If you’re looking to hear a compelling tale with loads of comedy and a low commitment threshold, you’ve found the right place.
Twisted Tropes is an actual play TTRPG podcast with (you guessed it) a twist! We specialize in shorter stories (5 to 20 episodes) and focus on great narrative. Listen for common tropes from your favorite genres and settings, twisted in wild, unexpected ways!
We have a rotating cast of talented and hilarious storytellers. Come, meet us below!
Daniel Begin
In a flash of light and a blast of catchy music, the fluffy little creature exploded from its egg. It shouted something incoherent in an adorable voice then jumped at the monster, dousing it in stardust and magic. The monster exploded into tiny bits of bone and flesh. “Well done, ‘lil guy.”
Daniel Begin (he/him) has never been seen playing a cleric, but always seems to have a character that’s somehow cleric-adjacent. “Also, I am a chaos goblin along with Bo, but love to set other people up for their own spotlight moments.” He’s been playing tabletop roleplaying games for seven years and, unsurprisingly, this chaos goblin’s advice for new players is to, “push the big red button! Big plays get big payoffs.”
If Daniel were to be lost in an imaginary world, he’d choose, “Any place where I could have a cute little familiar or best friend... so the world of Pokémon or Digimon I guess? I've always loved the idea of working with a lil guy and helping them grow stronger! That or the world of Howl's Moving Castle because that movie is gorgeous.”
What does Daniel do outside of playing TTRPGs? “I work in theater! I am an educator, director and arts administrator in the New England Area. Also, I am a BIG reader of romance and romantasy. I truthfully cannot get enough of two people finding love. Throw in magic and a heist? Even better!” (But don’t let him fool you, as a game master, his stories tend to be less romantic than spooky.)
“Thank you for listening! I cannot wait for you to hear all the wacky stories we've created.”
Matthew Lastimosa
I peered through the haze of cigar smoke at the figure seated in front of my desk. “What can I help you with?” I asked. She took one last puff on the cigar, then lifted the veil covering her eyes, “I’ve lost my keys and I was hopin’ you could help me find ‘em.” I considered the implications of the job, whether it would be worth the hassle and how it could possibly bite me in the ass. Then I smiled and said, “Sure thing.”
Matthew Lastimosa (he/him) has been playing TTRPGs for over five years. He’s our hero as he tends to play “...the ‘straight man’ type of character, letting others shine in chaos and having my down-to-earth reactions be an interesting foil”. And knowing that, it’s probably not surprising that, “The story that will always get me is the underdog fighting against all odds to overcome adversity. Let me watch it in a show, film, or anime, or let me play it through a video game — either way, I’ll love every minute of it.” But if Matt could jump into a fantasy world it would be “...a noir detective setting. Everyone would have such great accents, style, and a certain panache to them. And in my ideal imaginary place, it would have all the classic noir trappings but minus the murders and crippling corruption that tends to be the subject of the cases!” On the other hand, he tends to “avoid horror, especially as I’ve gotten more sensitive to frights as I’ve gotten older. In addition, I tend not to seek out romance stories. I am a decently reserved person and for whatever reason, reading others’ romance triggers some second hand embarrassment in myself.” (Though you wouldn’t know it from our first season!)
“I’d like to pass on a phrase that I try to embody: ‘At the end of the day, we’re all just people trying to be happy; be the reason someone has a good day.’”
Bo Powell
The fairy reached out a tiny hand and touched the woman’s forehead. “You will come to this place three times, and thrice will you find mushrooms enough to feed the village. On the third visit, you will also find the secret for which you have been searching, but you must ne’er touch the big red mushroom or–” The woman immediately touched the big red mushroom.
Bo Powell (she/her) is a highly organized lover of order in the real world, but an absolute chaos goblin at the table. “I've been enjoying TTRPGs for more than 20 years and I still don't know the rules. It's OK to PLAY.”
When Bo is looking for a good story she tends to reach for “stories from another time, place, and general understanding of physics. Stories with adventure, magic, romance, mystery, and really anything other than the ordinary day-to-day are my jam.” But she’s careful with one genre in particular, “If I want to sleep at night I avoid horror films, but I do love horror without visuals (audio books, actual books, and video games with bad graphics). If I don't have to see it, I can avoid really thinking about it.” She enjoys reading, listening to audiobooks, watching television and film, and smashing escape rooms, but her favorite way to interact with a story is “traditional oral storytelling. It's hard to find these days, but if you can, I recommend it. It's truly something special.”
“When I'm not playing games with the best group in the world, I can be found narrating audio books, crafting and creating, enjoying good food, or visiting with my family.”
Evan Kelly
“I have you now! Your friends are trapped in that armored truck, dangling over the edge of the bridge. All it will take is one glance of my laser vision and that cable will be severed. Your friends will plunge to their deaths and there’s nothing you can do to save them!” The villain’s gaze veered towards the cable. “I think you need to take some time to reflect on your actions,” said the spandex-clad man as he angled the truck’s side view mirror to bounce the shot back to its source.
Evan Kelly (he/him) is our most experienced TTRPG player and game master, but never fear, “There is no joke too dumb for me, nor is there a plan that I cannot make more complicated.” And his advice for new players is very similar, “There is no plan too crazy to try. You are in an entirely imaginary world with absolutely no stakes. Go nuts!” When Evan takes in a story, there’s one genre he can’t resist. “I am a sucker for all things super-heroic. TV, movies, cartoons, video games.” And more specifically, “The not-so-super hero. The one who may not be the most powerful or ideally suited to a mission who struggles along and still manages to contribute (if not fully save the day) by sheer tenacity, common sense, or ingenuity.” He loves a fantasy world like Piers Anthony’s Xanth because, “everyone has a magic talent, though most are weirdly specialized and it has a very pun structured logic, which is right up my alley.”
