![[Riff]: Getting ‘The Itch’ Back.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1775727919178-ZWWYCIXOLHTGV5Z0XCWK/unsplash-image-Jsh4l4KpCw4.jpg)
[Riff]: Getting ‘The Itch’ Back.
[Riff]: Getting The Itch Back’. ISC staffer and professional-level-DM Dean Underhill (I’m a player in his 7-year campaign, I can say that!) gives a number of poignant and important reflections on what makes a sustainable, enjoyable and immersive tabletop-roleplaying campaign. Most of all, it’s about knowing limitations, rest and a whole heap of dedication and self-awareness.
![[Riff] Stop The Slop in 2026 - With Tabletop.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1770899086168-FONKWAF5R19AN6VX0FZI/566215932_24976454125347281_3562350823156090136_n.jpg)
[Riff] Stop The Slop in 2026 - With Tabletop.
[Riff] For Tabletop Thursday here at ISC, something a little different from our usual run of RPG news. Instead, I’d like to put forth something of a thesis/action-statement about the utility of the hobby in this, The Overly AI-Slop-Infested Year Of Our Tabletop Lord 2026.
![[Riff] Swallowing The Sun, Not Complaints.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1769317898646-7S70D9C2VAYAWBGHCLAL/4207084d-6d58-42e3-9df5-1b5c31be8273.jpg)
[Riff] Swallowing The Sun, Not Complaints.
[Riff] It’s been far, far too long since I just sat in the writers’ chair to produce something more free-form, as a thought-piece. Thus, the current article. For an answer to how Swallow The Sun and indeed melodic death-doom metal relate to a Porcupine Tree single, societal discourse, mental health and the beach somehow tie together - read on. Ticket links for tonight’s show in Melbourne, too!
![[Guest Riff]: JASON GRUBB of GETTING TABLED Discusses Game-Design Process For ‘ENTROPY CITY’.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1768533327205-SXR0M3ECXBQY3GYUZY0V/491277013_1498037431537217_8196421286548715935_n.jpg)
[Guest Riff]: JASON GRUBB of GETTING TABLED Discusses Game-Design Process For ‘ENTROPY CITY’.
Our first guest-written article comes to you via none other than Melburnian local and RPG/skirmish game-designer Jason ‘The Bruce’ Grubb of international tabletop/wargaming podcast Getting Tabled. Check out the link to explore the process behind his upcoming Road Rash meets Mad Max product, titled Entropy City.
![[Riff] 05.12.26: Fire Up The Barbie, Mate! - An Aussie 2025 Heavy Music Feature.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1767684859738-CUW1BHLHOTUC3HC4P2FQ/25AussieAlbumsCover.png)
[Riff] 05.12.26: Fire Up The Barbie, Mate! - An Aussie 2025 Heavy Music Feature.
[Riff]: As part of our Behind Screen and Speaker 2025 retrospective/2026 prospectus series, I dive into a bunch of fantastic cuts of prime Aussie heavy-music beef. See within for the full list, album links, music videos and more, plus some additions from the Musolegion community!
![[Riff] Brady’s Top 25 Albums of 2025.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1767254207536-5ZBQN08RJC4UYD1SW6LA/%5BRiff%5D+Brady%E2%80%99s+Top+25+Albums+of+2025.+%28Happy+New+Year%21%29.png)
[Riff] Brady’s Top 25 Albums of 2025.
[Riff]: Happy New Year, everyone! I’m kicking off 2026 with the first of many retrospective looks at the year just past via Behind Screen and Speaker, starting with my Top 25 Albums of The Year.
Links to each album included in the list - be sure to check out these heavy/alternative music bangers!
![[Riff] Gamertag Team: Brady + Elodie Explore BEASTIEBALL + VEIN.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1765432653274-N68LID39ZSFE983ZJB3C/577209701_2631778037165160_1517115684621756129_n.jpg)
[Riff] Gamertag Team: Brady + Elodie Explore BEASTIEBALL + VEIN.
