A long time ago, back in episode 49

Hello, everyone! I hope you're all out there having a wonderful winter season. The weather may be awful (here in the American Midwest) but before you know it it'll be summer again, and then before you know it again it'll be icy cold and before you know it we'll reach the inevitable heat death of the universe. In all honesty I doubt our podcast will still be going then but who knows.

Anyway, this week's episode is a topic we've been putting off for a very long time- Star Wars RPGs! Jeff and I just don't have much experience with them so we haven't had a satisfying response, but with the release of The Last Jedi in theaters we decided it was now or never. (And in case you're worried, don't be- there are absolutely zero Last Jedi spoilers in this episode! We briefly touch on some general things from The Force Awakens but we're not about to ruin anyone's cinematic experiences.)

So, since we don't know much about the various Star Wars RPGs, DJ Wright from the Dice for Brains Podcast was kind enough to write up this huge breakdown for us, which we'll be referring to extensively. So if you have a chance, check them out!

And as always, visit the other members of the Critnation Fellowship- Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab on the podcast front, and Loresmyth, Goblin Stone, and Aurican's Lair for new content releases. And check out AudibleTrial.com/conflict to get yourself a free audiobook, and to get us some free money!

May the force be with you!

Episode 49: A Galaxy Far, Far Away

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Question answered this episode:

1. What are the pros and cons of the various Star Wars systems? (WEG, d20, FFG)

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Noteworthy Links:

Dr. Who

Krampus

Ghost of Christmas Past

Mark Hammill as the Joker

Nintendo Switch

HTC Vive, a VR system

Lightsaber Video mentioned during the episode

"It's a living!"

Star Wars Galaxies, a Star Wars RPG

Damn Yankees, a musical Gabe performed in on stage

Knights of the Old Republic, a Star Wars video game based on the d20 ruleset

Episode 48: The One Where We Answer Questions

You guys know what day it is? It's Inter-Party Conflict day, of course! (That's what it says on my calendar, anyway.)

This week we bring you another couple questions from your favorite non-Crit Academy podcast hosts. We talk about getting stuck in quicksand, getting stuck on one side of a pit, getting stuck in a morbid hellscape where life cannot survive, and getting stuck in a giant creature's electrified mouth. Plus we talk about food, aches & pains, and a whole mess of other stuff too. What's this podcast about, again?

You know the drill: check out the other members of the Critnation Fellowship- Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab on the podcast front, and Loresmyth, Goblin Stone, and Aurican's Lair for new content releases. And be sure to go to AudibleTrial.com/conflict to get yourself a free audiobook, and us some o' that sweet, sweet moolah!

Thanks, everyone! Have a wonderful holiday season!

Episode 48: Hyping Up the Battle

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Questions answered this episode:

1. My battle fields are either very boring or too big. Can you recommend ways to or rules of thumb on making my combat encounter maps better? How many squares, terrain, distance, hazards, etc. make for good encounters?

2. What are some tips for running/making the final boss for a campaign?

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Noteworthy Links:

Mr. Pizza

Pizza Podcast

Anchovy Pizza

The shoes Gabe wears

Supercut of the best scenes from The Room (warning: Spoilers for The Room)

Robe of Useful Items

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., an early-90's scifi-Western TV show starring Bruce Campbell

Spider-Man 3

Bastion of Broken Souls, the adventure Gabe talked about with a dragon that devours unborn souls

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Star Fox Adventures, a really bad Gamecube game

Devil May Cry final boss

A fan theory that explains Final Fantasy IX's completely random final boss

Back again, with another special guest!

Hey, everyone! This week we've got yet another special guest- Damian, the DM from the actual play podcast Adventures in Erylia! In this episode we have a great time talking about house rules, making death more meaningful, and how to keep an NPC from becoming the ever-dreaded DMPC (plus a bunch of other stuff I had to cut for time- stay tuned in case we ever release an outtakes episode). So give us a listen, and check out Damian's podcast too! I've been listening to it since around their first few episodes and I think it's a lot of fun.

