Not DnD is a weekly show discussing tabletop roleplaying games. Each week I (@tabletopjess) interview the creators behind different tabletop roleplaying games that aren’t D&D!
You can watch the live recording every Monday at 5pm ET / 10pm GMT on YouTube or Twitch, or listen on the podcast platform of your choice. Here’s what we have planned for December.
Protecting the realms is a game of battle and subterfuge, foiling the Blight and then returning to the Nexus to debrief and recover. Players track the team’s Exposure - how aware the Blight is of their presence - and as Exposure increases, the mission becomes more difficult and dangerous.
The games unique system has a quick and simple character creation. Choose your home realm, assign dice to your five Approaches (attributes), rate your skills, choose your Gift, and write your Purpose - that’s it! Branch riders also uses cards to track conditions with physical, emotional, or social consequences in-game.
Find out more as we speak to Jack Berkenstock and Doug Hagler on 8th December.
The game uses an original CAT (Created at Twilight) system. Most actions are resolved by rolling a D12 and rolling equal to or below their relevant ability score. The game also features cooking and brewing mini games, a hoep/despair mechanic, and has simple journey rules to make travel part of the game.
Find out more as we speak to Simone and Rico from Two Little Mice on 15th December.
This will not be the end of the Not DnD podcast though! After a break we will be looking to bring the show back, perhaps in a different format or structure to make it more sustainable. Thank you all for watching and listening to Not DnD over the last three years.
You can still catch me each week on the Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk (Live streaming as always Friday at 2pm UK time/ 9am Eastern) and This Week in TTRPG podcasts.
You can watch the live recording every Monday at 5pm ET / 10pm GMT on YouTube or Twitch, or listen on the podcast platform of your choice. Here’s what we have planned for December.
Branch Riders
Branch Riders is an easy to play narrative driven role playing game built on the concepts of action, investigation, and creative play. In the game you play as Branch Riders, fighting to contain a malevolent force known as the Blight. Your home is the Nexus, which branches out into eight distinct realms.Protecting the realms is a game of battle and subterfuge, foiling the Blight and then returning to the Nexus to debrief and recover. Players track the team’s Exposure - how aware the Blight is of their presence - and as Exposure increases, the mission becomes more difficult and dangerous.
The games unique system has a quick and simple character creation. Choose your home realm, assign dice to your five Approaches (attributes), rate your skills, choose your Gift, and write your Purpose - that’s it! Branch riders also uses cards to track conditions with physical, emotional, or social consequences in-game.
Find out more as we speak to Jack Berkenstock and Doug Hagler on 8th December.
Twilight Sword
Twilight Sword is an adventure role-playing game inspired by classic video-games like The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Ni No Kuni.The game uses an original CAT (Created at Twilight) system. Most actions are resolved by rolling a D12 and rolling equal to or below their relevant ability score. The game also features cooking and brewing mini games, a hoep/despair mechanic, and has simple journey rules to make travel part of the game.
Find out more as we speak to Simone and Rico from Two Little Mice on 15th December.
Not DnD in 2026
We first started the show in March 2022! I love speaking to designers and publishers of all sizes about their games. I’m incredibly lucky to get to do this as part of my job, but loving your work and creating projects you are passionate about can make maintaining work-life balance a challenge. So in 2026 the Not DnD podcast will be on a break for the foreseeable future.This will not be the end of the Not DnD podcast though! After a break we will be looking to bring the show back, perhaps in a different format or structure to make it more sustainable. Thank you all for watching and listening to Not DnD over the last three years.
You can still catch me each week on the Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk (Live streaming as always Friday at 2pm UK time/ 9am Eastern) and This Week in TTRPG podcasts.
