Episode 188: Job Advice

Let's be honest: Haven't we all daydreamed about adding our tabletop RPG skills to a resume or CV? I know I have. But what would you actually write? And do you think it would work? We discuss that (and more) on this week's episode, so come along to a listen!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is H Tank! Congratulations, H Tank! Be sure to leave Crit Academy a review, so they can keep on making great products! They're a great group and would love to use your feedback to improve their products in the future.

Would YOU like a chance to win a copy of Unearthed Tips & Tricks Volume II? It's a great book (that I helped write!) and all you have to do to win is enter our drawing by sending us an e-mail with "Unearthed Tips & Tricks 2" in the subject line. (Gotta have that 2 in there though!) It's that easy!

Also- we have another, October-only giveaway to announce as well! If you'd like to win a copy of Strahd's Manual of Shadow, listener Seawood Scribe's horror-themed supplement, now's your time to do so! Send us an e-mail with "Strahd's Manual of Shadow" (or something close to it) and we'll give out one free copy each week in October!

And remember, Crit Academy is just one of the great podcasts in the Critnation Fellowship! For more podcasts, visit our friends at Brute Force and Ignorance, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, Jeff Stevens, and The Kind GM!

See you next time, during the spooOOookiest month of the year!

Episode 188: Closing the Deal

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Question(s) answered this episode:

1. If you were to incorporate your skills as a DM/GM or cooperative style player on your resume/CV, how would you do it?

2. How does the Periapt of Wound Closure work with environmental conditions such as drowning, dehydration or starvation?

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Noteworthy Links:

No One Can Know About This, a Final Fantasy Let's Play podcast

Shield of Heroic Memories

Strahd's Manual of Shadow, a new supplement from Seawood Scribe that we're giving away for FREE!

Munchkin, a fantasy-themed card game

The Red Box, one of the first D&D rulebooks

A D&D Horror Story I submitted

Blue Milk

Episode 187: Magic School 101

Have you ever wanted to run a tabletop game set in a magic school, like Hogwarts? So have we! (Hasn't everyone?) This week we go in-depth talking about how to do that, what things to avoid, and how to make it fun. We throw out a lot of ideas in this episode, so you're sure to find something you like!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Doug A! Congratulations, Doug! Be sure to leave Crit Academy a review, so they can keep on making great products! They're a great group and would love to use your feedback to improve their products in the future.

Would YOU like a chance to win a copy of Unearthed Tips & Tricks Volume II? It's a great book (that I helped write!) and all you have to do to win is enter our drawing by sending us an e-mail with "Unearthed Tips & Tricks 2" in the subject line. (Gotta have that 2 in there though!) It's that easy!

And remember, Crit Academy is just one of the great podcasts in the Critnation Fellowship! For more podcasts, visit our friends at Brute Force and Ignorance, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, Jeff Stevens, and The Kind GM!

Catch you in class next week!

Episode 187: Educationmancy

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Question(s) answered this episode:

1. What are some tips for running a game where the PCs are students in a magic school?

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Noteworthy Links:

If Shoe Fits, Wear It- I said this expression in the episode, intentionally leaving out the article "the" (If THE shoe fits, wear it"). This wasn't a mistake, I was making an incredibly obscure reference to a quote from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Tom Riddle's Diary, a magical artifact from the Harry Potter series that absorbs ink and knowledge

Death Note

Percy Jackson, a young adult novel series about greek demigods in modern times

The Adventure Zone: Graduation

Sky High

Quidditch

Kindergarten Cop and Silent Hill

Larry Elmore (and others)

Lego castle from Discord

Episode 186: The Gabe-Jeff Effect

Hello everyone! We're here with another great episode- and this time, we're talking about the Matt Mercer Effect- that is, when new players get into D&D after listening or watching a popular program such as Critical Role, and then get disappointed when the game fails to live up to their expectations. Is it a problem? Is there a way to fix it? We try and tackle this topic (and more) on this week's episode, so give us a listen!

And the inaugural winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Dustun F! Congratulations, Dustun! Be sure to leave Crit Academy a review, so they can keep on making great products! They're a great group and would love to use your feedback to improve their products in the future.

Would YOU like a chance to win a copy of Unearthed Tips & Tricks Volume II? It's a great book (that I helped write!) and all you have to do to win is enter our drawing by sending us an e-mail with "Unearthed Tips & Tricks 2" in the subject line. (Gotta have that 2 in there though!) It's that easy!

And remember, Crit Academy is just one of the great podcasts in the Critnation Fellowship! For more podcasts, visit our friends at Brute Force and Ignorance, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, Jeff Stevens, and The Kind GM!

