Hello, and welcome to snows return a tabletop role playing podcast. It is time to put the kettle on and get cosy among us as we draw wisdom from the community with my guest today, which is to say that having taken time from her dash between desks as brand manager, being intuitive with Tarot, and bringing that which is grim and perilous to our streams, Lysa Penrose still has time to craft jewellery, and be a source of inspiration to so many. Lysa, welcome to the show.
Lysa Penrose:Hello, thank you so much for having me.
Snyders Return:It's an absolute pleasure. I've alluded to a couple of things in the intro there, but would you mind sort of taking us back to the start and how you first got involved with all your history of tabletop role playing games, please?
Lysa Penrose:Absolutely. So I stumbled on Dungeons and Dragons, which was my first tabletop role playing game a few years back, and almost completely by accident. I was between jobs feeling kind of low and just binge watching millions tabletop. And I guess I must have binge watched all of those episodes. Because the next thing YouTube asked if I wanted to watch was this four hour video from something called critical role. And I remember thinking what could possibly be four hours, I'm gonna watch two minutes of this just to see what it is. And then we'll find something new to watch. And I it's how I stumbled on the first episode of critical role. And I sort of it basically was the rabbit hole that I immediately tumbled down.
Snyders Return:Yeah. So where did that first? Where did the rabbit hole lead? When did that first episode lead you through?
Lysa Penrose:Yeah. Well, I just I loved seeing everyone telling this story together and playing fun or poignant characters and moments. And what I did first was get the player's handbook and like the bonafide nerd I am, I read it cover to cover. I knew the rules so well. But it took me a little while to work up the courage to actually find a game. And I simultaneously found a game online through a critter community forum, and a game in person through meetup at my friendly local game store. And it was the same weekend I started both games. And I just immediately fell in love. I think I was like terrified at that in person game. I just wanted to sit back and watch everyone else play. Until the moment we were on a pirate ship that got blown up. And the it was an insane game. It was like 12 players, maybe at least, because they just let anyone who wanted to play play and he was going the DM was going around the room, asking people to describe what they do. And I was like shaking in my boots. And then it got to my turn. And I don't even remember what I did. I described I think trying to find pieces of refuse to form a raft. And everyone thought that was really cool. And I was like, Oh, the scheme that that's all it is this this isn't so bad. This is fun, actually. And from there, I signed up for pretty much every d&d game I could find. I was taking a year off from work to sort of find myself. And what I found was that I was basically a full time adventurer. I was playing d&d every single day. And from there, my confidence sort of built, I found my way into full time floral design at the time. And I wanted to bring this wonderful game that had enriched my life so much to other people, and started organising adventurers league games, just as a local store organiser, and from there it really snowballed. I'd say over the course of a year, I started running the first epic adventures in New Jersey at just on the game store level rather than a convention level. I was invited to write an adventure for the d&d adventurers league officially I was invited onto the admin team. And I was even invited to write for one of the official hardcover books, which was Dungeon of the Mad mage, which was basically I got an email from Chris Perkins one day and walked outside of my floral shop and just like screamed on the side.
Snyders Return:Wow, that is amazing. And so, for someone who is unfamiliar, potentially Would you mind given your sort of time with it and within it the the adventurously. Would you mind just sort of touching on that, please?
Lysa Penrose:Absolutely. So the d&d adventurers league is the official play campaign for Dungeons and Dragons. And basically what that means is that there's a network of games that are all connected through shared rule sets and adventures, where you can likely walk into your friendly local game store if they run as well. and sign up for a game right there and drop in with your your level one character and start playing and then take that character to conventions, or any other adventurers league table across the country and honestly, across the whole world. At this point, there's a lot of really passionate adventurers league communities overseas. In addition to that there's special types of content, most found at conventions, but now being brought to virtual spaces, and when it's not a pandemic friendly local game stores, so like, for example, an epic adventure will have anywhere from like six to 10 or more tables that are all playing a game at once. So I liken it to like an MMO RPG like raid experience. You're all different squadrons, trying to fulfil the super truly epic goal. And the battles the stakes feel higher. The monsters you fight are, are more epic and powerful. And what you do at your table impacts what happens at other tables. So it's really d&d at this totally different scale than most people are used to. And what I personally love most about adventurers League, that's kind of how I started as a store organiser, I went to a convention and played an epic and I thought, my local game store like we all play homebrew stuff, but they need to experience what an epic is like. And that's really kind of what started it and what found me where I am today.
