[insert quest here]

Recently Ray got to sit down with Xavier Ho, the main organiser for the Pride at Play exhibition back in 2023. It was a short retrospective chat about the queer games exhibition, and what went into creating such wonderful event. We hope you enjoy this episode. You can find out more about Pride at Play by following this link: https://prideatplay.org/

This month Ray got the chance to chat with Logan, a game maker from down Melbourne way. We've followed Logan's work for a while and have found it to be unique and inspiring in the way he experiments with the art form. It was great to finally get to sit down an chat with Logan about game design and his work. You can find more from Logan at the links below. Twitter: https://twitter.com/ink_and_stories Tumbler: https://www.tumblr.com/breathing-stories Itch: https://breathingstories.itch.io/ Personal website: https://logantimmins.com/ Amble website: https://amble.studio/

Content Warning for this episode, we will be talking about revolutionary struggle. This month we got to chat with an amazing game maker out of the states Basheer Ghouse. Basheer has done a lot of consulting work in the industry, including for giants like Wizard's of the Coast and Paizo. Now he's launching his own game, Guns Blazing. We talked about the games anti-colonial roots, it's connection to Islamic traditions and influence, as well as gushing about revolution. If you like what you here, the game is live on Kickstarter till the 28/04/2023. Get it here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gunsblazing/guns-blazing Find more from Basheer over on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BasheerGhouse

Solo But Not Alone is an amazing charity bundle that happens every years. Game devs donate their Solo RPGs to benefit Jaspers Games Day, a charity fighting to improve mental health for young people. The bundle is packed full of RPGs you can play on your own, across a myriad of genres and themes. We were very fortunate to have a chat with the person that put it all together, Cat of Peach Garden Games. If you'd like to get the bundle for yourself, you can find it on itch: https://itch.io/b/1692/solo-but-not-alone-3 If you'd like to follow Cat's exploits as a game maker, you can find them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CatlingGun

Back in 2021 we were fortunate enough to talk with Sin and Pam about their game Navathem's End. Now we're catching up again because it's going to print! We discuss all the challenges and excitement around finding a physical publisher for a game that's already be released digitally. As well as discussing the work that went into game previously, and what Sin and Pam have been up to since last we spoke. The print run is kickstarting soon, so follow the page here to get notified when it goes live. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/serake/navathems-end Find more from Sin over on Itch https://diwatamnl.itch.io/ Find more from Pam over on Itch https://thedovetailor.itch.io/

The first of our interviews for 2023, and hopefully many more ahead. This month I had the pleasure of talking to Nem who you may also know as Sandy Pug. She has done a lot of work supporting others and helping them get their games published, but also makes her own games too. HELLPIERCERS is their next big project, a tactical RPG about posthuman demi-gods launching an invasion of hell to free the damned. Because no crime is so great as to justify eternal torture. HELLPIERCERS is coming to kickstarter later this year, be sure to follow the campaign so you don't miss it's launch. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sandypuggames/hellpiercers-tactical-harrowing-action

On today's episode Rei talks with Chloe about here awesome new sports anime inspired RPG Tournament Arc. Tournament Arc borrows from Belonging Outside Belonging type games and blends that with a broad definition of sport. It's an exciting conversation and one we've been dying to have! If you want to check out more of the games Chloe is making, you can find those here. https://biscuitfundgames.com/

Our last episode for 2021, and what an episode! Ray talks with Cat MacDonald about Symphogear, Creating for the LUMEN engine, and Kickstarters moronic blockchain announcement. We also talk about Cat's new Actual Play show, Roar To Heaven! You can find it on Kickstarter right now(https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peachgardengames/roar-to-heaven) or if you'd prefer to support it another way, they also have an itchfunding campaign. https://peachgardengames.itch.io/roar-to-heaven-backer-set You can follow Roar To Heaven on twitter, and Cat too. https://twitter.com/roartoheaven https://twitter.com/CatlingGun https://twitter.com/PeachGardenRPGs An you can find all Cat's games and such on her website. https://www.peachgardengames.com/

That's right! I'm this episodes guest! I'm appearing on my own show to talk about my new game Make Our Own Heaven. A biopunk angel RPG about Community Building, Found Family, and Meaningful Resistance. Hosting this episode is Sam, a pervious guest and game maker. You can find Sam's work here: https://babblegumsam.itch.io/ Make Our Own Heaven comes out on Friday the 17th of December (17/12/21.) It's my first fully published feature length game. When it goes live, you'll be able to find it here https://raycox.itch.io/make-our-own-heaven