As usual, check out the other members of the Critnation Fellowship- Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab are our fellow podcasts, and Loresmyth, Goblin Stone, and Aurican's Lair are content creators that you should definitely check out. And be sure to go to AudibleTrial.com/conflict to get yourself a free audiobook, and us some free money!

Thanks everyone, and I hope you all have a great week!

Episode 47: Remember, Kill Your NPCs

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Questions answered this episode:

1. When does an NPC become a DMPC? And how hard should you work to stop an NPC from being integrated into the party?

2. What is your favourite campaign or table specific house rule? It doesn't have to be one that you always bring to the table, but perhaps one that really worked thematically with a certain campaign. 

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Noteworthy Links:

Adventures in Erylia, the Actual Play podcast run by Damian

Magic: the Gathering

WDHS Student Video, the video program at the high school Jeff and Gabe met at

World of Warcraft

Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Twitch Plays Dark Souls

Adventures in Erylia's blog post about death in their campaign world

Erylia's Second Chance on D&D Beyond Homebrew

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Healing Spirit, a seemingly-broken spell from Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Transformers: The Movie

Back to our usual shenanigans- it's episode 46!

Hey, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed last week's bonus episodes in lieu of a standard one. This week, though, we're back to our usual format, and I hope this one is great too! We're coming up on out one-year anniversary, and I'm trying to come up with something special we can do for that episode. If any of you have any suggestions, or just questions for us to discuss, e-mail us at InterPartyConflict@gmail.com!

Not much else to say, so I'll just remind you to go to AudibleTrial.com/conflict to get yourself a free audiobook, and us some free money! And of course check out the other podcasts on the Critnation Fellowship- Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab- as well as the content creators Loresmyth, Goblin Stone, and Aurican's Lair.

Episode 46: Everyone Starts Somewhere

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Questions answered this episode:

1. What is a good way to have your table set up play environment-wise? Whiteboards, gridded battlemats, dungeon tiles, constructed miniscapes- all seem to have their advantages and disadvantages. Which do you guys prefer?

2. What factors should be considered when thinking about becoming a DM?

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Noteworthy Links:

Dungeons & Dragons Clue

Deck of Many Things (I found a physical version on Amazon, but apparently it's really rare and as such it's really expensive. Just use a regular Tarot deck.)

Constantine, a movie starring Keanu Reeves and (loosely) based on a graphic novel

Vinyl Battle Mats by Chessex

Whiteboard Material from Lowes (Seriously, you could get a 4ft x 8ft rectangle of whiteboard for a measly $13, and have them cut it to whatever size you want for free.)

Warhammer 40k, a very popular tabletop war game

Maptool, a free program you can use with a screen or digital projector to project battle maps for your game

Dungeon!, a board game my brother had when I was a kid (and I bought a copy of my own a few years ago). Apparently it's gotten fairly rare and is really expensive, but WotC has made a new version that's much more affordable and is probably closer to modern D&D.

That picture of Kyuss I was talking about

Those two swords I was talking about too

Two Bonus Episodes for the price of one!

Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This week, Jeff and I decided to do things a little bit different- not because of any technical difficulties or scheduling issues, but just because we felt like changing things up a bit. So instead of a typical episode, we've got a more loosely-formatted episode where we just talk about whatever we feel like (though for this particular one, I felt like complaining about the 5e Tarrasque for like an hour). Don't worry, this won't be a common thing for us (unless enough people tell us they want it to be, I guess) but if you like it or dislike it, then please, let us know at InterPartyConflict@gmail.com!

In addition to our loose-form episode, I've recorded an extra bonus mini-episode where I talked to three friends visiting from out of town- Brandon, JT, and Haley, all fans of the show- about D&D and their experiences with it. It was a fun thing to record, so I hope you guys enjoy listening to it!

And as always, remember to check out the other members of the Critnation Fellowship-  Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab for your podcasting needs, and Loresmyth, Goblin Stone, and Aurican's Lair for quality content. And if you want to get yourself a free audiobook (and/or get us some free cash to make the podcast better) then go to AudibleTrial.com/conflict!

Bonus Episode 2: Jabe and Geff's Rants & Rambles

Bonus Episode 3: Visiting Friends

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Noteworthy Links:

Iron Man

The only computers we had at my school for years

Hyper Man, one of the games Jeff mentioned (I tried to find the Doom spaceship game but didn't have enough information to go off of)

Dan Bell's Dead Mall Youtube Series

Magic Sword, the arcade game I got to play

Le Tarasque on Wikipedia

Rovagug, a deity in the Pathfinder campaign setting that spawned the Tarrasque (among other abominations)

The Tomb of Horrors

Defense of the Ancients (DotA)

Xanathar's Guide to Everything, a new book that is AWESOME

Monster Factory, a Youtube channel from Justin and Griffin McElroy

My attitude towards arguments

Episode 45 is here!

Hey, everyone! Thanks for sticking with us another week. I love making this podcast, and each episode is a blast to make (though not always a blast to edit). I don't really have much to say this week, so let me just tell everyone that I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And if you're not from America, you should at least eat way too much food like we Americans do. (Even when we're not celebrating Thanksgiving.) Food for everybody!

As always, help us generate funds with our Audible partnership by going to AudibleTrial.com/conflict to get yourself a free audiobook, and us some free money we can use to make the podcast better! And of course check out the other podcasts on the Critnation Fellowship- Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab- as well as the content creators Loresmyth, Goblin Stone, and Aurican's Lair!

Thanks everyone, and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Episode 45: Possible Overload

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Questions answered this episode:

1. How much combat is too much?

2. As the DM, is it a good idea to sit the players down and have a discussion of the campaign so far?

3. If a spellcaster enters an anti-magic area, is there any indication of that fact or is it only when they try to cast magic do they know they are in a field?

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Noteworthy Links:

Michigan Renaissance Festival

A video of Kobayashi eating a hot dog in slow motion

Adventures in Erylia

An Endworld.org post detailing the latest Errata, including the changes to Long Rest

A clip from the Simpsons that I referenced in a section that ultimately got cut from the podcast

Bahlmaar

American Horror Story, a horror anthology series on FX

Being John Malcovich

The Adventure Zone

Some Fidget Spinner tricks

Dexter + Pushing Daisies = Come Back to Me

Game Grumps

Episode 44 - The Guest with the Best!

Hey, everyone!

This week we have a great episode for you- our close friend, the great DM, Chris (Real Chris, not Tennessee Chris) is here with us! I hadn't had a chance to hang out with him in quite a long time, so we got to spend the day hanging out, playing arcade games (insert arcade sound effect here) and talk D&D. I think this is a great episode, and Jeff and I are so glad we got to have him on. Maybe again sometime! We'll see.

In this episode we talk about narrative vs. genre simulation, how to build a city, and how long to stick with a group you aren't meshing with.. I knew Chris would be a perfect guest for these topics since I know he's got lots of experience in all of them; but then again Chris has experience in every area of the hobby so he's always a perfect guest.

As usual, help us generate funds with our Audible partnership by going to AudibleTrial.com/conflict to get yourself a free audiobook, and us some free money we can use to make the podcast better! And of course check out the other podcasts on the Critnation Fellowship- Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab- as well as the content creators Loresmyth, Goblin Stone, and Aurican's Lair!

Thanks everyone, and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Episode 44: United Front

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Questions answered this episode:

1. What is your take on Narrative focused games (FATE, Cortex) vs Genre Simulation (5E, Runequest, Eclipse Phase), vs hybrid models (13th Age, Dungeon World).

2. What sort of exercises or methods do you use for city building?

3. How long should you stick with a group before accepting that your playstyles don't mesh?

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Noteworthy Links:

Mystery Men: The Bowler

Sun Wukong and the Journey to the West

The history of Captain America's shield

The moon is made of marshmallows apparently

The scene in Batman with the Shark Repellent

Sharknado

The Princess Bride

Fallcrest, a town from the 4e Player's Handbook

Rubber Duck debugging, a method of determining errors in code by explaining their code, line by line, to an inanimate object in order to evaluate it from a different perspective

A comprehensive review of Kraft Miracle Whip

Episode 43: Sleeping Criticals

Hey, everyone!

As if any episode could hold a candle to our spooky Halloween episode, this new one was a lot of fun to record too. It's another one of our more rules-heavy episodes- I generally try to avoid those because although we talk mostly about D&D 5e, our podcast is meant to be more of a general advice podcast, for anyone playing any tabletop roleplaying game. But, hey, we answer the questions we're asked so sometimes the discussion will be more about specific rules.

Let me remind everyone to check out the other podcasts in the Critnation Fellowship- Crit Academy, of course, as well as our new addition, D&D Character Lab! Both are great podcasts and are a ton of fun to listen to.

And as always, check out AudibleTrial.com/Conflict, where you can get yourself a free audiobook. And if you do, we get paid! It's that easy! And if you like free stuff, Mary and Tom at Hollandspiele are giving out TWO free printable board games to anyone who takes our short online survey. So what are you waiting for!?

Episode 43: Sleeping Criticals

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Questions answered this episode:

1. How do you handle critical rolls? What are some other good ideas?

2. Does the elven racial Trance ability allow them to get the benefits of an eight-hour Long Rest in only four hours? Why or why not?

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Noteworthy Links:

The 3e Arms & Equipment Guide

Weapons of Legacy

Ron Burgundy's fists' names

Some Critical Hit/Fumble Tables:

One for 5e D&D

One for Pathfinder

One for any system
The funny one I mentioned during the episode (Fun story: I spent forever trying to find this online after recording, I even posted about it on a couple online forums, with no luck. Right now, like three weeks after the episode aired, I realized I had it saved on my computer!)

One of the nerdiest games out there

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This week's Audible Pick:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien

Spoiler: Episode 42 was dead the whole time!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I love Halloween, and so I am super excited about this episode. In this one, we talk all about running a spooky scary tabletop game- how to set the tone, how to create a good atmosphere, and the very nature of what makes something scary. Jeff and I had a ton of fun making it, and I hope you have a ton of fun listening to it! So turn down the lights, spark up some candles, and rev up your chainsaw as this gem plays on the record player. Don't mind the screams- you get used to them eventually.

Episode 42: Screams & Scares

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Question answered this episode:

1. What do you think about a Horror themed campaign? And do you have any tips for running one?

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Horror-themed RPGs mentioned in this episode:

Dread

Call of Cthulhu

Don't Rest Your Head

East Texas University

Okult

Ravenloft (the D&D campaign setting)


Noteworthy links:

The sound Jeff mentioned that makes you scared is called "Infrasound". Link courtesy of Stacey on Facebook.

The "Unsound" from the Black Tapes Podcast

Silent Hill, a survival horror game series

The Monster Mash

The NPC Cast, a great tabletop RPG podcast

Evil Dead (2013), a great remake of the 1981 classic

Carnage: The Legend of Quiltface- the worst horror film I have ever seen (also known as Carnage Road)

Independence Day (1996)

The Birds (1963)

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Heroes

Pareidolia, the phenomenon when the human brain looks for faces in naturally-occuring patterns

H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, a connected series of works based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft

The Ring- Watch at your own risk

The Walking Dead

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This week's Audible Pick:

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

Episode 41- The Raciest Episode Yet (Though That's Not Saying Much)

Welcome back, listeners! This week we have two amazing guests with us- Grant and Chris from Hearty Dice Friends! This episode has a little bit of blue humor (just a tad, you've been warned) and a whole lot of laughs on both sides of the table. Not only is this by far the most fun we've had making an episode, but it also probably has the most cut content out of all of our episodes (since before editing the session was over an hour and a half). In any case, this is a GREAT episode, and you should absolutely listen to it!

