Stack o’ Dice

Ep 83: After leaving the lands of the Witani, the party is making its way east to the faraway land of K'zaro. But an uncertain airship means frequent stops, and now Bash's curiosity has put him in an apparent predicament. Check us out to find out what happens next in our ongoing story! ----- Stack o' Dice is an official affiliate of Dice Envy. Use this special link, https://diceenvy.com/stackodice, to buy your next set of dice, and you'll also help support our show! Our new spots for Dice Envy and Battlebards use music from Battlebards! We hope you like our use of: Urban Center - Village of Gnomes - Score Music by Moises Alvarez Capital City - Middlegate - Score Music by Shams Ahsan And our recap uses this Battlebards song: Downtime - Blood Eagle - Score Music by Alexander Nakarada We're glad you're sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've created together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice) and on Instagram (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at stack.o.dice@gmail.com. ----- We used some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for completely free sound effects. We used some excellent Battlebards sound effects. If you like what you hear, check them out at battlebards.com. If you sign up for a Prime account, be sure to use our special code, stack, and you'll get a 20% discount on your subscription. Here are the sound effects we used in this episode: Ancient Chamber - Tomb of the Starborn - Score Music, by Alexander Kochetkov Summon Wind, by Wes Otis And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

Creation Corner: The holidays always make for a tough recording time, so we won't share an actual play episode this week. We do have a new Creation Corner episode, though, and we hope you enjoy it! This week, Rhett and a guest take time to discuss the pros and cons of using miniatures and "theater of the mind" in games, and why we chose to take the approach we did for the podcast. Please do share your thoughts with us on Twitter and Instagram, or by email. ----- Stack o' Dice is an official affiliate of Dice Envy. Use this special link, https://diceenvy.com/stackodice, to buy your next set of dice, and you'll also help support our show! We're glad you're sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've created together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice) and on Instagram (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at stack.o.dice@gmail.com. And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

Ep 100: Navigating the volcano to find the next pillar proved a challenge in itself as the party faced some unexpected moments. Now the central chamber lies before them, and a hated foe awaits. What will happen next? Listen now to find out! ----- Stack o' Dice is an official affiliate of Dice Envy. Use this special link, https://diceenvy.com/stackodice, to buy your next set of dice, and you'll also help support our show! Our new spots for Dice Envy and Battlebards use music from Battlebards! We hope you like our use of: Urban Center - Village of Gnomes - Score Music by Moises Alvarez Capital City - Middlegate - Score Music by Shams Ahsan And our recap uses this Battlebards song: Downtime - Blood Eagle - Score Music by Alexander Nakarada We're glad you're sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've created together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice) and on Instagram (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at stack.o.dice@gmail.com. ----- We used some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for completely free sound effects. Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license: TribalDrums.wav is a copyright of HerbertBoland We also used some excellent Battlebards sound effects. If you like what you hear, check them out at battlebards.com. If you sign up for a Prime account, be sure to use our special code, stack, and you'll get a 20% discount on your subscription. Here are the sound effects we used in this episode: Club - Hit 1, by Wes Otis Empowered Magic Missile Spell, by Rajesh Gilbert Enchantment - Transfixion Spell, by Phil Archer Evocation Spell - Moon Path, by Maria Milewska Evocation Spell - Orb of Acid, by Marco Imperatori Fearsome Roars - Giant Bird Roar, by Marco Imperatori Fearsome Roars - Swamp Critter Hiss, by Marco Imperatori Fearsome Roars - Giant Bird Roar, by Marco Imperatori Javelin Strikes Chainmail, by Illicevici Serban Fearsome Roars - Giant Bird Roar, by Marco Imperatori Lightning Bolt Spell, by Daniel Warneke Shortbow Arrow Hits Chainmail, by Jean-Baptiste Vestige of Eons - Castlechip - Score Music, by Victor Carracedo And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

Special: The season isn't complete until we share our gaffes and giggles from throughout the season. The last few months were especially challenging, but we sure do love getting together, and it shows. We hope you enjoy what we've put together, and stay tuned for the second half soon! ----- Stack o' Dice is an official affiliate of Dice Envy. Use this special link, https://diceenvy.com/?rfsn=2189820.f8fe99, to buy your next set of dice, and you'll also help support our show! We're glad you're sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've created together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice) and on Instagram (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at stack.o.dice@gmail.com. ----- And now, on with the show-- we hope you enjoy the ensuing silliness.

