Your Premise Doesn't Matter: Anime, Star Wars, Airbud, and D&D

Your Premise Doesn't Matter: Anime, Star Wars, Airbud, and D&D

Author: Josh Varty and Kristoffer Hansen May 23, 2025 Duration: 32:40

Josh and Kris dive into the secret to great storytelling: taking absurd concepts seriously. They discuss the silly anime premise of More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers, the "tits and fight" genre, and how movies like Airbud and the original Star Wars script turned goofy ideas into classics by playing them straight. The segment concludes with advice for D&D DMs on how to ground a ridiculous campaign—like dragon tyrants or a halfling mafia—with genuine emotional resonance and "heart."


In No Plot, Only Lore, hosts Josh Varty and Kristoffer Hansen settle in for a conversation that feels like pulling up a chair at a familiar table. Their focus is the intricate, often messy, and deeply rewarding world of collaborative storytelling games, examining them not as rulebooks to be won but as frameworks for shared imagination. Each episode digs into the craft behind these experiences-how a setting’s history shapes a character’s decision, why a particular game mechanic fosters better stories, or what it means to build a narrative together without a predetermined endpoint. You’ll hear two seasoned practitioners reflect on the subtle art of being a player and a guide, discussing the tools and philosophies that transform a simple game night into a memorable saga. This podcast is for anyone who has ever gotten lost in a character’s backstory or spent more time discussing a campaign’s lore than actually rolling dice. It’s a thoughtful, meandering, and personal look at the stories we tell when we play, offering insights that resonate long after the session ends. Join Josh and Kristoffer for a deep, comfortable dive into the heart of why we gather to imagine together.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 93

No Plot, Only Lore
Podcast Episodes
100 Men vs. 1 Gorilla: Setting the Fight's Absurd, NSFW Rules [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:54
TW: SA, bestiality... Yes, really...Look, this one got away from me for real. I'm an improviser - I'll yes-and anything. But this shit got real weird and stayed in that space for a while. This is the first time I've ever…