The Unexpectables

Nat One are a group of British D&D players, most of whom have been playing together for over 9 years. Curse of Strahd is something DM Jenna has been waiting to run for about two years and now... It's finally happening. Jenna (they/them) is using the Curse of Strahd: Revamped coffin-box edition of CoS, with inspiration and advice pulled from /u/MandyMod Reddit post "Fleshing out Curse of Strahd", ideas from DragnaCarta's Curse of Strahd Reloaded and, of course, portraying the story and NPCs in their own unique way. As an ex-teacher with a First Class degree in English Literature and Creative Writing (and almost a PhD in emotion mechanics in the TRPG), you are guaranteed to feel their passion for the craft of storytelling. Nat One's players also have similar backgrounds, with interests in literature, writing, education, development and emerging narratives. Take a look at the cast below: Cast Rebecca (she/her),  (she/her), playing the female Drow Circle of Stars Druid: Eylirae Val'Aonar. Rebecca is playing the young (70) studious daughter of a Priestess of Lolth, so has grown up wihin the matriarchy of the Underdark and left due to personal differences regarding the treatment of men. Andrew (he/him), playing the male Half-Orc Way of the Ancestral Dragon Monk: Friendly "Wee Scrapper" Tiene. Andrew is intentionally playing an unintentional misogynist who believes that women need protecting and that men are much more capable. Tabitha (she/her), playing the female Human Devotion Paladin of Torm: Lady Arabella Thistlethwaite. Tabitha is playing a noble lady who is the youngest of her siblings and expected to be a soldier when, really, she would love to be a lady of leisure. Lauren (she/her), playing the female Aasimar Order Cleric of the Red Knight: Lucia. Lauren is playing the reincarnation of Tatyana whose soul, in this adaptation, actually managed to get out of Barovia and is brought back in. That's not the only surprising thing about her... NPC-ish Players: Gemma (she/they), playing the male Human Vistani College of Swords Bard: Ravi Kovachi. In this adaptation, Ravi is Madame Eva's grandson; a Vistani Guide who leads the group to Barovia in the first place. Would you trust him? Beth (she/her), a larper since childhood with years of roleplaying and monstering experience, will also be coming in later on as Volenta Popofsky - If you know, you know. These episodes have been edited to remove all the long pauses, rules clarification and off-game speak to create a much more comfortable listening experience. This means the episodes are shorter, clearer and easier to follow. Jenna creates the art, thumbnails and records and edits without the use of generative AI (AI SUCKS!). Nat One do not accept requests for commissioned art, as we prefer the things we create to be created by ourselves. Nat One hopes you have a lovely, cosy little time listening to the horrors that will befall these wonderful characters in the world's most notorious D&D campaign: Curse of Strahd

Thirst of Strahd is a cinematic Dungeons & Dragons actual-play series from Str1ker, presenting a dark, sapphic reimagining of the legendary Curse of Strahdcampaign. Drawn into the mist-shrouded land of Barovia, three adventurers find themselves trapped in a realm of gothic horror, dangerous secrets, restless dead, and a vampire lord whose influence reaches far beyond the walls of Castle Ravenloft. As the party searches for a way forward, every alliance, sacrifice, and decision pulls them deeper into Barovia's mysteries. Blending character-driven roleplay, gothic horror, mystery, emotional storytelling, dark humor, and brutal encounters, Thirst of Strahd approaches tabletop roleplaying like an unfolding dark fantasy series. Its story focuses not only on terrifying monsters and cinematic battles, but also on the relationships, personal struggles, and choices of the characters trying to survive them. New episodes of Thirst of Strahd are released every Wednesday at 8:00 AM Central. Welcome to Barovia. The mists are waiting.

Tale of the Manticore is a hybrid between a dark fantasy audio drama and a solo Dungeons & Dragons RPG. The dice make all the important decisions and, as a writer, my job is to interpret them and tell their story. Part fiction, part game, it’s the story where ”Chaos rolls.” Links taleofthemanticore.com - Official website youtube.com - Youtube channel spotify.com - Spotify feed

Dive into the world of New York in the year 2072, and follow a group of competently chaotic shadow runners who get caught up in events that run deeper than they realise... Surviving a terrorist attack, accidental piracy, punching Humanis and 'Is this the right suit for me?' Welcome to Pride against Prejudice. This is a Shadowrun 4th Edition Actual play podcast. Links youtube.com - Youtube channel spotify.com - Spotify feed podcasts.apple.com - Apple Podcasts feed discord.gg - Discord server

