Next in our first line-up of sci fi RPGs, we get to play a really exciting game in our catalogue – Freemarket by Luke Crane and Jared Sorenson. This is a system-forward, reputation-driven game that’s brilliant and notoriously opaque, at least at the outset. FreeMarket runs like an open-world sandbox. Your choices broadcast to the network; the network pushes back. Stakes aren’t hit points but status, access, and who will work with you tomorrow. The game excels in long-form play, but this session spotlights the core loop: scenes framed by goals, conflicts resolved without binary pass/fail, and consequences that reshape what you can credibly do next. We run a short actual play to show that loop in action while Scott lays the groundwork so you can see how it operates. We close with tools you can lift for any RPG: treat social capital as a resource, let player-defined objectives pull content, and use mechanics that reward collaboration while still pricing trade-offs. If the setting or rules feel unintuitive, this episode makes them legible—and immediately useful at your table. 00:00 Character Creation 16:25 Scene Development 24:00 Initial discussion about “The Brand” 42:30 “The Hand That Feeds You” 70:20 “Party With Dodger” 85:25 “Desperate Search for Attention” 98:50 “Right Place, Right Falafel” 110:55 Endgame 121:00 Reflecting on Freemarket For podcasts, articles and more, visit ModernMythology.net

All four hosts join the table as Scott storyguides Trinity Continuum: Æon by Onyx Path, marking the first full-group session in our sci-fi series. We put the Storypath system through its paces, showing how Attributes + Skills shape scene pacing and spotlight moments, while smart resource management heightens tension and demands sharper decision-making. It’s a clear demonstration of our story-meets-mechanics approach—and a preview of the tone and tempo you’ll see in our live-streamed sci-fi campaign launching October 2025. Canon note: for the online campaign, the mission-briefing org is The Directive, not “Aegis,” to align with Trinity canon. Themes Discussed: 00:02:40 A piece of history 00:15:20 Actual Play - What are we doing here? 00:18:15 The crew of the Keres 00:23:20 Karu V 00:27:55 The Away Team 00:56:00 Planetfall 01:21:16 Day 2 - Second Wave 01:42:24 Recap of StoryPath System For podcasts, articles and more, visit ModernMythology.net

Recorded just before Episode 13 (Echoes of the Veil), this session has Scott running Mind the Gap—Emanoel Melo’s compact introduction to CBR+PNK—for James and Sean. The pamphlet delivers a self-contained cyberpunk heist in the Forged-in-the-Dark lineage, offering both a crash course in the system’s flow and a taste of its sharp, high-pressure style. We used it as a baseline for comparison with Raffi’s expanded version in Episode 13, highlighting what the core rules do well, where questions remain, and how the system might evolve when stretched into longer form play. Topics Discussed: 00:01:15 Getting started with Characters 00:17:30 Getting started with Play 00:20:35 Car 18 00:21:38 Determine the package 00:23:32 The first thing that happens... 01:08:10 Entering Car 19 01:16:00 The lights turn red 01:19:00 Change direction! 01:23:00 Car 17 01:28:00 Car 16 -- turned around? 01:34:04 The Simulacrum 01:35:14 The bunny is a virus 01:47:46 Deliver to car 12 01:49:52 Denoumont -- Crispr doesn't actually have a family, Diz has terminal cancer 01:55:08 Discussion on CBR+PNK and some comparisons with BitD For podcasts, articles and more, visit ModernMythology.net