Recently we had the pleasure of talking to Tristan Zimmerman about his new game Shanty Hunters. A game about trying to collect a record of the oral history stored in sea shanties before they disappear. An also the music sometimes comes alive! One of my favourite parts of this game is that it wants you to sing. More singing RPGs please! We also talked about the difficulty of sourcing period appropriate art, and the difficulties of show casing the true diversity of the time period it's set in. Shanty Hunters is currently Kickstarting, you can find the campaign here. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moltensulfur/shanty-hunters?ref=ee836u

Iron Edda Reforged is the latest iteration of an ongoing multiverse of games and other fiction. Like it's forbears Iron Edda Reforged is built (almost literally) around the bones of giants and Ragnarok! Reforged adds a cyberpunk flare to the mix. It's all the brain child of Tracy, who is this weeks guest on the show. We had a chat about running a kickstarter, something Tracy is considered an expert on. Often being hired as a kickstarter consultant for new RPG projects. We also talked about the unique design work that has gone into making Iron Edda Reforged. You can find Iron Edda Reforged on Kickstarter! You can find Tracy on: Twitter https://twitter.com/TheOtherTracy Itch https://theothertracy.itch.io/

This week on the show we are talking to Chris Sellers about his recently Kickstarted game Raccoon Sky Pirates! Which is about exactly what it sounds like is about. Raccoon heists. You can find Chris on Twitter (https://twitter.com/hecticelectron) Itch(https://hecticelectron.itch.io/), and his Website(https://www.hecticelectron.com/). You can find out more about Raccoon Sky Pirates over on Kickstarter(https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hecticelectron/raccoon-sky-pirates).

In this, our 50th episode of our interview series, I have the pleasure of talking to Momatoes about her Doomsday RPG, ARC. It's currently up on Kickstarter and their next stretch goal blew my mind (more on that at the end of the interview.) Back the Kickstarter here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/exaltedfuneral/arc-doom-tabletop-rpg Momatoes links: Twitter - https://twitter.com/momatoes Itch - https://momatoes.itch.io/ Website - https://momatoes.com/ Across RPGSEA - https://across-rpgsea.com/

In our latest episode Rei talks with Spencer Campbell about his upcoming kickstarter, a combat rpg in a world of exploded stars, sun shards, strange evolution, and superpowered exosuits called Sparks. https://twitter.com/GilaRPGs https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thegilaboy/nova-2/ https://gilarpgs.itch.io/

In the lead up to the new Kickstarter we got to talk to Jeff Barber about his work shaping the New Edition of Blue Planet. The changes, what's staying the same, and what it is for those who've never heard of it before. https://twitter.com/BiohazardJeff https://www.biohazardgamespublishing.com/ https://www.gallantknightgames.com/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1875712273/blue-planet-recontact https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/282604/Blue-Planet-Recontact-Quickstart?term=blue+planet+quick

This is the last of our trio of interviews celebrating the Our Shores Kickstarter. Today I’m talking to Joaquin a Filipino writer, novelist, serialist, and game designer from the Philippines. Joaquin along with partner Gio, is working on perhaps my favourite of the 3 tentpole Our Shores projects. Maharlika, a technomystic Science Fantasy mecha RPG inspired by Filipino Mythology. Like of course I'm gonna be hype for that?! Go check out the Our Shores kickstarter, it's already soaring past it's first funding goal so you know it's great gear. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sandypuggames/our-shores-an-rpgsea-compilation Find more from Joaquin at the following links. https://twitter.com/liquorcanini https://tadhana.itch.io/

This is the 2nd of our trio of interviews celebrating the Our Shores Kickstarter. This time we’re talking to Pammu & Sin, two amazing game makers from the philippines. Together they are creating Navathem's End. Support the Our Shores Kickstarter and help make Navathem's End a reality. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sandypuggames/our-shores-an-rpgsea-compilation Find more from Pam at these links https://www.patreon.com/thedovetailor https://twitter.com/TheDovetailor https://thedovetailor.itch.io/ Find more from Sin at these links http://patreon.com/diwataMNL https://twitter.com/diwataMANILA https://diwatamnl.itch.io/

We are back with a trio of interviews over the next 3 weeks, diving into the various projects that make up the Our Shores Kickstarter. This week we’re talking to Sam, a game maker from Malaysia working on Capitalites. A game exploring the messy archetypes and relationships of young people living in the big city. you can find links to the kickstarter and more below https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sandypuggames/our-shores-an-rpgsea-compilation https://babblegumsam.itch.io/ https://twitter.com/BabblegumSam https://www.instagram.com/babblegumsam/?hl=en