[Riff]: It’s been a while between video-gaming posts for me! Thanks to body-doubling and the power of having nerd-friends as fellow writers, I bring you a brief recollection of two recently played PC titles from Elodie and I: Beastieball, and Vein. Party-sportsin’, Zombie-autism-in’ fun times were had!
![[Announcement] Introducing Newest ISC Staffer Luna! + A Riff-Collab (Fallout:NV/Kenshi).](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1764145675104-HS6I38I4QRLQJ1WAZPMB/deimosart1.png)
[Announcement] Introducing Newest ISC Staffer Luna! + A Riff-Collab (Fallout:NV/Kenshi).
It’s time for an announcement, but we’re not stopping with just that! Introducing latest ISC staff member Luna, our first overseas colleague on the team. Check out the link to learn more and also see a collaborative piece from Luna and Brady - two short creative pieces based on Fallout: New Vegas and Kenshi.
[Featured Image: Deimos Art (link in article)].
![[Riff] Welcome to Gehennmoor, aka RNG-Town (Tome Of Adventure Design).](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1763636923343-NMIKYW34W2OSDUB7EWIH/guard.jpg)
[Riff] Welcome to Gehennmoor, aka RNG-Town (Tome Of Adventure Design).
[Tabletop Thursdays/ Lore]: Taking a bit of a different tack to the usual news-updates posts for TT Thursday - Brady explores an emergent city coined Gehennmoor, via the method of pure RNG. With thanks to Mythmere Games and Matt Finch for The Tome Of Adventure Design (Revised) as the guide!
![[Riff] Apples and Ovomorphs - aka Alien: Earth Pt I (The Good Stuff).](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1763205135900-P8ORVMDOIPC9HU2QRPM8/imdb1.png)
[Riff] Apples and Ovomorphs - aka Alien: Earth Pt I (The Good Stuff).
As a now well-entrenched member of the Alien franchise fandom, I have… mixed thoughts about Season One of the Alien: Earth TV series. Join me as I wax ad nauseum, with Part I focusing on my Alien franchise journey as well as the elements I enjoyed about the show thus far.
![[Design Diary] Taking the ‘Initiative’ in RPG Design](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1762844623977-KGEK5NTVLC91LKWO7LSS/Yugioh-Poster-Resized.png)
[Design Diary] Taking the ‘Initiative’ in RPG Design
Élodie talks about the design journey behind one very specific subsystem in her RPG, Echoes of Yesterday: Initiative. She also weighs up pros and cons within the various games that inspired it.
![[Riff] The Cover Design process for my RPG, BRASS](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1753768591161-7Z5CQOGB1YZVSGUA3MAL/IMG_4237.png)
[Riff] The Cover Design process for my RPG, BRASS
Élodie goes through the inspirations and iterations for the cover of her latest RPG, a sci-fi game inspired by action movies and childhood wonder!
![[RIFFS] THE HIVES NEW ALBUM AND 2025 world TOUR](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1751689470880-702O6MF0TYXDKCD67NPS/2025_03_12_THEHIVES_ROMANIA_10908.jpg)
[RIFFS] THE HIVES NEW ALBUM AND 2025 world TOUR
The Hives unleash two new singles preceded by their new album ‘The Hives Forever Forever The Hives’ and 2025 world tour.
![[Riffs/Music]: A Humble Dedication to MIESZKO TALARCZYK of NASUM (Rest in Power).](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1750839649090-1Y9DL1CS9RRT13ZUJPU8/images+%282%29.jfif)
[Riffs/Music]: A Humble Dedication to MIESZKO TALARCZYK of NASUM (Rest in Power).
Just me, your humble podcast/blog host, paying homage to one our fallen. One of many men in the heavy music industry who shaped me into who I am today. Rest In Power, MIESZKO TALARCZYK - the spirit of Nasum flows through all of us.
![[Riffs] Three (Gauss) Prime Tech-Death Picks.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1748953940229-3JBKT74XGF8I8SHZ7RL2/gaussnormal.jpg)
[Riffs] Three (Gauss) Prime Tech-Death Picks.