Snyders Return:Well, what do you want today is different but a new role a new position, but it's certainly such a epic to to use the term journey that you you've gone on. So you're you spent a fair amount of time with the adventurers league. Where does that lead you since?
Lysa Penrose:Yeah, so I guess being the adventurers leagues Community Manager is really what sort of started with my working in d&d professionally. From there, I fell into the role of Community Manager for dungeon Master's Guild, which I had been most familiar with when I started because of my experience in adventurers league. And as part of the diems guild guild adapt programme. Those are sort of spotlighted authors by Wizards of the Coast. And, but going into that community manager role, it was really important to me that I focus on and embrace this whole other part of dungeon masters guild and their community creator programme. I didn't want them to feel like they were being ignored or less than, and I really wanted to understand fully what DMS guild could be. And that has been a role that of all of my professional roles is probably one that I've embraced and loved the most. It's such an interesting, different community. And I've since graduated from community manager to branch manager, which is still Community Manager plus other stuff. Um, and then in the midst of all of that DND, for a while, did not have an official Community Manager. So they brought me in as sort of an interim, like helping out from the community. I think my title was Social Media Manager. And I did that for a year and a half. For a little while there. I was the Community Manager for adventurers, league community manager for dungeon Master's guild and the Social Media Manager for DND. Simultaneously, which is fun to say, but I'm gonna be honest, would not recommend that for anybody out was a lot.
Snyders Return:It sounds overwhelming as you describe it like that. So having moved into this brand manager role, and sort of still in LinkedIn, with the community, and you've certainly made each community you've been a part of or manager of a better place because of your hard work and things like that. what's what's that transition been like as you've sort of had to step off or away from the community work to do the rest of the brand manager stuff?
Lysa Penrose:I Yep. So it's interesting. So some of the other stuff that I do is a lot of interfacing and negotiating things with with Wizards of the Coast and helping with business development. I suppose a lot of that is sort of in the NDA realm, so I can't go into too much detail. Aside from I really feel like it's Not necessarily a side step away from being Community Manager, but empowering that role even more. I feel like in anything that I do I want to be an advocate for the community. I think about what are features on the website that the community would want? What are like completely new things for the marketplace that I see demand for, that people want to create? And I really think that's the key to what my role at dungeon masters guild is in general, I am representing this group of creators. So in everything I've done, I've interfaced with d&d fans and d&d can be so personal and so important to people that so many d&d fans are super fans. But I feel like dungeon masters guild is this niche community where your d&d super fan, you're probably really creative and intelligent, and you love the game so much you want to make it a lot of people dream of that being their job that all they do is create d&d. And so really, what I want to do is facilitate as much creation as possible. Because I really think that brings more joy to the people who are making things but also those who then like, take those adventures, take those rules, take those player options and facilitate more joy for themselves in their tables.
Snyders Return:Yeah, of course. You mentioned the creation, the creative process, and you yourself was mentioned that you you wrote for the Dungeon of the my major which sort of leads into game design. Where does the designer or design dash side of things sort of feed into all of this that you're so involved with?
Lysa Penrose:Oh, are you asking about diems guild design dash?
Snyders Return:Yes, I am.
Lysa Penrose:Oh, okay. So I produce in addition to the many hats that I where I produce, and have produced a number of different DND shows. None of them are as weird and out there to me as dungeon masters guild design dash, which if you haven't watched it, it's every third Friday of the month on Twitch TV slash d&d, but basically imagine shows like iron shaft or Project Runway or Great British baking show, but combine it with DND design. So folks get a secret challenge or secret theme, which could be something like I don't know, three Cobalts in a trench coat? Or? Oh, gosh, I can't think of a theme now or famous rivalries, something like that. And they have 15 minutes to design a DND encounter. And really, this is a brainchild of both me and Bart Carroll. I had wanted to do some sort of show that just spotlighted d&d authors, so maybe diems guild authors rather. So maybe some sort of interview show and Bart really pushed me to think of like, well, what's another like creative way that we can spotlight people and by brainstorming back and forth, we thought, Well, what if it was more like a game show, and people had to design live on the show, and it just became wackier and wackier. From there. I really loved design dash because you get a really quirky, weird theme. But you get three designers who are competing against each other. And they will do completely different things with the theme. Some people will be like really funny and hilarious, or they'll base something they'll have something loosely inspired by something from pop culture. And then other folks will really take things dark and, and kind of terrifying. And it's almost like funny like an uncomfortable but enjoying it uncomfortable laughter. And there's almost always someone who designs with fe every single episode. They are popular. And then while they're designing for 15 minutes, me and a co host who's now regularly jack Kaiser also on the DM skilled team will create a rubric with the chat. So it's a really fun interaction where we come up with a silly scale of one to five fill in the blanks to grade people on and three really fun categories. And then it's just kind of show and tell after that. It's a competition someone comes back the next month, but really it's about fun and showcasing different design approaches and styles.
