RTFM
By RTFM
RTFM: The Effies
Welcome to the only RPG awards in the world: the Effies.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RaFM: The Tome of NeverWorld
Due to scheduling issues, we've been unable to record a traditional episode of RTFM. So Aaron decides to literally read a fucking manual out loud: The Tome of NeverWorld by Erin Laughlin and Craig Sheeley.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM Interview: Kali Lawrie
We interview game designer Kali Lawrie of Gem Room Games, talking Letters to Sandra, fiber arts, and curation and archival work..
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM Season 6 Finale: Ranking of the Games
Box season is over, so now we must rank the games. Which boxes are best? Which are worst? (They're actually all pretty good.) Plus we announce next season's theme: no game only PDF.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Triangle Agency
You have been selected to work at the Triangle Agency. Game designer Sam Leigh joins us to talk about this corporate horror RPG by Caleb Zane Huett. Is corporate horror for the youths? Does metafiction have a place in RPGs? And who is the yellow voice?!
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: The Zone
Prepare to enter The Zone by Raph D'Amico. We compare the gamefeel of cards versus tables. We talk mutations. And we talk shit about the Southern Reach Trilogy.
We're talking the Possible Worlds series by Tyler Crumrine, six discreet games boxed together. We have them fight to the death until only the best emerges victorious. Just kidding, we loved them all.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM Interview: Austin Walker & Tyler Crumrine
The RTFM interview series continues. We talk to Austin Walker and Tyler Crumrine about Realis, the meaning of "ashcan," and Wawa versus Sheetz.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Possible Worlds Series
We're talking the Possible Worlds series by Tyler Crumrine, six discreet games boxed together. We have them fight to the death until only the best emerges victorious. Just kidding, we loved them all.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Dragonlance Fifth Age
Fantasy soap opera in a box? That's what you get in Dragonlance: Fifth Age. We talk about Dragonlance in general, card-based RPG mechanics, and kender genitals.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: A Guide to Casting Phantoms In the Revolution
Box season continues with A Guide to Casting Phantoms In the Revolution by Adam Vass & Will Jobst. We're talking mechanical crunch in narrative structure, scene-based roleplaying, and breaking Kickstarter.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Pendragon
It's a holiday miracle! This Christmas, we're covering Pendragon, the classic RPG of chivalric knighthood. Can the game split the difference between history and fantasy? What can you learn by staring at bees? And would you like to roll on the cuck table?
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM No Promises: Traveller
Just Aaron today with a stopgap episode covering session planning and playing Traveller. Why run an incomplete game? Is the military bad? How can you get a horse with an exoskeleton?
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Mausritter—The Estate
Today we're covering Mausritter: The Estate, a box set of adventures and setting materials for teeny tiny mice adventures. What makes for a good adventure? Are you a filler-inner or a chipper-awayer? How do you deal with an evil cat wizard?
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM Interview: Daniel Kwan
Today, we interview game designer and podcast Daniel Kwan. We talk games in museums, wuxia movies, and smelly Toronto.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Dragonbane
We're back with another box set. This time, it's the Swedish Drakar och Demoner, or as it's known in English, Dragonbane. Who is this game for? Why can't indie devs get a big box budget? And why am I now keeping track of every person who's ever harmed me?
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Game Design as Practice
A guest had to reschedule, so Max and Aaron had to scramble and invent a whole new schema through which to observe RPG discourse.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: The Green Knight
Books are out, boxes are in. That's the philosophy behind this latest episode, covering the Green Knight starter set, direct from A24.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM Interview: Will Jobst
RTFM is back from hiatus! And this time, it's personal. We'll be alternating our regular book reviews with interviews, and to usher in this new era, we have Will Jobst, designer of Torq and the currently crowdfunding Plasmodics. We talk about game design, learning new skills, and mutants mutants mutants.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Game Design & Immersive Experience
Who even has time to read? Not us! So today, we're talking about our own game design. Then we get sidetracked into discussing immersive experiences.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Let These Mermaids Touch Your Dick Maybe
This episode is brought to you by No-Tell Motel from Bannerless Games, a solo murder mystery game. It rules!
Our sex game trend continues with Let These Mermaids Touch Your Dick Maybe from Riverhouse Games. Want to slap a dildo with a sticky hand? Is it a lyric game? Has anyone played it?
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Monsterhearts 2
This episode is brought to you by VOID 1680 AM by Bannerless Games. It's a solo, playlist-building RPG, and it rules.
