Freestyle! (Planar Gonvergence!)

For this podcast, we decided to give finally give Will the DM reigns and rock out in a brand new world. Unlike some of our previous podcasts, we've decided to take a minimalist approach to editing in order to give listeners an honest look at our table.



Let us know what you think!

-James

Episode Update...loading...loading...

Ok internet dudes. Here’s what’s up. The podcast recording from this week got messed up so it’s taking longer than usual to edit. We will still have the next episode of Hard Boiled up later this week, just not before Jon bleeds and sweats for a heretofore undetermined duration.

I will update you each hour on the hour via twitter: @ConquestTable. For each day that we fail to deliver our product, I will personally release some kind of goofy short. So now, that’s what’s up.

GORBASH!

Check out this rad sketch of Gorbash by @PlausibleGiant. I'm about to start working on color. 

Stay close for more Conquest or Calamity: Hard Boiled content through the weekend.

 

Update: Basic Coloring

-James

CoC:HB3

Sorry it's late internet dudes but believe me this one was worth the wait.



Expect to see more on the Khamarad setting this week. Ciao!

Lanakila Bay Episode 2

Hey everybody! Little later than usual (not really), but here's this week's podcast! We hope you enjoy.

Legal Legends Card Template

Hey guys. I just finished a mock up for the Legal Legends card template. A lot of things are probably going to change but this is our first draft. I can't wait to hear what you think, so let me know in the comments!

-James

Lanakila Bay Episode 1

Hey guys! Sorry we're a day late on the podcast. We had a little technical difficulty yesterday. So without further adieu, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Lanakila Bay.



We'll have a bunch of new stuff for this setting posted soon!

Until then, I'd like all of you to meet Shaka. They call him "Wave rider."

-James

New Podcast Setting

I guess it's about that time again, people. Time for a new Conquest or Calamity setting. 

I know. I'm pretty excited too. New podcast Monday.

-James

Legal Legends Update

Well look who it is. #LegalLegends

Play testing is going well. I can't wait to show you guys some art. We are still on our way to a June print and play release. Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section.

What, you wanted more? Do you want a news post or do you  want a card game?
Thought so.
We out!

-James

Conquest or Calamity: Hard Boiled #2

Rejoice!

It's podcast time.

You're welcome. -James

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's a little Mother's Day card for you if you are of the nerdy persuasion. Enjoy!

-James

My Giant Super Secret Announcement

Hey Conquest or Calamity fans!

Let me talk to all of you Dungeon Masters out there for a second. Have you ever run a game and ended up in a courtroom? Not a real courtroom.

I’m not asking if you’ve ever been arrested for playing D&D. That would be crazy. Actually on second thought, have any of you ever been arrested for playing D&D? If so, please let us know in the comments below because we absolutely have to interview you.

I digress.

Have the player characters in your game ever ended up in a courtroom? Assuming you’ve had a rouge in the party, they probably have. Here at Conquest or Calamity, we’ve seen our fair share of misguided ne’er-do-wells incarcerated.

Maybe you’ve heard our most recent podcast story line, Hard Boiled. It’s our D&D Law and Order parody. While preparing to DM our second Hard Boiled game, I realized that the core systems to handle courtroom interactions were extremely limited.

Given that my job greatly depends on being able to create interesting stuff that you care about, limited systems were a problem for me. So I grabbed the construction paper and solved it.

So, without further adieu, it is my pleasure to announce to you Conquest or Calamity: Legal Legends, a pay what you want Roleplaying Deck Building Card Game set in a fantasy court of law. Boom. There it is.

Many more details will be released in the coming weeks, including a feature in our regular podcast. You will be able to get your hands on the print and play version of the game and name your price on June 16.

-James

Now do me a solid, internet. 

Get hyped.

Hey there sports fans!

Hey Crew!

I've got good news and I've got bad news. The good news is, I got engaged this week! The bad news is, I also had to have a surprise tooth extraction. Between those two things, my day job, and working hard on a super secret and heretofore unannounced Conquest or Calamity project, this week's podcast recording just didn't happen. (Mostly because my mouth was to swollen to speak during all of our normal time slots.)

Now before you start making picket signs to protest, if it is any consolation, I will have a very exciting announcement on Wednesday as well as a new Dungeon Master Class on Friday. You can expect so see a new episode next week. After that we should be back to business as usual for a while.

On another, more cheerful note, I'd like to thank all of you that participated in the test for our Player Shop. We learned a ton of useful things and should be ready to get those systems fired up in earnest very soon.

I guess, that's about it for now. If any of you have any questions for Will or Myself, don't hesitate to comment and let us know. We should get back to you pretty quick.

-James

Conquest or Calamity: Hard Boiled #1

Here's the new track everybody. Hope you enjoy.



Big thanks to Battle Bards for SFX and to Imagine 3d Minis for supplying the custom Gorbash and Impala minis.

-Jon

Let's make a Supergroup

Hey all you D&D podcasters! 

