Questions for Sark

[Mr Sark 227]

Mr Sark -

How can we help keep you guys cooled off this summer? If the answer is just "Donate", can you give us an "ish" figure so we can try to coordinate and make it happen? I really appreciate the entertainment value of this podcast and I feel guilty sitting in my air conditioned office while the six of you are sweaty and uncomfortable for the sake of my entertainment. I'll try to coordinate the effort if you can give me some parameters. I've got a promo guy in the area and I bet he'd drop off or deliver some fans for me if we can find some that aren't too noisy. Let me know how I can help, and what you can and can't use in the studio.

I have no idea how the donations work. I'm still trying to pretend that this isn't being recorded. Money stuff is Earwolf's biz. We're just nerds rolling dice Appreciate the love though! Will your promo guy bring the fans and then gently fan us while softly humming Enya? That would be delightful.

[Mr Sark 227]

So if (WHEN) you switch to 2nd Edition are you going to try and "downgrade" the current characters or start a new campaign from lv1?

Can't wait to see the forums explode with "WTF is THAC0?!".

We'll just transfer the characters over. Seems daunting but that's the beauty of pen & paper for me. Flex it to your own ends. Bend it until it's fun Possibilities are literally infinite. Would be a shame to trash a campaign because there isn't a page on Dragonborn in the old books!

[Mr Sark 227]

Sark!

 

The code word for your secret phone rolls should be like, a sighing raspberry lip-flapping sound. It's distinct but not suspicious.

I need to know now that you said it! I was listening like crazy for it last episode but I couldn't tell.

 

Also, did you role play with Gerry a little bit before he came back to figure out where he was "starting" in relation to the others, or did you just tell him what was going on off mic? Why is he missing a hand, did he just choose that?

 

Any-hoo, you are awesome, stay incredibly sexy. Thanks!

Gerry & I went into a side-studio for about 30m so he could brief me on the broad strokes of Sir Richard, and so I could give some campaign specific backstory, plus some fun tidbits he could use once he was back in. He chose the missing hand. But it isn't my place to divulge Sir Richard's secrets. In time I'm sure he'll share his story

[Silly Lacy 102]

I have no idea how the donations work. I'm still trying to pretend that this isn't being recorded. Money stuff is Earwolf's biz. We're just nerds rolling dice :)/> Appreciate the love though! Will your promo guy bring the fans and then gently fan us while softly humming Enya? That would be delightful.

 

Haha! I can probably talk him into taking them out of the box and plugging them in, but I think the humming is better left to Blaine.

 

But seriously, if I can help, let me know.

[TravisForshee 3]

We'll just transfer the characters over. Seems daunting but that's the beauty of pen & paper for me. Flex it to your own ends. Bend it until it's fun Possibilities are literally infinite. Would be a shame to trash a campaign because there isn't a page on Dragonborn in the old books!

 

You could just convert Brian's Goliath into a Dark Sun 2e half-giant. The dragonborn...I'm pretty sure there's rules for playing a Draconian in Dragonlance 2e that are very similar...you could probably could do that with only minor revisions. Converting a Warlock to 2e is trickier: the closest I could think of would be a specialist Wizard (maybe an Evoker or Conjurer) but it's still not quite right, although roleplay-wise, maybe a Bard would be a closer fit (i.e. 20 charisma).

[Chaosound 50]

2e (or 2.5e i guess) had a handbook for playing humanoid characters but i don't remember if there was anything like dragonborn in it

[choochoo_the_wonder_slut 740]

Sark, any suggestions on the perfect wedding gift for Honey Boo Boo's recently wed mother?

 

[mikemac 49]

Well, uh... candlesticks always make a nice gift, and uh, maybe you could find out where she's registered and maybe a place-setting or maybe a silverware pattern.

[Juan Swarlos 127]

Sark, any suggestions on the perfect wedding gift for Honey Boo Boo's recently wed mother?

 

I say take it a step further and talk to TLC about dropping some Honey Boo Boo sponsored loot Sark...Blackie would look great in that tux.

[RiffWizard 6]

Any chance of an episode where the crew runs into Will Smith and his son and they kill them? Perhaps in real life so they stop making bad movies? Just a thought...

[otisfunkyshits 67]

Hey Sark,

 

I noticed that no one has posted a drawing of the skiff. I was going to attempt it but am not entirely sure what it looks like. Are you able to provide a detailed description of what the exterior of the skiff looks like? In the meantime i will go back and listen closely to recent episode to glean as much specifics as possible.

[sparklett 18]

Sark, I was floored when I realized the entire Water Elemental Plane scenario was just a sidequest. I know you mentioned some (tantalizing) examples of missed sidequests/alternative paths earlier in the thread. I was wondering, in general, how much of that kind of branching do you bake into these campaigns when you write them?

 

I ask now mainly because the current adventure (hunting for meat to feed fartivorous meatsharks so they can ID the skeleton facehugger ladydrainer things) seems like one of the least likely branches they could've gotten to.

 

On an unrelated note, I can't watch Game of Thrones without thinking of Giantard and Firetits now. So thank you for the entertainment you provide, and also for completely ruining Game of Thrones.

[MarkS6957 4]

Sark, is the gas world based off of the one Carl Sagan talks about in an episode of Cosmos? I remember him talking about floaty gas creatures and flying shark monsters that would eat them.

