Three Black Halflings

with Jasper William Cartwright and Olivia Kennedy and Jeremy Cobb

Roll for Melanin... It’s a Nat 20!

Three Black Halflings is a podcast by Jasper William Cartwright, Olivia Kennedy (but everybody calls her Liv), and Jeremy Cobb: three nerdy friends with strong opinions and even stronger Charisma scores. Join them in their quest to explore diversity in the incredible worlds of D&D and pop culture while doling out DM tips, thought-provoking conversations, a band of guests and good times!

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Three Black Halflings

["I'm Scared of Twilight Imperium" - Board Games for TTRPG fans
8/18/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/im-scared-of-twilight-imperium-board-games-for-ttrpg-fans#player/index.html)

Disclaimer: Minor spoilers for games in the Balder's Gate series This week! Liv gives Jeremy her recommendations on board games for folks who enjoy TTRPGs. From long form campaign games, to D&D style board games, to the stress of introducing the ADHD enemy of games - a timer! Check out Liv's recommendations here: Gloomhaven - ⁠https://cephalofair.com/pages/gloomhaven⁠ Decent Legends of the Dark - ⁠https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/descent-legends-of-the-dark/⁠ Betrayal Legacy - ⁠https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/avalon-hill-betrayal-legacy/⁠ Betrayal at Balder's Gate - ⁠https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/betrayal-at-baldurs-gate/⁠ Lords of Waterdeep - ⁠https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/lords-waterdeep/⁠ Eldritch Horror - ⁠https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/eldritch-horror/⁠ Unfathomable - ⁠https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/unfathomable/⁠ Mountains of Madness - ⁠https://www.board-game.co.uk/product/mountains-of-madness/⁠ Twilight Inscription - ⁠https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/twilight-inscription/⁠ Inhuman Conditions - ⁠https://www.robots.management⁠ Ultimate Werewolf - ⁠https://beziergames.com/products/ultimate-werewolf⁠ Blood on the Clocktower - ⁠https://bloodontheclocktower.com/buyAlso - did you miss out on our first 🎉FULLY FUNDED🎉 Kickstarter, the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, in collaboration with ⁠⁠⁠Roll and Play Press? Well, good news! In the next few weeks, it'll be open to late pledges and pledge manager edits! So everyone gets a chance to grab a copy of the book and any extras you'd like!

Three Black Halflings

[The Shirefolk Soapbox Returns! - Serialised Storytelling & Blue Prince
8/7/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/the-shirefolk-soapbox-returns-serialised-storytelling-blue-prince#player/index.html)

Disclaimer: a longer unedited version of this podcast is available on the Patreon - A Snyder Cut, if you will. This week! Jeremy and Candace bring back a segment we've not done in a while - The Shirefolk Soapbox! Jeremy takes the soapbox to air his opinion that the film industry has a never-ending problem of serialised storytelling, and how it's having a knock on effect within the TTRPG Actual Play community. And Candace takes to the soapbox to talk about the grip that Blue Prince has on her! Also, head over to the Patreon where we will endeavour to record 'Candace's Most Offensive Takes On Anime'. Our anime loving producer is INTRUIGED AND SCARED.

Three Black Halflings

["The Black Need To See Other Black People Succeed" - Interview with Kendo Smith
7/31/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/the-black-need-to-see-other-black-people-succeed-interview-with-kendo-smith#player/index.html)

This week - Jeremy, Candace and Liv are joined by the award winning game master for Tales Yet Told, Kendo Smith! From how they were introduced to TTRPGs, to how their AP Voices in the Wood (System: Void 1680 AM) brought its community together, and the crucible moments that've made Kendo's art what it is! You can follow and listen to Tales Yet Told here! You can take a look at Void 1680 AM here!

Three Black Halflings

["Pride is 365!" - A Queer & Black Media Chat
7/24/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/pride-is-365-a-queer-black-media-chat#player/index.html)

This week, Jeremy, Liv and Candace take a look at the intersectionality of black and queer culture in ttrpgs and their wider media representations, beyond the months of June and July! So come take a listen to the history how Stonewall has had a lasting impact, how pride in UK and the US is fundamentally different, a few coming out stories, and few at the table experiences to boot.

