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Roll to Save

Author: Iain Wilson

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Three middle-aged nerds dive deep into the golden age of tabletop RPGs, covering the classics from the 80s and 90s that shaped the hobby we love today. Iain and Jason banter their way through gaming history while Steve desperately tries to keep them on topic—and occasionally succeeds.

Whether you're a grognard who lived through THAC0 or a newcomer curious about what to do with all those lovely polyhederal dice you've aquired, we've got you covered with historical deep-dives, roundtable discussions fueled by questionable nostalgia, and actual play episodes where our players' competence is... variable. 

All of this released on a schedule that can charitably be called "flexible" at best.

Grab some dice and join us for a trip down memory lane—just don't ask us to commit to when the next episode will drop.

73 Episodes
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Get in touch with us! What if rebellion began as an act of love? Demon: the Fallen was the final game in the original World of Darkness line, and we chart it's - painfully - short history. Was it fun to play fallen angels from the dawn of time, or was this just more angst hiding under a different colour of trenchcoat? Join us to find out! Contact us at: EMAIL: roll.to.save.pod@gmail.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/rolltosavepod WEBSITE: https://rolltosave.blog HOST...
Get in touch with us! Welcome to the Hollow Men - a Hunter: the Reckoning dramatised solo actual play. In this episode, we meet our protagonist, Courtney Webster, whose meeting at a bar with a contact doesn't go exactly as planned. All music and soud effects from Epidemic Sound. Thanks to the following for lending their wonderful voice talent to this episode: Karen Pope, Heather Haneman, Troy Coady and Havliah Coady. Contact us at: EMAIL: roll.to.save.pod@gmail.com FACEBOOK: https://www.face...
Get in touch with us! Welcome to the Hollow Men - a dramatised Hunter: The Reckoning solo actual play. Courtney deals with the fall out from the fight at the Depot, and the fact that the police officer helping her appears wrong to her Second Sight. All music and sound effects from Epidemic Sound. Thanks to our voice actors Karen Pope, Heather Haneman, Havilah Coady, Melissa Andres, Jon Cohen and Anna Chapman. Contact us at: EMAIL: roll.to.save.pod@gmail.com FACEBOOK: https://www...
Get in touch with us! Welcome to the Hollow Men - our Hunter: The Reckoning solo actual play. In this episode we interoduce you to the world of the Hollow Men as well as providing a walk through of character creation. If you want to skip the boring rulesy bits just listen to the first twenty minutes or so and then you can bounce to episode 1! Thanks to Heather Haneman for voicing The Messengers in this episode! All messages and sound effects from Epidemic Sound. Contact us at: EM...
Get in touch with us! What happens when an RPG asks you to play the dead, feed on emotion, and also hand over your own inner critic to another player? We go deep on Wraith: The Oblivion, the most haunting corner of the World of Darkness, unpacking why its ideas still feel daring: fetters that tether you to the living, pathos that turns feelings into fuel, and Shadows that weaponise doubt. From first edition’s glow-in-the-dark cover to the 20th Anniversary’s colossal compendium, we map the ris...
Get in touch with us! Stakes make stories breathe. We sit down with Jon Cohen - writer, host, and designer behind Tale of the Manticore and One Shot in the Dark - to explore why consequence beats comfort, how a hybrid format turns solo play into gripping audio drama, and what it takes to build a one-shot that actually ends in one sitting. Jon walks us through the creative risks, the craft, and the quiet discipline that keeps a polished episode shipping every 10 days without losing the sting i...
Get in touch with us! To: hunterlist@hunter-net.org From: witness1 Fellow imbued, I must report a disturbing incident. Our latest transmission regarding the Mission was compromised. The audio files were corrupted - the music loud, blaring, almost as if something didn't want this information shared. You know what I'm talking about. They got to it. But the Messengers work in mysterious ways. The tainted files have been purged. A clean recording has been restored and is being redistributed as we...
Get in touch with us! Step into the world of Arthurian legend through Pendragon, the RPG that masterfully captures the essence of knightly virtue, tragedy, and legacy spanning generations. Unlike traditional fantasy games, Pendragon isn't about magical powers or ever-increasing abilities—it's about creating meaningful stories where your knight's personality traits, passions, and family lineage take center stage. We talk about what makes Pendragon unique: its revolutionary personality trait s...
Get in touch with us! The golden age of darker, more mature RPGs in the mid-1990s saw numerous games trying to capture the same audience that Vampire: The Masquerade had tapped into. Among these ambitious titles, Nephilim stands out as a fascinating "what could have been" story – a game bursting with revolutionary ideas that never quite delivered on its enormous potential. The question is, did it deliver on that potential? Tune in to find out. Contact us at: EMAIL: roll.to.save.pod@gm...
Get in touch with us! Embark on a magical journey through gaming history as we explore Talisman, the fantasy board game that's kept players rolling dice and chanting "Toad! Toad! Toad!" for over four decades. Whether you're a veteran who spent nights battling friends for the Crown of Command or a newcomer curious about this legendary game, join us for a deep dive into a magical quest that refuses to take itself too seriously—reminding us that even if you get turned into a toad, you'll have a...
Get in touch with us! What makes a tabletop RPG truly perfect? Not just popular or commercially successful, but flawlessly designed where every element fits together so seamlessly you can't imagine it any other way? Greg Stafford's King Arthur Pendragon stands as one of those rare masterpieces – a game that transcended traditional RPG design to create something genuinely literary and transformative. Ready to experience the holy grail of RPGs? Join us as we explore how this revolutionary game...
Get in touch with us! Step into the shadows of the unknown with us as we unearth the fascinating history behind the Call of Cthulhu RPG, a game that turned tabletop horror on its head. We'll trail the game's evolution, from Sandy Peterson's early work to the atmospheric depths of the 1920s setting, and delve into the ingenious Sanity Score. Prepare to celebrate the game's unique approach to horror as we guide you through its legacy, a journey not just for seasoned investigators bu...
Get in touch with us! Join us as we crack open Cubicle 7's supplement for the Enemy Within campaign, The Enemy in Shadows Companion - the essential guide to adventuring in the Reikland (allegedly). Is this a storehouse of useful added extras, or something that trades on nostalgia for nostalgia's sake? Listen along and find out... Contact us at: EMAIL: roll.to.save.pod@gmail.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/rolltosavepod WEBSITE: https://rolltosave.blog HOSTS: Iain Wilson, Steve McGarr...
Dark Conspiracy Roundtable

