00:00.00
sidekqpodcast
Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of sidekicks and side quests the unofficial dungeons and dragons podcast that is the best in my humbly biggest opinion. Like I need to take another stab at that again. Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting episode of sidekicks and sidequest the best unofficial denes and dragons podcast in my humbly biased opinion. Well normally this is the section where I just talk about the first ad read sponsor but considering that. My guest this week is kind of the maker behind this brand. Ah let's just do something a little different and just kind of take this opportunity to exclusively talk about the first sponsor that I have and the one that's been with me for the longest time plus one e x b hello.

00:46.50
Tony
Um, hey here? Yeah so plus one is a weird little brand that multiclasses in tabletop game design beard and skin carry alchemy and the bartic college of content creation. So.

00:50.26
sidekqpodcast
Can you tell us more about plus one Exp.

01:01.55
Tony
Ah, we we make games. We cover indie rpgs so basically anything that isn't fifth edition or dungeons and dragons and then we also um, we also make beard and skincare products. So ah, bespoke alchemically powered beard bombs lit bombs and. Coming soon. Lotion bars that are all inspired by kind of classic tabletop trips. They're all ah all handmade and help us print cool little indie ah indie rpgs old school style adventures and other fun games also too.

01:19.55
sidekqpodcast
You.

01:35.42
sidekqpodcast
And yeah I happen to have a can of the plus one Charisma and the plus one strength I believe is what I have and so every time I actually remember to put on Beard Balms They make me smell ah minty fresh and like and very Cool. So I always feel like oh I'm adding a. A little plus one to my Charisma today. So it's It's always very nice. Yeah, and so then the Rpg that began this brand was beards and Beyond is that correct.

01:54.19
Tony
Just low key larp your way through your day and and I'm saying.

02:02.42
Tony
Yeah, so we but it's Tony by the way and set not and we have yeah in February of twenty twenty I was like zine quest two is happening I was like hey I have this one. 2 page beard rpg that I've done what if I turned that into a zine and three weeks later we launched it. We funded it um and spent the next few months putting it together getting it ready putting it out at the same time I was started doing review videos for other people's games and by the time it was ready to launch was a huge part of what we did but you know we we're. We've become better known for the work we do on other people's games and even when people talk about the games that I've developed or worked on beards and beyond is one that a lot of people don't know about it was free rpg day. Ah last week at the time of recording and um. Was there and somebody mentioned it and I was like oh it's always really nice when somebody actually knows the first game I made because it was when I was somebody who hadn't been writing a brand for two or three years and was just kind of like here's a fun thing I want to get out into the world which is a huge part of what we want to do plus one. Is just help other people be able to do that also too. So. It's always fun when kind of my first foray gets brought up.

03:16.96
sidekqpodcast
Yeah, not to mention some of those other gains which I know I always like to go through the list in the ad reads section here. You know that includes repugnant I toaster down we go through the void vamp nuular brainstanding and even the santa side squad which I have downloaded and purchased. But. Just have not quite found the opportunity to deploy but 1 of these Christmas holidays I'm going to sit my family down and we're going to have some sort of Christmas caper.

03:41.52
Tony
Set suicide squad is super fun. It's really enjoyable if you like things where the sick where the suicide squad meets the italian job meets your favorite Christmas claimation movie. We are actually have been working on over the last couple months on and off um what we hope will be the definitive print edition of that game which is only also again a 2 page rpg but we want to make a series of Christmas cards that you can pop up and play on so you'd have five character cards and 1 kind of Gm rules. Ah card that would each have custom art on them and some other cool stuff like that I'm really excited hoping hoping we get that out in time for this Christmas we may not though but xocide squad is yeah every year we'll stream it a couple times on plus one stream. Um, it's always super fun. Ah, Jeff Stormer on party of 1 pod did an actual play of it this year. So if people want to go check it out that was a super fun actual play to listen to also to. But yeah, easy kind of honey high tack. So 2 stats. You've got natty and nice and I always love hearing about what people do with it.

04:50.55
sidekqpodcast
It's always nice to have the creator of the brand and your ad read and so you can kind of like not have to be so robotic with the normal thing that I type up but of course as you've already mentioned you've got your website. You've got Tony plus one.dot.tony plus one.h.io and ah anyone can go there and get any of these fine products and by getting something from there that helps contribute to the plus 1 Ford program which you use to then invest in other indie tabletop content creators.

05:18.43
Tony
Yeah, or go to plus one ExPDotCom you can see some of those games there. Not only our digital stuff over our it page but the physical ones also to yeah.

05:30.20
sidekqpodcast
Yeah, and so you're on the social medias. You've got the twitters. You've got the Facebook you've got the youtubes and the twitchches and the discords and all that and ah the final thing for this ad segment that I think I can say before I drag this on too long is when you go to that website and you see that affiliate code box. Here with the brand man himself just just type in the code Randolph. That's the only code you'll ever need and you can save some coin on your purchase at no extra cost to you again. The code is Randolph Randolph at checkout on the website plus one eexp.com okay, so now that we made it through that unorthodox ad read hello returning guest. It's been several years since we've interviewed. But for those who are new to the podcast would you care to introduce yourself tell us who is that you are and what is it that you do.

06:18.82
Tony
Yeah, so I mean Tony Vicinda I am chief alchemist over at plus one Exp which is a weird little brand that multiclass is in tabletop game design beard and skincare alchemy and the bard college of content creation. So we make games. We review other people's games and we make beard and skinca products. Since last time also too if you don't have a beard you're like man I don't I don't have a beard if that's you because not everybody does it's weird I know you're surprised out there listener. We just launched our line of um in the last couple months of Bard song which is our our lip balm. Ah products so you've got things like stolen bread. That's peppermint. You've got things like spark um, that is ah cinnamon. You've got ah my favorite which is inspiration which is kind of a citrus mint blend and we've got a rose clove one called charm. It's absolutely amazing also too and then we've got some lotion bars that'll be coming out later on this year as well called stone to flesh. So um, if you want to check any of those out and you don't have a beard but you do have skin or lips you can head on over and and check those out.

07:27.88
sidekqpodcast
Yes I do hope. In fact, most of my listeners are in fact, real life humans and they are not the lizard people beneath Los Angeles that are just masquerading as humans.

07:37.49
Tony
Yeah, but liveard people need need something to help keep those scales supple and we've got you covered there also to lip stuff. Maybe not so much. But you know.

07:46.36
sidekqpodcast
Well my wife does like chapstick and lip Balms and stuff so I might have to show her some of that and be like hey are you interested in some of this. This might be a cool birthday present to get you or something.

