Dream Warriors

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Between towns, the adventure party was plagued by lucid nightmares. Were they shared hallucinations? Confused visions of the past and future? Or was it really just a dream? This post discusses the mechanics and story impact behind Episode 24 of Podquest: No Strangers to Adventure. Like, it goes in deep. Learn how this played out behind the screen and at the table, as well  as how to run a session like this with your own party. Reading further may spoil events up to this point in our story!  Continue reading

BMMI Episode 052: Star Wipe

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This week’s movie is full of stars. Star wipes that is! When a director unleashes an ancient horror into the world in the form of a star only his assistant director can stop it before the world fades to black.

Star Wipe is the most perfect movie monster ever conceived. It can control time and space. It can move the narrative away from characters discussing it’s weaknesses. It has no weaknesses. It’s like the alien from Alien but without an organic form that can be killed. How do you stop a star from wiping out the world?

LISTEN TO EPISODE 52→

BMMI Episode 033: Upsizing

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You may think you know what movie this poster is about. A take on the recent Downsizing, but bigger and better. Well, yeah. That’s the gist. Instead of shrinking Matt Damon to reduce the carbon footprint of humanity, why not make him a towering world-ender size instead? Matt Damon stars as a middle-aged schlub that aspires to be sixty feet taller. He gets all the way through an intensive interview process before he realizes he can’t leave his grandfather (Michael Caine) regular-sized. His dream comes true as both of them are granted the irreversible surgery to upsize. But his dream becomes his nightmare as he wakes from the surgery next to his murdered grandfather, and realizes he’s next. This is a conspiracy of giant proportions that goes all the way to the top, that only a giant Matt Damon can hope to rectify.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 33→

BMMI Episode 32: Fair Spirits

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Hey! Did you ever see The Shining? Remember how people were displaced in time in that movie but they were just sort of walking around with modern-day people? The state fair is kind of like that and this week Andrew and Kelsey delve deep into that rich vein. Bruce Campbell stars in this SPIRITual sequel to The Shining. The poster features a featureless, ghostly outline of Mr. Campbell residing over the fair that he will eventually become trapped in forever, or has he been there all along? Find out in this week’s episode!

LISTEN TO EPISODE 32→

BMMI Episode 030: Fingers of the Sun

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This week’s episode is all about the movie of the summer that will eclipse all this talk of eclipses: it’s about the eclipse. Hikers on the hunt for the best moon viewing spot encounter Jeffrey Tambor who stars as the leader of a cult determined to use the eclipse and a little bit of blood sacrifice to permanently block out the sun. Our poster this week may seem like a death metal poster but it’s actually the poster for a budget horror film involving a moon monster. Enjoy that summer sun while it lasts because it may be ending soon in a torrent of vampires and super werewolves!

LISTEN TO EPISODE 30→

Podquest: No Strangers to Adventure – A Close-up

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It’s finally here! A Podquest post! Let’s kick off with a close-up look at the three characters that will be dealing the damage, solving the mysteries, committing the crimes. The accompanying image is from the thumbnail artwork for the podcast: Kelsey’s interpretation of the three trudging through a magic/windstorm, in clothes probably a bit nicer than the characters usually wear.

On the left: Gnoman Gumshoe, a gnome private detective, played by Andrew. He’s a Ranger with a pistol and a large magnifying glass that not only aids in investigation checks, but can be wielded as a blunt weapon. His trench coat is so noir, but oversized, like Dad’s noir coat. And his shoes are made of gum (I’m still not sure if that’s canon or not.)

The tall, brooding wolfman in the center is Giacabo Pale Eye, a Druid Shifter, played by Nathan. Giacabo is half human, half wolf, half adventurer from an outcast tribe of Shifters afflicted by a mysterious blood curse, who’s also a doctor. An emerald-befitted mummified crow’s head serves as his source of magic, and a cane sword serves as his weapon.

On the right: Digby Sudsworth (Esq.), a dwarf Bard-tender, played by Dylan. Digby is a phenomenal listener and weaver of tales, which just so happen to be perfect tenets of a great barkeep and bard. On his back is a hefty keg of beer; while full it is a disadvantage to his dexterity, but swings like a mighty warhammer when attached to a handle.

Podquest: No Strangers to Adventure already has several episodes available for the listening! There is also a short introduction that captures the feel of what the show overall has shaped up to be. If you’re unfamiliar, the podcast is a live recording of the four of us playing our first campaign of Dungeons and Dragons ever. So far, playing 5th Edition has been incredibly fun and rewarding for us. Already, we’ve learned so much and have found a play style that’s relaxed and goof-friendly. The episodes follow an overarching cooperative narrative in an improvisational structure. We build a fantasy world together one joke at a time.

The decision to make this a podcast came easy; Andrew and Kelsey enjoy podcasting Big Money Movie Ideas already, and recording our D&D sessions together with friends is a way to share and document this cooperative storytelling experience. If you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, it is amazingly rewarding creatively and socially. With a rule-guided framework, the cohesive story we’ve been able to spontaneously create together has been surprising, and surprisingly fun. As our story continues, we look forward to future guest episodes, more original music and artwork, and being able to share in all of this with you.

LISTEN TO THE INTRODUCTION: DON’T BE A STRANGER→