Part 6: An Ending is an Ending | Starter Kit - 7th Sea Edition

Summary

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Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry

Starter Kit – 7th Sea Edition | Part 6: An Ending is an Ending

Host/Game Master: John Wick
Date: October 27, 2025
Podcast: Geek & Sundry

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Episode Overview

This episode marks the thrilling conclusion of the Starter Kit’s 7th Sea mini-campaign, led by game designer John Wick. Our cast of ragtag adventurers returns for a final, high-stakes confrontation with villain Antonio Villanova, set in a centuries-old Vodacce tavern. The session is packed with collaborative storytelling, cinematic action, and a heartfelt debrief discussing the story’s end and the open-table nature of the 7th Sea system.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

1. Brief Recap and Setting the Scene (01:04)

• John Wick briefly summarizes last session’s dramatic moments: betrayals, lost ships, and a looming final showdown.
• The action begins in an ancient, unnamed tavern in Vodacce, where Antonio Villanova brags over his ill-gotten victories before being confronted by the PCs.

2. The Showdown Preparations (04:36–09:17)

• John Wick sets up the environment: “This is your opportunity to do the biggest, baddest, most overly dramatic, nasty, coolest, most vicious, blood curdling, blood thirsty bar fight of all time.” (05:16)
• Players strategize, pool their resources, and spend hero points to set up a massive bar brawl.
• The tavern is described with classic swashbuckling flair: “Everything you've ever seen in a pirate movie, everything you've ever seen in an Errol Flynn movie is here.” (08:15)

3. The Cinematic Bar Fight (09:17–15:48)

Highlights:

• Player 2 (Benedict): Smashes Villanova in the face with a barstool, launching the melee. (10:10)
• Player 1: Stomps on Antonio, calling out his dishonor to the queen. (10:46)
• Player 3: Rather than break Villanova’s arms (which would incur corruption), humiliates him by hanging him upside down by a chandelier and pulling down his pants. (11:46–12:08)
• Player 4: Calls in the cavalry—her Haraguan sisters crash through the windows to join the fray. She delivers a pointed speech to the villain:
  “Men like you are treated a certain way where I'm from.” (13:00) “We’ll take everything that you own... It’s no longer yours.” (13:18)
• A new wave of Vodaće brutes descends for a second round, but the players creatively dispatch them using the tavern's scenery, teamwork, and a well-timed swing from the chandelier. (15:12–15:48)

4. Villanova’s Last Stand (16:01–19:54)

• Villanova, injured and desperate, frees himself and attacks with a knife, wounding a PC (five wounds). The PCs restrain him using the magical chain, but not before he hurls the hook at a player’s eye, giving her a piratical injury. (16:45–18:55)
• He is ultimately defeated, tied up, and handed over to the Brotherhood of the Coast. As he's taken away, he vows revenge, shouting “Vendetta! Vendetta!” (19:56–20:06)

5. Burn It Down and Set Sail (21:20–22:39)

• The crew torch Villanova’s ancestral tavern with cheap rum, collect their spoils, and commandeer his ship for their next adventure.
  Player 1: “You're burning that motherfucker to ground.” (21:28)
• Elena reveals not all is lost—Harry and Henry are alive and need rescuing, propelling the crew toward new quests.

6. The Epilogue & Teasers (23:22–23:39)

• A cryptic “nice coat” exchange with a new sailor reveals hints at secret societies within 7th Sea:
  Player 3: “But who is Upman?”
  John Wick: “Upman.”

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Game & Player Reflections

Player Highlights & Most Memorable Moments (24:00–28:45)

• Player 2: The moral dilemma of sacrificing the artifact for the captain, showcasing the game’s emphasis on tough choices over combat. (24:00)
• Player 1: The pivotal moment pulling Elena back from the brink of villainy, allowing for redemption. (25:06)
• Player 3: The “Avengers moment” when all players synergized their skills, likening their teamwork to assembling Voltron. (26:07)
• Player 4: The evolving inter-player relationships and personal growth as a first-time RPG player, emphasizing how the system supports organic teamwork. (26:42)
• John Wick: Gratified by seeing his players evolve from rule-learners to a true crew, using the game's mechanics collaboratively. (27:39)

What Challenged or Surprised the Players (28:45–33:54)

• The open-ended, player-driven story structure of 7th Sea was liberating, challenging expectations set by other tabletop RPGs. Multiple players commented on enjoying the freedom to shape the narrative (“pass the story”).
• New players admitted the openness was intimidating at first, but rewarding as the boundaries and trust in one another developed.
• John Wick discusses GM techniques like “yes, and…” and “yes, but…” as a way to enable player creativity while maintaining narrative structure.

