System Shop cover art

System Shop

System Shop

By: Violet & Freya
Listen for free

About this listen

Welcome to System Shop, the podcast where we deep dive into RPG design, one subsystem at a time.


Join us as we explore the origins, empirical trends, and future design space of all aspects of tabletop game design. What’s the point of mechanising carrying capacity or NPC attitudes? Why distinguish between armour and evasion, or attributes and skills? Many stories may begin with “because D&D did it”, but that’s far from the end…


We dig deeper by asking: how do differences in design decisions make players act and feel, and is this wholly intended? What is gained or lost by being able to sum up a monster with a challenge rating? How can initiative checks be used to make combat feel chaotic, tactical, or somewhere in between?


Finally, we suggest our own ideas for future innovations. Can we introduce new technologies and props? Can we shed assumptions of the past? Or should we bring them to the fore and embrace them to the extreme? Restrictions breed creativity, and our best ideas are often our most ridiculous.


System Shop is independent and ad-free. New episodes release whenever we have the time and energy to research and record a new topic.


Violet (She/her) is a recovering academic and alleged game designer, with a particular interest in system design and ludology.


Freya (She/her) is a demographer turned data engineer by day. She moonlights as collaborator, sounding board, and bad idea generator to her beloved and prolific game designer fiancée.

...

Cover design by Fallible Things (fallible.net).


Font on-cover is Lineal by Frank Adebiaye, with the contribution of Anton Moglia, Ariel Martín Pérez. Distributed by velvetyne.fr.

All rights reserved. Art
Episodes
  • Bonus Episode: Freya's Contingency Con-Return

    Bonus Episode: Freya's Contingency Con-Return
    Mar 4 2026

    In this tradition-setting bonus episode, Freya debriefs about the mechanics and tabletop experiences of seven games she played, two she ran, and one she designed (!) at Contingency 2026, the UK’s premier seasonally skewed seaside TTRPG convention.


    As always, a massive thank you to all the GMs and players who make this con a highlight of my year ~


    Timestamps

    Immediate digression about competitive tabletop games - 0:07:04

    The Code of Steam and Steel - 0:13:35

    Tournament Arc - 0:22:42

    Guest appearance from my cat - 0:29:53

    Nibiru - 0:33:42

    Inhuman Game Jam - 0:38:51

    Phoenix: Dawn Command - 0:49:28

    Goblonia - 0:57:26

    Digression about games for actual toddlers - 1:05:20

    Demigods - 1:08:55

    Slugblaster* - 1:12:49

    Rivers of London - 1:14:42

    Break!! - 1:27:14

    Con Haul - 1:35:10

    Digression about settings where you’re just a lil guy - 1:38:32

    Wrap up & what we’d like to play again - 1:42:48


    Games discussed

    Wildsea

    Cosmere RPG

    Shadowdark

    Black Code

    Black Rune

    The Code of the Space Lanes (briefly)

    The Comics Code

    Belonging Outside Belonging

    JourneyMon

    Interstitial

    The We-ness

    Warhammer (briefly)

    Wanderhome

    Vampire: The Masquerade

    Spire

    The Sprawl

    The PBTA genre in genre-al

    Call of Cthulhu

    D&D

    Pathfinder

    Delta Green

    The One Ring

    Die

    Avatar Legends**

    Cypher System (2019 edition)

    Magnus Archives RPG (briefly)

    Genesys

    Mouse Guard

    Mausritter

    Mythic Bastionland


    Other media discussed

    Warhammer

    Magic: the Gathering

    Battletech

    (Is Tarot “media”? Hmm.)

    Megaman: Battle Network

    Yu-Gi-Oh

    Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged

    The works of Adrian Tchaikovsky

    The Mind

    The concept of the mechsploitation genre

    Leverage

    That children’s memory game where you flip and match pairs of cards

    Baby youtuber thumbnails

    Various other infant toys, sorry, we got stuck on A Thing

    Rivers of London (the novels themselves)

    Inscription

    Iron Lung (briefly)

    Waters of Leith***

    Battlecon: War of Indines

    Millennium Blades (briefly)

    Hollow Knight

    Roadside Picnic****

    STALKER


    Notes & Links

    * You may have noticed this section is short. There’s not much to say about Slugblaster! It’s good. More verbose and video-oriented reviewers have talked much about it already.


    ** Mild spoiler warning in the final few minutes for some of the season premises (and a canon ship, ha) of Legend of Korra.


    *** I have now *finished* listening to Waters of Leith. It’s a fun and competent production… but despite the GM’s stated intentions, it doesn’t really engage with the anticolonialist antagonist in an interesting or nuanced way. Which is not great, considering it’s set in (a version of) the real world and names real locations, peoples, and cultural artifacts.


