Episode 6 — Swim Toward The Light

[admin 330]

The sun has set and the gang has no choice other than to swim in the darkness toward the specs of light up ahead. Ell Ryan (Gerry Duggan) summons his spirit bear to gain an advantage while Amarth Amon (Brian Posehn), Blackee Green (Blaine Capatch), and Bartho Shett (Ken Daly) paddle their way toward the light using the sail that Mildred Maxton (Sarah Guzzardo) managed to rig. The dungeon master (Mr. Sark) will be their guide to what lies ahead in this pitch-dark night. Plus, the gang announces their alignments and tell us about Brian’s past D&D character, a pickle loving Jackie Chan.

[choochoo_the_wonder_slut 740]

Please don't Ned Stark this.

[Cabbagehead 61]

Shit's getting real.

[Lukas Holmes 2287]

Loved the ending.

[Kodo 19]

So...any guesses as to what creature they're battling? The floating ship makes me think they are playing an Eberron campaign. Not too sure about other settings, don't know much about them other than Forgotten Realms.

[wombat02 2]

Am I wrong or has BlackyGreen the warlock not used a spell this entire thing?

[Corky Kneivel 113]

This podcast has ignited in me a burning yearning to play D&D and/or Pathfinder. It’s also got me scouring the inter-web for other D&D podcasts. However, everything I’ve found pales in comparison to this one for a few reasons:

1. These are professional comedians and/or writers. The jokes between them aren’t just dork banter and there isn’t a bizarre deference to the Alpha-Dork among them. Even when they aren’t funny they’re funny about how unfunny they’re being. It’s like MST3King a D&D campaign.
   
2. This DM is fucking great. I’m into it for the story of it and the details he brings. A podcast of dice rolls and in-jokes would be boring as shit. This guy, unlike nay others I’ve found, paints the scene incredibly well. On the PvsP/Penny Arcade D&D Podcast the DM is good at acting out the bad guys moves but then he lets the players just talk and talk and push him around. Sark does a good job of balancing story teller, referee, player, & zookeeper.
   
3. This group has played together so long they have a rhythm to how they play and know each other’s playing styles. It comes through.
   
4. Blackie Greene, Spirit Bear, the shittily named Armoth Amon just charging ahead and destroying things then stopping to think about if he should have, a fair dwarven girl everyone still calls ugly and gay, & nu-id druids. PLEASE MORE BLAINE CAPATCH COMMERCIALS.
   

[tiles 13]

Wow! Love the ending! Also glad to hear this an ongoing recording. Real danger at every turn, cool monsters(?) and the unknown setting has me begging for more!

 

LOVE IT!

[pongo 190]

So how long do we have to wait until the promo code in the commercials is bear.

[donaldj 14]

Nerd Poker is quickly becoming one of my more anticipated podcasts. Sark is doing an excellent job as a ring leader here, he seems to know when to rein in the gang but stil lets them riff long enough to be entertaining.

 

I'd love to see some more in-depth nerding about D&D rules and strategy, but that may isolate some of those less familliar with the game.

 

Excellent ending to this episode. Can't wait for the next one.

[choochoo_the_wonder_slut 740]

Am I wrong or has BlackyGreen the warlock not used a spell this entire thing?

 

I was wondering the same thing this morning, looks like a level 1 Warlock in 4e has a damage spell and some kind of interrupt thing.

 

This show could use a wiki to reference since both the listeners and the party seems to forget what happened previously pretty often

[modeminitstring 0]

Previous Exploits in Nerd, Nerd Heritage, Pio-Nerding in the Past, From the Vault of Nerd, Remember When.., The Nerd Old Days, Ghosts of the Nerdy Past.

[therealMATTLOXLEY 135]

i love brian's breathing! dont worry bout it man!

[Kodo 19]

Am I wrong or has BlackyGreen the warlock not used a spell this entire thing?

 

He unleashed some kind of spell 'blast' that had everyone holding their noses. That's all I remember.

[punkrockcaveman 2]

I think they should draw their characters on the table, kinda like in that picture under Steve Agee's name

[donaldj 14]

How about "A Brief History of Shit We Did In The Past" for the tales from past adventures segment? Or, "Remember That Time When Something Awesome Happened?"?

[Kodo 19]

'Legends Of Might & Morons'

[benk 257]

I love this podcast! Agree with what other people have said above - everyone is hilarious and good natured, and Sark as a DM is incredible. I was so roped into the first story, that all got thrown out, and this second bit he's got going is equally intriguing.

[Ferdynand 10]

So, in D&D terms darkness means death? Or is there a chance my favorite character is alive? And by that I mean the bear.

[choochoo_the_wonder_slut 740]

I can't really see them killing Ell Ryan off so early. I understand Sark stated he'd kill any or all of them at any time, but hey this is broadcast entertainment. Maybe he'll come back as Ell Ryan the White ala Gandolf. Or he'll just wake up somewhere next episode.

[Brendan 96]

Here's a few suggestions for the "crazy shit that happened in old adventures" segment name, though I wish I knew some D&D terms to make bad puns off of.

- Glory Rolls (bad pun on glory holes, in case you couldn't tell)

- Perception Bonus

- Buenos Botches

- Fables of Fail and Furor

- Dice Rolls & Ice Holes (of Yore)

- Roll Again

[Skeevins 322]

Maybe they could talk about any Magic: The Gathering tales they have in a special segment called "Whip Out Your Decks, America!"

[Sirson 14]

I think the segment should continue a good rift off the poker theme. Perhaps something like:

 

Badbeats,

Flushed

, All In (Can stand up when this segment is announced and a mock pushing in all your chips)

,The Kicker

[ABadIdol 0]

Other Dimensions?

[Kronos_Deftone 5]

Great episode. Loved the cliff-hanger ending.

 

I just wanted to make a quick point about D&D/role playing: Racism belongs in D&D. Racism is to D&D as ketchup is to french fries. Anyone who's ever played knows that in-game racism adds so much RP flavour to the game that to avoid it would make for a boring campaign. It's just probably better if they stick to D&D racial slurs and avoid any real-world racism on account of people not knowing how to take a joke anymore. I'll reference last years rape fiasco on that point as this is very much a public game. That being said; I thought it was hilarious when they were recapping the "Pickle-loving Jackie Chan" character and Brian was embarrassed to do his racially insensitive Asian impression/Jackie Chain voice. I think embarrassing white people with racially-skewed public awkwardness is one of the most hilarious things you can pull. That reminds me of a racially-skewed public awkward D&D situation I had about a year ago:

 

I was playing with a group in the back corner of a comic book store and I was sitting with my back to the door and the rest of the store. I was playing a Human Paladin and one of the guys in the group was playing a Chaotic/Neutral Drow Bard. The bard had just done something incredibly foolish and (as far as my character was concerned) morally reprehensible and (in character and in my outside voice) I shouted "YOU BLACK BASTARD!" expecting uproarious laughter, but the entire group (of white guys) got really quiet and looked down at their character sheets. What I didn't know (because my back was turned away from the rest of the store) was that the only black guy that I have -to this day- ever seen in the store was standing directly behind me. Luckily, he was also a nerd, had been listening to the game, knew that my buddy was a Drow, and that I was referring to the character and not to him and started laughing. But for about two seconds I thought the guys I was rolling with were going to shit their pants, and that was one of the greatest awkward pauses I have ever been part of.