Characters Without Stories

Rowan Zeoli brings Petty Dreadful to the table. Petty is a rage-fueled, attention-seeking drag queen Playing to Win.

Rowan and I discuss gender performance, radical imagination, and the parallels between reality television and actual plays.

Petty Dreadful is built for Deathmatch Island by Tim Denee.

Rowan Zeoli is a journalist covering the intersection of progressive thought and niche cultural movements. She is co-founder of Rascal Ne...

Andrew Beauman brings Sarge and Norma to the table, and we create Harmony together. Sarge, Norma, and Harmony are survivors of a spaceship crash hoping to make it back out of orbit.

Andrew and I discuss troupe-style mechanics and playing multiple characters - and how that changes the way we create characters. We discuss finding empathy through TTRPGs and learning that not everything is made for our perspective.

These characters are b...

Taylor brings Captain Aria Godey to the table. Captain Aria is a pirate who touched a gold piece that is slowly consuming her and turning her into gold.

Taylor and I discuss belonging as a Black creator in the TTRPG space, learning to accept that plus size bodies can be desired, and how cosplay informs character building.

This character is built for Thirsty Sword Lesbians by April Kit Walsh.

Taylor is a Black variety content creator a...

WIll Malkus brings Chase Cameron, aka Showtime, to the table. Chase is a teenager who recently became a superhero when he found a watch that can stop time.

Will and I nerd out on comics, deconstruct the women in refrigerators trope, and discuss how TTRPGs let us play out better futures.

This character is built for Masks: a New Generation by Brendan Conway.

Will Malkus is an ex librarian, ex music journalist, ex photographer, and curre...

Justin Gagliani brings Jessica Jeroux to the table. Jessica is a drow trans woman pursuing knowledge of lost civilizations.

Justin and I discuss what it means to be a trans woman in gender-segregated drow society, learning to explore and express your gender, and the narrative implications of D&D mechanics. 

This character is built for D&D 5e.

Justin Gagliani is a co host of the So You Want to Be a Dungeon Master podcast, a TTR...

Blerdy Disposition brings Chris Strausman to the table. Chris is a Twitch streamer with a lot of growing up to do, searching Reddit and relying on his followers to find his missing sister.

Blerdy and I compare Lovecraftian horrors to YouTube comments, discuss the importance of being there for your community, both in and out of character, and talk about growing up in a landscape of social isolation and internet-only friendships.

This ...

Content Warning this episode for brief mentions of forced sterilization (49:03-49:53) and death of a child (57:40-57:48).

DJ BeeZee brings Everett Nichols to the table. Everett is a union man, through and through, who defends those closest to him.

DJ and I discuss healing from generational trauma, the union history of Appalachia, and how finding player agency in TTRPGs can be cathartic when we lack agency in our lives.

This ...

Adrian Lawrence brings Don Rigals to the table. Don is a fur-obsessed secret communist delving into New York's underground to find his brother.

Adrian and I discuss being outspoken about your political values, the power of representation, and not being "Mexican enough."

This character is built for Call of Cthulhu.

AC Lawrence is a Mexican-American DM who co-hosts a podcast named Dungeons & Degrees, where he intervie...

I've been bringing characters without stories and the creators who made them to the table for TWO YEARS! It felt like a good time to get reflective and talk about something I've been working on - diversifying my guests and the games we talk about.

I also did a two year anniversary giveaway - tune in to find out who won!

Send us a text

Cover art by The Curiographer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecuriogr...

Content warning this episode for discussions of sexual assault and sexual harassment. We don’t go into any detail, but if this topic is a trigger for you, I recommend you skip it.

Alejandra Wilhelm brings Reyna to the table. Reyna is a fierce and loyal barbarian hiding her identity from the archfey her father sold her to.

Alejandra and I discuss parasociality, bad behavior on Discord, and roleplay on TikTok. We also talk ab...

Juicy Garland brings Grammarye Praise-God Winthrop to the table. Grammarye is a teenage witch and the black sheep of a family with a 400 year vendetta against the Salem Witch Trial judges who killed their ancestor.

Juicy and I share our love for witchy touchstones like The Craft and The Witch (or as we say The VVitch), sympathize with Grammarye's desperate attempts at validation, and discuss how roleplaying in actual plays is d...

Savannah Rayne brings Kit to the table. Kit is a con woman on the run in disguise as a man, who finds family and the confidence to harness her innate magic on a pirate ship. 

Savannah and I discuss roleplaying away from a table in private chat and public cosplay. We also talk about Savannah's two favorite tropes - found family and the sorcerer gaining the confidence to wield her magic.

This character is built for D&...

Navaar Seik-Jackson brings Oba Manu to the table. Oba is a dad who wants nothing more than to live the simple life, but is pulled back into adventuring for "one last job." 

Navaar and I discuss having a family both at and away from the table, needing to protect your family while avoiding violence - and how scary that can be as a Black father, and power fantasies. Navaar also convinces me to play Pathfinder.
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Stephan Kelly brings Lancelot to the table. Lance is a blind martial artist in a coven of witches, doing his best to leave the world a little bit better than when he found it.

Stephan and I discuss building a character while you're building the system, testing the limits of system mastery, and an unfortunate jousting accident.

This character is built for Coven and Crucible, a game created by Stephan, his wife roach, and his daug...

Grant brings Orco the Magnificent to the table. Orco is not a very good wizard, but he gives it his best shot.

Grant and I discuss religious trauma, high school theater, and the opposite of min-maxing.

This character is built for D&D5e.

Grant Nordine is the titular game master of Game Master Monday and the guide for Bella's Comet. Grant is an award-winning actor and writer with stage, film, music, and podcasting credits. As t...

Tori Fica brings Tendertwig to the table. Tendertwig is a Leshy Oracle who moves through life with the confidence of a child - because they are actually only 1 year old.

Tori and I discuss the freedom of playing a character utterly devoid of imposter syndrome, how being cute is a special ability, and playing a literal baby.

This character is built for Pathfinder 2e.

Tori Fica is a TTRPG enthusiast, actual...

Chriss brings Rhan Halvard to the table. Rhan was a wizard who became a revenant in the service of Istus when her attempt to change her fate had unexpectedly dire results.

Chriss and I discuss death, grief, and catharsis, the role of fate in a fantasy story where gods are real, and how much backstory you truly need.

This character is built for D&D5e.

Chriss Knight is a life long creative who found her calling with D&D in colle...

Sam Dunnewold brings Exit to the table. Exit is a scavenger living on the edges of a dangerous psychic mist and a society that demands they conform.

Sam and I discuss building a character within the context of a post apocalyptic world, being brave because you have to be, and transparency in gaming.

This character is built for Apocalypse World by D. Vincent and Maguey Baker.
http://apocalypse-world.com

Sam Dunnewold is a Minnesotan...

Aetherius brings Riley Howard/Jean Pierre Baptiste to the table. Riley is a Ministry kindred masquerading as Jean-Pierre, a Toreador in the Camarilla.

Aetherius and I discuss being your authentic self, being the only Black player at the table, and writing strong yet flawed Black women.

This character is built for Vampire the Masquerade 5e published by Renegade Game Studios.

Aetherius Bordeaux is your new favorite Vampire Himbo. He is ...