Two hunters of Hargrave House begin their nightly investigations that lead to some disturbing discoveries, while Doc stays home to discover more about his own past and ailment.
Thanks so much for listening. I hope you all are having… a haunting summer!
Z
The hunters of Hargrave House are beginning to put together clues to the strange mystery of St. James Place. What do all these numbers mean? Has this type of thing happened before? What is a Zoopraxiscope? Let's find out in the latest episode!
I note this near the end of the episode, but this in-particular is a prime example of the difference between the main cast and the Patreon episode. For listeners who are here for a good story, not much at all is affected, but if you have an affinity for parsing rules and having conversation at the table, this week’s Patreon-only table talk really brings home what can come up at the table.
Thanks!
Z
Music by Gabi Vanek (Insta)
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The gang makes their way to the hidden village of Yama and learn much of the war and the plague of Paru. We get a good look at who our adventurers are...
The gang meets the Children of Yama and an interrogation ensues. After that is all squared away Anep meets Fugi and learns more of his curse.
The gang makes their way into Paru and do a little shopping before taking in a show. It is a completely innocent affair! Nothing going on in the background! Just good old fashioned town session! Nothing of note! or... perhaps a city of theater has a few secrets hiding backstage?
It’s all or nothing as our adventurers come face-to-face with the mastermind that condemned Jataka to ruination. Twice. Seeing no way out but diving headlong into danger, will our party survive and make it out of the palace? Can they ensure the betterment of Jataka? Let’s find out, in the conclusion to our longest story yet!
Our trio continues their adventure, seeking to slay the final guardian within the House of Dust and Ash that still protects the ritual spell that will summon a volcanic dragon to destroy Jataka. Unfortunately for them, the fourth guardian is a figure seen before in another adventure. One that can match their burning ferocity and determination.
Viatrix, Orello, and Brendis continue their way through the strange, twisted halls of the spectral palace that has overtaken and subsumed Jataka. Up against enslaved warriors, royalty, gods, and even darkness itself, can our trio of adventurers struggle against the House that even time has not destroyed?
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This week, Nathan, Zach, and J.D. celebrate the coming of Halloween with a one-shot of The Skeletons, by Jason Morningstar. This is a freeform, meditative, and GMless RPG about dead guardians protecting a tomb. Though limited in their awareness due to magic only animating them when intruders are breaking in, the guardians slowly remember their forgotten pasts. This was our first time playing it, and we had an absolute delight with this little game.
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Brendis, Orello, and Viatrix meet with Alovara and a mysterious figure at the Goran estate in order to make plans. Settling on a course of action, they head toward the House of Dust and Ash which has finally subsumed the Jatakan royal palace, altering space and time within.
We once again use a modified Labyrinth move by the wonderful Jason Cordova in this episode. It rules.
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After leaving the party, Brendis faces his ultimate fear. Then the party face their final, and most dangerous, challenge in the gladiator arena. However, the politics of Jataka continue to churn, leading to an unexpected swerve.
Our party makes it through their encounter with the city guard (ACAB), and joins the party celebrating the queen of Jataka - the reason for the current run of games they have been fighting in. But it’s awkward. Orello lunges headlong into what should be a social disaster, Viatrix stress eats in the corner, and Brendis looks for somewhere he can get fucked up. Some of this goes all right…
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We're back with the main party of Brendis, Orello, and Viatrix. Their last morning in the desert before returning to the city-state of Jataka, the party discusses what they went through in the Library of First Thought and make their plans for getting back in the city despite Brendis being wanted. Though a reunion with an old ally has them questioning what they should do next. This one is roleplay and plot heavy!
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We continue our GMless/full game by following Iltani Evermind and Tahunas as they seek to kidnap an invading desert elf and extract knowledge from their mind. Mostly Zach and J.D. DM this one, with input into the conversation from Ryan and Nathan adding key details to the fiction. Iltani and Tarhunas struggle with some personal issues before tackling their primary mission.
While the main characters are searching for a book of evil rituals, life in Jataka continues. We rejoin Kurul, Iltani, Tahunas, and Kinea in order to learn what is happening while the main characters are away. This GMless/GMfull game shows a different way to enjoy Dungeon World, and we have a ton of fun working with characters and fleshing out the politics of this city as our evil agents of the Ashkeshahri Empire attempt to manipulate Jataka’s future.
Brendis, Orello, and Viatrix, their goal attained, make their way back to the library tower in order to exit back out into the desert. But the lion riders sent to find them have already entered the tower and locate the party before they can safely leave.
Read MoreThe crew continues traveling through the Library of First Thought, as Do'alar slowly pieces his past life back together in his mind. But retrieving Etrofasch's spellbook won't be as easy as simply finding it.
Read MoreOrello, Brendis, and Viatrix have made it safely to the Library of First Thought. Since their guide has a poor memory, we use Jason Cordova's excellent Labyrinth move to remind him of his past life and search for Letvedi Etrofasch's journal of vile rituals. We also begin looting ancient relics, but hey, we're just trying to help, right?
The stunning conclusion of our Dogs in the Vineyard Mini-Arc....
I cannot be happier with how Oak and Austin take on the wonderfully subtle and creative town of Willow Bluff. The pair are met with things much more difficult than big one-eyed monsters... they are met with people, just complicated people who has hopes, dreams, and desires to do what is best for themselves.
I have to give an exceptionally huge shout out to The Gauntlet whose zine Codex (specifically the "Love II" issue) featured the supplement I used for this series. I also just heard that Love II will be available for purchase this weekend on DrivethruRPG. Thanks as well to Sid Icarus (@ActionEconomy) who wrote the supplement. Thanks to the Black Twig Pickers for their cover of "Wreck of the Old 97." Finally a big shout out to Vincent Baker for making this game. It was a blast to play!
Well we're back at it again with the second part of our latest C-Side: Dogs in the Vineyard. Now the introductions are out of the way the Dogs (Oak & Austin) can get down to sorting the mail and helping the town of Willow Bluff. This episode really highlights some amazing roleplaying from my two players. Both of their characters are looking for problems early on, but quickly realize how they need to go about trying to accomplish their goal of rooting out any sin with a gentler hand. I think this is one of the few times I've ever been able to just roleplay for an extended period of time almost completely free of mechanics. Some folks may find it boring, and if you do, I apologize, but I think it is actaully a very interesting look into the kind of nature of this game with its almost "mystery novel" like elements. Both players want to try and figure out what is wrong because they know there must be something, but they never let their characters become unsympathetic or empathetic to the NPC's struggles. I hope you have a ball meeting the Constance family, Levi, Norma, and the rest of Willow Bluff. Next week will more than likely be the conclusion of this little arc (at least for the time being) so feel free to drop us a line of twitter and let us know what you thought.
Cheers!
Z
I have to give an exceptionally huge shout out to The Gauntlet whose zine Codex (specifically the "Love II" issue) featured the supplement I used for this series. Thanks as well to Sid Icarus (@ActionEconomy) who wrote the supplement. Thanks to the Black Twig Pickers for their cover of "Wreck of the Old 97." Finally a big shout out to Vincent Baker for making this game. It was a blast to play!