I've been asked a few times about some of the tools I use for solo play and for the production of the show, so I 've decided to list them here as it may be of use to others.
I'll add to this page as I think of new things...
Game System
The core is B/X Dungeons and Dragons (1981), though I often turn to Old School Essentials as a restated version of these rules. However I have a fairly extensive set of house rules which you can find on this blog.
While I have my own D6 Oracle, I also use the Mythic GME for its Event Meaning charts
I use a whole load of spreasheets to help me track various things including
- Character Sheets
- Combat Encounters
- NPC actions
- Narative Threads
- Distance and Journey tgimes between key locations
- A Calendar of Events, including key story points, lunar cycles, and even character Birthdays,
All my documents, including episode scripts are held in a Google Drive, meaning I can access them anywhere.
Process
It's pretty simple really...I basically sit at my computer (or on my phone) and write narative segments. When itI need to pivot into game mode, I pick up the dice (I always use physical dice). Once the bones have decided, I wrote the next piece of narative.
Map Creation
For small scale (regional) maps I use Inkarnate.com, which is free, web-based software which is quick to learn and produces lovely looking maps. You can pay a subscription for extra features, but I just use the free tool. I occasional create my own icons using GIMP, Paint3D or even MS PowerPoint.
For large scale (urban maps), I use https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator in the first instance to give me a base map, then I use GIMP, Paint3D or MS PowerPoint to change and edit the map to gets it just as I want, and to add in specific features or buildings.
Art
For the most part I use traditional physical media in creating Art - I love the tactile quality of it. I have been painting and drawing for as long as I remember, and I actually studied Art at university. I have started to use digital tools on occasion, and when I do, I mainly use GIMP and Paint3D
Audio Production
I use a PC Laptop, which up until Season 1 Episode 67 was running Ubuntu Linux. However a bought a new rig in October 2025 and I'm now on Windows 11. To be honest, I'm not a microsoft fan, but the reality is that there is more choice in audio software on Windows, than there is on Linux.
My audio production software (know as a Digital Audio Workstation - DAW) was Audacity up to again, Season 1 Episode 67, but from Episode 68, switched to Reaper which so much more powerful. There was a learning curve, but it probably reduced the time it takes to produce an episode by 2-4 hours.
My microphone is a Rode NT USB
Stock Music
I used a variety of composers offering royalty free music under the creative commons licence. However, I do tend to go back to the same small group and this helps to keep a cohesive score across episodes.
Scott Buckley (https://scottbuckley.com.au) is the composer I use the most
RageSound (and others found at https://tunetank.com),
Darren Curtis (https://DarrenCurtisMusic.com)
I often have to edit and splice the music to fit the length of the narration. (It's not as hard as it sounds).
Sound FX
I either make my own or use the following websites which offer royalty free sound effects:
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