Quests N’ Answers | Inside Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode Ep. 14

Summary

Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry: Quests N’ Answers | Inside Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode Episode 14 Summary

Release Date: January 22, 2025

Welcome to a detailed exploration of Episode 14 of Quests N’ Answers, Geek & Sundry’s exclusive after-show for Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode. Hosted by Danielle Radford alongside cast members Jason Nguyen and Amy Vorpahl, this episode delves deep into the latest developments of the Goblin Mode campaign, offering fans an insightful breakdown of key plot points, character evolutions, and thematic elements.

---

1. Episode Introduction and Cast Overview

Danielle Radford kicks off the episode by introducing the cast and setting the stage for an in-depth analysis of the latest Goblin Mode episode. She humorously warns listeners about spoilers, emphasizing the quality content awaiting those who have followed the campaign.

Danielle Radford [01:27]: “We're going to break down the latest episode of Goblin Mode for you in just a moment...”

2. Recap of Recent Plot Developments

The conversation shifts to recent events where three goblin minions find themselves in charge after the disappearance of their necromancer master. Danielle highlights the shift in pace from high-stakes battles against death cults and specters to more nuanced interactions with local goblin merchants.

Danielle Radford [03:01]: “This was a big change of pace from the last four or five episodes. We were fighting death cults... now we're negotiating with goblin merchants...”

3. Character Naming and Development

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the creative process behind naming goblin characters. The cast shares anecdotes about generating whimsical and memorable names, reflecting their characters' personalities and the campaign’s humorous tone.

Jason Nguyen [07:21]: “I named these characters all by myself, and it did take some time... Flobby Bonks and Guzzle Shucks...”

Amy Vorpahl [09:05]: “We need to know everyone's true name. For example, Tippi's full name is Bus Flug.”

4. Setting and World-Building Insights

Hannah Waddingham provides insights into the campaign’s setting, inspired by a blend of Disney’s whimsical swamps and the darker elements of Watership Down. This fusion creates a rich, multifaceted world where light-heartedness coexists with underlying horror.

Hannah Waddingham [12:11]: “A lot of my inspiration is Disney from the '80s... Like the swamps, I think of them as lighthearted, much like The Little Mermaid.”

5. Gameplay Mechanics and Story Integration

The hosts discuss the integration of gameplay mechanics with storytelling, particularly focusing on the "Bone Pile" mechanic. This feature adds a humorous yet strategic layer to combat encounters, emphasizing the characters' vulnerability and the importance of tactical decisions.

Danielle Radford [20:19]: “The Bone Pile mechanic is narratively hilarious. Our job was just to stand there and, like, rah. If a gallantling bonks us, we collapse into a bone pile.”

6. Themes and Metaphors

The episode delves into deeper themes of identity, growth, and the struggle to shed past identities. The characters' journey from being mere minions to carving out their own destinies serves as a metaphor for personal growth and self-discovery.

Hannah Waddingham [10:39]: “The characters are growing in ways I'm not expecting... It’s special to see them burning down the past and evolving.”

Amy Vorpahl [27:14]: “Busy is fully enjoying living a life like her own person... It’s scary, on the knife’s edge of an apocalypse, but she’s getting to be her own person.”

7. Future Directions and Teasers

Looking ahead, the cast teases upcoming challenges such as the Goblin Games and potential confrontations with characters like Fug. They hint at future plot twists involving magic, alliances, and unexpected character growth.

Danielle Radford [23:33]: “What's gonna happen when Tippi has to compete for both of his daddies in the Goblin Games? We will find out next time...”

8. Player Insights and Reflections

The hosts reflect on the collaborative storytelling process, expressing enthusiasm for how the characters are evolving beyond their initial roles. They appreciate the balance between humor, strategy, and emotional depth that Goblin Mode brings to the table.

Jason Nguyen [21:32]: “I love how much these characters are actually growing... It’s easy to lose myself in that because it’s so nice to feel somebody try and get better.”

Danielle Radford [24:06]: “Fibs and Bizzy are carving their own path. They are new entities, excited to tell their own stories outside the traditional monster archetypes.”

Conclusion

Episode 14 of Quests N’ Answers offers a comprehensive dive into the Goblin Mode campaign, highlighting the creative processes behind character development, world-building, and thematic storytelling. The hosts' reflections provide valuable insights for both avid followers and newcomers, showcasing the depth and creativity that Geek & Sundry continues to bring to the RPG community.

Stay tuned for the next episode, where the cast promises more exciting developments and continues to unravel the intricate tapestry of Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode.

---

For more adventures and detailed breakdowns, visit Geek & Sundry and explore their extensive collection of actual play podcasts.