07:59.90
Tony
I bet this was gonna be the big reveal moment where you finally nods that your wife was a lizard person. Ah.

08:03.85
sidekqpodcast
So oh oh, no, no no, she's she's much cooler than a lizard person for sure. Ah yeah, ah yeah, so it's it's great to have you back on I know I've been ah you know we've been chatting and and.

08:07.82
Tony
Ah so awesome.

08:17.18
sidekqpodcast
And all that through the through the years of the podcast and the friendship and all that so just kind of like a hey. How's it going. It seems like the brand has been doing well over the last couple of years since we talked way early on in the pandemic way when.

08:31.82
Tony
Yeah, yeah, so things have been good. Um, it's been a lot of growth a lot of change. We have some amazing new team members. Um, we shifted to becoming part of a larger company also too. So. There's been a lot of stuff. Ah, that's been going on especially over the course of the last year and we've got a couple of new products that are ah projects that are on the horizon that I am like super excited about getting up and getting going that are really going to kind of lean. It let us lean into our mission in and kind of a more intentional way. So we've got. To me and Johnny who was our ah my team member on pretty much all of my creative projects who would have been with us. You know, last time we talked. Um, he does all the layout and art direction for all of our projects. Um and is ah you know over in the Philippines but.

09:20.60
sidekqpodcast
Mm.

09:21.55
Tony
Johnny for 8 years across who 9 different ah like major projects and 3 different companies and um, like just kind of the the most important member of our team does a ton to kind of help establish kind of the visual styling of the brand and help make all of our projects just kind of pop. Um. Most recent major release down we go um, which is this osr an old school system by Marcus Lindham who's the sweetest designer. Um, we get rave comments on how great the layout is like how readable it is um but how it also drives the aesthetic of the game and a really clear way and also too.

09:56.80
sidekqpodcast
Yeah, yeah.

09:59.99
Tony
And that's all Johnny's work right? like that just somebody who is so important.

10:02.11
sidekqpodcast
Did he look at that like Glen Danzig album cover because every time I see like the cover for down we go I think of like that's horn skull image from danzzig or whatever.

10:11.99
Tony
Um, the cover. So John our direction still ah Simone to meta is the lead artist on down. We guess so Johnny did all the layout but Simone really brought in that strong visual styline and it wouldn't surprise me if that was a ah key influence. Ah, but Simone actually did that entire book all the art in it which you know we we basically you know our design style is largely like hey we like full full page images and just like a little bit of like almost no spot out almost more just like layout elements. Help kind of drive things forward. So hey we want skulls. We can use alongside the headers hey we want you know these big broad brush strokes that you know so like we we go mostly like big full page. So Simone did all the full page stuff except for one which is Johann nor who does who's the the artist and graphic designer from mark forg did the dungeons spread for that. But Johnny did all the layout and arrangement on each of the individual pages. Um, and really helped kind of bring in. Um, you know these big broad brush strokes for you know, like our our tables rather than just being that kind of traditional like. Hey we've got light gray boxes and then you know white boxes also to go in for something a little bit more styled a little rougher a little bit more organic, a little bit more free form arranging the different art that it's at the bottom of a couple pages that are some kind of layout for issues we had Simone. Do ah, kind of figuring out how all those different pieces come together along with you know the font.

11:35.70
Tony
Titling another work which for a game when you're doing minimalist design like down we go is the core rules all fit on on 1 page the other 71 pages of the book are all additional procedures story building but like if you are an experienced gm. Um, with a table of William players. There's there's a single page of rules that everybody needs to digest. It's also the character sheet itself. Ah, but tons of other tools and stuff in there. Um, but figuring out how that minimalist design all kinds of comes together in that one page Marcus brought a lot of that in in the initial design. But Johnny really took it up ah to a whole nother level within that so we've got Johnny always been with us but on the content side. We've got Keegan and Sarah who told me they weren't starting a cult on our twi channel but it turns out they were starting a cult and so they run the cult on plus one exp which is um, them. Ah, sitting down and doing what they call character study interviews so rather than it being it just a traditional interview format. Um or an interview format where you make a character which other shows do they? Um, they actually have you build yourself as a character in a system that you love as part of process.

12:34.39
sidekqpodcast
You.

12:42.23
sidekqpodcast
Oh interesting.

12:46.48
Tony
Um, it's super fun and that' started because we were doing we were doing we were road testing it. They had me on and I was like well I love gers and it's known that I love gers the generic universal world playing system by Steve Jackson games everybody always thinks this is Joe. But it's very serious seriously love gertz. And so I made me in fourth editions where we talking about? who should we make what would it that be like and I was like you know you still like you'd stat yourself, you sta your friends and like you stat yourself I was like oh yeah, it's like super fun and so we did that and that became the format for the show was building. Whatever version of you, you want to in the system sometimes the system the designer has made but like last week we had somebody on who made themselves in the star trek roleplaying game system because it's a system. They love. It's a lot of different ways you that it's they use it but then they do a lot of um, like um.

13:29.26
sidekqpodcast
Um.

13:36.13
Tony
Ah, different games that we feel like need a lot more coverage. They'll do these kind of 2 part hey we're going to do one where we kind of do a session zero one where we actually talk about design when where we actually play the game kind of 2 part up ah reflections on a game. Um, a lot of times. Work specifically with queer creators which we love having like more voices and more diversity on the stream and so that's always been a huge passion for us is how we bring different voices to the forefront how we create a really diverse community of design and a play and so we're really excited to have Keegan and Sarah kind of like championing. Um, a lot of voices that might not get heard otherwise or might not know how to access press or content frees or other stuff like that. We've got armandda holler now who's doing solo games. She's she's is a somali a so we call her the lone som ah over on plus one e expp. And argentinian creator. She's been an absolute blast to add had some technology issue last little bit but like her streams are always just her playing the game. You know, just a taste of it for about 45 minutes and then sitting down with the creator and talking about that game which is kind of the core thing that we do when we play. Group games. We have the designer come in run it for us. But this time it's arm mindda playing and then an interview with the designer and then in on June ah sorry on July six we launch our newest show with cap mcdonald called taking flight.

14:50.99
sidekqpodcast
Um.

14:59.44
Tony
Takef flight is going to be a show where catt is the flight attendant and there is a pilot and a copilot. The pilot is an established experienced designer from the andd rpg space and the the coppilot is somebody who has a game in development and they're going to sit down for 90 minutes and just talk about with chat. Um, what it's like to be trying that game what problems the copillot is facing in their design process and then the pilot will help kind of navigate where are we headed? How do you do this? What are some things that been their experience I've done. It. cat's doing a really good job like we had we put out like hey who would want to do this and we're hoping to get like you know enough to do like.

