Episode 62, the Musical Fruit

Hello, listeners! Gabe here. I hope you're all having a terrible week.... APRIL FOOLS! I know, I know, a little early. But if I'm a little early then nobody will be expecting it. In all seriousness, I'm having a terrible day and I hope you are too..... APRIL FOOLS AGAIN! No, no, seriously, you're all great and thank you so much for listening to our podcast, and thank you to all of our patrons for giving us their hard-earned money so that Jeff and I can sit in front of my computer and talk about games.... APRIL FOOLS! Er, wait, that was for real. Then... APRIL FOOLS on that April Fools! Right?

Wait, hang on. There was that first one, then the second one... April Fools? April Fools? If I say it enough time then it'll all balance out or something.... APRIL FOOLS!

Okay, enough of that.

This week, we talk about two main topics- how to railroad your players (when you absolutely need to!), and how to know if your D&D group is worth sticking with. (The two topics may or may not be related. We can't say.) However, a big chunk of the episode is spent talking about one of the most bonkers magic items I've ever seen- and it's straight from the official 5e Dungeon Master's Guide! As you'll hear, we had a blast talking about it and I hope you have a blast listening to it.

Just a reminder- I told you all last week about a great new project I'm starting, so if you want the full explanation of that, go back and listen to the last five minutes or so. But the short of it is: I want your Arcade Memories! Any stories you have of going to the arcade, the sights, the sounds, the rivalries, the high scores- any of it, I want you to record your story and send it to me! I'll compile these stories into a big podcast and put it out on the internet with sounds and music and atmosphere and it'll be great. (And if you can't record yourself, feel free to write it out for me and I'll record it myself. But the more of YOU that's in your memories, the more magical they'll feel!) So if you want to contribute, send us an e-mail at InterPartyConflict@gmail.com!

Congratulations to this week's Chapel on the Cliffs winner, Avenshil! (I'm not sure if that's a name or just an e-mail address, but that's what we're calling you.) You should get an e-mail within the next day or so with instructions on how to redeem it. (If you don't, check your spam filter, or just e-mail me and I'll get you sorted out.) Anyone else who wants to enter can do so by sending us an e-mail with "Chapel on the Cliffs" in the subject line! It's so easy!

Of course, Chapel on the Cliffs is created by Goblin Stone, one of the content creators on the Critnation Fellowship! For more adventures, check out Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, and Jeff Stevens- and for more podcasts, visit our friends at Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab!

Now get out of here, and don't listen to us next week.... APRIL FOOLS!

(No seriously, please listen to us next week. We've got a great episode planned.)

Episode 62 - Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now

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Questions answered this episode:

1. How can I convince players to go where I need them to?

2. How do I know if my D&D group is worth sticking with?

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Noteworthy Links:

Smash Brothers - Crazy Hand (the hand gesture I was making at Jeff while speaking as the weird bean salesman)

Jack and the Beanstalk

The Internet Weighs As Much As A Strawberry

Alchemy Jug (Which we covered in our very first Dragon's Hoard segment!)

Legion of Doom

A terrible argument for how to pronounce "gif"

Monstrous Races, a 5e book that creates a playable character race for every monster in the Monster Manual

The World Serpent Inn, a transitive plane that resembles an ever-expanding inn that warps from plane to plane

Gossamer, the big red monster from Looney Toons

Kingdom Come, the DC Graphic Novel we talked about during the Funeral Pyre segment

Was episode 61 too difficult, or too easy?

Answer: Neither. It was just right.

Hello everyone! I'm happy to bring this week's episode to you all. It's been a busy week, but a fun one as well. I finished March's fantasy fiction a couple days ago- this time, it's about Korma, the dwarven blacksmith wizard who has been working to craft a sword that will help him complete the task he is determined to finish. (And it's based on a character played by our patron, Johm Gemstone!) It's taken a good amount of time to write but I loved every minute of it.

This week, our episode is all about difficulty in your campaign- how to get your DM to make a game more difficult (without painting a big target on your forehead!) as well as how to survive a campaign that you know is going to be deadly. As always, we would love to get some listener feedback- if you have any experiences or stories where you were in a deadly game, or you found a way to turn an easy game into a deadly one, we'd love to hear them!