Special: Half a world away, ominous events are unfolding on the open grasslands of eastern Seth Arban. Tune in now to find out what happens as events unfold around our ongoing story.  ----- Stack o' Dice is an official affiliate of Dice Envy. Use this special link, https://diceenvy.com/stackodice, to buy your next set of dice, and you'll also help support our show! Our newest spot for Battlebards uses music from Battlebards! We hope you like our use of: Capital City - Middlegate - Score Music by Shams Ahsan We're glad you're sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've created together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice) and on Instagram (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at stack.o.dice@gmail.com. ----- We didn't use any Creative Commons sound effects in this episode, but we always want to promote freesound.org, a fantastic resource for completely free sound effects. We did use some excellent Battlebards sound effects. If you like what you hear, check them out at battlebards.com. If you sign up for a Prime account, be sure to use our special code, stack, and you'll get a 20% discount on your subscription. Here are the sound effects we used in this episode: Echoes of the Past - Bygone Epoch - Score Music, by Maria Milewska Fearsome Roars - Giant Bird Shriek, by Marco Imperatori Fearsome Roars - Giant Bird Yell, by Marco Imperatori Nature Claimed Ruins - The Ruins of Loardamere - Score Music, by Raphael Bellamy Pit Fight Arena, by Wes Otis Skirmish Dramatic - The Ambush - Score Music, by Matias Godoy And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

Follow a band of intrepid friends as they seek to understand the world changing around them, and work together to face a growing evil. Enter a world of adventure and mystery-- in Vardalon! This first episode of our new podcast series lays out what we want to do in this series. There are a couple major things we want to share with you. First, we're excited to share our actual play episodes. We have a great story cooking, some fun characters, entertaining players, and an all-new world to explore. Plus, we're recording this as a family-friendly series, because we want you to be able to share it with absolutely anyone! We're going to try to adhere to a once-a-week schedule, aiming for Monday as a release day. Second, we want to share some of the behind-the-scenes workings with you. We know that running a game can be daunting, and we want to share our process with you. The DM doesn't claim to be the best in the world, but if you like what you hear, use it; if you don't, ditch it! We just hope you'll find something of use in this secondary, sporadic series of podcasts. With that, the Stack o' Dice gang welcomes you, and we're excited to share our story with you!

In this first special content episode, we take some time to get to know a little about our first player, Michael, and we go over the highlights as we create his mystic character, Wamberbash Bensonmum. The mystic is a new-ish class in 5e; it was introduced last year in Wizards of the Coast's officially unofficial Unearthed Arcana, and we thought it'd be fun to give it a try. Psionic (or mental) magic has featured to varying degrees in previous editions of D&D, so we want to give it a shot in this game. Also, if you haven't already, please take a moment to check out our Twitter feed (@stackodice) to keep up with the latest on what's shaking in the Stack o' Dice world. We're excited to have you join us as we tell this story together.

Today we continue our special content series as we get to know our next player, Thane, and we go over the highlights as we create his cleric character, Peter Greyhawk. Magic-using classes in the world of Vardalon are a little interesting at the outset, since magic is a thing of legend and the stuff of tales. If it ever existed, it was eons ago, so picking a cleric is a fun way for Thane to start. If you haven't already, please take a moment to check out our Twitter feed (@stackodice) to keep up with the latest on what's shaking in the Stack o' Dice world. Also, if you're enjoying what you've heard so far, please take a moment to rate what we've done in your podcast manager. Your rating helps us to reach more people, and if you like what we're doing, chances are someone else will, too. Your positive review will get us in people's ears! We're excited to have you join us as we tell this story together.