Snyders Return:You've on on the you've heard sort of the dare I say the US the cooking term, the creme de la creme of game designers who some of the favourites you've had. Not that you should have favourites, of course, but who are some of your your favourites who have come on and design some of the encounters.
Lysa Penrose:Oh, well, I mean, we've definitely had a few special one off episodes that have like, for example, Keith Baker, who creator of everon came on and did a design dash out a movie In official narrative designer on the DND team came on um, I will say a Brittany Hey might be giving CD a run for her money, but Satie Lowery was on design dash, I think they won two or three times, which no one else had done a repeat when at all. But the crowd just loves CD. And she eventually was like, I think I've been on the show enough times, I want to give some other designers a chance. So she's technically undefeated, because of that little move. But I love everyone who's been on everyone's, like, each design is truly unique. And I love asking at the beginning, I asked three different questions to each of the competitors during their introductions and one of them is always what of your design style do you think we'll see today? And it's really interesting hearing what they think is a theme and their design style and how that translates when they only have 15 minutes and they're scrambling to design. It's, as you
Snyders Return:say, it's such a such a good fun, sort of watch to see not only their creative processes, stances and approaches but also the the the interaction between you guys and and the viewers and all the rest of it. It's so good, but it's not the only show that you do where you interact. Would you mind telling us a little bit more about your involvement with community, please?
Lysa Penrose:Yes. So Dungeons and Dragons community, which is t EA, started as a discussion between myself and Greg Tito, where I had just moved to Seattle, I moved in with another DND I would call her a DND luminary Celeste con which, and Greg was just like, I just wonder what it's like, in your apartment with you to talking Dungeons and Dragons. And I was like, well, that should be a show though, Greg. And so d&d community sort of came to life. It is a tea party, slash DND discussion that happens every month on the second Friday of the month on Twitch, TV slash d&d. And Hannah rose also joined us and the three of us back in the before days, would group together on my couch, pick a theme and Dungeons and Dragons to talk about. And we talked about it in the podcast world and the design world and dungeon Master's Guild, our own experiences. And then had just like, I kind of think of it as like, maybe like the view but Dungeons and Dragons, and we would just scab and taste teas from a local nerd inspired. Tea blending. teary, I don't, I don't know what the name of a tea shop I suppose. called Friday afternoon tea here in Seattle. So it always starts with us tasting the tea talking about it. And then I spilling the tea but in a nice way about Dungeons and Dragons.
Snyders Return:You have a long standing relationship with them. Is it true? Still have one or had or do still have a discount code for for them like a coupon code?
Lysa Penrose:Yeah, it's community TA. So community love. And I believe that 10% or 15% off on an order of something like a $15 order. I wish I knew off the top of my head if I were a really good sponsor IE, I would I wouldn't I would be able to say that right off the top. But I do know the code and it's community love.
Snyders Return:I will make sure that's done in the description below. Actually, while I mentioned the description, but would you mind giving us some places where people can find you your content and anything that you're involved with on social media so they can while listening to us? chat on tour, follow some links and get involved with you that way?
Lysa Penrose:Yeah, absolutely. So you can find me on Instagram and Twitter at Lisa Penrose that's Lisa spelled with a Y. I also have a website that has my creative portfolio and the many various things I've done DND or not, at least the penrose.com and then you should also give me a follow over at twitch TV slash Lisa Penrose because I've been creating more and more content. Oh my lonesome over there.