See you next time, at high noon (or close to it)!

Episode 186: Keeping the Right Expectations

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Question(s) answered this episode:

1. What are your thoughts on the "Matt Mercer effect"? Is it real? If so, is it a problem?

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Noteworthy Links:

Monkey Island

Bar Stool, a magic item I made a while back

Episode 151: Everyone Should Start Here, an episode that we always direct new listeners to

Critical Role, a popular D&D-based webseries/podcast hosted by Matt Mercer

Nerf Herder, a rock band that (in Jeff's opinion) is not deserving of their name

It's High Noon

Harmon Quest, a live D&D show created by Dan Harmon

Multiple Man, a Marvel superhero that makes duplicates of himself

The Symbiote, a character guide from Crit Academy

Extra Life, a video game-focused charity stream that Jeff will be participating in this year

Episode 185: The Rorschach Test of Podcasts

Welcome back! This week, we spend half an hour reminiscing about some of our formative memories from playing D&D, as we dabble in a bit of word association. Come along with us, for a trip down memory lane!

And the final winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume I is Alistar the Minotaur! Congratulations, Alistar! You should get your copy within the next few days. Whenever you have a chance to read it over, be sure to leave Crit Academy a review! They're a great group and would love to use your feedback to improve their products.

But now that we're done giving away Volume I, it's your chance to win a copy of Volume II! It's another great book (that I helped write!) and all you have to do to win is enter our drawing by sending us an e-mail with "Unearthed Tips & Tricks 2" in the subject line. (Gotta have that 2 in there though!) It's that easy!

And remember, Crit Academy is just one of the great podcasts in the Critnation Fellowship! For more podcasts, visit our friends at Brute Force and Ignorance, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, Jeff Stevens, and The Kind GM!

Catch us next time, when we'll make new memories (and you will too)!

Episode 185: A Word Association

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Question(s) answered this episode:

1. When you think of D&D, what exactly do you think of? A specific edition? Pre-written adventures? TSR? WotC? All of the above? Or something else?

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Noteworthy Links:

The "Official" Dungeon Master Uniform

The Piano Scene from Big

Curse of the Azure Bonds, a computer game that I played in my formative D&D years

Official Class-Specific 3e Character Sheets (I didn't want to link to each and every one, but if you scroll down they're in the 3e section)

The Red Dragon from TSR (Note: That image is one of many that you can find on this page here, and all of them give me a hit of nostalgia)

Mazes & Monsters, a over-dramatized film meant to illustrate the dangers of D&D (that link is for the full movie on Youtube; watch it if you must)

D&D Miniatures, a separate game made by WotC specifically for their line of pre-painted miniatures

The Ballad of Garg and Moonslicer, our dramatic reading of the popular fan story

Episode 184: Turn, Turn, Turn

 This week, we talk about transitions- transitioning between quarantine and the real world, from one campaign (and group) to another, and from one season to another. We're also announcing a new weekly giveaway, so be sure to listen!

And we're starting to wrap up our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks, but this week's winner is Andrew H! Congratulations, Andrew! You should get your copy within the next few days. Whenever you have a chance to read it over, be sure to leave Crit Academy a review! They're a great group and would love to use your feedback to improve their products.

Would you like to enter the drawing? It's easy- just e-mail us at InterPartyConflict@gmail.com with "Unearthed Tips & Tricks" in the subject line! It's that easy, but time is running out! Listen to this episode for instructions on how to enter our next drawing as well!

And remember, Crit Academy is just one of the great podcasts in the Critnation Fellowship! For more podcasts, visit our friends at Brute Force and Ignorance, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, Jeff Stevens, and The Kind GM!

Catch us next time, if we haven't kicked that episode out!

Episode 184: The Times, They Are a-Changin'

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Question(s) answered this episode:

1. How has Covid-19 affected your gaming habits, and when things are back to "normal", what will your future gaming be like?

2. I am finishing one campaign and starting another. Several players have come to me and requested that I not invite back one player in particular. What should I do?

3. How do you recommend making seasons and weather more important in a game, beyond just difficult terrain and disadvantage on checks?

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Noteworthy Links:

Made a Wrong Turn at Albuquerque (Obligatory TVTropes Warning)

Mirror of Erised, a magical artifact from the Harry Potter series

Tomb of Horrors

Captain Jack's compass

Foundry, a virtual tabletop program

Zoom, a popular video conferencing app

Can Coconut Water Be Used In Place Of Blood? 

The Batman trailer