Vox Arcana
Vox Arcana is a Dungeons & Dragons podcast about game design, philosophy, storytelling, and role playing, from the perspective of three different Dungeon Masters.
Adversaries are essential in all roleplaying games. Here’s how to make those enemies strike fear into the hearts of all PCs!
The post #66 Building Better Monsters appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
We heard hot takes are selling like hot cakes, so we decided to assemble a few of our own. Here’s our spicy, scalding, blazing hot takes about D&D and tabletop RPGs.
The post #65 Hot Takes appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
This episode we dive into gruesome injuries, lingering effects, and how to make combat more scary and less trivial.
The post #64 Lasting Consequences appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Friend of the pod Matt Corley returns to talk about module design, historical fiction, and the tabletop RPG community coming together during crisis.
The post #63 Interview with Matt Corley appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Do you prefer your sessions bustling with players piled around the table or a smaller scale, more intimate experience?
The post #62 Large Parties vs. Small Parties appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
From world building to scene description, an element of mystery can make any game better.
The post #61 Mystery & Intrigue appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
When the players aren’t traversing dungeons or slaying monsters, they do all sorts of other things...
The post #60 Downtime appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Sadly, episode #59 is lost, but instead you'll hear one of our Patreon bonus episodes where Will tells us about his first total party kill.
The post #59 [Bonus] Post-Total Party Kill appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
In this episode William, Jake, and David go through tips and tricks for creating an amazing sandbox for your players to play in.
The post #58 Sandbox Games appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
The times, they are 'a changin'! Before the new year, we look back at our favorite moments and important lessons from 2019, as well as looking forward to the future in perhaps our most introspective episode yet.
The post #57 2019 Year in Review appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
William, Jake, and David discuss a controversial gameplay philosophy to solve D&D's biggest problem: Scheduling!
The post #56 Running an Open Table appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Collaboration plays a central part in every single tabletop RPG, so in this episode, dungeon masters William, Jake, and David dive into how to best collaborate with players from character creation to story arcs to mind control.
The post #55 Collaborating with Players appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Note taking? Game prepping? Improve your techniques in this week’s round-table discussion that will surely reduce the amount of time you spend wasting on prep!
The post #54 Game Preparation appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
This episode we get downright theological as William, Jake, and David dive into all things divine in roleplaying games.
The post #53 Deities and Religion appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
In this episode William, Jake, and David dive into Matt Colville’s D&D 5e supplement Strongholds & Followers and see where it fits in the D&D product ecosystem.
The post #52 Strongholds & Followers appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Dirty pirates, cunning smugglers, beautiful port cities, horrors from the depths – this episode is all about maritime campaigns and what makes them great!
The post #51 High Seas Adventures appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
For our 50th episode, we add more thoughts on to our very first episode and delve back into the topic of dungeons!
The post #50 Advanced Dungeons appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
This episode is devoted to those little numbers, their importance, and character stats’ overall effect on the game.
The post #49 Ability Scores appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Listen up, players! It’s time to up your roleplaying game.
The post #48 Roleplaying as a Player appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
There’s more to being a Dungeon Master than drawing maps and writing notes; don’t forget to roleplay!
The post #47 Roleplaying as a Dungeon Master appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
What’s the fastest way to play D&D? In a one-shot, of course!
The post #46 One-Shots appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
This episode is an interview with game designer Matt Corley, where we dive into how to infuse horror in tabletop RPGs, general game design, and the tabletop gaming industry.
The post #45 Horror and RPG Design with Matt Corley appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
When adventuring, death is always a possibility...
The post #44 Character Death appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Jake, William, and David discuss the importance of magic and the effects magic has on roleplaying, worldbuilding, and gameplay.
The post #43 Magic! appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
The question vault was filling up with listener questions, so we decided to devote this entire episode to answer some of them.
The post #42 The Question Vault Strikes Back! appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
The post #41 Star Wars Roleplaying appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
This week's episode is an interview with graphic designer and magic item creator Griffin Macaulay.
The post #40 Creating Magic Items (Interview with Griffin Macaulay) appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
This episode we dive into experience systems, level ranges, and how to best allow the players to progress.
The post #39 Leveling, Progression, & Experience appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
We dig into how to create post-apocalyptic worlds and ways to build adventures in worlds altered by cataclysms.