Dark Conspiracy Roundtable

2025-08-2501:39:11

Get in touch with us! The dark minions may have tried to sabotage our first episode, but we're back with a deep dive into the fascinating world of Dark Conspiracy, GDW's dystopian monster-hunting RPG from 1991. Dark Conspiracy occupies a unique place in roleplaying history – a game that bridges old-school wargaming crunch with forward-thinking character development systems. We explore how this game, with its eerily prescient setting of corporate overreach and societal collapse, created some ...
Get in touch with us! PRODUCTION NOTE - INCIDENT REPORT #DC-001 Subject: Anomalous Audio Interference During Initial Recording Classification: Empathic Incursion (Suspected) Status: RESOLVED Fellow Minion Hunters, We regret to inform you that our initial release of this episode experienced what can only be described as supernatural audio interference. During the original recording session, our carefully balanced audio levels were mysteriously altered, causing the background music to surge...
Get in touch with us! What happens when a beloved classic gets reimagined three decades later? That's the question at the heart of my deep dive into Enemy in Shadows, Cubicle 7's director's cut of the legendary Enemy Within campaign for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. As someone who first attempted to run this campaign as a 12-year-old back in 1988, this review comes from a place of both nostalgia and critical analysis. The original Shadows Over Bugenhaven was brilliant but chaotically organized...
Get in touch with us! Discover sci-fi horror as we unwrap the Mothership RPG Kickstarter rewards and share our candid reactions. Picture the tense corridors of "Alien" and the haunting void of "Dead Space" as we analyze the game's system, designed for hair-raising one-shot adventures. Our friend Ryan hops aboard for this interstellar discussion, comparing editions and debating the impact of components from GM screens to cardstock figures on your gameplay experience. We also delve into the com...
Get in touch with us! Prepare to be immersed in the spine-tingling realm of Cthulhu board games as we continue to recount our harrowing yet delightful experiences from the comfort of our tabletops. From the sudden demise of the Mythos card game that left us in academic nostalgia to the complex machinations of Arkham Horror, our tales are fraught with the kind of player interaction that only eldritch horror can inspire. And let's not forget our own Matt Sanderson's confession of his seemingly ...
Get in touch with us! Step into the shadows with us and special guest Matt Sanderson, a distinguished author of the eldritch horror RPG Call of Cthulhu, as we convene for a spine-tingling, two-part roundtable discussion. Our personal forays into the game's chilling depths provide a backdrop to our broader conversation, which spans the intellectual challenges and invigorating horrors that have gripped players for over four decades. While we revel in the Lovecraftian lore, we also share tales f...
Get in touch with us! Greetings citizen! Join Troubleshooter Rapid Response Team 413 as they take on another fun, routine task for your friend and mine, The Computer. As with most Troubleshooter missions, this one will be perfectly safe for everyone concerned. I've heard from some listeners who apparently like to listen to the whole series in one go so, this monster episode is for you folks - all five episodes of ToOHLFYD in one package. Enjoy. Thanks to our cast of @manticoretale, ...
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Comments (2)

Jason Sidel

Thanks for a great year! Love meeting Steve, Matt, and Jason through games this past year! Iain, you are an amazing GM/DM/Keeper. Thanks for including me this past year. You have rekindled a former passion.

Jan 7th
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Jason Sidel

Love the insight to these RPGs. I am new to Warhammer Fantasy RPG and it really helped me get the background and basics. Thanks!

Mar 10th
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