A transcript of this episode is available via the episode page on Buzzsprout.
In this episode, we review and play the game “Banda’s Grove.”
Banda’s Grove is the work of Pandion Games. You can find more information and purchase the game through itch.io. You can also find the creators on Twitter as @PandionGames.
We are running a contest for a free printed copy and electronic copy Stacks of Goblins by CobblePath Games. To be entered in the drawing, email or tweet us with a question, comment, or suggestion before March 31, 2022.
How to reach us:
Our intro and outro theme music are by McRoMusic, who can be found on Patreon at patreon.com/mcromusic.
This episode incorporates the following additional pieces by McRoMusic:
We also used ambient soundtracks and music by Michael Ghelfi, and music by Filip Melvan of Michael Ghelfi Studios. You can find their content on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDed9jQ1Y1gKeyjvkyFGkCA and on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/MichaelGhelfi.
Ambient Soundtracks
Music
How to reach us:
A transcript of this episode is available via the episode page on Buzzsprout.
In this episode, we review and play the game “Banda’s Grove.”
Banda’s Grove is the work of Pandion Games. You can find more information and purchase the game through itch.io. You can also find the creators on Twitter as @PandionGames.
We are running a contest for a free printed copy and electronic copy Stacks of Goblins by CobblePath Games. To be entered in the drawing, email or tweet us with a question, comment, or suggestion before March 31, 2022.
How to reach us:
Our intro and outro theme music are by McRoMusic, who can be found on Patreon at patreon.com/mcromusic.
This episode incorporates the following additional pieces by McRoMusic:
We also used ambient soundtracks and music by Michael Ghelfi, and music by Filip Melvan of Michael Ghelfi Studios. You can find their content on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDed9jQ1Y1gKeyjvkyFGkCA and on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/MichaelGhelfi.
Ambient Soundtracks
Music
How to reach us:
[Almost Bedtime by McRoMusic]
Rachael:Hi, I'm Rachel...
Dan:and I'm Dan, Rachel's dad.
Rachael:And this is Almost Bedtime Theater, a podcast about playing roleplaying games with kids. In this episode we are reviewing and playing Banda's Grove, a cozy slice-of-life RPG about folks living in a collection of campgrounds pulled together from different planes of existence. But before we dive into our review, we have a couple of announcements. First, we are happy to again have my cousin Leah playing with us. Second, we are still collecting entries for our drawing for copies of Stacks of Goblins by Cobble Path games. Everyone who emails or tweets us with a question, comment, or suggestion between now and March 31st, 2022 will be entered into the drawing. Cobble Path games have also generously donated a printed copy. So now we'll have two winners, one for a printed copy and one for an electronic copy via itch.io.
Dan:Third, we'd like to thank Alex for getting in touch with us with questions about our complexity ratings. We've made some changes to those starting with this episode that will hopefully give you a better idea of how complicated - or not - various games are and how easy they are to pick up and play.
Rachael:And now back to the review.
Dan:Banda's Grove is the work of Pandion Games, and as of this recording, it is being further developed and refined thanks to an Itchfunding campaign on itch.io. The PDF version with all the core handouts is about$12, but extra benefits are currently available like the opportunity to contribute a creature or event. The creators list quite a few influences, including the comic and TV show Hilda and the games Outer Wilds, Wanderhome, Cozy Grove, and Stardew Valley. If you've enjoyed any of those, you might like this one as well.
Rachael:The game comes as an 80-plus page PDF along with
Dan:Each player is a resident of Banda's Grove, a collection character sheets and a hex map pack. To play, you’ll need to print out some of the sheets and will need some six-sided and ten-sided dice, assorted tokens, notecards, and drawing utensils. One thing to note is that while you need some dice, they aren’t the method of determining success in uncertain situations. Instead, players earn and spend tokens – called Pebbles – to perform actions. of campgrounds from various planes of reality that have all been pulled together in bits and pieces. One of the players is the Grove Ranger, who's essentially the Story Guide, but they also spend some time as a player character. They coordinate things and run the non-player characters, or NPCs. But all players continually have the opportunities to take part in the world building and they're encouraged to pick up and play the NPCs as well if they want to. In the words of the Resident Handbook, everyone works together to make Banda's Grove a reality.
