Side Passages

Join the cast of our Scum and Villainy campaign as we look back on six episodes of mysteries, pirates, and - of course - ghosts. We talk about the campaign's highs and lows, and delve into our thoughts on the Scum and Villainy game itself.

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

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Cover art for the Scum and Villainy role-playing game. Credit: Evil Hat.

The "Emerald Heart Job" - the concluding chapter of our Scum and Villainy campaign - finds our heroes going up against the Ghosts and their nefarious plans to use the Emerald Heart artifacts to destroy a gate.

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

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The Rosette Nebula. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

During "The Rescue Job" the crew is tasked with liberating a prisoner with vital information about the Ghosts ... and their nefarious plans for the artifacts known as "Emerald Hearts".

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

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The Helix Nebula. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Su (Univ. of Arizona)

On this episode of Lair of Secrets, our loyal denizens are preparing the deepest level of the dungeon to imprison whomever thought up "Natural Scrolling" for the Mac. Meanwhile, David ventured to the Ohio frontier with his family to watch his youngest win 2nd place in the world in Winter Guard A Class!

Feature: Talking with the Younger Generation

Tonight we are joined by David's eldest daughter Isleen to talk about her experiences in gaming and contrasting it with what Ken and I grew up with. She is also pushing back the D&D game she had tonight to talk with us for a while (so thanks for joining us, Isleen!)

How did you get started in gaming?First real game was Pokeman Platinum; lots of video games since thenNow, at 19, play Dungeons & Dragons on Tuesdays in Discord and Roll20.How do you normally game?Playing on Roll20 for tabletop, with D&D Beyond for character sheets (David and Ken do something similar, but throw Owlbear Rodeo into the mix)What games do you usually play?Mostly D&D aside from the occasional game of the Fluxx card game with family.What is the size of your main gaming group?Primary gaming group - approximately 8 people.Don’t really see each other’s faces; mostly voice.Still get people who hang back, and the dungeon master will try and get them to engage.How many gaming groups do you participate in?Two campaigns, same set of friends.How do you find people to game with?Met people through mutual friends.Why Dungeons & Dragons?Came to it organically.What’s your style of play?Strixhaven campaign (five magical houses)Focuses more on role-playing than combat.People’s impression of D&D?D&D is pretty much normalized these days.There are a lot of podcasts that are streaming D&D (Critical Role, Adventure Zone).Got more and more people into.Advice for how to get started?Google is your friend!How did you learn D&D?Little rusty - so rely on friends or look it up through D&D Beyond or online resources.D&D Beyond lets the DM share their books/rules.

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at [email protected] or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are twitch.com/lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

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Students attending Strixhaven Academy. Credit: Wizards of the Coast.

During The Cargo Job (Chapter 4 of our Scum and Villainy campaign) the crew is tasked with recovering "living cargo" from a smuggler's ship. The goal is to snatch the cargo, which belongs to the ethereal scientists/villains known as the Ghosts, and deliver it to a safe location. The crew's plan involves pretending to be border patrol agents and confiscating the cargo ... but as always, things don't go exactly according to plan...

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

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The Ghost Nebula. Credit: Adam Block, Mount Lemmon SkyCenter, University of Arizona @ Wikicommons.

Chapter 3 of our Scum and Villainy campaign sees the crew take on The Racing Job, in which they attempt to smuggle a highly-altered racing ship through the Iota system. Along the way, they have a close encounter with a mysterious comet, realize the importance of check lists, and successfully navigate an asteroid (never tell us the odds).

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

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Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard taken by Martin Heigan.

On this episode of Lair of Secrets, we talk about one of the most rewarding (and occasionally challenging) experiences a geek parent can have: playing role-playing games with your kids.

Main Topic: Gaming with Kids

For this episode's topic, we have another former Overlord of The Secret Lair, Kris Johnson. He’s a middle aged geek dad like ourselves, former podcaster, and all around great dad. Over the years we’ve occasionally heard stories of his game table and his family’s exploits, and we wanted to bring him on board to talk about gaming with family and bringing up children who game.

How did you get started gaming with kids?

What is the group like?

What worked, what didn't?

Advice for others getting started?

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at [email protected] or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are twitch.com/lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

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A glowing d20, which belongs to Ken's son, rests atop the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook.

Our Scum and Villainy campaign returns with The Ghostly Job, as the crew is paid by a very peculiar scientist to track a researcher to her laboratory and learn about her research. Little do the crew know that their target is a former member of the Church of the Emerald Heart, which ceased to exist years earlier after being hunted down and destroyed.

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

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"Bell Labs Holmdel, NJ." by Lawrence Aberle. Wikimedia Commons.

We kick off our Scum and Villainy Actual play with The Nebula Job, in which the crew of the Stardancer is hired to pick up a box floating in the middle of a nebula ... but you know it can't be that easy.

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

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The Rim Nebula. Credit: Ivan Bok via Wikimedia Commons.

On this occasionally rambling episode of Lair of Secrets, Ken and David are joined by long-time friend and gamer (and former occupant of a certain secret lair), Overlord Chris Miller. We talk about our gaming lives in the Before Times, the rise of virtual gaming, and look at what might come in the post-pandemic era.

Main Topic: Gaming Before, During, and After the Pandemic

The Before TimesWhat did our gaming life look like before the pandemic?The COVID EraHow did gaming change during the pandemic?Trends in gaming over the last two yearsDiversity through Tasha’s Cauldron of EverythingFate Accessibility ToolkitThe Post Pandemic EraWhat does gaming look like now?What does future gaming look like?ResourcesThe Monsters Know What They Are DoingTasha’s Cauldron of EverythingFate Accessibility Toolkit

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at [email protected] or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are twitch.com/lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

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Cover art for Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. Credit: Wizards of the Coast.