Welcome to Monster Monster, a RealPlay Dungeons Dragons podcast that has finished its first campaign. I am your Dungeon Master, Kevin Eggleston, joined by former players.
Speaker 2:Hi, I'm Tyson. I played a guy named.
Speaker 3:Chester Blackfield and my name is Tyler, and I played Ekram, the Shadow Sorcerer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, guys, so we are done with Eldritchville.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and we got a special guest appearance from Mike the cat.
Speaker 1:Yep, mike, my cat, if you hear him in the background. He is handsome, he is a tabaxi uh tabaxi, noisy boy. Uh, that's a custom class found only in monster monster. Uh guys, every time you hear mike meow, tyson will donate a dollar to a charity all right, fine that charity just made meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, all right fine, that charity just made $10.
Speaker 3:Oh no.
Speaker 2:I'm such a bad guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, the thing is the charity is going to be just Tyson, he's going to be like you know what Poverty starts at home. So for those of you folks that stuck with us all the way from the beginning of Eldridgeville, we I almost loathe to say bumbling. But just a muscle boy that didn't believe in himself, chester Blackfield, just a happy-go-lucky kind of golden retriever of a person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the character there definitely was. I was saying about this because there was definitely character growth, but it wasn't such a huge black-white turn-to-corner, it was just like a real slow like. I think more of like, maybe like a more realistic growth where it's like no, I can do this, I don't have to have all these pressures, I can just kind of eventually get to have a little bit of happiness, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there was a tenacity to chester when it's like because, dear god, how many times did you well and that never changed die.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, I almost died. What the first or second episode?
Speaker 1:I got stabbed in the alley and cabinet to be like oh no I expected you to be a little bit tougher boy than you were honestly, me too, I should have looked at some stat blocks, uh and ekram, I mean you were just kind of like defiant start to finish in this, yeah I feel like the development for ekram came from episode one.
Speaker 3:He had this idea that he was like he's done with like the scum of, like the area and like, hey, life is bad because people are doing evil things and taking advantage of other people. I need to create an organization because clearly, whatever local authorities or whatever are handling it and I just need to handle it myself underground. And then the development came from. Well, I have gained my own personal growth and power to where I don't need to recruit people.
Speaker 3:I literally started making the army you know, yeah, uh, you really like a, like a, like a quiverful shadow sorcerer yeah, yeah make my own little army to do my bidding in this case shadow dragons yeah, and it it kind of conveniently worked out because, as we were recording this, obviously all these were recorded ahead of time, but my character ended up following a similar path to Sungjin Woo from Solo Leveling. I don't know if you guys ever watched that.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 3:It was hilariously similar as we were doing this, recording it before those episodes came out. That just kind of happened to fit along a D&D style of that.
Speaker 2:That's neat. That's really cool because I know you're&D style of that. That's neat. That's really cool Because I know you're a big fan of anime, I am, yeah. And how did you feel about the DMing of it? How did it go according to plan? What did you learn?
Speaker 1:Oh, man, it is weird to DM comedians Because one of the things you notice with them is like you'll try to build this impactful, serious moment and they're like, yeah, but you know what would go here fart joke.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we are so weak. Yeah, we are, and it's not like I'm better than it.
Speaker 1:Like I'm not, like I'm the stoic, no, I'm. Like I'm gonna do it too.
Speaker 1:So I was like I just step on my own moment. I think the hardest thing was like, uh, wanting to really build this like real world and then bringing in your characters, and I think like, if I would look back at doing that again, uh, I think we maybe would structure some episodes a little bit differently to have a little bit more breath for your characters, individual backstories, I mean this, this campaign is 20 episodes. It's really like I think we mentioned it in the final episode.
Speaker 1:It's like three days like we, it's a breakneck pace to go from discovering a box to saving an entire multiversal city.
Speaker 2:We did an anime yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, there was also some weird stuff with time in there, like when we got back to the time dragon after failing to save the first dragon, where we entered like a Dragon Ball Z time capsule training thing, where it was like 10 minutes here is three years in this parallel, so like there was like fluffed time in three years in this parallel, so like there was like oh, no time in there.
Speaker 1:We put him in like a super one, so he came out very old. We put him in the too fast one. You gotta put him back in the slow down. He won.
