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ADAPTING MEDIEVAL TALES INTO TTRPG ADVENTURES

The Maniculum: adapting medieval tales to TTRPGs
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WHO WE ARE

Maniculum: little hand, pointing finger; often found in manuscript marginalia

Hi! We're Mac and Zoe - two medievalists and game designers teaching you how to adapt medieval texts into TTRPG adventures. Together, we "point the finger" back to the Middle Ages. 

 

As medievalists, we found a huge accessibility gap between the sources and settings TTRPG gamers want and the availability of medieval texts that we love due to translation, education, and academic paywalling. The Maniculum exists to make these fantastical texts accessible while also teaching game design principles so that creators, homebrewers, and gamers can create inspiring and “historical-feeling" games without falling into the harmful stereotypes and anachronistic cliches that have populated many TTRPG games. 

In each episode, we explore a new medieval manuscript, its connections to modern TTRPGs, and teach you how to adapt these tales into compelling campaigns and amazing adventures. This podcast is a love letter to the weird and wacky medieval stories that we as academics love, and we as gamers want to play.

HOSTS

MAC BOYLE

Mac.webp

Purdue University

Mac is a Doctor of English language and linguistics at Purdue University, and has presented papers at the International Congress on Medieval Studies. He has over a decade of experience adapting material to tabletop roleplaying games.

ZOE FRANZNICK

Zoe.webp

Trinity College Dublin & Wolfeye Studios

Zoe is a Nebula & BAFTA-nominated, GDC award-winning writer & game designer who wrote on Obsidian Entertainment’s medieval murder mystery,  Pentiment. She has an M.Phil in Medieval Studies from Trinity College Dublin and is currently a narrative designer at Wolfeye Studios.

At a Glance:

Since 2020, we've achieved

75,000+ total downloads & 3,000+ monthly downloads

with 20 years of professional expertise over 100 episodes.

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PARTNERS & COLLABORATERS

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A book club for your ears

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Putting the Sagas of the Icelanders on trial

PONTIFACTS PODCAST

Ranking the popes from Peter to Francis

A THOUSAND THOUSAND ISLANDS

A Southeast Asian inspired TTRPG

CONNECT WITH US!

For general inquiries or more information, please get in touch.

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