Rachael:And there's plenty for everyone to do. And in addition to the Quantum Events, which are like little mini-adventures, characters can spend actions to collect ingredients, craft items, work on badges, build facilities, befriend spirits, discover creatures, plan festivals, even create new NPCs and add details about the grove. These activities not only provide fodder for story building, but they can also open up new abilities and opportunities.
Dan:Now, because we played Banda's Grove as a one-shot, we didn't get to a ton of that content. Don't get me wrong, we had, we had a lot of fun with our brief visit. But I think that the game will really shine if you play it longer. It takes time and effort for the grove and its residents to grow and evolve in ways that will let you experience everything.
Rachael:Our game took about three hours spread across multiple sessions. About an hour of that was spent on setup. That covered developing our campground, learning about setting and different planes, and creating our characters. We left all that out of the actual play because it isn't quite as enjoyable if you can't see what's going on, but we did post our campground map on Twitter if you'd like to see it. So now it's time to pull out our updated complexity rating system. We'll be identifying games on a scale of simple, moderate or complex based on how complicated the rules are, how much information has to be tracked during the game, and really, how easy it is to pick up in play.
Dan:We're rating Banda's Grove as moderate to complex. This rating is largely driven by the many activity options that are available and the resource tracking involved. Each activity has game mechanics that are baked in with respect to when you can do them, the pebble or ingredient costs, and sometimes prerequisites. There are also a few actions that are specific to the character's job. So a botanist can do some things that a player that's an artist can't and vice versa. And all these choices can feel a bit overwhelming when you first see the lists. That said, the PDF of the game includes a very nice step-by-step walkthrough called the New Resident Orientation that covers setup and playing your first Quantum Event at Banda's Grove. It eases the Grove Ranger and the other players into the core aspects of the game. And other than making sure that you have all the supplies needed, it requires zero prep. It's what we used in our actual play and it worked great. Just be aware that to experience everything, the Grove Ranger is eventually going to have to read through the rest of the rules and and bring the group up to speed. Another option is that you could simplify your version of the game by skipping some of the game mechanics. For example, you could choose to ignore the action requirements and just run around and revel in this setting that you've got. Or you could drop the ingredient requirements, and folks could just craft anything they want without having to worry about that extra step. If your group is having fun, you're playing it right. So now let's talk about what our favorite things were about the game,
Rachael:I really enjoyed making my character and like, make it strange and exciting and new. And I enjoyed having my organic motors.
Leah:I liked how we just like, created whole new creatures. That was really fun.
Dan:And I think for me, one thing that really stood out was the map building in the beginning. It was it was really neat how we all got to work together to create that living document of our setting. Anything else?
Rachael:I like coming up the NPCs, especially Miss Amelia because I mean, who doesn't like a 10-foot-tall giant grizzly bear that runs a grocery store?
Dan:Right. Now, how about suggestions you have for someone who's about to play this game for the first time.
Rachael:So don't worry too much about learning the rules right away. Just kind of ease yourself in, kind of like taking a bath.
Dan:That is an excellent suggestion.
Rachael:What suggestions do you have for someone about to run it for the first time?
Dan:I would say definitely take advantage of the walkthrough. It even gives you blocks of text to read aloud to the group as you go through. It makes it as straightforward as possible for you. And when it comes time for the characters to do activities around the campground, don't forget that the the Grove Ranger is a character too. You can do things, chat with folks, help out on the activities just like the other player characters. And not only is that fun, but it also gives you a way to demonstrate some of the things that players can do, because you can showcase that for them. Is there anything else either of you would like to add?
Leah:I think we should play it again, with the same world because I'm invested in our world now.
Dan:Absolutely; we will absolutely have to do that. So that wraps up our review. Before we move into the actual play, we'd like to remind you that if you would like to get in touch with us with a question, comment or suggestion, you can email us at AlmostBedtimeTheater@gmail.com or find us on Twitter as@almostbedtime. Our intro and outro themes were created by McRoMusic, and this episode features additional pieces by McRoMusic, ambient soundtracks and music by Michael Ghelfi, and music by Filip Melvan. A list of specific tracks used and links to their work are available in our show notes.