In this special episode we round out the party by getting to know Meredith, and we go over the highlights as we create her barbarian, Tira Ironstag. As the axe-wielding muscle in the party, Tira adds a no-nonsense, action-oriented, and (dare we say it?) headstrong element. You'll know in no time that she lives by her motto: "No problem is too big for my axe!" If you haven't already, please take a moment to check out our Twitter feed (@stackodice) to keep up with the latest on what's shaking in the Stack o' Dice world. Also, if you're enjoying what you've heard so far, please take a moment to rate what we've done in your podcast manager. Your rating helps us to reach more people, and if you like what we're doing, chances are someone else will, too. Your positive review will get us in people's ears! We're excited to have you join us as we tell this story together.

Okay, okay—we were trying to stick to the "Getting to Know You" series this week, but felt it was important to sneak this one in prior to dropping our first actual play session. We hope you find it, uh, rewarding. One of the things you may notice when we start releasing actual play episodes is that our experience point awards may seem rather paltry compared to what you're used to seeing in the Player's Handbook or during your games. That's because we're testing out a new XP system Wizards of the Coast released in its Unearthed Arcana series last year. Not only does it clean up the wonky amounts between levels (like the weird progression between levels 9-11), but it provides incentive for players to really get into the ROLEPLAYING part of this roleplaying game. Rhett thinks this is an exciting development, and we're going to test it out for WotC to see how it works for us. We'd also appreciate your feedback on how it does (or doesn't) work. If you have a thought to share, hit us up on Twitter (@stackodice). The Unearthed Arcana article to which we refer in this episode is located on the Wizards of the Coast website (http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UA-ThreePillarXP.pdf). There's plenty of neat stuff in the entire series; take a moment to check it all out!

In this final special "Getting to Know You" episode, we meet Rhett the Dungeon Master, the guy behind the screen. After being introduced to Dungeons and Dragons at a young age, Rhett has loved the game ever since. As much as he likes to play, he most often ends up as the DM, which is just fine since it's a fun challenge to take on. In this role he gets to combine his love for history, storytelling, quick thinking, and just spending time with friends in a world created together. And don't worry--actual play episodes are coming starting next week! We needed to take some time to get used to the whole podcasting thing, and we felt these special intro episodes would both kick us off and let you get to know everyone in the Stack o' Dice gang. If you haven't already, please take a moment to subscribe to our Twitter feed (@stackodice) to keep up with the latest on what's shaking in the Stack o' Dice world. Also, if you're enjoying what you've heard so far, please take a moment to rate what we've done in your podcast manager. Your rating helps us to reach more people, and if you like what we're doing, chances are someone else will, too. Your positive review will get us in people's ears! We're excited to have you join us as we tell this story together.

We have one last episode to share this week before we shift to actual play episodes next week. We have some finishing touches to apply before we start, so we'll get those done and be ready to share the fun on Monday! In this episode, we run Meredith's character, Tira, through a mini gauntlet to help her understand how combat works in D&D 5e. We also see how the militia in Arden really digs into its fairy tale books to wrangle up some monstrous opponents. Certainly no one alive in Vardalon has ever seen these things before, but they're a part of the shared literary and song traditions among the people of the country of Moriga. The best we can guess is that the militia does this to make training more interesting. We'd also appreciate your feedback. If you have a thought to share, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice) and let us know what you think!  