It's been a long, exhausting year. We're all trying to survive Plagues, Ecological Collapse, and Capitalism. Sounds like a perfect time to talk about woodland bandits robbing vampires! It's time to talk about Brinkwood! This week, to get you all excited for their kickstarter, we've pulled this interview out of the depths of long distant January...it was a different time. I hope you enjoy listening to Erik tell us about this exciting Forged in the Dark game. Coming to Kickstarter on the 15th of September 2020. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erikthebearik/brinkwood-the-blood-of-tyrants Follow Erik on twitter to hear more about the game. https://twitter.com/ErikTheBearik

Ruins is a game we've fallen in love with since playing it. It's multi format, with room and support for a lot of different kinds of role play. it brings you in, so many different ways. This first look is a bit of an experiment, like the game it focus on. Something vloggy, that focuses more on Ray's experiences of playing the game for the first time. Enjoy, and check out the game on itch. https://acegiak.itch.io/ruins

It's been a hard for me to work on the podcast the last few weeks. I've been struggling with organising content for months, and the current global crises just made me collapse inward. But on Friday morning I woke up determined to record something, and after racking my brain a bit I realised that the game I wanted to play...hadn't been written yet. I spent friday morning writing an playtesting a hack of LLDR where you play as a spaceship. And I thought, I'd share that live playtest with you all. Let us know what you thought, do you have any ideas for prompts?

This week I play another Ritual game. This time I'm a wizard trying to change themself into something new, in an attempt to overcome the past. This is a lovely, poetic, and kind of cossy little game. It's intimate and tender, yet also brooding and ominous. It's a game by Luke Jordan, and outstanding Australian creator who I've interviewed twice! Luke's having a sale on their game store right now, so buy this game or another by following the link. https://gamesfromthewildwood.itch.io/

Meinberg is a designer from the states making some interesting work, we sat down to talk about what motivates thons creative process. We also talked about thons zinequest project, inspired by the Oz series. EDIT: there was an issue with the original file where some audio from the end of the interview went missing. We've restored the missing audio and reuploaded it. itch https://goat-song-publishing.itch.io/ blog https://goatsongrpg.wordpress.com/ kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/talesoz/the-new-tales-of-oz

This week we have a lovely conversation with Taylor LeBresh, one of the many people working on the upcoming RPG release Descent Into Midnight. The game focuses on community, family, and hope. Set in a technologically advanced aquatic civilization whose culture has never been touched by humanity. Players take on the roles of guardians, defending their community from a physical, emotional, and even existential threats. Taylor and I had a lovely long discussion about how the team itself was built around those themes, and how they are bringing the game to life. You can find out more about Descent Into Midnight on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rkreutzlandry/descent-into-midnight Or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dimrpg Follow Taylor on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeviathanFiles

An interesting solo rpg that prompts you to delve deeper into yourself, and come out stronger on the other side...while also fighting capitalism with your cyborg psychic powers. If you'd like to get the game for yourself, you can buy it here: https://goat-song-publishing.itch.io/psyber-knights

CW: Extreme Violence and Animal Cruelty. The Sun of God is about to kick some vampire ass! VanJesus is an over the top adventure rpg where you play as archetypes of Jesus (or other biblical archetypes.) You hunt vampires in over the top adventures, and try to make the world a...well not safer place. A less Vampire filled place? It's a Wild game, and it was a blast getting to play it with Sofi and Wilfred. Get your own copy of VanJesus here. https://micah-anderson.itch.io/vanjesus

First interview of the new year, and this is a follow up to last weeks Actual Play. Matthew Gravelyn is a game maker/writer with a varied background. Having worked on Humblewood, Mall Kids, and of course Legacy of Steel. We talked about his experience with zines, his process as an artist, and his future projects. Speaking of future projects, check out his Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mrmatthew/mall-kids-more-malls-more-kids-zinequest2 If you'd like to buy Matthew's games, find them here: https://mr-matthew.itch.io/ Follow him on social media over here: https://twitter.com/mrmatthew

CW: Death, War First episode back for the new year! We're playing a solo game. Legacy of steel allows you to build/explore the background of a mech. Detail some of its history and can be a companion tool for other games. https://mr-matthew.itch.io/legacy-of-steel

We talk to Luke about their new Utopian game, the need for hopeful fiction, and I finally find out what a Belonging Outside Belonging game is. All that and more in our final public episode of the year. We'll be back with more content in January, or subscribe to our patreon to get one more episode of Quest Markers before the end of the year.