Transcript

[Dan Casey]

This show is sponsored by Better Help. Greetings adventurers. It's a brand new year and that means there are 365 pages in your story just waiting to be filled. Maybe you're ready for a plot twist, or maybe there's a part of your story you've been wanting to revise. That's where something like therapy can make a difference. It can be like an editorial partner helping you to pen new chapters and create the bold, meaningful story that you deserve to live. I personally have greatly benefited from therapy, giving myself the tools and structures needed to deal with complex and overwhelming feelings like grief. And finding a therapist that works for your needs is easier than ever thanks to BetterHelp. BetterHelp provides access to a diverse network of more than 30,000 credentialed therapists with a wide array of specialties. BetterHelp is fully online and it makes therapy affordable and convenient, serving more than 5 million people worldwide. Write your story with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com goblinmode today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H-E-L-P.com goblinmode.

[Jason]

Love.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Exciting and new hello. Hannah Waddingham here. Have you seen the fabulous new Sun Princess? World class entertainment, exceptional dining, and the greatest pizza ever. Don't miss our come aboard sale with.

[Sarah Gabrieli]

Up to 40% off and free room upgrades. Visit princess.com or call your travel advisor to book Princess Cruises.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Terms and restrictions apply. Off rents 22825 Ships of Bermuda and.

[Danielle Radford]

British Registry From Goblin Games to weird last names folks. It was one heck of a Goblin Mode. I'm Dan Casey and this is Sagas of Quests and Answers. We're going to break down the latest episode of Goblin Mode for you in just a moment, but first let me introduce my amazing cast, Danielle Radford.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Amy Vorpal.

[Jason]

Decent win.

[Danielle Radford]

Now, before we go any further, I do have to remind you, as is customary before any Goblin Games, there's going to be some spoilers in them there. And if you haven't listened or watched the latest episode of Sagas of Sundry Goblin Mode yet, well, frankly I feel bad for you because you're missing some quality stuff. And also, this is going to make no sense. So, you know, make better choices, come back and we'll talk about it again later. All right? With that very succinct warning out of the way, I gotta ask Jason yeah? As an only child, is it customary to point a gun at your siblings?

[Jason]

I'm not an only child. I do have a Brother. But, yeah. Oh, yeah. You're an only child.

[Danielle Radford]

I know your birthday.

[Jason]

Yeah, yeah. I was like, yeah, it's just something, you know, you think about. You think about sometimes. They get you there sometimes. And sometimes the only answer is violence.

[Amy Vorpal]

He was very New Jack City. Like, am I my brother's keeper?

[Hannah Waddingham]

What are we doing?

[Danielle Radford]

Just Tiffany with a tear down his face. Oh, my God.

[Jason]

Well, it's the only time I actually get to roll well in, like, a combat encounter. And so, oh, yeah. It just felt like I had to seize the moment.

[Danielle Radford]

It was one heck of a moment. We'll come back to learning all about your siblings, Juck and Tog and the rest of your family. This was a big change of pace from the last, I want to say, four or five episodes. We were fighting death cults. We were fighting negative specter images of ourselves and our own memories. And now we're fighting against our inability to properly negotiate with local goblin merchants and purveyors of ill will and mushrooms.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yeah, it's really interesting. You were brought through a portal into the very heart of the whole Sundaros, like, battle arena. And then you're launched into kind of a whimsical little land where goblins are just doing their own thing. They're almost as if they don't, you know, they know of Cyther Verelia. It seems like they're impressed when you mention it. But are they really inside the stakes of the world? Not really. They're not.

[Danielle Radford]

Yeah. I mean, if you think about it, like, in the larger sense, it's like saying, oh, yeah, I fought a bunch of Satanists. Or just like, you're just random. Like, sure you did okay. I bet half of them don't think the scythe really even exists.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yeah. Yeah. They're just kind of like, oh, that sounds like a big evil thing. That doesn't really bother us over here.

[Danielle Radford]

But I also like that. To me, I am like, big, big anime fan. Love Shonen anime love. Specifically, a tournament arc.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yay.

[Danielle Radford]

And that is exactly what we're setting up for, Tippi. To sort of prove that hard work and stick to itiveness can overcome even the most naturally gifted of goblins. You're gonna go full Naruto in the Chunin Death Exam?

[Jason]

I've got to. Yeah, I've got to go from Genon to Chunin, or however it works. But I couldn't do it without my bannermen and my. What was it? Yeller Holler, Holler, holler, holler. Speaking of Yeller hollering sweet Ass rap.

[Amy Vorpal]

Oh, good lord. I. I do these things to myself, and then y'all. And I'm like, yeah, no, that is how improv works.

