Part 1: All Hands on Deck | Starter Kit - 7th Sea Edition

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry
Episode: Part 1: All Hands on Deck | Starter Kit – 7th Sea Edition
Host: geekandsundry
Date: September 22, 2025
Game Master: John Wick (Creator of 7th Sea)

---

Episode Overview

This episode is the first of a special Starter Kit miniseries where guest players learn to play the swashbuckling tabletop RPG 7th Sea. John Wick, the game’s creator, serves as Game Master, while Jason Charles Miller participates as a player. The main focus is on character creation for a pirate-themed adventure, introducing new players to 7th Sea's unique mechanics and flavor. The cast collaboratively builds their characters, forms a crew, and prepares to set sail in a world of adventure, magic, and intrigue.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to 7th Sea and Episode Purpose

• John Wick introduces 7th Sea as a game inspired by "Errol Flynn, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Princess Bride, all that kind of swashbuckly action stuff." (02:00)
• The game emphasizes bold, cinematic action, where significant feats can be accomplished with a single dice roll:

  "I wanted players to make one roll of the dice and be able to jump on the table, grab the chandelier, swing across the room, kick the bad guy and drink the beer, all with one roll." – John Wick (02:04)

---

2. Setting and Worldbuilding

• The world, Theia, is a fictional analog to 17th-century Europe, allowing for both familiar touchpoints and imaginative freedom:

  "It's like Alexandre Dumas's France, the France of the Three Musketeers, as opposed to the France of history." – John Wick (02:27)

• Major nations of Theia are loosely modeled on historical European powers, but with fantastical twists, e.g., Avalon (Britain), Montaigne (France), Castile (Spain), and the pirate freeholds.

---

3. Character Creation Process

Key Mechanics:

• Traits: Each character starts with five core traits: Brawn, Finesse, Resolve, Wits, Panache.
• Nations: Where a character is from modifies these traits and shapes their abilities.
• Backgrounds: Function like RPG classes, but more flexible and story-driven.
• Virtues and Hubris: Instead of traditional alignments or flaws, players draw fate cards that give powerful, story-altering abilities (Virtues) and compelling flaws (Hubris).

Player Spotlight: Amy (Essie Dunaine, Explorer)

• Loves blue dice and a tartan character design.
• Background: Explorer from the Highland Marches, motivated by discovery over loot.
• Skill and trait selection is guided by both player interest and narrative logic.
• Virtue: Moonless Night – "When you act behind the scenes... every die counts as a raise." (13:10)
• Hubris: The Thrones – "You are stubborn. You receive a hero point when your hero refuses to change her mind in the face of evidence." (13:03)
• Relishes customizing her explorer’s skillset, leaning into hiding and scholarship.

Player Spotlight: Steve (Romero, Performer Bard)

• Seeks to translate a D&D 'dwarf bard' idea into the 7th Sea world.
• Nation: Castile (Spanish analog), chooses to be a street performer, not church-trained.
• Virtue: The Reunion – "Activate your virtue and choose another hero... you get to pool all of your dice together." (26:34)
• Hubris: The Glyph – "You're superstitious. You receive a hero point when you refuse to solve a problem using sorcery..." (26:10)
• Adds humor (worries about spiders in dice bags) and a flair for performance and empathy.

Player Spotlight: Andrea (Back from the dead Red, Buccaneer)

• Brand new to tabletop RPGs, but experienced in strategy board games.
• Hails from Jaragua (Jamaica/Haiti analog), former slave colony overthrown by its people.
• Background: Provocateur – skillset built around empathy, subterfuge, and knowing people.
• Virtue: The Hanged Man – "If something bad happens to any character, you can spend a hero point and it happens to you instead." (34:12)
• Hubris: Coin – "Relentless. You receive a hero point when you refuse to leave well enough alone." (34:44)
• Focus on strategy, mind games, and avoiding "getting messy with blood."

Player Spotlight: Jason Charles Miller (Benedict Royston, Disgraced Noble)

• Disgraced noble from Avalon, seeking to escape his past on the high seas.
• Background: Courtier – leverages charm and social maneuvering to navigate danger.
• Virtue: The Magician – "Willful. Activate your virtue against a villain: neither side can spend hero or danger points for the rest of the scene." (40:26)
• Hubris: The Prophet – "Overzealous. You receive a hero point when your hero strongly defends one of her opinions when the time or place is inappropriate." (42:28)

---

4. Group Dynamic and Shipbuilding

• Character Role Assignment:
  • Red becomes captain by group vote.
  • Essie is the ship’s doctor.
  • Romero, the shanty man.
  • Benedict, quartermaster.
• Ship Naming: Contenders include The Undertow, Black Razor, Roaming Banshee, and Gilded Peasant.
  • The group chooses the Black Razor (46:54).
• Pirate Allegiance: Deciding between Freebooters, Privateers, and the Republic of Pirates (Brotherhood of the Coast).

  "I like the Republic of Pirates... keeps a nice big group of pirates that have our back if we are ever in trouble." – Steve/Romero (48:06)

• The crew settles on the Republic of Pirates, agreeing to its code (no attacking first except against slavers, take prisoners when possible, etc.) (49:46).

---

5. Game Mechanics & Design Philosophy

John Wick emphasizes a departure from class-based, level-grind RPGs:

"There are no character classes, but the nation your character comes from influences almost every choice you make when making a character." (02:58)

He also demonstrates how the game pushes narrative agency and heroic drama rather than simulationist tactics, making player choices, background, and personality as critical as stats.

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• John on Swashbuckling Adventure:

  "This is not just pirates, it's also the musketeers and all that kind of stuff. Like, so the whole world." (03:50)

• Amy (Essie) on Skill Choices:

  "If you use brawn, you're just going to bash down the wall. Finesse is leaping between the flames and jumping out the window..." (05:15)

• John, encouraging drama through flaws:

  "When you use your hubris, when your character does his hubris, I'm gonna give you a hero point." (25:35)

• Group on Captain Election:

  "You’re the only actual pirate!" – Amy/Crew, to Red (44:59)
  "I do not want to be the captain. Do not vote for me. This is my first day as a pirate." – Jason/Benedict (43:29)

• On Ship Naming:

  "I suggested Undertow…not a massive thing, but something that creeps along and when unexpected, you'll be taken under." – Andrea/Red (45:52)

• On Joining the Republic of Pirates:

  "It’s the right amount of independence and allegiance, and we’re going to run into some trouble anyway…" – Andrea/Red (49:30)

---

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [00:54] - Jason Charles Miller intros the episode and hands over to John Wick
• [01:48] - John Wick introduces 7th Sea and explains game philosophy
• [02:27] - John details the world of Theia
• [03:35] - Character creation with Amy (Essie begins)
• [13:43] - Essie’s character completed, summary of background/quirks
• [14:00] - Steve (Romero) begins character creation
• [24:00] - Romero finalizes skills and chooses fate cards
• [27:22] - Andrea (Red) starts character building
• [34:44] - Red finishes, picks virtue/hubris
• [36:49] - Jason (Benedict) builds his character
• [38:25] - Courtier background and quirks explained
• [40:23] - Benedict draws fate cards
• [42:53] - Prophet hubris explained
• [43:13] - Crew meets as a group, elects ship officers
• [45:52] - Ship naming
• [47:11] - Republic of Pirates vs. other allegiances discussed
• [50:36] - Episode closes, crew sets sail into their first adventure

---

Takeaways for Newcomers

• 7th Sea emphasizes dramatic, cinematic storytelling and encourages character-driven choices over mechanical optimization.
• Character creation is collaborative and focuses on what makes each hero unique, both in skill and personality.
• The campaign starts with a well-defined crew ready to sail the high seas as part of the Republic of Pirates, setting up an adventure full of intrigue and heroism.

