Episode 207: The Art of Mending

Hello everyone! We're back with another fun episode- this time we talk about some extemporaneous uses of the Mending cantrip, as well as what to do when you buy a module and everyone dies right from jump. (Seriously though, what DO you do?) So come along with us, and as always, feel free to share your thoughts below!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Matthew N! Congratulations, Matthew! 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, The Kind GM, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, and Jeff Stevens!

Catch us next time, if the podcast isn't broken!

Episode 207: Easily Broken, Easily Mended

RSS Feed Link

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question(s) answered this episode:

1. Do you think you can make a castle using the Mending spell to put the bricks of stone together instead of mortar?

2. Total Party Kills. What do you do when one occurs during an adventure module? Do you re-start the module as is, do you re-skin it as something else, or do you just call it a loss?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noteworthy Links:

Valheim, a game Jeff has been streaming lately

Asteroids Deluxe, an arcade game I particularly like

David vs. Goliath

Enter the Gungeon

Tennessee Renaissance Festival

Zee Bashew

Dragonball Super

Galaxy Quest, a fantastic Star Trek movie (that isn't actually a Star Trek movie)

Pokemon Gold & Silver

Steve Pierce Art, the creator of Jeff's amazing portrait

Walden the Slayer and Tig the Vampire

Sketchgoblin, the artist that created the Adventures in Erylia artwork

Manasa Kalderosa

Episode 206: Trademark Pending

Hey everyone, welcome back! Real talk for a moment- this episode has a really long Gabe Rant in it (about why 1st-level characters should be able to have epic backstories). A lot of our listeners seem to like Gabe Rants, and if you're one of them, here you go! Enjoy! If you're not, then I apologize. I got kind of carried away with this one. (Would you believe it was way longer pre-edit? I did us all a favor and trimmed the fat quite a bit.)

Whatever your preferences, I think there's a lot of good stuff in this episode and I hope you all enjoy it. If not, there's always next week!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Timothy K! Congratulations, Timothy! 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, The Kind GM, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, and Jeff Stevens!

See you next week, if I stop talking long enough!

Episode 206: Backstory Rant Incoming

RSS Feed Link

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question(s) answered this episode:

1. What do you do when a player writes an epic backstory for a 1st-level character?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noteworthy Links:

Punch-Out!!

Berserk

Wreck-It Ralph

The Silmarillion

The Princess Bride

World of Warcraft

Episode 205: Games and Guests Galore!

Hello everyone out there in podcastland! We're back with another great episode, and this time we're joined by another special guest- our friend Taylor (aka Alistar the Minotaur)! He's joining us this week to talk about the wide range of RPGs he's played, and we spend a good amount of time sharing our thoughts on different aspects of metagaming as well. So come along with us!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Zachary P! Congratulations, Zachary! 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, The Kind GM, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, and Jeff Stevens!

Catch us next time- but don't read ahead!

Episode 205: You're Playing Games

RSS Feed Link

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question(s) answered this episode:

1. Apart from D&D, what other games/genres/systems do you guys have experience with?

2. Is asking another party member's hit points meta gaming?

3. Should a DM ever punish players for meta gaming, or is it their job to punish players at all?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noteworthy Links:

Mike Tyson

Kingmaker, a game based on a Pathfinder adventure path

Monster of the Week, a roleplaying game based on TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Supernatural, a 15-season horror/action TV show I am currently watching

The Adventure Zone

S.C.R.E.A.M. the Horror, a rules-lite RPG made by Ursidice

Fallout RPG?

The Tearable RPG, a rules-lite RPG I have run several times

Dogs in the Vineyard

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness

Amazing Tales

Firefly RPG and Serenity RPG, and Firefly Board Game

Friday the 13th Board Game

Army of Darkness RPG

Wet Hot American Summer RPG

Starfinder

Flumphs

Ghostbusters RPG

The Matrix

Community: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

Captain Manasa Kalderosa by Robert Ardy

Episode 204: Guestravaganza

Welcome back everyone! This week we've got a great episode- after a long hiatus of not having any guests on the podcast, we're joined by Jac and Austin from the People's Trivia Company, a fantastic bar-style trivia group on Youtube! You should definitely check them out as they do three games a week and it's a ton of fun!

But on this episode, the four of us are discussing some of our favorite (and least favorite) story moments in D&D, and much, much more! So come along and give us a listen!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Taylor H! Congratulations, Taylor! 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, The Kind GM, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, and Jeff Stevens!

See you next time, with more great guest-filled content!

