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 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 Brian Flaherty.
Li...
(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.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Da...
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 Recommends...
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 and ...
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 Elliot Davis and Bri...
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.
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Tim Recommends:
Our Links:
Credits:
Edited by Elliot Davis
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 TikTok
Tyler o...
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 Episode by Spilled C...
In our first Zine Month 2026 special episode, Brian and Elliot are joined by Robin Ekberg and Dillin Apelyan, the designers behind Rise, Wizards! and All’s Fair respectively. We discuss their two-game project collaboration with Elliot/moreblueberries, the unique dice-stacking and worldbuilding mechanics of Rise, Wizards!, and why All’s Fair is simultaneously important, challenging, and joyful to bring into the world right now.
Brian and Elliot are joined by Sam Carr, the creator and illustrator of The Eternal Ruins to discuss his approach to world building and how an art project became the latest TTRPG from Mythworks.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Back The Eternal Ruins on Kickstarter
Download The Eternal Ruins Quickstart
Sam Recommends:
Our Links:
Brian and Elliot are joined by Nat Mesnard, a game designer, professor, and co-founder of Scryptid Games and Unquiet Games. We discuss their latest game Assemblage and how they approach GM-less game design.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Nat Recommends:
Our Links:
Brian and Elliot are joined by Andy Boyd, owner of Pandion Games and game designer behind such beloved titles as Badger & Coyote, Substratum Protocol, and his latest Midnight Muscadines. We dig into how Andy built Pandion with 12 page zines, what makes a game a “Pandion game”, and how to level up your TTRPG business slowly and smartly.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Brian and Elliot are joined by Jasmin Malave, cast member of the touring live show The Twenty Sided Tavern. We dig into what Jasmin has learned over 250+ performances, how the show has changed over the years, and where this live experience sits on the spectrum of actual play.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
Links:
Jasmin Recommends:
“Confidence is...
Elliot and Brian are joined by Kendrick Smith, creator of the award-winning actual play Tales Yet Told. We dig into how Kendo has used multiple seasons and TTRPG systems to create “The Sublime”, a shared universe that is built and refined through play. Along the way, we talk about intentional storytelling through actual play, the motivations behind why we make art, and what is next for the Sublime on Tales...
Elliot and Brian are joined by Devon Chulick, founder and CEO of StartPlaying, the largest online platform for players to find TTRPGs and Professional GMs. We discuss how the platform is allowing GMs to make a living in tabletop roleplaying games, how StartPlaying can help expand the hobby and introduce new games, and the power of community created through play.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.
...
Elliot and Brian are joined by Connie Chang and Sea Thomas, the creative duo behind the award winning actual play Transplanar RPG. We dive deep on the use of dramaturgy in actual play: how it weaves the wants and needs of players and GM, how it informs safe artistic storytelling in a noncolonial anti-orientalist multiverse, and how it supports long-term actual play in Transplanar’s The Chaos Protocol.
In this Talk of the Table Roundtable special, Brian & Elliot sit down with Dr. Emily Friedman, Quintin Smith aka ‘Quinns’, and Brennan Lee Mulligan for a discussion on pedagogic actual play. We dig into whether or not actual play is the best tool for teaching games, how we understand skill and learning in TTRPGs and beyond, and who our imagined student is when thinking of actual play as a teaching tool.
Elliot and Brian are joined by Jack Caesar of Caesar Ink, the team behind TTRPG adaptations of beloved IPs like My Little Pony, Discworld, and Labyrinth. We dig into how to approach IP-based games, how to treat adapted properties with respect even if you’re not a typical fan, and how working on licensed games informs Caesar Ink’s work on the original world of Doomsong.
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