---

For Next Time

The crew of the Black Razor, under Captain Red, is about to embark on their first adventure as a legal brotherhood of pirates, primed for action, drama, and the unexpected on the high seas!

---

In summary:
This episode is a delightful, in-depth initiation into 7th Sea's unique approach to RPGs, highlighting rich character creation, memorable player contributions, and collaborative storytelling, all under the expert guidance of John Wick.

Transcript

[A]

I'm NFL linebacker TJ Watt and this is my personal best. YPB by Abercrombie is the activewear I'm always wearing. That's why I reached out to co design their latest drop. I worked with designers to create high performance activewear that holds up to my toughest workouts. Shop YPB by Abercrombie in store, online and in the app because your personal.

[B]

Best is greater than any.

[C]

When did making plans get this complicated?

[A]

It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together.

[C]

Use polls to settle dinner plans, send.

[A]

Event invites and pin messages so no.

[C]

One forgets mom 60th and never miss a meme or milestone.

[A]

All protected with end to end encryption.

[C]

It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone.

[A]

Learn more at WhatsApp.com welcome to the.

[B]

Next edition of youf Starter Kit. I'm Jason Charles Miller. Last round, we learned the basics of the granddaddy of modern role playing games, Dungeons and Dragons. It was an amazing experience to introduce new players to a game that has meant so much to me. But D and D isn't the only role playing game out there. This round we're going to learn how to play a swashbuckling game of adventure, mystery and magic on the high seas. A game called 7th Sea. This time, I'm going to be on the other side of the GM screen as one of the players learning the game. But don't worry, I'm leaving you in literally the most capable hands possible. Guiding us through this adventure will be our gm, John Wick. Now, there's no one who knows seven Sea better than John because he happens to be the creator of the game. John.

[A]

Hi. Hey, how you doing? Great. It's good to see you.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Welcome to the show.

[A]

I brought my mug.

[B]

I love it. It's got a map on it and.

[A]

Everything, so I don't get lost.

[B]

So tell us about the game seventh Sea.

[A]

Well, seventh Sea is an amalgam of Errol Flynn, the Pirates of the Caribbean, the Princess Bride, all that kind of swashbuckly action stuff. And what I wanted in the game is I wanted players to make one roll of the dice and be able to jump on the table, grab the chandelier, swing across the room, kick the bad guy and drink the beer, all with one roll. And that was our goal. And that's essentially what the game is.

[B]

Awesome. Tell us about the world of seventh sea.

[A]

Seventh sea takes place in the 17th century in a world called theia which is kind of like an analog for Europe. It's familiar enough that people can look at the geography and say, oh, I know what that is, I know what that is. But it was also fun to liberate ourselves from history and be more of a fictional world. And I like making the analog that. It's like Alexandre Dumas, France, the France of the Three Musketeers, as opposed to the France of history.

[B]

Well, I can't wait to play. The table's yours.

[A]

Thanks. I'm John Wick, the creator of 7th Sea, and this is your starter kit. So we're going to make characters for seven Sea, and that's a little bit different than making characters for Dungeons and Dragons. There are no character classes, but the nation your character comes from influences almost every choice you make when making a character. So with that in mind, let's meet our players. Hello, Amy.

[C]

Hi.

[A]

Hi, I'm John.

[C]

Amy. Nice to meet you.

[A]

It's nice to meet you. Have a seat. So I understand that you're a Patrick o' Brien fan.

[C]

Yes, I am.

[A]

Oh, so am I. So this is gonna make perfect. This is gonna be really.

[C]

We'll see. I hope so.

[A]

So seven Sea is a swashbuckling role playing game. So it's not just pirates, it's also the musketeers and all that kind of stuff.

[C]

Like, so the whole world.

[A]

The whole world. So what we're gonna do is first I'm gonna give you your starter kit. This is for you.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Yeah. And this is a dice tray you're gonna be able to use. So go ahead and open up the box.

[C]

Oh, I like opening things. It's Christmas, but so much better. Oh, you have.

[A]

Yeah. So you have a nameplate for your character. So tell us a little bit about your character.

[C]

Her name's Essie, and she's very curious. Kind of a discoverer, more of a scientist. She wants to be known for discovering the first of something. And she doesn't care about, like, glory. Who cares? Loot, Whatever. Well, I guess she does care about glory. Just a very specific kind.

[A]

Awesome. So, like I said, you have a nameplate also. Open the scroll. Oh, yep. There she is.

[C]

That's perfect.

[A]

Let me see.

[C]

I love a good tartan.

[A]

And you also have a bag of dice.

[C]

Okay, we're gonna put these in the dice tray.

[A]

Oh, those are pretty.

[C]

Did I tell you guys blue was my favorite color? I don't know, but that worked out well.

[A]

Also, this is your book.

[C]

Boy, this is setting expectations so high for the next game. I play, I'm gonna get there and be like, where's, where's my gear?

[A]

So here's the Seventh Sea character sheet. And you've played role playing games before, so you're a little familiar.

[C]

A little familiar, yes.

[A]

So in Seventh Sea, you have five traits. And the traits kind of define the kinds of actions that your character takes. Okay, they are brawn, finesse, resolve, wits and panache. And I like to explain that if you are in a burning room, the room is on fire because of course it is, it's burning. Sure, you use one of the traits to get out. And if you use brawn, you're just going to bash down the wall. Finesse is leaping between the flames and jumping out the window, gracefully falling into the hay bale below. And then resolve is just walking through the fire. It's the Bruce Willis die Hard trait. And wits is your ability to look around the room, find something to your advantage like a tapestry, and taking the tapestry down, throwing it over your head and walking and getting through the fire. And then finally, panache is your ability to convince someone to carry you out. So because you are a big hero, you're going to get two points in each of those traits. So go ahead and fill in the two bubbles for each of those traits.

[C]

This reminds me of when would take the tests in school and I would always be running close on time because I wanted to fill them in so perfectly.

[A]

So your character, here's the map of the world. This is Theia, which is an analog for 17th century Europe. So it's the 1600s. So for example, here's Avalon, where Queen Elayne lives. Queen Elayne, who united the three kingdoms of Avalon. Down here is Montaigne, where the emperor of the world, le roi du monde, with all of his musketeers, lives. Over here is Vidace, with the Machiavellian merchant princes and their fate, witch wives.

[C]

That's a great title.

[A]

But you are going to be over here from the Highland Marches.

[C]

Excellent.

[A]

So your character is a marcher, nice, loyal to Queen Elayne, who united the kingdoms because they were in civil war and it was bad and religious and bloody and awful.

[C]

That sounds terrible.

[A]

And Elaine.

[C]

Good job, Queen Elaine.