Rachael:And now let the adventure begin!
Music:[Transition music]
Dan:Well, tell you what, let's go through and introduce our characters. Is there someone who'd like to go first?
Rachael:My name is Fluff. I'm an artist. My pronouns are she and her. My strengths are painting and sculpting. And weaknesses are woodworking and listening. My quirk is talking about banana souls; tool is fabric scissors. And my hobby is collecting cats and my secret is making cherry jam. I imagine every time in the kitchen, like you'll hear this disturbing skoorrch squelch as I'm like mixing up the jam, and then when I turn around there's like, there's jam all plastered down my front and all around my face and stuff like that, and I'm holding a spatula that's dripping jam.
Leah:Do you want to mention being a sentient hairball?
Rachael:I'm a three foot by three foot hairball. Three feet by three feet by three feet. I'm bright purple. I got organic motors instead of feet and little tiny hands and I've got three eyeballs.
Dan:Well, thank you, Fluff. Leah?
Leah:I'll be playing Trashcan. I'm very good at field sketching and empathizing, but not very good at flora identification or cooking. My hands are always muddy. And my tool is muddy green galoshes.
Dan:Can you include what you look like?
Leah:So I'm like a raccoon except instead of fur I'm covered in leaves, and sometimes small white or yellow flowers. Did you want me to mention my hobby and secret?
Dan:Oh, if you want to mention your hobby; up to you if you want to mention your secret.
Leah:Alright, so my hobby is growing new -
Rachael:You must be fertilized and watered?! You know how weird that sounds, right?
Dan:Says the one who's quirk is talking about the souls of bananas.
Leah:Anyway...
Dan:Yes, do go on.
Leah:I like to grow hybrid plants.
Dan:Excellent. Excellent. So my name is Grove Ranger Cyrus, my pronouns are they/them. My strengths are first aid and telling really good bad jokes. My weaknesses are trail maintenance because I don't have hands and also settling arguments with a metaphor because metaphors give me trouble. I will sometimes just stop in mid-sentence to appreciate the view. And my hobby is... I like origami. I like to fold origami with all of my little tendrils because I am in fact, basically like this floating balloon like a Portuguese man o' war with all these tendrils that hang down and hold up my ranger's shirt. And, and a hat. I've got a ranger hat.
Rachael:What's your secret, Daddy?
Dan:Oh, apparently he likes to kind of nibble on poisonous plants. He thinks they're spicy. Just because they're poisonous to one person doesn't mean there poisonous to a floating tentacle jellyfish thing. Right?
Rachael:Out of all the secrets I think I like Leah's best.
Dan:It's okay, you don't have to like my secret. It's why I keep it a secret so people don't look at me weird.
Leah:"I hope people don't look at me weird," said the floating jellyfish.
Music:[Campfire in Woods soundscape by Michael Ghelfi]
Dan:This is the first evening in Banda's Grove since arriving, and you have gathered around the community campfire with other neighbors, and they're all here from all different planes and they have brought food and drink. They're in like a potluck that they're sharing. So the question of the day is what are you eating or cooking here at the community campfire?
Rachael:Fluff is cooking some... well, they're secretly making cherry jam and putting it on some homemade banana pancakes.
Dan:That sounds tasty. I think Ranger Cyrus is enjoying a s'more, or at least has taken a s'more and has currently stuck it up in his head.
Rachael:[swishing noises]
Dan:So it's got... a it's got a smaller floating up there. But what it's actually nibbling on the sly are some poisonous plants. He's got just a few leaves in his pocket that he's nibbling on because clearly at the community campfire there aren't gonna be a bunch of poisonous plants because we would have we would have seen too that that it was... it was a safe space.
Rachael:And nobody notices.
Dan:He's got a whole lot of tendrils and a few of them just have to be... happen to be in his own pocket. It's like going around with your hands in your pockets. I don't think anybody notices. Nope.