We're talking Monsterhearts 2 by Avery Alder, and we're joined by Jay Dragon of Possum Creek Games. Jay claims to know the deep dark truth of Monsterhearts, so who were we to disagree?
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Vice & Violence
This episode is brought to you by Cloud Empress: Life & Death by watt. Back it on Kickstarter now!
The sex continues with Vice & Violence by Rapscallion, an explicitly horny and lewd RPG. The art is great, but is it a good game? (Yes, it's a very good game.)
About the show: Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to. If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Anal Wizards
This episode is brought to you by Cloud Empress: Life & Death by watt. Back it on Kickstarter now!
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Today, we cover ANAL WIZARDS by the Genchi Brothers. It's a comic book, but it's a game. We talk about transgressive art and sex sex sex.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM Brain Power Corollary (Tunnel Goons)
We're currently on hiatus, so here's a Patreon episode that ended up being a sort of prequel to our "Brain Power One" episode. It's about Tunnel Goons by Nate Treme at Highland Paranormal Society.
Thank you to our patrons for making this episode possible! We'll be back in a couple weeks with more content here and in the Patreon.
Also, Thomas Manuel invited us onto the Yes Indie'd podcast! We talked about criticism and reading in the RPG field. Go check it out!
RTFM Season 4 Finale & Ranking of the Games
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
A freewheeling discussion of the themes and lessons of the season: ownership, games criticism, social versus mechanical rules. We discuss what's next for the podcast and, as always, we rank the games.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Errant
This episode is sponsored by The Lost Bay RPG, on Kickstarter now.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
We're joined by Sam Dunnewold of Dice Exploder to cover Errant by Ava Islam, an OSR game that is "rules light, procedure heavy."
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Vermis
This episode is sponsored by The Lost Bay RPG, on Kickstarter now.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Today, we're talking about Vermis, which isn't an RPG. Or is it? We discuss channeling inspirations, prose quality, and why you should read things that are like other things.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Firebrands
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
It's Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands by Meguey Baker & D. Vincent Baker. Returning guest Essay joins us to discuss a game that has been pitched to Max as exactly what he wants. But is it?!
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Dream Askew/Dream Apart
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
We continue on our journey to cure our brains of D&D. This time, our delicious medicine is Dream Askew/Dream Apart by Avery Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum. We recorded it a while back, so I don't remember what else we talked about.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM Brain Power One (PbtA)
Hey, it's the darkest time of the year, and the light of knowledge refuses to shine on our cursed podcast. Thus, instead of reading, we think. In darkness. About what it means to (not) roll those bones.
This one focuses on game design theory, disclaiming dice rolls, and getting out of your comfort zone.
There's an episode 0 of this series over on our Patreon. If you want to do the homework, join us on Discord.
RTFM: D&D 4E
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Look, it's Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition! The last good D&D. We talk digital tools, layout, and doing one thing well.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Keep on the Borderlands
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Dia Lacina is back to talk about more adventure modules. This time, it's that classic Gygax, Keep on the Borderlands. Is it good? Is it horny? Is it colonial? And what's with all these totally normal men?
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Troika!
This episode is brought to you by The Lost Bay's Outer Rim Uprising. Follow the Kickstarter for this cool set of Mothership scenarios and resources!
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Aaron Lim is here to chat about Troika! by Daniel Sell and the Melsonian Arts Council, where game mechanics are lore and inspirations are a compost heap from which oddness blooms.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Principia Apocrypha
This episode is brought to you by The Lost Bay's Outer Rim Uprising. Follow the Kickstarter for this cool set of Mothership scenarios and resources!
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Game designer Chris Bissette joins us to talk about Principia Apocrypha, one of the cornerstone documents of the Old School Revival (OSR) movement. What is the OSR? What use can non-OSR gamers get from it?
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: RuneQuest
This episode is brought to you by The Lost Bay's Outer Rim Uprising. Follow the Kickstarter for this cool set of Mothership scenarios and resources!
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
This one starts as an episode about RuneQuest, but it quickly becomes about citation, ownership, and stewardship in the RPG industry. Like, almost solely about that.
Here's a link to the Feminist Killjoys blog post we mention.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Blades in the Dark
This episode is brought to you by The Lost Bay's Outer Rim Uprising. Follow the Kickstarter for this cool set of Mothership scenarios and resources!
