Ken St. Andre Part 1 - Episode 288 - 3/8/2026

Ken St. Andre Part 1 - Episode 288 - 3/8/2026

From Shane Plays Geek Talk by Shane Stacks

March 8, 2026 · 1h 44m · Season 1 · Episode 288

About this episode

Ken St. Andre discusses his experiences and insights as a historic RPG designer.

Historic RPG designer Ken St. Andre (Tunnels & Trolls, Starfaring, Monsters! Monsters!, Stormbringer, more) joins for this episode. The game that shall not be named. Is it wise to go into dungeons as an adventurer, or do you just need luck? The practicality of six-siders versus Platonic solids. The most powerful buttons in the universe. Who's tougher, the Romulans or the Klingons? Marbles were the collectible card game of their day. Diplomacy variants. Gary Gygax's first introduction to Tunnels & Trolls. Dave Arneson's contribution to Flying Buffalo Games. Ken's impressions of Dave. Ken's opinion on whether OD&D was an actual RPG. Ken told TSR's lawyers, and I quote, "go piss up a rope." Ken's advice to game designers. Clever solutions in dealing with a Balrog. What is "stunting" in an RPG? Tunnels & Trolls on the MetaArcade app. Ken and Shane's predictions about AI's effect on the RPG industry. Mata Hari. Ken was a pioneer in solo RPG adventures (which Shane feels is important). What game of Ken's does he think is better than Tunnels & Trolls? Some Elric discussion. The secret brotherhood of librarians (or lack thereof). A brief diversion into chicken psychology. Shane Plays…

People in this episode

Host: Shane

Guest: Ken St. Andre

Topics covered

  • RPG design
  • game mechanics
  • collectible card games
  • game industry
  • solo RPG adventures

Keywords

  • Tunnels & Trolls
  • Platonic solids
  • Balrog
  • AI in RPGs
  • chicken psychology

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Marbles, Podbean, Stitcher, MetaArcade app

Books & works: Tunnels & Trolls, Starfaring, Monsters! Monsters, Stormbringer, OD&D, Shane Plays Geek Talk, Stormbringer RPG, Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition

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