So many thanks to Chris and Grant. If you want to support them, they've got their own Patreon, as well as lots of games they've designed that you can purchase as well. Or, heck, just listen to their podcast and tell a friend! If you like us then I'm pretty sure you'll like them too. If you want to contact them you can do so through Rowan, Rook, and Decard.

Also let me remind you all to check out Crit Academy- they're always out there, making custom content for players and DMs alike. And, I think Justin just announced a new member of the Critnation Fellowship, so expect a blog post about that soon!

And as always, go to Audibletrial.com/Conflict to get yourself a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook!

Cheers!

Episode 41: Inter-Podcast Conflict

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Questions answered this episode:

1. Have you ever played a table top rpg at a convention? If so what was your experience?

2. Improvisation- how should I get better at it? What is your perspective on "Yes, and"?

3. What type of RPG genre/setting/milieu has never been done (or rarely done, or perhaps rather poorly executed) that you would like to see?

4. How do you make Possession in combat interesting for the player possessed?

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Games made by Grant Howitt and/or Chris Taylor mentioned in this episode:

Havoc Brigade

The Witch is Dead

Honey Heist

Spire

And, here's a page with a ton of games Grant has made.


Other noteworthy links:

Apparently I was a little inaccurate about Peter Pan killing the lost boys- here's a Reddit discussion about it.

The Film Reroll, a podcast that plays through movies in GURPS

Muffed Movies' Star Wars episode IV: A New Hope

Vash the Stampede, main protagonist of the anime Trigun

Project: Dark, a kickstarted RPG based on stealth

M*A*S*H, an army-based sitcom set during the Korean War starring Alan Alda

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This week's Audible Pick:

True Ghost Stories: Real Demonic Possessions and Exorcisms by Zachery Knowles

Episode 40: Another Interview Episode

Oh, dear me. Apparently I wrote up this blog post last week but never actually published it. So... sorry? It's a week late but here you go.



Hello, Inter-Party Conflicters! (Is that a thing? No, of course not. But could it be?)

This week we have another interview- this time with Tom Russell, one of the two creators of Hollandspiele, a board game company that produces as many as twenty board games a year. Tom and I talk about the history of war games, how he got into game design, and some tips for anyone looking to get into designing games of their own. Tom is a great guy- so great, in fact, that he's offered to give out two of his games for free to our listeners!

If you'd like to get printable versions of these two games- one based on the historic battle of Tinchebray, and a newer game part of a set called Table Battles- all you have to do is take a short survey about our podcast! So head on over to http://bit.ly/interpartyconflict and answer a few questions- it shouldn't take more than five minutes- and you'll be given two google drive links for the games. So you get something out of it for free, and we get some feedback so we know how to make the podcast even better! It's win-win! (Oh, and if you try out the games and let us or Tom know what you thought of it, it's win-win-win!)

So head over to Hollandspiele.com if you're interested in any of Tom's other games, or to learn more about him. He's also got a Facebook page, as well as a short weekly podcast about him and his wife and their business. So check them out!

And, as always, be sure to check out our Critnation Buddies over at Crit Academy. Also, if you enjoy listening to audiobooks, go to AudibleTrial.com/Conflict to get a free audiobook and a free 30-day trial.

Thanks, and see you all next week!