Snyders Return:All right, I will make sure that all those links are in the description below even if I have to steal them off your Twitter and link tree myself. You mentioned there, have your many hats and moving into the podcasting space and you yourself are a along with everything else we've mentioned so far. And yet to mention. You're also a podcaster
Lysa Penrose:I am I am. My podcast baby is called behold her podcast. And I feel like so many good ideas started as my just on a whim tweeting, hey, would folks listen to a podcast interviewing women and tabletop RPGs and I got so much traction, I thought, Okay, well, great The internet has seen now I have to do it.
Snyders Return:Okay. And you've sort of had some success. So for someone that's not maybe gone and found on there, because they're hopefully listening to this one, but on their podcast app, who you saw had on who's, who have you collaborated with on that podcasters? Or really ignite the imagination and inspire others?
Lysa Penrose:Yeah. Okay. So let me let me sell a podcast of my podcast to whoever's listening. Yes, please. So behold her it started about as a podcast about women but has since transitioned to my talk, just interviewing femmes femme people in the tabletop RPG hobby. And the goal of the podcast is to demonstrate through the stories from all these badass fans, that the experience as a quote, unquote, FEM gamer is as diverse as we all are as individuals. Each episode centres around a theme and I do two interviews, and then also have an audio story by someone based around this theme. And themes have included things like accessibility and Dungeons and Dragons. It could be focused on say, like artists, black women, there was even an episode about witches in dungeons and dragons, and goodness, and even romance in tabletop RPG is one of my favourite interviews, actually, was with Linda Lowery, who wrote one of the heart quest books back in the TSR days, for folks who are listening who aren't familiar, which I wasn't until pretty recently, before I decided to reach out and do that interview. Heart quest books are basically like the endless quest, pick your path books, but this was TSR, his attempt to market them towards young girls, get some girls into d&d. And so their idea was, well, if we're gonna get girls into d&d, it can't just be about adventure. It has to be about romance, too. And I love Linda Lowery's reaction to that, which was like, Oh, gross. I don't want to write this book. But she was also really early in her writing career. I was like, Okay, well, I probably shouldn't turn this down. And one of my favourite things about that interview is just hearing how Linda took this opportunity that she maybe like, didn't fully agree with the creative direction, but used it in an amazing way took advantage of it. So her book was called secret sorceress. And so yeah, there's romance in it. But really, what the book is about is, there's this setting, where in this village, sorcery is outlawed, and you can't be magical. And people will look down on you if you have magical powers. And so there's this girl who has so much potential, but she feels like to be accepted by society and others, she has to hide her truest potential. And her romantic interest is actually someone who cheer leads her and says, No, like the fact that you can use magic. First of all, it saved our lives. But secondly, that's so amazing, you should embrace that. That's wonderful. So that's just one small example of some of the amazing ways Linda used heart quest to champion some amazing themes for young women.
Snyders Return:No, it's it's a clever use of the opportunities and you say, at the start of someone's career, maybe a difficult thing to turn down and, and instead sort of utilising the opportunity to shine a different light while playing within the rules of others.
Lysa Penrose:Absolutely. And just the fact that she took that role. I know another one of her anecdotes was when she saw the original cover art, they had really made this this young girl main character loci, let's say very adult, rather busty. And she was basically able to say, you know, what, if that's what the cover is going to be throw my book away, because there's no way I'm letting that be the cover of my book, and they changed the artwork to satisfy that request. And so that's amazing that she took that opportunity so that she could be empowered to direct the art direction in my way.
Snyders Return:Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of empowerment and sorcery and sort of feeding back into the point you made about a an episode of of yours about witches. You're involved in that. So Cool. Is that fair? Yeah, you're so
Lysa Penrose:I am. And so that's sort of been a recent Well, my sharing that has been more of a recent development, the past goodness, four years now My life has been so 100% dedicated to Dungeons and Dragons, and I would interview, play and interview other folks and ttrpg. But I really think the bulk of what I did had been about d&d, and this year, I don't know if it's pandemic life and thinking about what things are important to you. But I really wanted to be able to share with folks that I am like a well rounded person, I am a person, I'm a human being, and I have other interests. And so that has included in the realm of ttrpg, expanding my interest and involvement to other RPGs aside from Dungeons and Dragons, but also sharing some of the witchcraft that I do my journey in Tarot, which is one of the shows that I stream where I'm learning Tarot, and I share my lessons every week and folks in the chat, bring their pterodax and kind of discuss with me, I guess any stream any show that I do, I like being really interactive.