I had an idea today, while listening to an insanely cool D&D podcast called Godsfall. (Yes, you should all go listen to them right away.) Do you guys remember Supergroups? Talented musicians with successful independent careers would join forces to create something amazing and new.

You have already heard me preach relentlessly about my love for collaboration. It's the reason I play tabletop games, etc. etc.

So here's the deal. I think there should be a D&D podcast crossover game and I am more than willing to foot the bill. So, if you have a D&D podcast with established canon and characters and would like to give this a shot, I'm your guy.

Obviously we'll be playing via digital media so if you have a preference make sure to let me know.

Sign up below and I should be in contact soon!

DM Lesson #2: "Preparation Prevents Poor Performance"

Will: Hello prospective DM’s and curious blog followers! Lore-master Will here.

James: Also, James Hicks, Music Enthusiast and Waffle Maker Extraordinaire, at your service.

Will: Having read the previous DM lesson, I assume I am tasked with addressing the weighty topics of planning and preparation. It makes sense that James would give me this responsibility, since this is one of the areas in which we differ greatly as DMs. I personally, depend greatly upon preparations.

James: For me planning is helpful but...unnecessary. For our podcast game, I generally have between one and three pages of notes going in. It's kind of like I see each game as piece of marble that the players and I will carve together. I have an idea of what we're carving but I don't really worry about how we're going to get there.

Will: There are many facets to “Planning” a game. For starters, a DM should have a full understanding of the basic game mechanics and systems. Additionally, he or she should be able to supply the majority of pertinent lore and information as it relates to the setting.

James: Will generally has these facts memorized before hand, hence Lore-Master. I honestly just make most things up on the spot.

Will: Like it says in the manual, the DM is rule keeper for whatever game universe is chosen. Therefor, You, as the DM, are responsible for maintaining the rules and systems of said universe, so help you God. It follows then that, it really is in everyone's best interest for the DM to actually know the rules and systems upon which the game depends.

That being said, a DM should not be expected to be an encyclopedia of knowledge, recalling even the most obscure detail at a moment's notice. After reading up on and maybe even play testing the game, it should be easy to identify what information is important and will be used repeatedly as it relates to rules and mechanics. Knowing the rules also prevents players from stretching or breaking them without DM consent.

James: Remember; it's a DM's job to give the game the illusion of equity. He or she is as much referee as anything else. Players need to feel like they are being treated fairly and nothing shatters this illusion more than the DM not remembering some basic rule. So if you get caught off guard, fake it. Just make sure to be consistent. 

Will: This also discourages players from rifling through Player Handbooks for 10 minutes, bringing the flow of play to a grinding halt for anyone that isn't a librarian at heart. The more you know as a DM, the more confident your arbitration of the game can be.

For instance, you might have no idea what damage dice should be used for a Nunchaku but an educated DM will know that it should probably fall between a dagger (1d4) and a throwing hammer (1d6) due to its size and probable damage.

When it comes to lore and setting, a similar paradigm takes precedence. A DM should have a complete and comprehensive knowledge of whatever setting he or she chooses for the game. In this instance, I am referring to location, time period, and pertinent lore. 

James: If you think about it, the DM pretty much is the setting.

Will: Yeah, if the DM doesn't know enough about where players are or what they are doing, then there really isn't much of a game happening. It's an essential part of the DM's role to generate enough content to satisfy players. If you can’t do that then you have no game.

James: This is one place where Will and my styles differ. He tends to create massive and detailed settings, well in advance of his games, taking as much time as is necessary to make himself at home in his setting. This approach lends Will's environments a richness and a strong sense of immersion. I'm never sure just what's around the corner in his games but I'm always confident that he does.

I myself, prefer to create on the fly, often choosing environments and characters in direct response to player interactions. This approach lends my games a certain versatility. When a party attempts to venture beyond the "beaten path" of an encounter's design, rather than subtly redirect them toward a "set objective", I simply create a new path, right then and there. 

Will: For many DMs, myself included, the planning of the setting includes, NPCs, Monsters, Dungeons, and just about any other detail you can think of. In other words, if your DM doesn’t know of something, it usually doesn’t exist.

That said, it's important to keep in mind that both James and I pretty much grew up on fantasy and role-playing though books, games, playing pretend, you name it. Therefore, we both have a great grasp of fantastical knowledge in general.

James: And even though my free-form DMing style requires little in terms of direct preparation, every encounter, creature, or NPC is based on some inspiration. Without having spent time immersed in the minutia of the genre, my methods would prove dubious at best.

Will: James affords the player spontaneity by being spontaneous himself. Using his great general knowledge of setting he takes an “in the moment anything can happen” attitude.

I do not recommend this for everyone.

This approach takes a great deal of gall to pull off because it means, in many cases, chaos will rule the table. There have been times in James' games where whole systems have been abandoned because of story developments. 

James: I once took a science-fiction themed game, without precedent, into "the spirit world" and transformed the Player Characters into magical animals. Then, once they escaped and regained their natural forms, they retained spirit animal powers. 

