Roll for Mutation: Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG History
Around the Hearth Podcast begins a new series looking at post-apocalyptic rpgs
The Around the Hearth Podcast has added a new series to its collection: Roll for Mutation: Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG History.
Roll for Mutation will look at the games and supplements of this TTRPG genre. In the first episode hosts Lowell Francis and Marc Majcher cover the extended history of Gamma World, with a focus on the first two editions (of many). They talk about what Gamma World is, where it fits in gaming history, what the media context is like, and their general thoughts about the game. Roll for Mutation won't necessarily cover things chronologically, but does hope to hit the "tentpole" games in the genre early.
Roll for Mutation is the sister show to Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History which has covered Superhero 2044, Villains & Vigilantes, and Underground so far. Roll for Mutation will be released monthly as part of the Around the Hearth podcast feed. In the coming months they will be covering Twilight 2000, Paranoia, Apocalypse World, Wizards, Tank Girl, and more. Each episode will follow the same format, examining the historical context of the game in rpg history and pop culture.
You can check out Around the Hearth and Roll for Mutation here and subscribe to it on most major podcast feeds.
Marc Majcher is an award-winning game designer, performer, educator, director, woodworker, writer, and all-around goblin-man recently relocated from Austin, Texas to East Lansing, Michigan. You can find their RPGs and larps inspired by the works of Philip K Dick, a bird apocalypse, eldritch startup cults, viral videos, and much, much more at https://majcher.itch.io/ and everything else at https://majcher.com/.
Lowell is the designer and co-author of Hearts of Wulin. He's the ENnie-winning creator of the Age of Ravens blog and community manager for the Open Hearth Gaming Community.
You can find Lowell's work on YouTube, on Itch.io, and on DriveThruRPG.
The Around the Hearth podcast is a collection of several series created by members of the Open Hearth Gaming Community. (RSS Feed) It includes…
- The Open Hearth Podcast: Two community members and a rotating host look at games they’ve played or read recently. Then each picks one game to talk about in depth- sometimes to examine the play, sometimes to use it as a lens to consider another topic.
- A Different Kind of Hex: A player-focused series where hosts Ian & José are joined by a guest to talk about playing ttrpgs in general and then a specific topic. Episodes have looked at character goals, negotiating scenes, and character creation.
- Roll for Origin: Supers TTRPG History hosted by Jay Brown and Lowell Francis.
- A collection of talks and seminars by the community, recorded and edited to share. Recent releases include World-Building, Superhero TTRPGs, Hacking PbtA & FitD, Game Facilitation, and more.
Open Hearth also has an extensive actual play channel, Playing at the Hearth, which features hundreds of sessions across dozens of systems. These community-submitted episodes let folks see the raw play of many different TTRPG systems at tables with a strong safety-focused play culture.
Find out more about the Open Hearth Gaming Community
Follow us on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/open-hearth-rpg
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/openhearthrpg
Mastodon: @openhearthrpg@dice.camp