15:21.50
sidekqpodcast
And.

15:38.30
Tony
8 or 9 episodes every other week over the summer and we got over 130 responses for people who want to come on and be a part of that conversation. So um, but I was really excited because guy was this like would anybody want to host this and people immediately say like this sounds very much like a plus one style show. It's been a great collaboration. Ah, we're super excited to launch into that. It's been really cool to see Johnny working on all the new graphics and stuff for it. But we've got ah Kendo and um Ray are going to be our first guests on that Ray Super established rpgc designer did apocalypse keys um somebody who I love collaborating with and working with has also. Been the first proper guest on a few of our shows now. So really has become like our favorite person to have on and new show can do stepping in and designing for the first time in some in some very cool. Powered by the apocalypse space which Ray has a ton of experience and so can't wait to see what comes out of that conversation that's going to be Thursday evening at Eight Zero P M Eastern on July Six is going to be the first show I'll be running in tech behind the scenes but a lot of new. Content creation and then like I said we we joined up with a a third party logistics company. So a shipping company that used to ship all of our stuff. Um, we kind of joined the team there so we're able to offer things like crowdfunding fulfillment helping other people who don't have stores get their games out in different ways.

17:02.80
Tony
Ah, better conference support helping other brands set up ecommerce and fulfillment services for their games like possum creek other people who we really love helping ship for so a lot of really cool things happening in the world of plus one that we still get to put out our own games. Ah, most of what I don't get to do as much right now. Is sit down in design games and for the last eight months usually by this point in the year I would have played 30 newer distinctive systems and right now I've only played about 14 which sounds yeah which is a lot more than a lot of people get to play. But for me, it feels like like.

17:33.30
sidekqpodcast
Mean sure.

17:40.93
Tony
I'm not getting to play anywhere near as much as I want to I'm certainly not getting to design as much as I'd like to right now but we've got a ton of really great stuff going on. Um, and um, the big thing I'm excited about like with all that said, we're about to launch something called Zine Club in the next couple of months and this will be basically a curated subscription. Service. We'll put out 1 kind of story game or lyric game or experimental narrative game. Um, like ah you know once a month. It's going to be you know 20 to 40 pages and then very easy to consume and we're going to put out another game or adventure or something that's a little bit more in the traditional kind of old school. Ah, vibe that might fit with you know any d 20 plus system or be a narrative adventure or something that would you can kind of ah rope been more with kind of traditionalal games could be fantasy could be sci-fi could be. You know whatever it might be but basically people signing up in advance and they'll all be kind of. Emerging or underrepresented voices. So people who would normally have to go to crowdfunding to get their game to market what we want to do is say can we find you know a 20500? However, many people who want to invest every single month in helping creators get their first second or third game out especially creators. Um, who are who oftentimes. Might have to go through a lot of crowdfunding or might not have access to crowdfunding because of where they live in the world. Um, and be able to take their game straight into print and rather than waiting 6 to eight months to get it into your hands. You'll get a new game every month or if you sign up for every other month or every quarter or whatever. However, often you want to get a cool new zine or 2 sent to you.

19:13.47
Tony
We'll set you up. We'll send those out and we'll know exactly how many of those creators can get but we're also going to send out a little zine. It's like hey here's a place you can take notes here's a place we're talking about this game. Are you looking for other people to play it with right now this month these two things are our focus and we want people talking about them playing about them. And it's going to be right now as opposed to 6 to eight months from now so being able to get your game into print have people playing and talking about your game right away and being able to share your game is going to be huge also um with those zines where you can kind of fill out your notes on each each project your your passport is what we're calling it. Um, if you fill out the entire passport and find me at a convention I will stamp it and I will buy you a piece of pizza that's ah, that's a promise from me to you so which a lot of people have. We do get a pizza logo this year that's not why we're doing as that's happenstance.

19:54.26
sidekqpodcast
But yeah, you're that Cool. You're that cool t-shirt that was like. M.

20:05.92
Tony
I work pizza Keegan's sign off on the cult is so long. Enjoy the pizza and we were like let's just do pizza Nate Trim did this cool logo for us and I made a little game to go with it. That's that's super fun called terrific Tony's pizza patrol. Came from pizza hu apparently used to have like a reading program where if you filled out like the book you could take it in and free pizza were like you do that and I said sure anything to get kids reading and adults playing games I'm hundred percent on board with and so yeah, we'll get a stamp. It will be that's that's the

20:22.38
sidekqpodcast
Yeah, yeah program. Yeah.

20:39.72
Tony
That logo will be the stamp that I use for it in perpetuity and even outside of this year but I will stand it for you and buy a piece of pizza for you at whatever convention. We happen to be at with So I'm very much looking forward to it like gencon packs use other stuff in the future just being like big pizza party a bunch of people.

20:42.76
sidekqpodcast
O.

20:58.21
Tony
Finish these things were all together. We're going to go get you know a million Domino's pizzas um and do it but I'm I'm happy to do it and I'm you know I'm always any any excuse I have as a long term youth worker you know before I was in game stuff. To give out pizza to people I'm I'm I'm here for it.

21:15.49
sidekqpodcast
But awesome. Yeah I think in in in going but touching back on some of those points you made earlier very lightly I think when you made the call out to like hey do you have an idea for a game and you said oh we had like 130 people apply I'm pretty sure I may have been one of the ones and I know over time I've like. Had this idea floating in my head. So maybe we'll have to see if that's something that can ah that can come to fruition but it's been really cool to just you know, kind of hear all the good things that have been going on with the plus one eexp and all that and certainly the discord is certainly a lively place to go. So if you're not part of that. Plus one yeah eexp discord i. Highly recommend it because that is is where the pulse of everything is nowadays and um, you know it's just you know again, it's just great to sit here and and chat and converse. But I would be doing a disservice if I ah didn't of course, ask you if you'd had the opportunity. Maybe not necessarily. Ah, dungeons and dragons. But you said oh you had played like only 14 different systems. But since the last time we spoke like three years ago you've played some d and d you've played some tabletop role-playing games. You would say.