Leah:We're not very observant people. Also.
Dan:What about Trashcan? What is Trashcan cooking or eating this evening?
Leah:He's made brownies but he's sprinkling fertilizer on his own portion. Definitely not conspicuously at all.
Rachael:Can I, like, wander up behind Trashcan and be like"Fertilizer?"
Leah:Nope, no, um, it's I just put it in that bag because it was the only bag I had. It's actually Oreo crumbs.
Dan:So Trashcan carries around a bag that says "Fertilizer" on it?
Leah:Yes!
Dan:But it's a secret bag!
Rachael:I'm hungry.
Dan:Like in real life or your character?
Leah:You want some fertilizer brownies?
Rachael:I don't care what you claim. It's not Oreo crumbs.
Dan:It probably looks a lot like the little chocolate cookie crumbs, certainly.
Rachael:It doesn't smell like it.
Dan:That's probably fair. Although I don't remember you saying Fluff has a nose, so I'm just saying Trashcan might be able to get away with that.
Leah:It's just my natural dirt aroma from being outside all day?
Dan:You know, what botanist isn't going to smell slightly of fertilizer when they're wandering around? So this says that while roleplaying, several NPCs should approach the players and introduce themselves. Have the players meet and define a woodworker, the general store keeper and chef. Each should be from a different plane. Ágil - a plane of flitting, darting, and frolicking creatures. Alohi - a place of bright colors and soft flowing edges. Pese Malosi - a realm of cooperation. Most creatures, including the Malosians themselves, are groups of many smaller organisms that have evolved to work together as a single creature... which I just think is cool. And then, Cluthar. Cluthar is a cold, densely forested world of comfort. And the cool thing is, once these are created, anybody can choose to, like, hop into them and play as them. It's not just the... not just the Story Guide. All right, I'll be right back.
Rachael:Okay, Bye, Daddy. Go away now. Okay, Leah...
Leah:The chef should be a giant walking fish.
Rachael:You're a genius. Okay, what's the chef's name?
Leah:Chef the giant walking fish. "Hey, Chef."
Rachael:"Hey, Chef."
Music:[Hidden Gem by Michael Ghelfi]
Dan:All I see as I come down and my eyeballs on the computer screen and I see "a.k.a. the giant walking fish." Oh, this sounds very promising. Right. Would you like to introduce me to our NPCs?
Rachael:You read the first one. John.
Leah:John? All right. So our woodworker...
Dan:Uh-huh?
Leah:... goes by "John." He has tattoos on his biceps, his hobbies is weightlifting, and he is a dandilion with legs and arms.
Rachael:Which one should I do?
Leah:Whichever.
Rachael:Alright, this is Chef the chef, a.k.a. the giant... the giant walking fish. They always smell like pickled mushrooms and their hobby is pickling mushrooms.
Dan:It's so logical. This is like the most logical thing we have thus far.
Rachael:Let's have Daddy read the last one it'll be funny.
Dan:I have to read it? Okay. Our general storekeeper is Miss Amelia, who is clumsy but very neat and enjoys making honey candy. Oh, and by the way, Miss Amelia is a 10-foot-tall bear.[attempted bear growl noises] Awesome.
Music:[Campire in Woods soundscape by Michael Ghelfi]
Dan:So we're having our community campfire. Would you like to chat with any of these people?
Rachael:I think Amelia... Miss Amelia is making honey candy. And John... John is tattooing one of his biceps.
Dan:At the campfire.
Leah:At the campfire? Maybe Chef is distributing pickled mushrooms to everyone. Like try this flavor and try this flavor and did you get the spicy ones yet?
Rachael:It's a grasshopper pickled mushroom. They're so good. They're the best yet. My favorite are the dill.
Dan:After Chef comes by offering this fine selection of pickled mushrooms, then Miss Amelia comes by and gives you honey candy to help you know...
Leah:Ease the pain?