[A]

Good job, Queen Elaine. God save the Queen. She united the kingdoms together. Now, because you're from the Highland Marches, you're going to get a bonus to one of two traits. So you can take a one brawn or, or a plus one. Finesse.

[C]

Finesse, yeah, we're gonna do finesse.

[A]

Okay, so now you get Two more points to spend in your traits. You can spend them anywhere you want.

[C]

I'm gonna spread the trait love. Do one in finesse and one more in wits.

[A]

There you go. And now we're gonna pick your background. Now, a background is a profession or something you did in the past. Sort of things like aristocrats, army officers, farm kid, things like that. And I have a couple choices for you. Okay, you can pick explorer.

[C]

Oh, that sounds intriguing.

[A]

Or you can pick scholar. Oh.

[C]

Decisions. Let's do explorer.

[A]

Explorer. Okay, so you're a member of the Explorers Society, which is a society too, a secret society of explorers. And uncovering the ancient ruins of Theia. Because there was a race or a people or a civilization before the Thayans, and they left all of these ruins everywhere and these strange devices that nobody can make sense of except the Explorer Society, which you're a member of.

[C]

Nice.

[A]

So because you're an explorer, you're gonna get a quirk. And a quirk is a only one.

[C]

I have so many quirks.

[A]

You're going to get more. So your quirk is a heroic behavior that is going to reward you with a hero point. Oh, and I'll explain how those work when we get all together.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

You will get a hero point when you set your eyes upon a sight that few, if any, have ever seen.

[C]

Perfect.

[A]

Now, your background also gives you skills and advantages. So let's do your skills first.

[C]

Okay?

[A]

The five skills that you're going to get are athletics. Because you're Indiana Jones.

[C]

Okay, Yeah, I need a little of that.

[A]

So go ahead and take a point of athletics. Convince. So you get a point of convince. You get a point in each of these. You're also gonna get a point of empathy, which is reading how other people feel. You're also gonna get ride, and you get a point of sailing.

[C]

Oh, well, that's gonna be helpful.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Maybe not a point of it, but it's better than none.

[A]

And your two advantages are over Here are quick reflexes and second story work. Quick reflexes. You choose a skill, one of your skills, and you will always be faster with that skill when other people are about to act. If you're going to use that skill, you're going to go before them.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And then second story work is. Well, it's breaking into places that you shouldn't be because, well, you explore.

[C]

You explore things. I feel like that's a requirement. That's when you ignore the no trespassing signs.

[A]

That's right.

[C]

Not that I would know anything about that.

[A]

No not at all. So to use second story work, you spend a hero point to locate a way into a building or restricted area. You can bring up to one other character with you, but everybody else has to find their own. So those are your backgrounds, and you get 10 more points to spend in your skills. Wow.

[C]

So I should pick my quick. Do I need to name my quick reflex?

[A]

Yeah, go ahead and underline it or circle it. And that way you know when you look at your skills that it's fast.

[C]

I feel like. Let's do convince. That could be useful. Okay. And I get 10 other points to distribute among any of these. Oh, nice.

[A]

The maximum you can put in a starting skill is three points.

[C]

That makes sense because you don't want to start and be like, I'm the best ever at whatever it is, because that wouldn't be okay. Decisions, decisions.

[A]

Probably gonna want a point of scholarship.

[C]

Yeah. At least knowing.

[A]

Because that's knowing things. You may also wanna put a point of theft. There is a hide skill.

[C]

I feel like that could be useful. So if you use three, as a.

[A]

Matter of fact, you may wanna pick that as your quick reflexes skill.

[C]

You think so?

[A]

I think so.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Cause somebody walks. It's the. Somebody walks into a room and you're on the ceiling.

[C]

That's probably good too, since I'm not going to boost. Like, I'm not going to go for brawn, and I'm not gonna be real great at fighting out of situations.

[A]

Now aim is the skill you use to shoot pistols, throw knives. Anything that you're throwing or shooting. And weaponry is using swords and whips and everything else that's hand to hand.

[C]

Okay. Let's do one there. And then I think I might want to spend my other ones bulking up things I have. So I have five more. So let's throw another one in. Convinced.

[D]

Mm.

[C]

Another one in scholarship. Do you have recommendations?

[A]

I would recommend hide.

[C]

I feel like we're gonna be hiding from a lot of things. I'm already very worried.

[A]

Do you want a point in notice, which is like being aware. Being aware of things?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Maybe a point in theft to, you know, pick up things without people noticing.

[C]

Perfect.

[A]

Awesome. Cool. So we're almost done. We have one step left.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And remember I told you about the Vedace Fate witches?

[C]

Yeah. How could I forget the Fate witch?

[A]

They can see a heroic aura around certain people that are heroes in the world. And your character has such an aura.

[C]

Oh, boy.

[A]

It's going to come from the fate deck. The sorte deck. This is the tool that fate witches use to teach younger fate witches how to see the aura. So you're going to draw two cards, and one of them is going to be your hubris, which is a heroic flaw. It's a deep heroic flaw. And then the other one is your virtue, which is your deep heroic virtue.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And these are going to be very powerful. You can use them once per game, and they kind of break the game. So they're very, very powerful.

[C]

Okay, good to know.

[A]

So go ahead and shuffle a deck or cut the deck or whatever you like, and you can draw two cards from anywhere you want in the deck.

[C]

So just pick one card here.

[A]

Yep. And put it down. The second one's your hubris, so cross your virtue with it. Put it sideways.

[C]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Got it.

[C]

There we go.

[A]

There we go. So let's find out what your virtue and your hubris are.

[C]

Okay, let's get the flaw.

[A]

Let's get the flaw out of the way.

[C]

The thrones.

[A]

All right. The thrones. This is your hubris. You are stubborn. You receive a hero point when your hero is stubborn and refuses to change her mind in the face of evidence.

[C]

That's on point, let's just say.

[A]

And now let's find out what your virtue is.

[C]

The moonless night.

[A]

The moonless night. Activate your virtue. When you act behind the scenes, from the shadows or through a proxy for the next time you roll dice. When you determine raises, every die counts as a raise. That's a little bit technical, but essentially what it means is when you roll, every single die is a success.

[C]

That's wonderful.

[A]

Yeah. So you just count up your dice, and every single die is a success.

[C]

Nice.

[A]

But you can only do it once per game, and you have to spend a hero point to do it. All right. And you're all set.

[C]

I'm excited.

[A]

Next thing we're gonna do is we're gonna get the whole crew together. We're gonna pick one more background together, and then we're gonna set sail.

[C]

I cannot wait. I'm gonna go take some dramamine right now.

[A]

Yes. Hi, Steve.

[D]

Hello.

[A]

Come on in. I'm John.

[D]

John. Nice to meet you.

[A]

Nice to meet you. I love your shirt.

[D]

Thank you so much.

[A]

So we're gonna play seventh sea.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

To do that, we have to make a character. And you've sent me a character idea.

[D]

I did send you a character idea. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. And so you've played D and D before, right?

[D]

Sort of. I've played, like, D and D lite.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

Which is kind of like the version that you compress down into like a bite sized video version.

[A]

Yeah, that's cool. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna take your character idea and we're gonna translate it into Seventh Sea.

[D]

Oh, great.