22:20.66
Tony
Um, I mean normally like said normally this when the year I played 40 different systems. Um, so like it's it's just that I'm behind. Um, yeah, so you know the same as last time I don't play a ton of five e I do get a decent amount of general. D and d and I get a ton of tabletop roleplaying games in our house system down. We go. it's it's d twenty plus if somebody has ever played dents and dragons the core resolution mechanic is going to feel pretty pretty familiar. But there's a whole lot of other narrative tech. Also the system's a lot simpler. So. Like I get to play a lot of dungeon fantasy games. Um, and I have in the intervening 2 years played fifth edition at least 1 time um with ah with father Casey Floyd Jones for a Christmas thing and I'm trying to think if there's been any other ones. But I've done five e four I did my my ah my youngest child. Um, ah b they ran um a five e session for us here at home that we did like 2 or 3 because they just were they wanted to get into g I mean we're looking for some like just ability to do that and so I had them run for us. Ah here at home also too. So I guess the the 2 times in the intervening little bit that I've played fifth edition um put of ah osc.

23:42.51
Tony
Ah, plenty of bx um, you know plenty of of older dungeons in dragons I've got to play a good amount of Dcc Dungeon pro classics over the last little bit and then like said tons of down we go as a big part of that and a good. Kind of like care and hacks also too and some end of the odd in the mix for folks who are into the old school stuff. But yeah, mostly, you know we're we're trying new and kind of bespoke stuff. Um all the time. The biggest thing I've really kind of fallen in love with I think in the last couple of years has really been to the carved from brendle wood system. Um, um, the um, ah which is Brenda Wood Bay is the primary game that kind of launched that but it really started with this game called between by Jason Cordova Jason wanted to make this kind of Victorian Penny dreadful

24:17.78
sidekqpodcast
Um.

24:33.42
Tony
System. Ah, ah, that really let people kind of dive into some of like the pulp magazine vibes of those those old but dreadfuls and really kind of wanted a really kind of evocative mystery system and created Brenda Wood Bay which is this game about um, ah, elderly women solving. Ah murders and mysteries in their small town brendawood bay which is a town by by the bay um, and um, also over time dealing with the emerging eldridge mysteries that are starting to happen in the background. Also it's very murder she wrote meets Cthulhu. Ah, but it's powered by the apocalypse system kind of loosely. But there's this really great mechanic called theorize in it where you're just kind of the there's no canonical outcome for the mystery. The Gm is constantly just giving you clues. Um, you know, based on you interrogating the fiction then they're you know they're telling you the different things you find pulling from this list and then. At 1 point you you say hey we want to. We want to theorize we want to solve the mystery um and you stop and everybody the gm and the players have a conversation about all the clues you found kind of restate what the mystery is um and then you start to weave all the clues into a theory and so you might say oh. You know we found. Um, you know a handkerchief with lipstick on it right? like and we think that means that you know this npc you know was in the room where the murder happened and we know that we also found this, you know, ah poison you know, um, wine glass and we you know we think maybe it was this.

26:05.61
Tony
Romantic, rendezvous that they lured and so you start kind of weaving this story together and once everybody agrees the theory you have is plausible and what you think happened. Um, you might get some pluses if you will wove more clues in or some minuses if you didn't weave enough clues in and then you make a roll and you add or subtract that and. Depending on the role determines. How correct you were or if you were just wrong and have to start the theorized process again. Maybe after researching some more um and it's this really beautiful moment at the table where the gm and the players all come around to have this specific conversation around what they think actually happened here and it played out and it's. There's now a number of different carb from brendda wood games. But 1 of the things I love about and that I think matters for this show particularly also is like the way that Jason writes npcs um in these things. It's very It's very so direct very simple like just a couple of key details. But 1 of the major things is like. How do you incarnate this person at the table. How do you physically? express the reality of this person. Jason's also so one of the best gms but their way of designing mpcs in their system also too. Um and that you can use it generically across most as I just think is is genius also too. So if you're looking for. Ah, great system at articulating mpc is carved from Brenda Wood games and the stuff jason cordova does is just I think tremendous.

27:23.17
sidekqpodcast
Awesome! That sounds that sounds wonderful. Yeah murder she wrote meets the eldridge horrors of cthulu that that's a pretty enticing ah and tagline that I'm I'm sure if people aren't playing it. They should start playing it now. Awesome. And then of course you know the name of this podcast being sidekicks and side Quest have you come across any new or interesting Npcs whether they be from one of the plethora of games. You've played video games movie film, television, etc and why has this new character This new Npc or sidekick. And interesting to you.

27:59.76
Tony
Yeah, um I so I just finished season 2 of the bear which is onlu um, my me and my third oldest child. Really both loved the show other people watch it with us but we like it we were waiting on season 2 to drop. It. It really is a season where you watch a lot of the characters who are who who were not the main character who was overwhelmingly the the immense float focus of the first season There's really a season about all the all the side characters and really each of them gets their own episode or 2 to kind of basically do the season is very much a transition when if you don't. <unk> know it's about it's about a a restaurant in a family in chicago. Chicago this really crappy like italian beef restaurant. Um, but the the the brother who owned it dies the younger brother who was a a michelin star like sous chef comes to run it and is basically trying to transition it. Into being a better version of itself and see if you can make it profitable. Um, but everybody gets kind of their like they're train so like they all go and like starge or work at like other restaurants other like kind of grimmet restaurants and you have the the person who just sort of baking bread like or you know being in charge of bread and cake. At the the shop learn how to make these really gourmet desserts and comes back with these absolutely amazing dishes. You watch the guy who's kind of the screw up ah ritchie character who's who can't get his life together is is kind of like everybody's.

29:24.57
Tony
Favorite least favorite cousin right? like the one who you love and have around and you care about but also is constantly screwed up his life go and work at this high-end restaurant and learn that like the restaurant's actually about more than you. It's about the guests experience and about. How you can all work together as individuals to help this thing come to fruition and kind of really be this have this these amazing kind of transformational moment. Um, you see like all these different side character. Quest basically happening kind of episode by episode as you get these training montages for these. Secondary kind of kitchen positions. But why each of them is important and the main character is still totally melting down during all of this right? So there's all the all that all the great family kind of drama that comes into that and some ah and you get some some great flashbacks also too. Um and so like I really like. It. It would be hard to go through and pick one specific character like out of that. Ah, and I guess I should have also spoiler warning before but I don't think I gave away anything too specific like Britie Ritchie this season finally gets his moment that's later on in the season and it's really beautiful and it it. I don't think like watching it, you don't feel like it's going to happen. You don't necessarily know if Rie's going to get it together and it really is kind of beautiful to see what eventually happens within the show for that and how that transformation takes place. Um, and so I I love that one.

30:52.85
sidekqpodcast
Awesome and then to go along with that. What's been an interesting or new side quest that you've come across again. Whether from a game video game movie, film, television, etc and why has this side quest this B plot stuck with you? why.

