Storytelling Breakdown

It all comes down to this. One game. Four factions. Two undefeated players trying to claim… bragging rights. 

While it isn’t always Smash Up, there’s not a pairing of players in this tournament who have played more games against one another than Lucas Gerke and Caleb. Each comes into this game with a win over the other three tournament participants. Lucas got by Ben with the power of game altering Madness effects. Caleb’s combo from game one stacked ridiculous action combos. Lucas’s most impressive win was arguably his game against Nicole in the midseason finale, where he eked out a victory despite Nicole keeping him from ever getting his most powerful minion into play. Caleb comes into this game with the tournament’s highest point differential, thanks to his matchup against Jacob where repeated use of the Cave of Shinies base ability contributed to a ten point win. It’s all led to this. Lucas and Caleb enter our season finale undefeated. 

Aliens & Teddy Bears vs. Changerbots & Killer Plants. Lucas vs. Caleb. Today we crown a champion. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

Sometimes a pair of factions can allow Smash Up players to do very similar things. And if those combos go up against one another, they can lead to a very close game. 

Ben and Nicole Rudolph are each playing their final game of this tournament. If Ben wins, we’re set up to have everyone end this tournament with a different number of victories. Ben would be back at .500. Nicole is trying to avoid going 0-4 and while her first and third games were decided by six points, her battle with Lucas in the midseason finale was decided by a single point. It’s anybody’s game. 

Now back to the factions. The Fairies are a tried and true utility faction. They can bring a bit of extra power, some minions and actions that offer variety, and they can be disruptive to any minions and actions in play. The Pirates can appear out of nowhere, quickly moving from one base to another and stealing leads at the… opportune moment. That’s Ben’s combo. Nicole’s combo will allow for similar effects. The set-up actions of the Luchadores can stay in play and offer a versatile array of options, making Nicole’s minions more powerful and making it harder for Ben to build up power on bases. The Shapeshifters, like the Pirates, can also come out of nowhere. They can copy the abilities of minions in play and the zero power Mimics are especially deceptive, equalling the power of the most powerful minion in play. 

Fairies & Pirates vs. Luchadores & Shapeshifters. Ben vs. Nicole. May the bases be ever in your favor. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

When describing the game of Smash Up to someone who hasn’t played it, things are usually pretty clear as you describe the Ninjas, Pirates, or Zombies. Mentioning the Bear Cavalry is likely to get you a “wait, what?” response. 

The factions for this matchup between Lucas Gerke and Jacob Ganser feature four factions from relatively early on in Smash Up’s ten year history. Lucas is deploying the previously mentioned Bear Cavalry. Their combination of disruption and movement generated destruction makes them one of the game’s most iconic factions. Lucas will have way more actions to play than minions as the other half of his combo is the Princesses faction. This faction has only six minions, but they are all power five with very strong abilities. Jacob will be attempting to counter all of this with one faction from the same expansion as the Bear Cavalry, the Steampunks. They both lean on actions played on bases, with the Steampunks equally iconic Aggromotive and Rotary Slug Thrower. Jacob’s other faction comes from The Obligatory Cthulhu Set, a set Lucas had success with earlier in the tournament. The fish people of Innsmouth have come to swarm all bases in their path. 

Bear Cavalry & Princesses vs. Innsmouth & Steampunks. Lucas vs. Jacob. Will a winning streak end today or will our season finale feature two undefeated players? 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

Game seven of our Smash Up tournament does have significant implications for who can win going forward. SPOILERS ahead! 

If you’ve stayed up to date with our last six battles, then you know that this battle could prove decisive. Caleb is battling our dear friend, Nicole Rudolph. If Caleb wins, only he and Lucas Gerke will remain undefeated in our tournament. This would also eliminate Ben, Jacob Ganser, and Nicole as none of them would be able to match Caleb’s 3-0 record. If Nicole wins, she notches her first win of the tournament and keeps everyone mathematically alive to win for at least one more episode. 

As for the factions matchups, Caleb decided to theme his combination around soundtracks of the seventies. The Astroknights are similar to, but legally distinct from characters and lore of the Star Wars universe. While you’ve got the John Williams cued up, it might be a good idea to add some Bee Gees to the playlist, thanks to the Disco Dancers faction. Caleb’s combo will lean heavily on action synergy. Nicole’s combo leans into power, destruction, and disruption. The Dragons create many powerful card draw effects, change power balances, and destroy enemy minions and possibly some bases along the way. All of this is before even mentioning the minions and actions that cause opponents to win fewer victory points. Nicole’s largest dragon isn’t even her largest minion thanks to the six power Yokozuna from the Sumo Wrestlers faction. 

Astroknights & Disco Dancers vs. Dragons & Sumo Wrestlers. Caleb vs. Nicole. Multiple eliminations hang in the balance. Who will win? 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

Our midseason finale featured a Smash Up matchup between two players who had never faced each other before. We are resuming our season with a matchup that is quite the opposite. 

Ben and Jacob Ganser each come into this match looking to improve their win percentage. They are each also pulling at least one faction from the original base set for Smash Up. Ben is unleashing an army of the undead, with an old favorite in Smash Up lore, the Zombies. He’ll also keep up the undead theme by pairing them with a faction that historically has good synergy with them, the Ghosts. Jacob’s faction from the base set it the Tricksters, another staple known for its disruption of other players and their decks. To get more power on the table to try to deal with Ben’s swarming minions, Jacob has called in the Superheroes. This faction features four minions with five power each. Will it be enough? 

Ghosts & Zombies vs. Superheroes & Tricksters. Ben vs. Jacob. Old friends renew a rivalry as the second half of our first season begins today! 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

You find yourself cornered in an ancient castle that used to be your school as dark forces close in. Or maybe you find yourself being batted by gusts of wind as the shadow of an enormous red dragon appears overhead. Or wait, how about this? You are just trying to get rid of all of the artichokes. 