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
By popular demand, we're talking Blades in the Dark with returning guest Essay from the Three of Hearts podcast. Topics include built-in settings, position and effect, and CRIME.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Pasión de las Pasiones
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Quinns from Shut Up & Sit Down joins us to talk about Brandon Leon-Gambetta's Pasión de las Pasiones, the telenovela RPG. We cover adding drama to your game, the player-to-GM pipeline, and kissing in dungeons.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Another trip to the dungeons with dragons. This time, it's the first outing from Wizards of the Coast. We're talking unified mechanics, feat trees, and Max's secret origin. Also, we conclude this season and rank the games.
Note: we recommend some movies/shows that are maybe stricken materials under the current SAG-AFTRA/Writers Guild strike, so don't check them out! Instead, listen to this interview with a Writers Guild member & organizer.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Slugblaster
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
We're talking Slugblaster by Mikey Hamm, and we're joined by Sean Harkin. We cover metacurrencies, skateboarding histories, and who's the chillest of them all.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Apocalypse Keys
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
We're joined by Aaron Voigt to talk Apocalypse Keys, mechanized feelings, hungry worms, and hurting God with your sins.
This episode is sponsored by Ratti Incantati, an excellent distributor of RPGs, zines, and literary ephemera.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Thousand Year Old Vampire
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
We're joined by Kait Tremblay to talk about Thousand Year Old Vampire, breaking rules, medium conventions, and "Lightning Crashes" by Live.
Check out Kait's book, Collaborative Worldbuilding for Video Games!
This episode is sponsored by Ratti Incantati, an excellent distributor of RPGs, zines, and literary ephemera.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!
RTFM: Bloodbeam Badlands
This episode is sponsored by Ratti Incantati, an excellent distributor of RPGs, zines, and literary ephemera.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Adam Vass of World Champ Game Co joins us to talk about Bloodbeam Badlands by Viditya Voleti. Including:
- what it actually takes to put out an RPG
- putting yourself into your games
- T. rex with a gun face
Check out Adam's Kickstarter, 1978 (a final girl two-player RPG) here! If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes and a zero-ad experience!
RTFM: Mutants in the Now
This episode is sponsored by Ratti Incantati, an excellent distributor of RPGs, zines, and literary ephemera.
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
For Mutants in the Now by Julian Kay, we're joined by Aaron Fiskradatz and Pete (just Pete). These two educators talk to us about hidden curriculum, (dis)respecting churches, and game designer permissions. It's our most contentious episode since Fiasco.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes and a zero-ad experience!
RTFM Zine Club: Amanda Lee Franck
RTFM just learned about indie RPGs. Have you heard of this shit? They're so cool! RTFM's biweekly Zine Club will be hosted on Pateron, where hosts Max Lander and Aaron King each bring an RPG zine to discuss. Like show and tell but with swears.
This episode is our little sampler for everyone, and it's all about Amanda Lee Franck's zines, focusing on Mouth Brood (a hex crawl mutant biome) and Vampire Cruise (a boat crawl monster vacation).
RTFM: Monster of the Week
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Sen Holiday joins us to discuss Monster of the Week. The game has a laser focus, but it's a popular D&D off-ramp. What's the deal with that?
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord.
RTFM: Ghostbusters International
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Ghostbusters International! It's Ghostbusters. We talk about caving to audience demands, sex comedies through the decades, and how bustin makes us feel. (Spoiler warning: it feels good.)
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord.
RTFM: Monster Care Squad
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Jonathan Levstein joins the conversation on Monster Care Squad from Sandy Pug Games. How many player choices are too many? How does layout affect the reading experience? What's the best monster, and why is it the one who wants people to live in it?
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord.
RTFM: Bluebeard's Bride
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Haunted house time! Natalie Zina Walschots joins us to talk about Bluebeard's Bride. What's the deal with men? Can you consent to a book? Can tone go too far?
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord.
RTFM: Wet Grandpa
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
As monster season continues, Dia Lacina joins us to talk about Wet Grandpa by Evey Lockhart. What's the best way to write an adventure? Do vibes rule everything? And why do we end up talking about '90s RPGs?
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord.
RTFM: Blood Feud
Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.
Dan Phipps of Gem Room Games is here to talk about Blood Feud from Blackfisk Publishing! It's the start of our new season. The theme is "monsters," and we talk about the biggest monster of all: toxic masculinity.
If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord.