Playtonics
@playtonics.net
A podcast about prepping sick RPG sessions.
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Playtonics
@playtonics.net
· Jan 22
I ran D&D the way our episode said. Here’s what happened.
Rocky ran a D&D bucks party, and he has thoughts about session structure and systems.
playtonics.net
Trying this new thing where we write words instead of saying them, and play games instead of planning them.
If you like it, maybe we'll put one in your inbox every now and then.
If you like it, maybe we'll put one in your inbox every now and then.
a (partial) list of “sports movies” discussed in this episode:
- field of dreams
- the mighty ducks
- scott pilgrim
- bring it on
- pitch perfect
- homer’s odyssey
- killing hitler (not a movie just a sport)
and if you want to fight me about these you have to listen to the episode first 😇
- field of dreams
- the mighty ducks
- scott pilgrim
- bring it on
- pitch perfect
- homer’s odyssey
- killing hitler (not a movie just a sport)
and if you want to fight me about these you have to listen to the episode first 😇
Sports (movies)
Rocky and Jords turn sports into a real game as they delve into sports… movies. And it turns out that more things are sports movies than you might think.
playtonics.net
October 30, 2025 at 2:08 PM
a (partial) list of “sports movies” discussed in this episode:
- field of dreams
- the mighty ducks
- scott pilgrim
- bring it on
- pitch perfect
- homer’s odyssey
- killing hitler (not a movie just a sport)
and if you want to fight me about these you have to listen to the episode first 😇
- field of dreams
- the mighty ducks
- scott pilgrim
- bring it on
- pitch perfect
- homer’s odyssey
- killing hitler (not a movie just a sport)
and if you want to fight me about these you have to listen to the episode first 😇
The pod walked into my feed, eyes wide, with a simple request: “Please, you gotta help me make my RPG session feel like a film noir!”
Little did I know what was really in store for me.
Little did I know what was really in store for me.
Noir
It’s all legs and hard boiled eggs as the Pals step into your ears with a case you just can’t turn down.
playtonics.net
September 29, 2025 at 10:28 AM
The pod walked into my feed, eyes wide, with a simple request: “Please, you gotta help me make my RPG session feel like a film noir!”
Little did I know what was really in store for me.
Little did I know what was really in store for me.
This month, we finally get around to Mad Max, which has been on our list since we started the show. WITNESS US!
Mad Max
Rocky and Jords figure out what it takes to ride eternal on the Fury Road.
playtonics.net
August 29, 2025 at 5:00 PM
This month, we finally get around to Mad Max, which has been on our list since we started the show. WITNESS US!
Reposted by Playtonics
Deathmatch Island probably has one of the best "What is a roleplaying game?" pages I've ever seen
August 11, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Deathmatch Island probably has one of the best "What is a roleplaying game?" pages I've ever seen
really raising the stakes with this one
Vampire Hunters
Rocky and Jords sink their teeth into what makes a game feel like an early-2000s vampire hunting flick.
playtonics.net
August 1, 2025 at 7:54 AM
really raising the stakes with this one
Jords makes his newsletter debut with a rant about not asking for permission.
Broadcasting Intent and Permissiveness
Broadcasting intent isn’t the same as asking for permission.
playtonics.net
July 17, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Jords makes his newsletter debut with a rant about not asking for permission.
Crime: wanting to run a Judge Dredd RPG session.
Verdict: Guilty.
Punishment: Listen to this month's episode.
Verdict: Guilty.
Punishment: Listen to this month's episode.
Dredd
Rocky and Jords play judge, jury, and a lil' executioner as they convert 2012's smash hit(?) Dredd into a quip-powered depth-crawl.
playtonics.net
June 30, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Crime: wanting to run a Judge Dredd RPG session.
Verdict: Guilty.
Punishment: Listen to this month's episode.
Verdict: Guilty.
Punishment: Listen to this month's episode.
New ep who dis? A special three-for-one deal this month: we're speed running three very different stories from Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe.
Revelation Space
Rocky and Jords dig into not one but three stories in SF writer Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe.
playtonics.net
June 1, 2025 at 4:55 AM
New ep who dis? A special three-for-one deal this month: we're speed running three very different stories from Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe.
how to run an rpg session that feels like the matrix:
- put green cellophane on your light bulbs
- talk in slow motion for all the good bits
- wait 22 years to invite the players back for the conclusion, then make it confusing and disappointing
for more tips, listen to this month's pod!
- put green cellophane on your light bulbs
- talk in slow motion for all the good bits
- wait 22 years to invite the players back for the conclusion, then make it confusing and disappointing
for more tips, listen to this month's pod!