Secret Society Reveal & Hidden Clues (34:24–35:43)

• John Wick reveals a secret missed by the players:
  “That's a nice coat” is a code phrase for the Relisciari, a secret society in 7th Sea aiming to shatter Vodacce’s power structures.
  The correct reply is: “Upman gave it to me.”
  He notes he planted this as a potential thread to revisit in future games.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is your opportunity to do the biggest, baddest, most overly dramatic, nasty, coolest, most vicious, blood curdling, blood thirsty bar fight of all time.”
  — John Wick (05:16)

• “You're burning that motherfucker to ground.”
  — Player 1 (21:28)

• “We’ll take everything that you own... It’s no longer yours.”
  — Player 4 to Villanova (13:18)

• “We made Voltron and we all fought together. I found that to be the most... that’s the takeaway moment for me.”
  — Player 3 (26:20)

• “That's a nice coat... It is a code phrase for one of the Secret Societies in 7th Sea... the Relisciari.”
  — John Wick (34:31)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:04 – Recap and immediate setup for the final showdown
• 04:36–09:17 – Players prepare for bar fight, pool resources
• 10:10–13:18 – Action-packed brawl and creative non-lethal villain defeat
• 16:45–18:55 – Villanova’s knife attack and last-ditch attempt at freedom
• 19:56–20:06 – Villanova vows “Vendetta” as he’s dragged away
• 21:20–22:39 – Crew burns the tavern and claims Villanova’s ship
• 24:00–28:45 – Player reflections and favorite moments
• 34:31–35:43 – Secret society code phrase explained

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Conclusion & Takeaways

This final 7th Sea session delivers high-stakes swashbuckling, character-driven resolution, and a peek behind the curtain into collaborative, open-table RPG storytelling. The cast’s reflections offer valuable insight for both experienced and new players, celebrating the freedom, teamwork, and surprises unique to the system. John Wick closes with gratitude, foreshadowing future tales and deeper secrets yet to be unearthed.

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Transcript

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[John Wick (Game Master)]

Reese, she killed my family. She's that way. Elena's about to commit murder and her halo is pitch black.

[Player 1]

Well, that's awkward.

[Player 2]

I feel like I want to get that coat.

[Player 3]

Oh, I'm going to do the chain thing.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Reese falls off the cliff. You should be able to see the ship, but it's not there. Welcome back to Starter Kit. I'm John Wick, the creator of 7th Sea, and this is our sixth and final episode. We've reached the end of the story. Now, games like seven Sea are storytelling games. They're designed to help the players in the GM tell a story. And sometimes stories jump ahead. Sometimes stories flashback. But when it reaches the end, it's about the end. So there's a tavern in Vodace. It really doesn't have a name, but it's very, very old. It's 500 years old. It's been in the same family that entire time. And it's right on the docks of Mondavi. And in that tavern, there's a man that you would recognize. He called himself Mondavi, but he's really a Villanova, Antonio Villanova. And he's sitting at the table and he has his feet, his booted feet up on the table. And he says, that's when I stole the ship from them. I got myself loose from the chair. I overtook the crew. I threw that gangly sailor over the side. And Henry, that deformed thing down in the decks, he didn't stand a chance. Then I took their ship and I sold it to the Atabean Trading Company. And I made myself a small fortune. And the other Vedace men are Tapping the table and toasting his health and laughing at about how stupid Avalon sailors are and how super trusting and naive Castilian sailors. And you really don't want to hear what they say about the people from the Atabean Sea. And that's when a girl comes down and she holds his cheeks and then she says his name. Antonio Villanova. And his eyes get wide and her fingertips clench into his cheeks. Antonio Villanova. And he starts to struggle in the chair and he throws her off and she lands on the ground and she skids across the ground to another table of sailors. A table of four sailors whose beards are a little bit longer than they were the last time we saw them and whose hair is a little bit bedraggled and dyed from long, long days in the sun. And it took you a month to get here. You had to build a raft, then you had to get out into the sea, then you had to get picked up by another brotherhood of the coast ship. But you got here and Elena pointed him out to you. And she reaches up and looks at you and says, antonio Villanova. And the four of you sitting at the table.

[Player 1]

Wow. That's lots of process.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So you guys are in the tavern, you're wearing Reece's coat.

[Player 3]

Yeah.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

You have the device, you have the artifact, and you have your brute squad. And you guys are here. This is an action scene. So there's a villain in the scene. I'm gonna roll dice for the villain and you guys are gonna roll dice for whatever your approach is. I know you guys know how to do approach by now.

[Player 2]

Yep.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And this is your opportunity to do the biggest, baddest, most overly dramatic, nasty, coolest, most vicious, blood curdling, blood thirsty bar fight of all time.