[A]

It still works. It still works perfectly fine. Go ahead and tell me what your idea was.

[D]

Well, I wanted to be a dwarf bard who basically entertains people with his musical abilities.

[A]

Okay, that sounds great. So what we're gonna do. Well, first of all, let me give you your starter kit.

[D]

John, where the hell are we? What is this place?

[A]

Well, this is called the Broken Compass Tavern.

[D]

I just don't remember getting here is the weird part.

[A]

Well, you know, the Seventh Sea is a weird and magical place.

[D]

It must be. Yeah.

[A]

So this is your starter kit.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

So go ahead, you can open it up. Also, this is your copy of the Seven Sea book.

[D]

Okay, great. All right, awesome. So I can draw little mustaches on people in here.

[A]

Oh, yeah. It's yours.

[D]

Okay, great. Awesome. All right. So you want me to open this up?

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[D]

It's not gonna spray me with anthrax, is it?

[A]

No.

[D]

Okay, good. Here we go. Oh, good. Yes. All right. No anthrax. No spiders either.

[A]

No, no, definitely not. Definitely not.

[D]

Okay. So this is my name.

[A]

Yeah, that's your character's name.

[D]

Yeah. And I think I chose the nationality of a Spaniard as well.

[A]

And we're gonna be able to do that too. So. Yeah.

[D]

Okay, great. Great. Okay, so what am I looking at here?

[A]

To open up the scroll.

[D]

Open the scroll. Okay. This is where the spiders are.

[A]

No.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

I guarantee you there are no spiders.

[D]

No spiders. Okay. Not yet. Oh, look at that.

[A]

There he is.

[D]

I love it. There's my boy. He's got bongos.

[A]

Yes, he does.

[D]

That's so great. I love his kerchief. It's very nice.

[A]

And you have a dice bag.

[D]

All right. What'd you call me, sir? Just kidding. I didn't mean to say dice bag. Here we go. Let me open this up and take a look at my dice. Are these like personalized dice? I've got my own color.

[A]

You have your own color? Yeah.

[D]

Cool. This is great. So this is like. Is this like gun metal, silver?

[A]

Yeah, something like that.

[D]

Okay, cool. Man, this is a lot of dice.

[A]

Yeah, we're need all of them.

[D]

What if I accidentally eat one?

[A]

Don't.

[D]

Okay. I'll try not to.

[A]

Because then spiders.

[D]

Oh, there you go. That's where the spiders come from.

[A]

These are spider eggs.

[D]

No, I'm very excited about this. What if I don't want to lose any of these.

[A]

So keep them in the bag.

[D]

Keep them in the bag.

[A]

We'll be using them in a bit.

[D]

This is wonderful. So what are these? Is this a certain type of.

[A]

It's a ten sided die.

[D]

A ten sided die. And they're each ten sided die.

[A]

Yeah, all ten sided dice for the same.

[D]

Great, great. Okay. All right, good to know.

[A]

All right, so here's your character sheet. Go ahead and put that on your book so you can write on it, because we're gonna be writing on it.

[D]

Great. Let's write.

[A]

So this is the world, or at least the continent of Theia, where Seventh Sea takes place.

[D]

Right.

[A]

And each of the nations is kind of like an analog to a European nation. Sure. And over here is Castile, which is where you're from.

[D]

Ah, Castile.

[A]

Castile is the home of the church. And the church in Theia is a place of learning because they believe that if you discover the world, if you discover the way the world works, you get closer to the mind of God.

[D]

Ah, I'm into that.

[A]

Except the Inquisition recently took over and they're all about killing everybody who they don't like.

[D]

Right, right, right. Yeah. Similar to our own historical Inquisition.

[A]

Exactly. So because you played a role playing game before, you kind of know how this works.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

Your character has five traits that are kind of like how your character gets things done.

[D]

Okay. Right.

[A]

And the five traits are brawn, finesse, resolve, wits and panache.

[D]

Sure.

[A]

You are a big hero in this game.

[D]

Right. Okay.

[A]

You're not starting off as a first level nobody, so you get two points, two bubbles in each of the traits. So go ahead and fill those in.

[D]

Okay, great. This is wonderful.

[A]

And then because you are from Casteel, you get a bonus point in one of your traits.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And it can be either finesse or wits.

[D]

Okay. And I was hoping it would come down to those because as you were describing them, I felt like wits and finesse were kind of like my. They fit more towards my actual personality. You know, I use my wits, use my finesse. You haven't seen me do a back flip yet. But you will.

[A]

Oh, I count on it.

[D]

Yeah, you're gonna see it eventually. Can you guys do that with special effects in post?

[E]

Greetings, adventurers. This episode is brought to you by Prize Picks. You and I make decisions every day. But on Prize Picks, being right can get you paid. Don't miss any of the excitement this season on Prize Picks. Where it's good to be right, folks. You probably get your daily dose of fantasy right here. On this channel. I get my daily dose of daily fantasy on prizepix. It's a skill based fantasy game that's incredibly easy to use. Just download the prizepix app, open it up and set your first lineup in minutes. Prizepix is simple to play, just pick more or less on two to six player stat projections. If you get your picks right, you could cash in. And while my D and D character has clairvoyance, I sadly do not. Thankfully, Prizepix invented the Flex play. That means you can still cash out if your lineup isn't perfect. You can double your money even if one of your picks comes up short. And what I really love about Prize Picks is you can set lineups across multiple sports and leagues. This week I'm assembling a dream team for my lineup. I'm a big Liverpool fan. I think they're going to have Atletico's goal keeper Yan o' Block scrambling to make saves. I'm also hoping Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers can send the Phillies to the shadow realm via strikeouts. And you better believe I'm taking the prize picks Max discount for Patrick Mahomes to have more than 0.5 passing yards because if he doesn't, we probably have like a honey I shrunk the kid situation on our hands and I don't trust Travis Kelce to solve that using science. Anyway folks, download the prize picks Apple today and use code CRITICALROLE to get $50 in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup. That's code CRITICAL ROLE to get fifty dollars in lineups after you play your 1st five dollar lineup. Prize picks it's good to be right.

[F]

This podcast you're listening to. It was once just a dream. A dream that became reality not by accident, but because someone decided not to let the what ifs keep them from creating something they believed in. Starting your own business is a dream lots of us share, but too many let it remain just a dream. Don't hold yourself back from creating what you believe in and turn those what ifs into why nots with Shopify by your side. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started. What if I can't design a website? Shopify's got you with beautiful, ready to go templates to match your brand's style. What if I need a hand? Get help with everyday tasks like enhancing product images, writing product descriptions, or generating discount codes With Shopify's AI tools created for commerce. What if people haven't heard about my brand? Shopify helps you find your customers with easy to run email and social media campaigns. And what if I get stuck? Shopify is always around to share advice with their award winning 24. 7 customer support. So turn those dreams into and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com realm. Go to shopify.com realm shopify.com realm.

[D]

Great. I got a thumbs up. Okay. So I get an extra finesse.

[A]

Yep. Or wits.

[D]

Or an extra wits. So I'm gonna go witness.

[A]

Alright. Now you get two more points to spend anywhere you want on your traits.

[D]

Anywhere I want. Okay. Okay. Yeah, I think I'm gonna add some more to panache.