Will: James is an individual who can roll with and adapt to these changes as fast or faster than the players. The downside is that his games can occasionally spiral out of control and lose any semblance of consistency. It also takes a unique personality to be able to play so completely “in the moment."

My preparations allow me to be prepared for any and every action a player character might take. For example, I can easily anticipate how an NPC will respond to a player question or action by seeing said NPC as a real person. If I know where he lives, what he does, and what his life is like, I can understand, on some level, who he is and play the role accordingly. 

James: It's like method acting but for DMs.

Will: This same concept rings true in combat situations. If I know that a cultist is wearing ceremonial robes, it follows that if you hit said cultist with a torch, said robes should light on fire. There aren't necessarily game rules to back up that interaction but if the player wants to try it, I have a generally realistic response ready, based of what I know to be true. So in my style more knowledge enables more flexibility. 

James: I'm not Will and He's not me. I could never study and analyze a setting so completely, memorizing every little detail, and I honestly doubt He could pull off my cavalier take of the concept of play. The important thing is to find what works for you and stick with it. Find out what kind of DM you are. Will and I both DM a certain way because of who we are.

Will: No matter how much you prepare, I guarantee that your players will surprise you at some point. Just do the best you can and remember that it's just a game.

Player Bazaar

Salutations dear Lads, Lassies, Etc,

I am so glad that I get to announce to you the first phase of testing for Conquest or Calamity's Player Bazaar. For those of you who don't know what that is, here's the scoop. My whole philosophy on game design and dungeon mastering is caught up in the idea of inclusion. I believe everybody should have a chance to play.

The Player Bazaar is a way for all of you out there in internet land to play along with the Conquest or Calamity podcast. Each week, subscribers will be able to buy items for players, summon monsters, and more. Then, during each week's recording session, I will enact your collective will accordingly.

We are hoping for a full launch sometime in May but as of right now, our live test is available for all to use.(For free I might add.) We will be adding art assets, new cards, and more in the coming weeks. Just click the player bazaar tab and register away! Our first interactive podcast should be posted in two weeks. I am so excited to see how all of this is going to turn out.

Thanks again to jWall for his tireless efforts toward getting this done. The force is so strong with that one.

Enjoy!

Episode 4 Part 5 (Finale)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Without further adieu, I give you the conclusion to episode 4. Enjoy.



Credits: Audio Engineering: Jonathan Hicks
             Executive Producer: James Hicks
             Sound Effects: BattleBards

DM Lesson #1: “Let the players win”

Ehem… *cracks knuckles*… Ehehehehem… Wait. Why am I clearing my throat, I’m typing.

Hello everyone, Sarah here, aka Mishann, better known as the girl who attempts to be witty or at least mildly humorous but often fails because… well it’s hard. Today, I have some super important things to tell you; things that require the amount of attention that only two cups of coffee can provide. Please prepare yourselves.

Okay… In west Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground was where I spent most of my days… no that is not right. Let’s try this again. I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was! To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cauuuussee! That is not right either. Hmm. I’ll work on that for next time.

Sir Lord Grandmaster Ocean Spray Cranberry Man asked me to write a post for his DM education blog because of what I’m assuming is a severe deficiency of judgement on his part. (In case his choice name didn’t already make that fact evident.) That and he wanted me to share my perspective on D&D, as a player.

Backstory: I grew up in a family with six children before the internet was really a thing; it existed, but it made terrible noises that made the whole experience unpleasant and not worth it. So, unlike the children of today, who rely on goats screaming and candy crushing for entertainment, my siblings and I turned to the outdoors, card games, and board games. Lest you be fooled, we also played a truly staggering number of video games, by which I mean like the number of bad movies Nicholas Cage has been in. It’s also noteworthy that you should never challenge any of us to a game of Age of Empires, unless you want to leave full of sadness and wonder. (Anyone catch that pun? Nope, okay. Cool.)

Because there were generally at least 2 or 3 of us who were bored (never tell your mom that you are bored. Seriously, don’t. There are chores you don’t even know about yet.), we nearly always had someone with whom we could play games. We were always looking for new games to play, so it was no surprise to any of us when James (Cranberry Man) supplied a new offering for us to play at grandma’s house.

This game was Dungeons and Dragons (4th Edition). We spent two hours setting up character sheets for everyone and consuming more sweet tea than anyone ever should. Then the game began. Excitement, wonder, and goblins filled the room; well, actually, a lot of confusion, questions, and rolling the wrong dice entered the room, but it was not long before each of us became invested in this new experience.

After defeating what seemed like a thousand hordes of devious foes, we reached our first boss, a young white dragon. (The vicious beast had been awoken from his slumber by a certain rather ill fated thief who thought metal buckets would make highly discrete yet fashionable footwear.) Five seconds and several tremendously loud clomping noises later, the dragon leapt toward our party and initiative was rolled!

