The Experience Quest — a TTRPG Talk Show

Season 0, Episode 7. Join me and Amy as we explore nuanced characters, discuss opinions on character flaws, and delve into the qualities of a good character for a shared gaming table. We play Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) together and each have a catalog of fun and interesting characters to chat about in this Party Chat episode. Why didn't Harlan want to join the adventure? Is it reasonable to always have a weapon drawn - always? The barbarian critted with what weapon?! Stay tuned to find out! 

If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate!

Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com

Season 0, Episode 6. Dear Dungeon Masters (DMs), have you ever had a brilliant idea and forced it upon your party? Players, have you been caught in narrative cutscenes? This solo episode is all about avoiding the use of force as DM. Instead, learn to promote choices your party can make to interact with the scene. I explain how to avoid taking away player agency, why to avoid it, and how to build choices into scenarios. With these straight forward examples, you'll be able to identify what not to do and how to alter the way you think about conflicts and outcomes. This advice is TTRPG system agnostic and a lesson I've personally had to learn. Check out the companion blog post: https://www.criticalcatastrophe.com/post/use-choice-not-force 

If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate!

Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com

Season 0, Episode 5. This Party Chat episode features Ethan! He's a writer and Dungeon Master (DM) with a broad range of experience across a variety of tabletop games. With a decade of playing and DMing, he has the wisdom to spare and a collection of outrageous game tales to share. Join us as he brings much-needed energy to the episode and we discuss what makes gathering together at the gaming table so entertaining! We've barely scratched the surface, so stay tuned for the follow-ups to come!

You can check out Ethan's awesome writing at rollwithit.blog and can find him on Twitter @RollWithItBlog. Be sure to investigate his blog when you're finished here! 

If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate!

Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com

Season 0, Episode 4. In this solo "blogcast" style episode I lay out the canonical differences between devils and demons in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D) and how, armed with that knowledge, I transformed my homebrew campaign. It was a journey of personal growth as I went from ignoring the established lore to embracing it. It all began with Milva, the cursed goat lady... and how she changed the campaign forever. Join me on this journey and discover what your TTRPG's lore can do for your game.

If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate!

Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com

Season 0, Episode 3. This episode is an interview with Jak, the Dungeon Master (DM) of an actual play Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) podcast called "The Five Crystals." Jak, an incredibly chill and charismatic fellow, takes the time to explain how he got started podcasting, gives advice to newcomers, and goes into detail about running his Five Crystals campaign with the lovely cast. Find out who's editing behind the scenes, what Cubemaster's (Aligrax) famous catchphrase is, and learn the secret behind how Jak and friends took a concept and turned it into a real-life actual play podcast. The answer was quite a surprise!

Check out Last Nerds on Earth's podcast "The Five Crystals" on a podcast platform near you! All their links can be found here and you can follow Jak on Twitter @LastNerdsEarth.

If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate!

Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com

Season 0, Episode 2. In today's "Party Chat" segment I sit down with Amy, a long time friend of mine! We have a casual conversation about our beginnings in D&D 3.5e, the transition to 5e, and our shared experiences with this massive creative world of tabletop roleplaying games. Amy explains the "creative box" she found herself stuck in and what it took to break free of it and fully enjoy Dungeons and Dragons. Join us in this chill chat and find out if you, too, have a creative box blocking you or if you're rolling free!

If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate!

Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com

Season 0, Episode 1. "Fantastic Characters and How to Make Them" teaches the fundamentals for creating a fantastic character in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) and other TTRPGs. This isn't about races, classes, feats, or crunching numbers. These are guidelines for creating a character that will play well with others, contribute to the shared story, and still have a unique personality and background. I also touch upon the infamous phrase "but that's what my character would do" and address it head-on. The whys and the hows are upfront and center, as I explain why these tips are critical. You can read more about the topic in the companion blog post "How to create a fantastic character for Dungeons and Dragons and other TTRPGs." Check it out!

If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate!

Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com

Season 0, Episode 0. Welcome to Critical Catastrophe! I am Sarah and this is an introduction to the TTRPG talk show with an emphasis on Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D). In this episode, I lay out the podcast formats and explain who I am, what you'll get from Critical Catastrophe, and how to participate! I recommend starting here, but all episodes can be listened to in any order. 

Episode Formats:

Blogcast - Solo episodes with informative content about playing D&D and other tabletop roleplaying games.

Party Chat - A casual conversation between host and guest exploring all things D&D from experiences and stories to discussions about game mechanics and running the game.

Informal Interview - A deep dive that showcases the guest and their projects. Learn more about others who share this creative space!

If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate!

Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com