Tuesday, December 19, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 059 - The One Ring: The Darkening of Mirkwood - Session 29: Through Secret Paths

The Dwimmerhorn
Episode 59 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is The One Ring, by Cubicle 7 Games!  The campaign is The Darkening of Mirkwood!


Don't remember much about The One Ring?  Check out the Geek's game review of it here!

Or check out the TOR community forums here!

Here is Tales from Wilderland!


Check out the campaign's Obsidian Portal page!

And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Denethor Lightbow
Player:  Nick
Culture:    Elf of Mirkwood
Background:  Diligent Defender

Calling:  Scholar

PC:  Fendegil
Player:  Monster Mike
Culture:  Ranger of the North
Background:  Solitary Vagabond
Calling:  Wanderer

PC:  Cirion
Player:  Kevin

Culture:  Man of Minas Tirith

PC:  Beren Greycloak
Player:  BJ

Culture:  Dwarf of the Grey Mountains

Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Intro and Background Music for The Silmarillion Minute were provided by www.bensound.com.

Intro /Outro Music:  "Chains and Things" by B.B. King







Sunday, November 26, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 058 - Call of Cthulhu One-Shot: Blackwater Creek


Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fthagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nfah Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
Episode 58 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up here and is on its way to stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into the Actual Play thing!


Apparently I thought the game was Cthulhu Pulp,but it's actually Call of Cthulhu 7E.  Sorry for the confusion folks!

TV Poww!


Music:  "Born In The Water" by The Tragically Hip





Tuesday, November 14, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 057 - The One Ring: The Darkening of Mirkwood - Session 28: A Darkness In The Marshes

Mountain Hall
Episode 57 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is The One Ring, by Cubicle 7 Games!  The campaign is The Darkening of Mirkwood!


Don't remember much about The One Ring?  Check out the Geek's game review of it here!

Or check out the TOR community forums here!

Here is Tales from Wilderland!


Check out the campaign's Obsidian Portal page!

Denethor's Vision of the Sorceress
And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Denethor Lightbow
Player:  Nick
Culture:    Elf of Mirkwood
Background:  Diligent Defender

Calling:  Scholar

PC:  Fendegil
Player:  Monster Mike
Culture:  Ranger of the North
Background:  Solitary Vagabond
Calling:  Wanderer

PC:  Brand, son of Gorm
Player:  Jack

Culture:  Barding (Man of Dale)
Background:  Rediscovering the Past

Calling:  Treasure Hunter

PC:  Beren Greycloak
Player:  BJ

Culture:  Dwarf of the Grey Mountains

Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Intro and Background Music for The Silmarillion Minute were provided by www.bensound.com.

Intro /Outro Music:  "Shoot Out The Lights" by Richard Thompson





Wednesday, November 1, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 056 - D&D 5E: Tales From The Yawning Portal - Session 02: Quest For The White Wyrm



Episode 56 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is Dungeons & Dragons: 5th Edition, by Wizards of the Coast!  The campaign is Tales of the Yawning Portal!


And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

DM: Nick

PC:  Garrett Tealeaf
Race:  Halfling
Class:  Monk
Background: Hermit

Player:  BJ

PC:  Grush
Race:  Half Orc
Class:  Cleric
Background:  Outlander
Player:  Monster Mike

PC:  Ashton McSwarbrick
Race:  Half Elf

Class:  Bard
Background:  Sage
Player:  Brian


Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Intro /Outro Music:  "Searching For A Heart" by Warren Zevon




Monday, October 16, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 055 - The One Ring: The Darkening of Mirkwood - Session 27: The Valley of Illusion

Spiders' Ring by Andrew Johanson

Episode 55 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is The One Ring, by Cubicle 7 Games!  The campaign is The Darkening of Mirkwood!


Don't remember much about The One Ring?  Check out the Geek's game review of it here!

Or check out the TOR community forums here!

Here is Tales from Wilderland!


Check out the campaign's Obsidian Portal page!

