Part 2: A Scourge of Bones | Starter Kit: Phoenix Dawn Command

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Part 2: A Scourge of Bones

Series: Starter Kit: Phoenix Dawn Command
Host/GM: Keith Baker
Production: Geek & Sundry
Release Date: February 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this thrilling continuation of the Phoenix Dawn Command campaign, the Phoenix Wing is thrown into the thick of a raging battle on the edge of a dark cliff. The team leaps literally into the chaos below, confronting both the physical challenge of survival and the supernatural terror of ancient undead—animated by a sinister purple energy. GM Keith Baker guides the players through a dynamic, narrative-driven combat sequence that showcases clever tactics, the unique mechanics of Phoenix Dawn Command, and fast-paced heroic improvisation. The episode highlights group problem-solving under duress, showcases the game's card-driven system, and sets the stage for deeper intrigue about what dark forces haunt the ruined excavation site.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. Leaping into Danger – The Descent Down the Cliff

• [01:14–10:11]
  • The party (“Phoenix Wing”) must leap off a cliff into a battlefield in chaos.
  • Keith explains the card-based action system and how resource management (cards & sparks) is crucial.
  • Peli pulls off a dramatic landing by "surfing down on her book," showing off the system’s combo potential and flavor (05:03):

    “I open up my book and ride down the side of the cliff with my book.” —Peli
    “You're an extreme librarian, is what we're saying.” —Keith Baker (05:10)

  • Cronus opts for a “strategic barrel roll,” intentionally taking a wound to appear intimidating in battle.
  • Pyre attempts a direct “belly flop,” aiming to land on an enemy but hits a boulder, taking wounds and drawing extra cards due to his "bitter" aspect.

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2. First Glimpse of the Undead and Camp in Chaos

• [11:22–17:17]
  • Party finds themselves in a besieged archaeological camp.
  • Scenes: burning tents, panicked laborers, an open pit with more undead crawling out, purple-glowing corpses attacking.
  • Keith sets the tone:

    “You see this desiccated corpse choking someone, probably a laborer, wearing some sort of rotting armor... what you can definitely see are sparks of purple light, especially around its hand.” —Keith Baker (12:06)

  • Players rapidly deduce that the enemy forces are both numerous and supernatural.

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3. Initiative & Dynamic Environmental Combat

• [17:41–25:27]
  • Pyre gets the “torch” (initiative marker), allowing an action and the option to use dramatic environmental elements (explosive barrels, flaming tents).
  • Pyre throws an explosive barrel into the pit:

    “I'm grabbing that explosive barrel and I'm throwing it at the skeletons.” —Pyre (18:56)

    • Keith notes the possible risk to innocents; Pyre targets the pit instead.
    • Pyre’s “ruthless” trait boosts the attack, blowing up multiple enemies (22:11).
  • Players role-play noticing specific NPCs in peril (a mage with red robes, a six-year-old girl hiding behind tools) to anchor the conflict in narrative stakes.

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4. Tactics, Resource Management, and Tag-Team Play

• [25:27–36:25]
  • Cronus uses environmental hazards (burning tent) to destroy more enemies, employing both strength and the “valiant” trait.
    • Memorable moment: Cronus shoves two undead into a burning tent:

      “I'd like to run up to them and push their face so that they're pushed into the tent fire.” —Cronus (25:14) “You grab two of them, shove them into the burning tent... they’re wrapped up and smoldering away.” —Keith Baker (26:39)

  • The undead’s purple energy animates both corpses and the recently murdered, raising the stakes as fallen laborers join the enemy ranks.
    • Keith: “The energy flows from him into the body of the laborer, and now you see veins of purple light flowing through him, and he stands up.” (28:44)
  • Cronus attracts most of the attacks, sacrificing possible advantages to protect less-defended teammates.

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5. Showcasing Card Mechanics and Special Abilities

• [36:25–43:44]
  • Defense and attack spreads are narrated with character traits and past backstory:
    • Cronus leverages “misspent youth” to dodge an attack, citing family trauma:

      “Dodging physical assaults from my father.” —Cronus (32:13)

    • Pyre’s “bitter” trait adds wound-based bonuses to attacks.
    • Team frequently asks for clarifications on using traits and converting card suits, highlighting accessibility and depth of Phoenix Dawn Command’s mechanics.
  • Peli uses “psychometry” on a thrown tool, learning insight into the undead’s vulnerabilities:

    “Quick, use something metal—that’ll channel the force!” —Peli (44:00)

    • Burning sparks to activate vulnerabilities, giving the team an edge in the final moments.

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6. Final Showdown and Aftermath

• [43:44–45:34]
  • The last undead are picked off; the party comes together, battered but victorious.
  • Pyre cleaves the final creature in two:

    “I cleave him exactly down the middle and he splits... falls apart.” —Pyre (45:04)

    • Keith sets the closing mood:

      “With that, the last one falls... The researchers huddle together, shaking, sobbing. A medic runs over to the injured.” —Keith Baker (45:11)

  • Scene closes on the heroes preparing to talk to survivors and learn the true scope of the threat.
  • Next time preview: More mysteries, unnatural ice, and ominous hints.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On creative problem-solving:

  “I open up my book and ride down the side of the cliff with my book.” —Peli (05:03) “You're an extreme librarian, is what we're saying.” —Keith Baker (05:10)

• Cinematic combat description:

  “I'm grabbing that explosive barrel and I'm throwing it at the skeletons.” —Pyre (18:56) “I'd like to run up to them and push their face so that they're pushed into the tent fire.” —Cronus (25:14)