[Hannah Waddingham]

And then you crush.

[Amy Vorpal]

I have crochet. Yes. I can't say no, wait, I wanna know.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Like, wait, how do you. How are you good at that?

[Amy Vorpal]

I'm not. That's how that works.

[Hannah Waddingham]

No, no. Disagree. Okay, so, like, just fundamentally disagree. Like, how do you practice? Do you just.

[Amy Vorpal]

I do not rap. I do not rap because it's not my voice.

[Hannah Waddingham]

So you just sit at home. Do you write poems? Do you.

[Amy Vorpal]

Absolutely not. I am bizarre. I am prose only. I do. I will say. You know what?

[Jason]

We got a strict prose only rule in the house.

[Amy Vorpal]

Pros before prose. I will say, you know what I do like? I like a lot of alliteration. Like, when I. I was recently watching this, I wrote VO for one of those kind of like, hey, this is what food is like in different places that no one gets to eat, but you get to watch someone else eat. And I'm listening to the Ito's, I'm like, you can tell it's me because it does hit. It's very, like, alliteration. Alliteration. Weird pun. Maybe something sexy. Alliteration. It's probably that because I do write very alliteratively. So maybe like, that's. I've always got kind of like, I let you know. It's like, rhymes.

[Hannah Waddingham]

But you also. It wasn't just the rap. It was like, you also did, like, a whole story as well.

[Danielle Radford]

I think you're talking about the rap, but I think you're talking about when you did the yeller hollering for Tippi to impress everyone in the square. The FMMI crust, the Fummy Crust clan, The Ballad of Tippi, like the spoken words anthem. That was awesome.

[Jason]

It was awesome.

[Amy Vorpal]

And it's like, that's all what happens. And when you say it out loud, it's like, yeah, he is him. Tip.

[Danielle Radford]

He's that guy.

[Hannah Waddingham]

He's that guy.

[Amy Vorpal]

He is the dude. When you go through and you think of the arc of everything that he's been through before. Yeah, I didn't even start with Escape from a Dungeon and all those other things. You are well on your way to being a hero of myth and legend. You just have to turn it up with a real big voice, as you said, just like, make your voice real big.

[Danielle Radford]

That's why when Fibs was talking to Wendt Cudgegloom, the local bookie shroom slanger, everything I was saying about Tippi is like, I don't believe that because it sounds literally unbelievable.

[Jason]

Tippy doesn't believe that.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yeah. Stood up to the Scythe. Also died and came back. And, yeah, it's a little bit out of their purview, for sure.

[Jason]

So, Amy, I gotta ask, what's up with these last names? Did you just generate, like 100 plus.

[Danielle Radford]

Crazy bust flog, pulba Slappers, Murky Flood Gunk.

[Jason]

You dropped some bombs on me today and that Tippy's last name is Bus Flug. And, you know.

[Danielle Radford]

Sweet.

[Jason]

Sweet.

[Danielle Radford]

And Judge Glumgen Moss. Pronk.

[Jason]

Oh, you know the sexiest name ever? Pekara Donknozzle. Pretty cool.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Well, you're Goblins.

[Emily]

You're right.

[Jason]

You're right.

[Danielle Radford]

I'm saying you're gonna be Donk Nuzzlin.

[Amy Vorpal]

Okay.

[Jason]

I hope I. Donk Nuzzle.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Listen, I work. Yes, I named these characters all by myself, and it did take some time, but I worked on a show one time where I was an actor, and it was a space show and they had to name aliens, and they named them these kinds of names. And it was so fun. And it's just too fun to not dive in and make you and do these. Yeah. Say these names out loud. Remember them, write them down. And then I did one, a Feywild campaign for DD Live. And I called it Flobby Bonks and Guzzle Shucks and ever. I think.

[Jason]

Guzzle Shucks.

[Amy Vorpal]

I'm sorry, one more time.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Flobby Bonks and Guzzle Shucks. Got it.

[Jason]

Okay.

[Danielle Radford]

Yeah. Bonks and Ghosts.

[Jason]

Bonks and Ghosts.

[Hannah Waddingham]

And ever since then, it's like, you know, you get few delights as a dm, you know, and you just gotta take your little candy where you can get it.

[Danielle Radford]

I mean, I was delighted. That's why I kept asking for everyone's full name.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Full name.

[Amy Vorpal]

What's the last name?

[Hannah Waddingham]

We got him. You haven't even scratched the surface, let me tell you. Good.

[Danielle Radford]

You better believe I'm going to be vigorously introducing fibs to every he comes across.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Good, good. That will make me happy and make me feel like my work meant something.