Quick aside: It’s important for an adventurer to carefully consider what items he or she brings to a boss fight. For example, instead of bringing bean dip like everyone else, my character (Mishann) brought fire. And not just any fire. That’s right folks, magical fire. Now, let us pause for a moment to discuss the magic fire in question. It cannot be extinguished. Period. It will forever burn. Where did I acquire such a wondrous artifact? Simple, from the map.

Allow me to explain. For this particular game, James had decided to use a pre-printed dungeon map, which included large braziers in several rooms for illumination. James had previously stated that this dungeon had been long abandoned, so upon entering one particular room, I enquired as to how the fire had continuously burned over such a long period of time. He thought for a moment and hurriedly replied “It’s magical. It can’t be extinguished.” Cha-Ching!  

I casually asked if I could perhaps capture some of the fire in my glass jar. (I’ve played Zelda. I know the rules!) Cranberry man scoffed and replied in the most eloquent fashion saying, “Uh, sure…”

Alright, back to my story. As it turns out, white dragons really hate having unquenchable enchanted fire thrown directly onto their faces and as a result of this interesting bit of trivia, the entire party escaped without a scratch. (The indigenous flora and fauna was less lucky.) Did we triumphantly acquire untold and marvelous riches on that day? yes. Am I proud that my actions broke the game? Very.

Fast forward past trolls and frog creatures to the end, the final battle, the big dance. Our quarry was a wizard of the most dubious sort. You know the type. Powerful, magical, usually wears some kind of pointy hat. This specific wizard was all those things and more. He was a mad scientist.

As we faced off against this mystical foe in what appeared to be some kind of magical laboratory, we were told that the wizard was standing immediately behind a workbench full of luminescent chemicals and magical concoctions. We rolled for initiative. (Insert slow-mo dice rolls here.) I was the last to roll but, as I’m sure you’ve already deduced, lady luck saw fit to grant that coveted first turn to yours truly.

So, like any sensible educated Dragonborn would, I consider my recent exploits involving a certain unquenchable brand of fire. You recall, yes? A moment later, I threw the entire jar, full to the brim with “you know what”, directly onto the table of chemicals and potions. Then basically the whole world exploded. With the party still at the room’s entrance, the only damage dealt (and believe me, there was soooo much damage) was to a particularly unfortunate wizard. Take that snarky wizard man. You shouldn’t have done bad stuff or whatever.

My first game was an epic adventure to be sure but more importantly it sparked my interest in the game that brought all of us together here. Years later, most of my siblings and I are still playing D&D and loving it more than ever. (Maybe you’ve heard our podcast.) Grandmaster Cranberry is still trying to defeat us with ridiculous bosses, I am still a dragonborn who adores magical fire, and the creative freedom allotted by D&D is still creating opportunities to bond with loved ones through games.

-Sarah

DM Lesson #1:  “Let the players win”

Thanks sis. That was great! That’s my sister Sarah everybody. (Thunderous Applause)

Ok, let’s get down to brass tacks. Though I am sure many of you already understand my intention in having Sarah tell this story, I figure it couldn’t hurt to go ahead and do my job anyway. If you already figured it out, feel free to stop reading here.

There are some DMs, many of whom I know and hold in the highest regard, that miss out entirely on what I personally believe to be the single most important aspect of role playing games. Fun.

Allow me to explain. The game that Sarah just described was one of my first DMing experiences. Though I’d previously  played tabletop RPGs a handful of times as a player, as a DM I was as green as grass. During my preparations for the encounter, an arduous task with which I’m sure many of you are quite familiar, I had conceived of dozens of possible outcomes to each scenario, each of which were designed to subtly direct my players along the path of the story that I wanted to tell.

Magical fire was not a part of my plan. It was a poor choice of words; a mistake, plain and simple. But it was something I had to address.

Having come from a largely competitive gaming background, this anomaly immediately registered in my mind as a threat, a solitary monkey wrench in my otherwise flawless design. How could she break the adventure I’d so carefully planned out for her? It was in that moment that I remembered something I’d read the night before in the 4th edition dungeon master’s guide.

I apologize in advance but I can’t remember the exact quote or to whom it should be attributed. I think it was Chris Perkins. To paraphrase, it said “The story itself belongs to the players. It’s a dungeon master’s job to help players tell the story they want to tell. No more. No less.”

In that moment, I had a choice to make. Would I snuff out a player’s creativity and save the story I’d so carefully written or would I let the adventure become something more? If you’ve heard our podcast, it should be pretty obvious which choice I made.

It is my personally held belief that this philosophy of “letting the players win” can make or break a DM.

Sometimes I cheat dice rolls to help players be awesome. Other times, I forego dice altogether, allowing the wacky antics of my players to prevail in spite of utterly improbable odds. (Dance battle anyone?) Have I accidentally vaporized first time players who were “a little too careless”? Sure. What good DM hasn’t? (Still really sorry about that L.B.)