• On the cost of power:

  “I think a little bit of blood going into battle can be intimidating, so I'm gonna let it ride.” —Cronus (06:53)

• Rising horror and intrigue:

  “The energy flows from him into the body of the laborer, and now you see veins of purple light flowing through him, and he stands up.” —Keith Baker (28:44)

• Collaborative storytelling at play:

  “Quick, use something metal—that’ll channel the force!” —Peli (44:00)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:14] – The team leaps into battle; combat system introduction
• [05:03] – Peli’s book-surfing landing; unique use of items
• [12:06] – First appearance of purple-glowing undead
• [18:56] – Pyre hurls an explosive barrel into the pit
• [25:14] – Cronus pushes foes into the burning tent
• [28:44] – Purple energy animates fallen laborer
• [32:13] – Cronus uses “misspent youth” defensively
• [44:00] – Peli discovers the undead’s vulnerability
• [45:04] – Pyre cleaves the last enemy; victory
• [45:47] – Teaser for next episode (unnatural ice, aftermath, intrigue)

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Episode Takeaways

• Phoenix Dawn Command’s card system significantly shapes both tactics and narrative flavor, encouraging creative solutions and resource risk-reward decisions.
• The group navigates both game mechanical learning and dramatic roleplay, with Keith Baker facilitating cinematic, character-driven moments.
• The undead threat is mysterious and escalating, with new dangers and camp mysteries awaiting further exploration.
• The use of environmental elements, such as burning tents and explosive barrels, showcases the flexible storytelling style of both the group and the game system.

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For Fans and Newcomers:
This episode is packed with action, improvisation, and teamwork, highlighting both the strengths of Phoenix Dawn Command and the collaborative storytelling that Geek & Sundry’s actual play series is known for. Whether you’re seeking game design inspiration or simply love a good supernatural skirmish, this session is not to be missed.

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Transcript

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Pyre]

Last time on starter kit out before you.

[Keith Baker]

You see the cloud spire. Then you start hearing screaming. People are dying. What are you gonna do?

[Cronus]

We gotta take care of this.

[Keith Baker]

Let's run. You leap off the cliff's edge, tumbling down into the darkness towards the signs of B. Welcome back to your starter kit. I'm Keith Baker, the creator of Phoenix Dawn Command. We ended our first session with our Phoenix Wing being thrown into the middle of a raging battle. So right off the bat, we're gonna have to figure out how combat works. We left off you leapt off the edge of a cliff into the night, going towards the sound of the fight. This is a dangerous thing. You might get hurt. So now we're gonna get you some cards. Yes, please. Everyone on this side of the table gets six cards. You all take five cards.

[Pyre]

Now why is that?

[Keith Baker]

Because five cards is what everybody gets if you're not shrouded or a paragon.

[Cronus]

Oh, okay, cool, kids.

[Keith Baker]

But you guys got fire, so you know, that's something.

[Cronus]

But also, aren't you both scared? Scared of it? Kind of.

[Keith Baker]

So these cards, what you have in your hand, this is the pool of resources you will use to do things to defend yourself, to survive falling off a cliff. It's using cards that you can later use for other things. So you want to sort of judge wisely. What do you want to spend your cards on? You can look at them all. You should each have two suits, depending on what kind of character you are. Strength is physical, sort of endurance and prowess. Grace is both physical grace and social. Convincing people of things moving with speed or elegance. And intellect is about perception, knowledge, logic. You also have your cards with the adjectives on them. We'll talk more about those a little later. But if you see one that just seems like this is the perfect card for dealing with leaping off a cliff, then call that out. For right now, the issue is going down off the edge of this cliff. If you just want to just thump to the ground, it's definitely going to hurt. It won't kill you. So you could just say, I'm saving all my cards for what's on the other end. Or you could spend a couple cards to try not to get hurt so badly. Chapter. Do you want a soft landing or are you going to land hard?

[Peli]

I'm going to take. I want a soft landing, please.

[Keith Baker]

For you, that will be grace. And so to completely be uninjured, I would want to see ten points of grace. What do you got?

[Peli]

That's so much. I actually think. I think I can do it. I think I can do it. I was lucky. Poor. Okay, so I have three. Grace.

[Keith Baker]

That's three.

[Peli]

And I have four.

[Keith Baker]

Seven.

[Peli]

And then I have astonishing luck.

[Keith Baker]

You do have astonishing luck. Now, astonishing luck says the small print on astonishing luck is if you burn a spark, it increases its value to 5. So sparks are these little tokens in front of you, and these are basically the magical energy you all possess. This is what sustains you as a phoenix, and you'll use it to power supernatural abilities you have. So you can use sparks to shrug off injury, you can use sparks to add to your attacks. Everyone has something else that they do with them. But I should probably mention something at this point, which is when you run out of sparks, you. You die. Ooh. But in this case, one spark used right now and just drop it in your box will raise the value of that card to five. So here's the thing. You have tumbled down the cliff. You're using grace to avoid injury, and you have astonishing luck. So what is that? Is it just acrobatic, sort of brilliant tumbling?

[Peli]

I actually would love to use my book to surf down. So I open up my book, and then I ride down the side of the cliff with my book.

[Keith Baker]

That's a versatile book, but all right, you're an extreme librarian is what we're saying. And of course, normally any book would be torn apart, but this is your book. And so you do gracefully come down. Gold medal levity.

[Peli]

A little levity with the situation, everybody.