Speaker 2:Oh no, my sciatica uh, yeah, I really enjoyed how there were wins and losses in this because, like, I've played, uh, actual campaigns where the the dm either was like too, like oh, I don't want to upset anybody, like I, I legitimately thought my character was dead in the first episode. It's like, okay, we'll re-roll, that's fine. This sucks, didn't get to know the guy. And then in the seventh episode and the 14th, episode and the 15th, and then the 18th, 19th and 20th episode.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, uh thank god, I'm friends with the time dragon. Yeah, no kidding.
Speaker 1:Uh, the time dragon she's, she's.
Speaker 3:Guys, got your backs well, the funny thing is is there was a few times that we split up and every time. Logically, I would have been the one in danger because I'm a sorcerer, I'm pretty squishy, never once had a mortal wound, I don't think.
Speaker 1:I don't think you ever solo took damage.
Speaker 2:No, I mean first of all, Chester's not going to let that happen to you, because that's just the guy he is.
Speaker 3:I'm talking about when we were separated. You couldn't protect me then. Still just breathe through it somehow.
Speaker 1:No, yours are all these morally complicated like do I surrender to a darker self? Kind of things. And Chester's were all like do I surrender to a fist? How?
Speaker 2:much blood am I allowed to lose legally?
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, this was kind of a fun. Um. I I guess, uh, where did you guys get inspiration for your characters, like, did you? Was there any media or something that you looked at as kind of like a template?
Speaker 2:I really liked uh oh brother. Where are there? Uh oh brother where are there?
Speaker 2:oh, brother, right there. Uh, delmar, just how he like, especially the scene when he's like george clooney and, uh, john Titoro are like I'm in charge, no, I'm in charge. Well, what do you think? Well, I'm with you. Fellas, like that kind of Just, wholesome, never lost hope style of character, like when he was like when I get out of jail, I'm going to be 86 years old, and he's like, well, well, I'm going to only be 82. Just like, just that. So that's where I got a lot of his hope from. All, right, awesome, what about you, ekrem?
Speaker 3:So, with us doing what we do when it comes to the live shows and stuff, a lot of the characters and stuff that we build are like these bigger dramatic, like jokey characters for the live shows and when I do play normal, normal. D&d campaigns. I normally stick to the classes I like because I don't get to be a normal player so I tried to get away from, like my core three classes.
Speaker 3:But I knew charisma was my favorite stat. So I was like, well, I always play bard or paladin or something like that. So I'm gonna go out of my depth, I'm gonna keep charisma and I really like summoning as an idea, but there's not much stuff in 5e that really circulates that. So it seemed like shadow sorcerer was the way to go, just to even have that experience in fifth edition, and that was really the core of the character, and then I just went from there interesting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, uh, 5e really is weird kind of sometimes with some of the summoning rules. Uh, because in previous editions you'd be like, oh no, you can have like a little army that you make, but in 5e they're kind of like, yeah, you can, it's gonna slow everything down and we're all gonna hate you yeah, enjoy, because, like what are the options?
Speaker 3:you summon a bunch of animals as a druid, yeah, and they all have their own initiatives. It's a nightmare, yeah or you're like a wizard or a sorcerer and you can have one thing, because every summoning thing requires concentration. Yeah, because the only way that I was able to get around it is because of my hound. Yeah, that was a class ability, that was not concentration, so it was always the hound and the one thing I could summon hell yeah.
Speaker 1:And chester, how'd you like playing the humblewood?
Speaker 2:uh, scofflock class I enjoyed that a lot. I don't know if I misunderstood the rules, but it is so strong getting to be able to be like take a swing at me, duck stab friend, like that's as a bonus action. That's very, very powerful especially when you get higher up in levels too and you're like some of those things are doing crazy damage yeah, like I was so excited because like there's blindside and then the like, just the potential for damage from a fighter with no actual weapon you know what I mean like just his hands, uh, or using an improvised weapon.
Speaker 2:It was so fun just to be like, because I love like fantasy where it's all like big knights and armor and big axes and shields. It's so fun to me to have somebody who's just like well, I punch kind of good and I'm tough yeah, yeah, also the the funny thing about I completely lost my thought.
Speaker 3:We'll just edit that out uh it just left my fucking body.
Speaker 1:It was gone. It went to the bathroom. Oh, you want a yes and Go fuck yourself yeah.
Speaker 2:It was a good thought too yeah, we're not editing that out. No, I say, keep in all of Tyler's fuck-ups.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I looked at. So I don't know if you guys know this, If you've ever been to a live show. I'm a big fan of like cosmic horror and stuff. Uh, I got cast a deadly spell which. Have you guys ever seen that movie, this bad HBO movie from like the nineties?
