Episodes 53
Avg. Duration 59m
Activity Dormant
Since Jul 2022
Latest Episode Mar 2025

Publishing Details

Schedule
Every 2 Weeks
Format
Episodic
Hosting
feed.podbean.com

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Let’s talk about tabletop RPGs. Not just D&D but anything that comes to mind to help move the hobby forward. Want to hear about maximizing your Gamemaster (GM) game..Let’s do it! Need some ideas for character design or your role-playing foo...why not! Maybe we get a little animated about topics and things that get us excited but that’s part of the fun! We will cover many general topics with examples from Dungeon and Dragons, Savage Worlds, and many other games.

Explore Statistics

Recent Episodes

Sandbox vs. Narrative RPG Campaigns or We Go Thataway (Season 4; Ep 12)

Mar 07, 2025 1h 7m

Eric, Chris, and Carl chat about the differences and challenges of running Sandbox worlds vs. a Narrative campaign in tabletop RPG games.   00:00 - Introduction 03:40 - Email 08:50 - Cool Stuff Found…

Sourcing the Table or What Madness Have I Wrought? (Season 4; Ep 11)

Jan 27, 2025 59m

Eric leads Chris and Carl through a discussion on creating lore and world building leveraging ideas from the players.  This idea of “Sourcing the Table” can lead to player buy-in and exciting…

Holiday Episode with Gift ideas for Your Favorite RPG Gamers (Season 4; Ep 10)

Dec 13, 2024 54m

The crew talks about things that make great gifts for the RPG gamers or wish others would give them!   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail [email protected] for comments and…

Running Bases in RPGs or Did I Leave the Hellforge On? (Season 4; Ep 9)

Nov 21, 2024 51m

The crew talks about running bases, strongholds, and other places that the players can call their own! 00:00 - Introduction 05:00 - EMail 05:50 - Cool Stuff 08:45 - Main Topic   Contact us at…

Gamehole Con Wrap-Up of I Miss My New Friends Already! (Season 4; Episode 8)

Nov 06, 2024 53m

The crew does a creature corner this week along with a recap of Carl and Chris's time at Gamehole Con.   00:00 - Introduction 03:05 - Creature Corner - Hive Mind 19:15 - Main Topic   Visit us at…

Casual Conversation: GMing a RPG Convention Game or May I See Your Tickets Please (Season 4; Ep 7)

Oct 15, 2024 1h 3m

The crew has a casual conversation about running and Game Mastering games at a RPG convention.  Discussion runs the gamut from why do it to best practices.   00:00 - Introduction 02:50 - Email 11:00…

SPECIAL Savage Worlds Email From Listener Episode and Tabletop Tango Crossover (Season 4; Ep 6)

Oct 02, 2024 37m

Eric, Carl, and Chris answer a listener's list of interesting questions on Savage Worlds.  The crew also answered the questions over on the Tabletop Tango (www.tabletoptango.com) YouTube channel so…

Running Factions in RPGs or Don't You Know Who I Work For (Season 4, Ep5)

Sep 18, 2024 1h 2m

Eric, Carl, and Chris talk about making interesting and engaging factions in tabletop RPGs.  They talk about everything about how to create them to how they would work in your game. 00:00 -…

Creating Engaging Non-Combat RPG Encounters or Don't be a Murder Hobo (Season 4; Ep 4)

Sep 04, 2024 1h 6m

Chris and Carl talk about creating encounters for your tabletop RPG that are interesting and compelling but are not combat related.  They talk about everything from puzzles to traps to social…

Villains 2: Crafting Engaging RPG Villains or I’m Just Drawn That Way (Season 4; Ep 3)

Aug 14, 2024 1h 3m

Chris, Eric, and Carl talk about how to create villains that have interesting backstories, motivations, and mechanical ideas.   00:00 - Introduction 05:10 - Email/Cool Stuff -…

Game Mastering for a Small RPG Party or Is This a Buddy Cop Movie (Season 4; Ep 2)

Jul 31, 2024 1h 2m

Eric, Carl and Chris discuss the fun and challenges that are present with gaming with small party sizes (1 or 2).  They give advice on running these kinds of campaigns and offer players advice…

Villains Part 1: Nemesis Hooks in RPGs or No Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Die (Season 4; Ep 1) - Welcome Chris!

Jul 17, 2024 53m

Eric and Carl welcome our new co-host Chris and talk about using Nemesis NPCs in your RPG games.  These aren't necessarily the big bad evil character but can be someone (or a party) that gets in the…

Your Mastering the RPG Questions Answered and Goodbye James (Season 3; Ep 13)

Mar 27, 2024 1h

In the season finale, Carl and Eric wish James a fond farewell as they go through a number questions posed by listeners and friends of the show.   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail…

Being a Professional GM or You Get What You Pay For (Season 3; Ep 12)

Mar 06, 2024 54m

Carl and Eric interview James about being a professional GM.  They talk about everything from how he started to how the business is run.   00:00 - Introduction 05:57 - Main Topic   Visit us at…

System Dive on Savage Worlds or How About Fast, Furious, and Fun (Season 3; Ep 11)

Feb 21, 2024 1h 3m

The crew deep dives into the tabletop RPG Savage Worlds.  Savage Worlds is a generic game system that is one of the favorites of Carl and Eric.   00:00 - Introduction (Carl’s Music Video:…

Handling Unrealistic Expectations in RPGs or Something..Something..Critical Role (Season 3; Ep 10)

Feb 07, 2024 49m

This week the gang talks about managing unrealistic expectations of both players and GMs in RPGs.  People often talk about the "Mercer Effect" in tabletop RPGs and the crew takes on ideas to lesson…

System Dive on Pathfinder 2e or We Don’t Need No OGL (Season 3; Ep 9)

Jan 24, 2024 1h 5m

Eric walks through all the details of Pathfinder 2e from Paizo. This includes discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the system and what makes it fun for GMs and Players. He has some thoughts…

Failing Forward in Tabletop RPGs or Failure is an Option (Season 3; Ep 8)

Jan 10, 2024 51m

The crew talks about the concept of “failing forward” in tabletop RPGs.  This concept includes ideas on continuing the narrative after a failure or allowing for success but at a cost.  The team…

System Dive on Call of Cthulhu or I’m Not Afraid of No…Ancient Horror (Season 3; Ep 7)

Dec 13, 2023 59m

James does a deep dive on the Call of Cthulhu game fro Chaosium.  He details the mechanics, great features, and how he plays the game as a Gamemaster (GM) and player.  Eric drives the conversation…

Running Hex and Point Crawls in RPGs or I Will Walk a 1000 Miles (Season 3; Ep 6)

Nov 22, 2023 52m

The crew talks about running hex and point crawls in tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) and Savage Worlds.  They go into the differences, advantages of each, and tips for running each…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Mastering The RPG have?

Mastering The RPG has published 53 episodes since July 2022, covering topics in Games, Hobbies.

Is Mastering The RPG still active?

Mastering The RPG is currently dormant with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 59m.

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