Tips at the Table

Tips at the Table
Release	July 2, 2017 - May 8, 2022

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

#	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

• Posts tagged 'Tips at the Table' on Patreon
• Posts tagged 'Tips Livestream' on Patreon