Ludonarrative Dissidents

Swords of the Serpentine

SWORDS OF THE SERPENTINE is a game of fantasy shenanigans in a labyrinthine sinking city populated by rogues, schemers, cultists, swashbucklers and your player characters, written by Kevin Kulp and Emily Dresner, and published by Pelgrane Press in 2022. It uses a variation of the Gumshoe system originally created by Robin D. Laws in 2007. Swords of the Serpentine at Pelgrane PressSwords of the Serpentine at DriveThruRPGFull show notes are hereDiscuss this episode on our Discord.

Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for June 2026

Our livestream discussion for June!Watch the episode on Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discuss this episode on our Discord.

Chicago by Night: Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition

CHICAGO BY NIGHT is a 2018 city sourcebook for Vampire the Masquerade 5th edition, written by Matthew Dawkins and a host of others, and published by Renegade Game Studios, who have the rights to do all this stuff these days. The most recent iteration of a sourcebook that first appeared in 1991, this edition is by far the longest at 357 pages. It describes the vampire culture, clans, people, locations, backstory and subterfuges of the eponymous city. (‘Eponymous’, because I always have to check, means ‘lending its name to’ a thing, not ‘taking its name from’). We talked about the latest edition of Vampire the Masquerade earlier this season and concluded that it did what it needs to in a suitable style, if you like that sort of thing. How does that fit with huge chunks of crunchy campaign-world detail like this? Don’t click that dial!Chicago by Night at DriveThruRPG (there’s more information here than at the publishers’ website)Vampire the Masquerade 5th edition at DriveThruRPGThe original Chicago by Night from 1991 at DriveThruRPGChicago by Night second edition (1993) at DriveThruRPGRead the full show notes here. Discuss this episode on our Discord.

Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for May

Our livestream discussion for May, featuring special guest Jerry Grayson of Khepera Publishing. Check out the Godsend Agenda today.Watch the episode on Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discuss this episode on our Discord.

Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream for April 2026

Our April livestream!Watch the livestream on Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discuss this episode on our Discord.