Snyders Return:Yeah, I was watching. Not long before we started the time of recording, I think it was last week's about symbolism, sort of the traditional when the intuitive sorry, come over the other it was traditional and something about symbols and symbolism and, and how you're interacting with the chat. And the majestic bird peered at the window and all this sort of stuff. And so I was I was invested, I was invested. And sort of working through the book and the symbolism of the moon and things like that. And unfortunately, I ran out of time to finish that. But I'd recommend people listening to find that stuff on I watched on YouTube, but as you say, you stream it. So the, this journey with the Tarot and other parts of witchcraft, and the pendant crafting and jewellery. Where Where is that leading? Where were you looking to take that and sort of develop yourself? further?
Lysa Penrose:Um, I get that I will. I don't get that specific question a lot. But I do get asked, like how has witchery influenced what I'm doing in d&d and tabletop. And while I think it's maybe helping me understand where my interests and what I like writing about and designing around, what topics I'm interested in, it really feels like a separate path to me like I can be not ttrpg things as well. I'd say there are two parts that I'm exploring right now I did a Xen of Tarot spreads called cosy wisdoms, and just doing just a little exercise of other types of design was such a relief is the wrong word. It's recharging, maybe it was really recharging, whereas I've been doing so much d&d and RPG design, doing something else. Like I don't think I'm the sort of person who can do nothing like proper rest, my rest is creating but finding different parts of creating that I'm not exhausted by at that particular time. So that was really nice. I have a bunch of ideas for other scenes. For those familiar with Taro. The major arcana is also known as the Fool's Journey. The fool is the first card, the zero card or the unnumbered card. And the major arcana are really the different to put this in RPG terms like NPCs that the fool meets. And so I want to write a story of that to help people learn the major arcana in story form. So that's one thing. The other thing I would really like to do, would be to do, like witchcraft workshops, something virtual, something that maybe takes place over the course of the month so people can space out lessons, but using witchcraft to really get people in tune with their intuition. And that really stems from my interest in making sure people are taking care of themselves exercising self care, because especially in the design community, I see people pushing themselves really hard being their worst critics and an awful way and tumbling towards burnout. And so this might be for a very niche section of that community. But if I can help some folks really be at peace with themselves, I feel like that's one of my goals. ultimate goals in life?
Snyders Return:No, that's, that's very noble and so that self self care is, is so vital at the moment. More so than than any other time. I would I would think. So, I one question actually links back to the episode I did watch. You weren't sure if you had a tattoo of an AI or not. Did you get the answer to that? And then
Lysa Penrose:oh, my goodness, I was at, um, I was talking to this other person who saw I had a tattoo and she asked, how many tattoos do you have? And I had to stop and count. Because I have a bunch of I don't I have a tattoo of things that have eyes like I have this demon babe, this really cool t fling on my leg. So she has an eye, but I don't have any eye dedicated tattoos, which is a crime Really?
Snyders Return:I wouldn't say a crime. But it meant when you mentioned your link with that bat symbol, I thought I'd take the chance to ask the question at the very least. So you mentioned this is just one part of us a well rounded individual a person and TT RPGs. And how you branched away from not away from that Tom fare. branched further out into other tabletop role playing games. How did your involvement with the Daniel de Fox Zvi hander? Come on?
Lysa Penrose:Well? Yeah, so that came about because I'm so sure because the wonderful James and ricasso is dungeon mastering that. And he has been one of the most he's not a thing, but one of the most wonderful friendships. There we go. One of the most wonderful friendships to come out of my involvement with Dungeons and Dragons. I he and I were the original two designers brought on for descent into a vernis. And I remember we were flown out to Seattle, and I got to just sit in a room for days with James and just brainstorm things. And the way his brain works is amazing. I could talk about him all day. But yeah, she and Oh, go ahead. No, I
Snyders Return:was gonna say he's, he's superhuman. I'm sure he is. I've been lucky enough to merely speak with him. So I'm very jealous of your your time spent with him.
Lysa Penrose:Yeah, James is wonderful. So he was the one who invited me on to that actual play. I'm pretty excited about that. It seems really fun. So
Snyders Return:but not just because of James. But is there something about SES my handle or other tabletop role playing games that you've both caught your eyes and systems you may look to play in the future?