[Amy Vorpal]

Yeah. More government names, please. Like, we need to know everyone's true name. Speaking of you, like, just straight up. Tippi has decided that he has cast his family aside. He is officially now part of the Tarot Squad, which I guess it would be like the.

[Jason]

Which is now our surname.

[Amy Vorpal]

Which is now our surname of the. I don't know, of the LA Squads. Like, what would we. Where are we from? Our family? I don't know. We need a crest. Well, we've got a crest now. Cause we've got that beautiful.

[Danielle Radford]

Yeah, we have. Which will hopefully gussy up in post production. But yeah, the one that I drew is.

[Jason]

No, that's it. It's legally drawing anything out.

[Danielle Radford]

I was just like doodling. And you're like, oh, you're drawing it right? I'm like, yes, I am.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I do like. Cause when I was picturing it, I was like, okay, how would that even look? And I'm sure you were doing the same thing. And I was like, well, if a spider is holding eight guns, that actually means that there are zero legs left to stand in.

[Danielle Radford]

I have to imagine there's just like. You can't really see it in the background because it's so like gossamer thin, but just a small, like a little bit of webbing from the spider butt leaning towards off flag. Holding them up.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yes. It's a gorgeous image.

[Jason]

And let's not forget that Luff has a gun now.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Luff does have a gun.

[Danielle Radford]

Luff has one gun. We have to make seven more. And a clipboard.

[Jason]

You're right.

[Hannah Waddingham]

And Tibby has another gun. But it's not the same.

[Jason]

It's not the same gun. But, you know, it's time for him to have his own gun.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yeah.

[Jason]

You say yes. So. So hesitantly, let me have my gun.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I did. I love that.

[Amy Vorpal]

Bacara was like, look, you don't need like a gun. And Tippi's like, but counterpoint what if gun.

[Danielle Radford]

But I also rolled a nat 20.

[Amy Vorpal]

So get me a gun.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I do like that. He's like, that is news to me.

[Jason]

Yeah.

[Hannah Waddingham]

It that strength can.

[Jason]

She just has confidence somehow from nothing. What is that?

[Danielle Radford]

Maybe she's a weregun.

[Jason]

Maybe she is. That's the answer.

[Danielle Radford]

She was bitten by something confident. I love that. This town, this weird little swamp village that has goblin gladiator games also randomly has beautiful hot springs.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yeah, it's a swamp. It's got some cool nature that isn't completely hideous.

[Jason]

What was the inspiration for this town? Was there any place you were thinking of when you were making where are.

[Danielle Radford]

In Finfettled near Finfettle Delve or Fidfettedove Fitfiddle Dove.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Fitfettle Delve.

[Amy Vorpal]

Meyer Finnell Pond Fit Fiddle Devil.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yes. Meyer Finn upon inspiration is. I guess it's. Yeah, I guess Fantasy Swamp. And then I don't know. I think a lot of my inspiration as I've been talking to the art director when I've sent them photos I'm like, wow. I think everything that inspires me is Disney from the 80s.

[Jason]

That's a solid.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Because it's like. Even the swamps, I think of them as light hearted. Under the water, it's definitely like Little Mermaid. And then this swamp thing. It's like. Well, sure, it's swamps, but also I'm picturing, I think the Lion King. I don't think I'm doing this consciously. It's just like that's burned into my head as far as I like that.

[Danielle Radford]

This is like the picture that you think you're painting when in reality it's like Watership Down. Just like horror and odd.

[Jason]

Yeah. I was like, I don't think you were there.

[Hannah Waddingham]

No, no.

[Danielle Radford]

It was fun though.

[Jason]

I don't think that would be Disney.

[Danielle Radford]

They tore a corpse apart and fed it to a demon turtle.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Right.

[Jason]

Disney in the 80s. Goo heaven. Yeah.

[Danielle Radford]

Nemo in Slumberland.

[Hannah Waddingham]

So I always.

[Amy Vorpal]

Oh, Gob's gonna happen.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I always. That I wanted a swamp place. Cause I think, you know when you're thinking about Dungeons and Dragons, you think that that's like a geographical area. But I will say that there was a time where the story was taking a different path. And we were not gonna come to this swamp, actually.

[Danielle Radford]

Oh, really?

[Jason]

Really? Yeah.

[Danielle Radford]

Are we perhaps gonna go to that biome still that you're thinking of a.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Tundra or a taiga, per chance? Why would I tell you that on any level? Why would I tell you that? The way things have turned out. There is something that we may have. There are maybe a couple locations that. Yeah. Just didn't get played with.