Speaking of stories, I have a bit of an announcement to make (which we talk about at the end of the episode as well). Starting now, and for the next few months at least, I'm going to be collecting stories from YOU. Not about tabletop gaming- but about the arcade. Do you have any memories of going to the arcade back in the '80s or '90s? Were there any games you were really good at? Games you were really bad at? Games you would crowd around to watch other people play? Games you never got to play because they were always broken? Did you ever have a rivalry with any of your friends over getting the high score? Did you ever witness anything unbelievable at an arcade? Do you, like me, love the glow of neon signs and incandescent lights illuminating smoke-filled and noisy arcades?

If you do, I would love to hear them. Either record your stories and send the audio to us, or write them out in an e-mail and I'll record them myself. I would love to make a nostalgia-fueled time capsule for everybody to listen to for years and years to come.

Back to the podcast- this week's Chapel on the Cliffs winner is Claudine! You should get an e-mail within the next day or so with instructions on how to redeem it. (If you don't, check your spam filter, or just e-mail me and I'll get you sorted out.) Anyone else who wants to enter can do so by sending us an e-mail at InterPartyConflict@gmail.com with "Chapel on the Cliffs" in the subject line! It's that easy!

Of course, Chapel on the Cliffs is created by Goblin Stone, one of the content creators on the Critnation Fellowship! For more adventures, check out Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, and Jeff Stevens- and for more podcasts, visit our friends at Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab!

Thanks everyone, and we'll see you next week!

Episode 61 - Even Difficulty

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Questions answered this episode:

1. How can I ask my DM to make our game more dangerous without putting the target on my own back?

2. How do I survive a harsh campaign without running from the fun?

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Noteworthy Links:

Ouija Boards

Mr. Dory, the totally-not-undead NPC from The Styes

The cover of Dungeon Magazine issue #98, featuring villainness Triel Eldurast wearing her suit of "half plate" armor

5e Folding Boat

Celeste, an amazing new platformer out on Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One

Chrono Trigger

King's Quest 6

The Tomb of Annihilation Board Game

Romeo and Juliet

Pocket Sand

The Christmas Podcast that largely inspired my Arcade Memories project

Let's translate episode 60 for you!

Hello, listeners! Another week has just flown by. I've been super busy lately, both with real life and with podcast stuff (mainly these Patreon rewards- I'm happy to have to do them, but it's definitely a lot of plates to keep up in the air) so I'm just trying to make the best use of my time.

This week, we talk about two main topics- our personal processes for creating NPCs (as well as the different approaches we take between NPCs and PCs), and what to do when a player wants to create new abilities. I hope this episode helps others to feel a bit of insight from the way that I personally approach running a game- I don't expect everyone to run games the way I do, but in any case this is one approach and hopefully it gives you something to think about!

This week's Chapel on the Cliffs winner is Seth M! Anyone else who wants to enter can do so by sending us an e-mail at InterPartyConflict@gmail.com with "Chapel on the Cliffs" in the subject line. (Also: Seth M, if a few days pass and you don't receive an e-mail, go ahead and get in contact with us and we can get it to you.) So congratulations to all of our past and future winners!

And of course, Chapel on the Cliffs is created by Goblin Stone, one of the content creators on the Critnation Fellowship! For more adventures, check out Loresmyth, Aurican's Lair, and Jeff Stevens- and for more podcasts, visit our friends at Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab!

Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week!

Episode 60 - Understanding NPCs

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Questions answered this episode:

1. How much do you reference the books when building NPCs?

2. There's a player in my group that wants to create a lot of his own abilities. I think it might be getting out of hand. When comes the point that you say "enough is enough" and tell him to stick to the books?

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Noteworthy Links:

My gaming chair (poor lighting, sorry guys)

Hero Quest

The Sims

Poltergeist (1982)

Game Master's Day

A Wizard Did It

Rosetta Stone

Sleepy Gary

Time Lord

Who the F*** is my D&D Character

Dark Souls boss duels

Night Sword, an awesome attack from Final Fantasy Tactics

Skyrim

Episode 59 - Lots of talk about conflict, but no Dings

Welcome back!