Lysa Penrose:Yeah, I mean, my favourite thing about how do I work this. I've liked Dungeons and Dragons, because I feel like it's a very broad fantasy setting. So you can basically craft and tell your stories with it. But what I love about other ttrpg, as I've explored, is that they can have niche systems that are either very good mechanically at a style of play, or have a really cool niche themes of play. So for example, one game that I've talked about a little bit on Twitter, but I've never streamed it or anything, so I don't know if people know that I'm obsessed with it. But there's a game called afterlife wandering souls. I actually I interviewed that creator for the witch episode about their witch RPG. And they told me a little bit about this before, it was being kickstarted, like kind of like a little preview and I was like, I'm, I think I'm going to be obsessed with it. And spoiler alert, I am obsessed with it. So I love that so Nish, basically, you are a soul you've died, you've forgotten most everything about your life. And it's all about the game is all about exploring the afterlife and different afterlife and Limbo is trying to find what your identity was a trying to find your way to the correct afterlife. And that is so like one oddly specific theme, but the world lets you is just so it's almost like an Alice in Wonderland sort of afterlife. For example. There's basically the the afterlife that everyone's in is called tenebrous. A big desert. And wandering through the desert is this huge dinosaur that has a city on its back. And that's called an A it's one of the Oasis's one of the cities in it. So, oh, and it's got all these little lizard people on it and they call the city ancestor. And so it could have such wacky weird stuff in that and I feel like you could do a deal. The game I guess, and create a wacky weird Alice in Wonderland type setting. But here's the ttrpg that has that already. How cool as heck is that? Um, let's see other games I really, really loved that I'm actually doing, I think it's starting to air next Wednesday. Hold on, that doesn't mean anything when we don't know when this is being released Wednesday, the 28th. I think it's being released on a network called table golf. I've been playing this game called good society, which is sort of a Jane Austin Pride and Prejudice inspired setting or game. And that's an RPG that has no dice rolling, it really leans on the shared storytelling aspects. And instead of dice, you have tokens where you can offer someone a token, they can reject it. But it's your idea of wanting to make something happen in the story. For better or for worse, maybe you want to help someone out, maybe you want to create a really dramatic moment, there's tokens for monologuing. So maybe you want to hear someone's inner thoughts and give them a moment in the spotlight, you offer them a monologue token, you can create rumours. And what I love about this game is really facilitates shared storytelling and that as a player, you're not necessarily just trying to make everything super happy. Go lucky for your character, you're not just trying to survive. You, you're kind of in on it with the game master and all the other players to create a game. That's a story that's as dramatic as possible. So you're encouraged to come up with conflicts for your own characters, and others. And you're like in on the fun. I love games that do that. Another one that does this really well, but is like, opposite end of the spectrum and theme is 10 candles, where that one's a tragic horror game. So you know that your character is going to die at some point. And because of that, you are fine. You're, you're fine with making the experience as torturous as you want it to be in the way you want it to be with the other players and like throughout the game you like create rules for the world. And some times you can create rules that help everyone and help them survive another scene. And sometimes you create rules that make each scene even more frightening. I guess I've actually I say that I've been really DND focused. But in terms of just my personal licence, and hobbies and other streams and things I've been in, I have played a lot of RPGs. So I could probably ramble on and on forever.
Snyders Return:A dog I love to hear your enthusiasm. And just to sort of touch on the first two afterlife wandering souls. I was lucky enough to speak to the creator as well. So and that's by angry hamster publishing.
Lysa Penrose:Yes,
Snyders Return:yes. So and you mentioned so much of the good stuff. One of the mechanics I like, as was described to me is that your character is created through the game you don't character pre Gen. Your character comes to life as you recover the the souls and the shards and the memories of the life once lived kind of thing.
Lysa Penrose:Yes, character creation, is its whole own session. And is like really, really fun. It's, you're on the boat, basically, on the river sticks are basically the ocean getting to this big desert. And you there through lots of random rolling tables, which I think is always fun, I love to roll me some dice. You get like little snippets of memories, and it helps you kind of string together who your character might have been in life.
Snyders Return:It's It's such a great system. I'll put a link to that. Also in the description, because I enjoyed learning about it. And the way you talk about it just sells it again. So hats off to you and your your descriptive talents. So I mean, we've talked about a lot and and I could genuinely listen to you also ramble on but talk more about tabletop games. Is there any other mechanics from a game design perspective, given your input into danger the man made and turn into a bonus and things. Another system that has a different mechanic that you've thought maybe the game doesn't appeal, but the mechanic you thought, you know, I like the way that works.