The post #38 Post-Apocalyptic Settings appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
It’s time to organize ourselves into combat order and take turns discussing combat rules and their alternatives.
The post #37 Initiative appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
In this episode, we look at how create compelling factions and how to use them effectively at your table.
The post #36 Factions & Organizations appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
There’s a game designer inside all GMs, but everyone needs a little help sometimes. Here are our best practices for making house rules!
The post #35 House Rules appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Signing a deal with the devil can't be that bad, right? Enjoy our discussion about warlock patrons, abilities, and character concepts!
The post #34 The Warlock Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
From dice rolls, to random tables, to the players themselves, unpredictability is a huge part of role-playing games.
The post #33 Randomness appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
This episode is all about the origins of D&D and the moral panic surrounding the game in the 1980s.
The post [BONUS] Dungeons & Dragons and The Satanic Panic appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Holy moley! Bless up and get ready to learn about everyone’s favorite holy warrior that isn’t the Paladin.
The post #32 The Cleric Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
How do we, as Dungeon Masters, convey the tone we want? How do we use music and sound effects to create the perfect atmosphere for our games?
The post #31 Tone, Atmosphere, and Music appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Discussing subclasses, creating backstories, and Jake making a case that Harry Potter is actually a sorcerer.
The post #30 The Sorcerer Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Hulking bosses, set-piece encounters, epic finales.
The post #29 Boss Battles appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Fly into a ferocious rage with us as we examine the 5e barbarian class!
The post #28 The Barbarian Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Since the real world has been mapped out, it’s time to explore our own fantastic worlds!
The post #27 Exploration & Discovery appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
William, Jake, and David explore the fifth edition Druid class by looking at history, analyzing the subclasses, and thinking up some sweet character concepts.
The post #26 The Druid Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
This episode we venture into our mailbag and answer some of your questions!
The post #25 Plundering the Question Vault! appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Grab your best flute and put on your pants, this week the Bard is making us dance!
The post #24 The Bard Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Much has changed in the 40+ years D&D has been around. We discuss the finer points and some major differences between the past and the present.
The post #23 Old School Revival appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Life in a monastery is tough. Carrying buckets of water. Punching through boards. Welcome to our 5e monk class episode!
The post #22 The Monk Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Building worlds is one thing; building cities is another. We discuss our techniques for developing realistic, believable hubs of civilization.
The post #21 Cities & Settlements appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Alone in the wilderness, armed only with a bow and your wits. It’s time we talked about the Ranger!
The post #20 The Ranger Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
We take a little break from D&D this week to discuss our earliest foray into tabletop RPG gaming and the design of our own system: Super Random!
The post #19 The Super Random Experiment appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Say a prayer and pull up a chair, this week it’s all about the Paladin!
The post #18 The Paladin Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Michael & Stephen Stagliano join us from the Tavern of Heroes podcast. We discuss their interest in roleplaying, and in sharing this geeky hobby with our non-gamer family and friends.
The post #17 Conversation with Michael & Stephen Stagliano from Tavern of Heroes appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Are all rogues murderous assassins, or do they have hearts of gold?
The post #16 The Rogue Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Encounters are an integral part of D&D. But not all encounters are created equal! And they aren’t always combat, either.
The post #15 Encounter Building appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Unimaginable arcane power. Bending reality to suit your will. This is the story of the Wizard.
The post #14 The Wizard Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
We talk about improving this vague and occasionally delightful concept as well as dig into systems for morality and ethics in role-playing games.
The post #13 Alignment & Morality appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
This week, we begin our analysis of each class from fifth edition D&D, starting with the fighter.
The post #12 The Fighter Class appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Are you new to D&D? Here’s our guide to what you'll need, how to prepare, and general advice for making your first session the best it can be!
The post #11 Getting Started appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
Villains are a vital part of all good stories.
The post #10 Villains, Antagonists, & Bad Guys appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
We discuss how to develop unique and interesting character backstories, including techniques that go beyond the Player’s Handbook.
The post #09 Backgrounds appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
We discuss different reward systems, from the common to the obscure.
The post #08 Treasure & Magic Items appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
It wouldn’t be D&D without monsters to kill. In this episode, we discuss different types of monsters and how to make monsters an even better part of your game.
The post #07 Monsters appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
The post #05 Non-Player Characters appeared first on Orbital Jigsaw.