But ultimately, when push comes to shove, players always have more fun when they are allowed to win. That said, this philosophy does create a pretty serious problem. How do you, as a DM, create a significant enough challenge without crushing a parties hopes and dreams?

Want the answer? You’ll have to wait until next time. DM lesson #2: “Preparation” And who better to explain that than Conquest or Calamity Loremaster, Will Honea.

-See you later alligator.

Dungeon Master Class (Huh. I see what you did there)

Hey Internet!

The idea for this post came from one of our commenters. To paraphrase, he essentially wrote that he wanted to run a game for his family but that he was not a great DM. That got me thinking. How many people have I met, who've said more or less exactly the same thing? The answer is quite a few.

As I’m sure our regular readers/listeners already know, I love games. I believe that games are one of the best if not one of the only mediums whereby large groups of people can equally collaborate in a creative space. I believe games make peoples lives better. It’s the reason I write this blog and make this podcast.

So, I got to thinking. If there are really all these people out there who want to run games but feel for whatever reason they can’t or will perform poorly (specifically, I am referring to aspiring DMs) why don’t I do something to help them? So I am.

Ladies and Gentlemen it is my great pleasure to announce the Conquest or Calamity School for People Who Want to DM but Are Afraid They’ll Suck. (CoCPWWDMAATS) Obviously that acronym is a joke. Sheesh. Get a sense of humor, people.

So every week Sir William, Sarah, and Myself will be writing extensively to help you feel more like us! Because everyone should be able to play games. Even you. Yes you.

We’ll see you tomorrow for your first lesson! (Your homework is to listen to at least one podcast.)

- James

The Seasonal Migration Patterns of the North American Podcast

Hey Internet,

Just wanted to keep you in the loop. In just a moment, Conquest or Calamity will be migrating email servers and as a result we'll most likely be going radio silent for the remainder of the day. Your patience is greatly appreciated in advance.

Best regards,

- The Conquest or Calamity Web Team (James. It's just James.)

Sorry I'm late, Ma

Hey dudes, dudettes etc.

Don't really have time to do a post. Here's the new episode.

Dungeons and Dragons (and Devils and Demons?!?)

So there is an amazing post on video games and parenting over at Penny-Arcade, which you should definitively all go read. It's fine. I'll wait. Ok. You got it? Great!

While reading the aforementioned post, specifically the parts describing how even a game as benign as Minecraft, can be very concerning to parents of young children, it occurred to me that my own medium, table top role playing games, can often be even more frightening.

I grew up in what you would call a conservative home but I was also encouraged daily to be as creatively expressive as I felt I could. I can easily recall my first role playing experiences. I was a wizard with a pet dragon. I also still remember the weary look on my father's face, when I first told him about the spells I was casting and monsters I was fighting.

In his mind, I'm sure, I was basically on the gateway drug to satanism. What a completely terrifying, albeit misguided, thought. Please don't get me wrong. My dad was an amazing guy. He took me to space camp, he coached my soccer team, and he taught me more about music than probably any other person I've ever known.

But he passed away a few years ago and the sad reality is, in spite of us both being extremely creative people, he and I were never able to connect through games. I'm sure that probably bothered him then as much as it bothers me now.

So what's the parent of an imaginative young RPG aficionado to do?

Well, first off, parents need to get educated on their kids interests. I'll be the first to tell you that, as is the case with almost all games, not every table top game is appropriate for every kid. Only you, as their parent, are qualified to decide what your child should and shouldn't be a part of and occasionally you just have to be the bad guy. That said, go and get the facts first.

Secondly, play with your kids. If you have a son or daughter who wants to try Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder, go try it with them and then talk about it with them afterwards. "What did you like about the game?" "Were there any parts that were scary?" Ask the important questions. You will almost certainly get the important answers.

Children are (for the most part) neurologically wired to see their parents as heroes. What could be better than to prove the completely right by joining in against "the forces of evil" or "slaying the terrible dragon"?

There's a family that Will and I play with at a local game shop some Saturdays, and it warms my heart to see parents sharing in these experiences with their kids. I'm not sure if they read this blog or not but if they do, they should know I think they rule, period.

I think the bottom line here is the same as for basically any other interactive media. Imaginative play is one of the most important ways a child has to interact with the world. Any game can be used for good, evil, and everything in between. I've met some of my best friends through gaming and if it makes anyone feel better, I've never even been inside a church of Satan.

Here's to you Dad! I hope they have D&D in Heaven.
-James

Treasure Hunt Thursday! (Hmm. Would have been way better on Tuesday...)

Hey the Ladies, Gents, Etc.

Today Conquest or Calamity's twitter account broke 250 followers! (Yaaaay!) In celebration, I've decided to give away some free subscriptions to our soon to be released online game! All you have to do is find the treasure! Easy right? Happy hunting!



-James

Become a Community Partner Today!

Greetings Conquest or Calamity Listeners,

Do you have a rad RPG product that you'd like to sell more of? Do you not object to my occasionally ending sentences with prepositions, in sheer defiance of the grammar I use?