When away from the gaming table, Evan “narrates audiobooks, mostly. I am also a theatrical sound designer, and I play a lot of video games, though you would never know by watching me play.”
“I hope you enjoy our stories, and are ready for some premium grade shenanigans.”
Emily Welden
As the Irish flute plays and the sun rises over the New Zealand mountains, a figure lounges in the grass with several hairy-footed hobbits pouring over an extremely detailed map of lands most of them have never seen before. “Listen everyone, we’ve got a few things to go over before the wizard gets here.”
Emily Welden (she/they) is relatively new to the world of tabletop roleplaying games, but when they started, they dove in head first! “Most of my characters are grumpy but looking to make friends by way of rivalry, or inspired by the many shades of humanity represented on Love Island.” They’re game for most genres and tropes but their favorites are, “a one last adventure story, and of course an ‘oh no only one bed at the inn’ moment. I also love a ‘nobody understands me but my horse’ character.” But there’s one trope, they just can’t get behind, “Time travel gives me clinical levels of second hand social embarrassment. Why are you running around asking people what year it is??”
Outside of Twisted Tropes, Emily works “in higher education managing community partnerships and volunteering opportunities. I love to cook, eat, watch birds, grow vegetables, and throw ass on the dance floor.“
Johnny McElearney
Dangling from the helicopter over the doomed building, he reached out towards little Timmy. They grasped forearms, but as he began to hoist Timmy upwards, they both realized that Timmy’s leg had gotten twisted in the ropes of the window washer’s scaffold. Looking down at the bomb’s timer, he read “15 seconds”. “Plenty of time,” he thought as he released the rope and dropped to the roof.
John McElearney (he/him) has been playing tabletop roleplaying games for about 10 years, but he probably can’t remember how many characters he’s had to create in that time. As a player he has “little to no self-preservation instinct; the bit always comes first.” And that having been said, it shouldn’t be surprising that his favorite types of stories are “comic books, 80's action movies, and noir thrillers - if it's pulp nonsense, I'm there.” (There’s not a whole lotta self-preservation in those genres!) But there’s one trope that always gets him. “I love a good Big Guy/Little Guy duo, and I have a real soft spot for a doomed sidekick.” Check out our first season for a great example of this dynamic!
Megan Roy
As the starlight twinkled in the sky overhead, they leaned closer to each other, their lips nearly meeting when, SNAP! The two turned to see a figure stumbling in the bushes. “Oh I’m so sorry, please don’t mind me, I’m just here to cheer you on!”
Megan Roy (she/her) can generally be found playing furry, elderly characters (though sometimes also children). She’s a self-described “hopeless romantic who will ship anyone and everyone I can get my grubby little paws on. I love love. Any kind. Watch them kiss. Watch them cry because they’re not kissing. Watch them get angry because they kissed that guy instead. Watch them die because, oops, those lips were poisoned. I’m not picky.” With over ten years of experience playing tabletop roleplaying games her advice for new players is “Focus on the aspect that most excites you and the rest will fall into place! If you’re with a supportive group who’s all on the same page, the details matter very little in the end. Have fun!”
When she’s not running through imaginary adventures with Twisted Tropes, she spends her time “working at a tea shop and writing cozy fantasy romance novels. I enjoy real-life adventuring as much as possible — I love spontaneous trips to see new places, eat new foods, and try new things. Otherwise, I love gaming, reading, illustrating, cooking, baking, music, and diving face-first into new hobbies that will last approximately 1-8 weeks before being abandoned forever.”
“If you’re wondering if my fellow cast mates are as lovely and hilarious in real life as they are on the podcast, they are not. They’re better :)”
Marissa Gonzales
The two figures circled each other, weapons drawn. The space station’s alarms continued to screech as the oxygen was ripped through the small tear in the hull. They would both die here, she knew it, but his death would come first. And she would make certain it was painful after what he’d done. The computer’s AI voice sounded over the alarm, “Life support failing. Please execute all vendettas in 3…2…1…”
Marissa Gonzales (she/her) is “always down for a good, classic revenge plot.” But she doesn’t limit herself to any specific genre. “I could be convinced to read or watch almost anything if someone I know enjoys it or recommends it. My favorite thing about any type/genre of story is sharing that experience with others. Whether it's the best piece of literature ever created or the worst form of entertainment imaginable, I get to share those opinions and experiences with my favorite people.” She’s been playing TTRPGs for about 3 years and she brings that joy of a shared experience to the table. Her advice for new players is, “If you think you'd be, or if you ever feel embarrassed while you're playing, then you're playing with the wrong people. TTRPGs deserve to be played in a judgement free, safe atmosphere, and everyone involved should always be down to have a good time. Everyone should come into this with the mindset that anything you do (no matter how crazy) will only add to the story.”
Stories are a big part of Marissa’s life. “I am a huge book nerd and have recently been obsessed with anything fantasy or sci-fi related.” But paper and ink aren’t her only form of media consumption. “I am a huge fan of anything on Bravo network and love rewatching sitcoms as background noise. Notable sitcom fav's include: Modern Family, Bob's Burgers, and Abbott Elementary.”