Speaker 2:Oh, hell yeah.
Speaker 1:That is like this. It's set in Las Vegas, I think Okay, and, but like all the Lovecraftian stuff is true, oh, like the, the big bad battle at the end is in a housing development outside of Nevada, or outside of Las Vegas where they summon Yog-Sotha in this housing development and they use zombies to build the houses and they're like it's efficient labor.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm kind of into it yeah.
Speaker 1:It's one of those movies that you're like this plot is bananas and could be so cool, but it's just also by people that are like, yeah, but we had just puppets.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh, I remember the thing about Chester. It was yeah, it was funny because like, cut that out, yeah, I can wait. You're going to run out of breath, don't challenge me. As the charisma character, my primary stat is charisma. But Chester was like I'm going to pull a Terry Crews, flex my pecs and use strength instead of charisma and I'm like, okay, this isn't fucking annoying, what is this high school?
Speaker 2:That was only good in a fight. We have to actively be fighting and I can be like look how strong I am, oh wow don't you feel like calming down now?
Speaker 1:very funny, that was very funny all right, uh, do we want to start talking about campaign two then?
Speaker 3:uh, well, real quick. If you had to pick one moment that was your favorite from this campaign, what would it have been?
Speaker 2:oh man, I really, I really. I love big, ridiculous scenes, so I really enjoy elbow dropping and it's also so cool. I'm with my buddy who's in shadow form on a shadow dragon.
Speaker 3:Oh, so the last episode.
Speaker 2:But like I mean it all builds to it you know what I mean Like just jumping off of a dragon to elbow drop somebody Hilarious.
Speaker 3:So good.
Speaker 2:And finally, my stats were enough that I was kind of hitting more than not, yeah. But I think my favorite moment that kind of encapsulated everything, uh, was how you got me poisoned by tripping a trap.
Speaker 1:I forgot about that oh man, that was what.
Speaker 2:Death number three god, and then just getting the shit beat out of me by animated armor and caverns, just like this is supposed to be easy it's supposed to be.
Speaker 3:But when you're two characters, one is poisoned somehow and the other one has only psychic damage. At that point it's frustrating yes, it was. Yes, it was because you know, what armor doesn't have a brain what about you? What was?
Speaker 2:your favorite, you think?
Speaker 3:I think my favorite moment was probably the uh, the first it's. It's tough. For me the honorable mention goes to like failing to save the shadow dragon, because it was our first ever like big moment, like we'd had wins, like we chased down the cult member, got some information.
Speaker 2:Got stabbed in an alley bled out near death.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah. But that really contextualized what the stakes were, Because we literally couldn't have a tragedy after that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, yeah.
Speaker 3:But my personal favorite Ekra moment was thinking I saved Chester's life. Oh God by pushing him into the force field and breaking that staff of power. Thinking, I killed Kaga and teleported myself to another dimension.
Speaker 2:And then just the whole time I'm being stabbed again.
Speaker 3:And I'm just like kicking my feet and twiddling my thumbs, being like I saved the day, you know.
Speaker 2:I was like god once.
Speaker 1:Yes, it went well until everyone started dying uh, I think my favorite moment you have this. You had this like flash of brilliance, tyson, where you're like I'm gonna turn this ballista while we were trying to save the fey dragon. You're gonna turn the ballista on this group of people and then you, you're just like, whenever it's like why did you just betray us? You're like, oh, because he banged my wife.
Speaker 2:Oh, he didn't have a wife.
Speaker 1:And it's just becoming a recurring thing where Tyler and I cannot let go that you have a wife.
Speaker 2:I'm just trying to gaslight Chester into believing he has a partner, just hitting the head so hard he forgot a person. A partner just hitting the head so hard, he forgot a person. Yeah, I I really did enjoy like, especially like learning and growing, uh, as performers in this media, learning how to like try to build these moments without it feeling too like pat yourself on the backy. Yeah, like there was a fun balance, like it was a really cool. I'm excited for the next campaign.
Speaker 1:Yeah, me too. I, yeah, I think, uh, it becomes that weird balance of like how much exposition do you get? Or that doesn't feel like you're like circle jerking yourself and you're like, but look at how good I did at like describing the scene and you guys are like we haven't talked in five minutes. What? Please stop doing that, yeah.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I think it was. I think ultimately it was a very successful campaign and thank you everyone that listened to it and I'm excited for the next season.