Fantasy Grounds Unity is a high-power virtual tabletop originally released in 2004 and completely rebuilt on the Unity engine in 2020. Developed by SmiteWorks, it is the industry pioneer of "automated play," where the software handles complex rules, modifiers, and combat math natively. In a massive industry shift in late 2025, the platform moved to a completely free-to-play model, removing the traditional $50 license fee to compete directly with modern browser-based rivals. Description Fantasy Grounds is often described as a "Digital Dungeon Master’s Assistant." It is a standalone application (not a browser site) that provides the most stable and deep automation available. While it has a more traditional, window-based interface that can feel daunting to new users, it rewards the "Power GM" with unparalleled control over combat and data. Since becoming free in late 2025, it has positioned itself as the premier "zero-cost" entry point for groups who want professional-grade automation without a subscription. System Overview & Key Features Native Ruleset Automation Unlike other VTTs that rely on community plug-ins, Fantasy Grounds features "Hard-Coded" automation for its primary systems. When a player drags an attack onto a target, the software automatically checks for cover, calculates the hit against Armor Class, applies damage, and tracks temporary hit points or resistances without any manual input. V5.1 Visual Intelligence The 2026 update introduced "Aggregated Notifications." Instead of scrolling through a wall of text in a chat box, combat results like damage, saving throws, and status effects now appear as elegant visual icons and pop-ups directly over the tokens on the map. 2.5D Tactical Mapping While it supports traditional 2D top-down maps, FGU includes a unique 2.5D camera mode. This provides a sense of depth and perspective to battlemaps, making the digital table feel more like a physical diorama with "placeable" 3D-like objects like trees and furniture. Total Offline Capability Because it is a localized application, you can prepare your entire campaign, build NPCs, and write story entries without an internet connection. Your data is stored on your hard drive, giving you total ownership of your campaign files. The Fantasy Grounds Forge FGU features an integrated marketplace and community portal called "The Forge." This allows GMs to browse and auto-install thousands of community-made extensions and themes that update automatically whenever the main software is launched. Cross-Platform Unity Engine Built on the Unity 6 engine (as of 2026), the software offers smooth performance on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It uses hardware acceleration to handle complex dynamic lighting, weather effects, and large-scale vision blocking for massive dungeon crawls. Additional links fantasygrounds.com : Official Fantasy Grounds website fantasygroundsacademy.com : Community-led training and free classes forge.fantasygrounds.com : Official community content and extension portal

Released in 2014 by Chaosium, Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition is the latest version of the cult-classic cosmic eldritch horror role-playing system originally launched in 1981. The story is based off of the  literary works of H.P. Lovecraft and lovecraftian works. Instead of setting the players up as heroes, the characters are regular investigators who are exploring cults, forbidden knowledge and various eldritch-cosmic entitites and threats. Description Occupations in the game for the characters include academics, reporters, and private investigators. The gameplay loop revolves around uncovering information, analyzing clues, and evading dangers. As the supernatural elements in the game are considered more powerful than the investigators, they have are not expected to actually confront most of the threats head on. Instead they usually have to resort to avoiding or escaping any situation that may arise. Combat is lethal and usually leads to characters getting permanently killed or pushed to insanity (which eventually is the same).  System Overview & Key Features Percentile Framework (d100) Every action is resolved by rolling two ten-sided (d10) dice to get a result from 1 to 100. If you roll is equal to or under your skill rating, the action is deemed a success. This approach simplifies the mechanical process of the game, as there are no complex tables to keep track of and compare to decypher whether it is a success or failure. Pushed Rolls If a character fails a skill check, they may attempt to "push" the roll, allowing for a second attempt. This requires the player to come up with a new, more desperate approach to performing the task. If this subsequent pushed roll also fails, the Keeper describes a severe and immediate negative consequence. Sanity and Madness A core mechanic of the system is the tracking of mental stability. Investigators lose points from their Sanity gauge when exposed to anomalous creatures or disturbing truths. Drops in Sanity result in the character experiencing temporary or permanent forms of madness, which can manifest as new phobias, delusions, or a temporary loss of player agency over the character. Bonus and Penalty Dice To account for situational advantages or disadvantages, the game employs a system of bonus and penalty dice. If a character possesses a distinct advantage when performing a task, an extra d10 is rolled and taking the higher result. A disadvantage means rolling an extra d10 and taking the lower result. Combat Lethality Physical altercations are inherently dangerous by design. Investigators possess limited hit points, and the damage output of both conventional firearms and anomalous entities is high. Recovery mechanics are slow, simulating realistic healing times. This structural lethality serves to discourage combat and incentivize stealth and investigation. Expendable Luck Players can spend points from their character's Luck pool to retroactively lower a dice roll. The points are subtracted on a one-to-one basis until the dice result qualifies as a success. This ensures that the Luck pool is a limited resource which should be used and utilized in the most critical situations. Additional links chaosium.com - Official publisher website and digital storefront drivethrurpg.com - Digital repository for official scenarios and sourcebooks