And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Denethor Lightbow
Player:  Nick
Culture:    Elf of Mirkwood
Background:  Diligent Defender

Calling:  Scholar

PC:  Fendegil
Player:  Monster Mike
Culture:  Ranger of the North
Background:  Solitary Vagabond
Calling:  Wanderer

PC:  Brand, son of Gorm
Player:  Jack

Culture:  Barding (Man of Dale)
Background:  Rediscovering the Past

Calling:  Treasure Hunter

PC:  Beren Greycloak
Player:  BJ

Culture:  Dwarf of the Grey Mountains

Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Intro and Background Music for The Silmarillion Minute were provided by www.bensound.com.

Intro /Outro Music:  "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" by Styx







Monday, September 18, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 053 - The One Ring: The Darkening of Mirkwood - Session 26: Treacherous Waters


Episode 53 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is The One Ring, by Cubicle 7 Games!  The campaign is The Darkening of Mirkwood!


Don't remember much about The One Ring?  Check out the Geek's game review of it here!

Or check out the TOR community forums here!

Here is Tales from Wilderland!


Check out the campaign's Obsidian Portal page!

And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Denethor Lightbow
Player:  Nick
Culture:    Elf of Mirkwood
Background:  Diligent Defender

Calling:  Scholar

PC:  Fendegil
Player:  Monster Mike
Culture:  Ranger of the North
Background:  Solitary Vagabond
Calling:  Wanderer

PC:  Brand, son of Gorm
Player:  Jack

Culture:  Barding (Man of Dale)
Background:  Rediscovering the Past

Calling:  Treasure Hunter

PC:  Beren Greycloak
Player:  BJ

Culture:  Dwarf of the Grey Mountains

Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Intro and Background Music for The Silmarillion Minute were provided by www.bensound.com.

Intro /Outro Music:  "Clyde Water" by Nic Jones




Monday, September 4, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 052 - D&D 5E: Tales From The Yawning Portal - Session 01: Into the Sunless Citadel


Episode 52 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is Dungeons & Dragons: 5th Edition, by Wizards of the Coast!  The campaign is Tales of the Yawning Portal!


And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

DM: Nick

PC:  Garrett Tealeaf
Race:  Halfling
Class:  Monk
Background: Hermit

Player:  BJ

PC:  Squirrel
Race:  High Elf
Class:  Wizard
Background: Urchin
Player:  Kevin

PC:  Grush
Race:  Half Orc
Class:  Cleric
Background:  OutlanderPlayer:  Monster Mike

PC:  Ashton McSwarbrick
Race:  Half Elf

Class:  Bard
Background:  SagePlayer:  Brian

PC:  Beren Greycloak
Player:  BJ

Culture:  Dwarf of the Grey Mountains

Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Intro /Outro Music:  "Ain't No Sunshine'" by Bill Withers


Wednesday, August 23, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 051 - The One Ring: The Darkening of Mirkwood - Session 25: Wide of the Mark


Episode 51 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is The One Ring, by Cubicle 7 Games!  The campaign is The Darkening of Mirkwood!


Don't remember much about The One Ring?  Check out the Geek's game review of it here!

Or check out the TOR community forums here!

Here is Tales from Wilderland!


Check out the campaign's Obsidian Portal page!

And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Denethor Lightbow
Player:  Nick
Culture:    Elf of Mirkwood
Background:  Diligent Defender

Calling:  Scholar

PC:  Fendegil
Player:  Monster Mike
Culture:  Ranger of the North
Background:  Solitary Vagabond
Calling:  Wanderer

PC:  Brand, son of Gorm
Player:  Jack

Culture:  Barding (Man of Dale)
Background:  Rediscovering the Past

Calling:  Treasure Hunter

PC:  Beren Greycloak
Player:  BJ

Culture:  Dwarf of the Grey Mountains

Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Intro and Background Music for The Silmarillion Minute were provided by www.bensound.com.