Three Black Halflings

["Racoons and Carnage" - UNATI RETURNS!
7/17/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/racoons-and-carnage-unati-returns#player/index.html)

SURPRISE HALFLINGS! We're catching up with an OG today - one Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, but everybody calls them UNATI! And my god have they been BUSY. Join Jeremy and Canace as they catch up with Unati from voice acting in Baldur's Gate 3 and Space Marine II, to appearing in Netflix's own Wednesday, and a variety of Actual Plays! Come listen to the experience they've gained, advice on using game mechanics to enhance your actual play performance, their love of racoons, and explain why low rise jeans need to STAY DEAD.

Three Black Halflings

["It's What My Character Would Do" - TTRPG Advice with Jeremy and Candace
7/10/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/its-what-my-character-would-do-ttrpg-advice-with-jeremy-and-candace#player/index.html)

Join Jeremy and Candace as we take a look at where the line needs to be drawn when playing TTRPGS when allowing certain actions in-game. Listen to a few personal stories from both hosts, and how they resolved such instances, how consent and safety tools can combat over-reaching players to keep the game grounded, the value of player communication, enthusiastic consent, and one hell of a Batman impression to bring that point home!

Three Black Halflings

["Different is More!" - Talking Colour Conscious Casting
7/3/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/different-is-more-talking-colour-conscious-casting#player/index.html)

Minor Spoilers for ALIEN: Romulus Spoilers for the stage show Gypsy This week! Our freshly minted halfling, Candace The Magnificent, and our OG host Jeremy Cobb, are chatting about casting issues in modern media. From the race, gender, disability of the characters being portrayed against the actors portraying them, whether we should be casting actors who can accurately portray the role of disabled people with lived experiences, and the problem with ALIEN: Romulus.

Three Black Halflings

["THE 5 YEAR 3BH ANNIVERSARY!" + a BIG announcement!
6/25/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/the-5-year-3bh-anniversary-a-big-announcement#player/index.html)

🎉Happy 5 Year Anniversary Halflings🎉 To celebrate, we got you a gift! Joining Jeremy, Jasper, and Liv is our brand new full-time halfling Candace The Magnificent with a special end of episode voice note from halfling alumni Unati Lewis-Nyawo!! Come take a listen to the halflings reminisce on their favourite moments from the past 5 years; from interviewing folks like Lou Wilson and Brennan Lee Mulligan, to playing with Emily Axeford and chatting with literal hobbits Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan - and many more! Our very first Kickstarter for the ⁠⁠City of the Black Rose Campaign setting⁠⁠ is LIVE NOW, in collaboration with ⁠⁠Roll and Play Press! ⁠⁠Completely system agnostic, there are Daggerheart specific additions to help you run a game in Mavros with the Daggerheart system - which, as you can hear from ⁠our latest one-shot,⁠ works particularly well for narrative storytelling games! HURRY! IT'S ENDING SOON!

Three Black Halflings

["We're very URBAN" - Talking about Kickstarter, Juneteenth, and the USA situation
6/19/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/were-very-urban-talking-about-kickstarter-juneteenth-and-the-usa-situation#player/index.html)

Oh Halflings, have we got some catching up to do! Join Jeremy and Candace The Magnificent as they cover the last few truly WILD weeks - from an update on the Kickstarter and running our one-shot in collaboration with Darrington Press, to celebrating Juneteenth in the face of the ongoing situation in America right now, and the effect it's all having on the TTRPG community.

Three Black Halflings

[City of the Black Rose: Dice, Danger, and Daggerheart - Part 2
6/12/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/city-of-the-black-rose-dice-danger-and-daggerheart-part-2#player/index.html)

It's not looking good... it's not looking good at all ... using the brand new Daggerheart system from Critical Role's Darrington Press, we dive into part 2 of our City of the Black Rose one-shot, with our party at the mercy of the Boogeyman, Synapse. Will they be able to overcome the situation they've found themselves in? Will they uncover the motivations behind the murders? And will our small band of heroes, who have failed time and time again, finally come up on top? Because those heroes are: ⁠Connie Chang⁠ as Yùn Zuìhuo (she/they/ta) ⁠Luis Carazo⁠ as Erzan (he/him) ⁠Candace the Magnificent⁠ returning as Hecatae Hopewell (they/she) ⁠Caldwell Tanner ⁠returning as Ozrik "Shrimp Money" Johnson (he/him) and your not-so-neighbourhood GM ⁠Jeremy Cobb⁠!

