Tips at the Table

From fattwiki

Tips at the Table was a Patreon-exclusive Friends at the Table series in which members of the cast would gather for a question & answer session, mainly focused on advice for listeners running games of their own. Tips episodes were recorded as livestreams and released as audio podcasts afterward. The series was mostly discontinued in favor of expanded Drawing Maps recordings; with the March 2023 Patreon rework, elements of the series were used in Gathering Information. Past episodes remain available to Friend-tier+ patrons.

Episodes[edit | edit source]

# Title Stream Date Release Date Length Cast Members Topics
01 Let's Not Name Names Jul 7, 2017 Jul 15, 2017 2h 5m Austin, Janine, Art Questions about improving our RP, our goals for the future, our favorite RPG characters that haven't been on Friends at the Table, and more
02 Jennifer and Todd Aug 15, 2017 Aug 29, 2017 2h 21m Austin, Ali, Keith, Dre Deep dive into technical aspects of podcast making from 1:45 on
03 Production Chat Sep 22, 2017 Sep 29, 2017 1h 42m Austin, Jack, Ali Details on making the show and their work flows
04 Austin Walker GM Bingo Oct 10, 2017 Oct 15, 2017 1h 51m Austin, Sylvi, Dre, Janine Questions about notes, repeat character traits, monsters, and everything in between
05 All About Fronts!, Or: A Preview for Drawing Maps Nov 12, 2017 Nov 14, 2017 1h 59m Ali, Art, Austin, Jack The cast talks through how Fronts work in Dungeon World and builds one
06 Players Only, Baby!! Dec 19, 2017 Dec 22, 2017 1h 44m Ali, Janine, Dre, Keith All the tips your GM doesn't want to know about, buster!!!!  😎😎😎 Get the skinny on uh, y'know, following the rules............ or when to break them! 😉😉😉 Finding a group to play with online! What to do with your dang ol hands while you're playing games for too long!!!!!!!

Autumn & Winter in Hieron spoilers from around 1:13 to 1:16

07 Blades and Villainy Jan 27, 2018 Jan 31, 2018 2h 32m Austin, Ali, Art, Jack, Janine Questions about Blades in the Dark with a mix of players who are familiar with the system and who are just now playing it for the first time, being kind to yourself and balancing comedy and seriousness at the table
08 Hookah Immersion Feb 18, 2018 Mar 1, 2018 1h 57m Ali, Austin, Dre, Keith Dealing with difficult group dynamics, staying interested in playing the same character over a long period of time, learning how to "let go" as a GM
09 Flawless Combination of Words Mar 8, 2018 Mar 16, 2018 1h 17m Austin, Janine, Jack, Art Comics, music, comedy, Dragon Age
10 Let Me Answer This Question Not As A Joke Apr 15, 2018 Apr 24, 2018 1h 38m Art, Austin, Jack, Keith Questions about experimenting with new systems, trying out new characters, and capital R Romance
11 Weekend Edition May 26, 2018 May 29, 2018 1h 17m Ali, Sylvi, Janine, Jack Fashion, romance, and anxiety!

Discussion of a preceding Twilight Mirage arc (episodes 47, 49, 51, 53)