In this first episode, we meet our friends Wamberbash, Tira, and Peter in the world of Vardalon. Things are looking pretty bad in the town of Arden: someone (or something) is attacking people in the nearby forest, the dwarves of Ironstag Delve are trying to reestablish themselves after the collapse of their ancestral home, and wounded strangers are appearing in town. What could it all mean? And what lies in store for both the town and our heroes? Come find out in this, our first actual play episode. Thanks for giving us a listen; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we're doing. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to give us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice). Here are the links to those who have helped us out already: Rob of Rob Ervin Voiceovers provided us with his fantastic voice work. Check him out at http://robervinvoiceovers.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/robervinvoiceovers/, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RobErvinVO.  Sweetwater Music (https://www.sweetwater.com/) gave us the right information on our sound board after a long and frustrating search at some of the box stores near us. Thanks for making it easy to get the right rig! And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

After meeting under less-than-auspicious circumstances last time, Wamberbash, Tira, and Peter decide to take a trip. Not everyone is happy about it, but when they arrive, a mystery awaits. What lies ahead? What is that thing glinting along the roadside? And what in Vardalon is a grul? Give us a listen to find out! Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we're doing. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets more people join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice). Here are our thanks for this week: Our Magic Mouth, Rob Ervin Voiceovers, for continuing to welcome us into the land of Vardalon. Check out Rob's work at http://robervinvoiceovers.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/robervinvoiceovers/, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RobErvinVO. Sweetwater Music (https://www.sweetwater.com/) saved our bacon when a recent Windows update blew up our audio drivers. Seriously, folks--good prices + excellent, free customer support = where you need to go for your sound needs! SoundJay (https://www.soundjay.com/), for a cost-free, hassle-free library of sounds that provided us with the perfect riverside setting. And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

At the end of our last actual play episode, you may have heard a segment that is new in your experience of tabletop games: the Norse Battle. This special episode shares exactly what this segment is for, where it comes from, and why we like to use it as a way to wrap up each game. Once you've listened to it, please share what you think about it, and if you use something similar, we'd love to know how you use it. As always, we want to thank you for sharing your listening time with us; we appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we're doing. We're having fun sharing the growing world of Vardalon with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets more people join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice). Finally, here are the links to some various Beowulf translations: The Howell Chickering translation, complete with facing page translation The Lesslie Hall translation available freely through Project Gutenberg The Tolkien prose translation The Seamus Heaney treatment (aka Heaneywulf) that plays fast and loose with the text, but for the sake of giving it a strong poetic feel

In our last episode, Wamberbash led his new friends to his woodland home, only to find that his beloved spoon was nowhere in sight. After a fruitless search and a nighttime journey fraught with bad dice rolls, they spotted a fire in a clearing up ahead. What lies in the clearing? Will Wamberbash ever find his spoon? Did you remember to pack your puer cha? Let's find out together in this episode! Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets more people join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice). Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at stack.o.dice@gmail.com. Our thanks for the week: As always, Rob of Rob Ervin Voiceovers continues to give us a smooth welcome to the land of Vardalon. Check out Rob's work at http://robervinvoiceovers.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/robervinvoiceovers/, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RobErvinVO. We warmly welcome our growing list of followers on Twitter. Each new follower lets us know that we're creating a fun story that has some meaning, even if it's just to provide a bit of entertainment for a few minutes on a basis that isn't as constant as we'd like. We welcome your comments, and appreciate that you've taken the time to stop in! The Creative Commons sound effects from Isolation Music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgRvVq8mStE) that we used throughout this episode. Your work has helped us add some pizazz to the episode, and we thank you! And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

In the previous episode we followed our heroes through a terrible fight in the forest. When the dust settles, they need to figure out what happens next, now that it seems their task is done. What will they do with their mysterious prisoner? Why is the forest acting so strangely? Will Wamberbash ever find another notebook? Let's find out together in this episode! Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at stack.o.dice@gmail.com. Our thanks for the week: Rob of Rob Ervin Voiceovers welcomes us to the land of Vardalon. Check out his stellar work at http://robervinvoiceovers.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/robervinvoiceovers/, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RobErvinVO. We have our first five star review on iTunes! Thanks for the kind words, bransomiffic. We also continue to welcome our growing list of followers on Twitter. Each new follower lets us know that we're creating a fun story that has some meaning, even if it's just to provide a bit of entertainment for a few minutes each week. We welcome your comments, and appreciate that you've taken the time to stop in! We also used some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for free royalty-free sound effects. Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license: splashing footsteps.mp3 is a copyright of user soundmary wolf-growl.wav is a copyright of newagesoup Click.wav is a copyright of lebaston100 WOOD CHOPPING_ Chopping hard wood with metal Axe (SFX).wav is a copyright of GuntherDorksen Woodland Stream March 2016.wav is a copyright of plantmonkey Bushwalking sounds.m4a is a copyright of TheScarlettWitch89 Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license: Dark Ambient Music 3: Hunted is a copyright of Xanco123 And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

