(NOTE: this was originally planned as a SepiaDice post, but then i decided the tone was better for this blog. i tried to link the relevant stuff. you may proceed now.)
So… hm… how about I talk about podcasts? The type of project that inspired the creation of this blog SepiaDice.
If you scroll down to some of the earliest posts, particularly the Aden Krane material, you’ll see that they actually link over to a different blog called The Tomb Snail, which is also the name of the Facebook group me and my friends used to organize our games. We were flirting with the idea of doing a podcast and, under the same sort of excitement that got my webcomic started, I went ahead and set that blog up, and tried to get my prospective co-contributors on board.
I was the only one to really use it, and eventually I just moved to this one.
Anyways, if you look at the Tomb Snail’s icon, you’ll see a bunch of dice with character sheets and one behind a GM screen. Each die belongs to and represents a specific member of the Tomb Snail.
Mine’s the Sepia Die.
Hence this that blog’s title.
Anyways, my grand designs obviously didn’t work out, and I recently deleted my connection to that blog, and now need to remember to copy and past my posts so that I may repost them here to be free of accidentally losing it. Someone remind me. Preferably when I’m not limited to my tablet.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the fact that I would really love to produce a podcast, or a bunch of podcasts, or whatever.
There are, of course, a couple hurdles to this:
I don’t have the people! Just… not good at gathering players excited for this sort of project as I am.
I don’t have the time! Because I need to work so I don’t die! Boo!
How on earth am I going to edit it? Now, the only thing keeping me from streaming it is a handful of hardware, mostly microphones and a way to get multiple microphones into my computer, but that part’s doable.
What I do lack, however, is any comfort with the sound of my own voice. Yes yes, I know a lot of people complain that they sound different recorded than they do to their own ears, and that’s true to me. However, add that to the fact that I have a speech impediment that, after spending all of elementary school in speech therapy, I have been left with anxiety regarding it.[1]
The tea-el semicolon dee-are being: I mostly don’t pick up my own speech impediment, so hearing what I thought was clear vocalization or having it pointed out to me makes me super uncomfortable in the “Oh, I have failed” sort of way.
Basically, I’d prefer to contract out converting the hypothetical streams into audio podcasts. Because I refuse not to give my audience the option to listen whenever convenient.[2]
So those are my current obstacles. Sad.
Now, let’s step into a hypothetical miracle world where I can overcome those three things: what would I do?
Well, I have some ideas…
Among my ideas is one that’s not an actual play, but lies in the realms of ‘What if I somehow conned the One Shot Network into letting me have a show?’ because that’s the sort of daydreams I have.
Anyways, it’d probably end up being called Warstories or some such generic RPG-related name that the one shot network does. It would consist of guests coming on and giving an oral account of past games, hopefully on a theme. You know, things like ‘Disasters that went terribly right’ or “No dice were cast” or ‘When we were gods’. hokey things like that, with at least one episode dedicated to getting people on to tell a story that happened on a podcast the audience can listen to, to open the possibility of comparing contrasting the actual play and what those involved remembered.
Depending on the structure, I might keyfabe something about me running a multidimensional tavern these people stumble into to relax and talk. Maybe the Silver Griffon, because griffons are cool. I dunno, it can be workshopped.
I really like the oral history aspects of the hobby, where people tend to get together and tell one another their exploits, building both a community and a group mythos. After all, it’s how gazebos have gained mythic status for eating a dude name Eric, and how we now fear we may be surrounded by bears with really good bluff checks.
So ripping off Your Stories with an RPG theme seems like a good and fun idea.
Heck, maybe I can do an episode on dice superstitions. I love those!
So, moving on to actual play ideas.
They would be actual play podcasts! Dull surprise!
I mean, okay, it speaks for itself, but there’s still three broad categories of things I could do:
SepiaDice GMs a campaign: I have a setting idea I would love to do a podcast with. Gather 3 to five players, do a little set-up, then build the world and story as we go. As I have shown in the past, some of my strength lies in making things up as I go, and following things to logical extremes.
So of course I would hope this project gets a following enough that they’d start tracking the story, make a wiki, and maybe be open to me farming details out to them. Let the audience participate in creating the story.
My current ideal state is to run it in GURPS, because I love point-buy character generation, advantages and disadvantages, and the character progression is a thing I know how to do in GURPS.
SepiaDice Plays: different series where I’m playing, because I also like to focus on a single character. Again, ideal world, this would be pathfinder, and maybe even the triumphant return of Trix![3] Or at least a rogue. I love rogues.
SepiaDice Presents journey East: Basically, West Marches, but by my hand. Unexplored continent to the east, players come to a tiny town on the western coast, and build/join a guild there. This allows for players to be easily swapped in and out as scheduling permits, world building, and character growth. Heck, I could probably put in a system of tags so the audience can just follow their favorites. This has the advantage of me not requiring the same cast to run a session, while still doing a lot of the above Me as GM idea enables. Even imagine it taking place in the same setting. Heck, I could theoretically do both at the same time, and have them effect one another in subtle ways!
So… that’s what I wish I could do, and the reasons why I’m not currently doing it.
This was originally going to be a SepiaDice post, but… eh, I think it’d be better under CanvasWolfDoll.
Feel free to send me asks or thoughts on this post, or anything really. I get bored and I like to ramble, so you’re always welcome to bother me either here or over on @SepiaDice
Kataal kataal.
[1] A topic that deserves its own essay. And probably will.
[2] The fact I can’t download the audio of Critical Role is about 50% of why I have failed to get into the show. I listen to these things as I’m driving, I can’t stand having to be anchored to a computer to enjoy your media, guys!
[3] Though admittedly me playing a female character regularly may end up confusing.
ugh. itching to play pathfinder. but i lack time, people, and timely people. why don't you guys send me asks over on @sepiadice? won't help dissapate my annoyance with life, but it might be fun? maybe? send me asks over here if you want, i guess. i'll try and answer them after work. or during work. just... just amuse me, peasants!
