https://img.scryfall.com/cards/art_crop/front/8/1/816da759-e224-4960-b2b6-453cadc2faf1.jpg?1591225557 Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Se...
Extra 1: Mythologizing Theros
August 23, 2020 15:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBIn this bonus episode, Kevin and Steve take a look at The Mythic Odyssey of Theros sourcebook for Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition. We discuss some ideas that can be expanded upon, modifications to Greek Mythology, and how this sourcebook changed Steve’s mind about the Theros setting. We hope you enjoy! Link to Bird cat: https://img.scryfall.com/cards/art_crop/front/8/1/816da759-e224-4960-b2b6-453cadc2faf1.jpg?1591225557
Ep. 4: Imperfecting a D&D 5e Character
August 20, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBIn this double-sized episode, Kevin and Steve look at adding imperfection and hooks while building a Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition system. We end up making a Tiefling, which neither of us has played, Bard, which Steve has never played. Join us as we wander through the system, share stories, and have some fun. We hope you enjoy! The finished character sheet World background Backstory Character art Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or ...
Episode 4: Imperfecting a D&D 5e Character
August 20, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBIn this double-sized episode, Kevin and Steve look at adding imperfection and hooks while building a Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition system. We end up making a Tiefling, which neither of us has played, Bard, which Steve has never played. Join us as we wander through the system, share stories, and have some fun. We hope you enjoy! The finished character sheet World background Backstory Character art
Ep. 3: Proactive Obstacles
August 13, 2020 04:00 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MBSteve and Kevin discuss adding flaws, defects, disadvantages, and obstacles that integrate characters into the story and make them more fun by looking at some systems that focus on them. We go through a few systems that have these built in to look at some good disadvantages and some that aren't so great. In doing so, we go over several ways that having a ward to care for has gone awry during our past campaigns in two very different ways. Don't worry we also include a section about adding the...
Episode 3: Proactive Obstacles
August 13, 2020 04:00 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MBSteve and Kevin discuss adding flaws, defects, disadvantages, and obstacles that integrate characters into the story and make them more fun by looking at some systems that focus on them. We go through a few systems that have these built in to look at some good disadvantages and some that aren't so great. In doing so, we go over several ways that having a ward to care for has gone awry during our past campaigns in two very different ways. Don't worry we also include a section about adding the...
Episode 2: Perfection is Bad
August 06, 2020 18:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve discuss why having a flawless, perfect character can lead to less fun at the roleplaying table. We go over the idea of incorporating flaws, obstacles, disadvantages, and vices to make characters more complex and allow for more story possibilities. We also cover a few characters from our campaigns who expanded the games they were made for through their flaws. Plus, we look at the advantages systems like Legend of the Five Rings have by including disadvantages ...
Ep. 2: Perfection is Bad
August 06, 2020 18:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this episode, Kevin and Steve discuss why having a flawless, perfect character can lead to less fun at the roleplaying table. We go over the idea of incorporating flaws, obstacles, disadvantages, and vices to make characters more complex and allow for more story possibilities. We also cover a few characters from our campaigns who expanded the games they were made for through their flaws. Plus, we look at the advantages systems like Legend of the Five Rings have by including disadvantages ...
Ep. 1: Why Character Creation is Important
July 30, 2020 08:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MBSteve and I discuss the merits of having a good character who is integrated into a setting. We argue that the GM and the Players should share in worldbuilding, and that discussions before a campaign starts can allow players to help drive the story. We share a few stories from a Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 campaign I ran called Ecliptica. One is about the advanced Kingdom of Norte, and the humble cartographer who deceived the party. The other is about a fool called Rodolpho III and his silly coh...
Episode 0: Introduction
July 30, 2020 08:00 - 39 minutes - 27 MBMeet Kevin and Steve, a pair of podcasters with over fifteen years of tabletop role playing experience. We discuss the games we've played and run as well as our inspirations.
Ep. 0: Introduction
July 30, 2020 08:00 - 39 minutes - 27 MBMeet Kevin and Steve, a pair of podcasters with over fifteen years of tabletop role playing experience. We discuss the games we've played and run as well as our inspirations. Interact with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoImperfection Send us a comment or question: [email protected] Visit our website: https://roimperfection.com/ Send us a tip on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/roimperfection Interact with us on Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@RoImperfection Interact with us on Twi...
Episode 1: Why Character Creation is Important
July 30, 2020 08:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MBSteve and I discuss the merits of having a good character who is integrated into a setting. We argue that the GM and the Players should share in worldbuilding, and that discussions before a campaign starts can allow players to help drive the story. We share a few stories from a Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 campaign I ran called Ecliptica. One is about the advanced Kingdom of Norte, and the humble cartographer who deceived the party. The other is about a fool called Rodolpho III and his silly coh...