[Keith Baker]

And so you're fine. Set these three cards aside, and that's your discard pile. You will draw up in the future. But right now, you've Used a bunch of your resources to stay alive. All right, so, Cronus, again, you can use different suits. So if you're using strength, it's about sort of pure endurance. You are just taking this and not being hurt. If you're using grace, you're doing something graceful to avoid injury. Do you want to try and avoid injury? Are you just going to roll down and keep all your resources intact? I'm going to.

[Cronus]

I feel comfortable taking the hit, but I do want to do, like, some sort of strategic barrel roll to lessen the blow.

[Keith Baker]

Again, barrel roll, like, 10 to least towards grace. 10 is what you would need to avoid injury. Show me what you want to put in. So if you can give me five, you'll take less.

[Cronus]

And this would be my strength cards, right?

[Keith Baker]

I was thinking grace. Oh, okay.

[Cronus]

Because I'm doing a barrel roll. It's very graceful.

[Keith Baker]

It's very graceful.

[Cronus]

Yes. I will do. I'll meet your five.

[Keith Baker]

Okay, so you set those down. Now, here's the thing. You are going to take one wound. You know, you roll, but you still hit very hard. So you're about to take a wound. As a Durant Phoenix, one of your lessons is that when you get injured, you can burn two sparks to reduce the damage by one wound. So if you want to right now, you could just say, I'm not gonna get injured.

[Cronus]

I know I'm gonna pass on that because I think a little bit of blood going into battle can be intimidating, so I'm gonna let it ride.

[Keith Baker]

I approve of that, but I do want to call out. You also chose the lesson Paragon, and Paragon lets you have six cards, but only if you're at full health. So, given that, would you like to reduce your injury?

[Cronus]

No, I need that blood.

[Keith Baker]

Okay. Okay. As long as it's choice. So all of you have in front of you a certain number, the little green counters. Those are your health levels. That's how much physical damage you can endure when you take a wound. Like right now, you flip one of those over so it becomes a wound. Ow. Ellie. Now, you hit hard. I mean, basically, you come down with a barrel roll. But again, a single wound, that's enough that a normal person would be severely injured by that. But you're just tough enough that you just keep going into the darkness. So discard those two cards, keep your four, and we'll come back to things. Peli, what are you doing?

[Cronus]

I want to land gracely, but I don't think I have enough grace to do.

[Sponsor Voice]

So.

[Keith Baker]

Can you think of a way that you're using intellect. What's a smart way to avoid hitting the ground hard?

[Cronus]

Well, I want, if possible, to use, since I have this giant naginata, if I can use it as kind of like a wind blade to help me get down, but I don't know if I'm allowed to do that.

[Keith Baker]

That's still pretty graceful. I think you're just gonna hit hard is what's going on. So, bam, you tumble down, you do your best, but again, it's dark. You weren't expecting things, and so you're gonna take two wounds, but you're right there in the action with all your cards available.

[Cronus]

Wait. Oh, sorry. I have a quick question.

[Sponsor Voice]

Yes?

[Cronus]

I have cards that I could help her. Can I use that at any time, or can I only do that during my turn?

[Keith Baker]

No. So if you have a card that says add it to an ally spread, you just call it out when you want to do it.

[Cronus]

Okay. Help me. Help me. I'm going to use this card. It's called Absolute Conviction. You may discard the card to add three to the value of the wingmate spread. So I'm going to roll down, and maybe I hit a big jagged rock when I'm trying to roll. And so I've got this gash and I'm wiping it on my face, and then I turn around to see her maybe hitting a rock and tumbling down, and I go, not today.

[Keith Baker]

It is inspiring. Yeah. I have to say, I'm ready to. Do you have any grace cards in your hand?

[Peli]

I do.

[Keith Baker]

So she's giving you three points if you can get up to five to reduce the damage you take. So you just need two points. What do you got?

[Cronus]

I think I have six for grace and then one which is the untouchable that I picked up earlier.

[Keith Baker]

All right, so I'll tell you what, we'll talk more about this sort of thing in the future, but when you have a trait like untouchable that is sort of descriptive, I can boost the value of that.

[Cronus]

Okay.

[Keith Baker]

So in this case, I think being untouchable, actually, I'll give you five points for that.

[Cronus]

Okay.

[Keith Baker]

I was just like, I wanted to.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Save that for later.

[Cronus]

I'm keeping this card then because I wanted to save it for later.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

So.

[Keith Baker]

Well, and it is a good card, but actually that's true. So you can hold onto your conviction because again, you can use that anytime someone's trying to do something. But in that case, you do manage to use your naginata as you described before. You tumble down, you catch the naginata. You do an awesome flip, and you're fine. And just discard those cards does mean you've used a lot of cards. And last pyre, I'm just doing a full belly flop.

[Pyre]

I do not care. And I'm hoping. I try to aim my body for one of the figures fighting. Hopefully, it's a bad guy, but I'm trying to just land on anyone that's fighting.

[Cronus]

I didn't realize they were in that club.

[Keith Baker]

They're in that, too. All right, so here's what happens. Tumbling down this hillside, you just surf down gracefully on your book. You do this awesome sort of pymwheelie nagginada move. You're a little rougher, but, you know, you make it down. And then pyre, just burning meteor out of the sky.

[Podcast Narrator]

And.

[Keith Baker]

And tell you what, if you pick the hand that has the counter, you hit a bad guy.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Oh, of course I didn't hit him.

[Keith Baker]

Well, you hit something.

[Pyre]

Luck for my former life.

[Keith Baker]

You hit something.

[Cronus]

Hit me.

[Pyre]

It's a boulder.

