Finding Atoria
Three friends, each with 30+ years playing and running TTRPGs sit down weekly to tell stories about the games, community and topics surrounding the Table Top Role Playing world.
Episodes
The 8 Types of TTRPG Players (And Their Strengths and Pitfalls)
Welcome back to the table—this week, the whole party’s here! Tori took us down a delightful rabbit hole into the world of player archetypes that pop up at so many TTRPG tables.
Which one sounds like you (or your friends)?
- Storytellers
- Explorers
- Tacticians
- Actors
- Slayers
- Jokers
- Guardians
- Collectors
Most players lean into one archetype but dip into others ove...
Community News, London Pub Scenes, and Player Archetypes Unpacked
Welcome back to the table! Malcolm kicks things off with some stories circulating in the TTRPG community. Tori, Jess, and Arcadia dive into topics making the news, including recent moves from Paizo and Glass Cannon Unplugged. The group also takes a closer look at London’s TTRPG pub scene—how it fills a niche for both gamers and pub owners alike.
Exploring Love, Fandom, and TTRPGs
Welcome back to the table! Finding Atoria Studios is packed today for a lively discussion on the rise of Romantasy TTRPGs and their growing presence in the gaming market. Have these elements always been hidden in the gems of our roleplaying games—or is there something different about the current moment?
We dive into the stats and mechanics that help romance flourish in games and settin...
From Ribbet Tongues to Druid Shrooms
With Malcolm out this week, Tori and Arcadia dive into a lively discussion about Ancestries in TTRPGs. The rise of the narrative-focused game Daggerheart has sparked big conversations in the community about what makes it stand out for both players and GMs.
In Daggerheart, ancestries aren’t just cosmetic—they’re baked directly into a character’s features and feats, carefully balanced ...
A New Chapter for World of Darkness
Welcome back to the table! Tori takes the moderator seat as Arcadia and Malcolm dive into the topic of White Wolf’s re-emergence. While fans of World of Darkness may have been anticipating the brand’s return, the resurrection isn’t quite the same as the White Wolf we remember from its heyday.
Originally swallowed by Paradox Interactive, White Wolf’s future seemed uncertain after some ...
Alignments: Flexible, Not Flawed
Malcolm moderates this episode as the crew dives into the topic of alignment—the classic D&D concept that has shaped characters and campaigns for decades. Alignment may or may not be a big deal at your table, but it’s been a highly rigid rule in older editions of D&D. In some editions, certain races or species were automatically assigned an alignment, limiting player freedom an...
Last Episode About Gen Con, We Promise!
Welcome back to the table! We have a skeleton crew in the studio for our final words on Gen Con 2025 and a massive round of shout-outs. Arcadia and Malcolm hold down the board this week as they focus on some of the names and businesses we interacted with in the Exhibit Hall, highlighting community members whose work and personalities left a lasting impression.
We also take a few m...
GenCon Recap: New Games, New Friends, and Chaos at the Table
Welcome back to the table! Jess and Tori are both on the mic this episode, and Malcolm and Arcadia share a wrap-up of GenCon 2025, where they represented our crew. From discovering new games to meeting new friends, this year’s convention brought some fresh experiences.
Jess kicks things off with a lesson in orderly queuing, proving that some skills from overs...
Trade Days, Tabletop Fun, and Community Connections
Welcome back to the table! This week, we’re recording outside the studio and missed our Tori, who’s off on amazing adventures! Jess joins Arcadia and Malcolm for a lively discussion leading up to Gen Con 2025.
We hop back in the time machine to revisit our Con experiences in 2024, shining a light on the beauty of Trade Day. All three of us agree that Gen Con is truly a...
Frogs, Fun, and First-Time GM Chaos
Welcome back to the table! In this episode, Malcolm, Tori, and Arcadia finally play-tested Daggerheart and share their impressions and takeaways.
Some serious GMing skills were on display, Arcadia got pulled into roleplaying moments, and Tori reminded us all to be a little wary of frogs. While everyone had a blast exploring a new system, there’s a recognition that Daggerheart might n...