[Player 3]

All right, let's do it. Let's kick some ass.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So you guys know what your approach is? You guys know what to do?

[Player 3]

Yeah.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Do you want to spend. Do you want to spend hero points to help each other? As a matter of fact, you know what?

[Player 2]

I'm going to do all sorts of things.

[Player 1]

Like go all out.

[Player 3]

Yeah. Let's combine. Can we combine all that?

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yes, you can. I'm going to give everybody one hero point for the really intense scene we had in the last session.

[Player 3]

Great.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And so I've got a brute squad. I've got a ten point brute squad. I got my little notepad here and I got my villain. What's your approach?

[Player 2]

My approach is I couldn't think of a better time to do brawn and brawl.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

I can't think of a Better time than that either.

[Player 2]

I mean, even though that's kind of been my one note when I approached it, what could I do now?

[John Wick (Game Master)]

What do you want to do?

[Player 1]

I am angry at this Antonio dude for many reasons. So two in brawn, and we're going to try one in athletics. So I can do fancy flips or something.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

I don't know.

[Player 1]

We'll see.

[Player 2]

And I'm gonna spend a hero point to help her.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So you're gonna work together?

[Player 2]

Yes.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

All right.

[Player 2]

Awesome.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So you get three bonus dice.

[Player 1]

Oh, yeah.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Cap' n equals.

[Player 4]

Well, I noticed that I have an advantage called sweeten the pot, where I can spend some of the money that we've acquired over time. Can we? If folks are okay with it, I'd like to spend that money and acquire some additional rounds on me.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

I'll get drunk. First is she can spend wealth to create raises. Wow. Okay, so I'm gonna give you 3 wealth.

[Player 4]

Okay.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So you can spend 3 wealth to just give yourself. Bang. Three raises.

[Player 4]

Okay. Can I allocate them out or those?

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Well, you're gonna be rolling them all together.

[Player 4]

We're together. Okay.

[Player 1]

I wanna give Benedict some help.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So you guys are fighting together? Yeah.

[Player 4]

All right.

[Player 3]

Lastly, I'm using brawn, and I'm skipping scholarship this time for athletics.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Okay.

[Player 3]

And I want to spend a hero point for reunion to get all of our dice together.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

All right. So, yes, as you do that, you all get up from the table, and you're all approaching Villanova, and he and his brute squad is approaching you. And it's the scene with the wide screen and the two groups, you know, getting ready to fight. And as you do, Elena reaches over and she grabs your cheeks with her bloody hands, and she kisses you hard on the lips, and she says your name, your whole name.

[Player 3]

Oh, wow.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And you, dun da dun, get four bonus dice.

[Player 3]

Oh, hell, yeah.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Cool.

[Player 3]

All right.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And you notice a small. Cause she has bloody fingers. You notice a small cut on her hand suddenly appears. All right, interesting. That's weird. Everybody ready?

[Player 4]

Yes.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

I'm gonna roll my dice. You guys gonna roll yours on the table like we did before? Yeah, let's do it.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Player 3]

Oh.

[Player 1]

Where did that one go?

[Player 3]

That one went crazy.

[Player 4]

I was ambitious with that roll.

[Player 3]

Hang on. It was a six.

[Player 2]

Okay, let's start putting them together.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So as you guys count, here are the things about the tavern. It has chandeliers, big wooden chandeliers with candles on them. The whole tavern is made so it could catch on fire really easily. And remember, the tavern is owned by his Family. And it's been in his family for 500 years. Oh, so there's liquor. There's liquor everywhere, so it's easy to grab liquor. There are tables, there are chairs. There are no ladders, but there are tables and chairs. And that's a wrestling joke that no one will get. And there's everything nautical here, so there's ropes, there's an old ship's wheel, there's a stairway that leads up to the top. Rooms, there's. Which means that there's a balcony that'd be really easy to jump off and grab the chandelier and swing. The chandeliers are held up by ropes, so you could cut the chandelier and go up to the top and drop things down. Everything you've ever seen in a pirate movie, everything you've ever seen in an Errol Flynn movie is here, and it's available for your use.

[Player 3]

Great.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So how many raises you got?

[Player 2]

12 raises and two leftovers.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

I will buy your leftovers, and I will give each of you a hero point. All right, so there you go. I have no idea how to do that with this kind of thing, so I'm just going to make it up on the spot, Okay? I just. Hey, my name's on the book. I can do what I want.

[Player 2]

All right. Those are their dice.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Oh, these are your dice. There you go. All right, so you guys have the most raises. So what happens first?

[Player 3]

Well, we got it. Let's completely murder that man. Yeah, the man who stole our shit.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

But remember, what happened was happening to Elena's heroic halo as she was trying to murder someone else. It started to turn dark, so we want to be careful.

