TTRPG Community Interview with Tyler of Table Dive
Hey there and welcome to another TTRPG Community interview! These are low key, prewritten interviews which are available to fill out on this page. If you are a part of the TTRPG space in almost any way at all, there should be something for you!
Today, we're hearing from Tyler, the creator of Table Dive!
Please introduce yourself and your stream or podcast!
Hey there! My names Tyler and I'm the creator of Table Dive, "An actual play and opinion" podcast. We are a group of long time friends who have been playing together for many years and have grown tired of the looming shadow that is Dungeons and Dragons.
There are SO many smaller systems out there that we find mechanically and thematically more entertaining. Table Dive takes these gems and plays them for miniature campaigns and then talks about what we enjoyed about them and how are experiences were during that campaign.
If you run an AP, let us know about the setting of the game and your players (with their consent - feel free to add social media so folks can find and follow them).
Table Dive is actually still pretty new, we're currently in our first season where we are playing the system of BlackBirds, a very dark fantasy setting.
Currently we have a cast of 8 including myself as the DM. As the saying goes however foresight is 20/20 and I think we will be dropping down to 4 players for future seasons.
How did you get started with your stream or podcast? What motivated you to begin?
Our group has been playing ttrpgs together for 12+ years at this point growing and adding new friends along the way. A few of us stream on twitch and have always wanted to move to doing live/recorded games.
As our feelings towards DnD grew to what they are now we found ourselves playing other systems and falling in love with how unique they were and we really just wanted to share that.
How far in advance do you plan your streams/episodes? Where do you get your inspiration from?
We have the whole years worth of systems planned out which consists of the next 3 game systems we will play. The dates are a little loose because each game could go longer or shorter but we have a pretty good plan set up.
What's something new that you've learned about yourself since beginning your journey with streaming/creating a podcast?
I have a newfound appreciation for audio engineers, and really wish I chose a different major in college to something more beneficial to podcasting. Even if it was a few side classes. The learning curve has been immense but we're getting there.
What motivates you to continue streaming/creating your podcast?
Honestly my players. They are so enthusiastic about it. They love that what they are doing is out there for people to listen to and they are constantly trying to improve their playing and story telling to be more suited for an audience and that pushes me to try harder for them.
What are your favourite TTRPG systems?
Whew that's a tough one. Scifi/cyberpunk themed settings resonate with me more then fantasy I have come to learn. I find it much easier to DM and improv in the genres.
Notable mention would be Stars without Number which was our first step outside of DnD and one we always come back to.
Do you think any particular system is more suitable for streamed/audio play as opposed to live games? Why do you think this?
I think the more lite the rules are the better it lends itself towards audio podcasting. Some people like crunchy numbers and it can be fun but when you're doing a bunch of math it's not great for a listener.
Tell us about your process when setting up for a stream or recording session. Do you have any tips or tricks for other creators in the same space as you?
Honestly every session I feel like we're getting better. We're learning new things and figuring out what went wrong previously. I don't think I have the experience to offer any kind of tips but I'm in the market for some myself.
What's the next project people will see from you?
Our next session is actually going to be a Kickstarter early access game that is a spinoff to our groups favorite system.
Cities without number is a fully funded kick starter game that is a sibling in the Without Numbers series.
This one being heavily themed in the Cyberpunk world.
Which subject do you wish you knew more about?
Audio and Recording! I feel like there are soooo many different types of microphones, amps, sound settings out there and nothing is simple. Setting up high quality audio for me has been just like fumbling in the dark. And at this point I'm barely working with a small candles worth of knowledge.
If you could listen to only one song for the next 7 days, which one would you choose?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIz-9CHVQUc
If you could give the current chapter of your life a name, what would it be?
Not too late to try something new.
Would you rather own a horse the size of a cat or a cat the size of a horse?
Gimme that big cat.
Please add anything extra that you'd like to share below.
I've mentioned it a few times but Table Dive is still so very new. An infant if you will. One of the absolute biggest things we could ask for is feedback.
Myself and my players are trying so hard to make this good. We want it to be good for you. However it's hard to know where to improve without the feedback. We have been listening back to our own episodes and trying to change and tweek things but that only goes so far. We need you!
Where should folks go to find out more about you, and/or check out your content?
My personal Twitter is probably the homepage for whatever is going on with the podcast and other things. We've also recently made a Twitter for the podcast itself: @TableDive. Or the podcast website: https://tabledive.buzzsprout.com/
Disclaimer: The information and answers contained in the interview posted above represents the views and opinions of the interviewee only and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of myself (gothHoblin). The appearance of an interview on this website does not constitute an endorsement of the interviewee or their statements.
