Normal Gossip for Dungeon Masters
Normal Gossip is a podcast about anonymized gossip from the real world. It is a delightful show of calorie-free drama about people being weird for no reason beyond everyone is weird. I would highly recommend it!
At some point while listening I was struck with a thought: this feels like a TTRPG. Gossip is shared storytelling and so are RPGs so this makes a kind of straightforward sense, but I do think there's something more here.
The show is basically host and proverbial DM Kelsey McKinney (now Rachelle Hampton) telling a story to the guest of the episode, but over time there have been little additions of interactivity. Since the story is anonymized, they frequently take place in "mid size cities" or "a generic suburb" in the United States. McKinney will sometimes ask the guest to pick which city or suburb the story takes place in, or sometimes the "prestigious university" or "generic white collar business". It doesn't change the story but it does add a fun little context for the listener and seeds for jokes later on.
Multiple times every episode, McKinney will prompt the guest by asking what they would do in the situation being narrated. Guests will give an answer, but frequently they will roleplay as the main character of the gossip story being told. Answers often take the form of:
Well I would [be honest and tell my sister about the affair] but given what we know about [Suzy, our POV] I would imagine she [doesn't want to cause trouble and so doesn't say anything].
I think this is a really fascinating dynamic. As far as I can tell this seems to be a natural response by the guest, as in they are not specifically told by the producers to roleplay during these prompts. In TTRPG settings as players we're often trying to balance playing an optimal game or telling a more coherent story as established by the characters and fiction. Some of the best moments in a game arise out of a player making the wrong choice for the game but the far more interesting and right choice for the character.
There's no larger point here, I think, beyond recommending the show to players and DMs. There is roleplaying here and I think listening to how the host and guest assume their roles naturally is really interesting and worth listening for.