Episode 192: HALLOWEEN 2020

It's that time of year again: Halloween! We've got a great horror-themed episode for you this week- we talk about horror subgenres, and the considerations of running a horror game with a player that doesn't like horror. (I also brought in a magic item from a popular horror series I've been watching lately!) So put on your costumes and light up a jack-o-lantern, and scare the ghosts away with this week's episode!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Travis B! Congratulations, Travis! 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, today we announce our fourth and final winner of our October-only giveaway of Strahd's Manual of Shadow, courtesy of listener Seawood Scribe- and that winner is Jason P! Congratulations, Jason!  As with our other giveaways, please be sure to leave a review for this product on DM's Guild. More reviews means more attention and better quality products!

And that marks the end of this giveaway, so a huge thank-you to Seawood Scribe for this great opportunity. And for everyone who didn't win- you can always go purchase this great supplement on DM's Guild!

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!

....Wait, did you hear that noise?

Episode 192: Identifying Horror

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Question(s) answered this episode:

1. What are the different genres of horror and how do I incorporate them into your games?

2. Not all players like horror. Is it possible to run (or play in) a horror game while still catering to a dislike for horror?

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Noteworthy Links:

Phasmaphobia

Ghost Hunter shows

Jeff's Stream

Dead by Daylight

Dawn of Worlds

Hellraiser

Monster of the Week

Mafia/Werewolf

Among Us

Augmented Reality Game

Shaun of the Dead

This Is The End

Bloodborne

Annihilation

The Happening

The Film Reroll

Sabacc

Podracing

Red Dragon Inn

Elder Oblex

Episode 191: The Politically Character Episode

Hey everyone! This week we dip our toes into a controversial topic- we discuss the changes that Wizards of the Coast has announced for races, stat adjustments, and alignment. Some would consider this a political issue, some wouldn't, but we're giving our viewpoints on how it affects the game as players and DMs.

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Michael R! Congratulations, Michael! 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, today we announce our third winner of our October-only giveaway of Strahd's Manual of Shadow, courtesy of listener Seawood Scribe- and that winner is... also Michael R! Congratulations, Michael! (What are the odds of that?) As with our other giveaways, please be sure to leave a review for this product on DM's Guild. More reviews means more attention and better quality products!

If you want to win a copy of this spooky supplement, time is running short! 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!

Now go out and make some characters!

Episode 191: PC PCs

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Question(s) answered this episode:

1. What should I do if I don't like the changes WotC is making to races and alignment?

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Noteworthy Links:

Halloween series

Hellraiser series

Death Note, a Japanese series following a cat-and-mouse game involving a magical notebook

The Machine, a device from The Princess Bride

The Boys, an Amazon Prime series based on a graphic novel about a world where superheroes are privatized and aren't held accountable for their actions

Harvest Moon

Dr. Girlfriend from Venture Bros

Cats

Episode 190: World of Dawns

Welcome back, and I hope your month has been spooOOooOOky! This week we're talking about a world creation game called Dawn of Worlds- we played it recently (and had a BLAST) and we're discussing how to turn the world we created into a campaign setting for an upcoming campaign!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Karl L! Congratulations, Karl! 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, today we announce our second winner of our October-only giveaway of Strahd's Manual of Shadow, courtesy of listener Seawood Scribe- and that winner is Doug A! Congratulations, Doug! As with our other giveaways, please be sure to leave a review for this product on DM's Guild. More reviews means more attention and better quality products!

If you want to win a copy of this spooky supplement, time is running short! 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!

The dawn is rising on a new world, so get out there and enjoy it!

Episode 190: Abiogenesis

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Question(s) answered this episode:

1. Have you ever played a world building game such as Dawn of Worlds or Microscope and used the result for DnD (or other ttrpgs) afterwards? If yes: how did it go? If no: would you consider doing so for a future campaign?

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Noteworthy Links:

Dawn of Worlds on Crit Academy

Swords of Answering

DnD Character Lab: Halloween with Inter-Party Conflict!

Miro.com, a virtual whiteboard we used for Dawn of Worlds

Nords, a race of humans from the Elder Scrolls series

Klingons, Trill, and Borg

Axolotls

Wonderdraft, a map creation software Jeff has been using

Kung Fu Hustle, a Wuxia-style action/comedy film from Stephen Chow

Lolcats

Extra-Life, a gaming-based charity event coming up

Episode 189: Ursine Edition

Hello everyone! This week we talk about how to know when to give out magic items, how to integrate player backstories into a pre-written adventure, and some bear-related shenanigans too!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is David J! Congratulations, David! 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, today marks the first winner of our October-only giveaway of Strahd's Manual of Shadow, courtesy of listener Seawood Scribe- and that winner is Jeff R! Congratulations, Jeff! As with our other giveaway, please be sure to leave a review for this product on DM's Guild. More reviews means more attention and better quality products!

If you want to win a copy of this spooky supplement, time is running short! 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!

Be safe- it's getting pretty hairy out there!

Episode 189: Ready or Not

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Question(s) answered this episode:

1. How do you know what level is appropriate for certain magic items?

2. How do you integrate player backstories into a preplanned plot like a module? Is it necessary to do so?

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Noteworthy Links:

Bear

How to Survive an Avalanche

Iron Man Nanotech

Buster Sword

Ted the movie