[benk 257]

I'm curious about rewarding players when it comes to them coming up with good, clever ideas for responding to scenarios. Even if it might be something crazy. Do you ever lean towards things working with easier rolls or whatever so you don't shut down their creativeness? Or do you feel like that's cheating a bit and just stick to them rolling it out?

[hhlightcap 25]

Sark, would this work?

 

Have stargoyle eat the reactor engine or a piece of it and take him to the collectors mother ship and vomit the nuclear piece into their engine or star drive!!! Is it possible? I waited till after the episode was over before I posted. Too late now I guess. Or use the tuft as a giant nuke missle.

[Mr Sark 227]

 

You could just convert Brian's Goliath into a Dark Sun 2e half-giant. The dragonborn...I'm pretty sure there's rules for playing a Draconian in Dragonlance 2e that are very similar...you could probably could do that with only minor revisions. Converting a Warlock to 2e is trickier: the closest I could think of would be a specialist Wizard (maybe an Evoker or Conjurer) but it's still not quite right, although roleplay-wise, maybe a Bard would be a closer fit (i.e. 20 charisma).

Ah Dark Sun. I loved Dark Sun. I'll probably dig up PDF's for any stuff like this that I don't already have. Read it over. Then make real broad-stroked tweaks that barely conform to existing rules. XD When we do it though I'll definitely chat about or post what the changes are!

[Mr Sark 227]

Hey Sark,

 

I noticed that no one has posted a drawing of the skiff. I was going to attempt it but am not entirely sure what it looks like. Are you able to provide a detailed description of what the exterior of the skiff looks like? In the meantime i will go back and listen closely to recent episode to glean as much specifics as possible.

Just picture a dick. Since that is what I always draw, no matter what apparently. I just got a little sketchbook that I'll start putting things down in though. Just for moments like this

[Mr Sark 227]

Sark, I was floored when I realized the entire Water Elemental Plane scenario was just a sidequest. I know you mentioned some (tantalizing) examples of missed sidequests/alternative paths earlier in the thread. I was wondering, in general, how much of that kind of branching do you bake into these campaigns when you write them?

 

I ask now mainly because the current adventure (hunting for meat to feed fartivorous meatsharks so they can ID the skeleton facehugger ladydrainer things) seems like one of the least likely branches they could've gotten to.

 

On an unrelated note, I can't watch Game of Thrones without thinking of Giantard and Firetits now. So thank you for the entertainment you provide, and also for completely ruining Game of Thrones.

More of a parallel-quest than a sidequest but yeah. This campaign is actually a series of large parallel quests like this.

 

First thing I come up with is WHAT is happening and WHO is resposible.

 

Then I flesh out the mechanics of the WHAT.

 

Once I have those details usually fun little ideas start popping to further flesh out the WHAT and for fun side events that may or may not be related connected somehow. I prefer there to be connection generally, otherwise playing the game starts to feel like GTA or Fallout where you lose track of what you were doing.

 

Then I map it our like a flowchart so I don't lose track of where everything is going. This is usually a pretty simple chart of the macro-decisions that face the adventurers. Like "Which planet should we visit next?" for example.

 

To be honest the player's freedom is a bit deceptive when viewed from further back!

[Mr Sark 227]

Sark, is the gas world based off of the one Carl Sagan talks about in an episode of Cosmos? I remember him talking about floaty gas creatures and flying shark monsters that would eat them.

Negative! Some folks have posted it correctly in the forums but it is based off of Larry Niven's book 'The Integral Trees'. Niven's book may very well be based on some of the ideas in Cosmos as it came out a few years after Sagan's series!

[Mr Sark 227]

I'm curious about rewarding players when it comes to them coming up with good, clever ideas for responding to scenarios. Even if it might be something crazy. Do you ever lean towards things working with easier rolls or whatever so you don't shut down their creativeness? Or do you feel like that's cheating a bit and just stick to them rolling it out?

Depends on the situation. There are rolls I fudge and there are rolls that stick. If it's really important and I'm going to make it stick, I like to make THEM roll it even if technically the DM should. Makes for some real tense standing-around-the-table-cheering/crying-moments. Don't be afraid to fudge the occasional roll though, this shit is supposed to be fun!

[Mr Sark 227]

Sark, would this work?

 

Have stargoyle eat the reactor engine or a piece of it and take him to the collectors mother ship and vomit the nuclear piece into their engine or star drive!!! Is it possible? I waited till after the episode was over before I posted. Too late now I guess. Or use the tuft as a giant nuke missle.

They haven't tried getting anything OUT of Stargoyle, but when they do they will find that that is a one-way trip But it may be a good way to dispose of something small and dangerous. Would a massive explosion damage Stargoyle? Or is he truly made up of a tiny singularity that crushes things into oblivion? Someone will have to stuff a bomb into his gut to find out for sure

[RobotsPJs 123]

Can I play that James Bond like TSR rpg with you?

[hhlightcap 25]

Thanks, Mr. Sark!!!

[hhlightcap 25]

Dammit Sark, you almost mentioned my post in episode 33. Do it do it!

[McRib 11]

Sark, not game related, but why no Nerd Poker panel at Comic Con this year? It seems a natural fit with your audience and at least a couple of the crew were there anyway... keep it in mind for next year.