[Player 3]

So maybe murder is the wrong approach.

[Player 2]

Benedict grabs the closest barstool and just.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Charges and just charges in.

[Player 2]

Yeah, to just smash it over his head.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

All right, Spend a raise. How many raises do you want to spend?

[Player 2]

I would like to spend, because, remember.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

You have a brute squad, so we can kind of like add the brute squad into it.

[Player 2]

Right? So I'm going to spend two to make sure that we're real good here.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

All right? So you charge in, you grab bar chair, bar stool, whatever, and you charge in, smash it over Villanova's face. It break. It goes into his face. You see teeth fly out of his mouth. Your guys jump into their guys, and the brawl is on. It is guys throwing each other, women throwing each other, people getting thrown over the bar, people getting thrown through the windows. It's on. So what's next? Let's just go around and do it this way. So what's next?

[Player 1]

I am all about taking down Antonio. So I want to go and I want to stomp on his face. Just maybe not the best use for raise. But I'm really mad about him dishonoring my queen.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

All right, so. Because you remember what he said about your queen?

[Player 1]

Oh, of course I remember. So I'm just going to spend one raise.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Okay. So he gets knocked down by the chair, and he falls down right in front of you, and you just pick up your heel and shove it right in his head.

[Player 1]

I'm spitting on him too.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Just extra. Good. Good. So you knock a few more teeth out of his. Out of his handsome mouth.

[Player 1]

That's right, I do.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

What do you want to do?

[Player 3]

Oh, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna break both of his arms, and one for Long Tall Harry and the other for Deaf Henry.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

You can break his arms, but if you do, you're kind of committing an evil act.

[Player 3]

Okay.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Because he's down. I mean, kicking him when he's down, that's okay. But kind of like breaking his arms and stuff. So you can do that. You can fully do that. However, you're gonna get a corruption point.

[Player 3]

Okay.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And you should know what that means, because Elena was about to get one.

[Player 3]

Okay? So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna get a little bit more creative here, okay. I'm gonna use the magic hook from the coat, and I'm going to hang him by his foot by a chandelier, and then I'm gonna pull his pants down.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

That's awesome. Yeah, yeah.

[Player 3]

There we go.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

All right.

[Player 3]

So you'll be shamed in front of the whole bar, basically.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Player 3]

Yeah.

[Player 4]

So he's hanging upside down.

[Player 3]

Yes.

[Player 4]

Okay, I'm gonna have a word with him. I have something to tell him now. Time has passed, and I've been able to recruit some of my Hiraguan sisters. They've heard about some of his actions, and they're here, and I've summoned them, and they're all approaching him, and I.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Tell him, hold on to that for one second. So what happens is, through the window, about a dozen Haraguan women leap through the windows. And everyone's like, what? And they're in the fight now.

[Player 3]

There we go.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And they're fighting along and they're doing all this stuff, and a couple of them fight their way, help you fight your way over to the villain.

[Player 4]

And what I tell them is that women are treated a certain way where you're from. Men like you are treated a certain way where I'm from.

[Player 3]

Nice.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

You see fear enter his eyes. What way is that?

[Player 4]

Well, I'm trying to picture. You're already upside down. Your pants are off. Pants are off. We'll take everything that you own. Your ships, your crew, your wealth. Anything that's important to you. It's no longer yours.

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[John Wick (Game Master)]

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[Player 3]

That's great.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Next. Oh, we have more raises. How do you guys. It kind of seems like the villain has been defeated.

[Player 3]

They're outmatched at this. Very outmatched.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And that's when a whole bunch of new Vedace men rush in. Because it's the second round of the fight. So a whole bunch of new Vidace men rush in and they're trying to save. Save Don Villanova. And what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna say you have to spend 5 raises with these new guys to stop them from getting away with Don Villanova.

[Player 4]

Okay?

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So of the races you have left, you have to spend five. How many you have left?

[Player 2]

We've got nine left.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Nine.

[Player 1]

Nice.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Okay, so tell me, how are you gonna do or are you gonna do something else?

[Player 2]

Here's what I'm gonna do. So when I see the new guys show up, I am going to spend five races. But here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna tell the biggest Brute Squad guy that's next to me throw me up to that chandelier. So he throws me up to the chandelier.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Whatever you say, boss.

[Player 2]

Throws me up to the chandelier. And then with the force from him throwing me up, I swing around, and what do you know? My feet are exactly at that right height of all the new brutes that came in, and I knock them all out in a domino effect.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Oh, that's brilliant. And then at the end of it, the rope snaps, and you fall but land just gracefully on the ground.

[Player 2]

I land on my feet.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

That's right. Spend the raises. You have four raises left.

