More remarkable news for Speculate—our Girl by Moonlight campaign FRACTAL SPIRE is nominated for Best Actual Play Podcast at MiamiWebFest!

There's an official voting page for the @MiamiWebFest Podcast Competition--and you can be a part of it! If you head to the link below and cast a vote (perhaps for our Fractal Spire show? :D ), you might even win two free VIP All-Access Passes to the event! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Hi all--we have an announcement today about the near future of Speculate, which you can check out right here. Thanks as always for the support and love! www.patreon.com/posts/cusco-...

More absolutely dreamy news for Speculate: our Girl by Moonlight actual play FRACTAL SPIRE has just been named an Official Selection at @MiamiWebFest! We're overjoyed to share this series with more people!

Amazing news! "Valloward: a Speculate Actual Play" was just selected by Cusco WebFest via FilmFreeway.com! ... and we couldn't be more excited!

Some Speculate news from Mike: www.patreon.com/posts/some-n...

Episode 1 of our new Apocalypse Keys miniseries "The Pitman Sculpture" is now available as a podcast! Four monsters investigate a mysterious piece of outsider art. Starring: Jeoi Gawain Lin Aaron Hammonds Aubrey Knotts Mike Underwood with Brandon O'Brien as the Keeper.

If you're looking for something to listen to while cooking, traveling, or anything else, part two of our pulp-adventure Candela Obscura one-shot "Dreams of Oldfaire" is out today on all podcast platforms.

Starting in just two hours!

Just four days away!

Our second annual fundraiser is coming up on Saturday, November 11th! We'll be playing Titanfall 2 with a digital hotseat, playing a one-shot of Darrington Press' investigative horror game Candela Obscura, screening a preview of our next miniseries, and more. :)

This week, @valerievaldes.bsky.social @therisingtithes.bsky.social and @mikerunderwood.bsky.social discuss Dramatization - when to go deep in a moment to evoke emotion and how to do it well in writing or ttrpgs.

Early access for Patrons! - Watch the video for this week's episode as Valerie, Brandon, and Mike talk about of dramatization in writing and rpgs - when to go deeper and how to make a scene come alive: www.patreon.com/posts/dramat...

No episode this week, as we're deep in planning for our fundraiser next month. Details on that soon!

Thank you to the 2023 Rio WebFest for naming Valloward as an official selection in the Best Video (RPG) category! This makes the fourth festival selection for our Caribbean-inspired secondary-world fantasy Court of Blades series with a cast of pro SF/F authors. <3

Patrons get early access to our video recaps of New Jersey Web Fest and BigBadCon! An edited version of these discussions will come to the podcast feed next week. www.patreon.com/posts/early-...

We've been absolutely blown away by the great responses to Valloward at NJWF this weekend. For folks new to the show, we've made a 'cut to the action' version of our 1st session of our Court of Blades renaissance fantasy series so you can dive right in: youtu.be/Y6-W9M-E_8s?...

The time has come for The Unsealy King to face justice for his many mattress crimes. Stylish bounty hunters the mattress baron/casino mogul in our one-shot of NEON SUNDOWN (a game by Tracy Barnett), "The Strange Friends Go the Mattresses" www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D9U... #actualplay #ttprgs

Supporters at our P@treon get early access (in video) to our discussion of Theme in TTRPG campaigns, from home games to actual play. It will then appear in our podcast feed later this week.

Valloward: The greatest city in this or any other age. A city of swashbuckling swagger and mysterious magic. Who will rise to lead the Great Dance of Houses? A Court of Blades actual play series. Three-times web festival official selection. www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4GG...

Reminder that we won't have a new podcast episode this week. However, our critically-acclaimed Court of Blades series Valloward continues this Friday the 8th at 8pm EDT as Carevis D'Arencio faces the remaining Bravos of the Great Houses in our conclusion of the Hibiscus Tournament arc!

Due to some scheduling challenges, we don't have a new podcast episode this week. However, we will have a session of Valloward this Friday the 8th at 8pm as Carevis faces the remaining Bravos of the Great Houses in our conclusion of the Hibiscus Tournament arc!

Please stand by - we are experiencing some technical difficulties. Hope to be with you very soon.

Starting at the top of the hour!

Our award-winning Court of Blades series Valloward continues tonight! The Hibiscus Tournament assembles the six Bravos of the Great Houses, testing their wit, their steel, and the cunning of their companions as battles are fought on and off the field. 8pm EDT tonight (8/25) at twitch.tv/arvaneleron

Don't miss @speculate.bsky.social with a Strange Friends craft chat, as the Friends talk about skills they've learned from RPGs and how they're applying them to their writing. This was recorded last Friday night, and it's going on right now at www.twitch.tv/arvaneleron !

