I talked with Aaron Ryan about two of his book series, Dissonance and The End.

Dissonance is a near future world where aliens have attacked, killing most humans and animals on Earth and driving humans into hiding underground. Humans finally develop technology to fight back and the war enters a new stage while the characters also struggle to determine the motivation for the alien invasion and nefarious actions of the government.

The End is a Christian End Time series based loosely on the events described in Revelations. A man calling himself Nero has risen to rule over the world and he has outlawed Christianity. Robots called Guardians hunt Christians throughout the world, murdering them on the spot if they don’t recant their faith. A resistance movement works in the shadows against Nero, but things aren’t looking good for them.

We talked about the basics of those settings along with how they could be adapted for RPG campaign settings. My main recommendations were Ashes Without Number, Spire, and Blades in the Dark.

If you’re interested in reading Aaron’s books you can find them at most any bookstore or library. Both of the series are also being adapted into movies, but aren’t publicly available yet. Look at Aaron Ryan’s website for the latest updates on his work. Next up for Aaron is the Talisman series that covers events within the “Aaronverse” in the decades between Dissonance and The End.

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I’m Isaac

Welcome to the GoCorral website! I’m Isaac Shaker and this is a place for me to write about D&D/RPGs and occasionally other topics. I host a podcast called Setting the Stage that interviews different GMs about their campaigns. I’m currently focused on completing the Cimmeria campaign setting and turning it into a book.

Setting the Stage Podcast

93 Extra – Crit Talkers Feed Drop – Setting the Stage, Campaigns for D&D and Other RPGs

This episode is connect to Episode 93 – D&D Set in the 60s (Jake and Crit Talkers). The new short campaign, Darkspace Mixdown is the subject of this episode which combines the session 0 and first episode of that campaign. Listen and if you enjoy it, go subscribe to their show!You can learn more about Crit Talkers on their webiste or subscribe to them on the podcast platform of your choice.They're also active on Facebook and Instagram.Check out the Setting the Stage website!Want to be on the show? Fill out this survey.Join our Discord!Support Setting the Stage on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  1. 93 Extra – Crit Talkers Feed Drop
  2. 93 – D&D Set in the 60s (Jake and Crit Talkers)
  3. 92 Extra – Shrimps and Crits Feed Drop
  4. 92 – Folk Singing RPG Party (Ian & Shrimps and Crits)
  5. 91 – Turning Your Novel Into An RPG? (Susannah and Thornvale)