[Player 3]

So that took care of most of those brutes.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

That took care of most of the brutes. The villain is still hanging upside down, and you have threatened him. He has raises, and I have a danger point. So I'm going to say he becomes so threatened and so angry that he bends himself up, he pulls a knife out of his boot, he tries to cut the burning thing, but that's not gonna work. So instead, he cuts the chandelier loose, and he falls, and bang. He hits the ground. Ow. But because he's done that, he's now free. So he's gonna sprint a raise to do that, and then he turns to you with a knife in his hand, and he's gonna attack you with the knife.

[Player 1]

Can I jump in?

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Do you want to?

[Player 1]

Yes.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Well, it's gonna happen to her. So what do you have that allows you to jump in?

[Player 1]

Do I have anything? I have quick reflexes, but that's hide.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

That's hiding.

[Player 1]

I have. Oh, my hubris.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

What is your hubris?

[Player 1]

Being stubborn.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Being stubborn? Nah.

[Player 1]

No.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Okay, so he takes the knife, and he slashes you across the chest. You take five wounds, okay?

[Player 3]

Oh.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Reset your wounds and lose one dramatic wound. Everybody reset your wounds and lose one. So I'm back to one, because we are in a new session, so.

[Player 2]

And it's been a month.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And it's been a month, right? We've healed, and I have a danger point left, so I can kill someone who's got four raises left.

[Player 1]

Now I'm going after him. I just want to. At least I want to get the knife out of his hands.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

You spend a raise and get the knife out of his hands. So he goes in for another blow, you grab his wrist, twist it, and he lets go of the knife. And now it's in your hand.

[Player 3]

Yes.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Okay, next.

[Player 3]

I want to get. I want to take this guy out like, I want him to be done for, for good.

[Player 4]

But we can't kill him.

[Player 3]

But we can't kill him.

[Player 4]

He's against our code.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So widows don't commit.

[Player 3]

What if we. What if I were able to completely subdue him. Like, completely. Just tie him up or something. Maybe use the magic hook to, like, wrap him up completely, and then we hand him over to our pirate, the.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Brotherhood of the Coast.

[Player 3]

Yeah, exactly. The Brotherhood of the Coast.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So you want to wrap him up with the.

[Player 3]

With the magic chain. Yeah.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Costs a hero point to use.

[Player 3]

All right, I'm using it.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Okay, so you flash the chain. It wraps around him. He's gonna use a raise to say you tie him up. But he has one arm that's free. Okay, I have three raises left. You have three raises left. Villains go first. The hook is here. He grabs the hook, and it burns his hand. He throws himself. And the hook he throws at your eye.

[Player 4]

Ah, no.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And I'm spin a danger point, and the hook gashes your eye.

[Player 3]

Oh, no.

[Player 1]

You get a cool patch, though. It's fine.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

You are a pirate. As the thing is burning him. And then you pull the chain back, and the hook comes out, and her eye is just torn and awful and burned, and he falls to the ground. Got three raises left.

[Player 1]

Oh, that took a turn.

[Player 3]

Yeah, it certainly did.

[Player 2]

So where is he now?

[John Wick (Game Master)]

He's on the ground.

[Player 2]

He's on the ground. Let's tie him up. Let's take him out of here.

[Player 3]

Yeah.

[Player 1]

Yes.

[Player 2]

Yeah.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So cut two. He's all tied up. He's doubly tied up this time because apparently he was able to get out last time. You guys have conquered the tavern. You've conquered the brute Squads. And there's another Brotherhood of the coast ship that's here. And Villanova's being taken away in ropes. And as he passes you by, he says, you have hurt me, and I have hurt you. This is not over.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Player 4]

No, I'm kidding.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

That's great. That's great. And so they drag him away. And as they're dragging him away, he starts shouting, vendetta. Vendetta. As they drag him away.

[Player 2]

I really like that word.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Elena says every story you love, every invention that moves you, every idea you wished was yours, all began as nothing, Just a blank page with a blinking cursor asking a simple question. What do you see? Great ideas start on Mac. Find out more on apple.com Mac.

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[Player 4]

Things the right way.

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[Player 4]

Run your way.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

@Newbalance.Com running.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

He doesn't know what that word means.

[Player 4]

True True.

[Player 1]

I feel like he doesn't know what a lot of words mean.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So the tavern is there. The 500-year-old tavern that's been in the Vidace family for 500. Or Vidacci family, the Villanova family for 500 years.

[Player 1]

You're burning that motherfucker to ground.

[Player 3]

Burning it down.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So how do you burn it down?

[Player 1]

I am going to throw down the cheapest whiskey they have all over the place.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Cheapest rum, Cheapest rum.

[Player 1]

I also like whiskey. Emma. Well traveled, lady. But save some rum for ourselves. Light it on fire, the good stuff.