Intro /Outro Music:  "Ridin'" by Buckcherry



Sunday, August 6, 2017

Thursday, July 20, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 049 - Star Wars: The Long Shot Campaign - Episode 14: Incident at Endor


Episode 49 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is Star Wars (Revised d6), by West End  Games


And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Gwen DeMarco
Human Slicer
Player:  Chris

PC:  Quint Multra
Human Wrench Monkey
Player:  Jack


PC:  Zahira Tagge
Human Pilot
Player:  Brian

PC:  Zaquesh Rooleg (aka This One)
Gand Findsman
Player:  Nick

Here's the Obsidian Portal Page!


Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Music:  "Run (I'm A Natural Disaster)" by Gnarls Barkley



Sunday, July 2, 2017

Haiku Movie Review! T2 Trainspotting

I felt profoundly
sad and old after.  But that's
the point?  A minus


The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 048 - The One Ring: The Darkening of Mirkwood - Session 24: Easy Kin, Easy Go


Episode 48 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is The One Ring, by Cubicle 7 Games!  The campaign is The Darkening of Mirkwood!


Don't remember much about The One Ring?  Check out the Geek's game review of it here!

Or check out the TOR community forums here!

Here is Tales from Wilderland!


Check out the campaign's Obsidian Portal page!

And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Denethor Lightbow
Player:  Nick
Culture:    Elf of Mirkwood
Background:  Diligent Defender

Calling:  Scholar

PC:  Fendegil
Player:  Monster Mike
Culture:  Ranger of the North
Background:  Solitary Vagabond
Calling:  Wanderer

PC:  Brand, son of Gorm
Player:  Jack

Culture:  Barding (Man of Dale)
Background:  Rediscovering the Past

Calling:  Treasure Hunter

Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Music:  "Volcano'" by U2












Wednesday, June 14, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 047 - Star Wars: The Long Shot Campaign - Episode 13: Many Bothans Died










Episode 47 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is Star Wars (Revised d6), by West End  Games


And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Gwen DeMarco
Human Slicer
Player:  Chris

PC:  Quint Multra
Human Wrench Monkey
Player:  Jack


PC:  Zahira Tagge
Human Pilot
Player:  Brian

PC:  Zaquesh Rooleg (aka This One)
Gand Findsman
Player:  Nick

Here's the Obsidian Portal Page!


Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Music:  "Both Hands (Live)" by Ani DiFranco



Saturday, June 3, 2017

Ask Jetpack Jack! Group Composition & Limitation

Editor's Note: Hi folks. This has been a long time coming only because of it has been sitting in my Inbox for about 27 years, and not because of any lack of drive on Jack's part.

Remember you can get your questions on you game, your career, on life and relationships answered by the man himself. Just drop me an email at brian@chippewavalleygeek.com with "Ask Jetpack Jack" in the subject line to be possibly featured in an upcoming installment. - B

---

Hello, and welcome to another thrilling edition of Ask Jetpack Jack, where we love to hear about your problems, since it makes us feel better about ourselves. 


This edition continues our award-winning exposé on games and gamers we’re calling ‘Gaming 101’ with some ideas on how to take the random assortment of people you found and turn them into a cohesive unit – in other words, a gaming group. Forming a new group is kind of like making the A-Team, only without the attitude, penchant for firearms, or a bitchin’ van. (If you do have a bitchin' van, please leave a pic with price details in the comments.) You have to make sure that the team works together, has a cohesive view on how the game will be played, and each member has mutual respect for everyone at the table.

First and foremost is working on party cohesion. Most people take time to grow comfortable with one another, especially if your gamers are not known to each other outside of the table. One of the best things you can do as a Dungeon Master would be to find ways to foster this little community. My personal favorite is to allot time at the beginning to have people talk to each other, discuss their lives, and basically goof around. This is also a great time to have a meal – food is always an excellent conversation starter. Snacks during the game are also great, especially if everyone beings something to share. Of course, there will always be problems whenever you get a group of people together for any length of time, but we will address that in a later episode. Now then, once everyone is inoculated to each other’s brand of crazy, you can address the gameplay style of the group.

