Tycho's Tales
Tycho's Tales is an informal discussion podcast about tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, and Tales of the Valiant.
Where to find us:
- Website: https://tychostales.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TychosTales
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tychostales.bsky.social
- Discord: https://discord.gg/faQ4FWzB8c
When to hear us:
- New episodes of Tycho's Tales are released every Tuesday at 5 pm GMT (or, for the Kiwis, every Wednesday at 6 am NZST).
Episodes
29 episodes
GM support group 4
We're back with a GM support group, where we talk about directing player characters, low-prep campaigns, and preparing NPCs before environments.
September 17, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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26:07
The state of the tabletop
This week we talk about the state of the tabletop RPG scene, including recent WoTC drama, and competition among different systems.
September 10, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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22:02
Fantasy book club: Riftwar Saga
This episode contains minor spoilers for the Riftwar Saga book series by Raymond E. Feist. Welcome to our inaugural fantasy book club episode! Besides talking about a few fantasy books, we talk about an alternative mana system for manag...
September 03, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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29:12
Gritty realism for data analysts
We wonder whether a gritty-realism campaign would actually be fun, and talk about AD&D's resurrection mechanic, the rarity of magic, righteous and wrong character decisions, wish fulfilment and roleplaying the apocalypse. Refer...
August 27, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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24:01
Cartels of evil Druid masterminds
In this episode, we talk about currency and the economy in TTRPGs, why you should consider playing a Druid if you're planning on becoming an evil mastermind, and living with the consequences of your actions.
August 20, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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25:35
The Golden Gnome
We talk about our magical evening at The Golden Gnome, Little Beer Quarter's fantasy alter-ego.
August 13, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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27:21
Sorcerer changes in D&D's 2024 rules update
We're reviewing all of the changes to classes in D&D's 2024 rules update; this time, the Sorcerer! We cover changes to the spellcasting rules and existing features Font of Magic, Metamagic and Sorcerous Restoration; as well as new features ...
August 06, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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55:18
Fighter changes in D&D's 2024 rules update
We're reviewing all of the changes to classes in D&D's 2024 rules update; this time, the Fighter! We cover changes to Fighting Styles, Second Wind and Indomitable; as well as new features Weapon Mastery, Tactical Mind, Tactical Shift, T...
July 30, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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41:49
Wizard changes in D&D's 2024 rules update
We're reviewing all of the changes to classes in D&D's 2024 rules update; this time, the Wizard! We cover changes to cantrips, the number of prepared spells, spellcasting foci and Spell Mastery; as well as new features Scholar and Memorize ...
July 23, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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40:06
Barbarian changes in D&D's 2024 rules update
We're reviewing all of the changes to classes in D&D's 2024 rules update, starting with the Barbarian! We cover changes to Rage, Danger Sense and Relentless Rage, as well as a bunch of new features including Weapon Mastery, Primal Knowledge...
July 16, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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53:34
GM support group 3
This episode contains minor spoilers for Exandria Unlimited: Calamity and the Mistborn series. In this GM support group episode, we talk about making three-dimensional antagonists; gods and religion; improvisational and empathetic ...
July 09, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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28:54
The Feywild
We talk about the implications for multiclassing of One D&D's standardisation of subclasses at level three, and our experiences GMing and playing in campaigns in the Feywild. Referenced in this episode:
July 02, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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29:38
Back to school
What's the difference between LARPing and cosplay? Is a PhD in philosophy worth it? We've also brought back our much-lauded Spell of the Week segment courtesy of Walt just wanting to play a barbarian, and Lars takes us back to school.
June 25, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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26:26
GM support group 2
In this GM support group episode, we talk about what makes a good one-shot for audiences vs home games; Brennan Lee Mulligan; and reasonable people in unreasonable worlds.
June 18, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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28:43
What your GM wants you to do
In this episode, we talk about the most important thing that players can bring to the table; what we found surprising in our campaigns; unintended consequences of d100s; accidentally learning about ourselves through our characters; and ou...
June 11, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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31:35
Multi-phase combat encounters
In this episode, we talk in depth about multi-phase combat encounters, how we think about lore and worldbuilding, and why you shouldn't get too attached to things.
June 04, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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30:46
Red Dragon's Tale
This episode contains a bunch of spoilers for the D&D and Lego collaboration adventure, Red Dragon's Tale. We talk about our experiences building the set, and playing and GMing the adventure, including what we thought about the...
May 28, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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45:25
GM support group 1
Welcome to the inaugural GM support group! These episodes have a slightly different format to our usual ones; we just sit around and yarn about what's recently been top of mind in our campaigns. We talk about what it's like when players...
May 21, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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23:04
Low-level combat - Part 2
In part two of our discussion on how to make low-level combat more interesting, we talk about alternative ways to wrap up combat that don't involve the enemy NPCs being killed (such as fleeing or surrendering, or potentially ending combat narra...
May 14, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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25:58
Low-level combat - Part 1
Low-level combat is often mechanically simple, and this can lead to potentially boring encounters, particularly if players are used to the range of abilities available with higher-level characters. In this two-part series, we discuss why low-le...
May 07, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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34:35
Patron disagreements
This week's episode is a grab-bag of random topics, including the role of deities in tabletop RPGs; whether warlocks should lose their powers if they have a falling-out with their patron; the abomination that is Leomund's Tiny Hut; a new movie ...
April 30, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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30:51
Multiclassing in 5e - Part 2
Elly and Lars join us again to wrap up our discussion on multiclassing in 5e. We go into a bit more detail on how spellcasting works when you're mixing two casters together, then do a semi-deep-dive into each class (except Rangers, for some rea...
April 23, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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39:03
Multiclassing in 5e - Part 1
Heds and Walt are joined by special guests Elly and Lars to talk about multiclassing in 5e! We yarn about why you might want to multiclass; some need-to-know details around ability score prerequisites and some other limitations; do a deep dive ...
April 16, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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31:37
Cosy taverns
Why are taverns so cosy for roleplaying games? In how much detail should you describe that NPC in the corner? Should you leave your axe at the door? Is it worth it to spend a bunch of time crafting 3d terrain, or are 2d combat encounters perfec...
April 09, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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31:25
The D&D meta
What do people mean when they talk about "the meta", or "metagaming"? What are a few meta (or off-meta) feats and abilities? How about some OP combinations? We give our customary GM tip-of-the-week, and finish with a shout out to all the rogues...
April 02, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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29:05