Episode 40 - On Game Design

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Noteworthy links:

D&D Character Lab, a podcast I can't recommend highly enough

Links from the interview:

Chainmail, the wargame that eventually evolved into D&D

The Man Who Loved and Son of a Seahorse - Two movies made by Tom Russell

Side Saddle 2 - A shoot-em-up game made by Tom Russell

Ann Arbor, MI

Rantasmo, a Youtube personality that is a close friend of Gabe, Tom, and Jeff

And, of course, Hollandspiele.com - the board game business piloted by Tom and his wife Mary

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This week's Audible Pick:

How to Play Backgammon: A Beginner's Guide to Learning the Game, Rules, Board, Pieces, and Strategy to Win at Backgammon by Chad Bomberger

Episode 39

Hey everyone! This has been a busy last couple weeks for me (it's going to be a busy month, really) but there's been a lot of really cool stuff. Jeff and I got to play a kick-ass game Dungeons & Dragons with Justin from Crit Academy (the Claws of Madness module that they give out as prizes to listeners), I celebrated my 9-year wedding anniversary, I got to play another game of D&D with some friends from work, Stardew Valley came out on the Switch, and I've been trying to watch a horror movie every day this month. Hoo boy! Busy times.

In any case, this was a fun episode to record and I hope you have a fun time listening to it. Whenever you get a chance, head on over to Audibletrial.com/Conflict to get yourself a free audio book- there's some great ones on there.

Episode 39 - Serious or Not

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Questions answered this episode:

1. How do you make diseases and curses interesting in your games? How do you balance making the party fear the effects of a curse or disease without making the effects too debilitating?

2. Which tone do you prefer in campaigns, a more serious tone or a light hearted one?

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Noteworthy links:

Tony's Restaurant, where Jeff and I got massive bacon sandwiches

Adventures in Erylia, an actual play podcast that recently re-launched

RC Cola

Looper, a movie about time-travelling organized crime

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Some rats playing basketball, because why not

Kingdom Hearts 2

Monty Python coconuts scene

The Ballad of Ball of Arms Man

Cowboy Bebop

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This week's Audible Pick:

Azure Bonds by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb (which I've recommended before, but I'll do it again)

Episode 38 something or other

Welcome back, listeners!

This was a fun episode to record and I think we got a good amount of discussion about the questions; and, take my word for it, but there was a ton of stuff I cut out too (mainly Jeff and I talking about movie spoilers). But we stayed on topic for most of the episode and I hope you have a great time listening to it.

Remember to check out our Critnation Fellowship brothers, Crit Academy! As of this writing I finally got a chance to watch one of their livestreams (a benefit of being one of their patrons on Patreon) and it was a lot of fun. And also, hop on over to AudibleTrial.com/Conflict for a free month and a free audiobook!

Episode 38 - Daelkyr and Dragonzords

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Questions answered this episode:

1. How should I go about ending a long campaign?

2. What is the area of effect for spells like Heat Metal?

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Noteworthy links:

The Cabin in the Woods, one of my favorite movies of all time

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, another amazing horror movie

The Worst Idea of All Time, a podcast where the hosts watch the same bad movie every week and continually review it

52-sided dice

The Power Rangers movie, and Teenagers With Attitude- a Power Rangers rewatch podcast

Daelkyr, horrifying abominations from Eberron

Tortles, a new 5e turtle race

Home Alone's traps

Little Monsters (the movie, not the Lady Gaga fans)

Wikipedia's entry on "Gorgons"

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This week's Audible Pick:

It by Stephen King

The Blog Post for Episode 37

Hello ,everyone! It's that time again- another week, another episode of Inter-Party Conflict. Big thanks to everyone who's submitted questions, dragon's hoard items, everything- we really appreciate it! We wouldn't have a podcast without you. I mean, we could just sit here and talk about whatever, but nobody would want to listen to that.

Right?

In this episode we talk about going crazy, going to war, and going after someone on foot. All kinds of going, it's crazy. What am I going on about? Who cares!