[Player 2]

We're walking out with bottles full of stuff.

[Player 4]

My one eye.

[Player 2]

Every brute squad is.

[Player 4]

Make sure we grab anything of value, make sure that it's safe to torch, and then we're gonna split.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So the scene cuts to the tavern in flames at night. So it's all dark, and the orange and red flames of the tavern. And you're reminded of the very beginning of the. Of all of this. When you came across that ship that was on fire, except this time the wood is actually burning. And as you step away, you step over, you have Villanova's ship, you have the galleon, the big galleon with all those guns. And what do you want to do with it?

[Player 1]

Use it to go find the Black Racer.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

He said he sold it to the Adeban Trading Company.

[Player 3]

It looks like we're setting sail to the Atoban Trading Company.

[Player 1]

We gotta get it back.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

There's a lot of ways to get leads. And as you're getting the ship up, Elena's helping with the sails. And you walk by her and she says, harry isn't dead. Where is he? Wait, no, he's over there. And she points out to the sea. We gotta get Harry.

[Player 2]

We're gonna get Harry.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Henry is there too.

[Player 3]

What? We gotta get Harry and Henry.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And as all of that is going on to everybody, you know, we gotta go get all these people. And the ship sets sail towards the sunset. As you sail away, and as you are, you start playing a song. And one of the sailors is there, and it's a new. You guys got a new crew. And you know, it's a brand new crew that you're recruited for the ship. And he sits down next to you and he goes, nice coat.

[Player 3]

Thanks, man.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Did Upman give it to you?

[Player 3]

I don't know who Upman is.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Let me tell you. And that's the end.

[Player 3]

But who is Upman?

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Upman.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Ah.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So did you guys all have fun? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Awesome. So I want each of you to tell me something that happened during the game that you thought was like a moment for you. Like the moment where you're like, oh, wow, this is it. What is the moment for you?

[Player 2]

For me, the moment was at the party when we had to make the decision of, you know, our captain has a magical chain around her neck. Every time Rhys pulls on it, she loses another five. She gets another five wounds.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yeah.

[Player 2]

And I think we talked at one point about how you like to put people in difficult situations. I was like. That felt like the only option for us was to give up the artifact, which I know was something we were desperately trying to hold onto, but I felt like the life of the captain was more important and that we could always get it back.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And you could have fought.

[Player 2]

Right.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

But the captain's life, in my mind.

[Player 2]

I'm thinking, thousand year old sorceress bleeds black blood. This is not gonna go well. Let's try to bargain our way out of this.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Cool. That's awesome. What was your big thing that made you gasp or catch your breath or anything like that? What was the moment? You were like, oh, wow, this is for real.

[Player 1]

So many moments. But I think by the time we all got up to the building where Reese was, and the intensity of that fight and seeing how dark Elena got, literally, to me at least, and pulling her back from that and stopping it, even though I really would have been okay with Rhys dying, I feel like that was a good hero moment is too. That we saved her not only from death in the ocean, we pulled her out, but we saved her from going completely evil.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yeah. It was the choice of Elena becoming a villain or saving Rhys.

[Player 3]

Yeah.

[Player 1]

And now she gets to be like, cute, happy girl running around tiny knots.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

What do you want?

[Player 2]

Knots.

[Player 3]

Yeah.

[Player 1]

Gonna be first mate captain in no time. Not of our ship. You're good. A different ship.

[Player 4]

Right, right.

[Player 3]

Maybe she could be the captain of the ship we got from Antonio.

[Player 2]

Free ship.

[Player 3]

Yeah, someday.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yeah, someday. So, Steve, what was the moment for you that you're gonna carry away from this and say, wow, I need to tell people about this?

[Player 3]

Well, I really liked the moment when we all came together and combined our dice and our points and our powers together. It felt like it was the Avengers moment.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

It was making Voltron.

[Player 3]

Yeah, exactly. We made Voltron and we all fought together. I found that to be the most. That's the takeaway moment for me because it was like, we all have our own special skills and stuff, but when we combined them to fight Antonio for the first time, I think we did A really great job.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yeah. Is that moment of the camera circling around the Avengers?

[Player 3]

Yeah, it really is. It really is. Awesome.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Shreya, what was it for you?