Then you, Sir, Madame, or Otherwise, are in great luck!

Here at Conquest or Calamity, nothing grants us greater joy than bringing awesome interactive experiences to people everywhere. If you think your gaming, role playing, or other nerd paraphernalia might do just that, then we definitely have some things to talk about.

Shoot us an email today at james@conquestorcalamity.com or reach us on twitter @ConquestTable and you could be our next community partner. You worked hard to create the best product possible. Now, let us help you show the world!


And as always, thanks for listening!

-James

La troisième partie de la quatrième épisode

Hello people of the internet!

Behold! Episode 4 Part 3 is right here; right now. Please feel free to comment, retweet, post, etc. Big thanks, as always, to Battle Bards for amazing sound effects.



Check back later on this week for our live recording from The Wasteland Gaming. If you're all very good, maybe I'll even post some new art tomorrow.

Ciao!

James

Correan Character Bio

Well, our beloved lore master, Will, has just informed me that the character's name is spelled "Correan not Corrian" so there's that. Other than that it pretty standard fare. Check out the origin story for our favorite shifty eyed Tiefling Rouge on the Character Bios page.

In other news, I really enjoyed getting to actually play D&D for a change with a few of you at The Wasteland Gaming on Saturday. So if you were there, thanks. Enjoyed it very much. If you signed up for our email contact list, you can expect to hear from either Will or myself within a few days. If you need to get in contact with us before then, feel free to shoot me a tweet any time @conquesttable.

Currently I believe we are still on track to have our subscriber game open beta available sometime late this week and last but not least, I am currently editing this week's podcast. It should be up around the usual time on Monday and will almost certainly conclude our current story line. Now if you will please excuse me, I'm off to go edit for the next ten hours!

Happy Easter everybody!

-James

Episode 4 part 2 recap...

Here's a little summary for you, just in case you missed this weeks episode!

<----

Yeah. Now go listen to the episode you doofus!

PS. Happy birthday Jonathan! You're a better brother than anyone could ask for.

-James

So I scurry out onto the dance floor...

Episode 4 part 2 is here! That said, I have some good news and I have some bad news. Good news first. As of today, I am pleased to announce a partnership with Battlebards! These guys make some really amazing sound effects for dungeon master's and I couldn't be more excited to have them as part of Conquest or Calamity extended family. They currently have a ton of great sound effects available and soon they'll be launching a Kickstarter to make even more, so make sure to go check them out and give them your support.

Now for the bad news. Due to the increased awesomeness of Episode 4 part 2, due in large part to the new sound effects, it ends on a bit of a cliff hanger but that's not really a big deal right? In some parts of the world they pay extra for that kind of suspense.

Anywho, I hope you all enjoy!


With best regards to you and yours, James

No News is Good News. Some News is Even Better News!

Greetings Citizens,

I've come bearing news, tidings of great joy, so to speak. Hmm... Maybe borrowing that motif on Palm Sunday is in bad taste. Oh well, it's out there now, permanently etched by unrevisable keystrokes. C'est la vie.

Back to my news! Will, Our Minions, and I have been slaving away tirelessly, in preparation for the grand opening of the Player Bazaar. For those of you who don't know (probably the majority of you), the Player Bazaar is a way to include all of you (hopefully?), the listeners, in our weekly D&D game.

Soon, Conquest or Calamity Listeners will be able to send fabulous item cards to their favorite characters or wreak havoc on the party with devious dungeon cards and that's only the beginning. Have a thing for the Moonshae Isles? We might be able to think of a Djinn who could arrange a visit. Got a soft spot for the Shaar? Too bad, it got all chewed up in the Sundering and now it's just a big dumb hole. You've gotta quit living in the past, man.

We're in our final stages of testing and we can't wait to hear what all of you think, when we launch in April. As an added bonus, anyone who subscribes before the soft launch will receive an additional 100 gold doubloons and be entered for a chance to win a Conquest or Calamity tee-shirt before you can buy one! I know, I'm excite for you.

Alright, I'd better go do some Hail Marys or something. I'll catch up with you dweebs Monday, with the exciting conclusion to episode 4.

Ciao,

-James

PS. Above you'll note the art for the glorious belt of magnificence, which will be on sale very soon. It's enchanted, such that it aids the wearer for +1 to all stats but the wearer must mention the belt to each and every NPC, with whom he or she speaks, otherwise it explodes, destroying itself, possibly the wearer, and almost certainly a players self esteem. One size fits all!

New Character Bio

Hey Folks!

We've got a new character bio up.  This time it is for our lovable Dragonborn Paladin Mishan.  Feel free to check it out if you want some more info on the origin of our resident tank/healer.  Also if you don't know much about Dragonborn in general I recommend looking them up in the forgotten realms wikia.  It's pretty cool stuff and it will help you understand a little bit more of the subtext in Mishan's bio.

I'm doing my best to continue adding content so look forward to it!!

-Will H.