[Keith Baker]

Something's down there. But you take two wounds. Okay? Now, because you are bitter, every time you take a wound, you draw a card. So first of all, flip these over.

[Pyre]

Okay.

[Keith Baker]

And draw yourself two more cards. Yeah. You know, you're angry. He landed a little bit forward of the rest of you, right in the midst. There's people all around you. There's things all around you. There is a gaping hole at the base of this giant spire in front of you. There's a camp set around it with tents, crates, a wagon, but it is in chaos. One of the tents is on fire. People are crying out in fear and pain. There's just a mass of people sort of struggling, some trying to flee, some grappling with the people around you. And what you see, because you're literally looking up, right in the middle of this is this desiccated corpse choking someone, probably a laborer wearing some sort of rotting armor. Maybe you see something glistening on it, but what you can definitely see is sort of sparks of purple light, especially around its hand.

[Pyre]

I don't like that.

[Keith Baker]

And you can see that there's more of these things coming out of the hole. So these are ancient bones. Now, each of you has a card in front of you that has your school symbol on it, the card that says bitter, shrouded. Give me those cards.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Keith Baker]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Cronus]

Yeah, you're holding it. Oh, it's backwards.

[Keith Baker]

So what we have here is a bunch of innocent people and a bunch of mysterious undead creatures. Now you just tumble literally right in the middle of this Howdy. And the rest of you, do you scream howdy? I do. Howdy. I'm afraid that laborer got. It's too late to help him. I'm afraid someone else got squashed by a phone.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Something.

[Keith Baker]

We don't know exactly.

[Pyre]

That's what I felt.

[Keith Baker]

I don't know. There's a 50, 50 chance.

[Cronus]

Those are starting to scream out in pain.

[Keith Baker]

Now what we're gonna do is at the start. At the start of combat, someone gets what's called the torch. And the torch indicates which player is taking their current action. Because pyre jumped right into the middle. We're going to go with him now. In addition, the torch tells us a number of interesting things that are here in the camp. In this case, there is a burning tent. There is a pile of tools used for excavation. There's a barrel of what looks like explosives. There's what was a cooking fire before this fight started. And there's a big hole in the ground. If, when you are describing one of your actions, you can tell me how you're using one of these in a significant way, you're going to get to draw an extra card and maybe something else. So you take this. You can only use one of these per turn, and you don't have to use one at all. So there you are lying on some kind of. We don't really want to look down there right now with these creatures all around you attacking the people in this camp. What are you doing?

[Pyre]

I'm grabbing that explosive barrel.

[Keith Baker]

All right.

[Pyre]

And I'm throwing it at the skeletons.

[Keith Baker]

The skeletons are kind of all around the people. Are you sure? Some other innocents might get hurt. I mean, this is close combat.

[Pyre]

I mean, do I have time to see? Are there any that are sort of like out on the edge that I could throw the explosion back there.

[Keith Baker]

I'll give it to you. I did say that they were coming out of the hole. If you want to throw it in the hole and hope no one else is down there other than them, you can give it a go. Now, what we're doing is making attacks. So each of you has a combat style. And I want you to take a moment to look at your combat style. What you'll see is it has three different things. It says attack, and that will give you a suit and a number of cards. So in your case, it says strength or grace. You can use any card you have to make an attack, and you can play up to two cards. Okay. Actually, one more thing. Because you use the barrel, go ahead and draw Another card.

[Pyre]

Nice. Okay, now, is it.

[Keith Baker]

High numbers are good, right?

[Pyre]

High numbers are good. But let me ask you this. Does it behoove me to hold back a few for the next round or should I go full guns blazing?

[Keith Baker]

So at the end of the round, you will draw up to your hand limit. So as a general rule, because you're gonna be cycling through your cards pretty quickly, when it's not your turn, you wanna think about things. Cause you're using cards that then you won't have for the next time. Right now you probably wanna just dive in there and do something. Something dramatic.

[Pyre]

Cause I'm over my limit because of my wounds.

[Keith Baker]

Right? So you won't even draw unless you use a bunch of cards. You wanna use a bunch of cards.

[Cronus]

Right.

[Pyre]

And I can only use two at a time.

[Keith Baker]

Right.

[Pyre]

Okay, well, I'm gonna throw down two 4s.

[Keith Baker]

Now, you can play two cards, as it says on his sheet. But also, if you have traits like astonishing luck or untouchable, if that applies to what you're doing, you can add that as well. Do you have any traits in your hand?

[Pyre]

I have ruthless.

[Keith Baker]

Ruthless says when you use it, it's worth five in an attack. And you can take a wound to make it worth even more. This seems pretty ruthless. You were chucking a barrel of explosives down a hole without even knowing what's there.

[Pyre]

So you take this back.

[Keith Baker]

No, it's in addition, because what you are doing is definitely ruthless, as long as the trait applies to the action. And here it definitely does. It's an additional card. So what we have is 4, 8, 13. Now, do you want to take a wound to add 5 to the value of this card? You're pretty hurt. That's a lot of damage.

[Pyre]

I don't want to take a wound.

[Keith Baker]

So 13 points further as bitter, one of your special powers is that you add the wounds you already have to your attack. Looking at this creature here, what you see is a number in the lower corner. That's its defense. The first thing we do is subtract that from his attack, dropping us to nine. And then every point reduces. Basically, these are each worth two. For every two points of damage, you get rid of one of these counters, and these are the bones. So you just blew up three of them.

[Cronus]

Yes.