[Amy Vorpal]

All right.

[Hannah Waddingham]

But maybe we'll still go. I don't know.

[Danielle Radford]

Definitely a tundra or a taiga.

[Jason]

I know what we should do. Let's just abandon the Goblin Games.

[Danielle Radford]

And you don't want that we formally withdraw. He's like, no, we'll kill you.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Look, there's a reason for everything.

[Danielle Radford]

Sure there is.

[Hannah Waddingham]

There is a reason. And maybe you'll find out what the reason is. If you abandon it. Maybe you won't find out what the reason is.

[Danielle Radford]

Yes.

[Jason]

Right.

[Danielle Radford]

You must follow the trickle of clues emanating from the donk nozzle.

[Jason]

The donk nozzle.

[Amy Vorpal]

One eighth of a mushroom at a time.

[Danielle Radford]

Yes. Look, we're just gonna get. I'm gonna get Tippy all shroomed up for his big day.

[Jason]

Yeah. I guess I have to be high out of my mind to be in the Goblin Games.

[Danielle Radford]

Don't worry, Everyone else is doing it. These are performance enhancing mushrooms.

[Amy Vorpal]

No one can tell you're totally fine.

[Danielle Radford]

This is gonna last forever.

[Jason]

I think we have to figure out a way to hang onto our gold more, too. Cause we're in so many situations where they're like, money, and we're like, here's all of it.

[Danielle Radford]

Well, I consciously wanted to give away all of it because I want fibs to have his uncut gems arc. That is where I'm just like. He's just like, oh, I've heard of gambling, and I want him. He's so confident that Tippi's gonna take home the prize that he's like, I'm confident. It's basically free money.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I do like that. When you were negotiating with that, that cudgeugloom was like, why, though? Like, super suspicious. This guy just showed up and knows about him.

[Danielle Radford]

Oh, he's, like, one of my best friends, and I believe in him.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yeah. But there was nothing really to hang.

[Amy Vorpal]

Onto, and definitely feels like we fixed the fight. Like, if I'm that dude, I'm like, okay, then they've definitely fixed this fight.

[Danielle Radford]

But that's encouraged. So I don't know why he should be so suspicious.

[Amy Vorpal]

It is weird to.

[Hannah Waddingham]

It is weird to run a game that is surrounded by goblins who are notoriously cheaters, liars, undercutters, subterfugers.

[Danielle Radford]

Please do not slander Pulpa slampers like this.

[Amy Vorpal]

Yeah.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Paula Slampers, the worst of them all. Drooling, overcome with cheatery, and then also go, okay. But there are rules to the game. But also, everyone is like, we'll see what happens. It's gonna be fun.

[Jason]

At what point did you know that they were all gonna be from the South?

[Hannah Waddingham]

Look, I will give credit to the writer Ryn Eller Sheldon, for that, because she was very, very convinced that this should be flavored with that.

[Jason]

Yeah, I guess we're in the swamp, and maybe they're bayou people.

[Amy Vorpal]

Swamp.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Bayou. Also, it's kind of like a county fair situation or like a church picnic, but goblin mode.

[Jason]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Danielle Radford]

Come to the church picnic. We have gladiatorial duels, but also a beautiful spa or pineapple. Yeah.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Who knows if anyone's gonna interact with that? But I will say that the last four episodes have been so high octane that if we kept going at that pace, we're.

[Jason]

We're gonna die. We were gonna die again.

[Hannah Waddingham]

It's like, everyone's gonna die all the time. And so to have this respite, maybe, or just a different. Where it just makes a lot of sense to take a step back from literally The Scythe of Irelia. Who is the. Like, it feels like the Scythe of Aurelia is like a big bad that anyone would encounter in season five or something like that.

[Jason]

No, I always appreciate it when the adventures get to take like that breath after, you know, getting out of the Mind Memoria and, you know, like, just regrouping and talking about it.

[Danielle Radford]

It's not quite a shopping episode.

[Jason]

No.

[Danielle Radford]

Cause we don't. We're not good with money.

[Jason]

We are not good with money.

[Danielle Radford]

We're shopping for information.

[Hannah Waddingham]

But you did trade a loof conversation. Four mushrooms.

[Danielle Radford]

Yes, we can barter.

[Amy Vorpal]

We impressed it.

[Danielle Radford]

Impressed it worked because I was also like, I don't know if Luff can be understood by this random ass goblin bookie.

[Hannah Waddingham]

It really is.

[Danielle Radford]

She's picked up a couple words from us.

[Hannah Waddingham]

She has. And she. Yeah, we've got some skeleton lore added to the canon.

