Talk of the Table
Talk of the Table is a TTRPG talk show where hosts Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty talk with game designers, actual play producers, journalists, academics, artists, and performers about all the coolest things happening in the TTRPG community in an effort to understand what’s on the mind of the tabletop industry.
Episodes
Brian and Elliot sit down with Gene Koo, aka Sticky Doodler, the designer of the ENNIE-award-winning The Bonsai Diary. We discuss the accessible design ethos behind The Bonsai Diary, what makes solo play unique, playtesting events like Unpub, and the rise of solo TTRPGs.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Keep an eye out for “These Games Are...
In the first ever LIVE taping of the show, Brian and Elliot sit down with Diana Fay, aka Diana of the Rose, a TTRPG content creator who has built a career across short-form content, livestreaming, advertising, and more. We discuss the realities of making a career in TTRPG content creation: the hidden labor, the hard-won lessons, and the trappings you can fall into when getting started.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and...
Brian and Elliot sit down with J Strautman, aka Yes No Goodbye, for the third time. In addition to being the latest member of Many Sided Media, J is a musician, game designer, and podcast producer known for Planet Arcana, A Fool’s Errand, Insatiable Cravings and more. We discuss the 1000 lessons J has learned in the last three years of game design and actual play production, what taking games seriously looks like, and the man...
BECOME A PATRON! (15% off Annual Memberships in July)
The month of July is our Patreon Drive! Our goal is 100 new and upgrading annual members to the Many Sided Media Patreon.
Here's just some of what you'll get as a Patron:
- Bonus Actual Plays (GMed by the game's designer)
- Ad-Free Episodes of My First Dungeon, Talk of the Table, and Project ECCO
- Cast Talkbacks for My First Dungeon
- Extended Roundtable Discussions for Talk of the Table
- ...
Reporting from the convention floor from Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio, Brian takes you behind-the-scenes of the moreblueberries booth with a day-to-day report of our hurdles and successes. Plus he talks to folks from Mythworks, Spilled Coffee Creatives, and Tuesday Knight Games about what makes for a successful convention.
Special thanks to:
Brian and Elliot sit down with Tim Platt, a comedian, musician, and co-founder of the actual play podcast Rude Tales of Magic. We discuss Tim stepping into the GM chair for the latest Rude Tales series: Blue Kindness High, how Tim defines the comedic voice of his own work within and outside of the show, and why playing highschoolers can lead to better comedy in actual play.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flahe...
Brian and Elliot are joined by Chrys Sellers, aka Hectic Electron, designer of games like Defy the Gods and Raccoon Sky Pirates. We discuss Chrys’ key lessons from her time as a horizon fellow, why a failed kickstarter doesn’t mean the end of your game, and how Defy the Gods lives up to its name.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Brian and Elliot are joined by return guest Jasper William Cartwright, co-owner of 12 Sided Studios. We discuss how he and the team are bringing actual plays, events, and games to life while balancing creative fulfillment, business sustainability, and supporting the growth of the TTRPG industry
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Jasper Rec...
Brian and Elliot are joined by Cam Bradley, new business manager at Gamefound, about his mission to bring more TTRPG creators to the platform. We dive into the learnings from the first ever “RPG Party” crowdfunding event, the pain points of crowdfunding for creators and platforms, and where Gamefound might find their niche amidst the crowdfunding landscape in RPGs.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis an...
In an episode inspired by Song Exploder, Taylor Moore breaks down the musical origins of Worlds Beyond Number and dives deep into the production of three of the more than one hundred songs on the Original Soundtrack for The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One, Book 1: Flight to Haverward, Sirazmir, and Carrow.
Worlds Beyond Number is widely considered to be one of the best actual plays of all time. Their first campaign, The Wizard, ...
Brian and Elliot are joined by Sam Dunnewold, creator of beloved podcast Dice Exploder and the designer of the new deckbuilder TTRPG Band-Aids & Bullet Holes. We dive deep on the mechanics and design journey of Sam’s new game, how he created the one-of-a-kind series Afterimage, and what 3 years of Dice Exploder has taught him about game design and actual play.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and ...
(Originally released April 28th, 2025)
Elliot and Brian are joined by Realis writer Austin Walker and Possible Worlds founder Tyler Crumrine for a discussion about their collaboration on this exciting new game. We dive into the sentence-based mechanics, how players might imagine their own version of Realis, and where this project fits into the large slate of upcoming Possible Worlds releases.
Brian and Elliot are joined by Lone Archivist, layout designer known for their work on DIE, Orbital Blues, Hull Breach and more. We discuss the fundamentals of good layout, why white space is just as important as content, and how to hone your layout skills from your first indesign session.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Lone Rec...
Brian and Elliot are joined by Caldwell Tanner, co-founder and cast member of Not Another D&D Podcast and the GM of their season Trinyvale X Strahd. We talk about how the team has avoided burnout and stayed excited over 8 years of making NADDPOD, how they approached a famous module for this latest series, and what new TTRPG systems Elliot and Brian think Caldwell should play next.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis...
In our first ever video episode, Brian and Elliot are joined by Stellaluna, an actual play producer, performer, and graphic designer to discuss our brand new Talk of the Table video overlays. Along the way, we discuss the secrets of good overlay design, producing streamed actual play, and how to be an effective producer for sponsored actual play.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Brian and Elliot are joined by Tim Denee, a game designer who wears several creative hats in his making of projects like Deathmatch Island and the upcoming Blades ‘68. We dive into how Blades ‘68 expands on the beloved world of Blades in the Dark, where this ambitious new supplement began, and how Tim balances all of the various creative roles it takes to make a book of this scope.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Ell...
Brian and Elliot are joined by Watt, the designer of Cloud Empress, to discuss designing inside established systems, Ghibli-inspired games, and their latest project Rust Wings.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Tim Recommends:
Our Links:
Credits:
Edited by Elliot D...
In the final episode of our Zine Month 2026 series we’re diving into the Mork Borg universe with two great takes on the Borg style.
[Ad-free feed and bonus episodes available on Patreon]
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Back Murker of Morks
Back Dead Internet Theory
Murker of Morks
Nishaant on Bluesky
In the third episode of our Zine Month 2026 series, we are discussing deception, tarot, and jenga towers and how you can tell stories of corporate horror over Slack.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Back Lie to Him
Back W.F.H.
Lie to Him
Michelle on Bluesky
Michelle Recommends: One-Page TTRPG Bundle Volume #2
EUphoria - How to Play Lie to Him
W.F.H.
Dan on Ti...
In our second Zine Month 2026 special episode, Brian and Elliot are talking about gun-toting axolotls and doomed heroes fighting corruption.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Back Axolotl With A Gun
Back Blightfall
Axolotl With a Gun
Bri on Bluesky
Jon on Bluesky
Bri Recommends: Food & Evil by Goosepoop Games
Jon Recommends: The Bottle Epi...
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