Jamie and Scott dig into how we’re all wired to find creativity in different ways. This is a critical part of the process. Not only are we talking about how structure drives us all differently but communicating those expectations at the table. We circle back to some ideas we referenced early on and begin our exploration of OSR ideas and GNS. For more on the discussion of System and Style check out James' article series, Rules in Practice and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Intro 03:54 - Structure vs tyranny of the blank page 05:55 - Fiction First 07:15 - the Social Contract 11:15 - Game Design with Luke Crane & Thor Olavsrud https://www.youtube.com/live/ZSUuHnsCma0?si=Uaeal9Gs77jgc1Tx 12:00 - GNS 13:45 - Save the Cat https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/save-the-cat-beat-sheet/ 14:40 - Structure generating creativity vs. restricting creativity 16:40 - Investment in story vs characters 17:35 - Kishōtenketsu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kishōtenketsu 20:25 - Player agendas 21:20 - Verisimilitude in RPGs https://www.meeplemountain.com/articles/verisimilitude-how-believability-creates-a-more-engaging-rpg/ 25:35 - the fruitful void https://rpgmuseum.fandom.com/wiki/Fruitful_void 25:25 - GM responsibility to contextualize 27:00 - Torchbearer https://www.torchbearerrpg.com 30:15 - Consequences to feed narrative 31:50 - Play by vibe 34:14 - Relationship of character to story 36:50 - What players bring to the table 42:45 - Not everybody is a creative writer 46:00 - Real life experience + playing well in a rpg 51:45 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LitRPG LitRPG

Long‑time friend of the show and gamer Johnathan Lee drops in as we crack open Mothership, the d100 panic engine from Tuesday Knight Games. A brisk build phase shows how quickly you can assemble a potentially doomed crew. Then we plunge through a five‑scene drift where hull plates groan and heartbeat monitors spike. Note the scenes that kicked off TOMBS (Transgression, Omens, Manifestation, Banishment, Slumber). Afterward we really begin to dig into some of the push and pull between mechanics and story and how we see different games engage with the material in a different manner, potentially creating very different results even between similar scenarios. For more on the discussion of System and Style check out James' article series, Rules in Practice on ModernMythology.net. More installments in this series to come. Topics Discussed: Mothership AP 00:01:00 Setting 00:07:00 Characters & System Briefing 00:16:40 So it begins - Transgression 00:28:45 Stasis Pods 00:38:00 The Cockpit 00:40:10 Check the Bounty 00:46:00 Waking the Captain - Omens 01:02:00 Run Ship Diagnostics 01:10:15 Enter the Chapel 01:17:15 Engine Room 01:26:00 Gear Up 01:30:15 Space Flames - Manifestation 01:34:50 Shut It Down! 01:46:10 “Perhaps Battle Dress is in order" 01:50:10 VacSuits 01:52:20 Freedom! 01:59:00 Solar Pilgrimage 02:10:00 Panic 02:14:45 Ultimatum - Banishment 02:15:00 Controlled Burn - Slumber 02:27:30 Wrap Up Deconstructing Mothership and System/Style discussion 02:32:00 Execution 03:00:00 Exposition 03:07:00 Evolution For podcasts, articles and more, visit ModernMythology.net

On this special episode we bring fellow Philadelphia-based designer Raffi onboard to explore Echoes of the Veil, a new expansion that turns the Forged in the Dark masterwork of design CBR+PNK into a quick-fire mini-campaign engine. We jump straight into character creation, unpacking the new runner-growth track and "Weird" options, modular downtime boards, and other Veil-specific mechanics along the way—smart add-ons that deepen play without slowing the momentum that made CBR+PNK a cult favorite. Expect tight action, abrupt pivots, and a city that pushes back as hard as you lean in. After the session we dive into a far-ranging discussion of style, system, and all things RPG. Listen now, grab free sample pages, and back Echoes of the Veil on Kickstarter to keep indie cyberpunk thriving. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thedreamcreative/echoes-of-the-veil-cbr-pnk-expansion-and-worldbuilding and and some sample content at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/519364/echoes-of-the-veil Heartfelt thanks for joining us, Raffi. Go support this fantastic creator! Topics Discussed: Echoes of the Veil Actual Play 00:02:30 Character Creation 00:13:37 Safety and Guidelines 00:14:29 Background 00:24:00 The Drop 00:30:55 The Toll 00:39:40 Break & Entry 01:17:00 The Twist 01:28:10 The House of Po-Po 02:01:45 Epilogue Interview Raffi 02:13:35 What have we been playing? Traveler Character Generator https://www.batintheattic.com/traveller/ 02:28:00 Digging into process with Raffi 02:38:30 Inspiration 02:49:14 Bringing The CBR to our PNK 02:53:15 Get your gamism on For podcasts, articles and more, visit ModernMythology.net