After a short break in our schedule to do a family emergency, we return with another lovely Solo Actual Play. A lovely ritual by Jamila, that asks us to make tea for a demon, ask them questions about what troubles us, and listen to what they have to say. Perfect way to analyze what is weighing heavy on one's mind. If you enjoyed this, get your own copy here: https://temporalhiccup.itch.io/tea-with-demons

To help me get back into the swing of things, and explain why I've been unable to post, I went back and visited something from our Solo Series. I wanted to talk through what has been keeping me from making. Also thought it would be a good way to show off the kind of content I make for [Quest Markers] our Patreon exclusive podcast. So in this week's episode I talk through my recent run of bad health, explain one way to get back into creating, and I do all while playing My Favourite Pilot!!

This week's episode of solo is a super short one! We're playing a single person graffiti RPG. It asks you to put yourself in the role of a pilot, likely about to die in battle, writing your final goodbye on the inside of your giant robots cockpit, like all those that came before you. And you do this by writing poetry on a building. You can see what the finished poem looked like by checking out the album art for this track, or heading over to our website.

CW: Alcohol In following with the example set by the festival. I would like to acknowledge the Awabakal and Worimi peoples, who are the traditional custodians of the land the festival was held on, and that this podcast was made on. I pay respect to their elders past and present as well as to any listeners with a connection to the world’s oldest continuing culture. I would also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and this always was and always will be Aboriginal land. National Young Writers Festival happens every year in early October, in Newcastle Australia. It is part of a collection of arts festivals that happen as part of This Is Not Art festival. It's free to attended, and offers workshops, panels, comedy sets, poetry readings, and more! It's made up of artists from all over the place, getting together, and sharing their creative energy, insight, and skills with each other and the public. I want more game makers to attend, and more importantly; I want them on panels! Let us see if I can convince you, while I pay homage to The Mixed Six. Find more from nywf on their website: https://youngwritersfestival.org/

In following with the example set by the festival. I would like to acknowledge the Awabakal and Worimi peoples, who are the traditional custodians of the land the festival was held on, and that this podcast was made on. I pay respect to their elders past and present as well as to any listeners with a connection to the world’s oldest continuing culture. I would also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and this always was and always will be Aboriginal land. The first in our series of content recorded for, about, and at the National Young Writers Festival here in Newcastle. This is an Actual Play of hacked version of Ash McAllan's game Oracle. Elyce Phillips, Soo-Min Shim, and Chloe Alison Escott, join Ray on a journey to find Arts Funding. Recorded in front of a live audience, it was a hilarious adventure as well as being full of many firsts. We hope you enjoy. [Note: we did our best with the editing of the sound quality, but it was a noisy space.]

This week we have a special interview with my partner, and collaborator Rae. We've been working on a poetry board game together. In it you write poems about the rooms of a house you imagine yourself to be exploring. There are prompts about the contents of the house to help you, and at the end you do a reading of your house poems. It's called Architype and we thought interviewing Rae would be a fun way to introduce it to you. https://twitter.com/wings_humming https://raycox.itch.io/architype

This week were talking to Blake. Blake is a creator from the Seattle area of the US. They've recently been growing their presence in the game design community by taking part in a lot of game jams. I've been enjoying following their work, and hearing their voice in the community. Twitter https://twitter.com/fencedforest Itch https://fencedforest.itch.io/

In The Ocean is a micro rpg with prompt cards that ask you to answer questions about the world, or play out scenes from your past. In it you play as a mech pilot stranded on an ocean planet, watching the battle overhead. As you wait for rescue you remember your past. It's a pretty excellent game, and I hadn't thought about it during the recording but it could be an excellent way to build the setting for a more expansive mech game. If you'd like to get a copy, you can find it on itch: https://marzipanstorm.itch.io/in-the-ocean

Just a little quick update about why we were unable to post a new episode this week.

Soup is the creator of As I Imagine The Falling Rain, an RPG we played on Solo. We had a lovely discussion about the layout of the game, and how that informs your play. We also talked about the RPG design course that pushed Soup to start making more games. Itch: https://literalsoup.itch.io/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LiteralSoup Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0nPdOEG7UF9KSk4BiAb2Sc?si=05gmPUP_QUSZn5o8z2R4Yg

This week is a bonus episode of solo a RPG about a mech being rebooted after a long time alone. We'll explore that loneliness, andand the new world our mech awakens in. If you want to play Reclaimed for yourself, you can buy it here: https://elibees.itch.io/reclaimed