Speaker 3:I think we'll shift into that, yeah yeah, sure, so I will be the one that's running the second season. It's going to be a bit more grounded. I don't know if that's the right word, but this was very like mystical, like horror, and it was awesome. It was so much fun. So I think, instead of following in that suit of like the mystic stuff, mine's going to be a very grounded in I don't know a great way to put it, but it's going to be a story based where magic is more of a rarity and if you do have magic, certain people around are going to be weary because it's not. It's not really practiced, and if you are using magic, then you're associated with something that's not common. You know, and you guys already have, like, your characters relatively fleshed out. I mean, there's going to be a bunch of stuff that we figure out throughout the campaign, but do you guys want to kind of give like a brief, like two sentence elevator summary of what you guys are thinking?
Speaker 2:uh, yeah, I don't.
Speaker 1:I don't want to give anything away, but like I'm gonna be playing a character named vance, who is a wandering uh cleric, okay, yeah, and I'm gonna be carrying playing a character named frolin uh and he's a uh fighter that does not want to ever put other people at risk. He always kind of wants to take the challenge on for himself and it comes off as glory seeking and a little bit arrogant, but it's really hiding some trauma and some response to pain.
Speaker 1:So, the self-sacrifice so nobody else has to. Yeah, but also he's like he's one of those guys that's like make sure they build a bitch in statue nice, um, but yeah.
Speaker 3:So basically your, your two characters, are going to be thrust into a world that you guys really need to find your place in, because nobody really has a home anymore, and I want that to sound as vague as possible, to like build intrigue. But essentially there is a global type of conflict that breaks out that you guys need to find your place in so if there was like a, maybe a war?
Speaker 1:one might over across the entire world a world war. Why don't we just call it the Great War?
Speaker 3:For now.
Speaker 1:The war to end all wars. It'll never happen again, right? We all learned a lesson.
Speaker 2:I think that's good, without giving too much away. We're very excited and that's just going to chain right on, so we'll release our normal episode 20 and then we'll put this episode in the next week and then we'll keep this episode in like the next week and then we'll keep our normal schedule of every other week after that. Yeah, uh. So thank you all so much for listening. It's great. Like is we get to do? This is insane. The fact that we get to do this is crazy, and it's super cool that you guys are listening and we're getting more and more listeners and it's growing. It baffles me.
Speaker 3:So just thank you so much yeah, whether you come to the live shows or just listen to the podcast, we truly appreciate any way that you support us yeah, I'm a fan of you guys, you're a fan of us, we're a fan of you boom I'm a bigger fan of you guys than tyson and tyler are of you, though I got your back that is true, I'm very, but I couldn't say the word.
Speaker 2:No, he's pretty lukewarm on the concept of fans uh no season, two strong.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no hey chester's coming back.
Speaker 1:No, I thank you guys again um check out the stuff that we do. I think our patreon it's got some exclusive stuff, some behind the scenes stuff too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the live shows and oh, that's gonna be the other thing too. We're ramping everything up so, uh, we're actually getting video of us doing the actual pod on the next season. We're upgrading all of our cameras and stuff. Like, when you sign up for the Patreon, we're not just rolling to the bank with that fat D&D podcast money that's all reserved for Critical Role and Dimension 20. But we're using it to invest, uh, and making a better product for you, the listener. So, thank you. If you like it, please follow and subscribe on the patreon and stuff if not still cool.
Speaker 1:Give the shares and reviews. That helps us a ton too, and we.
Speaker 3:We thoroughly enjoy doing this. So any opportunity we get to make the product better just means we can also have more fun with it. So it really is just like a circular, like hey, more fun, more support, we can do cooler things and then like this is so much fun. I never imagined that two years ago, when we did our first ever live show, that we would be like here now.
Speaker 1:That's baffling yeah, in a studio apartment.
Speaker 2:No, I kind of figured this is where we're gonna end up, which is crazy because I didn't.
Speaker 3:You were buying a house you can see where the pessimism lies, and I'm like we do three live shows a month and we get to travel around the midwest, which is weird, because this is podcast tyler, which is like optimism tyler, and then as soon as we shut off this mic, he's gonna be like fucking glass is empty boys yeah, I don't have.
Speaker 2:But remember guys. As Chester would say, remember, it's going to be all right, you just got to get back up.
Speaker 1:I don't think he ever said that.
Speaker 2:I think he was.
Speaker 1:Remember what I always said to Chester make a death saving throw.
Speaker 2:If we're going to quote Chester, it's a oh fuck, oh fuck, I've been stabbed yet again, Thank you all so much.