[Player 4]

Two things, mainly. The first is that we build history together. Like, we're this team that over sessions we are able to just continue to connect, and then our decisions are based on previous things. So I wasn't going to give you up because we had history there where he had sacrificed himself for me. So if we didn't have that relationship in a previous session, that would have been maybe an easier decision. So all of the elements and the scenarios you introduce are really dependent on all of these different relatable relational factors that I think kind of develop over time. And then similarly, I got used to, as a very new RPG person, I got used to becoming more open to trying out some other things, like my advantages or my virtue. And similarly, as a team, we grew over time to build just kind of like the skill to know how we can work together. And I think we got better.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yeah, you did. Yeah. You became a crew as the story went on. And so now you know each other's weaknesses, you know, hey, it's time to make Voltron, you know, and all the other things. Right. And that was really cool for me. That was really cool watching you guys learn how the game worked, like. Cause there's like, that first level of, okay, this is how I roll dice and this is how I put things together. But then you're like, hey, I'm spinning my hero point. And you're like, I didn't need to tell you. You're like, I'm spinning my hero point and everybody rolling together and doing the thing, and you're using your virtue to turn the villain points, danger points off. And that was really fun for me. Not only as a GM and someone for the mechanics, but watching you start to work together in this really neat way was really exciting for me. Is the part that I like the most.

[Player 3]

I just want to know what would have happened to Romero if they had sold him to Rhys.

[Player 1]

I feel like it could have been fun for a little while.

[Player 3]

Yeah, it might have been fun for a little.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

There's a small chance that we'll get Slashfic out of that.

[Player 3]

I really hope so. I'd like to read that. Yeah.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Awesome. So lastly, for those of you who have played role playing games before, I'm gonna ask this question, and then I have a question. What was it about the game that challenged you as a gamer and challenged your preconceptions of it? Because There's a lot of preconceptions in gaming when you play a role playing game, and this game kind of throws a lot of them out the door. So what was something that you looked at and went, oh, wait a minute, I can do this that I can't do. In other role playing games, the free.

[Player 2]

Form of it, the ability to describe a scene, and if you have enough raises, unless it's something completely unrealistic, the GM can just let you roll with it, so to speak. But yeah, really just the ability to sort of pass the story on to the player. Whereas with a lot of other systems, it's a lot more. There's a lot more rules and there's a lot more sort of regimented things that you can and can't do. Whereas a lot of games, the GM is the storyteller and he's telling us the story, and we're characters in the story, but it's the GM story. But we're with this game. We're all the storytellers together.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

So is that something that you feel comfortable bringing into other games? Like trying to implement that in different games?

[Player 2]

Depending on who the GM is and depending on.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

It's always about who the.

[Player 2]

Yeah, because every GM has their own. Has their own quirks.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yeah. Cool. And what was something that you found out?

[Player 1]

You know, mine's very similarly tied to that because we could use our raises to say, this happens. I feel like even though you're always going to go on tangents, that's just a thing. But I think that saves time because instead of trying to. Okay, well, let me roll for this skill. Did that help? Nope. How about this one instead? To get a specific answer, you can sometimes use a raise and say, this is the answer. Which is kind of a challenge too. Cause maybe you're not, you know, you have to think on your feet a little more. But I liked that. And having kind of that opportunity to get into the story, it's a little intimidating at first.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yeah, it is. Because you're power, like, what? Yeah, I can do that.

[Player 1]

This is not how. So that was fun. And I think it cut down on some of the meandering that can happen in other adventures.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

What was. It was something new that you encountered and like, whoa, what is that?

[Player 3]

Mine's very similar. Just kind of being able to use your points to kind of just go like, no, this is what. What happens? This is the truth of this next moment.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

It's the GM trusting you to go, what happens next? And you say this. And I'm like, oh, wow. Okay, let's go there.

[Player 3]

I'm very used to the GM saying, like, I don't know about that. Like, we're not. Let's not go there. Like, well, that's not what I had planned. But it's like in this game we could really just kind of go, like, we could turn the tables a little bit and say, like, this is what I want to do.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yeah. One of the skills I learned from improv was, of course, the yes and yes, but and everything. And one of the set things that you did was the I want to do the machine with Elena. And I was like, yes, but.

[Player 3]

Right.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

It wasn't a no, it was a okay, we can. And it was also a way to, like, unify everybody. And we had that moment where everybody kind of saw something that was going to happen to them. Right. And so that created that moment. And that's why I said yes and this.

[Player 3]

And then activating the artifact, you know, was a helpful thing. And it worked in that moment.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[John Wick (Game Master)]

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[Player 3]

Too.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

I thought that was great. So this is your first rpg.

[Player 4]

Yes.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

What is something that surprised you or took you off guard or.

[Player 4]

I think because it's such an open world, there's some hesitation about, so how do we really follow a narrative? Like, how does this all work? If anything goes? So with learning more about some of those limitations that with our different abilities to buy into things or things get taken away from us, then that creates these sort of like, nice boundaries for us to be able to move forward and have this meaningful story together. But I have to admit that that openness kind of created a little bit of anxiety for me about if I'M not guarded and careful. I don't know what threats that they're out there.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And that was certainly part of the first part of the game, is that everybody kind of felt, oh, can I do this?