[A]

Yeah. You have one more point to spend anywhere you want on the shelf.

[D]

One more point. Okay. So maybe I want a little bit of strength in there. I want a little bit more strength.

[A]

So now that your traits are done, we're gonna pick your background. Now your background is something that you've done in the past. So for example, you were a servant or a ship's captain or a soldier or something like that.

[D]

Right.

[A]

Now there is a performer background.

[D]

Okay, good.

[A]

And I know that you're gonna dig that.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

And because you are from Castile.

[D]

Castile.

[A]

Now I have a question for you.

[D]

Sure.

[A]

Do you wanna be just a straight up street performer or are you a performer who was trained by the church?

[D]

I like street performer.

[A]

Okay, good. So school of hard knocks. School of hard knocks. There you go. So, right. Performer under background.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And because you have that background, you get a quirk, which is a heroic behavior because you are a performer.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And whenever you do it, I'm gonna give you a hero point.

[D]

All right.

[A]

And you'll learn how to spend these in a minute.

[D]

Okay, great.

[A]

When we all get back together. So you get a hero point when you use your crowd pleasing skills for something more than making money.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

Now your background also gives you a set of skills.

[D]

All right?

[A]

So go ahead and put one point in in each of these skills. You're gonna get athletics, empathy, perform.

[D]

Got it?

[A]

Tempt, which is convincing somebody with something that they want and theft. Now you also get these advantages. You get two advantages. You get virtuoso and inspire generosity.

[D]

So I'm gonna write that down.

[A]

So inspire generosity is that you can spend a hero point when you're trying to convince somebody to be generous and they will do it. No dice rolls, no nothing. You're like, this is my moment where I make the speech and the guy does the generous thing.

[D]

Great. Okay.

[A]

The other one is virtuoso.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Choose one performance type, such as singing, playing a specific musical instrument, or dancing. You gain a bonus die whenever you make a perform risk using that. And you can choose that later. You don't have to choose it now.

[D]

Great.

[A]

Cause so sometime in the game, you're like, I need to do this thing. That's my virtuoso.

[D]

Right, Right. All right.

[A]

All right. So now you get 10 more points to spend on skills.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And you can spend them anywhere you want, but you can't have more than three points in a skill.

[D]

Okay? Okay. So I'm gonna go ahead and give myself some more empathy, because I feel like that's an important trait. Okay, explain to me notice.

[A]

Notice is noticing small details and important things in a scene.

[D]

I like that one. I'm gonna add me. I'm gonna give me two notice. Just like my apartment complex where they wanted to kick me out, they gave me two notices.

[A]

That's right.

[D]

I think convince and panache kind of go hand in hand. Yes, they do, don't they?

[A]

Yes, they do.

[D]

So I'm gonna give myself two convince as well. Okay. So I'm gonna definitely put some sailing in there, maybe, because I think that might be an important trait. If we're gonna be on a boat, we're gonna be on a ship. So I'm gonna give myself two there as well. So is scholarship smarts.

[A]

It's knowing things, and because you're Castilian, that's kind of important.

[D]

Okay. So, yeah, I'm gonna give myself. How many do I have left?

[A]

You have three left.

[D]

Okay. Then I'm gonna give the rest of those three to the scholarship.

[A]

Okay, cool. Yeah, you're an educated Castilian.

[D]

Yeah, for once, I'm an educated person.

[A]

There you go. There's one thing left to do.

[D]

Okay?

[A]

You got to choose your skills, you got to choose your traits, but you don't get to choose your fate.

[D]

Oh, okay.

[A]

So what we're gonna do is we're gonna take the fate deck, okay. And you're gonna shuffle it or whatever you wanna do.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And then you're gonna draw two cards. The first card is gonna be your virtue, which is your heroic virtue. It's an ability that breaks the rules that you can do once per game.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And the second one is your hubris, and it's your great, deep heroic flaw.

[D]

Oh.

[A]

And when you use Your hubris. When your character does his hubris, I'm gonna give you a hero point.

[D]

Oh, okay.

[A]

So you can pick two cards anywhere in the deck, and then put one face down like that, and put the other face across it like that.

[D]

Okay. All right, here we go. So I'm just gonna pull the top wherever you like. Okay. So there's that one. That's your virtue, and then here's that one.

[A]

That's hubris.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

Okay. So which do you want to see first?

[D]

I'd like to see the hubris.

[A]

All right, so go ahead and flip it over.

[D]

All right.

[A]

Your hubris is the glyph.

[D]

The glyph.

[A]

Dun, dun, dun.

[D]

Oh, man, this is heavy stuff. I'm nervous.

[A]

You should be nervous. Okay, so your hubris is that you're superstitious. You receive it. You receive a hero point when you refuse to solve a problem using sorcery, an artifact, or some other mystical effect that you don't trust.

[D]

Okay. Okay.

[A]

So now let's find out what your virtue is.

[D]

All right, I'm ready for this. I'm scared. The reunion.

[A]

Oh, there we go. The reunion. Activate your virtue and choose another hero. In the same scene, you get to pool all of your dice together.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And take actions from that shared pool.

[D]

Oh, so we can, like. It's almost like a big collective.

[A]

Wow.

[D]

So if we're in trouble.

[A]

Yep. You activate your virtue by spending a hero point, and you and the other player roll all of your dice together. Okay.

[D]

So it's just me and one other player.

[A]

One other player.

[D]

Okay. Got it. Got it. That's a great virtue.

[A]

It is a great virtue.

[D]

Yeah. Okay.

[A]

Glad you picked that one.

[D]

Yeah, me too.

[A]

All right, you're all set. You have your virtues and your skills and all your good stuff, and we're gonna get together with the rest of the crew.

[D]

John. I'm excited.

[A]

Awesome.

[D]

Let's do this.

[A]

Let's do it. Hi.

[G]

Hi.

[A]

Yeah, it's nice to meet you.

[G]

Nice to meet you. I'm John Drea.

[A]

Have a seat.

[G]

Thank you.

[A]

So I saw your character create your character idea. You want to tell me a little bit? A little about?

[G]

Yes. Well, she's known as Back from the dead Red.

[A]

Yes.

[G]

No one actually knows her real name. She's had a lot of years, decades of experience as a buccaneer. She prefers strategy and mind games over swords play. She just doesn't want to get messy with blood.

[A]

Well, that's great, because in Seventh Sea, it's very much about all of the archetypes, the swashbuckling archetypes. So red fits perfect. So I understand you've played computer role playing games before.

[G]

I've played some strategy board games.

[A]

Okay.

[G]

I've never played a true traditional tabletop rpg.

[A]

So Seven Seas going to be your first time?

[G]

Yes.

[A]

That's awesome. So let's get started. This is your starter kit.

[G]

Awesome.

[A]

So go ahead and open that up.

[G]

Okay. All right. So I have my own nameplate.

[A]

You have your own name plate. Yeah. Undo the scroll.

[G]

Undo the scroll. Okay. All right. I love it.

[A]

There she is.

[G]

Yes.

[A]

Oh, that's awesome. And you have a bag of dice. So those are your dice. Everybody has a different color.

[G]

I think it should be red, but you might surprise me. Oh.

[A]

Oh, they are beautiful.

[G]

Ooh, I like it.

