Dice in Mind

Hang on, because this week we bring you a MEGASODE follow-up interview with Jim Johnson, accomplished author and project lead for Star Trek Adventures with Modiphius.  We specifically asked Jim if he would offer a workshop of sorts on how to pitch and write for the new missions briefs so popular with Star Trek Adventures.  We went long, but we think you will agree it was worth it.  Enjoy!

Please check out Jim's oeuvre with and beyond Modiphius:

Scribe Ineti: Jim Johnson's Writing Pistols and Pyramids Star Trek Adventures

Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series, the Potomac Shadows series, and other prose fiction series currently under development.  He has written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and paper roleplaying game companies, including Modiphius (Star Trek Adventures), Decipher (The Lord of the Rings RPG), and White Wolf (Mage: The Ascension).  Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, toddler, and a pair of crazy cats.

Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs!  In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.

If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron.  You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.

Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).

This week we chat again with friend of the podcast Malcolm Sheppard, developer at large with Green Ronin, who joins us to talk about his work on the new Cthulhu Awakens.  We also talk at length regarding the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the table and the importance of actively working against racism in RPGs.

Please check out Cthulhu Awakens:

Cthulhu Awakens

Green Ronin developer at large Malcolm Sheppard has over 20 years of experience in the RPG industry as a writer, designer, and developer, starting with work on the Mage: The Ascension line for White Wolf.  His other credits include work on Exalted, Shadowrun, Scion, Vampire: The Masquerade, numerous Chronicles of Darkness titles, Blue Rose, and Fantasy AGE.  Now at Green Ronin, his work focuses on the Modern AGE RPG, along with other AGE system works, though he's also developed Ork! The Roleplaying Game, and performed writing and editing duties for the Sword Chronicle RPG.  Malcolm lives in Ontario, Canada, and coaches historical fencing (rapiers and longswords and such) on the side.  

Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs!  In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.

If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron.  You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.

Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).

We are very pleased to speak this week with Beth and Jonathan Ball, most notably the creators of D&D Duet.  We think you will find them to be as sweet as they are creative, which is really saying something.  Sidebar: It was Beth and Jonathan's work that helped us get into D&D a few years ago.

Please check out and purchase the creative work of Beth and Jonathan Ball:

D&D Duet Grove Guardian Press Patreon Buy Beth's books direct Find Buried Heroes wherever books are sold  

Beth Ball is a weaver of words and worlds spinning stories of druidic magic and the power of nature that span the epic fantasy realms of Azuria and Eldura. If you enjoy lyrical tales of action and adventure, dragons, werewolves, fae, wily foxes, and more, then grab your enchanted amulet, flaming longsword, poisoned dagger, or other mystical accessory of choice, and let’s start our journey together!

When she’s not writing fantasy fiction, Beth is a tabletop RPG designer and a literary scholar. Her academic work focuses on contemporary novels that encourage readers to find agency and empowerment in their approach to nature and their impact on the natural world, and her TTRPG adventures incorporate lots of druids.

In addition to her writing work, Beth also has experience as an editor on several scholarly texts including revising her university’s introductory literature textbook.

Jonathan Ball is an educational coach for first-year teachers and an education consultant. He’s passionate about empowering teachers so they can, in turn, empower their students.  

When he’s not working on lesson plans, grading, or learning more about education best practices, you can usually find him playing D&D with Beth or creating D&D content, either for their patrons, DMsGuild, or their home game. Between all of these things, he makes sure to work in time for entertaining their two silly labradors and for strength training.

 

Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs!  In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.

If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron.  You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.

Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).

This week we pause between interview series to look back at the 80s and how the creativity and future-thinking of that decade continues to influence us, society, and the world of RPGs.  We also talk about how the character of Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: TNG was so impactful to us growing up.  Finally, we share some book recommendations and beg for the sourcebooks we would like to see!

Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs!  In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.

If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron.  You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.

Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).

We're going long!  Episode 45 falls on the one-year anniversary of our first episode.  For this special episode, we are grateful to share with you our interview with Jim Johnson, accomplished author and project lead for Star Trek Adventures with Modiphius.  There is a lot to this episode, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Please check out Jim's oeuvre with and beyond Modiphius:

Scribe Ineti: Jim Johnson's Writing Pistols and Pyramids Star Trek Adventures

Jim Johnson is the author of the Pistols and Pyramids series, the Potomac Shadows series, and other prose fiction series currently under development.  He has written sundry other pieces of fiction, including several stories published in the Star Trek universe, and has freelanced for pen and paper roleplaying game companies, including Modiphius (Star Trek Adventures), Decipher (The Lord of the Rings RPG), and White Wolf (Mage: The Ascension).  Jim lives in historic Alexandria, VA with his wife, toddler, and a pair of crazy cats.

Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs!  In each episode, we will consider everyday stuff like science, religion, philosophy, and economics…through the lens of a specific roleplaying game and its dice mechanic.

If you like what you hear, consider buying us a cup of coffee or becoming a patron.  You can also join the conversation by following us on Facebook.

Music by Kevin McCloud courtesy of Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 license (https://www.youtube.com/c/kmmusic/featured).

Episode 45 Teaser