If you get a chance, check out Audibletrial.com/Conflict. Get yourself a free audiobook and get us some free money. Also, go to CritAcademy.com! Justin and the other guys over there are working hard to provide you all with new and reusable content. So sharpen those spells and prepare those swords! Or... something like that!

Episode 37 - Never Rush Into War

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Questions answered this episode:

1. What's your opinion on and how would you handle having a war going on in your campaign?

2. How do you go about dealing with chases in your campaign?  Do you use the rules on page 252 of the 5e DMG, or do you homebrew it, improv it, or maybe even use a skill challenge? Maybe you use a little bit of each?

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Noteworthy links:

Tomb of Annihilation

HP Lovecraft

Crit Academy's episode on war and mass combat

Legolas riding a shield down some stairs because why not

Red Hand of Doom, a 3.5 D&D adventure that used war as a backdrop (somehow)

The chase scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Correlya, an RPG made by a guy I played D&D with a long time ago

The Princess Bride, one of the best movies of all time, hands-down

That scene in Advent Children when everyone works together to throw Cloud upward (the link here is in Japanese with no subtitles, but if you haven't seen the movie don't worry, the dialogue is garbage anyway)

Episode 36- The Stolen Episode

Welcome back, everyone! This episode (so dubiously introduced by Jeff) was a lot of fun to make. We discuss scripted failures, hurting someone you meant to heal, and how I am terrible at character creation. Also, Jeff has an email address for Friend Quest! Email game suggestions to him at TheFriendQuest@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening, and remember to submit some questions for us! And Dragon's Hoard items. We love those too. And if you have time, check us out on iTunes- leave us a rating and a review. And while you're at it, check out Crit Academy too.

Episode 36 - Agency of Players

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Questions answered this episode:

1. What are some tips on running a battle the players are meant to lose or cannot win for story purposes?

2. DM screens. What's your opinion on them? Also, when should the DM roll out in the open and when/how should you keep certain rolls secret?

3. Rolling Stats vs. Point Buy. Or, how do you make the most of playing a low-stat character, especially when another player has higher stats?

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Noteworthy links:

The Darkest Dungeon

Final Fantasy II's unwinnable battle

Dark Souls' unwinnable battle

Hearty Dice Friends

Monster Hunter series

Passive Perception

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This week's Audible Pick:

The Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Episode 35 (with a free live episode too!)

Hello, Inter-Party Conflicters! (Is that a thing? That sounds terrible if so.)

This was an eventful week for our podcast. Between this week's release and the last, we also released a bonus recording of our live episode, Anatomy of a Podcast! We recorded at the Garden City Library in Garden City, Michigan. (Not Garden City, New York. Sorry guys.) So if you're interested in hearing what it takes to make a podcast, or just want to see the perspective of a podcaster, go check that episode out! (And if you have any questions we didn't answer, e-mail use at InterPartyConflict@gmail.com. We most likely won't do another live episode anytime soon but I'd be happy to answer any you may have.)

Live Episode 01 - Anatomy of a Podcast

As for our normal episodes, this week's episode ran a little short but hopefully that's not a problem. We talk all about creating a pantheon for your own campaign world, something that's a ton of work and waaaay more involved than you think it will be. Special thanks to the guys over at Crit Academy, for creating the great CritNation Fellowship! Check them out whenever you can.

I hope you guys had a great week, and see you again soon!

Episode 35 - Establishing a Pantheon

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Question answered this episode:

1. How do you go about creating a pantheon?

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Noteworthy links:

Dagorhir, a game of fantasy foam swordfighting

Picture of my Dragon's Hoard

Mystery Men

My Wikidot page about the gods in my campaign

The Great Grey Wolf Sif and Knight Artorias, two bosses from Dark Souls

God of War

Click Here for your daily dose of truth

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This week's Audible Pick:

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

Episode 34: With a Vengeance

Hey, everyone!

In this week's episode we talk about cutting off people's heads, surrounding yourself with people who just get in the way, and the competition you have to fight in order to play a game. I hope you're all doing well, and I hope you enjoy this episode!