[A]

What we're gonna do is we're gonna make your character. This is a character sheet. And the character sheet is a way for you to communicate to me what you want your character to be good at. There are five traits in the game that describe your character's biggest strengths. And they are brawn, finesse, resolve, wits, and panache. Because you are a superhero. Cause this is the game about being Errol Flynn or about being being characters from the Princess Bride. You get two points in all of the traits for free. In the world of Seventh Sea. It's kind of like a fake Europe. However, your character isn't going to be from here. Your character's going to be from a different place. Your character is going to be from the pirate nations, and the pirate nations are far, far away. And I'm going to suggest that you come from an island called Jaragua or Haragua, depending on how you want to pronounce it. Kind of an analog of Jamaica and Haiti. Because you are from Haragua, you're going to get a bonus point in one of your traits. You get a plus one brawn or a plus one finesse.

[G]

I think I will go with finesse.

[A]

I think that matches your character better because you want your character to be quick and agile and that kind of thing.

[G]

Right. So I just bubble that in.

[A]

Go ahead and bubble that in.

[G]

Okay.

[A]

You said two a one.

[G]

Oh, just checking.

[A]

Yeah. However, now you get two more points to spend anywhere you want on the character sheet. Okay. Because your character wants to find ways out of things, wants to be clever and all that. I'm going to suggest that you already have a three in finesse. That's really good. I would suggest putting a point in wits, in panache, so that way you can bluff your way through things and you can find things to help you around. Does that make sense?

[G]

Yes, it does.

[A]

So that's awesome. So next, what we're going to do is we're going to pick your character's background. So here are the Hiragua backgrounds, and they're very specific to the problem in Hiragua. Hiragua used to be a slave colony that the slaves overthrew the evil Adebayan trading company and liberated their land. So each of these. Each of these backgrounds, it has a little description for what they all are, and they kind of require a little bit of Hiragua knowledge, But that's okay if you don't. Yeah, sure. And. And then. So they also give you the advantages that you get and the skills you get.

[G]

Well, I'm a little bit intrigued by the provocateur.

[A]

That makes sense. So would you like that to be your first backup?

[G]

Yeah, I think so. Okay, that'll be good.

[A]

Your skills. And what you're gonna do is you're gonna put a point in each of the skills that I read, and then we'll go through the skills, and you can see what they are. Okay. You get one point in Brawl, which is fisticuffs. You also get a point in empathy, which is knowing how other people feel. You get a point of hide, which is. You get a point in tempt, which is getting people to change their mind based on something that they want. So that could be money, it could be power, it could be anything. Finally, you get a point of theft. So stealing things. Now, your two advantages are connection, which means you're gonna. Once per game, you can say you're in a foreign port, and you're like, oh, yeah, I know somebody here who can help us. Cause you've been in various ports all over the place.

[G]

I know people.

[A]

You know people. I know the right people, you know the right people. Sometimes you know the wrong people. And then you also get one called sweeten the pot. And Sweeten the Pot lets you spend a point of wealth to make your role better. There you go. Now you get 10 more points to spend on the skills. So you can spend the skills. You can spend those 10 points wherever you want.

[G]

So just off the bat, I think I should know something about sailing and warfare, since that's sort of the landscape we're talking about.

[A]

You are going to get a point of saline when we take pirate, but if you want to have more, that's perfectly okay.

[G]

Okay, so at least get one there and then two in warfare.

[A]

Sure. Strategy and tactics.

[G]

I think I'll Go with then a point in aim.

[A]

Okay.

[G]

I don't want to be so close that I have to be.

[A]

You want to be. You want them to be over there.

[G]

Athletics.

[A]

Yep. Definitely.

[G]

That seems useful. So one there for now. Convince seems useful. So maybe I'll do two in convince. So maybe one in scholarship.

[A]

Yep. You know, things are true about the world you've been around.

[G]

Yes.

[A]

Now, did you also want to take a point in notice because it'll give you more dice to notice things around and use those to your advantage. And that sounds like something your character is about.

[G]

So I've got now two left.

[A]

Two left.

[G]

So either one in intimidate and one in notice are both. What are your thoughts?

[A]

I would like. It'd be interesting if your character doesn't know how to intimidate people. Okay.

[G]

So to a notice.

[A]

To a notice.

[G]

To be fair. Okay, let's do that.

[A]

Now, the last thing we're going to do is we're going to cast your character's fate. And it comes in two parts. One is your virtue, which is kind of the game breaking advantage that you get. And then you have a hubris. And your hubris is your heroic flaw. It's the thing that you will never leave someone behind, or I always fall in love with the wrong person or something like that. And because you can't choose your fate, we're going to draw from the fate deck. So go ahead and shuffle. Or the cards if you like. Okay. So you can pick any card from the deck. You can pick the top card, the bottom card, whichever one you want. And the first one will be your verse and the second one will be your hubris.

[G]

All right?

[A]

So the first one is the Hanged Man. The virtue for the Hanged man is altruistic. And what that means is if something bad happens to any character in the game, you can spend a hero point and it happens to you instead.

[G]

Okay.

[A]

So you save that character and then go ahead and pick another card and put it across it so it crosses it like that. And that one is coin with death. Hubris for coins is relentless. You receive a hero point when you refuse to leave well enough alone.

[G]

Okay.

[A]

And that's it. You're all set.

[G]

Thank you. That was fun.

[A]

Now we have one more thing to do is we're going to meet together as a crew.

[G]

Okay.

[A]

We're all gonna take the pirate background and then we're gonna start our adventure.

[G]

I'm excited.

[A]

Hey.

[D]

Hey.

[A]

How did we switch places like that?

[B]

Welcome back.

[A]

Good, good, good. Have a seat.

[B]

Thanks.

[A]

So you have an idea of what your character. What you want your character to be. I told you that it was going to have something to do with a pirate ship, and you came up with.

[B]

I came up with a sort of disgraced, noble character from the island of Avalon, which is loosely based on jolly old England.

[A]

Jolly old? Yeah, the whole United Kingdom part. Yeah.

[B]

Right. I came up with the name I could think of. Benedict Royston is my name.

[A]

That sounds fantastic. And what is your role going to be on the ship, do you think?

[B]

Well, my idea was because he comes from a nobleman's background, he has quite a large general education. So his attitude, I think, is he's just trying to escape his past, and he's willing to do anything on the ship, anything that's needed.

[A]

Well, a ship is a good way to escape your past. So that sounds awesome. All right, great. Well, let's start making your character. Okay, but before we do that, this is your starter kit.

[B]

Whoa, Cool.

[D]

Awesome.

[A]

So here's your character sheet, and I think that we can use this book here also.

[B]

Great. Can I open my little scroll here? Oh, there he is.

[A]

Oh, that's awesome.

[B]

I'm guessing this is dice.

[A]

That would make sense.

[B]

That would be dice as a player, I would guess. Ooh, very nice.

[A]

All right, awesome. Let's start making your character. Okay, so grab the pencil. The first thing that you want to do is decide your nation, which you have. You're gonna be from Avalon, so go ahead and write that down on your character sheet.

[B]

Okay, great.

[A]

Now, in 7 sea, there are five traits that define kind of how your character does things. And the five traits are brawn, finesse, resolve, wits, and panache.

[B]

Oh, nice.