Founders benefits

Hey Dudes, Dudettes, Etc.

A few days back, as one commentator was kind enough to point out, I made a veiled reference to the Conquest or Calamity founders program. Today I would like to further expound upon this reference. Ergo, it's formal announcement time!

Any and all Subscribers, subbing before Monday, April 6th in the year of our Lord two thousand and fifteen, will be immortalized as permanent NPCs in Conquest or Calamity canon. Maybe you'll be a shop keeper or a villain. The possibilities are endless. If you are already a subscriber, you can expect to see an email with further instructions regarding your founders status very soon!

If you have any further questions, feel free to comment and Will or myself will get back to you in due time. Otherwise, curious parties could always just subscribe and see for themselves. There are certainly worse ways to spend $.99.

Happy Subscribing!

-James

Livecast from The Wasteland Gaming!

Hey Guys, Gals, etc.

A few days back Will and I spent a few hours with some rad gamers at the Wasteland Gaming (http://www.thewastelandgaming.com/) and ran an adventure. It’s a little tough to hear at times due the live nature of the recording but there are still some great moments in there. I’m not sure if I will ever edit the audio or not but in the mean time I thought I would at least upload the cleaned up raw recording. This is around an hour of the recording. I'll get another chunk of it up later this week!

On a separate note, the player bazaar is coming along nicely and I am confident that I will be able to get it up and running by next monday’s episode. In the mean time, here is a new piece of art.

Lastly, if anyone out there is interested in having Will or Myself DM a game for you feel free to shoot me a line at james@conquestorcalamity.com

Keep the peace,

James

Episode 4 Part 1

Hey dudes, dudettes, etc,

New episode. Had to break this one into parts. The next part should be out Wednesday. Enjoy! 


Ps. We're working on the  Player Bazaar as much as we can. I hope to have it up by the end of the week!

Ciao!

James

New Content on the Way

Hello goodly internet veiwers!

As you may have noticed we've started adding some more content to the site including the Bazaar page and the Character Profile Page.  We sincerely hope you check them out.  I plan to continue adding content as soon as it's produced.

On that note.  We've got some great items that will be circulating the bazaar.  These are my favorites so far.  I can't wait for our subscribers to buy one of these for our players to use.

“Diplomacy”:  This item is a crowbar that grants the user a +6 bonus to strength checks used to open things such as doors or chests.  Can also be used to shift large inanimate objects.

Glorious Belt of Magnificence:  Character gains a +2 to all stats but must mention his glorious belt whenever having a conversation with an NPC or it self destructs dealing 2d10 fire damage in a burst of 15ft, destroying itself.

I've also started trying to fill out the character profiles.  Talimund has his info posted and I'm doing my best to get around to the other party members.  I will continue to update the page whenever I complete either art or lore for them.

Hope you all enjoy the new content!

-Will H.

So what is a Subscriber anyhow?

Hey guys and gals!

Over the past couple of days, with the big subscription drive, I've had a lot of people ask me "What does a Subscriber get?" or "What does being a Subscriber mean?". We'll here's the answer.

Here at Conquest or Calamity, we believe that a Dungeon Master’s role is to facilitate the stories players tell one another. We’ve found that the best games to play and to listen to are the games wherein players are given the freedom to fully express themselves within the world. Moreover, we believe that it’s the DM’s job to make sure everyone is able to participate and tell their story.

We started Conquest or Calamity because we believe that when it comes to telling stories, two is better than one. But I wouldn’t be doing my job as DM if I didn’t do everything in my power to make sure everyone gets a chance to play. That is why, as of Monday March 23, subscribers will be able to influence game events each week in new and exciting ways.

So in summary, Subscribers are listeners/readers that are able to get involved in playing the game and telling the story. I know vague yet exciting. Stay tuned for more!

-James

PS. Subscribers who join before March 23 will receive founder status. Oooh enticing!

Pardon Our Progress...

Good evening,

Check out all these new tabs! We've added an archive to enhance your podcast locating ease and, coming soon to a podcast near you, the Player Bazaar which will contain exciting new NPC item vendors each week. What items will our cast be spending their Favor Tokens on this week? It's up to you to decide!

Subscribers can vote for their favorite storefronts. 

Lazy Sundays With Griff: Up to His Shoulders in Good Eats!

Good morning and welcome to Griff chat. Today, my ten top tips to take your tastebuds to the next tier. Whether you’re on a short rest in the marshy crags of Dunkappk Castle or you’ve just gotten home from a full day of guarding caravans along Trade Way, some occasions leave you only have a few minutes to prepare your next meal. Well, have no fear, fellow foodies, with these tips and a few spices, you’ll turn your hesitations to celebrations!

The last time I was out questing along the waterways of Chelimber, I ended up stuck in the muck with an empty stomach and nothing but Bullywug meat and a few spices. What’s a hungry adventurer to do? I’ll tell you what, readers.

