Stack o’ Dice

A chance meeting in the city of Flenmoor has given our heroes a leg up (and a new look). Now they push on to the city's library to discover the meaning of the Jewels of Edelenn. The city still has its share of surprises, though. What lies in store in the library? What are these jewels of Edelenn? Will the party ever get rid of Rebec's luggage? Find out now in this week's 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: New followers are appearing around the country. Thanks for joining our ongoing story, and we hope you enjoy the story as much as we do! Dice Envy (@DiceEnvy or diceenvy.com), for partnering with us on a magnificent giveaway. We give more details at the beginning of this show. The Gang of DMs, our completely made-up name for the informal group of talented DMs working together to share ideas on how to improve our games. We're sharpening each other! 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 free royalty-free sound effects. Sound effects that fall under the Attribution license: Fountain.wav is a copyright of mikaelfernstrom Fanfare1.flac is a copyright of n2p5 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: Large City - City of Trade in Day, by Olivier Girardot Large City - Civilization During Day, by Pablo Betancourt Elven Dirge - Ma Serannas, by Mario Luengo Walking on Stone in Platemail, by Olivier Girardot Heavenly Plane - Divine Beauty, by Maarten Bonder Forgotten Chamber - Chamber of the Fey-King, by Jarrod Royles And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

It's almost inevitable--one day, the DM's well of inspiration will run dry. Or perhaps you're a new DM, and feel daunted by the task that lies ahead? Either way, in this special episode we offer some places from which you can draw inspiration in coming up with ideas. We had originally intended to release this episode later on in our run, but after a week of questions and interactions with some brilliant friends on Twitter, we thought it might be better to release it now. Join us as we talk about a few things that keep us going! In particular, we mention: Dragon Talk, an official D&D podcast that covers all aspects of gaming The DM's Block, a great podcast resource for getting new ideas on how to run a game Sneak Attack, a fantastic actual play podcast that we've really enjoyed listening to The DM's Craft, a YouTube channel where a DM shows fun ways to make actual props for games There are certainly more avenues to explore, and perhaps we'll do that in a later special episode, but for now, please enjoy our humble offering! And if you like what you hear, please take a moment to leave us a five star rating on iTunes--it will help connect us with other gamers.

Part of the reason behind this podcast is to share what we're learning both about D&D and podcasting as we go. To celebrate our first mini-milestone of hitting the 10th episode, we talk about some of the things we're figuring out about our characters as well as the podcasting scene in general. If this discussion prompts any game-related questions in your mind, share them with us on Twitter (@stackodice) or by email (stack.o.dice@gmail.com). We'd love to hear from you, and will try to answer them in future episodes. If we get enough, we might dedicate an entire episode to answering questions, but one step at a time!

It's party time for Tira, Womberbash, and Peter. The Heroes of Arden make their way to the village green and engage in several different important conversations with those close to them. This evening of recognition is an important step in the lives of these young adventurers, but something much deeper awaits them at the Great Stag Inn. 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: Our admin site tells us we had a nibble from Kuwait! How exciting is that?! Freesound.org for making an amazing selection of great sounds available FOR FREE. See below for the sounds we used. The players continue to provide the encouragement the DM needs to keep this story going. Applause is truly the sweetest repayment! Though we're eligible to start using BattleBards sounds in our podcast, we didn't incorporate any this week. We did, however, use 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: Applause 2 is a copyright of VlatkoBlazek Chair2.wav is a copyright of lezaarth Dark Ambient Music 1 is a copyright of Xanco123 Minor Key Music Box is a copyright of DarkWaryurMC Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license: TribalDrums.wav is a copyright of HerbertBoland And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

Trouble is brewing in the tiny, remote town of Arden as bandits threaten the villagers' way of life. The heroes ready their weapons as the mayor rallies the desperate townspeople in the only defensive structure they have--the palisade on the Rock. What fearsome foes will our heroes face? Who will survive the day? Find out in this brand new 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: What a week for exposure! We've found new friends on Twitter, and our little family is slowly growing. We appreciate your interest, and we value your interaction on Twitter or by email. For those who have reached out to us with feedback, we sure do love what you've had to say. It helps us improve as we go, and we want to be among the best. 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: Cry of great public 01.wav is a copyright of klankbeeld Rowdy crowd.wav is a copyright of xtrgamr Helmutscream_short.wav is a copyright of creativeheroes Battle Horn is a copyright of Porphyr Poison Spell Magic is a copyright of qubodup Orchestral Strings, Warm, A.wav is a copyright of InspectorJ Sound effects that fall under the Attribution Noncommercial license: TribalDrums.wav is a copyright of HerbertBoland 01161 Boar oink 3.wav is a copyright of Robinhood76 And now, on with the show-- we're excited to tell a story with you.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!