We're delighted to share the news that our Court of Blades series Valloward has been nominated in four categories at the New Jersey Web Festival in the Actual Play (Video) track: Outstanding Actual Play Best Editing Best Ensemble Cast Best Game Master

In just a few minutes (around 8pm EDT) we go live with Valloward, our triple-web-fest-selected Court of Blades series! The First House of Valloward comes calling, determined to retrieve their captured retainer... Join in the fun at twitch.tv/arvaneleron

If you missed our virtual rugby + mechs sports drama excitement last night, you can now watch the VOD to see how the Newcastle Neons fare in their match against the aggressive Dockside Demons in FIGHT WITH SPIRIT! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kou0z3n5R0Y #actualplay #ttrpg

ICYMI, Valerie, Mike, and Brandon played Fight With Spirit, telling the story of the Newfaire Neons and their rivals facing off in the quarterfinals of an esports tournament playing a game that's like rugby meets capture the flag + mechs: https://www.twitch.tv/arvaneleron/video/1886031702

We didn't get to play last week, so join us tonight for Fight With Spirit!

As Gen Con barrels ever closer, a reminder that you can support my work in various ways that will help me take care of myself while traveling!

Look ting! BIPOC players, & especially BIPOC Caribbean players: let's go steal an actual-play! I'm looking for a crew of wonderful folks to hustle the cruel streets of Trinidad's port capital & use their thieving powers for good! If you're down, don't hesitate to apply!

Technical difficulties thwarted us last week, so we are going to do our Fight With Spirit stream tomorrow on the 30th! Same 7pm EDT start.

Happy book birthday to founding co-host @gregoryawilson.com for RENEGAGE, follow-up to his acclaimed novel GRAYSHADE!

Tonight! We'll live out our Sports Anime dreams. :)

Tomorrow night (Sunday the 23rd), The Strange Friends will play a one-shot of FIGHT WITH SPIRIT, the Sports Drama RPG by Storybrewers, creators of GOOD SOCIETY. 7pm EDT at twitch.tv/arvaneleron

Live now! Grab a drink and a seat.

Court of Blades: Valloward, our renaissance fantasy intrigue #actualplay series (a NJWF and Minnesota Web Fest selection!) continues tonight as the coterie deals with the aftermath of their ride on the Sunset Line. 8pm EDT tonight (Fri July 14th) at twitch.tv/arvaneleron

The latest episode of the Asians Represent Podcast is now available to stream on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our YouTube channel! Agatha and Michelle discussed how to incorporate Korean influences into fantasy world building!

Hey everyone! Don't forget we now only have FOUR DAYS LEFT to raise over $11k!!! AHHHHHH! *screams* But that means YOU have 4 more days to spread the word and pledge to AFFLICTED SEASON 2! We reached #3 on the Apple Audio Drama Fiction chart so GET ON IT! afflictedaudio.com/support

ICYMI, @mikerunderwood.bsky.social did a bonus episode walking through several generations of official Star Wars RPGs as well as some non-licensed games to consider for your Star Wars campaign. Available to all patrons here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-episode-82310527

JUST THREE DAYS until we go on a Thirsty Sword Barbies adventure! We'll be fundraising for the Malala Fund with a $25 gift card to Talon & Claw gift card as a giveaway! Monday, July 10 🔴 5 PST Donate here: https://donate.tiltify.com/@jesthehuman/thirstyswordbabies

If you’re interested in learning about Forbidden Lands, a dark and gritty TTRPG by Free League Publishing, Here’s my interview with the setting creator Between Two GMs | Interview with Erik Granström, Writer | Forbidden Lands, Blood March https://youtu.be/cjn0F51JRT8

Here's what's up with Speculate in July 2023 - streams, podcasts, and more! https://www.patreon.com/posts/july-2023-update-85785939

If you missed it, last night four of the Strange Friends assembled to talk about their approach to GMing and playing, skills they apply from writing to gaming and back, as well as reminiscing about favorite moments and answering audience questions: https://www.twitch.tv/arvaneleron/video/1861854261

Special stream with the Strange Friends tonight! Our cast specializing in high chaos and big feelings will talk about three years of telling stories together via ttrpgs. Plus answering your audience questions! 8pm EDT at Twitch.tv/arvaneleron

Three of the Strange Friends assembled to play the Early Access version of Ben Robbins' In This World, creating worlds focused on the culture of games, from a captive audience to a One Card Game To Rule Them All: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcsBQkkVqOY

Hello! We're a ttrpg Actual Play show starring professional SF/F authors, exploring the overlap between different forms of storytelling from prose to games and beyond. Check out our latest shows at https://www.speculatesf.com/videos/#past and watch new sessions live at twitch.tv/arvaneleron