[Player 2]

There's a ship on fire. Let's just go ahead.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

No, Mr. GM, I am not interested in your plot.

[Player 1]

We see what you're doing.

[Player 2]

Just sail around it.

[Player 3]

Man. There's so many things cut on her hand at the end. The final kiss.

[Player 2]

So what's. What's the most awesome thing you had planned but that we totally skipped over because of the decisions that we made?

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Well, you almost missed the artifact.

[Player 2]

That's true.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

And I had to have Harry go get it for you.

[Fred Greenhalgh (Podcast Host)]

Oh.

[Player 1]

Because we didn't want to go over.

[Player 3]

And that's why he jumped for it.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Yeah, that's why he jumped for it. Now, I had a whole bunch of plans for you to find the artifact. You could have found it somewhere else and all that other stuff. So you almost missed the artifact, but the thing that you missed was something that I actually hid from you. I drop notes about it, I drop clues about it. And of course, it's the coat. And the coat is a. That's a nice coat. It is a code phrase. It's a code phrase for one of the Secret Societies in 7th SEA known as the Relishari, or the Free Thinkers. And they have a goal of bringing down all monarchies and all the church and all. And the patriarchy of Vodace, casting down all powers. They're about smashing the statues. And the passphrase is, that's a nice coat. And the way to reply is, Upman gave it to me. So that's the secret. And it is a secret society in Seven Sea. And when you started playing your character, I went, you've got to be a part of the Relish iari. Your character has to be a part of the Reliciari. So I dropped that hint. And then if we do it again, they'll show up.

[Player 3]

Wow. Very cool. I'm into that.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Awesome. That is the sixth and last episode of 7th Sea Starter Kit. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you learned not just about 7C, but a lot of the GM techniques and a lot of the player dynamics that were going on during the game. It was one of my goals was not just to teach 7C, but to introduce a whole bunch of different kinds of. Of techniques that GM can use to. To heighten the game level a little bit and raise the tension in a few places. So I hope you learned something and if you did, that's good. And we'll see you next time on Starter Kit. Hey, Michael. Hey, Tom. Okay, so you want to tell him or you want me to tell him? No, no, no. I got this. People out there. People lean in. Get close, get close. Listen, here's the deal. We have big news. We got monumental news. We got spectacular news. Yeah. After a brief hiatus, my good friend.

[Player 2]

Michael Ian Black and I are coming back.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

My good friend Tom Kavanaugh and I are coming back to do what we do best, what we were put on.

[Player 2]

This earth to do.

[John Wick (Game Master)]

To pick a snack, to eat a snack, and to rate a snack scientifically, emotionally, spiritually. Mates is back. Mike and Tommy Snacks is back, A podcast for anyone with a mouth with a mouth. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

October is Halloween month, which, yes, is a thing. And on the Vulgar History podcast, it's also Mary Shelley season. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, the book when she was a teen mom on the run with her boyfriend, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. She got the idea to write Frankenstein when her sister's boyfriend, Lord Byron, dared them all to write a ghost story one night. And now it's one of the most famous books of all time. It turns out that this story of grief and parenthood has deep personal connections for Mary Shelley. She learned how to write as a child by tracing the letters on her dead mother's grave. And her gothic life only got more scary from there. People around her seemed to keep. Keep dying, leaving Mary Shelley ultimately the last girl, the only survivor of that famous overnight party where she had written Frankenstein. We're taking a deep month into Mary Shelley's life and world on Vulgar History this month to figure out was Mary Shelley the ultimate goth icon. Listen to Vulgar History wherever you get podcasts.

[Fred Greenhalgh (Podcast Host)]

Hi there. Fred Greenhalgh here, director of audio dramas like DC High Volume, Batman and Star Khan. However, my one true love remains all things spooky, and I'm excited to say there's a new season of my horror podcast, Undertow. This season is called Familiar Haunts, Standalone horror tales that reveal how the past is never truly gone and humanity may be the most ruthless monster of them all. Here's a sample from the first episode about a man who returns to the house he grew up in after receiving a creepy voicemail from his mother. Let's hear it, shall we?

[John Wick (Game Master)]

Mike, help me. I'm not alone in here. I'm not alone. Jeez. Just walking. Just walking toward me.

[Fred Greenhalgh (Podcast Host)]

Hear the rest by listening to Familiar Haunts, available on Undertow subscribe to Undertow wherever you get your podcasts, such as the app. You're listening to me right now. In addition to the weekly releases of Familiar haunts, We have 11 previous seasons with everything from werewolf tales to underwater monsters and creepy reincarnated twins. So get your spooky fix by subscribing to Undertow.