[Keith Baker]

And in fact, because you dropped it in the hole, and the hole was huge and dramatic, there is an explosion down there. And that takes another one out on top of that.

[Sonic Podcast Narrator]

Nice.

[Keith Baker]

So all of those go away. It is still your turn. You can make another attack. You can do Something else. If there's something else you want to do. But if you've got the cards for it, you can keep making attacks.

[Pyre]

Oh, interesting.

[Keith Baker]

Okay, so now that you've thrown the barrel in, you could start laying about you with your axe. If there's something else you want to try and do here, you could just tell me what it is you see Pyre as doing.

[Pyre]

Now, what I want to do is try to position myself between as many workers and the bones as I can.

[Keith Baker]

Well, let's stop there for just one moment. Cause that is something I want to see. Now that you're all here, you see people. These are people who worked at this camp. There's researchers, there's some laborers. Tell me one. Who do you see in this camp?

[Pyre]

I actually see a researcher, a mage of some sort with long red robes, looked like in the middle of. Was not prepared at all.

[Keith Baker]

Absolutely.

[Pyre]

Had a satchel with lots of papers flying out and just running through the.

[Keith Baker]

Yep, that guy is there. Okay. So you see that guy and you do your best to get between him and the others. I'm just gonna say, to do that, discard two cards. It can be any two cards.

[Pyre]

Okay.

[Keith Baker]

This is just reflecting that you have to take an action. You know, it takes some effort for you to do that.

[Pyre]

Yeah, I'll just turn.

[Keith Baker]

One of these creatures is sort of leaping towards him. You sort of shove it out of the way and get in its path still. Your turn. Do you want to make another attack now, or are you going to hold off?

[Pyre]

I'm gonna hold off.

[Keith Baker]

Okay, now you get to decide, and this is something as a group. You can discuss who you're gonna pass the torch to. Who's gonna go next.

[Peli]

I would nominate you.

[Cronus]

Just because you're covered in blood, I am very intimidating. It's true. I would also nominate Cronus.

[Keith Baker]

Okay, Take advantage of that blood. Cronus, you are taking the torch. And you. You now draw back until you have five cards, the normal number of cards for you. Cross.

[Cronus]

I would. Did the hole in the ground cave in?

[Keith Baker]

No. Like, fire flowed up out of it, you know, and it doesn't seem like more coming out. It seemed like if there were any more down there, he's gotten rid of them. But there's still four of them right now scattered throughout the camp. If you want, you can take a closer look at one of them, or you can just dive in there and try and deal with these people.

[Peli]

Are there.

[Keith Baker]

One thing I would like is for you to tell me about someone who catches your eye in the Research team.

[Cronus]

I can see a kid hiding behind the pile of tools. Obviously very afraid. Probably just there because they have to travel with their parents.

[Keith Baker]

What gender, if any female. Okay, and just roughly how old?

[Cronus]

I would probably say six.

[Keith Baker]

Okay, and what would you like to do?

[Cronus]

Are there any of the dread that are near the burning tent?

[Keith Baker]

Certainly.

[Cronus]

Okay. I would like to run up to them and push their face so that they're pushed into the tent fire.

[Keith Baker]

All right.

[Cronus]

Is it possible if two of them are next to each other? I'd like to double fist that.

[Keith Baker]

So that is making an attack. So again, you book at your combat style, and you, I think, just use strength for your attack cards. So you can play up to two strength cards. But again, if you have a trait that applies, the trait is a bonus to that.

[Shopify Advertiser]

Right.

[Cronus]

Okay. So I'm going to use my regular strength three card, and then I also have a strength card that is a trait. Valiant. When you use this card in an attack spread, add your current health levels to the value of the card. If you burn one spark, the target must attack you on its next action. I'm gonna go ahead and use that to add four. So it's gonna be a total of seven.

[Keith Baker]

With Valiant, it adds your health levels to the value of the card. So I think that's five. So is your total value eight?

[Cronus]

Eight.

[Keith Baker]

Yeah. Which is perfect. So we subtract the six, bringing us down to you do two points of damage. And two points is enough to push that one guy into the burning building. But we forgot one thing, which is because you used the burning tent, the advantage of doing that is you get to draw another card. So see if that would make a difference.

[Cronus]

Boom.

[Keith Baker]

And that's exactly what we were looking for. And how much is that? Three.

[Cronus]

That's three.

[Keith Baker]

So you did get two of them after all. So you grab two of them, shove them into the burning tent, and they're wrapped up and smoldering away. So nicely done. Here's the thing I will call out right now. They're about to go. It's about to be their action. I will say that neither Pele nor Chapter really have much in the way of defense cards right now because they used them all getting down the hill. So you do have the ability to draw the attack to you if you would like, but you could say it's too soon. You don't feel like that. That's up to you.

[Cronus]

Well, the question I was going to ask is, is that take effect no matter what? I was choosing not to use it because I Was assuming if I decimated both of them, there'd be no one to attack me.

[Keith Baker]

They're a big sort of mob of guys. So it means that it's so dramatic that you're drawing the attention of the others and that they see you as the primary threat.

[Cronus]

Yeah. Let's do it.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Okay.

[Keith Baker]

So toss that spark in your bag. Now there are two of them left. One is going to go for you. The other one will go for you, because, again, the two of you are the ones are who drawn their attention. But something happens as this is going on. First, the one that was close to you that was choking the laborer. I told you that there was some sort of purple energy. As you're looking at them closer, you can see that it's like veins of purple light flowing through their bodies. First of all, as the ones that you strike, the body felt sort of old and decrepit, and when you shove them into the tent, they fall apart, literally. But this purplish energy sort of flows back into the ones that are still there, and they're glowing more brightly now than they were. Likewise, the one that was holding the guy. The energy flows from him into the body of the laborer, and now you see it just sort of the veins of purple light flowing through him, and he stands up. You've crazy now.

