S2E5 - Designing the Multiverse (and Forgetting Encumbrance Rules)
Welcome back, weary travelers! Tonight the tavern table is glowing with creative energy as Rudy and CJ are joined by none other than Jenel — aka Boss Jellybean, TTRPG author, showrunner, and Crit Award–nominated overlay designer!
From the worlds of Fate Ultima and Talking XP to her very own game system Safe Mode Disabled, Jenel brings us on a wild ride through meta storytelling, digital dimensions, and the beautiful chaos of TTRPG creation.
This one’s packed tighter than a mimic’s treasure chest with world-building wisdom and dice-rolling philosophy. Expect laughs, lore, and plenty of “holy crap, that’s genius” moments.
You’ll hear about: The creation of Safe Mode Disabled, a dual-playbook TTRPG that blends real-world archetypes with in-game avatars — think Tron, Sword Art Online, and Ready Player One had a storytelling baby. How meta this game gets — players at Gen Con role-played con-goers playing a con demo that glitched reality (yes, really). Jenel’s path as a graphic designer, crafting overlays for Cast Party, Roll D5, Fate Ultima, and more. Balancing Kickstarter launches, creative chaos, and pregnancy at the same time — pure IRL boss energy. Druid or Cleric? Why her wings-obsessed Aasimar characters keep returning to the table. Hot takes: why encumbrance rules are evil, and legendary resistances need to be banished to another plane.
So grab your tankard, roll a few D20s, and settle in — this episode proves that storytelling is just another form of magic (minus the components pouch).
