Trying To Be Kind

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Mahar, Fiona, and Jared do their best to say insightful things about one book or another in the tabletop RPG space.

tryingtobekind


    • May 14, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 58m AVG DURATION
    • 42 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Trying To Be Kind

    Season 9, Episode 1: Asteroids or Whatever

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 55:16


    Cardboard Ghosts: Using Physical Games to Model and Critique Systems, Amabel Holland, 2025 CRC Press. ttbk dot mailbag at gmail dot com

    Season 9, Episode 0: I Stay Noided

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 42:36


    Cardboard Ghosts: Using Physical Games to Model and Critique Systems, Amabel Holland, 2025 CRC Press. ttbk.mailbag at gmail dot com

    Season 8, Episode 3: Foucault Is In This One

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2025 69:10


    The Well-Played Game: A Player's Philosophy, Bernard De Koven. MIT Press, 2013.

    Season 8, Episode 2: Feelings Are Facts

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2024 59:34


    The Well-Played Game: A Player's Philosophy, Bernard De Koven. MIT Press, 2013.

    Season 8, Episode 1: Something You'd Like To Have, But Didn't Know You Wanted

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2024 42:57


    The Well-Played Game: A Player's Philosophy, Bernard De Koven. MIT Press, 2013.

    Season 7, Episode 2: I Read Ulysses For Fun

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2024 65:43


    "King Me": A Defense of King-Making in Board Game Design, Cole Wehrle, GDC, 2019.  

    Season 7, Episode 1: Manly Pride Offended

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2024 53:34


    "King Me": A Defense of King-Making in Board Game Design, Cole Wehrle, GDC, 2019.  

    Season 7, Episode 0: The First TTRPG

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2024 40:35


    As usual, a buffer episode to lead into the new season. In which we discuss some texts we might tackle, baseball stadiums, shame rooms, and social media.

    Season 6, Episode 4: Fishsticks

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2024 65:18


    With special guest, Sam Sorensen, author of Seas of Sand and Time After Time. Critical Play: Radical Game Design, Mary Flanagan, MIT Press, 2009.

    Season 6, Episode 3: According to Very Reliable Psychological Sources

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2024 53:46


    There's some intermittent noise in the first few minutes of this episode, my apologies, but it clears up after a bit. Thanks for bearing with us in this difficult time. Critical Play: Radical Game Design, Mary Flanagan, MIT Press, 2009.

    Season 6, Episode 2: I'm Just Built Different

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2024 62:05


    Critical Play: Radical Game Design, Mary Flanagan, MIT Press, 2009. Raph Koster's Star Wars Galaxies Post-Mortem.

    Season 6, Episode 1: Mixed Martial Argument

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2024 63:49


    Critical Play: Radical Game Design, Mary Flanagan, MIT Press, 2009.   The audio is a little sketchy this episode, that's my bad. I'm aware, and I'm working on it for next time. Sorry! - Jared

    Season 6, Episode 0: I'm Here, I'm Vibing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2024 57:04


    A buffer episode before we start the next season. Just three friends chatting about nothing, don't expect any big ideas. (And the audio is a little sketchy, forgive me.)

    Season 5, Episode 6: Lesbians On Ice

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 60:00


    Otaku: Japan's Database Animals; Hiroki Azuma, University of Minnesota Press, 2009. With special guest, Emma Yasui.

    Season 5, Episode 5: Our Animal Desires

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2023 62:25


    Otaku: Japan's Database Animals; Hiroki Azuma, University of Minnesota Press, 2009. With special guest, Emma Yasui.

    Season 5, Episode 4: How Do You Pronounce 'Hegel'?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2023 61:28


    Otaku: Japan's Database Animals; Hiroki Azuma, University of Minnesota Press, 2009. With special guest, Emma Yasui.

    Season 5, Episode 3: Jared's Tinfoil Hat

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2023 69:30


    Otaku: Japan's Database Animals; Hiroki Azuma, University of Minnesota Press, 2009. With special guest, Emma Yasui.

    Season 5, Episode 2: ”Otaku Culture”

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2023 75:46


    Otaku: Japan's Database Animals; Hiroki Azuma, University of Minnesota Press, 2009. With special guest, Emma Yasui.

    Season 5, Episode 1: It's Been A While

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2023 50:29


    Otaku: Japan's Database Animals; Hiroki Azuma, University of Minnesota Press, 2009. With special guest, Emma Yasui.

    Season 4, Episode 7: He Got In The Robot

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2022 54:47


    Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds; Laycock, University of California Press, 2015.