31:10.14
Tony
I'm a huge fan of the b plot this is a new one? Um, but it is a favorite one? Um, and it's one that inspires a lot of the work that I have been doing on my own game through the void um another shout out to Jason Cordova and car from Brenda Wood games is this. Piece of tech called the unseen which basically is a b plot mechanic where you're narrating these short vignettes about stuff happening and may I may have even said this one the first time because it is my favorite I don't remember honestly so if you know whoever is a completionist of mine and just listen to these 2 episodes you'll know no one else will um. The um, the story from deep space 9 um, where Ron and nog ah, really just want to buy some candy. Ah these you know these 2 teenage characters. We just want to buy some candy. And end up owning a piece of the local like nearby planet bejjo that ends up being a huge part of a planetary like trade dispute that resolves the apl plot when they sell up but it starts at them just like they buy some self ceiling st bolts which is just technobabble for bolts that. You know, apply themselves basically like and they go through this constant trade process and end up owning some land that ends up being humongously important, but it's all just like can we make a look like the teenage side hustle that becomes this major plot hinging thing and and they.

32:37.93
Tony
Like the adults never know it was them. They never like and they make you know they probably don't make out too well on the actual trade if they if we're looking at value but they make more money than they wanted to make and that's a win for them and it's it's one of my favorite b plots ever and 1 of my favorite side. Quest is like. We just want to buy. We just want to have a little bit of walking around money. Um, and so we're going to just start this bigger better sales trade process. Um, and it eventually having this huge kind of system wide impact.

33:12.67
sidekqpodcast
All right, Very awesome and fun fact. That was not the answer you provided last time. So I think you said something about um the the.

33:16.57
Tony
What did I say last time. Do you do you know.

33:25.76
sidekqpodcast
The the side quest that the player characters are interested in and going on and I remember a mention about a time traveling George Washington in an alternate universe that was trying to steal all the presidential quarters because each one represented a power or something.

33:40.52
Tony
I yeah, that's from 1 old old gerb game. Yeah, oh.

33:44.54
sidekqpodcast
Yeah man. Yeah, good times in that episode of course and to round out the personal interview section of this show. What is a new passion or hobby that you've picked up in the last time since we spoke and why has this new passion or Hobby stuck with you.

33:52.28
Tony
4

33:59.72
Tony
I mean is like as much as it sounds commercial and salesy like I like zine quest really is like where all of my energy is going because in all honesty like I also just I I think crowdfunding is fun for me. I think it's so hard for so many people and to be able to kind of institute like a community of reading and play and conversation around a small creator's game like really is ah is a strong articulation of why I started doing. What we do at plus one why we sort of making our own games sure but like more so covering other people's games sharing about you know these small systems that we really love um and being able to help people just get from an idea that they have. To play and conversation happening around a table like I love that I think play is unitive I think it's transformative I love seeing that and I love getting a creator gidy to see that and like I said so many so many kickstarter games just like that. The energy that you had going into like funding the game 6 to eight months later once you finally get it on to print is like all evaporated you maybe you're so excited to get it out but like you're a little done with the project. Ah, you don't know how into it people are like.

35:21.74
Tony
People right now. Really love to rally around funding or release but they don't they don't necessarily like have it set to get it to play or a place to go and talk about it. A place to be excited about it and if we can give that to creators like if we can create a system that lets us say for a hundred or two hundred or a couple hundred people. Here's something we're all going to be excited about this month giving that excitement and that intensity of release to a creator rather than just oh man I funded it and I finally got it out and now I've got to move on to the next thing if we can get that that moment where for a month we can pause and let people really reflect on their voice. And and what they have to say and create a space where we can all talk about it where we can add our own voices to that and then encourage people to play that at the table like that to me is 100% why we exist? um and and again I love I love. Clubs I love zines I love being able to put things together that help people have conversations and form community better and so like I'm I'm so excited by this I'm hoping we have a lot of stuff at gencon to kind of show about it. Ah, but it'll also all be available online you you know I think you can go to like um rpg zine dot club. Think I'll make sure there's a link that I give you that you can put in the show notes now to find out more information about that as we launch it? Um, it'll be a couple more weeks before we have anything at the yeah url you can go sign up for our email list get notified when it's up also all that kind of stuff. So yeah I mean like it.

36:53.21
Tony
I don't I don't I try not to work on things I'm not excited about so but this is really for us going to be a huge shift in the way that we're able to serve the community um and serve those emerging voices and ah that gets me so excited.

37:06.57
sidekqpodcast
Awesome! Well, it's been great catching up with Tony in the personal interview section that I think it's time we head into some npc creation and the npc creation segments brought to you by you.

37:16.71
Tony
Cool.

37:22.69
sidekqpodcast
Podcast audience and our patrons from patreon so now is the time of the show where we give a shout out to our comfortable patrons and above with a loud hurrah so to you Katie Downey Ana Jablinsky my parents we say? Cheers so again, this shoutout is for people who donate $2 or more a month just $2 and you're. Comfortable here at the levitating platter. Um, of course all these individuals I named are among my wealthy level of patronage which means they get to add an element of chance to our random tables which we use in the segment so you might get to hear some of those responses used today. So if you want to learn more and join. The best Patreon page on this side of the internet just go into the show notes below go to my podcast website or just go directly to patreon.com/sidekicks and side quest to learn more about our 4 tiers one 2 4 or $10 a month. And help us expand our operations at the levitating platter in this demiplane and worlds beyond all right? So before we started rolling we I believe kind of had come to the conclusion that we were going to do as you had done last time and just randomly generate an npc.

38:36.30
Tony
Um, yeah, get.

38:39.76
sidekqpodcast
Okay, so you've got all of your dice at the ready. No children have stolen them this time around and you're you're ready to go awesome. Okay, so of course we begin with the name of the character and so we will have you roll a D twenty.

38:45.99
Tony
Yep yep.

38:55.58
Tony
Okay, here's the 1 thing we did lots that I do want to do again this time I want to do name laugh because I I do like to pick the name but I like to based on the character.

38:59.62
sidekqpodcast
So last? Ok ok, fair enough that so the spirit of in pro lives still so there we go. Okay.

39:10.55
Tony
Impact it? yeah.

39:14.57
sidekqpodcast
Well then let's go ahead and go to the question of character ancestry. What is the ancestry of our character will determine this with a role of the d one hundred or two D Tens fifty seven as I scroll down the list. Ah okay, you got Gif or Gif or gif.

