On this episode Miskatonic University Podcast, Keepers Dave & Bridgett interview Justin Alexander on the Three Clue Rule and designing mysteries in gaming!

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WITH JUSTIN ALEXANDER, PANAVIOTIS LINES, AND ALED LAWLOR

Today, we’ve got a four-way with Ben Riggs! Listen and marinate in the brilliance of Justin Alexander, Panayiotis Lines, & Aled Lawlor!

Aled Lawlor and Panayiotis Lines are the creative duo behind Leyline Press. In just a few short years, Leyline has carved out a reputation for distinctive, atmospheric RPGs that blend striking visual design with elegant, playable mechanics. This includes Salvage Union: Beautiful art, and delightfully mashes up mecha combat, exploration, and socialism. Aled and Panayiotis are reshaping what small-press tabletop games can look and feel like.

And then we’re thrilled to welcome a name familiar to just about every GM who’s ever looked for deeper insight into the craft, a man whose influence on the culture of TTRPGs is hard to overstate, the human responsible for the Alexandrian, Justin Alexander. His essays, reviews, and innovative techniques, such as like the “Three Clue Rule,” have become touchstones in modern RPG discourse. His book, So You Want to Be a Game Master, is absolutely outstanding and has been read by I think four different tweens in my classroom.

Watch now on Youtube!

I’ve just released the first exclusive video for Alexandrite members of the Alexandrian Youtube channel.

This is an after action report from a session of my Mothership open table. I’m planning to do more of these in the future, offering a sneak peek into what’s going on at my gaming table in (almost) real time.

We’ll be unlocking even more exclusive video content when we hit 30 members!

Alexandrites on Youtube are helping to get my editors and other team members paid, which is what makes all the awesome video content we do over there possible! I’m super grateful to everyone who supports the Alexandrian — whether that’s as a Youtube member, a patron on Patreon, or buying one of my books. And my team also thanks you!

WATCH THE VIDEO NOW!

Later this month I’m going to be in Madison, WI for Gamehole Con!

THREE CLUE RULE
Thursday 8AM

Due to travel delays, I will not be in Madison by 8 AM Thursday.

YOUTUBE RPG STARS
Appearing with Dave Thaumavore & Ben Milton!
Saturday 5 PM

I haven’t been back to Gamehole Con since COVID, and I’m super excited that I get to go this year!

If you don’t have the chance to join me in Madison, you can also find me at these other upcoming appearances:

UPCOMING CONVENTIONS
ArneCon 3 – Minneapolis, MN – October 10-12, 2025
Gamehole Con – Madison, WI – Oct 16-19, 2025
GM Academy @ Tower Games – Minneapolis, MN – Nov 15, 2025
Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo – Oaks, PA – Jan 15-18, 2026
DaveCon – Minneapolis, MN – April 24-26, 2026

In this episode of the RPG series of the Game Design Round Table, hosts Dirk Knemeyer and David Heron are joined by Justin Alexander , a renowned game designer and thought leader in tabletop RPGs. Known for his influential essays and innovative GM techniques, Justin shares insights into the role of the Game Master as designer. They dive into how GMs can connect narrative ideas to mechanics, the philosophies behind crafting memorable RPG experiences, and the challenges new GMs often face. Whether you’re building worlds or running them, this episode offers practical tools and deep design wisdom.

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