Braised Bullywug Shoulder
Prep Time: 15 Min
Yield: 8 Servings
Skill Level: Intermediate

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted

2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted

One 4-pound Bullywug picnic shoulder, sliced in half along the grain

Kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

Pinch crushed red pepper

4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

2 -inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated

2 cups dry white wine

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

3 bay leaves

1 bundle fresh thyme

3 to 4 cups chicken stock

Directions:

Using a spice grinder, (if you don’t have a spice grinder any coarse grinding method with suffice. I used my claws!) grind the coriander and cumin seeds until they are a fine powder.

Summon faerie fire or set up another magical cooking mechanism and preheat to 375 degrees F.

(I use Magi brand faerie fire in a bottle)

Sprinkle the Bullywug shoulder with the spices and salt, then tie each piece so that they cook evenly.

Coat the inside of your cooking pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Brown the Bullywug on all sides, then remove from pan and let rest. Lower heat and add fennel and onions to the pan, seasoning with salt and pepper. (For an added bonus throw in some crushed red pepper!) Cook the fennel and onions until they are very aromatic. (7 to 8 minutes) Then add garlic and ginger. (2 to 3 minutes)

Add the wine and reduce by half. Stir in the mustard and add the bay leaves and thyme. Return the Bullywug to the pan and add stock to the pan until it comes halfway up the side of the meat. Bring liquid to a boil over your magical fire and cover. Cook for 1 hour then turn meat and return to cooking for 45 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, remove the Bullywug, and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with fennel and onions.

Wine Pairing Suggestion: Sweet Arrhenish

Good eating my friends!

-Griff is an adventurer and an adventurous eater from the Sword Coast.

Episode 3

Hey everybody!

I got this week's episode done early, so I figured I'd share the wealth. You'll all still get your episode post and new logo on Monday, so stay tuned! In the mean time, everybody enjoy your sneak peak.


Ciao,

James

House Rules: Why we do them.

Hey guys I wanted to make this post to address some of our house rules and why we use them.  I first want to say that both James and I are huge fans of customizing our games.  We have created completely new worlds and rule sets for some of the games we have run to mixed, but generally good, results.  However; our changes always stem from the base rule sets developed by the pros at Wizards of the Coast.

Whenever we choose to make a change that decision always stems from a desire to increase the fun factor in our games.  The first consideration when we look at this is the players experience.  When I say experience I mean both what the game feels like from a player perspective and how well versed is the player in tabletop roleplaying games in general.  I think it is fair to say that a good DM would never run a game the same way for veterans as for total newbs.  For example our current podcast is run using primarily the 5e rule set.  We do this because we know they are well balanced and "fair" for new players.  It also gives us a fallback since we can simply look up the corresponding rule if we are confronted with either a situation we weren't prepared for or a conflict between what a player thinks is correct and what we may believe.  Having a standardized set of rules is invaluable in dealing with these situations especially when dealing with new players.

One of the things you may notice is that we don't play with a high attention to the rule sets governing inventory weight or spell casting slots in our games.  We make this choice very intentionally in order to enhance the player experience.  Since we are playing with relatively new players we don't want to overburden them with considerations that remove them from the game.  That being said, we do generally have an idea if a player is gaining an unfair edge by ignoring any of the rules in place.  If that happens we gently remind them of their characters limitations.  We want our players to feel as empowered and cool as possible as long as they also understand that the world is still threatening.  In my experience; one of the worst ways to get a new player comfortable with the game is to make sure they adhere absolutely to all of the rules.  I prefer to simply let them play and let them learn their character and the rules as they go.

The biggest house rule we do use for this game is the "over crit" system.  I have to say I was inspired to create this system by some of the games I watched on itmejp's channel on youtube and twitch.  If you like us please check him out at www.twitch.tv/itmejp or www.youtube.com/channel/UCQj4ZJd2QxRHwVYQbMvcKdQ.  I introduced this system for a couple of reasons.  The first is that it speeds up combat.  James and I both agree that we do not like combat that degenerates into hitting someone enough till they fall over.  We want players to be able to wipe out enemies quickly if they roll well.  It makes them feel awesome and that's a huge part of what we want to achieve as DMs.  This system also rewards better rolls.  What I mean by this is that in a typical combat all you need to roll is above the enemies defense threshold but aren't rewarded for rolls above that unless you roll a natural critical.  But with the overcrit system you get to feel great for rolling higher.  I think it is way more fun to be looking to roll as high as possible as apposed to just high enough to hit.  Also, I think it makes a lot of sense to reward a blow that hits with high accuracy in a real world sense.

The system breakdown is pretty simple: for every five over the enemies natural defense you roll you add a hit dice to your damage.  For example if Talim hits an enemy with a 17 roll against 16 ac he deals his normal 1d8+4 damage.  But, if he rolls a 21 he gets to roll 2d8+4 and if he somehow manages a 26 his damage goes up to 3d8+4.

If you want more info or have any questions feel free to comment.  I'll do my best to respond.

: )

-Will H.