[Peli]

Learn as we go.

[Keith Baker]

So they're mostly focused on you, but one's coming after you as well.

[Cronus]

So now I would like to just mention that I'm very intimidating.

[Keith Baker]

You are very intimidating. They don't seem to have eyes as such, so they didn't notice the blood.

[Cronus]

They can feel. They can smell the blood. You're horrifying all the villagers.

[Peli]

You're horrifying all the villagers.

[Cronus]

If it makes you feel better, thank you so much.

[Keith Baker]

You do need to draw back up until you have five cards this turn.

[Cronus]

Ooh, baby.

[Keith Baker]

You would have been six, but you got that intimidating blow.

[Cronus]

That's because it's the end of the round. Oh, the end of my turn. I can do that.

[Peli]

Ooh, cool.

[Cronus]

Okay.

[Keith Baker]

All right. So each of you are being attacked. So now we're gonna talk about attacks. Two of them are swarming at you, one at you. They're reaching out for you. And you see these sort of tendrils. They don't seem that strong, but these tendrils of purple energy are sort of extending from their hands as they reach towards you. Oh, they're faster now than they were. So it's an attack with a value of 11. So each of you now look at your defense and that tells you what you can use for defense. So we'll start with you. You can play two grace cards. Okay, so you have one.

[Pyre]

Yeah, currently I have one.

[Keith Baker]

You can also use traits if you can explain to me how the trait applies to what you're doing.

[Pyre]

So I could use.

[Keith Baker]

You could use terrifying. If it's like somehow this is how terrifying is helping me defend myself, I.

[Pyre]

Feel like that would be quite a stretch.

[Keith Baker]

And frankly, you are gonna get pretty hurt here anyway. So the one point. The thing is, the one point wouldn't make a significant difference, right?

[Pyre]

And they're undead. I just don't see how I could terrify them again.

[Keith Baker]

They don't really have eyes, so intimidation, not our best strategy. So you're putting your grade.

[Pyre]

So play what I've got.

[Keith Baker]

All right, so this is gonna hurt. So it reaches out and the tendrils of energy just dig into your flesh. And you feel it. You saw what it did to the other guy. You feel it trying to burrow through your body.

[Cronus]

First of all, why the word burrow?

[Keith Baker]

Yeah, I'm afraid so. First of all, you get a wound, but you also get an affliction card. We're gonna put this in your discard pile.

[Pyre]

Okay.

[Keith Baker]

And you can feel that energy still inside your body, and it doesn't feel good.

[Cronus]

We're gonna have to suck it out. Alright, Snake bite. I'll do it.

[Keith Baker]

Now, the others then are attacking you. And so that is also a value of 11. First off, anytime you are attacked, you draw a card, because that's your thing as a durant. He's better at attack, you're good at defense. So let's see what you got. Now, you can play two cards. They can be any suit. And then you can add traits if you have a trait that is relevant. Okay. If you can get to 11, you won't be hurt at all. If you get closer to 11, you might reduce the damage.

[Cronus]

Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and use this. My grace for four and my strength for two. And then I have this grace card that's misspent youth. And that is when you use this card in a spread. Draw two cards, place one of those cards back on top of your deck.

[Keith Baker]

Yes. So, first of all. Well, if you want to work with that, the first question is, can you tell me how your misspent youth helped you deal with combat?

[Cronus]

Yeah. Dodging physical assaults from my father.

[Keith Baker]

That seems logical. So that does seem to work. So let's actually start with that before you do the others, because you may change your mind. So you start with that. You use your misspent youth card. Set that out on the table.

[Cronus]

So this will add to my score and then also allow me to draw two cards here. But I'm going to discard one and.

[Keith Baker]

Keep one that's correct, and you discard it to the top.

[Cronus]

Okay, I'm gonna keep this.

[Keith Baker]

Bye, baby. It goes back to the top. The one you don't use goes to the top of your deck.

[Cronus]

Oh, that's great.

[Keith Baker]

You will get it.

[Cronus]

I didn't want to throw that out.

[Keith Baker]

Now, this just comes to the next question. So right now you are at 8.

[Cronus]

4, 5, 6, 7.

[Keith Baker]

You just drew a trait. Is it a trait that applies here?

[Cronus]

I drew vengeful, which is after you use this card in a defense spread, you may burn two sparks to make an attack against the attacker and then draw back to your hand limit.

[Keith Baker]

So do you want to add that in? Because, again, you're feeling pretty angry about this.

[Cronus]

Do all the skeletons attack as one unit, or will this interrupt the flow of their attacks?

[Keith Baker]

They're attacking you together sort of as one unit.

[Cronus]

Oh, great. Lovely teamwork.

[Keith Baker]

Teamwork. It makes the skeletal dream work. All right. Do you want to use it?

[Cronus]

That'll bring my score up to eight.

[Keith Baker]

All right.

[Cronus]

And then I will spin the two sparks. Oh, I feel like I'm running out of sparks so fast so that I can. I can come back fast.

[Keith Baker]

Here's a thing. How wounds work is. It is the same way it works when you're attacking them. They subtract your defense from the value of the attack. So right now, you're at three, and then they do that much damage. For most people, we have this number at the bottom of our card. For most people, each of your health levels is worth two. For you, it's worth three. If we could get one more point in there, you would take no damage from this attack. You do have absolute conviction. It's stronger if you use it to help someone else. But if you wanted to say, I am not going to let these people stop me and add one more point to the defense.

