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Welcome back to the table! This week, Tori, Arcadia, and Malcolm return to the Clans of VTM. Malcolm moderates as Tori opens with all things Toreador—the elegant artists of the Camarilla. We hear about the pain of needing beauty in your afterlife. Clan Toreador cling to the living world after the Embrace and are often found embroiled in mortal affairs, searching for the artistic inspiration and beauty that can bring a glow back to their dulled, dreary world of undeath.

After the break, we hear Arcadia break down the Tzimisce Clan… yikes. These “Dragons” of vampiredom operate outside any brokered peace of the Camarilla and believe the Masquerade is a joke. The Tzimisce hold that knowledge, transformation, and control are the tenets of undeath. Horrible powers allow members of the clan to change the physical appearance of themselves or others—often with hideous results.

They are passionless, cold, and calculating in a vampire world where most clans fear the fall of the Masquerade. The Tzimisce ask, “Why would you worry about your lunch knowing you existed?” To them, the Embrace is evolution. Like scientists, they pursue knowledge of both vampires and kine through endless experiments, theories, scientific application… and pain.

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Welcome back to the table, and happy New Year’s! This week, Arcadia, Malcolm, and Tori talk about building characters. Malcolm gives us a rundown on how to build a tank, going into detail on creating a not-so-squishy, damage-dealing battlefield controller. Having “taunt” mechanics to draw fire is a big part of tank builds, and the biggest question to ask is always what you want the character to do.

War clerics are a great class that can be tanked out. Heavy armor, Constitution, and buffs are key elements for a strong tank, and battlefield control can be huge for these characters. Tanks are there to draw fire and deal damage—and they can even hand out buffs along the way.

Coming back from the break, Tori talks about building a dungeon crawler/burglar. As always, the first question is what you want the character to do (though Tori’s brain pauses several times during this section). Dexterity and Intelligence are almost always the most important stats for rogues. Some useful feats include Alert, Mobile, and Lucky. Rogue equipment that can help includes Gloves of Thievery, vials of acid, rope, caltrops, and grappling hooks.

Always remember: this is your character—and as a rogue, there WILL be characters who don’t like you because of your class. Happy New Year’s, y’all!

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In this episode of Finding Atoria, we go semi-dark for the holidays. Malcolm spreads some thanks (to you, most of all) and pulls the FA curtain back a bit, letting us listen in on some of the moments we share that don’t make the cut. Malcolm proves that there is never a bad time to be recording with this group in the studio… whether they know it at the time or not!

We hear hilarious (and somewhat telling, lol) conversations about the role of dragons in amped-up Romantasy stories. We also get a chance to hear what happens when Star Wars conversations between recording segments turn out to be some of the best content captured (the Force is weird with these ones). Many a munchkin snippet is caught, along with some of our most comical “private” conversations accidentally recorded on mic. Enjoy!

In the “Shits and Giggles” category… Malcolm tries his hand at bringing a voice to our favorite Druid’s journal—trapped in wild shape form as a good boy in our confusing dimension. Mighty Dorbin brings some welcome memories of the heat of summer in Episode 3 of The Journal of Dorbin the Druid. Follow his journey and read more amazing content at www.wordleafmedia.com/blog.

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In this episode of Finding Atoria, the crew continues their Vampire: The Masquerade beginner series with a deep dive into two iconic clans that embody opposite ends of power and monstrosity.

Moderated by Tori, the episode explores what it means to play either the polished ruler or the unseen manipulator of the night. Malcolm breaks down the Ventrue—the aristocratic leaders of vampire society who rule through status, influence, and refined control. Meanwhile, Arcadia examines the Nosferatu, the hidden monsters who operate from the shadows, trading beauty for secrets and wielding power through information and fear.

Together, the Finding Atoria crew frames these clans as two interpretations of Dracula: the sophisticated charmer who commands a room, and the lurking horror who knows everyone’s secrets. The episode contrasts the public face of authority with the power broker behind the scenes, helping new players decide which version of undeath best fits the character they want to play.

Whether you’re drawn to courtly dominance or subterranean scheming, this beginner-friendly guide offers insight into clan themes, roleplay opportunities, and storytelling potential in Vampire: The Masquerade.