Episode 12 welcomes clinical-tech nerd—and lifelong D&D DM—Sean, deepening the Modern Mythology bench to four hosts. (Sean, James, and Scott are on-mic this time). A quick opening discussion uncovers Sean’s gaming roots and, in the process, reveals some of how each host hacks rules at the table, a topic we will surely return to. Scott—who has logged hundreds of systems—champions underrated mechanics and explains why he drifts from Dungeons & Dragons even as the podcast keeps circling back; Sean defends single-system mastery; James moderates the middle ground. With philosophies compared, the crew jumps to the Third Horizon for Free League’s Middle-Eastern space opera Coriolis for a short actual play. Two linked scenes showcase the streamlined dice-pool engine and its signature tension lever—Darkness Points, a GM resource that turns player pushes into creeping cosmic peril—setting the stage for the show’s new, sci-fi-focused chapter. Check out our YouTube channel for a development discussion about Coriolis. (Trigger warning: suicide) Topics Discussed: 00:00 Meeting Sean 00:05:03 Characters on the fly 00:06:20 Resource management 00:09:50 System experience 00:23:05 Minis & the Grid 00:26:10 Coriolis AP 00:38:16 Character discussions 00:46:55 Scene one - Pinned down 01:02:25 Scene Two - Divide and conquer 01:20:49 Scene Three - The getaway 01:23:15 Scene Four - The sacrifice 02:02:40 Debrief For podcasts, articles and more, visit ModernMythology.net

Our horror TTRPG spotlight winds down—for now. Jamie, Mark, and Scott unpack game mechanics that subtly shape pacing and tension, exploring ritual framing, partial successes, player-facing rolls, and objective-driven rewards. We also discuss two cult-favorite horror rpgs we haven’t covered before—Unknown Armies and Kult—before diving into a brisk (~30-minute) actual play of Don’t Rest Your Head. Topics Discussed: 01:30 Podcast milestone 05:59 Honorable mentions 09:25 Unknown Armies 23:00 Kult 40:30 Applying these ideas at the table 66:20 Don’t Rest Your Head — actual play 88:40 DRYH debrief 90:00 More games we love 100:00 What’s next? Listen on ModernMythology.net or your favorite podcatcher, and catch more from Scott about Unknown Armies on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ModernMythologyRPGPodcast Keep an eye out for upcoming articles from James exploring play style versus system on the Modern Mythology blog.

In Episode 10, Mark, Jamie, and Scott follow up our discussion on story-facing design by zeroing in on player spotlight: who talks when, who takes control of a moment, and how game systems shape pacing and participation. This episode asks a simple but essential question—how do you decide who gets the scene? From GM-led framing to player-initiated action, from systems that distribute authority to those that leave it to group consensus, we discuss how spotlight is shared, negotiated, or wrestled for. It’s not just about giving everyone equal time—it’s about making every moment count, and using mechanics to support scenes that land with emotional clarity and narrative weight. Topics Discussed: 00:00 What is the “spotlight “ about 00:03 “Splitting the party” 00:09 Character perspective 00:11 Player vs character 00:22 Systems that drive spotlight 00:43 When dice drive spotlight 00:47 Player driven spotlight 01:04 Scenes and pacing

