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.

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!

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

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!

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.)

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

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