Dan:Yes! I was going to say"cleanse the palate" or, you know, "fight off the mushroom flavor." I mean, I really like mushrooms but sometimes, yeah, that can be too much of something. Oh, those are awesome. Those are awesome. Now after dinner has been shared, Ranger Murie announces that we need to prepare the grove for more visitors. We have a week to get the grove ready and need to start building the amphitheater. We need to craft a new sign, open up the general store, and name the campsites. Is there anything that you would like to do or roleplay amongst ourselves or with these campers we've identified before the week starts and everybody goes to bed and starts getting ready to do all these things that need to be done for the week?
Rachael:Makes s'mores.
Dan:Absolutely. What kind of... what kind of s'mores does Fluff like?
Rachael:I'm glad you asked.
Dan:Oh, no.
Rachael:They're banana-pickle-bubble gum-salmon-pickled mushroom-cheese-goat-flavored. There's one pickled mushroom marshmallow and one goat flavored marshmallow.
Leah:Goat... flavored?
Rachael:Some people are carnivores.
Dan:Not Musty, nooooo!
Rachael:No, no, no. Let's go with goat milk flavored.
Leah:John is enjoying this very much.
Rachael:He's tattooing sheep onto... a goat onto his biceps.
Dan:What kind of tattoos does he have on his biceps?
Leah:A bicycle?
Dan:Okay, anything, Leah, that Trashcan wants to do before before it's ready to call it a night.
Leah:Make sure nobody knows that it was fertiliser. Tell everyone that I had Oreo cookies.
Dan:You know, I, I appreciate that Trashcan is a little sensitive about the fertilizer issue... but frankly, after hearing the s'more concoction that Fluff is blatently and publicly consuming, I don't think Trashcan has anything to worry about. The last question then, is, what does your nighttime routine look like?
Music:[The Apples of Hesperides by McRoMusic]
Rachael:Well, I put on my super fuzzy, purple... no, I think blue with orange polka dot pajama pants.
Dan:As far as a garment that fits a ball...
Rachael:It's pretty much like overalls. Except really big overalls.
Dan:Do you brush your teeth? I'm just gonna say the morning breath following that s'more is gonna be hideous if you don't brush your teeth.
Rachael:Yes, I brush my teeth.
Dan:Oh, good. Good. Does does Trashcan have a nighttime routine?
Leah:Probably... he probably drinks just a very large glass of water. And then he probably sleeps in like a pot of really, really nice potting soil.
Dan:Ohh, Trashcan sounds adorable. I'm just saying. I now have a really fun visual of like one of those big, like reddish ceramic pots. And there's this, this raccoon thing curled up, you know, kind of sleepy with one arm kind of dangling off the side of the pot. Well, I think Ranger Cyrus floats back to his Ranger cabin...
Rachael:Sorts through his head.
Dan:That's a very good point. That's probably what happens first, clear out the pockets, including clearing out whatever's in its head. Sets the things out... the collections from the day. And then just kind of like all the tendrils come together. And that makes like the shirt just drop to the floor and then it picks up the shirt and it hangs the shirt. And then the hat, all the little tendrils, lift the head up, set it on a hook. And then yeah, what... what do they sleep on?
Leah:I was gonna say like a fish tank.
Dan:A fish tank. Yeah, just sinks into a fish tank and bloop hangs out there floating around. So we're gonna start off then, with the the official write up. What it says is it's time for a downtime phase. We can each take five actions, one action for each day of the week to earn or spend Pebbles as we like. During this downtime phase, we have been given some tasks to complete to determine how prepared we are for the next Quantum Event - basically the next story event - and the things that we have or that we've been tasked with are to start building an amphitheater, to gather up ingredients and use them to craft a sign, and then also we're supposed to open up the general store which is going to require some work and give the campsites unique names. So all those campsites we have out there don't have names yet. So that's... that's the setup. Who would like to go first? And what would you like to do? Which task would you like to undertake?
Rachael:Gather ingredients and craft a new wooden sign?
Dan:So to create the sign, first you have to get the items together. And you need one flora ingredient and one planar ingredient. I'm wondering if they have a better description of the ingredients in here... Planar ingredients - stone rocks, soil, etc. Flora ingredients being leaves, sticks, logs, carrots, whatever.