The Forever DM and the Rules Guy
Welcome back to the table! In this episode, we dive into two of the biggest names in the TTRPG world: Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins. Crawford, the rules guru, and Perkins, the forever DM, have been cornerstones of Dungeons & Dragons for decades.
Both spent at least 18 years at Wizards of the Coast, shaping the game we all love and earning legendary status among players. Their ex...
Funky Fresh Mechanics and a Whole Lot of Hope & Fear
Welcome back to the table! We continue our dive into Daggerheart, the new TTRPG from Darrington Press. Tori takes a deep look at the rules and mechanics, showing that this is not a D&D clone—it’s its own system with unique twists drawn from other games.
Malcolm points out similarities to Vampire: The Masquerade and Shadowrun, especially in the way resources a...
A New Game on the Block
Arcadia and Malcolm are flying solo this week, as Tori was scheduled to play but couldn’t join to record. They dive into Daggerheart, the new TTRPG from Darrington Press (Critical Role). This game has already made waves in the community, marking a clear step away from D&D while standing on its own.
Daggerheart has the advantage of launching independently, not relying on the D&D framework,...
Beauty Is in the Eyes of the Beholder
Pick an edition, any edition—we’ve got you covered! Welcome to our first monster comparison episode. Tori dives deep into one of her favorite classic D&D monsters: the Beholder. From the original 1st Edition to the most recent rulesets, we explore how this iconic floating horror has evolved over the decades.
We break down its abilities, lair actions, eye rays, and even how diffe...
Click, Clack, Brain Go Brrrr: Diving Into Tabletop Mechanics
There are receipts, and Arcadia gets to GM this episode! Malcolm kicks things off by talking about the future of TTRPGs and how many players are exploring customized and solo gaming. While solo games or mechanics-heavy systems can feel more like a Choose Your Own Adventure or an RPG video game, most of us agree that it’s not the same as gathering around a ta...
Adventures Off the Table: TTRPGs as the Inspiration Behind Fantasy Fiction
Malcolm is the GM this episode, and Jess joins us in the studio! Tori wins initiative and kicks off the discussion about how TTRPGs have inspired countless stories across books, movies, and TV. Dungeons & Dragons paved the way for worlds like Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and He-Man, showing how tabletop gaming can shape imagination on an...
Back to the Future (Kind of): Shadowrun’s Talkers and Techies
Arcadia takes the GM seat this round while Tori joins remotely—because who doesn’t like podcasting in pajamas? This episode dives into Shadowrun Fifth Edition, focusing on two key classes.
Tori wins initiative but defers, giving Malcolm the floor to talk about his favorite class: the Face. The Face is the talker of the bunch—the one who gets the jobs, knows ...
Sweet 16: Laughs, News, and TTRPG Community Love
Malcolm leads us in our sweet 16 episode! We’re here for laughs, sharing news, and celebrating the TTRPG community joining us at the table from around the world. We want to hear where you’re finding Atoria and would love to chat with you on our socials.
Tori brings some big announcements for our Patreon community, Arcadia tries her hand at pronouncing your hometowns, and ...
Law vs. Madness in Vampire: The Masquerade
Malcolm takes the GM seat today while Tori joins us remotely! The ladies dive into two clans in Vampire: The Masquerade (VTM).
Arcadia kicks things off with the Banu Hakim. This lesser-known clan isn’t part of the Camarilla and tends to be quite isolated. They have their own history, caste system, and organization, and the Masquerade is less critical to them than it is for othe...
The Power of the OGL and Creative Commons
Tori brings the latest news for Dungeons & Dragons content creators to share with Malcolm and Arcadia. What does this news mean for the community? Is there anything new at the table for lovers of the world’s largest TTRPG?
Join Tori, Malcolm, and Arcadia as they discuss the update to D&D’s System Reference Document (SRD) and what it means for third-party D&D content ...
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