[A]

Those are the five traits, and they're kind of like the five heroic, swashbuckling archetypes.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

So because you are a big hero, you get two points for free in all of the traits.

[B]

Oh, okay. So everything is two.

[A]

Everything starts at two. And then because of your nation, you're gonna get a bonus to one of your traits. Because you're from Avalon, you can have a one panache or a one resolve. Either way, I'll take resolve. Okay, so go ahead and put another point in resolve. And now you get two more points to put anywhere on your traits. Right.

[B]

I feel like I would take wits and brawn.

[A]

Wits and brawn. Yeah. Okay, so go ahead and put a point in each wits and brawn.

[B]

Because he's strong enough to bash the door down, but he's smart enough to realize that he needs to hit it right in this spot.

[A]

So because you were a courtier in, you're part of the Queen's court, and you did something that was scandalous, and we don't know what that is yet, but maybe we'll find out during play.

[B]

I may or may not want to reveal that.

[A]

That's right. You're going to have the courtier background.

[B]

Okay, great.

[A]

So go ahead and write that. Now, a background is something that your character has done in the past, and it comes with skills and advantages, and it also comes with a quirk. And the quirk is how you earn hero points, which we'll talk about in a bit. So you will earn a hero point when you turn the tide of violence with charm and flair.

[B]

Now, turn the tide of violence. Could that mean either way or just stopping violence?

[A]

It means either way.

[B]

Okay. I could incite violence with charm and flair as well.

[A]

That's right. Now, you also get these skills, and go ahead and put one point in each of the skills. You get a point in empathy, which is sensing how other people feel. You get a point in perform, you get a point in ride, you get a point in tempt, and you get a point in weaponry, which is using hand to hand weapons. And then you get these advantages. You get an honest misunderstanding. And what that does is you spend a hero point, and you can re edit something that someone had just said in a more favorable way.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

What my friend meant to say, you, Majesty. And that way you can edit it so that the other character will take it more favorably.

[B]

Great.

[A]

The other advantage you have is friend at court, which means if you go to a more civilized part of the world, you know somebody there, and you spend a hero point, and you say, oh, I have a friend here. I can go and talk to him. Those are your two advantages. And then you get 10 more points to spend on your skills. And then we're going to do your arcana. Okay, so while you're doing that, I'm going to explain what your arcana is. It is a heroic halo, and it separates you from the rest of the world. The world has chosen you to be a hero. Your arcana has two parts. It has a virtue, which gives you a huge big in game bonus, but it also has a hubris, which is a deep heroic flaw because you cannot choose your fate. We are going to draw from the deck to see what your virtue and hubris are.

[B]

Oh, boy. I better take at least one in sailing.

[A]

Yeah. While you are.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Okay, go ahead and cut the deck. And now take any card you like from the deck. You don't have to take it from the top. You could but take any card you want from the deck.

[B]

Okay, I think I'll take the first one from the top.

[A]

All right. This is your virtue. Okay? So go ahead and pull it out. The Magician, so the magician card. So your virtue is willful. You activate your virtue by spending a hero point and target a villain. Until the end of the of this scene, you cannot spend hero points and the villain cannot spend danger points. And I'll explain. You'll understand how that works when we get to the rest of the system. So that's your virtue. Now pick one more card and cross it across your virtue. And that's your hubris.

[D]

All right.

[A]

Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from EVGLIS. After an initial dosing phase, about 4.

[C]

In 10 people taking EBGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing.

[A]

EBGLIS Librekizumab LBKZ a 250mg 2ml injection is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals, or who cannot use topical. Ebglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to Ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe.

[H]

Eye problems can occur.

[A]

Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Ebglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection searching for real relief. Ask your doctor about ebglis and visit.

[C]

Epgliss.Lily.Com or call 1-800-lilyrx or 1-800-545-5979. This episode is brought to you by State Farm.

[A]

Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feel.

[C]

And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help.

[A]

You choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person on the phone or using the award winning.

[C]

App, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is.

[G]

There.

[A]

The Prophet the Prophet the profit is overzealous. You receive a hero point when your hero strongly defends one of her opinions when the time or place is inappropriate. So if someone insults the Queen or insults Avalon or anything else that you strongly believe in, I will give you a hero point if that causes trouble for you and your friends. Does that make sense?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Awesome. And you're about set. We'll finish all this up when you meet the rest of the crew.

[B]

Great.

[A]

Awesome. Awesome. So now that we have the whole crew together, it's time to vote on who's the captain. Oh, wow. So what I'd like each of you to do is to give me a very brief introduction of your character and why you should be captain. Let's start with Red.

[G]

Okay, so I'm back from the dead Red. And I've had many years of experience as a female pirate. I use strategy, wit, cunning. I'm particularly smart, and I'll get the job done.

[A]

Excellent. And over here we have.

[B]

My name is Benedict Royston. I'm from the royal house of Roystons. Although I'm now on the run. I do not want to be the captain. Do not vote for me. This is my first day as a pirate.

[A]

Awesome. And then over here we have.

[C]

I'm Essi Dunaine, and I am an explorer scientist. I am along for the ride for the sake of discovery. I also do not want to be the captain because I don't care about getting money or loot. I just want to find neat, sciencey stuff.

[A]

Oh, okay. And finally, I am Romero.

[D]

Just simply Romero. I'm a bard and I like to travel, and I'm a good professional. Like, if you guys are feeling kind of sad, play a little tune on my bongos or my loot.

[A]

Awesome.

[D]

I don't really want to be the captain.

[A]

Does anyone want to be the captain?

[D]

But I would be the captain if you'd like me to.

[A]

So with that in mind, we are on a pirate ship and pirates vote. So we're going to vote on who the captain is. Now I'm going to be playing the rest of the crew. So I'm the. The bosun and the cook and everything else. So I'm gonna get one vote. All right, so we're gonna vote on who gets to be captain. You ready? Mm. Should Red be captain? Everyone say raise your hand.

[C]

Aye.

[A]

Done. Red. Captain Red Paulin Tools.

[C]

You're the only actual pirates.

[D]

You're the only person that didn't say you didn't wanna be captain, but you did say you were experienced pirates.

[A]

Right.

[G]

All right, I'll take.

[A]

I think it might also. We also might want to pick the ship's doctor.

[D]

Okay.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Hi. How are you?

[A]

So.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

So everyone who wants Essie to be the ship's doctor, raise your hand.

[C]

Done. I am so good at doctoring. Just wait.

[A]

We also need a shanty man. Vote for the shanty man. One, two, three.

[D]

Gotta be the shanty man.

[A]

Now, we also need someone who knows people. The queen quartermaster. And the quartermaster is the one who buys things and supplies the ship.

[B]

That would be me.

[A]

That would be you. So voting for the quartermaster. Vote. Done. Done. So we have the officers of the ship. Awesome. Now we get to name the ship. Now, each of you submitted a name for the ship. So what was the name of the ship?

[G]

So I suggested Undertow, because I was thinking of, like, a, you know, not an ostentatious, you know, massive thing, just something that kind of creeps along, and when you don't, you know, when it's unexpected, you'll be taken under. And I think that was pretty menacing.

[A]

Yeah. Do you remember what your suggestion I suggested?

[B]

The Black Razor.