Lysa Penrose:Oh, well, I would say with good society. Some of the storytelling things those tokens are something I'd love to hack into Dungeons and Dragons. I feel like as a way for players to earn inspiration or give each other inspiration, like hand someone a monologue token and they share what their character's inner thoughts are and that transforms into an inspiration for them. Um, but what also comes to mind would be alien RPG. I really like their stress mechanics And I feel like it might not be. I mean, it could be utilised, I guess, every mechanic like this where I feel like oh, this is really good. My instinct because of my origins in d&d is can I hack this into d&d and make d&d better? Um, so I feel like if you're playing games and like ravenloft, or Oh, with Halloween coming up if you were playing a haunted house adventure, having alien stress mechanics, where as you get more stressed out, you have you roll on tables on the table like grows with like worse things that could happen. And it could be like you Drop your weapon or you're so anxious, you can't move. Those sorts of things. I really like consequences. Like that. And I think it, it adds, it adds to the immersive feeling of dread. And Ooh, ooh, speaking of that, is it is the game called dread where there's like a Jenga tower?
Snyders Return:Yes.
Lysa Penrose:Yes. Someone reminded me of that I've seen that played, I think on Bolivians tabletop. But someone reminded me of its existence recently. And I love the idea of some sort of likes in person, something to add, add stress, but like a fun stress to a game.
Snyders Return:dread is I haven't played it myself. But as you say that the whole use of the Jenga tower and I'm terrible at Jenga anyway, or the the wooden block tower if we're infringing copyright, or trademarks, or anything. It's such a simple but clever way of building that tension. It's fantastic. And I agree with you free, illegal or freely publishing really have knocked it out of the park with the alien RPG and their releases in support of that. So I know,
Lysa Penrose:I'll just add, as I explained how I would translate everything to d&d for the other mechanics. So dread, it's I guess it's if you fail at something, you have to pull out a Jenga piece. And you keep doing that until the tower falls. But I feel like in. So again, we'll see maybe it's like a haunted house mechanic and you're making be making lots of wisdom saves. I feel like if you fail your wisdom seat, you have to take a Jenga piece. Or if you want advantage, on your wisdom, save, you can explain how you get advantage. But you also have to take a Jenga piece. So it kind of heightens stress for next time,
Snyders Return:I potentially might might would try something slightly different. I would use the Jenga tower to represent the physical, haunted house should we say and the more you fail, say a wisdom save, the more the house reacts, and you have to pull a brick. And so you can be brave, but it may cause the environment around you.
Lysa Penrose:Oh, I love that.
Snyders Return:Again, feel free to steal it. It's not. It's not written down or copyrighted. So it's just within the realms of this podcast, but feel free to use it. And on a side note, Wil Wheaton is tabletop has caused me to buy some games as well. So he is responsible for money out of my bank account on a couple of occasions. So thank you, and you will wait and at the same time. At least I'd love to talk to you more and more. I'd love to have you back. But before I'd sort of draw this to a close, would you like to remind everybody where they can find you and your contents? They can engage with you?
Lysa Penrose:Absolutely. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at Lisa Penrose. That's Lisa spelled with a Y. I'm also on Twitch TV slash Lisa Penrose. And if you're just curious about everything I've done d&d and beyond. Lisa penrose.com, after my full creative portfolio.
Snyders Return:Thank you, Lisa. And I, I genuinely mean it. Thank you so much for sort of taking some time to speak to me, you You are an inspiration, and entertaining, and I can see why you've had so much success on multiple platforms. So thank you for coming on the show. And I'd love to have you back at the future.
Lysa Penrose:Oh, well, thank you again very much for having me. This was an absolute pleasure.
Snyders Return:Thanks for listening. If you'd like to learn more about the show, then go to www dot smanos return.squarespace.com. Alternatively, you can find us over on Twitter at Return Snyder. We have a link tree link in the description of this episode. And if you want to support us, come and join us over on Patreon. And we also have a Discord server. Please leave us a review because we'd love to learn how to improve the channel and provide better content alpha for those who are listening until we until we speak again. Thank you