Gameplay style, in my not-so-humble opinion, is both the least and most important aspect of your game. Having fun is always rule #1 when it comes to gaming, but what does that mean? What your group finds ‘fun’ can vary wildly depending on group composition. Is the group looking for an epic tale of the likes of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings? A political thriller akin to George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones series? Or is the party looking for an absurdist romp through all the tropes, like Monty Python and the Holy Grail? There is no right way to game, I’ll say it again for the people in the comments: THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO GAME. In fact, a little nonsense now and again can be a good thing – anyone who has listened to our actual plays knows our games run the gamut, and we enjoy all of our games. Picking your game style is an issue you need to bring up at the table, and making sure everyone is on the same page will help with conflicts in the long run.


Finally, we need to address an often overlooked but important aspect of gaming, that of comfort levels. People are, by definition, unique in their experiences, and as such, they will have boundaries that need to be both identified and respected. This topic will get its own article at a later date, but I feel that talking about group dynamics without touching on this issue would be a bad idea. A good rule of thumb at this time would be not to address anything taboo or graphic without letting your group know, and only as a DM. Players should not move into these areas, just as a general rule. 

Well, that about covers the basics on group composition. Tune in next time, when we talk about how to wrangle these suckers…I mean, players....into a game that may be outside their realm of experience. This is Jetpack Jack, signing off.

Haiku Movie Review! Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2

Fun, funny, and sure,
all the tunes.  But still... lacking
in purpose?  B plus


Monday, May 29, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 046 - The One Ring: The Darkening of Mirkwood - Session 23: The Road (Sort of) South


Episode 46 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is The One Ring, by Cubicle 7 Games!  The campaign is The Darkening of Mirkwood!


Don't remember much about The One Ring?  Check out the Geek's game review of it here!

Or check out the TOR community forums here!

Here is Tales from Wilderland!


Check out the campaign's Obsidian Portal page!

And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Denethor Lightbow
Player:  Nick
Culture:    Elf of Mirkwood
Background:  Diligent Defender

Calling:  Scholar

PC:  Fendegil
Player:  Monster Mike
Culture:  Ranger of the North
Background:  Solitary Vagabond
Calling:  Wanderer

PC:  Brand, son of Gorm
Player:  Jack

Culture:  Barding (Man of Dale)
Background:  Rediscovering the Past

Calling:  Treasure Hunter

Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Monday, May 15, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 045 - The 7th Sea One-Shot: Campaign of Thrones



Episode 45 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up here and is on its way to stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into the Actual Play thing!


The game this time is "Campaign of Thrones", a one-shot of the new 7th Sea, created and published by John Wick Presents!  

Check out the Quickstart here!

Prince Aleksy will return! 

Music:  "A Apolitical Blues" by Van Halen


Saturday, May 6, 2017

The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast 044 - Star Wars: The Long Shot Campaign - Episode 12: One Small Favor


Episode 44 of The CVG Actual Play & Community Theater Podcast is up and in stores near you (i.e. iTunes)!  

Remember: it's on a different feed from The CVG Podcast and Rhythm & Blues Revue, so you will need to subscribe to this feed separately if you're into it!

The game is Star Wars (Revised d6), by West End  Games


And now a quick breakdown of our characters:

PC:  Gwen DeMarco
Human Slicer
Player:  Chris

PC:  Quint Multra
Human Wrench Monkey
Player:  Jack


PC:  Zahira Tagge
Human Pilot
Player:  Brian

PC:  Zaquesh Rooleg (aka This One)
Gand Findsman
Player:  Nick

Here's the Obsidian Portal Page!


Remember to show your love and support for the Geek out on Patreon!  Actual play episodes don't count for our Patreon contributions, so every time we play a game, you get a freebie!

Music:  "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" by Elton John