Tabletop Cafe - Interview To Go with Michael Ball (Episode 267)

Tabletop Cafe - Interview To Go with Michael Ball (Episode 267)

Author: Tabletop Journeys February 20, 2026 Duration: 26:56

What happens when your school principal turns out to be a lifelong dungeon master? You grab a coffee and hit record. 🎲


This week at the Tabletop Cafe, Mike sits down with Michael Ball, the principal of the Corbin School of Innovation. They have a conversation that proves gamers are everywhere, if you know how to spot them. Michael shares his incredible origin story: stumbling onto a Dragonlance novel in a book pile, inheriting a full 2nd Edition D&D collection from a roommate who went AWOL, and finding gaming groups in the most unexpected places throughout his life.


From losing his very first character on the very first roll 💀 to building sprawling homebrew worlds and running a dual-campaign epic years in the making, Michael's journey through tabletop gaming is one every RPG fan will relate to — and be inspired by.


We talk about:

🎲 How gamers always seem to find each other

🌍 The art of homebrew worldbuilding

⚔️ What makes military-style players different at the table

🃏 Bringing new players into the hobby — and how to hook them with their interests

🎙️ Running a live-play podcast and why most of them don't survive

Whether you're a seasoned DM, a curious newcomer, or just someone who once picked up a fantasy novel and never looked back — this episode is for you. Share it with a friend who doesn't know they're a gamer yet. 👇


✅ Like

✅ Subscribe

✅ Ring the Bell to never miss an Episode


📡 Find Tabletop Journeys everywhere:

Patreon: patreon.com/ttjourneys

Bluesky: @ttjourneys.bsky.social

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ttjourneys

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ttjourneys

Website: https://ttjourneys.com/

Email: podcast@ttjourneys.com


#TabletopCafe #TabletopJourneys #DungeonsAndDragons #DnD #TTRPG #Podcast #ActualPlay #DungeonMaster #Homebrew #RPG #TabletopGaming #DnDPodcast #GamingCommunity #BoardGames #RolePlayingGames #DragonLance #DungeonCrawlerCarl #BaldursGate3 #CallOfCthulhu #SavageWorlds #NewEpisode


Three longtime friends, with a combined century of experience around the gaming table, invite you into their ongoing conversation. Tabletop Journeys is a podcast born from decades of shared history, not just as gamers but as people who have spent a lifetime thinking deeply about the worlds we create together. You’ll hear the easy, often hilarious dynamic of a group that has played in and run every kind of tabletop and live-action roleplaying game imaginable. Their discussions are the kind that usually happen late at night, after the dice are put away, where ideas get pulled apart, rebuilt, and passionately debated. Each episode feels like pulling up a chair in one of those living rooms, listening in as they dissect everything from game mechanics and storytelling techniques to the unexpected life lessons found in collaborative imagination. It’s less a formal review show and more a chronicle of a lifelong journey through games, packed with the kind of insight and friendly argument that only comes from truly knowing your fellow travelers. Tune into this podcast for a natural, deep, and often very funny exploration of why we play.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Tabletop Journeys
Podcast Episodes
OtRP (s2 Ep20) -Grimly we Tread Into the Dark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:10
Grim, gritty, and unapologetically dark… today we crack open one of the most atmospheric 5E-compatible settings on the market.In this episode of Tabletop Journeys Presents: On the Right Path, we dive into Grim Hollow: Tr…
STA: Where Everything's Better the Second Time Around [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:15
OtRP (S2 Ep 19) – "Everything's Better the Second Time Around."===========================What comes after first contact… is where the real story begins.In this episode of On the Right Path, we take a second look at the…
How we make custom monsters (Episode 272) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:58
Ever stare at a blank stat block and wonder where to even start? In this episode of Dr. Homebrew, we pull back the curtain on the monster-building framework we use here at Tabletop Journeys. It's a rules-first, narrative…
Talking Star Trek Preservations with Lt. Neelan - (S3 Bonus Ep) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:38
Talking Star Trek Preservations with Lt. Neelan (S3 Bonus Ep)Go behind the scenes of Star Trek: Preservations as we sit down with Lt. Neelan for a deep dive into Season 3. This bonus episode explores the character’s evol…
Don’t Rebuy Your Books: The STA Conversion Guide System Explained [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:30
🎬 OtRP (S2 Ep 18) – Don’t Rebuy Your BooksWhat if upgrading your game didn’t cost you your collection?What if a new edition didn’t replace your library… but respected it?In this episode of On the Right Path, Lewanika bre…
OtRP (S2 Ep16) - Stop Making Perfect Characters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:06
What if the problem with your character… is that nothing is wrong with them?Perfect characters look great on paper, but fall flat at the table.In this episode of On the Right Path, we break down why tension, contradictio…
What Happens When 5E Goes Modern? | Everyday Heroes RPG [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:02
What happens when 5E goes modern?No magic. No fantasy.Just operators, investigators, medics… and missions where every decision matters.In this episode of On the Right Path, Lewanika dives into Everyday Heroes RPG, a mode…
OtRP (S2 Ep16) - Stop Making Perfect Characters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:24
What if the problem with your character… is that nothing is wrong with them?Perfect characters look great on paper, but fall flat at the table.In this episode of On the Right Path, we break down why tension, contradictio…