CONTENT WARNING: Death, Injury, Lizards, Birds. This was weird play experience. You ask questions of the other players...or in solo mode, you ask yourself? It was an interesting game, I liked it. In particular, I think it's a great idea for a game. This did come out of a game jam, so sometimes the product is just an expression of a raw idea and it is a fantastic idea.  I think the multiplayer version is where this game would shine. Solo play felt a little flat but I came to a rather interesting place by the end of it. Get yourself a copy here: https://bratwizard.itch.io/stories-to-tell

CONTENT WARNING: Death, Injury, Fire, War. (This game REALLY should be played before you listen to the AP, it is totally possible to have this game spoiled for you. Get it here: https://mossytoes.itch.io/recollection-gloaming ) A wonderful, emotional, and atmospheric episode of Solo. Playing through this guided solo RP experience was my FAVOURITE part of this series so far. It pulls together several underused tools of storytelling that we don't see nearly often enough in RPGs. Not at the mechanical level anyway. It's, FANTASTIC!

All this month we're airing episodes of our new show Solo, where Ray plays single person RPGs and talks about their mechanics. This weeks episode explores a poetic RPG that provoked an interesting thought about the power of labels. If you enjoyed listening to As I Imagine The Falling Rain, you should get your own copy here: https://literalsoup.itch.io/falling-rain

It's August, it's nonbinary TTRPG month, and we've got so much planned. 2 conventions, a Ray's birthday, some collaborations with other nonbinary folks, and a new product release from Ray. And to make it even more fantastic; we're going to be bringing you 4 episode of our new series Solo. This series is all about exploring single player RPGs, and highlighting this innovative and avant garde area of RPG design. This week we're playing My Favourite Pilot!! A game by Sophie Mallinson that was made as part of the Emotional Mecha Game Jam. It's a tight little game about how we respond to the loss of celebrities, and their impact on our growth. If you like it, get yourself a copy here https://sophiemallinson.itch.io/my-favorite-pilot

Content Warning: Death, War. Solo is a new series from us where Ray will be taking a closer look at single player RPGs. The first season of this new show will look at Solo RPGs from the Emotional Mecha Game Jam. First up is Death Sentence, a game by Jeff Ellis. In it you play as a mech pilot, left behind after helping a colony ship safely escape this sector of space. The enemy approaches, and you have to decide what to do with your final moments...and compose your final words. We hope you like this new series, and if you've got feedback we'd love to hear it.

Ross Payton is a podcast producer and freelance game writer. He's worked on content for Eclipse Phase, Delta Green, Red Markets, and more. He's the producer of Role Playing Public Radio and all their affiliated shows, as well as The Mixed Six! Ross Payton is someone I've always wanted to interview and I'm so grateful I finally got to speak with him. And I'm excited to share it with you! Find Ross on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosspayton And get Ross' shows here: http://slangdesign.com/rppr/

CW: Death, Suicide, End-Of-Life Care Sidney, Jamila, and Ray are 3 game makers that are all interested in how games explore death. We brought them together to open up and talk about their experiences with death, and how we might explore death and themes adjacent to it in more interesting and varied ways.

This week Nika and Ray pretend to be Hot, Gay, Bro Dragons. Dating each other and opening up about their love for one another. It was a blast getting tipsy, confessing our love, and saying bro a lot. You can get this game for yourself by following the link: https://riverhousegames.itch.io/hot-gay-bro-dragons

We chat with the Sword Queen herself Jamila, a game maker from the Philippines working in a bunch of different design spaces, and a genuine delight!  You should all check out Jammi's new game https://temporalhiccup.itch.io/take-my-revolution

This week to members of the San Jenaro Co-Op are on to teach us about some of the hidden challenges of Kickstarters, and what their experience was like working on their first KS Project for their new Co-Op. Liam has worked on Kickstarters before and is one of several mentors helping the fresh on the scene members of the Co-Op. JR is one of those fresh on the scene members! With background in theatre and writing, it was lovely to hear about how JR become a designer, and their experience preparing for Kickstarter. The Role Players Guide to Heists is up on Kickstarter, it's a great system agnostic source book for anyone wanting to a more heisty RPG experience. And the profits go to the workers! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sanjenarocoop/the-roleplayers-guide-to-heists

CW: Fire, Storms, Earthquakes, Riots, Police Brutality, Death. My friend Andrew and I played our first game together, and they graciously let me record it. We played Live. Love. Die. Remember. together and explored a world where mechs are used to hold back the extreme weather events caused by anthropogenic climate change. Get your own copy of LLDR here https://raycox.itch.io/live-love-die-remember