Dale discusses what could be the most radical shift in TTRPG accessibility yet. We’re not just talking about a new ruleset. We’re talking about reclaiming the tabletop for everyone.

Free5e isn’t another clone. It’s a community-led, open-source, fully accessible reimagining of 5e designed for affordability, inclusivity, and actual usability. Dale explains how it stays SRD-compliant while offering more than just “good enough.”

You’ll hear about:

• Accessible formats: Digital braille, high-contrast PDFs, large print, audio, and more
• Affordability: Free digital books, print-at-cost, and Kickstarter-exclusive deeper discounts
• Disability representation: Three modular systems for including disabled characters on your terms
• Flexible design: Inclusive mechanics without creating power imbalances
• Creative Commons licensing: Remix, translate, and adapt—without the legal minefield

Dale talks to Chris Campbell-Bohen and Elizabeth McClain from Open the Gates Gaming, two academics who are using their expertise and lived experiences to reshape how we play and how we design for neurodivergence, disability, and cultural diversity.

• How Open the Gates Gaming's cognitive access tools—like simplified character sheets, modular ability/spell cards, decision guides, and explainer videos—are changing the onboarding experience
• Why cultural representation and narrative inclusion are as vital as mechanics
• The Access Forward Gaming Lounge at PAX East: an experiment in radical accessibility, cross-disability solidarity, and real-time adaptation
• The dangers of defaulting to Eurocentric fantasy tropes and how to tell new stories
• How accessibility is not just a checkbox—it’s a design philosophy

Whether you're a game designer, a DM, or a player who just wants more people to feel safe at your table, this episode is essential listening.

00:00:00 What if D&D Could Be for Everyone?

00:01:25 Introducing Free5e: Free, Open, Accessible

00:12:38 Meet the Game-Changers Behind Inclusive TTRPGs

00:15:01 How Open the Gates Gaming is Redefining Play

00:22:26 Fixing Accessibility: Why "Everyone's Welcome" Isn't Enough

00:30:05 TTRPGs as Empowerment: Finding Belonging at the Table

00:43:00 Designing for Flexibility Without Losing the Magic

01:03:00 The Hard Truth About Inclusive Game Design

01:09:30 When Players Break the Script—and Why It Matters

01:16:30 How You Can Start Making Your Table More Accessible

01:20:00 Is Accessibility Ruining Games? (Spoiler: No)

01:24:00 Upcoming Projects That Could Change Gaming Forever

01:25:15 Patreon Spotlight: Shape the Future of TTRPGs

• Free5e Kickstarter (live until end of April): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wyrmworkspublishing/free5e-a-free-open-source-dungeons-and-dragons-alternative?ref=6orsnt
• Open the Gates Gaming: https://www.openthegatesgaming.org/
• Access Forward Gaming Lounge at PAX East https://east.paxsite.com/en-us/features/pax-together.html
• Virginia Tech Disability Community Technology Center: https://discoteccenter.org/
• Dots RPG: https://dotsrpg.org
• Wyrmworks Publishing Patreon: https://patreon.com/WyrmworksPublishing

If you found this episode helpful, subscribe, rate, and share to help more people find and benefit from it!

How can we make tabletop RPGs more inclusive for blind players—and why does it matter? This episode of Gaining Advantage tackles accessibility in TTRPGs with Blind Temple, an advocate for blind gamers.

Temple shares firsthand experiences, challenges, and solutions for making RPGs more accessible, from game design to play at the table. We also unveil #Free5e, our ambitious project to provide a fully accessible, cost-free alternative to D&D 5th Edition.

00:00 Introduction – The Accessibility Problem in TTRPGs

00:22 The Cost Barrier in D&D – What is Free5e?

05:17 Meet Blind Temple – Advocate for Blind Gamers

06:49 Common Challenges Blind Players Face in RPGs

09:10 Exclusion at the Table – Real Stories

11:32 The Role of Digital Tools in Accessible Gaming

15:02 How GMs Can Make Their Games More Inclusive

17:06 The Biggest Accessibility Mistakes in TTRPGs

22:57 What Publishers Must Do to Improve Accessibility

27:11 Debunking Myths About Blindness in RPGs

34:38 Ableism in Gaming – What Needs to Change

42:02 The Impact of Accessibility in RPG Communities

50:04 A Message to Game Designers & Players

51:27 Upcoming Projects from Blind Temple

53:42 Final Thoughts & How You Can Help

Join us as we break down myths, share practical solutions, and fight to make tabletop RPGs truly welcoming for all!

Links & Resources:

🔗 Free5e: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wyrmworkspublishing/free5e-a-free-open-source-dungeons-and-dragons-alternative?ref=ahzrcq

🔗 Blind Temple on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/blindtemple.bsky.social

🔗 Blind Temple on Twitter: https://x.com/BlindTemple

🔗 Dots RPG (Braille Dice & Resources): https://dotsrpg.org

🔗 Wyrmworks Publishing Patreon (Support Community Copies!): https://patreon.com/WyrmworksPublishing

If you found this episode helpful, subscribe, rate, and share to help more people find and benefit from it!

In this episode, Dale talks with Stefan McNinch, founder of UnboxEd, a nonprofit revolutionizing education through game-based learning. Explore how Stefan’s work teaches financial literacy, persistence, and teamwork while addressing educational gaps in underserved communities. Discover why tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) can be a better educational tool than traditional methods and how they transform students' attitudes toward failure into stepping stones for success.

Listen to Stefan share insights into adapting games for learning objectives, the value of reframing failure, and the challenges of integrating TTRPGs into the classroom. Whether you're an educator, parent, or gamer, this conversation highlights how gaming can prepare students for the real world while sparking joy and creativity.

UnboxEd website: https://unboxedclassroom.com

Wyrmworks Publishing Patreon: https://patreon.com/wyrmworkspublishing

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I Never Thought of It That Way by Mónica Guzmán

• 00:00 Introduction: Can fantasy characters teach real-world skills better than traditional methods?
• 03:59 Guest intro: Stefan McNinch claims UnboxEd is solving what schools have ignored.
• 05:51 Entrepreneurship RPG: Teaching financial literacy – or is it gamifying survival skills?
• 10:44 Measuring success: Are engagement and persistence better metrics than grades?
• 13:06 Surprises: Is curiosity dead in today’s kids – or are we failing to teach it?
• 17:26 Empathy through RPGs: Are we raising a generation of roleplayers, not real thinkers?