Modern Mythology

About Modern Mythology

How do stories and systems intersect and influence each other? This push and pull offers us a chance to deepen our understanding and appreciation of how writing and role-playing games connect and co-evolve. Through conversations and one shot Actual-play episodes, we explore how the tools we use shape the stories we tell, whether those tools are implicit or explicit. Whether you’re a veteran or new to the scene, we invite you to join us.

Publisher

Modern Mythology

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Jan 2025

Latest episode

31 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

29 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   31 Aug 2026

   Ep.29: Ravenloft myths, Homebrew

   We continue our fantasy series with James taking the DM’s chair. This time, we look at one approach to homebrewing: preserving the conventions that give a setting its identity while modifying systems to lean further into them. Our actual play takes place in the Nameless Lands, a new Domain of Dread pulled from a world not altogether unlike our own. The Mists blur its borders, time has become meaningless, and names and histories are slowly wearing away. Two cursed wanderers are on their way back to the walled town of Karsova with a severed head in their saddlebag as proof that they completed their job. At the center of the Nameless Lands is Agrammon, the Undying One, a nascent Darklord. Orphaned by raiders, he survived through the criminal underworld and eventually grew wealthy through debts and imperial administration. His obsession with finding immortality through genuine magic led him to the rites that transformed him. The setting draws loosely on Ottoman administrative history, Silk Road funerary traditions, Scythian burial practices, and Balkan revenant folklore. James developed it as a possible campaign framework for roughly levels 6–12, along with custom characters and character classes for the session. As usual with our actual plays, we follow the session with a discussion of what happened at the table. Topics Discussed 00:00:33 — What have we been playing lately? 00:06:57 — Ravenloft roots and the “evil character” 00:11:38 — Why GMs cause problems for PCs 00:15:52 — Homebrew, balance, and encounter math 00:21:41 — The homebrew pregens 00:32:33 — Rite of the Undying: The Nameless Lands 00:41:30 — Gnoll ambush on the caravan road 01:20:17 — The blight at Sudavac 01:25:13 — Safia’s offer for the head 01:43:32 — Karsova, Radovan, and the head that won’t burn 01:47:26 — The GM pulls back the curtain 01:55:17 — One-shots still need a want 02:00:21 — Codified magic stops being mysterious 02:05:32 — Mystery for the GM and emergent play 02:19:38 — Starting at level six and tiers of play 02:26:13 — Comparing three approaches to D&D For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. ModernMythology.net

2. 

   2 Aug 2026

   Ep.28: dragonlance D&D

   We continue our fantasy series with D&D. How could we not? Sean takes the DM's chair first. We play through the beginning of Shadow of the Dragon Queen, the 5e Dragonlance campaign: the road to Vogler, a memorial, and a party still finding its footing. Spoiler warning if you're planning to play it. This is the first of three episodes where each of us takes a turn running D&D,, looking at how we each run the same game differently. Afterward we get into D&D 2024, the ways we've each hacked the game over the years, and the tradeoffs of running a pre-written module. As usual for our actual-plays, the system discussion follows the session rather than interrupting play with meta-commentary. Hope you enjoy. Topics discussed: 00:00:30 On the Road to Vogler 00:07:40 The Characters 00:19:30 Danger Ahead 01:17:00 "I'm going take a little walk" 01:28:55 Arrive at Town 01:36:00 Kender Squire 01:43:40 The Solamnic Knight 01:50:20 The Memorial 02:04:00 Reflection and Wrap-Up 02:19:00 "Hermetic Rules" 02:33:45 Narrative Structure For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. ModernMythology.net

3. 

   15 Jun 2026

   Ep.27: Death & Dying

   Have you had a character die mid-session? How did it feel, and had the table talked it through first? We all run games with violence of some kind, juggling different systems and different layers of mortality — and a lot of players read a death as an ending, an inconvenience, or a real emotional blow when a favorite character meets their end. This game, like many others, shows it doesn't have to be. In Episode 27 of Modern Mythology, Sean runs Turn of Fortune's Wheel — the official introductory Planescape adventure (spoilers ahead!) — for Scott and James. Planescape is a setting where belief shapes reality and the dead are part of the cosmology, and Turn of Fortune's Wheel wastes no time putting that on the table. We rolled up three characters and played through an engaging, genuinely lethal scenario to put death in gaming under the lens. After the session we get into how to handle a character's death at the table in a way that protects player agency and opens up better stories. Content note: this episode discusses character death and in-game mortality throughout. Topics discussed: 00:00:37 Consent Check-in 00:01:45 Characters 00:07:40 Trope: You Wake Up in a Strange Place 00:18:30 Exit the Room 00:24:00 Doctor & Patient 00:48:10 On the Precipice 00:52:25 The First Death 01:05:30 Jamie's 2nd Character 01:30:20 “Maurice, No!" 01:31:45 Wrap Up & Death as a Narrative and Game Device For more on the discussion of System and Style check out our written articles and Scott’s additional thoughts on specific systems on our YouTube channel. ModernMythology.net

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

193

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

61

Social presence

0

YouTube

64

Engagement

0

Contact Modern Mythology

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Modern Mythology