[Cronus]

It will, but as it stands now, I would take one.

[Keith Baker]

You would still take a wound. Yes.

[Cronus]

That's okay. I'm okay with that. I'd rather save this to be more effective for somebody else.

[Keith Baker]

All right, go ahead. Discard all those cards. You take one damage.

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[Keith Baker]

And when you make an attack, you use strength cards. However, this comes back to another ability every character possesses is that as one of your core lessons, you have the ability to change a card in your hand to a different suit. So for both Pyre and Cronus, you can turn one card into a strength card. For the two of you, you can turn one card into an intellect card.

[Cronus]

How often?

[Keith Baker]

Once per any action that you take. So right now you've got two strength. You can add another two. You can basically use that Grace card in your hand as if it was strength.

[Peli]

Kill one.

[Cronus]

I don't think it's gonna be enough.

[Keith Baker]

It is, in fact, not now that I look at it. But if you try, you will get to draw to replace those cards. So since those aren't very good cards, you might as well get them out of your hand.

[Peli]

I have a question.

[Keith Baker]

Yes?

[Peli]

When the attack is given by burning two sparks, do you have the ability to just take one out if it equals four?

[Keith Baker]

No, because she does have to hit it.

[Peli]

You still always have to hit.

[Keith Baker]

You still always have to hit it. Unless you were using lightning or something cool like that. Some people might do.

[Cronus]

Should I just have not spent the sparks then? I should have thought ahead.

[Keith Baker]

No, because the advantage to spending the sparks is you'll get to draw back up and you'll have a full hand of cards for next time. So I would actually make the weak attack using your two cards. Even though it's no good, you don't need to be.

[Cronus]

Okay, don't attack me.

[Keith Baker]

All right.

[Cronus]

It is almost strong enough to hurt something.

[Keith Baker]

Exactly. You can save absolute convection. You don't have to use them all. So I'm just saying the.

[Cronus]

Oh, okay.

[Keith Baker]

So go ahead and play those.

[Cronus]

So this is My two Grace. Oh, well. And I'm gonna take an action to change the two Grace to two strength.

[Keith Baker]

That's correct.

[Cronus]

Four strength, as you said.

[Keith Baker]

Oh, you try. It's not quite enough. These ones are stronger than they were before. Go ahead and discard those.

[Cronus]

Then I can draw.

[Keith Baker]

Then you draw back till you have five cards. Okay. And that was their attack, actually. And I'm afraid that the one that actually. Basically, one attacked you. One attacked you. The other one did kill somebody else.

[Pyre]

Now, I have a question really quickly. Because of that attack, I suffered another wound. Do I draw my card right then? Okay, so I should have.

[Keith Baker]

I didn't. That's right. Go ahead and do it. And then who are you gonna pass the torch to?

[Cronus]

I was gonna ask quick, since I had that card that drew the attacks to me, how come they were able to kill somebody else?

[Keith Baker]

Because there were multiples of them, so basically they had to attack you. But it was sort of just the extra around. Someone got caught up in the crossfire. Crossfire.

[Cronus]

Okay, cool.

[Keith Baker]

All right.

[Cronus]

Where'd you go, buddy?

[Peli]

Right there.

[Keith Baker]

Oh.

[Peli]

Oh, the torch.

[Cronus]

I don't know why I don't understand that things have two sides in the universe. I just forgot.

[Peli]

Handed over to the Elemental lady can burn things.

[Cronus]

We have pile of tools, cooking fire, and that's it. Sorry, she's just gonna throw it.

[Peli]

That was a very sad slide. Oh, nice.

[Keith Baker]

Nice big table.

[Cronus]

No, just kidding.

[Keith Baker]

So you've got the torch. There is a cooking fire. You could potentially draw on that power. What would you like to do?

[Cronus]

Yeah, I think I'm gonna go for that in the cooking fire.

[Keith Baker]

So because you're drawing on the power of the fire, go ahead and draw another card. And sweet. Look at your attack style. What are you allowed to use for attack?

[Cronus]

Two intellect cards.

[Keith Baker]

Now, just as Cronus did, you have the ability to turn a grace card into an intellect card. Okay. Also, you have the ability to add cards to an attack by spending one spark per card. So how many cards do you have?

[Cronus]

Three.

[Keith Baker]

Just three. All right. But if you burn one spark, you can use them.

[Peli]

All right.

[Cronus]

Okay.

[Keith Baker]

And I would use sparks.

[Cronus]

Yeah.

[Keith Baker]

Okay. Don't worry about them too much. So let's see what you got. Throw me those cards.

[Cronus]

Okay, so I have.

[Keith Baker]

We have 2, 5, 8. If you burn two more sparks. Because when you burn sparks, you can also just add them to the result. You will take one of these guys out, and they're pretty tough, so it would be worth doing. So you do that, you are out of cards. So that Means it's the end of your turn. Draw back up.

[Cronus]

Sweet.

[Peli]

How do you kill them? I'm curious.

[Cronus]

I was going to run in, use my naginata move, and spin it above my head. And as I land, fire comes up as like a wall.

[Keith Baker]

It engulfs the one and just burns him apart. So now you draw back up. You discard the cards in front of you. And last would be chapter passing the torch to you. Now, the only thing we have left here is a pile of tools. Can you think of a clever way that you. You could use a pile of tools to try and bring one of these things down?