Rachael:I want to ask Miss Amelia cuz she's like the the store owner person right? If s he'll give us a carrot.
Dan:I see. Now, to clarify, you can spend a Pebble to gather ingredients. So if you want to spend a Pebble to go talk to Miss Amelia about getting some carrots so that you have a wad of carrots to make a wooden sign out of...
Rachael:Yeah, I'd like some carrots and some potatoes.
Dan:And Miss Amelia... who doesn't have a general store yet. As you recall the general store is still needs to be completed. But she's... I think she's she's kind of hanging out outside where the general store is being put together. Trying to be helpful moving some stuff around and you show up and ask for some carrots and potatoes and she says, [attempted bear growls], which is bear for,"Yeah, I got your... I got your carrots right here. They're round back." So mark off one of your Pebbles.
Rachael:I did.
Dan:And you are now the proud owner of a wad of... I mean, these carrots... These are like carrots the size of your forearm. They're hefty.
Leah:Do you have a forearm?
Dan:These are carrots the size of a human being's forearm. Alright, so you've got, you've got some flora ingredients. Now you need some planar ingredients. What's your plan? What are you collecting?
Rachael:I'll just find some rocks around. Look, there's probably like gravel paths and things.
Dan:Okay, got it. So you've spent another action and another Pebble and you have some rocks. Let's see. So you get to speak to the woodworker to craft the sign and it's going to cost a Pebble. But when you go to the woodworker's shed the workshop, this very buff dandelion is not in fact, at the woodworker shed. He seems to be... missing.
Leah:I think we should talk to Chef the chef.
Dan:Chef the chef would be over presumably at the diner. So it's... a it's a bit of a walk from your workshop there
Music:[Frozen Tundra soundscape by Michael Ghelfi] into the plane of Cluthar, through some some cold and snowy land, trying to get yourself to the diner. But you find it.[Heroes' Inn soundscape by Michael Ghelfi]
Dan:It's a... it's a nice warm diner all sealed up, so you can get all cozy in there, away from the snow. How do the two of you handle snow? What's your take on snow?
Leah:I'm on Fluff's head so I don't even have to deal with it.
Rachael:I don't think I mind too much. But when I start spending like a lot of time in snow, and I get snowed on, I think I start looking like a cupcake.
Dan:And technically Trashcan is from here. So I guess Trashcan is, you know, built to handle it.
Leah:That's true.
Rachael:Why does a raccoon... a plant raccoon come from a very snowy biome?
Leah:I grew out of the ground.
Rachael:Oh yeah, explains everything.
Leah:Obviously!
Dan:So you make it to the diner. What's it like inside the
Rachael:It's warm and cozy. diner?
Dan:Warm and cozy. Fireplace?
Rachael:Mm hmm. And there's a statue of a pig in the middle. The pig is rotating.
Leah:What?
Rachael:And the pig has a cup of frothy root beer in their hand. And there's a little chicken on the top of the pig's head.
Dan:Got it... Is there anything you'd like to add, Leah, about this diner?
Leah:Smells like fish.
Dan:It smells like fish?
Leah:It does.
Dan:Or is it that it smells slightly of Chef? I think that the kitchen actually has a open area so that Chef can be working and look out and see who's there. And so Chef sees you walk in. You get a little fin wave. What does Chef sound like? Does chef have words or
Rachael:Sean Connery.
Dan:Chef Connery. So Chef gives you the wave as you come in. Says, "Would you
Rachael:Yes. like to try the shhtew?" The shhhtew.
Dan:The shhtew.
Rachael:The shhhtew. So, Chef.
Dan:Yessh!
Rachael:Have shou sheen, John?
Dan:"Oh, John. Yesh, Yesh, of coursh! John went out mushroom hunting for me. For the shtew. And the picklesh. Show, yesh. He went into the Quantum Woodsh to find mushrooms." Chef is also aware that John should have been back by now. The mushroom hunting shouldn't have taken this long. Would you be willing to go find John?
Rachael:Mm-hmm.
Dan:Alright, so you're headed to the Quantum Woods. What is unique, mystic, or magical-looking about the Quantum Woods?
