This episode is al all about danger and death in ttrpgs

Should you really never split the party?

Ending a tabletop RPG session can feel awkward, rushed, or flat—even when the rest of the game was great.

Why do we play tabletop roleplaying games? In this episode of Jaunty Mantis, we dive deep into the philosophy of RPGs—exploring power fantasy, collaborative storytelling, violence as conversation, rules vs. narrative, and why dice-driven games feel so different from novels, improv, or video games.

What happens when a player can’t make it—and the story needs them? In this episode of Jaunty Mantis, Jesse, Matty, and Chris tackle one of tabletop gaming’s most frustrating problems: last-minute absences. From running flashbacks and side games to stealing scenes, leaning into OSR one-shots, and even letting story beats happen without the missing player, the crew shares hard-earned advice, devilish ideas, and genuinely practical GM techniques.

Can a tabletop RPG ever be fully serious — or is humor baked into the DNA of playing with your friends?

Cybernetic heartbreak, social disasters, noble nepo babies, improvised space romance, mishaps that should have been fatal, and the wild joy of letting dice determine your fate. The Jaunty Mantis crew spirals into utter chaos building Traveller RPG characters. Buckle up — it gets weird

Can an open table completely change the way you run RPGs? The Jaunty Mantis crew dives into The Alexandrian’s Open Table Manifesto to explore how it reshapes campaigns, players, and prep.

Jaunty Mantis here — and today we’re tackling a massive 96 oz steak of an RPG. We read the entire Draw Steel book so you don’t have to. Is it genius? Is it too much? Let’s find out.

What if I told you your tabletop RPG doesn’t need skills… or stats… or even weapon proficiencies? Today we commit a little RPG heresy—and ungovern the cylinder.

Ever wonder what happens when your Nosferatu fashion designer fails a feeding roll? The Jaunty Mantis dives deep into the blood-soaked streets of Galveston and the creative chaos of running Vampire: The Masquerade.

What if your TTRPG character suddenly told you they were more than you ever imagined—and what if your RPG's combat and social rules were holding you back?

What happens when you mix time travel, cybernetics, and dinosaurs — and then get stuck 90 million years in the past? We’re diving into Predation, the wildest RPG you’ve never played.

In this episode of The Jaunty Mantis, we riff on mechanical ways to make dinosaurs stand out at the table — beyond simple reskins or bigger HP pools. They cover size & reach, zone-based combat, fear/horror mechanics, animal companions and mounts, pack tactics, and inspiration from other RPG systems (Rifts, Exalted, 4E, Runehammer).

What happens when dinosaurs, blood magic, and gothic horror collide?