[Peli]

Well, if I find a hammer or something, or something like that, I'll just grab it and I'll throw it and I'll toss it.

[Keith Baker]

All right, so go ahead. First off. Because you are. Yeah. So you find something big and heavy.

[Peli]

Yes.

[Keith Baker]

That allows you to draw another card.

[Podcast Narrator]

Great.

[Keith Baker]

So go ahead and see what you got.

[Peli]

Okay. Psychometry.

[Keith Baker]

Psychometry is actually a useful thing in this circumstance. So first off, it's a traitor. So go ahead. And we. At this point, you just want to try and use everything you got because you're going to draw back up at the end this turn. So your attack style uses two intellect cards. So put those out.

[Peli]

Okay, so I got. I hit the Alma class. That's what it's called. But the yes, yes defense.

[Keith Baker]

Now, smartest person in the room might be useful later. So you can hold that for a moment. But if you use psychometry, that means when you hit it, you're going to get information about it. That, first off, makes it up to seven.

[Peli]

Great.

[Keith Baker]

And second, the big thing about psychometry is if you burn two sparks when you use makes them vulnerable, it means you're understanding their secrets. And that rounds your damage up instead of down. Would you like to do that?

[Peli]

I would like to. So if I burn two sparks, do I take one out?

[Keith Baker]

You take one out. And not only that.

[Cronus]

What the heck?

[Keith Baker]

The more important thing is that you have made them vulnerable. You realize their weakness. You sense that. Again, they're just sort of energy contained in this body, and you're able to shout to people.

[Shadowdark Narrator]

Quick, use something metal.

[Peli]

Yes.

[Keith Baker]

That'll channel the force. You are completely out of cards, so you are done. So draw back up.

[Peli]

Okay. Sounds good.

[Shopify Advertiser]

Thank you.

[Keith Baker]

There's just one left, and it is going to attack you. So with only one left, the attack has dropped now to a value of 8. You can use any two cards, and you also draw an extra card because you're durant so draw one card.

[Cronus]

Draw one card.

[Keith Baker]

And if you can show me two cards with a value of eight, that will protect you. So you avoid this attack and pass that torch to any one of these people.

[Peli]

I'm giving it to the finish it off.

[Keith Baker]

There's one left. You've got a lot of strength.

[Pyre]

What's its weakness?

[Peli]

It's spiders. It's metal. It just crush some sort of metal through it.

[Pyre]

Why don't I. Yeah, I'll just hit it with my axe.

[Keith Baker]

Okay. All you need to get is, is a seven here.

[Pyre]

Okay.

[Keith Baker]

And you're adding three because you're injured. So as a bidder, you add three points to your attack. So you're allowed to play two cards in the attack. And let's see, that's all you need. Nine points. Describe it. So you're finishing him off.

[Pyre]

I cleave him exactly down the middle and he splits. 50. 50 falls apart.

[Keith Baker]

And with that, the last one falls to the ground. You're standing over him with your burning axe. The light fades as the creature collapses. The researchers huddle together, shaking, sobbing Medic runs over to one of the injured people, examining their wounds.

[Peli]

I turn them away from the ones that you crushed.

[Keith Baker]

And that's where we're going to stop.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

When.

[Keith Baker]

When we return, you'll be able to talk to these people, find out what they're doing and how you can help. But for that, you'll have to join us. Next time for Starter Kit.

[Pyre]

Next time on Starter Kit.

[Keith Baker]

What were you blowing up here? It's nice to have an opportunity to blow things up, you know what I'm saying?

[Cronus]

Whatever is coming out of here, we will take care of it.

[Keith Baker]

Every surface is covered with ice. It is definitely not natural.

[Cronus]

Keep going.

[Keith Baker]

Are we going to be okay?

[Peli]

You will be fine. I promise you that.

[Podcast Narrator]

Oh, the Regency era. You might know it as the time when Bridgerton takes place or the time when Jane Austen wrote her books. But the Regency era was also an explosive time of social change, sex scandals, and maybe the worst king in British history. And on the Vulgar History podcast, we're going to be looking at the balls, the gowns and all the scandal of the Regency era. Vulgar History is a women's history podcast, and our Regency era series will be focusing on the most rebellious women of this time. That includes Jane Austen herself, who is maybe more radical than you might have thought. We'll also be talking about queer icons like Anne Lister, scientists like Mary Anning and Ada Lovelace, as well as other scandalous actresses, royal mistresses, rebellious princesses and other lesser known figures who made history happen in England in the Regency era. Listen to Vulgar History wherever you get Podcasts.

[Sonic Podcast Narrator]

The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not so dark, not so stormy, hard boiled detective story that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the intrepid Chaotix Detective Agency as they take on their biggest cape yet. This high flying, action packed adventure will take them across the world, fighting for every clue they can find. It's one heck of a tale, which is good because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives.

[Keith Baker]

Well, if that's all, I can just dispose of you. Wait, what?

[Sonic Podcast Narrator]

All will be revealed in Sonic the Hedgehog Presents the Chaotix Case Files. Listen now. Wherever you get your podcasts, the Chaotix.

[Keith Baker]

Are on the case.

[Shadowdark Narrator]

The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders and armies scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survival survivors claw to what's left of a broken world, praying the Darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadowdark, the Darkness always wins. This is old school adventuring at its most cruel. Your torch ticks down in real time and when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules light nightmare with a story that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s and man, it is so good to be back. Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the Shadow Dark every Thursday night at 8pm Eastern on YouTube.com theglasscanon with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us in the dark.