Dieku Podcast

TTRPG Year-in-Review for 2025

2025 was another interesting year in the TTRPG Industry, and I was once again joined by Shannon Appelcline, author of the "Designers & Dragons" series, to provide historical context to the events of the year.Shannon shared his insights on a variety of topics including the tariffs, AI, economy, and other headwinds for TTRPGs, as well as talking about where things are going for indie game design.https://www.youtube.com/c/BudsRPGreview---------Pre-order Dragons & Designers on Backerkit:https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/evil-hat/designers-dragons-originsDesigners and Dragons website:https://www.designers-and-dragons.com---------Fang Dungeon Bestiary Backerkit:https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/3381d640-ea27-40dd-9972-ee85087e1353/landingBug Busters Kickstarter Pre-order:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diekugames/bug-bustersWeb Site & Storehttps://diekugames.comPatreon:https://www.patreon.com/diekugamesTo learn more about Dieku Games:https://diekugames.itch.iohttps://www.instagram.com/diekugames https://www.twitter.com/diekugameshttps://www.tiktok.com/@diekugameshttps://www.patreon.com/diekugameshttps://diekugames.blogspot.comhttps://discord.com/invite/372RdeeMZD#OSR #TTRPG #DND

Origins of Early Dungeons & Dragons Products - OD&D, B/X, BECMI and 1E

I was once again joined by friend of the show, Shannon Appelcline, the author of the "Designers & Dragons" series, Free Trader Beowulf about the history of Traveller, and now the soon to be crowdfunded Designers and Dragons Origins, a four book series that delves into the history of how each TSR product up til 1995 came to be. Backerkit:https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/0477a26f-723e-4d2f-8f11-74cdc007daf1/landingFrom the birth of roleplaying to the discovery of the Forgotten Realms, from the rise of Basic D&D to the fall of Mystara, historian Shannon Appelcline brings you the Story of OD&D, BD&D, and AD&D 1e in Designers & Dragons: Origins.This massive 4-volume set covers the history behind each and every product released by TSR for OD&D, AD&D 1e, and Basic D&D.Unearthed Arcana, the legendary orange-covered B3, the super-rare Up the Garden Path. It's all here.The books are comprehensive in scope, but each entry is cleanly, clearly structured to be easily digestible. Find out for yourself in our free preview on DriveThruRPG:https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/539723/designers-dragons-origins-secret-door#DnD #OSR #ttrpg

Trashing the Ennies, Decline of the OSR, and a Massive Channel Update

I'm going to give a massive channel update on everything Dieku Games, including the upcoming Bug Busters Kickstarter, trashing the Ennies, the future of the channel(s), upcoming interviews, and more! Buckle up!Bug Buster Kickstarterhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diekugames/bug-busters?ref=a6np6m

Stargazer Keep - the cosmic sword & sorcery RPG inspired by the music of Ronnie James Dio

I welcome John McQueen-Scott and Terry Herc - the designers of Stargazer Keep - cosmic sword & sorcery RPG zine series, inspired by the music of Ronnie James Dio and channeled through the lens of Mörk Borg.Kickstarter:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/terryherc/stargazer-keep-part-1-of-a-mork-borg-compatible-megadungeon---------Fang Dungeon Bestiary Backerkit:https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/3381d640-ea27-40dd-9972-ee85087e1353/landingBug Busters Kickstarter:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diekugames/bug-bustersWeb Site:https://diekugames.comTo learn more about Dieku Games:https://diekugames.itch.iohttps://www.instagram.com/diekugames https://www.twitter.com/diekugameshttps://www.tiktok.com/@diekugameshttps://www.patreon.com/diekugameshttps://diekugames.blogspot.comhttps://discord.com/invite/mtP3nyUWZz#OSR #TTRPG #Dio

Free League Publishing's Legacy and Bright Future with Tomas Härenstam

I welcome Tomas Härenstam, the CEO of Free League Publishing , and the creator of the Year Zero Engine which has been used in many of their amazing games such as Tales from the Loop, Vaesen, Alien, Blade Runner and Coriolis - which recently launched a new version called - The Great Dark.Free League Publishing is a game studio and publisher dedicated to speculative fiction based in Stockholm, Sweden. Voted Fan Favorite Publisher at the ENNIES in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 Free League has published a wide range of award-winning tabletop roleplaying games and acclaimed art books set in strange and wondrous worlds.For more information:https://freeleaguepublishing.comhttps://www.instagram.com/freeleaguepublishinghttps://www.facebook.com/FreeLeaguePublishinghttps://www.youtube.com/c/freeleaguepublishingOutside the box: How Sweden conquered the world of role-playing gameshttps://fandrake.com/produkt/outside-the-box/---------Fang Dungeon Bestiary Backerkit:https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/3381d640-ea27-40dd-9972-ee85087e1353/landingBug Busters Kickstarter:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diekugames/bug-bustersWeb Site:https://diekugames.comTo learn more about Dieku Games:https://diekugames.itch.iohttps://www.instagram.com/diekugames https://www.twitter.com/diekugameshttps://www.tiktok.com/@diekugameshttps://www.patreon.com/diekugameshttps://diekugames.blogspot.comhttps://discord.com/invite/mtP3nyUWZz#OSR #TTRPG #artinspiration