39:23.20
Tony
You one hundred I got a 57

39:34.44
sidekqpodcast
The hippo folk from spell jammer so the big humanoid hippo people so that's awesome. All right? and then the next thing we'll get to roll for is what is the job or role in society of our gif that's just going to be a d 10 roll.

39:35.22
Tony
Kind of let it be.

39:51.59
Tony
9

39:53.47
sidekqpodcast
9 aha your answer provided by previous guest max Chiquino grave digger so your gif is a grave digger. Okay. And then the next thing to roll for randomly would be the age range of our character and so we will roll a d eight to determine this. Okay, if you're okay with it. This would be a child age character. Okay, so a child gravedigger that's a.

40:14.74
Tony
Um, one.

40:20.13
Tony
Yeah, I'm fine with that.

40:26.30
sidekqpodcast
Gif. Okay, and then based on these pieces of ever based on these pieces of information that we have now can you describe the physical appearance of this character right.

40:27.24
Tony
Um, yeah.

40:41.40
Tony
Um, yeah, so let's go um like I do like they have to be like the most like.

40:57.75
Tony
But like I think Che Rubric adorable like chubby gift kid ever and I I like I do love the idea of them. Um, like they are. They are a little bit too big. For the clothes that they wear right? So like they got nice like that that stomach that's kind of kind of popping out all the time like shirts tight around the the arms pants are a little bit tight around. They're covered I think covered constantly in in mud.

41:19.87
sidekqpodcast
Mm.

41:34.67
Tony
A hundred percent from lake head to toe.

41:37.60
sidekqpodcast
Mm. Okay and I know the stated lore says that oh gifts are normally found in the astral C and the spelljammer setting. So is that where you're imagining this Gravedigger digs graves or is this a gift that happens to live in the the prime material plane.

41:50.99
Tony
No I think it's a gift that lives in the prime material plan hundred percent like they have made there. Maybe they're the only gif around you know what? I'm saying but maybe not who who knows um I do kind of like like maybe like um they kind of you know, getting into the ways you get into. Different planes are always so interesting. So I maybe love the idea of like them floating down an astral river that just happened to bisect with the material plane in this graveyard that then like they were kind of just like floating along and then found themselves in this material plane.

42:13.58
sidekqpodcast
Um.

42:29.46
Tony
In this graveyard in like the pond water feature in the middle of it and we're just trying to kind of make it through and we're adopted by the the the the primary grave digger as just an assistant at like at like at first it has. Worked their way up now to being apprentice gravedigger here in this in this graveyard.

42:50.20
sidekqpodcast
Okay, you were describing that and I immediately because I know that they Nintendo just made the announcement that they're redoing super mario rpg with updated graphics and stuff but I totally just got malo vibes. You know the.

43:05.10
Tony
Um, yeah.

43:05.87
sidekqpodcast
The cloud air ginasi character who gets kicked out of the air cloud kingdom or whatever and then ends up with a community of bullyws or frog tadpole people and then that's the first ah party character that mario then meets on the road of his adventure. So. Are you? So this Gif is kind of like malow in this situation of like is totally out of place but because of their their stature and their strength. It's like oh you'd be really good at helping me out here in the graveyard kind of a thing.

43:27.62
Tony
Um, yeah.

43:36.35
Tony
Yeah, and I think there's like there's an immediate acknowledgement of like look this This kid's only going to be small enough to do this on any sort of steps like give get like this. This character is always going to be able to help in some capacity but like. And some point they're going to get bigger than the graves are wide and they're not necessarily going to be the deep work now they can but at some point this this isn't going to be a forever solution for this kid.

43:57.54
sidekqpodcast
M.

44:07.20
sidekqpodcast
Another inspiration I'm thinking of is poe from the kung fu panda movies who's you know, adopted by ah by James Hong Goose ah character of working in the noodle shop and then you you mean I'm you mean I'm not really your son. It's like oh i.

44:09.81
Tony
Yeah, yeah.

44:22.81
sidekqpodcast
You didn't figure out that you were adopted earlier is that kind of the situation we have going in with this like this gift totally.

44:25.41
Tony
I Think they I I think they know they're adopted but I do think that's that's a pretty good five like they don't know that they're not going to be able to be a grave Digger forever.

44:37.99
sidekqpodcast
Mm okay, okay, interesting. Okay, all right? and then if you had to describe this apprentice gravedigger with 3 adjectives. What 3 adjectives would you use.

44:49.50
Tony
Um I think curious. Um I think um ah I think like I don't think Naive quite naive but like um, they they don't have an awareness of the grisly nature of the task.

45:06.43
Tony
That surrounds them right? like they know they're digging holes. They know this is an essential service. Um, they don't understand like grave digging is something that other people have thoughts issues and you know feelings about and so um, a little bit of naivete.

45:20.25
sidekqpodcast
M.

45:24.75
Tony
Or a lack of maybe worldliness I think is good with is is good for that and then what? yeah but it's almost more like I I don't know that they've ever left the grave. Yeah to them this.

45:30.26
sidekqpodcast
Innocence Maybe there's like there's like an innocence about them.

45:40.80
sidekqpodcast
Um.

45:41.60
Tony
Is the world and like people come to them and they live here but like they don't have a need to go anywhere else in the rest of the material plaintiff This is this is a totally new and interesting place because it's not at all where they are from and they're old enough to know this is this is different and this is wonderful and I think diaasopy is I would add like. Just grateful like they're a happy grateful individual who's always excited to meet new people. Learn new things. Um and doesn't understand the response that they get from the world. A lot of the time.

46:10.86
sidekqpodcast
Thats interesting. Do you have an idea of ah what kind of community that this gif finds themselves in if again if I'm using like the super Mario Rpg Analogy of like this is a gif that lives among a bunch of bullyogs or if it's like ah something else.

46:25.93
Tony
Yeah I think we've got a I think we've got a grave digger and we've got the the grave diggers like kind of dower wife like like um and we've got Gif as their kind of surrogate. Child slash apprentice. Um, and I think the rest of the community is largely made up by mourners or people who come to visit? Um, you know with the exception of like you know a couple of other you know there's you know a gardener who will come through.

46:45.56
sidekqpodcast
Um.

47:02.18
Tony
You know so some other people who are who are workers there but none of whom live on site like the grave dicker and his wife do so like to them this is their world. Um, but I think you know they're they're mostly theirre child surrounded by adults. Ah their gifts surrounded by um, you know. Ah, other species that therere that are not their own. Um, and I think it's mostly kind of a but they've got this overwhelming like positive and cheerful outlook to the point where I think even like local clergy and people who come to do like funeral ceremonies visitors Like. Um, like they're kind of a bright spot in the middle of the space and so I think people kind of seek them out. Maybe even for a bit little bit of like respite and enthusiasm when they come into and through the graveyard.