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This week, Tori, Arcadia, and Malcolm are all in the studio for a lively discussion on homebrewing your TTRPG—what it is, what it isn’t, and when it shines at the table.

We dig into the wonders of “The Faces of Tori” and find ourselves delightfully lost in sinking fields early and often. Homebrewing is accessible to everyone and can elevate your game, your world, and your table’s overall enjoyment. You don’t have to be a master worldbuilder to effectively homebrew rules, NPCs, encounters, or adapted mechanics that enhance your group’s experience.

There’s a real freedom in setting aside the shackles of RAW, but it’s equally important to understand which rules you’re changing and why—player agency and immersion depend on it.

We also talk hooks: why they matter so much, and where to find inspiration when you need it most. Tori shares how she uses tools, tropes, and fandoms to craft an amazing homebrew one-shot for our table—and why pivoting is an essential part of the brew!

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"Niima Outpost is that way. Stay off Kelvin Ridge. Keep away from the Sinking Fields in the north." ~ Rey to BB-8, Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens

Welcome back to the table! Patrick and Arcadia are joined by Jess and Coel for a dive into Star Wars TTRPG madness. We’re juggling three games this week — Edge of the Empire, Force & Destiny, and Age of Rebellion — and somehow, through some cosmic sorcery, it all works together. Mechanics were built to let you play them separately or together, and yes, we are taking full advantage of the latter. Each of us built a character from a different game, but we’re all adventuring together in an Edge of the Empire module. And, of course, homebrew sneaks in to crank everything up to 11 for shiggles while the Force… oh yes, the Force doth overflow with this lot.

The Sinking Fields of the North claim their usual victims — Jess and Coel wander off into tangents about Star Wars lore, Malcolm and Arcadia try valiantly to pull them back on track, and somehow, we all still survive without getting lost in the Unknown Regions… or needing to smash the whoopty s#!t, back to Star Wars! button too many times.

Strap in, grab your dice, and may the Force — plus snacks, chaos, and whatever plot hook Malcolm throws next — be with you.

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Welcome back to the table, and Happy Turkey Day! 🦃✨

This week, Tori returns with Arcadia and Malcolm to break down all things Thurs-Con — our beloved, chaotic, sugar-fueled, dice-rolling micro-convention that has officially wrapped its second glorious year.

We take a joyful detour into gummy-bear discourse (as one does), then recap the full Thurs-Con experience: more people, more games, more merch, and way more gaming all weekend long. Watching the “baby gamers” discover TTRPGs for the first time was pure magic — nothing beats seeing new players fall in love with this hobby.

Of course, no con is complete without a few logistical hiccups, but those bumps sparked new ideas for next year: one-shots, expanded merch, fresh faces, and maybe even finding ways to give back to the community. Malcolm is already scheming. Tori is already planning to run another table. And we’re already counting down the days.

If you’ve ever thought about building your own mini-convention, we talk about that too — because helping other folks bring people together to game? That would be downright amazing.

Pull up a chair and join the recap of the con that started as a wild idea and is quickly becoming a tradition.

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Session Zero, Character Creation, and Beyond

Welcome back to the table! This week, Arcadia, Malcolm, and Jess talk about Star Wars! The crew tried the Star Wars TTRPG on for size, and there’s just something about that galaxy far, far away that calls to all of us. Jess’s nickname even makes an appearance… Threepio!

As usual, our folks dove right in — and of course, homebrew showed up almost immediately. Character creation was a little tricky, but with any new system, there are bound to be some hiccups. The quickstart guide helped hook our intrepid adventurers, especially with some of the unique mechanics. The system really does lean into that cinematic Star Wars energy.

Learning on the fly seems to be our table’s MO, and our forever GM naturally veered away from the official module “because reasons.” Knowing the universe definitely helped the narrative flow, but there was still plenty of room for new lore and surprise moments.

The dice-pool resolution system was a bit clunky at first, but we suspect that’s something familiarity (and maybe a few more sessions) will smooth out. And of course, whoopty s#!t, back to Star Wars!

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