[Danielle Radford]

Well, we'll see if that's actually lore. If this is just Luff's lies. That skeleton spark.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Oh, what a shame that would be if it wasn't lore at this point.

[Jason]

Yeah, yeah, some crazy lore drop downs today. Skeletons fart, you know, donk nozzle. Let's just not be.

[Danielle Radford]

I'm go ahead and assume that it's a phase spider trying to pass the bug.

[Jason]

Yeah, we had some clipboard subterfuge. That was cool. You were spying on folks.

[Amy Vorpal]

Yeah, like, I just. Aside from the fact that obviously Busy's super excited to get to do some spying because that is something that she's super into now. It was also one of those things where it's like, well, would I rather get more secrets to help genuinely? Or would I have rather went and started stealing everybody else's weapons? And part of me was like, if I go and steal everybody else's weapons, we have no hp. We have enough. That's right.

[Jason]

We all have one hp.

[Amy Vorpal]

We have enough with the Song of Rest. That it was like, I just want us to get us enough that if something did happen, at least we could, like, bone power.

[Danielle Radford]

We can take one hit.

[Amy Vorpal]

We could take one hit and be okay enough, not just be completely dead. Had we went into this encounter with more hp, it was probably ghost.

[Hannah Waddingham]

We haven't brought this up in a while. That you all are squishy classes. You've all chosen pretty squishy class.

[Jason]

I think that's pretty clear.

[Danielle Radford]

It is very clear which combat encounter gave it away. All of them.

[Hannah Waddingham]

But even with your multiclass, when it's like, oh, okay, busy's gonna really get some constitution up in here, it was like a rogue. Well, I think you.

[Amy Vorpal]

As I continue to level up in both of these, I'll get some more fighties and probably some other stuff. But mostly it's just, like, I want to be talking and squishy.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I love it. I fundamentally love that it is a squishy group. And it's basically, everyone has chosen a class for the story, not for balanced party tactics.

[Danielle Radford]

I will always be three hits away from needing to roll a new character. That is my promise.

[Amy Vorpal]

Well, and I do also. I think that that also speaks to what our role was in Undzug's Lair. Our jobs were fighting. And then also some of you got to use some of your artificer stuff with traps.

[Jason]

Yeah. Just making traps.

[Amy Vorpal]

Yeah. Again, like you said, we were code, so it was just like, take sword bank, Take sword bonk. And now that we're able to choose new lives for ourselves, it makes sense that all of us are like, hey, maybe we're gonna try to do something where it isn't just hit big thing with stick and run.

[Danielle Radford]

It also makes the Bone Pile mechanic narratively hilarious, because if you think at the beginning, our job was just to stand there and, like, rah. Like a scarector at, like, Halloween horror nights, and like, a gallantling coming through the dungeon would bonk us once with a sword, we'd just collapse into a bone pile.

[Jason]

Yeah. It's incredible.

[Danielle Radford]

You're like, oh, that felt really satisfying.

[Hannah Waddingham]

It is. I mean, we've been doing this for a while now, and it really blows my mind how much story and theme and metaphor that we're actually uncovering with kind of a gimmicky premise, you know, just like, oh, your minion's in a dungeon, and. And however it's turning into. But you're real people. Three hundred and sixty degrees, coming of age, like, growing and burning down the past. And now here we are. I couldn't have predicted any of this. Having a romance, burning down a romance. Yeah. It's really special.

[Jason]

Yeah. I love how much these characters are actually growing, and they're growing in ways that I'm definitely not expecting, because I'm trying to go out there. I'm just trying to shoot stuff with my gun. That's really the only. I don't know if you guys noticed. I am just trying to shoot things with my gun.

[Danielle Radford]

Or yeet your brother.

[Jason]

Or yeet my brother. Right. If I have to, I'll yeet my brother. But it is interesting, these moments that I find Tippi actually really growing and Learning, like, even just that dance with Pekora at the end and managing to say, I love you, and. And even that came out of my mouth, I was like, oh, wow. You know, like, he got there, and I don't know. It's easy to lose myself in that because it's so nice to feel somebody try and get better. Right?

[Hannah Waddingham]

Yeah. It is interesting that we don't have a resolution there. There was a part of me that was like, maybe we get a resolution in this episode with Chippy, but it's not a problem.

[Danielle Radford]

No, it makes sense that she wouldn't let him off the hook like, that he missed his. He missed his very clearly defined moments.

[Jason]

Yeah. Yeah. You don't fumble the Badd.

[Danielle Radford]

Very understandable why she would be like, no, dude, what are you talking about?

[Amy Vorpal]

Yeah, especially, like, going into it with being like, oh, hey, is that guy watching?