47:50.78
sidekqpodcast
So okay, all right? So just leaving it kind of largely open ended so whichever Community is like this would this gift would be considered an outsider to this this otherwise community and then.

47:54.53
Tony
Yeah.

48:05.61
sidekqpodcast
Almost kind of in a way seems like ah a wholesome like ah Clark Kent situation of like oh mom pa kent just adopting the strange child from the stars to like live on the farm or I guess live in the graveyard or or whatnot cemetery and help take care of everything there.

48:13.22
Tony
Yeah, yeah.

48:25.52
sidekqpodcast
But they know that this gif is meant for greater and bigger things because obviously he's going to continue to get bigger probably eats way more food than than then the the both of the the couple together or something Okay, very cool now I'm just imagining those that you see those videos from the zoo where zookeepers stick like.

48:25.80
Tony
Um, dip.

48:35.65
Tony
Um, yeah.

48:45.90
Tony
You just correct.

48:45.12
sidekqpodcast
Whole watermelons and ah a hippopotamus' mouth and they just go chomp and break it down in one bite. So pretty cool all right and now we get to continue on with the question of what is going to be a valuable item piece of lore secret or idealer concept. That this character would ascribe to so this is a combination where you do the D4 for the category and then the d six for the particular thing. Okay.

49:11.91
Tony
So we got one for the d 4 and then 6

49:19.48
sidekqpodcast
Okay, all right? So you selected valuable item and your valuable item was how did how do I want to create your valuable item was submitted by our patreon supporter Goblin Katie Katie Downey thank you very much. Um, let's see so our Gif has an item. That allows them to summon a flump once per day. So is this like the 1 thing that they were able to to bring with them from the astral sea as they drifted down this.

49:41.97
Tony
Okay.

49:56.38
sidekqpodcast
Celestial Astral River of some sort and then just kind of magically through the you know the membranes of material found themselves now in the the mundane material plane Prime material plane.

50:08.96
Tony
Um, I also like if we've got they can semin a flum influence today is that correct.

50:14.19
sidekqpodcast
Yes, the item that allows them. However, and maybe you can describe. Ah what that particular item is, but it's some item that allows them to summon a flump once per day. So.

50:24.58
Tony
Um, yeah I love it I almost I almost like I mean especially for going with these like ah these Kian vibes. Um I almost like the flump as almost like ah um, a benevolent. Um. What does it mix it mix mix split mix place a it. The fifth dimensional imp that a superman fights on a regular basis. Ask to get them Dis spell their name or say their reverse in order to get them to go off but I also love the idea that it's the same flump over and over again. Ah um, it.

50:49.45
sidekqpodcast
Oh.

51:00.25
Tony
That potentially this flip is even kind of like responsible for them being here. Ah but it has not been able to figure out how to get them back this entire time. So the best that they can do is kind of come to them. Um, and so.

51:02.26
sidekqpodcast
Oh.

51:15.70
Tony
I mean I think even something as simple as like um like a speaking stone right? like maybe it's a it's a simple stone with like a a hole in the middle that's kind of been naturally worn ah that the flum can kind of come out of and can help them kind of see if they can try to figure out how to get back and I think like more so that this care like the the Gif. Doesn't necessarily like call them to try to get them back because I think they're totally delighted by this new magical space at life. They found them in digging graves in the graveyard. Ah, but the flump feels like it's their responsibility to try to get them home.

51:49.41
sidekqpodcast
Yeah, the this little flump with like what is it like 4 hit points and that just kind of like air farts. Its way around the air and and follows them around follows the the gif around so okay, all right, very cool.

51:58.00
Tony
Yeah. Um, yes.

52:07.10
sidekqpodcast
And now we come to the question of the side quest. So if it's something you want to generate randomly that this gif would offer up. You could roll a d 12 or if you're inspired ah you can kind of just tell us what you think an appropriate side quest that this gif would offer up.

52:24.85
Tony
Um, I think I think like I like the idea of um grave Digger has gone Ill ah and um, and.

52:40.26
Tony
Mo Gravedigger has sent gif out of the graveyard for the first time ever and so a hundred percent an escort quest they've got to go across town to get medicine for the grave digger who has taken deathly ill um and.

52:46.95
sidekqpodcast
Ooh.

53:00.22
Tony
Ah, the person who has it um has requested specifically specifically for the gif to come retrieve it and so you have to help them help this small child cross town. Ah well not necessary. Small job help this child. Across town for the first time ever and their entire their entire world until this point is just the graveyard. They don't know how town works and I love the idea of putting this graveyard in the middle of a large city like have this be big city like they've been able to see kind of the city all around them. But they haven't.

53:28.29
sidekqpodcast
Oh.

53:35.61
Tony
But gone beyond the hedgerows at the edge of the graveyard because why would they? Why would they.

53:37.53
sidekqpodcast
Sure. Okay, so the first thing that jumped to my mind in in red dead redemption to in sandiny. There's like the big church that's in the middle of this particular square and stuff like that or if you in real life. Not that there's a graveyard next to it but like. Um, st louis cathedral in New Orleans is like right there in ah in the in the french quarter and all the city stuff around it. So. Ok so we're imagining a graveyard that's next to this church building of some kind and in the graveyard portion of this property. That's where ma and pa live.

54:05.85
Tony
Or.

54:16.91
sidekqpodcast
And so then pause sick and you have to help escort the Gif across town in order to get this medicine now. Is there a particular reason why the gif was requested is it like some kind of a trap or something like that and then that's why the heroes need to go.

54:21.78
Tony
People correct.

54:31.53
Tony
Youth yeah, this alchemist who has the medicine a hundred percent poisoned pograve digger um, and this is this is all a ruse to try to entrap the gif because they're in a pointer.

54:41.54
sidekqpodcast
M.

54:45.43
Tony
Creature with ah with they think a lot of alchemical potential.

54:49.10
sidekqpodcast
Oh okay, oh oh, no poor kid. Okay all right? so.

54:55.67
Tony
So if you don't if you don't like child endanger men. Don't play this adventure this child is in danger. Um, and so but protect this child is what I'm saying. Ah um, ah.

55:06.67
sidekqpodcast
Sure of course or you know if you need to change it in some creative way I suppose you you could Maybe there's just you know this is a town and so maybe there's just like ah you know cut purses and thieves that'll just ah, take the opportunity to try and steal the money the kid has and then.

55:11.95
Tony
So.