12 Like Diners for Frogs Jun 27, 2018 Jun 30, 2018 1h 8m Ali, Austin, Dre, Janine Questions about encouraging new players, balancing super powerful abilities, the appeal of certain RPG books, and... sleepy mice?
13 Spoiler Alert Jul 12, 2018 Jul 23, 2018 1h 25m Austin, Sylvi, Art, Ali Questions about dark secrets, sadness, endings, tragedy, and... oh no, this is a theme, isn't it???
14 August 2018 Aug 27, 2018 Sep 2, 2018 1h 16m Austin, Dre, Jack, Keith Questions about ending campaigns, building new worlds, and playing the bad guy
15 Cheating is Fine Nov 23, 2018 Nov 28, 2018 54m Keith, Ali, Sylvi, Dre Listen while we talk about cheating, being evil and making bad decisions! #relatablecontent
16 Hackers Welcome! Nov 30, 2018 Dec 5, 2018 1h 35m Art, Austin, Jack, Janine Questions about spotlight stealers, solo games, problematic genres, and more
17 Kylo Ren Logged In Dec 7, 2018 Dec 18, 2018 1h 32m Austin, Ali, Keith, Art Questions about giving feedback, faking things you don't know and what to do when you DO know (but you think you're talking too much)
18 The Thing with The Thing with The Guy Dec 9, 2018 Dec 19, 2018 1h 44m Austin, Ali, Janine, Dre Questions about names, horror and rude jerks
19 Queen Anne's Get Away Boots Jan 27, 2019 Feb 2, 2019 1h 28m Austin, Janine, Keith, Dre Questions about getting into your character, cameras, notes and scene stakes!
20 You'd Hate My Bard Feb 18, 2019 Mar 2, 2019 1h 26m Art, Jack, Austin Questions about leveling up in story-focused games, running games with too many players, major musical influences, and more
21 Pet Goku Mar 17, 2019 Mar 24, 2019 1h 55m Ali, Sylvi, Austin, Dre Discussion of media inspirations, adaptations, and aspirations. Plus: conversation on pacing a game, diceless RPGs, and, of course, magical animals
22 Improving Darth Icky Apr 13, 2019 Apr 26, 2019 1h 53m Austin, Janine, Keith Starting a game, building a world, figuring out aesthetic and tone, taking your first step as collaborative storytellers, and, of course, names
23 Who Knows Sephiroth? Jun 2, 2019 Jun 15, 2019 1h 36m Ali, Keith, Art, Austin Questions about getting players invested in your game, broadening the palette of games your crew plays, and the idea of "canon" at the table
24 No One at the Table Jun 17, 2019 Jun 23, 2019 1h 26m Dre, Keith, Jack, Austin Questions about finding good games to play, having conflicts that go beyond combat, retiring characters, and the music that Jack has composed for the show
25 High School Canon Name Generator Jul 28, 2019 Aug 16, 2019 2h 11m Ali, Austin, Dre, Jack Questions and answers about text-based roleplay, pitching your table on a weird campaign idea, using multiple parties, wrapping up games, and, uh, Riverdale
26 Left Instead of Right Aug 5, 2019 Oct 11, 2019 1h 52m Jack, Keith, Janine, Austin Questions about how to deal with a player leaving a game, the music that has inspired them, how to decompress at the end of a heavy session, and more
27 Sandwiches at the Table Oct 12, 2019 Oct 18, 2019 1h 25m Ali, Sylvi, Austin, Dre Questions about exploring identity in play, doing the 'right' amount of prep, decision paralysis, sandwiches, and more! We also talk about sandwiches for AWHILE and if you don't want to hear sandwich talk, skip the rest of the episode!!!!
28 Prewritten Conquests Oct 29, 2019 Nov 3, 2019 1h 43m Art, Jack, Janine, Austin Questions on what goes into a interesting character class, how to plan out detective stories, what sort of motivation to give NPCs, and dealing with anxiety at the table!
29 How Old is Too Old Nov 5, 2019 Nov 12, 2019 1h 23m Ali, Keith, Sylvi, Austin Questions on tabletop RPG impostor syndrome, campaigns that lose their momentum, making a pre-written campaign your own, and, of course, mecha anime.
30 Double Ayyyou! Dec 3, 2019 Jan 7, 2020 1h 11m Ali, Austin, Janine Questions about using games for worldbuilding, convincing your friends to play story games, emotional bleed as a roleplayer, and more
31 Meat Grinder Thing Jan 7, 2020 Jan 27, 2020 1h 40m Sylvi, Keith, Austin Questions about how to help a quiet player out of their shell, establishing horror as a tone at the table, what to do when the rules seem exploitable, and more
32 The Point of Saw Feb 19, 2020 Feb 29, 2020 1h 14m Sylvi, Janine, Art, Austin Questions about how to run flavorful downtime episodes, NPCs related to player characters, favorite game mechanics and more!
33 5% of 50 Different Topics Mar 19, 2020 Apr 7, 2020 1h 34m Janine, Dre, Jack, Austin Questions about framing interesting fight scenes, dealing with dramatic irony, setting up Roll20, and more!
34 A Different Anxiety Apr 25, 2020 May 4, 2020 1h 33m Ali, Keith, Austin Questions about mid-campaign lulls, overcoming choice paralysis while creating characters, 1-on-1 RP, and uh.. air screamers??
35 May 2020 Jul 6, 2020 Aug 16, 2020 1h 41m Jack, Sylvi, Art, Austin Questions about crunchiness in games, changing systems mid-campaign, saying farewell to characters, and more
36 June 2020 Sep 6, 2020 Nov 20, 2020 1h 17m Keith, Art, Austin Questions about getting into character, ambiguity in skills, giving your players homework, and more
37 Thinking About Planets & Eating a Donut Nov 15, 2020 Nov 30, 2020 1h 34m Ali, Dre, Jack, Austin Questions about introducing new characters to a campaign, playing "evil," pacing at the table, and more
38 Babysitting Old Ideas Dec 1, 2020 Dec 7, 2020 44m Ali, Sylvi, Art, Austin Questions about introducing creating momentum during new campaigns, naming characters, and game design
39 Hobby Burnout Dec 14, 2020 Dec 18, 2020 1h 5m Ali, Janine, Art, Austin Questions about convincing your friends to play games you're interested in, roleplaying as more assertive characters, and everyone's favorite pre-game snacks!

CW for a discussion of suicide as a game mechanic

40 Fruit vs Be Dec 22, 2020 Dec 28, 2020 1h 1m Sylvi, Keith, Dre, Austin Questions about improving your roleplaying skills, keeping focus at the table, making character playlists, and more
41 Stuck on Slugs Dec 28, 2020 Jan 4, 2021 1h 11m Ali, Keith, Austin Questions about mixed successes, playing with your in-laws, radically non-human PCs, and more!
42 Your First Dream Jan 3, 2021 Jan 11, 2021 1h 36m Keith, Jack, Austin Questions about post-session feedback, wrapping a campaign after a break, balancing your world building, and more! MORE, AS IN, THERE'S a tangent at the end about dreams and cups and stuff?
43 Nightor and the Curtains Jan 18, 2021 Jan 29, 2021 1h 28m Ali, Sylvi, Janine, Keith Questions about finishing projects, speaking up at the table, retconning and more!
44 #SylviSurprise Feb 25, 2021 Mar 1, 2021 1h 15m Sylvi, Jack, Austin Questions about escalation, voicing NPCs, worldbuilding, and more!
45 Most Real Answer Mar 19, 2021 Mar 29, 2021 1h 20m Ali, Art, Austin Questions about character personalities, big groups at the table, and... Netrunner?
46 A Basket of Balls Apr 17, 2021 Apr 24, 2021 1h 15m Janine, Art, Austin Questions about encouraging other players, being clear about your intentions at the table, and more!
47 Juggle With You May 8, 2021 May 17, 2021 1h 13m Ali, Dre, Austin Questions about game pacing, manifesting character beliefs, and drawing on inspirations!
48 November 2021 May 8, 2022 Oct 9, 2022 1h 36m Ali, Jack, Janine, Austin Questions about playing games in established settings, getting stuck in a rut with a type of PC, the state of indie RPGs, and more

External links[edit | edit source]