What’s the best way to deal with any of this? Draw a few cards and hope for the best. 

Our gaming focused episodes continue in November. After last month’s epic clash in Fury of Dracula, the Storytelling Breakdown team is discussing deck building card games. Caleb and Ben played the game Young Jedi all the way back in our first season. How can the narratives of familiar intellectual properties, like Star Wars or Harry Potter, come to life at the game table? What are some good deck builders for families and players young and more experienced? How do you find your footing in a deep well of something like Magic: The Gathering when you are just starting to learn to play the game? Join Ben, Caleb, Larissa, and Stephen to find out. 

The life and legacy of legendary Batman voice Kevin Conroy is the subject of this episode’s Spotlight. Caleb and Ben’s conversation starts around the 00:53:24 mark. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about this show at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown is hosted by co-founders Ben Clemmer and Caleb Meyer. Since the beginning of 2022, Storytelling Breakdown has also been hosted by Stephen Stachofsky and Larissa Whitaker. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. Our logo is by Daniel Church. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

We’ve made it to our midseason finale episode, bringing back two fighters from previous battles. Today’s episode pits Lucas Gerke against Nicole Rudolph. If you haven’t listened to our other episodes thus far this season, spoilers ahead. 

Lucas defeated Ben in game three, winning convincingly with the help of Cthulhu factions. While his combination for this game will be different, old, giant creatures or just creatures in general is a good way to describe his combo. Lucas will be going back to the original Smash Up set to unleash the power of the Dinosaurs. Hold onto your butts. He’ll pair the Dinosaurs with a familiar looking faction from the Big in Japan expansion, the Itty Critters. Nicole lost game two to Jacob Ganser. She comes into this game with one faction that first entered the world of Smash Up at Gen Con in 2019, the Penguins. They will be paired with one of the most disruptive factions we’ve seen in this tournament. Nicole has her Permit to Kill thanks to the Super Spies. One faction looks like it's wearing a tuxedo. The other one actually is. There’s an added bit of intrigue with this battle. Our team is pretty sure this is the only time Lucas and Nicole have played Smash Up against one another. How well can you counter an opponent you have no history of fighting? We shall see. 

Dinosaurs & Itty Critters vs. Penguins & Super Spies. Lucas vs. Nicole. Our midseason finale features an epic clash and only one will be victorious! 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

Throughout this season of RPG Decades, Ben and Caleb have been comparing Smash Up to Magic: The Gathering. One possible comparison comes in the form of bases in Smash Up and lands in Magic: The Gathering. Now, bases in Smash Up are put in play at the start of the game and swapped out when they reach their break points. Lands are put in play by the players in Magic. At first, this might not seem like a good comparison, but think about how land cards can prevent you from winning a game of Magic. It might not matter how well your deck is constructed if your opponent spends almost the entire game with twice as many lands in play as you. In Smash Up, you could have a perfectly good faction combo, maybe one that’s far stronger than average, but the combination of bases in play can break things wide open. 

This is one of those games. 

Kitty Cats & Kung-Fu Fighters vs. Rock Stars & Vampires. Caleb vs. Jacob. Who will win? And will we set a record for scoring plays in a Smash Up game? 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

With two games played, there’s only one more competitor to add to the mix. Lucas Gerke returns to the podcast. You can see him represented on our logo in the likeness of the Bear Cavalry faction. 

Magic: The Gathering experience is helpful in playing Smash Up. Caleb and Lucas have been playing for years. That is the obstacle Ben will have to overcome as he and Lucas field their team. Lucas is unleashing eldritch horror, combining factions from the Obligatory Cthulhu Set, the Elder Things and the Minions of Cthulhu. Ben’s answer will be the Robots and the Time Travelers, cycling through small minions that can swarm bases quickly. 

Elder Things & Minions of Cthulhu vs. Robots & Time Travelers. Lucas vs. Ben. Who will win? Will our world survive? The answer is unknown or least unpronounceable. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. 

We are one game in and already we are experiencing total chaos. Ben and Caleb have played Smash Up more times than they can count and this next episode will match up two common opponents. 

We are welcoming Jacob Ganser back to the podcast after his turn as Dr. Seward for our Halloween episode and his Spotlight on RWBY last year. Nicole Rudolph, another dear friend from our team’s college days (when many a Smash Up game was played), will be his opponent. The Ninja faction inspired Jacob’s look on the RPG Decades logo. They spill a lot of blood, so who better to pair them with than the Sharks? Both of those factions are destructive and opportunistic. Nicole’s factions lean more into utility and building up power. It’s time to throw down at Grandma’s house as Nicole pairs the Grannies with the Mad Scientists. Perhaps that old family recipe requires a jolt of electricity and some überserum. 

Grannies & Mad Scientists vs. Ninjas & Sharks. Nicole vs. Jacob. Who will win? Give this battle a listen and find out. 

Subscribe to Storytelling Breakdown wherever you get your podcasts. You can find out more about our regular episodes, campaign diaries, and RPG Decades at storytellingbreakdown.com. There you can also find our blog community and support us through Patreon. You can contact us via email at [email protected] or using the Storytelling Breakdown Facebook or Instagram. 

Storytelling Breakdown’s RPG Decades is hosted by Caleb Meyer and produced by Ben Clemmer. Our theme music is by Kurt Roembke. The theme music for RPG Decades season one is The Great Wave by Our Name Is Taken. The Storytelling Breakdown logo is by Daniel Church. The logo for RPG Decades season one is by Michael Ganser. Our podcast is hosted by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions.