The Level Up Your Gaming Podcast is a tabletop RPG podcast. Assisting GM's DM's and Players, the Level Up Your Gaming Podcast is here to help you take your games to the next level. Each week your hosts, Aaron and Jared, talk about a new topic to help you improve your tabletop role playing games.
In today's episode we talk about using a theme to design your story. Why use a theme for game design? How does using a theme help you stay focused? What are other benefits of using a theme? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about creating boundaries in story creation. How do you put boundaries in story creation? Why should you put boundaries up? What happens without boundaries in story creation? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about consuming new media for game ideas. What are various types of media we can pull from? What are some examples of things we've watched? What can we learn from these different types of media? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about ending a game off that's the rails. How do you end a game that's off the rails? How does a game get into this state? How can you avoid going off the rails? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt A Field Guide To Whiskey. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about the spy craft game. What is a spy craft game? What makes a good spy craft game? What are things to consider in a spy craft game? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about retcon. What is retcon? Why should you not use retcon? Is there a reason to retcon at all? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about bad game ideas. What are bad game ideas? Why are they bad? How can we avoid ideas like this? Why do we try to run bad games from time to time? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Wisper's Of The Vanishing Rabbit. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about religion in games. What role does religion play in your game? What can religion offer to your game? What are some good stories to run around religion? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about romance in games. How do you do romance in games? What are some systems that work well for romance? What are some boundries? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about the bait and switch in games. What is a bait and switch game? Why would I change the game after establishing an old one? What are the downsides? What are the upsides? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about resource management. How should I handle resources? Why should I keep track or resources? When should I ignore resources? What are better ways to track resources? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Archive Of Lost Things. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about puzzles your players will like. What puzzles should I use? How do you make ones your players will enjoy? How to get your players to engage with the puzzles? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about your gaming music. What music is good for games? Why do we use music in games? Can it be distracting? When do you not want music in your games? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Mysteries In Monochrome. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about turning your one shot into a campaign. How do you take a one shot an turn it into a campaign? Why would you want to turn a one shot into a longer game? Is it better to just link one shots together? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about gaming situations that always work. What are game situations that work for all groups? What makes these situations good for all groups? When is it best to use these situations? Why do you need these in your gaming arsenal? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we talk about how to run a city campaign. How do you run a city game? What are the benefits of running a game in a city setting? What are the downsides? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we difference between an antagonist and villain. What is the difference between an antagonist and a villain? Is there a difference at all? How can we make multiple antagonists within a story. We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Popup Spirit Halloween Store. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode, I talk with Ken about terror in role-playing. What makes a story scary? What are different ways to tell a scary story? How do you make a horror story work for your players? What sorts of spooky tales are our personal favorite? We answer all of these questions and more!Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode I discuss Living Worlds with DJ Hird. DJ has been participating and running Living Worlds for some time now and has plenty to say about joining or running these unique games. Specifically, we talk about what it is like to play in one of these games, what it is like to run a session, what the modules look like, what types of players you might encounter, and where to find a game to either join or possibly run. There is a lot of information in this episode, so sit back and enjoy!Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss Virtual Tabletops and different Tabletop Role-playing systems with our good friend John. He is a member of the Tuesday game that Josh sometimes runs. He lives out of state in Ohio and games with us virtually, so he has specific feelings about the how the different systems are represented in the virtual world of online gaming. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode I talk about politics in your stories. I try to take a look at how you can make a game using political systems and give your placers choices that are political in nature. Can you get your players more engaged if the options they need to choose from are morally gray? What types of governments can we use to make interesting stories and what sorts of political intrigue can we have with them? I try to answer these questions and more. Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the title of a fantastic Super Nintendo Game, "Zombies Ate My Neighbors". We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss games in a rural setting. What are the benefits of the rural setting? What makes a rural game so inviting and interesting? How can you get your players invested in the wilds? What types of stories can you tell in places where the people are sparse? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss making shorter stories. Why make shorter stories? What are the benefits to this methodology? Can you weave narrative through multiple short stories? How can you be effective with short stories? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Potion Commotion. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss making better traps. What makes a good trap? How do I utilize traps effectively? Do I have too many traps? Are my traps appropriate? Are my traps dangerous enough? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingEngage with us here. Tell us your thoughts on the subject or your own experiences with the topic.Please leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss narrative combat. What is narrative combat? How can I achieve better combat through narration? What does more description and narration add to combat? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss degrees of success. What is a success? What is a failure? Do they have greater or worse affect based on the roll? How can you use higher or lower numbers to add something special to your game? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss keeping your creativity flowing. What do you do when you aren't feeling creative? How do you overcome writers block? What are some ways to stay focused on your game? How can you bring back the spark of creativity? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we are joined by guest hosts from How To Be A Better DM Podcast Justin and Tanner. We discuss the topic of adding rules from other TTRPGs into your current game. Join us as we give you our thoughts and more in today's episode.How To Be A Better DM Podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-be-a-better-dm-dungeon-master-tips-for-the/id1575473372Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss running corporate games. What is a corporate game? What do you need to avoid when running this type of game? How should I structure the game? How do I make the most of the time? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Axe Marks The Spot. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss making mooks more human. What are mooks? How can we improve them? How does this make for memorable encounters? How much should I add to my mooks to improve them? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss playing the good guys. What is a good guy? How do we play this character? Doesn't it limit my players? How can adding constraints to character morality improve fun and engagement? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss making story fit your setting. Does any story work for any setting? How do you bend story to fit into different settings? What are things that we need to consider when fitting story into settings? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Carnival Of Mirrors. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss adding minigames to your game. What are some examples of minigames? How do I make minigames feel good? Does it take away from playing a Table Top RPG? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss different tools for building a world. What are some tools available online? What are some techniques I can use to build a world? What if I don't know where to begin? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss nostalgia in games. Why do we use nostalgia in games? How can this be a helpful thing? What makes it such a powerful tool? What are the problems with using nostalgia in games? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss using cinematics and autopilot. How do I use cinematics? Is there a right time to use autopilot? How much is too much? What are the downsides to using these storytelling techniques? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss streamlining games. How do different games streamline their systems? What can be learned form looking at other games? Do all streamlining ideas mesh? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we continue our series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Bard To The Bone. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode Josh talks about taking notes as a GM. Why should you take notes as a GM? What are the benefits of note taking? How does it help you tell better stories? Josh answers all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss how real is too real in your game. How much gritty realism should I add to my game? When should I lean away from the realism? When should I embrace it? Do I need realism at all? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we do our first in a series of Let's Make A One Shot. The game we make a one shot for comes from the prompt Assassination At The Opera. We describe all the details you would need to consider to pull this one shot off. Enjoy this episode as we make a one shot using the tools we talk about.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
In today's episode we discuss running your first game. How do I get started GMing my first game? What do I need to know in order to run a game? What resources are out there? Do I have to do all this prep that you guys talk about? We give you our thoughts and answer all these questions and more in today's episode.Leave us an email for feedback, questions, or thoughts at levelupyourgamingpodcast@gmail.comor Follow us on Facebook and engage with us at https://www.facebook.com/LevelUpYourGamingPlease leave us a review or a five star rating wherever you get your podcast.
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