After talking with a mysterious being with ties to Tira's ancestor, the party moves on to face a daunting challenge high in the mountains overlooking Arden. A series of puzzles awaits them in a place that's been undisturbed for centuries. What will they find there? What lies at the challenge's end? What perils could possibly await our friends? Listen in to this episode to find out! Thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you want to share a question or idea with us, drop us a line at stack.o.dice@gmail.com. Our thanks for the week: Rob of Rob Ervin Voiceovers welcomes us to the land of Vardalon. Check out his stellar work at http://robervinvoiceovers.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/robervinvoiceovers/, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RobErvinVO. The retweets and love we've gotten on Twitter. Five weeks in, and our little show is slowly growing. We'd love to hear from you! We also used some Creative Commons sound effects and music in this show. For the sake of attribution, we list them here. The following were taken from freesound.org, a fantastic resource for free royalty-free sound effects. Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license: Porte pierre 2.wav is a copyright of Slanesh Orchestral Strings, Warm, A.wav is a copyright of InspectorJ Abstract background music is a copyright of hifijohn Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license: Electric Shock.wav is a copyright of GlenCurtisAdams Boom Bang is a copyright of bareform And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

It's a party, and you're invited! Adventuring is hard. That's why it's important to celebrate achievements! We'll record a special leveling episode each time the party levels. This is the first in what (we hope) will be plenty of level-up celebrations. Follow the leveling process as we talk through what benefits Tira, Womberbash, and Peter gain for hitting this milestone. From squat thrusts to HP envy, this episode has it all! As a reminder, the Unearthed Arcana article pertinent to Wizards' in-development Mystic class is located at https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/UAMystic3.pdf. Check it out to see if it will fit into your own campaign! As always, thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your words of support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you prefer email, send us game questions or comments at stack.o.dice@gmail.com.  

Do one-dimensional NPCs in your games have you feeling. . . blue? In this special episode, Rhett wants to share a really neat NPC creation technique. The original idea comes from an interview between Satine Phoenix and Taliesin Jaffe in an episode of Satine's excellent GM Tips series. GM Tips video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQZR4smjUEc This video inspired Rhett to create a spreadsheet version of the technique Taliesin introduced, but with a slight twist: https://1drv.ms/x/s!Ai_DSO_CT_ACg4Ao9hDNfPcymdn7rw To use the spreadsheet, first save it to your computer. Click on the ellipsis (...) in the upper right corner of the screen, then choose to Save a Copy. Once you have the sheet, simply type anything into the grey cell, then press Enter. This will cause the sheet to recalculate, generating a new NPC persona. Anytime you change the contents of the grey cell and press Enter, the sheet will update. If you want to make changes to the contents, just follow your spreadsheet program's instructions to unlock the spreadsheet first. There is no password. Use it in your game, and have a great time with the result! How does it work out for you? Did it lead to any fun experiences? Let us know! As always, thanks for sharing our story; we really appreciate your words of support and hope you enjoy what we've put together. We're having fun sharing our adventure with you each week, and we'll only get better with time! If you like what you hear, please take the time to leave us a review on iTunes, since that bumps us up in the ratings and lets others join in the fun. For quick updates on a more real-time basis, follow us on Twitter (@stackodice), where we'd love to hear from you. Or if you prefer email, send us game questions or comments at stack.o.dice@gmail.com.