Rachael:I think there are a whole bunch of fireflies and the trees glow.
Dan:Ooo.
Leah:And it's always nighttime. There's always stars out.
Dan:Ahh, I like it.
Leah:And maybe like faint whispering noises.
Music:[Discovery of a Lifetime by McRoMusic]
Dan:So you're going along, it's daytime, but as you get closer and closer to these woods, it starts getting darker and darker until as you pass into them... it's... it's nighttime and the snow has stopped. You've left the snow behind but there are fireflies and there's glowing on the trees and you hear this faint whispering around you. How are you going to find John in here?
Leah:Yell his name very loudly.
Dan:Excellent default.
Rachael:Johhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhn!
Dan:And you hear, "Is somebody out there?"
Rachael:Johhhhhhhhhhhhhhhn!
Leah:Johhhhhhhhn! Johhhhhn!
Dan:"I'm stuck in a treeeeee."
Leah:We're coming to save you, John!
Dan:"Hooray."
Leah:Oh, I know shortcuts.
Dan:You totally know how to get from point A to point B in the Quantum Woods. And you... you do find John. John is, in fact, stuck in a tree.
Rachael:How does a giant dandelion get stuck in a tree?
Dan:"Well, I climbed up the tree looking for mushrooms and could not climb down again."
Leah:Why would there be mushrooms in a tree?
Dan:Mushrooms? They're tricky. You gotta look all over for them.
Rachael:They're tree-cky.
Dan:Quantum mushrooms can be anywhere...
Rachael:Like how is John stuck? Like is part of his body in the tree? Is he just stuck in the branches? Or is he so high up?
Dan:You tell me. How is John stuck?
Leah:Is John afraid of heights?
Dan:Totally afraid of heights.
Rachael:He's really high up.
Dan:John is quite high up and afraid of heights.
Rachael:I mean, he's a dandelion, of course he's afraid of heights.
Leah:Of course.
Rachael:Dandelions belong on the ground, Daddy.
Leah:Every dandilion I've ever talked to has been afraid of heights.
Rachael:Okay, don't look down, jump, and we'll catch you.
Dan:"Okay, if you're sure." And he steps out of the tree and just floats down. Doo-dee-doo... I mean, he's got this huge dandilion head and it just catches the air and he just, he just foo-loo-loo-loo down to the ground. Doont. Lands on his feet. His eyes are closed. He says, "Am I down yet?"
Rachael:Uh-huh.
Dan:He opens his eyes and he's like, "Aw, yeah!" And he does these big muscle flexes so you can see his biceps and all the tats. He's got this awesome little, little basket for carrying mushrooms in. It's got a mushroom in it. One.
Leah:One.
Dan:"These quantum mushrooms, they're tricky. They'll be there and you look away and you look back and they're gone. But not this one. I got it in the basket."
Leah:How many did he need?
Dan:"As many as I could find, I guess. I found one. I hope that's enough. I guess I better take this back to the diner then. Have a good day!"
Leah:Wait, why are we finding John?
Rachael:Why where we finding John? Wait! We wanted to build that sign!
Dan:You're trying to build a sign out of carrots and a rock!
Leah:Wait, John!
Dan:So you need a woodworker.
Leah:John, co me back!
Dan:John says, "Oh, okay, well tell you what... I will, uh... let me deliver the mushroom. And then I will be... meet you over at my workshop in just a little bit." This sign... What's the intent of the sign? Where's it going to go and what information is it going to have?
Rachael:It can be like "Hello, campers" at like, the front.
Dan:Sure. So a little while later, John, who does not know the shortcuts, gets there. And he's noshing on some pickled mushroom. And you can you can smell that coming some ways away. And then he comes up and he's like, "Alright, alright, let's make that sign. What'cha got, what'cha got?"
Rachael:I hand him three carrots with my little, little stubby hands. And then I give him the rock.
Dan:And a rock. Okay, and he goes over-
Rachael:"The" rock. Not any rock.
Dan:And he goes over to... he starts up his little... little wood saw. And he saws the carrots into planks.