Episode 204: A Trip Down Memory Lane

RSS Feed Link

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question(s) answered this episode:

1. What is your favorite story moment from D&D as a DM and as a player?

2. What is your worst story moment from D&D as a DM and as a player?  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Check out our guests:

People's Trivia Company, their great trivia game that takes place every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night

Fancy Hobo Improv, Jac's improv troupe

Net Positive Academics, a Youtube channel of math videos

Noteworthy Links:

Uncommon Dragon Hoards from a bit that got cut out of the finished episode

Westworld

Die Hard

Sir Bearington, an old greentext about a disguised bear

Sliders, a network TV show about parallel universes

The Elder Scrolls IV: Skyrim

Vegan Chocolate Cake by HowToBasic 

New Coke 

Episode 203: The One After Episode 202

Hey everyone! This week we're talking about multiclassing- specifically, the stat requirements for multiclassing in 5th Edition D&D- and we also spend a little bit of time brainstorming how to motivate players who aren't necessarily interested in loot or traditional treasure. We're always open to more ideas, so share yours below!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Jeff R! Congratulations, Jeff! 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, The Kind GM, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, and Jeff Stevens!

Catch you next week, with our first guests in over a year!

Episode 203: Multiclassing & Motivation

RSS Feed Link

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question(s) answered this episode:

1. How do you feel about mechanical requirements for multiclassing?

2. How do you motivate players who have no interest in loot, money or "simple" magic items that just give them bonuses (like a +1 sword, etc)?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noteworthy Links:

Fresh Guacamole, an animation by PES

Majora's Mask

Super Mario 64

Labo VR

Breath of the Wild

Phasmaphobia

Tabletop Simulator 

Lord of the Rings dice tray- HOLY CRAP I am in the wrong business- that link is selling those things for $25, when I know from experience that they only cost like $2-3 to make. Maybe I should open up an Etsy shop...

Myron, a greek sculptor

Hades

The Black Egg

300, a film by Zack Snyder

World's Largest Dungeon

Episode 202: Sleepy Edition

Hey listeners! This week we've got another fun episode for you: We talk about some unspoken rules of tabletop gaming etiquette, we talk about our motivations when creating characters, and we respond to some great suggestions for how we can improve our podcast this year. Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to reply to our social media questions, and keep up the great work!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Colin W! Congratulations, Colin! 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, The Kind GM, and the (unfortunately ended) D&D Character Lab! And for books, adventures, and videos, check out Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, and Jeff Stevens!

See you next week, but no peeking!

Episode 202: Naughty or Nice

RSS Feed Link

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question(s) answered this episode:

1. Is it cheating to look at another player's character sheet?

2. How often do you make a character just for roleplaying, versus just for mechanics?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noteworthy Links:

Nap Roulette

Valve Index, the VR setup I have

Stormwind, the human capital city in World of Warcraft

Complex, a multiplayer stage in Goldeneye 007

Oculus Quest, the VR setup Jeff has

Princess Bride Iocane Powder

At the Gaming Table, our Actual Play experiment we recorded in 2019

Dice Tower Podcast

More Cowbell

This Episode Is Brought To You By....

Episode 201: Fifth Year Begins

Hello everyone, and welcome to our newest year! This week we're back to our usual shenanigans (though we had a lot of fun with the Listener Submissions episode- don't be surprised if we do that again sometime) and we've hit the ground running. We're discussing our hopes for D&D releases in 2021, as well as some tips for using consumables in encounters (even if those were meant as treasure). We have a lot of fun in this episode, so hopefully you agree!

And this week's winner of our giveaway for Crit Academy's Unearthed Tips & Tricks: Volume II is Ravel G! Congratulations, Ravel! 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 next time, unless I accidentally drink next week's episode!

Episode 201: Inheriting the Future

RSS Feed Link

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question(s) answered this episode:

1. What would you like to see for official d&d content for 2021?

2. Oftentimes in modules, baddies will be described as having useful consumables as treasure items. As a DM, is it good, bad, or acceptable to use these consumables and not leave them as loot for the PCs?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noteworthy Links:

The Film Reroll, a great podcast whose main host guested on our podcast a while ago!

The McElroy brothers, a family of podcast hosts I would love to have on as guests sometime

Duckfeed.tv, a network of podcasts I've been listening to for years (and some of their hosts we've had on in the past)

Mythic Odysseys of Theros, a 5th Edition D&D supplement from Wizards of the Coast

Hades, an amazing Roguelite that came out in 2020

Planescape, a great campaign setting from the earlier days of D&D

3rd Edition published adventures

Hero Forge, a great website for designing and purchasing custom miniatures and character tokens

Heromachine, an older online tool for designing character portraits

World of Warcraft

Discworld, a novel series by Terry Pratchett

Ernest P. Worrell

Bob Ross

Nameless Bard, a character I mistakenly recalled as Immortal Bard

C. S. Lewis, a fantasy writer known for the Chronicles of Narnia

Hamilton, a documentary about the founding father of the same name

Dr. Seuss

The Black Egg, a particularly deadly adventure module from Dungeon Magazine 106