We sat down with Sacha Lightfoot of Slightly Reckless Games to talk all things Ronin—a brutal, beautiful RPG about masterless samurai and the weight of honor. We dig into where the game came from, what makes it sing, and why we think OSR games are SHITE (clickbait, we actually don't). Sacha shares what’s next from SRG, and we get into how Ronin adapts and builds on Mörk Borg’s core concepts. There’s death, duty, and just enough darkness to feel real. As always, we talk theme, tone, and what we’re really chasing in an RPG. Stick around for a preview of our Ronin Actual Play with the Late Night Marauders, and don’t miss the chance to back SRG’s upcoming expansion, Densetsu. Also, check out Scott’s StartPlaying page for weekly Ronin sessions—featuring both original and published scenarios: https://startplaying.games/gm/myth-forged Topics Discussed: 2:00 What are we working on 8:10 Slightly Reckless Games 17:20 Lets talk about Ronin 23:40 Death and Resurrection 32:30 Exploring OSR 40:10 Honor System 46:00 Densetsu Kickstarter on its final week https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slightlyreckless/ronin-densetsu 53:00 Third Party Development for Ronin 58:00 Ronin Actual Play excerpt (1 hour) of module 13 Demons of Akuma Saizo by John Ossaway. For podcasts, articles and more visit ModernMythology.net

Here is our inaugural conversation about story structure and the ways both system and choice shape our RPG sessions. In this episode, we focus on the classic three-act structure—how it translates into collaborative, improvised play over the course of an ongoing campaign, or within individual sessions. We explore a few core questions: Where does the responsibility for story lie in an RPG? What games drive narrative through structure, and how do they do it? How can we think differently about the formulas we bring to the table? Our goal is to offer several ways to create story in nearly any type of game, including those without explicit narrative mechanics. This is the beginning of a longer conversation about how stories emerge in play, and the different tools we can use to shape them. More to come on this topic, we’re sure. Topics Discussed: 00:01:00 What we’re playing? 00:18:50 Narrative Structure 00:24:00 Site-based games 00:44:42 Sandbox games 01:01:00 Player facing 01:08:00 Story Driven Structures, ie Three Acts 01:10:00 The Inciting Incident 01:19:00 Act Two 01:27:00 Reluctant Heroes 01:29:00 Act Three 01:33:20 Wrapping Up For more podcasts, articles and more visit ModernMythology.net

This is an auxiliary episode highlighting an exciting new story game from Bully Pulpit Games, Zhenya's Wonder Tales, a GMless rpg driven by cards to tell grim slavic-inspired fairy tales. We do our first interview with the game designer, Jason Morningstar - prolific designer of Fiasco, Shab-al-hiri Roach, and Gray Ranks, among others. Check out Zhenya's Wonder Tales on Backerkit - Campaign ends April 4th. Topics Discussed: 00:00:45 Intro 00:07:30 Green and Narrow Bed 00:12:12 Zhenya's Wonder Tales 00:24:00 Art by Momatoes 00:32:20 Safer spaces in rpgs 00:37:25 Explicit stakes in *moves* 00:48:30 No dice? 00:54:00 Interview Wrap-Up @jmstar on social media Actual Play 00:56:20 Rules Read Aloud We ran Zhenya's Wonder Tales in Roll20 01:04:00 Choose characters 01:10:10 Enjoy as we play Zhenya's Wonder Tales For more podcasts, articles and more visit ModernMythology.net

The crew have a conversation about how to convey information at the table. The GMs responsibility and the roles players have to bring the fiction to the game. This is a big topic but we chat about props, failing forward, NPCs and other tools we employ to bring depth and color to our worlds. As usual, our conversation ranges far and wide. 00:01:00 Introducing the ideas 00:07:50 No One Cares About Your Lore (until it becomes part of the story) Enter the Dungeon 00:10:50 Show, Don't Tell Thomas Flight GM Paizo GameMastery Cards I don't think they produce this anymore but you may be able to find aftermarket versions 00:22:10 Bringing It Into the Fiction 00:27:00 Character Backstory 00:39:30 World Lore 00:58:10 More Out of Character Info 01:04:00 The Perception Check 01:11:10 Handouts & Learn from Teachers 01:18:20 Power of “Meta Knowledge" Games we talk about: Dungeon World, Invisible Sun, Trail of Cthulhu, Burning Wheel, Apocalypse World. For more podcasts, articles and more visit ModernMythology.net