Three Black Halflings

[City of the Black Rose: Dice, Danger, and Daggerheart - Part 1
6/5/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/city-of-the-black-rose-dice-danger-and-daggerheart-part-1#player/index.html)

Welcome back to Mavros, citizens! Using the brand new Daggerheart system from Critical Role's Darrington Press, we dive into a one-shot set in the Lowers of Mavros. The owner of the storied Carnelian Casino, a decaying monument to vice and excess, is carrying out murders and doing something deeply sinister with the souls of his victims. A small band of heroes, haunted by ghosts of failure and trauma, will stop at nothing to bring him down. And those heroes are: Connie Chang as Yùn Zuìhuo (she/they/ta) Luis Carazo as Erzan (he/him) Candace the Magnificent returning as Hecatae Hopewell (they/she) Caldwell Tanner returning as Ozrik "Shrimp Money" Johnson (he/him) and your not-so-neighbourhood GM Jeremy Cobb!

Three Black Halflings

["The Kickstarter is nigh!" - Deluxe Briefcases, Smoky Dice & Other Awesome Rewards
5/28/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/the-kickstarter-is-nigh-deluxe-briefcases-smoky-dice-other-awesome-rewards#player/index.html)

Jasper, Jeremy, Liv & Candace fling open the detective’s briefcase to reveal Three Black Halflings’ debut Kickstarter for City of the Black Rose in collaboration with Roll & Play Press. Expect chaotic conversations, reward reveals, and Jeremy’s relentless thirst for “problems, always” as five years of big, diverse dreams hit the pledge page.

Three Black Halflings

["Optimists In Endless Crisis" - with Luis Carazo and Christian Navarro
5/21/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/optimists-in-endless-crisis-with-luis-carazo-and-christian-navarro#player/index.html)

This week, Jeremy, Liv & Candace are joined by Christian Navarro & Luis Carazo to talk all about their incredible new show Tales Unrolled. Tales Unrolled: Alma is a dark, fantasy mystery that explores themes like ancestry, sacrifice, lineage, and legacy. There is also a healthy dose of romance!

Three Black Halflings

["Buisney World" - Machine:Impossible with Smiling Mythos
5/15/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/buisney-world-machineimpossible-with-smiling-mythos#player/index.html)

This week, Jeremy, Liv & Candace are joined by the co-founders of Smiling Mythos Games, Jacob Mooney and Billy Eline, chatting about the making of their game Machine: Impossible - Fast and Furious meets Cyberpunk meets Mission: Impossible meets dice! We dive into the inspirations behind the making of the game, take a brief tangent to discuss the horrors of Darth Jar-Jar, and then build a world in Machine: Impossible ourselves.

Three Black Halflings

["Yearning and Violence!" - Alt Tabletop RPG Favourites
5/8/2025](/content/three-black-halflings/yearning-and-violence-alt-tabletop-rpg-favourites#player/index.html)

Jeremy and Liv are joined once again by Candace the Magnificent, and this week we're discussing our favourite tabletop RPGS that don't involve dungeons and/or dragons, along with some of the truly wild stories that have inspired that love. Including: Shiver, Savage Worlds, Paradox Perfect (listen to our Paradox Perfect playthrough with NADDPOD!), Good Strong Hands, Thirsty Sword Lesbians (listen to our Thirsty Sword Lesbians playthrough!), Daggerheart (Oh, if you like Daggerheart, you're in for one seriously incredible treat in the next few weeks - more details on our Patreon Soon!)

Got a recommendation of your own? Head over to our Patreon to recommend your favourites in this episode's comments!