This episode talks about a lot of things- alternate types of hit points, the nature of conflict, and what makes a compelling story, to name a few- and I think we got a lot of good discussion out of it (even if we never really came to any solid conclusions). I love when we get discussion questions that really elicit that kind of a deep conversation- simpler questions are fun too (I do like the times when we've got like five or six simple questions rather than one or two big ones) but this kind of discussion is sort of why we made the show in the first place.

Anyway, this week our Chapel on the Cliffs winner is Adam B! If any of you want to enter, all you have to do is send us an e-mail with "Chapel on the Cliffs" in the subject line! Could it be any easier?

And as usual, check out the other Critnation Fellowship members- Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab for more podcasts, and Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, and Aurican's Lair for some great adventures!

Thanks for listening, and stay safe out there!

Episode 59 - Gaming Without Conflict

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Questions answered this episode:

1. What are the best alternatives to hit points?

2. Could you enjoy a game with no conflict?

3. What makes a compelling story for D&D or any tabletop roleplaying game?

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Noteworthy Links:

Horse-Sized Duck

Bright

Shrek

There is no Dana, only Zuul

Mutants & Masterminds

The Witch is Dead by Grant Howitt

Binding of Isaac

The Mountain Witch by Timothy Kleinert

Tearable RPG

All Outta Bubblegum

They Live

Dragon Dice

Settlers of Catan

Reading Rainbow and Levar Burton Reads

Trailer for the movie Shower

Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley

Pavel from Neverwinter Nights

Marty, we must go back.... to episode 58!

Hey, everyone!

This week, our episode looks back at older editions and compares them to the current one. Or the future one. Or something. We talk about how things used to work, how we want them to work in the future, and so on. A lot of wishful thinking in this episode. If any of our listeners know anyone on the development team at Wizards, maybe you could toss them a link to our segment about 6th Edition? I'd be cool with that. All I'd want in return is a little blurb in the credits or something.

Since it took me a day or two to get this blog entry up, I can say that as of this writing, our second Patron-only bonus episode should be out for our patrons within the next 24 hours! This bonus episode was a lot of fun and it's mainly Jeff and me complaining about a certain fast food restaurant chain. (Also, I give out a recipe for an amazing pot roast. No joke.) So if you feel like listening to us talk about non-gaming stuff (and some gaming stuff too), then head over to our Patreon at Patreon.com/interpartyconflict and check out the rewards you can get! Even a dollar a month helps us out and gets you some fun stuff.

This week, our Chapel on the Cliffs winner is Brandon S (aka Brandondorf)! If anyone out there wants to enter, all you have to do is send us an e-mail with "Chapel on the Cliffs" in the subject line! Could it be any easier?

And as usual, check out the other Critnation Fellowship members- Crit Academy and D&D Character Lab for more podcasts, and Goblin Stone, Loresmyth, and Aurican's Lair for some great adventures!

Thanks for listening, and have a great week!

Episode 58 - Into the Past and Future

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Questions answered this episode:

1. When there are no defined rules for a situation the 5e rulebook, is it ok to insert 3.5 rules if they make sense in the context?

2. How does Surprise work in 5th Edition? How is this different from how it worked in 4th Edition?

3. What do you think of the spells Counterspell and Banishment in 5e?

4. What kind of changes would you think we would see in a 6th edition?

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Noteworthy Links:

In Volo's Wake and Treasure of the Broken Hoard, the two collections of one-hour mini-adventures I mentioned

A couple corrections: Apparently the picture of the Spellthief class that I mentioned remembered is nowhere in the Spellthief class description. I have no clue where or what I'm thinking of. Also, I mentioned some rules about attacking with a touch spell, and those rules were in a tiny sidebar in Sword and Fist, not Tome & Blood.

Learning a language in 5e

Dispel Magic and Banishment

A tweet from Jeremy Crawford about voluntarily failing saves in 5e

There is no cow level

Farming Simulator

Wartortle

D&D Miniatures

Nintendo Switch