The gang has a discussion on structure in TTRPGs. How does structure make a good horror game? How does setting inform players what they can and can’t do? Some examples of story structure in World of Darkness, Invisible Sun, and Dogs in the Vineyard. Then the crew plays a short session of Whispering Vault, Mike Nystul’s 1993 story game inspired by the likes of Hellraiser and Nightbreed. We play it fast and loose but hope we hit in the key elements of play and this intriguing game’s explicit ritualistic structure. Topics: 1:45 Weird forward games 2:25 Is Mark a god? 3:30 Where is the Weird in WoD, Invisible Sun, and Lovecraft Country 6:50 Where is the horror? 11:25 Setting Expectations as Structure: Implicit vs Explicit Structure 23:15 The Illusory World tropes 36:00 Whispering Vault Actual Play 36:30 Character Creation 48:40 System overview 51:10 The Call (game begins) 57:20 Navigation to the Realm Of Flesh 60:00 Dismissing the Guardian 67:57 Creating Your Vessel 72:45 Healing the Enigma 115:38 Binding the Unbidden 116:15 Wrapping Up For more podcasts, articles and more visit ModernMythology.net

In episode 4, Jamie and Scott have a lot to say about agency at the table. Who controls what? Who drives the story? Who narrates die outcomes? Traditionally the GM handles a lot of this but we challenge groups to explore situations where you can hand over a lot of that responsibility. And we discuss over a dozen games that change how we think about agency. Topics: 1:00 Seriousness 3:35 Ginni Di - https://youtu.be/DXUnEk4cuYI?si=M_5Dr4dv_b_E-1vH 4:50 Monte Cook - https://www.montecookgames.com 10:35 Characterization Agency 13:30 Combat 16:24 Losing control of PC 19:00 Blades in the Dark 22:30 metagame 23:40 Invisible Sun 28:00 "Action" Agency 35:00 Torchbearer 37:00 die rolling 42:30 Apocalypse World 44:35 Cypher System 45:35 Plot Agency 52:10 Proactive Roleplaying How To Be a Great GM - https://youtube.com/@howtobeagreatgm?si=Fze0DEXg5gbr456E 54:20 Novel characterization 63:43 John Harper 65:15 Setting canon 66:18 Shock 70:00 Hero Wars & RuneQuest 75:40 Burning Wheel 79:35 "Push-Pull" Agency 90:00 Community & IT Crowd 92:29 Dice adjudicating conversations For more podcasts, articles and more visit ModernMythology.net

In Episode 3 of Modern Mythology, we continue our exploration of horror RPG systems with Chronicles of Darkness, the successor to White Wolf’s World of Darkness and the “new” World of Darkness. While the editions’ lineage may be complex, the system’s core mechanics remain intuitive and accessible. To demonstrate how it plays, we dive into an Actual Play with a simple yet evocative premise: “Your characters work at a 1990s convenience store.” From character creation to the gradual escalation of tension, the scenario unfolds, transforming the ordinary into something unsettlingly extraordinary. At the end we talk a bit about what we learned and the pros and cons of "traditional" RPGs.

In the first episode of Modern Mythology, hosts Scott and James explore how RPGs function as modern myths, blending ancient storytelling structures with collaborative, character-driven gameplay. They discuss how mythology and archetypes inform the way games are created and played, with RPGs often becoming shared narratives that draw from communal ideas and personal creativity. Highlighting the importance of player agency and story structure, they aim to inspire listeners to deepen their approach to games. Future episodes will explore different genres, online versus in-person play, and how RPGs can evolve as a storytelling medium.

In the first episode of Modern Mythology, hosts Scott and James have an introductory discussion about how RPGs function as modern myths, blending ancient storytelling structures with collaborative, character-driven gameplay. We explore how mythology and archetypes inform the way games are created and played, with RPGs often becoming shared narratives that draw from communal ideas and personal creativity. Highlighting the importance of player agency and story structure, they aim to inspire listeners to deepen their approach to games. Future episodes will explore different genres, online versus in-person play, play styles and cultures of play, and how RPGs can evolve as a storytelling medium.