    **** Spoiler warning for a seminal 1970s sci fi story.


    Wolfram Alpha reports that the probability of at least one 4 on 4d4 is a bit over 2/3rds. https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=probability+of+at+least+one+4+on+4d4


    “Nibiru” is an Akkadian term for “point of transition”. Nice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_(Babylonian_astronomy)


    Games For Crabs is running July 18th - 19th, 2026, in Sheffield (UK). https://gamesforcrabs.co.uk/


    Toast Tea in Edinburgh is indeed a good café, and they are not - unfortunately - paying us.


    Violet will be at Conpulsion in April - https://conpulsion.org/

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 46 mins
  • Episode 11: Hunger feat. Roz Leahy

    Episode 11: Hunger feat. Roz Leahy
    Feb 22 2026
    In this ravenous episode, Violet is joined by returning guest Roz Leahy as we* talk about hunger mechanics. Don’t get confused with cozy campfire cooking: we’re discussing the tension and drama of *not* getting the sustenance you need. Everyone’s gotta eat in real life, but what does it mean for our storytelling?How do you make ingestion interesting? Should there be benefits to “staying hungry”? Does it matter whether your tummy is half full or half empty? Are toothless hunger mechanics worse than none at all?And most importantly, why does mechanised hunger work great for vampires, but not so well for hunters, a grab bag of “beasts”, and *checks notes* mummies?Violet’s calamari hooks her on a white whale. Roz struggles to retain retainers. Violet snacks on a hunger bar. Roz hungers for punishment. Violet rates rational numbers. Roz has one square meal.TimestampsWhat’s new? - 0:01:18Intro to the topic - 0:11:16Content warning (eating disorders) - 0:29:41 to 0:30:49History - 0:34:37Deep dive on Vampire: the Masquerade et al - 0:51:27 to 1:04:59Taxonomicon** - 1:07:47Strong opinions about “usage dice”*** - 1:46:54 to 1:53:13Content warning (eating disorders) - 1:55:25 to 1:56:25Design Dreams - 1:56:36Wrapup - 2:09:44Design DreamsViolet - Expeditions & AnticipationsRoz - Truly Miserable Hunger: Trench Foot EditionViolet - Hungry Hungry HomunculiGames discussedCarved in StoneLeathersOD&DBluebeard's BrideHeartCastle Ravenloft/Curse of Strahd Vampire the Masquerade (in particular, 5th edition)MothershipBlack HackWilderfeastDelving DeeperBasic FantasyOSEHyperboreaChivalry and SorceryTravelerAD&D, specifically Wilderness Survival Guide, and Dark SunThe Morrow ProjectAftermath!GURPSRifts (briefly)Werewolf the ForsakenMage the Awakening and Exalted (briefly)Hunter: the Vigil D&D 3.5, 5eBeast: the PrimordialVampire: the Requiem, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Hunter: the Reckoning, Changeling: the Lost (briefly)Mummy: the CurseMonsterheartsMasksApocalypse WorldTorchbearerRyuutama: Book of GastronomyGolden Sky StoriesLamentations of the Flame PrincessHis Majesty the WormErrantKnave (Briefly)MausritterDaggerheart (Beast Feast)Yes, ChefBakto's Terrifying CuisineAlgophiliaNechronica (Briefly)SpireSwyversOther media discussedArticles by Jay Dragon (see links below)Resident Evil & Stardew Valley (in the same breath!)It Has Come To Pass (painting by Sergei Lukin, 1958)Delicious in Dungeon / Dungeon MeshiLord of the Rings & The HobbitOutdoor SurvivalChainmail (briefly)The Complete Guide To Role-Playing Games (Rick Swan, 1990)Article by Merritt K (see links below)The Score (Thi Ngyuyen)Radical Uncertainty (John Kay & Mervyn King)Battle Chef BrigadeConsume MeFear and Hunger Notes & links* Well, not me, Freya. I’m writing the shownotes, but I wasn’t in this one!** …which does, as it happens, start with two more World (well, Chronicle) of Darkness games!*** We don’t strictly define “usage dice” in this section, though! Basically, instead of tracking item quantity / durability on a numerical scale, you roll a die of a certain size when you use it, and something bad (such as the die shrinking next time) happens if you roll badly. As Violet remarked when I was writing this comment, we *did* talk about usage dice way back in episode 1, so, long time fans will surely remember ;-) The official-ish website for ZiMo - Zine Month - doesn’t actually commit to when exactly Zine Month might happen, other than to clarify that it’s distinct from the two other things also called “Zine Month”. So, keep an eye out and solve their riddles three if you want to participate next year! https://iwanttoplay.games/zinemonth Jay Dragon articles:https://possumcreek.medium.com/a-dozen-fragments-on-playground-theory-684104bcb4abhttps://possumcreek.medium.com/the-game-left-unplayed-60062beaddedhttps://possumcreek.medium.com/rules-are-a-cage-and-im-a-puppygirl-69e8d569b2b6 The rather endearing life level index chart from Outdoor Survival:https://boardgamegeek.com/image/254292/outdoor-survival The Merritt K article no longer seems to be available, or at least neither of us could find it - sorry!“Sekhem” appears to be etymologically related to words for “power” and “form”, with connotations along the same lines as mana / chi / your life force of choice. Googling it in 2026 provides a long list of new-age healing businesses…. Followed by the White Wolf wiki. Disclaimer: I am not an egyptologist.Content warningsGiven the subject of this episode, we discuss:- Eating disorders- The biology and physiology of starvationNotable instances are logged in the timestamp section.Contact us!Thank you to everyone who has emailed into our mailbag - If you too have a question, idea, or interesting game you’d like to share with us, email systemshoppodcast@gmail.comAdditional CreditsOur intro music is "Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp...
    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 14 mins
  • Episode 10: Monster Taming feat. Imogen Gingell