Rachael:Why a woodsaw?
Dan:'Cause he needs a saw and has a woodsaw. He's a woodworker.
Rachael:How would you saw carrots in the planks?
Dan:Like [attempted mechanical saw noises]. They're thick carrots, they're good sized carrots...
Rachael:Very tiny planks.
Dan:Well, it's not gonna be a huge sign, this is true. But then... then, you know, you've got kind of almost these triangular logs and he just flips when one way and then when the other way and when one way and when the other way. So they line up. And then he uses a plane and he chu-chu-chu-chu-chu and smoothes it all out and some wood glue, which also works on carrots, I guess. So you have a carrot sign and a rock to hold it in the ground with. Where are you going to put this sign?
Rachael:Right here.
Dan:Community campfire?
Rachael:Mm-hmm.
Dan:All right. Leah, would you like to pick something to do?
Leah:We could make the amphitheater?
Dan:Sure, let's build an amphitheater. So building an amphitheater... that is a... it costs one action and two Pebbles to get that started. And then we're also going to stick this little icon on there, which lets us know that it's going to take a couple weeks to build that amphitheater. So it's underway. Um, so here's a cool thing. As Ranger Cyrus, I also get to do actions, I've got actions and I can work on stuff around the campsite. So I think I'm going to use the Swift Work action, I spend a Pebble, I spend an action and it helps move along the activities like the general store, instead of taking another week to be done. It's going to be finished now. Oh, but here's the catch... the general store's roof... so we're putting this together, we discovered that the roof is leaking. And inside is getting all wet.
Rachael:Does that mean Miss Amelia is wet?
Dan:Miss Amelia is probably soggy. She's a soggy bear.
Rachael:Poor soggy bear.
Dan:That roof is going to need to be repaired and we're going to have to clean up inside. So that's going to take another week's worth of work unless we do a little more activity. How are we gonna repair and clean that in time? I can use the Pebble and do another Swift action. So I'll pay the cost here. I think for the roof, it's really a matter of oh, we put I can gather the flora, because I can... for a Pebble I can down a layer of maybe some grasses and things from the plains? Kind of like thatch on top of the roof to help patch things up and then maybe some mud and get it nice and hard with mud and thatch and then dirt with the idea being that we're going to... we're going to grow plants on the top. It's going to have like a grassy, growing roof. gather twice as many. Oh, yes. With our extra effort, we have managed to get the general store ready to open. Miss Amelia is so pleased. She's doing happy roars all over the place and handing out honey candy as thank yous for getting her store ready to go. So we've got a general store. That means the last thing for us to do is to give the campsites unique names. So we have four campsites, one in each of our planes. So what are our campsite names? Read them out for us.
Rachael:Ágil is the Bandanian Plains. The Alohi campsite is the Pineapple Tropics. The Cluthar campsite the Icicle Village. The... how do you say that?
Dan:I'm guessing Pese Malosi.
Rachael:Yeah, that campsite is the Silent Marsh.
Dan:Excellent.
Music:[The Festival of Life by Filip Melvan]
Dan:So that means that we have now completed all of our tasks for the week. Because we got to all of those things, we got the grove ready in time and that means that there is going to be a grand opening festival. So that's it. That's... that is a run through of one Quantum Event and the world building for
Music:[Almost Bedtime by McRoMusic] Banda's Grove. That's our show on Banda's Grove. If it sounded like fun, check them out on itch.io, or you can find Pandion Games on Twitter as@PandionGames. And don't forget to email or tweet us by March 31st to get entered in the
Rachael:[swishing noises] drawing for a copy of Stacks of Goblins. Thanks again for listening and have a good night.
Dan:Oh, that's a doozy of a sound effect I can drop somewhere.
Rachael:No, I'm not about to spit.
Dan:I'm just, uh, make a little note. "Sound effect - swishle."
Rachael:[more swishing noises]
Dan:I'm gonna wait for you to swallow before I explain what that is because I just realized what those noises are.
Rachael:Okay, I swallowed.
Dan:That's the sound of Ranger Cyrus sticking things in his head.