[Danielle Radford]

Yeah. Oh, Judge.

[Jason]

And it's also like, hello, Judge. I know a terrible way to start that romantic encounter.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Well, y'all may not, but I am, like, an expert dater. Like, I'm very good at dating. Not great at. I haven't found a person, but I'm very good at dating. I've dated, like, my entire life. Been single forever. And so, like, that. That's part of. You know, you get some of that as a dungeon master going, oh, are we doing.

[Jason]

Yeah, I felt a little. Yeah. Felt a little something there, Amy. I was like, a lot of vitriol from.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Not vitriol, but just going like, okay, like, what is. What actually is happening? I was, like, clocking.

[Jason]

I'm sorry. It's tats.

[Danielle Radford]

Hippie gungy.

[Hannah Waddingham]

No, it's just. Yeah, Noticing, like, okay, well, if you're talking about the judge, like, there's a lot to clock there. That. Yeah.

[Jason]

Is it true romance? Yeah. Yeah. It is insane to me.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Showing my slip. Showing a little. Or a lot. Who knows?

[Jason]

It's insane to me, though, like, you know, again, talking about character growth. Like, not just for Tippi, but for these two guys. Like, it is crazy to me, the hijinks that we are up to, but you guys were locked in, like, eternal cat and mouse and died at each other's blades. And it's funny, so funny to just imagine you two next to each other as Bizzy's rapping and fibs is waving a banner around. Like, I want to hear more about, like, you guys as players thinking about that being your backstory, even though you had to burn it down and how that plays into, like, the choices, I think, for fibs.

[Danielle Radford]

At least it was kind of like his desire to know more about that was almost not tainted, but it was just like. Kind of like, oh, I feel like I know everything I need to if that's who I become when I'm left to my own devices, if I follow this recursive path of dwelling in memory for so long that I become this weird, incorporeal dream lich in the form of Fil Varel. And I definitely want to know more about certain things still. I think there's certain things that Fibs uncovered about himself through those memories, through hearing about Fil Varel's memories, about what Fibs or Phil had been up to when he was alive that are probably going to inform Fibs mission, because it seems like they were sort of aligned. Fibs had this deep and abiding interest in the Sundari in collecting all of these items. And it certainly sounded like Fil Varel was doing something similar. So that may come back. But at the same time, just because Fil Varel and Berygneus had this adversarial sort of cat and mouse relationship, steeped in a mutual respect. And yes, they ultimately killed each other in one of the coolest scenes in the campaign so far. But that is not who Fibs and Bizzy are now to Fibs like they are their own people. Those people died and we were reborn. And while we are technically the same, being on that long, linear timeline, we are new entities and carving our own path. And I think that is exciting to Fibs and exciting to me as a player in the larger context of, like, who are these monsters outside of the sort of context in which most people experience them. And how can they tell their own story?

[Amy Vorpal]

Yeah, because so much of, like. Because so much of the story is about, like, even shedding the past of being a minion and going forth in the world and joining in the world, there is a lot of that. Like, we can use that as almost like a cautionary tale of the people that, like, for Busy, it's like the person that she doesn't want to be. And so much of that is. I mean, and I kind of lampshaded the selfishness of it, but also, so the fact that, like, you know, she had to be selfish because, like, she didn't take the risks that she should have taken and she wasn't brave enough to do that then. And that isn't gonna be that something that, like, Busy doesn't wanna do. And Busy is, like, fully enjoying living a life like, all of this, you know? It's really scary, and it's, like, on the knife's edge of, like, an apocalypse. But it's living a life and getting to be, like her own person. And so it's having that there and that informs. And it's like, you know, very much good to know. But that almost feels like it's like the hazy. It's a hazy dream of just someone else's life. And this is who Busy is now. And Busy has her own aspirations and, like, her own things that she.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I love that y'all are on the same page about that and how there is another version where this all meant very, very much to you, and you go back and look for that past. You know, it's something that I had prepared for, like, oh, this mat. Not that it doesn't matter, but it matters to the story, and maybe that'll feed in. And the fact that you're burning it all down, it's just kind of like, yeah, great. Now let's really tell this tale and what's happening throughout this campaign, as when you began, it was like, well, who do we know? We know the people in the dungeon. Obviously, Tippi's got a little bit of backstory, but not really. He doesn't know these people intimately anymore. Anymore. It's more like, sorry, but as we're moving forward now, you're realizing you're knowing people in this world in several different geographies, and you're making your mark on them. There are people you can call upon. You even were asking about Chab and Dupper. It's like, oh, you're recalling things that have happened, and that just means that the connections you've made, they haven't been these futile, like, how you doing? Okay, bye. It's like you're mattering to the world, and the world is mattering to you.