[D]

Ooh.

[B]

Because it sounds menacing.

[D]

Wonderful.

[A]

So do you remember yours?

[C]

Yes. Roaming Banshee. Because banshees are badass. And why wouldn't you name a ship after them? That's true.

[D]

And I chose the Gilded Peasant because.

[C]

So you couldn't pick which side you put them together. Yeah.

[D]

It's like you're kind of both. You're a man, woman of the streets, or like a royal awesome person.

[A]

Awesome. So we're gonna vote. Everyone who wants the Undertow, raise your hand.

[G]

I don't even want my own friendship name. I was like, these others are so.

[A]

The Black. Black Razor.

[B]

I kinda like that.

[D]

I'm into the Black Razor.

[A]

Okay, so the Black Razor is the name of the ship. So now the next part is we're gonna decide what kind of pirate ship you are. Are you a ship that is a freebooter? In other words, you are free pirates. You go out and you raid and plunder wherever you want.

[C]

That sounds very piratey.

[A]

That sounds very priority. You can also be part of the Republic of. Of Pirates, which is kind of like the Brotherhood of the Coast. It's a group of pirates that have all signed a charter that agrees to help each other. When they see each other in trouble, they come to a common island and share their wealth and distribute it amongst the other pirates, that whole kind of thing. So we can be part of the Republic of Pirates. We could also be privateers, which is we sign under a monarch, one of the monarchs of Theia, and we have that monarch's protection. So for example, with Queen Elaine.

[C]

Elaine, the best queen ever.

[A]

God save the queen. If we are under the protection of Queen Elayne, as long as we are in Avalon waters, we're safe. Cause the navy will protect us. And all of the ports of Avalon are open to help us. So do you guys want to be freebooters? Do you want to be part of the Republic of Pirates or do you want to be privateers?

[D]

Look, I like the Republic of Pirates in a way because it keeps a nice big group of pirates that have our back if we are ever in trouble. I feel like if we go with the royalty side where we kind of choose allegiance with a king or a queen or something, then we run into trouble with other.

[C]

Kind of makes us a target.

[D]

And armies. Exactly. Yeah.

[C]

But I don't like the idea of just free forming it. I like the idea of having some backup when things go bad because I feel like they might be.

[A]

But you also have obligations. If you see enough member of the Republic in trouble, you have to help them.

[D]

I mean, that could create new friendships and open up new opportunities and.

[A]

Any thoughts?

[B]

I'm curious as how many rules the Republic of Pirates has on that you.

[A]

Are not allowed to fire first. Unless it's the Atabean Trading Company. And the Atabean Trading Company are this evil global corporation that captures pirates and sends them to slave islands.

[C]

Oh my, yes. So they're terrible.

[A]

As a matter of fact, your character comes comes from Haragua, which was one of those slave islands, and her people liberated themselves and now, yes, we did. From the evil Advan Trading Company or the ATC as we call them.

[D]

But it seems like those people will be a problem no matter which we choose.

[A]

That's pretty much true.

[C]

Fair point.

[A]

How does it sound? Does it sound like you guys kind of want to do the Republic of Pirates maybe? No.

[D]

Kind of into it. What do you think?

[G]

No, I think it's a good idea. I think it's the right amount of independence and allegiance and we're gonna run into some trouble anyway cause of this guy, so.

[A]

Oh, that's true.

[C]

That's probably absolutely accurate. So.

[A]

All right, so let's take a vote. Let's vote for the Republic of Pirates, the Brotherhood of the Coast. Come on. Yay.

[D]

Let's do it.

[A]

Our official Brotherhood of the Coast. You're not allowed to shoot at anybody that doesn't shoot at you first. Unless it's the atc. You always, if possible, take prisoners instead of killing them. And and when you release the prisoners, you release them on an island that is near trade waters with enough food and water so they can survive.

[C]

Oh, that's very friendly of us.

[A]

All right.

[D]

This is a well established pirate.

[B]

It is a republic.

[A]

So we have a ship, we have a crew, we have a captain. We know that we're all members of the brotherhood of the coast. And whoa. Awesome. You set sail in the Widow's Sea, just south of Montane, waiting for treasure ships from the ATC returning from the Adebayan. And next time we'll find out what happens when you run into one. Join us and you'll get to see what happens too.

[B]

Next time on Starter Kit.

[A]

The ship is on fire. Wow.

[C]

Is what's happening evil business.

[A]

We don't want no part of a cursed ship. Set sail, ayesir. Set sail.

[C]

He's gonna be due for a reprimand if he comes back. Al.

[H]

American history is full of infamous tales that continue to captivate audiences decades or even hundreds of years after they happened. On the Infamous America podcast, you'll hear the true stories of the Salem witch trials and the escape attempts from Alcatraz, of bank robbers like John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd, of killers like Lizzie Borden and Charles Starkweather, of mysteries like the Black Dahlia and D.B. cooper, and of events that inspired movies like Goodfellas, Killers of the Flower Moon, Zodiac, Eight Men out, and many more. I'm Chris Wimmer. Join me as we crisscross the country from the Miami drug wars and Dixie Mafia in the south, to mobsters in Chicago and New York, to arsonists, kidnappers and killers in California, to unsolved mysteries in the heartland and in remote corners of Alaska. Every episode features narrative writing and cinematic music and there are hundreds of episodes available to binge find infamous America. Wherever you get your podcasts, Goodbye summer movies.

[A]

Hello fall.

[H]

I'm Anthony Deveney. And I'm his twin brother, James. We host Raiders of the Lost podcast, the ultimate movie podcast. And we are ecstatic to break down late summer and early fall releases. We have Leonardo DiCaprio leading a revolution in one battle after another. Timothee Chalamet playing power ping pong in Mari Supreme. Lets not forget Emma Stone in Yorgos Lanthimos.

[A]

Begonia Dwayne Johnson.

[H]

He's coming for that Oscar in the Smashing Machine. Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again. Plus Daniel Day Lewis return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about too. Tron Ares looks exceptional. Plus Mortal Kombat 2 and Edgar Wrights the Running man starring Glenn Powell. Search for Raiders of the Lost podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

[G]

I'm Amy Nicholson, the film critic for the LA Times.

[E]

And I'm Paul Scheer, an actor, writer and director. You might know me from the League.

[A]

Veep, or my non eligible for Academy Award role in Twisters.

[G]

We love movies and we come at them from different perspectives.

[E]

Yeah, like Amy thinks that you know.

[A]

Joe Pesci was miscast in Goodfellas and I don't.

[G]

He's too old. Let's not forget that Paul thinks that Dune 2 is over overrated.

[A]

It is.

[G]

Anyway, despite this, we come together to host Unspooled, a podcast where we talk about good movies, critical hits, fan favorites.

[E]

Must sees, and in case you missed.

[G]

Them, we're talking Parasite, the Home Alone.

[E]

From Grease to the Dark Knight.

[G]

We've done deep dives on popcorn flicks, we've talked about why Independence Day deserves.

[D]

A second look, and we've talked about.

[B]

Horror movies, some that you've never even.

[A]

Heard of, like Ganja and Hess.

[G]

So if you love movies like we do, come along on our cinematic adventure.

[A]

Listen to Unspooled wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to hit the follow button.