    Season 4, Episode 6: Stunt On Your Double

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2022 60:01


    This recording is a little noisier than normal at parts. Apologies! Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds; Laycock, University of California Press, 2015. With special guest Joe DeSimone.

    Season 4, Episode 5: Canadian Thankful

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2022 47:48


    A casual, breezy episode, in which we don't talk about the book at all. Instead, we ask each other questions of various cruelty and reflect on the last two years of this silly podcast. Thanks for listening! We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next month.

    Season 4, Episode 4: I Suggest Therapy

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2022 62:30


    Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds; Laycock, University of California Press, 2015. With special guest Joe DeSimone.

    Season 4, Episode 3: Dong Theory

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2022 67:29


    Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds; Laycock, University of California Press, 2015. With special guest Joe DeSimone.

    Season 4, Episode 2: Dexterity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2022 51:02


    Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds; Laycock, University of California Press, 2015. With special guest Joe DeSimone.

    Season 4, Episode 1: Religion Is Interesting To Me

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2022 44:37


    Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds; Laycock, University of California Press, 2015. With special guest Joe DeSimone.

    Season 3, Episode 2: Swamplet Johansson

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 107:15


    In which we continue to discuss that time Critical Role played Monsterhearts. With special guest Vi Huntsman of Collabs Without Permission. Music by Kelley Mangahas and Chris Zabriskie.

    Season 3, Episode 1: Critical Hearts, A Monster Role Story

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2022 74:21


    In which we begin to discuss that time Critical Role played Monsterhearts. With special guest Vi Huntsman of Collabs Without Permission. Music by Kelley Mangahas.

    Season 2, Episode 4: The Elusive Wrap-Up

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2022 75:51


    The Elusive Shift: How Role-Playing Games Forged Their Identity, Jon Peterson. Music by Kelley Mangahas.

    Season 2, Episode 3: The Sauna Episode

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2021 52:24


    Don't worry, this episode is content free. Just taking a breather to shoot the shoot. Happy holidays!   Music by Kelley Mangahas.

    Season 2, Episode 2: The Elusive Shift, The Role of the GM

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2021 50:28


    The Elusive Shift: How Role-Playing Games Forged Their Identity, Jon Peterson. Music by Joshua Cerdenia and Kelley Mangahas.

    Season 2, Episode 1: The Elusive Shift, Communities

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2021 82:43


    The Elusive Shift: How Role-Playing Games Forged Their Identity, Jon Peterson.   Music by Dj Cutman (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Season 2, Episode 0: The Elusive Shift

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2021 45:42


    The Elusive Shift: How Role-Playing Games Forged Their Identity, Jon Peterson.   Music by Dj Cutman (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Urbano A. Zafra (public domain).

    Episode 8: The Episode with a Content Warning

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2021 57:37


    CW: Discussion of insensitive remarks made by others regarding mental health, neurotype, and disability. --- Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, William J. White.  Music by Dj Cutman (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Urbano A. Zafra (public domain).

    Episode 7: The Phenomenology of Being Ron Edwards

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2021 69:04


    Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, William J. White.    Music by Dj Cutman (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Urbano A. Zafra (public domain).

    Episode 6: Suffused with a Jaunty Arrow

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2021 53:07


    Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, William J. White.  Music by Dj Cutman (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Urbano A. Zafra (public domain).

    Episode 5: Hashtag Influencers

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2021 53:37


    Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, William J. White.  https://www.across-rpgsea.com/ https://momatoes.itch.io/the-magus https://dropbear-games.itch.io/fragments https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RPGLATAM&src=typed_query https://metalsnail.itch.io/colouring-book-dungeons https://dastardlydave.itch.io/eat-trash-be-free https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Ming Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod Link: //incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4071-monkeys-spinning-monkeys License: //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod Link: //incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time License: //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

    Episode 4: Contrary Energy

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2021 50:38


    Discussing Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, William J. White.  Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod Link: //incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time License: //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Bossa Antigua by Kevin MacLeod Link: //incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3454-bossa-antigua License: //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    Episode 3: Activate Discourse

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2021 45:47


    Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, William J. White.  Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Bossa Antigua by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3454-bossa-antigua License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    Episode 2: Implausible and Invidious

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2020 55:11


    Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, William J. White.  Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Bossa Antigua by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3454-bossa-antigua License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    Episode 1: Ethics and Dragonlance

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2020 56:43


    Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, William J. White.  Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod Link: //incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4071-monkeys-spinning-monkeys License: //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod Link: //incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time License: //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

    Episode 0: Forgetting the Forge

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2020 45:15


    Tabletop RPG Design in Theory and Practice at the Forge, William J. White.  Monkeys Spinning Monkeys by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4071-monkeys-spinning-monkeys License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

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