Imagine this - you’re piloting a super high-speed biomechanical exosuit fighting hordes of interdimensional adversaries. Hmm, what to listen to, I wonder? Check out three great technical/progressive death metal releases from 2025 that we think will go down a treat for any ADHD-coded exoskeleton!
![[Podcast] Inner-Strength Check Content Update, May 2025.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1748782232322-JPFA2B828TX8XBJ2BZDQ/6tt7cbea6rpa1.png)
[Podcast] Inner-Strength Check Content Update, May 2025.
It’s been an absolutely bonkers month here at Inner-Strength Check - lots and lots of content! I’ve herded all said content-cats together in one handy compendium-post: gig reviews, album reviews, interviews, podcast episodes, news, covers, music/gaming/tabletop-related content, photo galleries and more!
![[RIFFS] Goreframe, aka: Big Mumma Hildryn’s Tech-Tunes For Killin’ Techrot To - Part I.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1746620749051-HPD22JKKDL7UM53PXLMO/HildrynPrime.png)
[RIFFS] Goreframe, aka: Big Mumma Hildryn’s Tech-Tunes For Killin’ Techrot To - Part I.
At this rate, I’m just leaning into the chimeric amalgamation that the blog has become - by design. Speaking of, I’ve written a little Riff (article) about the most select technical-death metal tunes from 1999, best suited to slashing up tech-human zombie abominations. Slashing conducted by a Viking-coded exosuit Viking beefcake, Hildryn, in Warframe’s 1999 content, care of devs Digital Extremes.
![[RIFFS] #BehindScreenandSpeaker April 2025: Album Mini-Review Round-Robin.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1746531257633-RPVFHIIZ6AT42MDHIB0C/f3lbgufwual41.png)
[RIFFS] #BehindScreenandSpeaker April 2025: Album Mini-Review Round-Robin.
I do what I want over here at ISC. That’s the beauty of running your own blog and podcast. With that freedom of thought in action, rather than simply pump out a listicle, I decided to give some lesser-known bands from around the globe a slew of mini-reviews in this Riff (article). Featuring April releases from: Slung (UK, power-pop/psych-rock), Felgrave (Norway, avant-garde blackened death-doom), Tigerleech (France, noise-rock/hardcore/stoner), Ancestral Sin (Netherlands, crossover/hxc/deathgrind) and Vyr Muk (Ukraine, dungeon-synth/dark ambient/blackened death metal)!
![[GALLERY] Of Brewicide II: Metal United Down Under @ The Bendigo Hotel (MELB, AU) 26.04.25.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1746276699185-9V7ZXVELPKX2Y53BH7X7/Gallery+of+Brewicide.png)
[GALLERY] Of Brewicide II: Metal United Down Under @ The Bendigo Hotel (MELB, AU) 26.04.25.
Need a distraction from election shenanigans tonight? Avert your eyes from there for a moment and enjoy the second addition to our Gallery of Brewicide gig-photography/footage series on the blog! This time, we’re joined again by Richie Black Photography. Enjoy the quality shots from Metal United Down Under at The Bendigo Hotel, Melbourne, 26th April , as well as artist links for the bands - Alarum, Vexation, Monoliyth Kuntsquad and Kniver!
![[Riffs] #BSAS2024: Brady’s 2024 AOTY List, Part 3.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1742096716527-2IDDJWYAO7JH4LOM31QX/apesuit.jpg)
[Riffs] #BSAS2024: Brady’s 2024 AOTY List, Part 3.
Continuing on with a better-late-than-never endeavour to continue coverage of 2024’s Behind Screen and Speaker yearly wrap-up, your host Brady continues his exploration of favourite albums from the year just passed. Within you’ll find synopses/mini-reviews, artist/label links, full album streams and more for Gigan, Viscera Infest, Oranssi Pazuzu, Blood Incantation and Chat Pile!