As always, let me remind you to check out our compatriates over at Crit Academy. Also, if you enjoy listening to audiobooks, go to Audibletrial.com/Conflict for a free audiobook!

Episode 34 - Mic Money, Mic Problems

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Questions answered this episode:

1. Called shots in 5e, should I include them, and, if so, how should they work?

2. Why do you think so many gaming groups have issues with showing up on time?

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Noteworthy links:

World of Warcraft

Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories- the show I mentioned. Oddly enough, the episode I referenced ("Hole") isn't available to watch. :-/

Hot Fuzz, an amazing movie and part of the Cornetty Trilogy

Dr. House

Cedar Point, an amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio

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This week's Audible Pick:

Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons by Michael Witwer

Episode 33- Interview with a Kleinert

This is a special episode- instead of answering questions like we usually do, Jeff took a back seat while I interviewed game designer Tim Kleinert, creator of the Mountain Witch (as well as a few other indie titles). The interview was a lot of fun, and I hope you all are willing to take a break from our usual format just for a little while.

Aside from the interview, we still have a Dragon's Hoard item, as well as a story for the Funeral Pyre. All in all I think this was a fun episode, and I hope you think so too!

Let me take a brief moment to direct you to the other member of the Critnation Fellowship, Crit Academy! They're a great podcast that you should all listen to if you don't already. Check them out at CritAcademy.com, and if you sign up on their site you can win free stuff just by listening!

I also want to remind you to head on over to Audibletrial.com/Conflict and get yourself a free audiobook. It costs you nothing (unless you stick with it, which is a great deal in and of itself) and it gets us a sweet kickback too.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the episode!

Episode 33 - O Brother, Where Art Thou

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Noteworthy links:

The Venture Bros., a cartoon Jeff loves

Bayonetta, an amazing Character Action game you should all play right now

Dark Souls 2, Moonlight Butterfly set


Links from the interview:

ThunderCats, an animated TV show from the 80's (Bonus: A Youtube Video of some Hollywood sword-makers crafting the Sword of Omens using modern forging techniques.)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, a roleplaying game where you turn various animals into mutant characters

Robotech RPG

The Forge, an archive of the indie RPG message boards

A review of Lacuna, the RPG where Tim had his favorite gaming experience

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This week's Audible Picks:

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

Episode 32, here we are!

Hey, guys! In this episode of Inter-Party Conflict, we talk about hope, inspiration, and whether to sit in one place or not. Maybe a bit less of that last one. While recording this episode Jeff had a lot to say about video games, microtransactions, hype, and all sorts of other stuff- I go on tangents all the time, but since it was such a big chunk of the beginning of the episode I decided it best to move it to the end after the outro music. So if you want to hear us talk about some slightly-off-topic stuff, then hang around at the end so you can listen to it. And if not, skip ahead and tune in next week!

I just want to direct you to CritAcademy.com, where Justin and the guys bring you new and reusable content for your game every single week. (If you want to hear more of me, check out Episode 38, where I was a guest host!) And if you enjoy listening to Audiobooks, head over to AudibleTrial.com/Conflict  for a free audiobook!

Episode 32 - Staying On Topic

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Questions answered this episode:

1. Which do you prefer and/or think is better, a more grounded campaign that mostly sticks to one location like a city or a campaign where the party is traveling to different places a lot?

2. Awarding inspiration- when should I do that? Help me inspire others!

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Noteworthy links:

Arrested Development, an incredibly well-written TV show you need to watch

Buried, a movie that takes place entirely in a coffin

That episode of Star Trek Jeff was talking about

Saw, the first of the hit horror film series


After-credits rant links:

A 35-minute video of what Spore could have been

Shadow of Mordor / Shadow of War

No Man's Sky

Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Dark Souls Vagrants

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This week's Audible Picks:

Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright

American Gods by Neil Gaiman