About
Most actual play channels lead with the game. We lead with the people.
One of us is a law professor who leads a SWAT hostage negotiation team. One of us is a former felon who now works as a senior software engineer. The rest of the table manages an auto shop, runs a game store, and keeps planes from hitting each other for a living. Different lives, different hours, same table every week.
That contrast is the whole reason the channel exists. People who would never otherwise end up in the same room finding common ground over dice is a story worth telling before a single one is rolled. And once you're watching, the game has to deliver. It will.
Meet us
A felon and a hostage negotiator on why we game: running D&D in prison, beating a stutter, and how we ended up at the same table.
The table
The Officer · Lawful
Joe B.
- First TTRPG
- Rifts
- Started playing
- 1999
- Prefers
- GM
- Favorite RPG
- Anything using the Year Zero Engine
- Favorite memory
- Mutant: Year Zero, discovering the secret twist of the meta plot
Away from the table
When not running tabletop RPGs, competing in lockpicking events, or attending his daughter's dance recitals, Joe works as a law professor, SWAT supervisor of a hostage negotiation team, and as an instructor for the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Course.
The Felon · Chaotic
Blaine R.
- First TTRPG
- Rifts
- Started playing
- 1994
- Prefers
- GM
- Favorite RPG
- Pathfinder 2e
- Favorite memory
- Curse of the Crimson Throne, when the party lured a leukodaemon into their fight with the Daughter of Urgathoa and let the two bosses battle it out
Away from the table
When he isn't running tabletop RPGs or building this site, Blaine is a senior software engineer who builds his own apps on the side. Away from the keyboard he'd rather be working with his hands, on woodworking or a project around the house.
He made bad decisions earlier in life and turned it around, and that's why he cares about helping people with a past do the same. Watching someone else change their life is one of his favorite things.
The Manager · True Neutral
Monica
- First TTRPG
- D&D
- Started playing
- 2003, technically. 2022, actually.
- Prefers
- Player
- Favorite RPG
- Pathfinder 2e
- Favorite memory
- Playing a sorcerer and teaming up with a summoner to secretly collect human and monster remains so we could build our very own personal golem. This required carefully hiding our activities from the party's paladin, who had apparently developed some unreasonable opinions about grave robbing.
Away from the table
When not playing a careless character, Monica went from fixing humans as a healthcare professional to fixing vehicles as a transmission rebuild specialist.
These days, she manages a transmission rebuild shop, overseeing technicians, diagnostics, rebuilds, and whatever fresh mechanical catastrophe rolled through the door that morning.
Apparently, after spending years learning how to keep humans functioning, the next logical step was figuring out why a 10R80 has suddenly decided it no longer wants to participate in society.
- First TTRPG
- Out of stock
- Started playing
- Special order
- Prefers
- Ask at the counter
- Favorite RPG
- Behind the register
- Favorite memory
- Restocking soon
Away from the table
Heather's bio is on backorder. We put down a deposit, and it ships with the next distributor order.
The Controller · Lawful Neutral
Mike
Bio pending
- First TTRPG
- Awaiting clearance
- Started playing
- Delayed
- Prefers
- Say again?
- Favorite RPG
- Hold short
- Favorite memory
- Expect further clearance
Away from the table
Mike's bio is circling the field. It's cleared to land as soon as they radio it in.
What we play
Daggerheart, Pathfinder, Cyberpunk Red, and whatever system we feel like breaking next. Between us that's over 50 years of gaming across dozens of systems, which is what we bring to every review.
Reviews and affiliate links
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We've paid for everything we've reviewed so far. Publishers who want to send us something can find out how on How we review.