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. 👇

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