The Matrix
Rocky and Jords see how deep the rabbit hole goes as they figure out how to plan a session that feels like you're in the Matrix. But then, out of the Matrix. And then, back in the Matrix again. Show notes and transcript at playtonics.net/the-matrix If you have ideas for topics you'd like to hear us cover, hit us up at hello@playtonics.net, or slide into our DMs on Instagram, Bluesky and Mastodon.
playtonics.net
May 1, 2025 at 1:51 PM
how to run an rpg session that feels like the matrix:
- put green cellophane on your light bulbs
- talk in slow motion for all the good bits
- wait 22 years to invite the players back for the conclusion, then make it confusing and disappointing
for more tips, listen to this month's pod!
- put green cellophane on your light bulbs
- talk in slow motion for all the good bits
- wait 22 years to invite the players back for the conclusion, then make it confusing and disappointing
for more tips, listen to this month's pod!
Boy did we have to edit a lot of high school trauma out of this one: How do you nail the vibe of a Mean Girls RPG session?
Mean Girls
Rocky and Jords dive into the world of queen bees and wannabes as they turn Mean Girls into a game. Show notes and transcript at playtonics.net/mean-girls If you have ideas for topics you'd like to hear us cover, hit us up at hello@playtonics.net, or slide into our DMs on Instagram, Bluesky and Mastodon.
playtonics.net
March 31, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Boy did we have to edit a lot of high school trauma out of this one: How do you nail the vibe of a Mean Girls RPG session?
...and we're back! Tune in as we break down Jordan's first viewing of Raiders of the Lost Ark into a game of high-stakes globe-trotting MacGuffin Football.
It could be our best work yet.
It could be our best work yet.
Raiders of the Lost MacGuffin
Rocky and Jords are back to discuss how to run a great game about being a terrible archaeologist. Show notes and transcript at playtonics.net/raiders If you have ideas for topics you'd like to hear us cover, hit us up at hello@playtonics.net, or slide into our DMs on Instagram, Bluesky and Mastodon.
playtonics.net
March 1, 2025 at 1:54 PM
...and we're back! Tune in as we break down Jordan's first viewing of Raiders of the Lost Ark into a game of high-stakes globe-trotting MacGuffin Football.
It could be our best work yet.
It could be our best work yet.
Just a heads up: we're not doing a January episode, but we'll be back in February - Jords has been too busy in the laser mines to do any recording... 👀
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January 24, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Just a heads up: we're not doing a January episode, but we'll be back in February - Jords has been too busy in the laser mines to do any recording... 👀
it jords
(shameless theft from u/Lady_Lagsalot/ on r/bladesinthedark)
(shameless theft from u/Lady_Lagsalot/ on r/bladesinthedark)
January 22, 2025 at 1:48 PM
it jords
(shameless theft from u/Lady_Lagsalot/ on r/bladesinthedark)
(shameless theft from u/Lady_Lagsalot/ on r/bladesinthedark)
Trying this new thing where we write words instead of saying them, and play games instead of planning them.
If you like it, maybe we'll put one in your inbox every now and then.
If you like it, maybe we'll put one in your inbox every now and then.
I ran D&D the way our episode said. Here’s what happened.
Rocky ran a D&D bucks party, and he has thoughts about session structure and systems.
playtonics.net
January 22, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Trying this new thing where we write words instead of saying them, and play games instead of planning them.
If you like it, maybe we'll put one in your inbox every now and then.
If you like it, maybe we'll put one in your inbox every now and then.
In a fast-and-loose end of year review, Rocky and Jords talk about some of the ideas that kept showing up in Season 1. If you have ideas for what you’d like to hear in 2025, jump into our DMs, or hit us up at hello@playtonics.net!
Bonus: 2024 Recap
In a fast-and-loose end of year review, Rocky and Jords talk about some of the ideas that kept showing up in Season 1. Show notes and transcript at playtonics.net/2024-recap. If you have ideas for what you'd like to hear in 2025, hit us up at hello@playtonics.net, or slide into our DMs on Instagram, Bluesky and Mastodon.
playtonics.net
January 5, 2025 at 5:10 AM
In a fast-and-loose end of year review, Rocky and Jords talk about some of the ideas that kept showing up in Season 1. If you have ideas for what you’d like to hear in 2025, jump into our DMs, or hit us up at hello@playtonics.net!
Hi! We're Rocky and Jords, and we make Playtonics, a podcast about designing themed RPG sessions.
January 1, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Hi! We're Rocky and Jords, and we make Playtonics, a podcast about designing themed RPG sessions.