    Episode 10: Monster Taming feat. Imogen Gingell
    Nov 17 2025

    In this genre-defining episode, Violet and Freya are joined by fiancée of the show Imogen Gingell to talk about bringing a beloved videogame genre to the tabletop. How can you faithfully capture the themes while adapting mechanics to a new medium? How do you make each little guy mechanically unique and full of personality, without losing track of your travelling zoo? We explore how different games answer these questions - including, of course, Imogen’s upcoming JourneyMon, on Kickstarter right now!


    Freya builds buzz for her broadcasting bees-ness. Violet dabbles with disobedience. Imogen reflects on symmetry. Freya draws a circle, then a blank. Violet bundles babies in her backpack. Imogen opens a box of dogs.


    Check out JourneyMon on Kickstarter now!


    journeymonrpg.com


    Funded in seven hours, and (at time of press) well on the way to our second stretch goal! Campaign ends on Thursday, November 27th 2025.


    Timestamps


    What’s new? - 0:03:25

    Tabletop Scotland - 0:11:03

    Mailbag - 0:15:36

    Intro to the topic - 0:23:37

    Mechanics & design questions - 0:33:27

    History - 0:56:44

    Digression about 00’s homebrew forums - 1:08:21

    Taxonomicon - 1:13:55

    Design Dreams - 1:55:59

    Wrap up - 2:13:02


    Design Dreams


    Violet - PokémOSR, Squires & Spirits

    Freya - Isekai Ecologists, Everyone Is Mon

    Imi - JourneyMon!


    Games Discussed


    Eberron

    Cosmere RPG

    Journeymon

    Mythic Bastionland

    Monsterhearts

    Stonewalkers (Cosmere adventure path)

    Escape From Riedra (Eberron adventure path)

    Fall of Magic

    City of Winter

    Delve

    Microscope

    Armour Astir

    Masks

    Daggerheart

    Apocalypse World

    D&D

    OSR (in general)

    Runequest

    Shin Megami Tensei TTRPG

    Big Eyes, Small Mouth

    Cute And Fuzzy Cockfighting Seizure Monsters

    Pokéthulhu

    Pokemon Tabletop Adventures

    Pokémon Tabletop United

    Pokémon 5e

    Pokéroll

    Pokeymanz

    Monsters Tail

    Magimonsters

    Animon Story

    Monsters And Other Childish Things

    Monster of the Week

    Pocket Monster of the Week

    Lancer

    Everyone is John

    Lasers & Feelings

    Kids With Critters

    How To Train Your Mutant Fire Dog

    Genepals

    Convocation Prime

    Bones Deep

    ForeverDex

    Transit

    Wilderfeast


    Other media discussed


    Arkham Horror (card game)

    Game Soup

    Escape This Podcast

    Pokémon*

    Final Fantasy

    Digimon**

    Dark Souls

    Battletech (the tabletop wargame)

    His Dark Materials

    Megami Tensei

    Dragon Quest

    Critical Ditto

    The Adventure Zone

    Microsoft Excel

    Battletech (the videogame (2018))***

    Ben 10

    Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

    Pokemon: Too Many Types

    What Beats Rock

    World of Warcraft

    Let’s Learn Everything

    Decktamer

    My Card Is Better Than Your Card

    Encounters of the Spooky Kind

    Cassette Beasts

    Jade Empire

    My Trainer is Dumb?!

    Disco Elysium

    Inside Out

    Monster Hunter

    Dungeon Meshi


    Notes and links


    * we make it 25 minutes before naming Pokemon…

    ** …and it took us 42 minutes to namedrop Digimon!

    *** I got the year wrong, clearly I’m not a True Fan


    ProZD’s Q&A about his home Pokemon TTRPG -https://youtu.be/pndtlIKl0Qw?t=272


    One youtuber’s report from the front lines of Pokemon: Too Many Types - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjoLQvj7lAE


    I couldn’t find the Chansey Death Stranding game again. I’m moderately confident that it wasn’t a fever dream.


    Contact us!


    At systemshoppodcast@gmail.com


    Additional credits


    Our intro music is

    "Magic Escape Room" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

    Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 19 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.