I’m new here. What’s Dice Exploder?

Welcome to Dice Exploder! Each week on the Dice Exploder podcast, Sam Dunnewold (that’s me!) and a new cohost break down a tabletop RPG mechanic as deep as we possibly can.

Also sometimes I write blogposts.

Oh sweet. Where should I start?

Get your podcast app out and sub there. That’s where the action is.

Just diving into the world of RPG design? Try this romp of an episode I did with Mikey Hamm (Slugblaster) about our namesake mechanic: Exploding Dice.

Can you list a dozen PBTA and FITD games from memory? Here’s a great one with Aaron King (RTFM podcast) about custom moves in Apocalypse World, and specifically Love Letters.

Want to see just how deep an episode of this show can go? Come with me and Alex Roberts (For the Queen, Starcrossed) as we ask “what even is love?” while going deep on Kagematsu’s Pity Points.

Unable to resist the siren call of the dragon game? I got my dad to come on the show and tell me all about how he used to run D&D for me and my friends back in the third grade while he did his best to avoid discussing his least favorite mechanic, THAC0.

Looking for something to read? Here’s a post breaking down how one of my regular groups dove into playing without any rules established and how it went.

Who are you?

My name is Sam Dunnewold. I'm a Minnesotan game designer, screenwriter, and podcaster (professionally even beyond this show) living in Hollywood like a chump. I'm the designer of Doskvol Breathes, Space Train Space Heist, and the Golden Cobra winning The Hench Union LARP. I think everyone should include a two page manifesto with all their games, and I was a judge for the 2022 The Awards. I used to work for The Onion, where I appeared in the photo for this headline and edited this Clickhole video essay. I have no colon.