[Jason]

But you know who. No one asked for Fug.

[Danielle Radford]

I was gonna say my apologies to Fug.

[Hannah Waddingham]

I asked for Fug. My apologies to Fug, who I apologize for Fug.

[Danielle Radford]

Could not remember for the life of me. I was scrambling back through notes, and you're like, oh, you didn't really remember Fug. I wrote him down. But, like, sometimes my handwriting is like a doctor in an earthquake. It's just illegible.

[Jason]

Yeah, mine. You don't wanna see my next.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Fug was one of those completely. I was like, if Plixie's here, who else is here?

[Jason]

And it was like, oh, yeah, totally. Fugs his.

[Danielle Radford]

When you said, he's the circle guy, he's very round. I'm like the guy who's just circles. Yes.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Oh, I'm glad you remember that. That's how you would draw.

[Danielle Radford]

And I forgot that he's the one who bit Tippi, which is so good.

[Amy Vorpal]

Yeah, it was that moment when he was like, I'm an eagle. Yes, you are. You're an eagle.

[Danielle Radford]

You're my spawn. He said to you?

[Jason]

He called me his spawn.

[Danielle Radford]

So horrible. This is gonna be really interesting to Res. What's gonna happen when Tippi has to compete for both of his daddies in the Goblin Games? And we will find out for ourselves on the next episode of Sagas of Sundry Goblin Mode. How this shakes out, time will tell, but I can't wait to see who wins. Night night. Frog stompin'the. Onibaba dance. The oombaba dance. There's so many. And the fourth secret one. There's a secret event. And who knows? He's gonna be hopped up on mushrooms. But you'll find out what's gonna happen for yourself next time when you tune in. Watch however you choose to consume. We appreciate it. Thanks for watching and we'll see you again soon. Bye. Bye.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Bye, bye.

[Sarah Gabrieli]

Hi, I'm Sarah Gabrieli, and I've traveled to every single lesbian bar in the country for my podcast, Cruising.

[Amy Vorpal]

Dancing was a no, no, no.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Women dancing. That would be something that, yes, the.

[Amy Vorpal]

Cops would grab you for.

[Hannah Waddingham]

There were no black owned female gay bars.

[Amy Vorpal]

We needed a place of our lawn in those days. We went to the bars to socialize because there was no other way. When you went to Brady's Bar, you.

[Hannah Waddingham]

Knew you were safe.

[Sarah Gabrieli]

This is Cruising, a documentary podcast about queer spaces, history and culture. Each episode of Cruising features a different space and tells the stories of the humans that run it and the humans that call it home. You can listen to Cruising on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Season one and two are available now, so be sure to binge them before season three, which will go beyond the bars to queer bookstores, farms, peace encampments and more. Premiering February. Forth.

[Emily]

Welcome to the ultimate social deduction game.

[Danielle Radford]

Blood on the Clock Tower.

[Emily]

The Evil Team must stalk the streets at night, hunting down members of the Good Team one by one. Meanwhile, the Good Team must outmaneuver the Evil Team using their unique abilities.

[Jason]

I'd like to kick things off by telling you all that I'm possibly the Demon.

[Emily]

Our players can mislead and manipulate others with absolute freedom. I didn't like hearing my name in the same sentence as demon. That was very upsetting for me. Emily and I will be your storytellers, guiding you through every labyrinthian twist and turn.

[Amy Vorpal]

How are there so many evil players in this game?

[Danielle Radford]

What's happening with guests from no Rules.

[Emily]

Bard, the Pandemonium Institute, and Oxventure? You won't be able to stop listening. Go to realmspod.com clocktower to find out more. You should listen to the GamesWifty Biz Microcast more people are playing games than ever before. They've never been more popular, and the business behind it is facing some real challenges and changes. There's been tens of thousands of layoffs, hundreds of studio closures as major companies face rising costs and falling sales. There's uncertainty around the future of game consoles. There's legal and government intervention into how games are even being paid for. The role of AI is changing how games are being made. There's the impact of games like Fortnite and Roblox dominating everyone's time. And then there's the desperate work wait for Switch 2 and GTA 6, and that's just 2024. Two leading business journalists with a combined 35 years of experience offer you a weekly guide through all of this and more. I'm Christopher dring, head of GamesIndustry Biz. I'm James Batchelor, editor in chief of GameStry Biz, and you can join us every Monday for the gamesindustry Biz Microcast, the most important stories, expert guests, exclusive market data, and all in less than 30 minutes. Usually, the GameStry Biz microcast every Monday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.