55:22.33
Tony
Yeah, yeah.

55:24.00
sidekqpodcast
Oh now it becomes a chase because now you have to go after the thieves that like this ah naive child who doesn't know how cities work is just like they're like give me your money and the kids like okay sure here have the money and then you're like no wait. That's the that's the money to get the medicine for your your sick paw Now we have to go chase them down and get the money back or something like that could be. Another good alternative again if you don't like ah the child beat and threatened for their alchemical components. But.

55:52.12
Tony
Yeah, um, and um, we got to take about reward dry Quest rewards. Um.

55:56.50
sidekqpodcast
Yeah, exactly that leads in So what's going to be the reward for the player characters when they successfully get the child across town. They get the medicine. They come back and they give the medicine to paul.

56:08.41
Tony
There is a paltry financial reward like it's not It's not worth you know anything? Um I think there's kind of this suggestion maybe by my grave digger that like oh like maybe we could tell you where. Somewhat important or something important is buried like there's kind of some of these hints like oh if only Paul is here he could he could he could probably tell you were there. You know like kind of this. But I think I think um, ah gift just says like like offers to be your friend and that. His friends will be their friends also too. Um and I think that's that's like it sounds very childish. It sounds very much like oh I've got a friend who will be your friend but I think what that means is um, he will also on on their request will summon the um will summon. Ah, his friend.

56:59.31
sidekqpodcast
The fluff.

57:02.90
Tony
Ah, the flump also and they can ask the flump esoteric questions of great Great significance and importance ah because flups oftentimes have you know an advanced knowledge of philosophy and other esoteric. Ah as well. So I think.

57:06.61
sidekqpodcast
M.

57:18.78
sidekqpodcast
And also don't they have like telepathic natural just ah ah like radar like listening in tele telepathy that they can just pick up on the thoughts of people.

57:18.98
Tony
I Think that.

57:25.40
Tony
Yeah, So so so yeah, but I like the idea of like you if in play you should present the flump is kind of an imaginary friend. Do this, You know this this kid keeps on telling you oh like if you help me out. Like you know my friends will help you in the future if you ever need it and this's just this kid who lives in a graveyard who never has been out and down before so who can their friends being. Why could their friends possibly matter and so.

57:48.49
sidekqpodcast
Um, okay, and then they realize oh this is a flump. Oh this important ah villain character that we've been trying to figure out how to deal with.

57:53.85
Tony
Um, yeah.

58:01.78
sidekqpodcast
Had attended a funeral in this graveyard and suddenly this flump has a bit of insight into some weakness or something of the villain that they've been trying to figure out this whole time. Ah okay does the flumph has a hat does the flum have a name.

58:08.61
Tony
Right dip.

58:18.62
Tony
Um, I not not the gift I mean they just call them my friend like there is 0 I mean like in play maybe but not like in the reporting from this child to them. It's just my friend all the time.

58:31.41
sidekqpodcast
Okay, okay, fair enough and then considering the other side of the coin. What's going to be the consequence of refusing the call to the adventure or or failing the adventure. So it sounds like you know pa gets sicker and sicker and then. You they're digging a grave for Paul.

58:51.50
Tony
Um, maybe um, maybe if we want to live in this weird hey we've got this. Um, this kind of astral barrier. Um, maybe if the kid starts crying because pa has died. Um, maybe he blames them. Maybe he calls flump. Maybe he says Flump. Ah like um I don't want to be around these people anymore or what maybe my friend I don't want to be around these people anymore and. So flump drops you into the astral plane.

59:28.50
sidekqpodcast
Oh so that's a way to ah okay so now suddenly okay welcome to spell Jammer Now everybody This is the way to drunk. Okay.

59:33.40
Tony
Right? Totally news for your adventures to happen and but yeah, just throw it throw him throw him into the astral sea.

59:41.88
sidekqpodcast
Interesting. Wow. Okay, you do you definitely do not want to mess with this flump then this all powerful flum. Okay, all right, very cool. Um, and then let's see are there any of the optional questions that you um think. Are good to answer for the character or are we ready to reveal the name of this gift.

01:00:00.87
Tony
What are the rules and mitigations of your character I mean we can whip there real quick. Um I think you know, um I think to be the best gravediggers apprice possible to make Pa Proud is good. Um, how do these affect your general philosophy. Um I think you know will do like. Ah, goes kind of above and beyond to help people have a good experience of burying A loved one? Um, Ah, um I think you know how do you normally interact with family friends peers. There is this naivete but I think there's also this like. This brightness this friendliness and almost this kind of like Hopeful. Ah Wisdom um or earnestness at least that comes through and kind of um, they're constantly trying to cheer people up and help people see what's best in the world I don't think they even Understand. What an enemy or rival would be at this point in time like I don't That's not something that they would cognate. Um, as a thing unless you unless Pa dies and then things get Dark. Um.

01:01:08.15
sidekqpodcast
Sure or or it is the child endangered um child endangerment version of the side quest but the heroes are successful in defending the gif from being you know, captured or or killed or anything like that and then you know the Gif under has an understanding of like. Oh that was a bad alchemist like oh now I have an understanding of like good and bad kind of a thing.

01:01:31.27
Tony
I You have to explain evil to this small child though like no they want to dirt you um ah particular accenting language I don't think so but I want to do an Idios secrecy. Um because I do think they help with incarnation I mean.

01:01:34.49
sidekqpodcast
So.

01:01:45.51
Tony
About like this kind of true rubric quality like I think there's you know, big puffy cheeks I Think there's a little bit of like a thickness to the way that they talk um and so you know if I was if I was Gm I would probably like I'd bring my I bring my lips in. A little closer I give them you know like a little bit of like my lips a little bit fatter. Let them touch a little bit longer and just kind of crowd up my my mode of pronunciation um to give a little bit of kind of a a thicker cheeked kind of um, like fat lipped reality to the way. Ah, that this gift ah talks. Um, and um, ah you know I think I think the impact on the world is not huge at this point in time except for they have made people's lives better by helping them Mourn. They're loved ones in a hopeful manner I Think that's the kind of the big thing like they have kind of a very localized reputation and not one that comes up in normal comfort like if you went to a funeral. They're be like did you meet the gif and they'd be like man that was like in tits and beautiful like you know? Ah, but it only comes up when it comes up.

01:02:57.38
sidekqpodcast
Um, sure.

01:03:00.20
Tony
Um, um, and yeah, the biggest problem they they've never been outside so they do not literally understand what the bigger world is like um so let's go with names. Let's go with names. Um, let's go with.

01:03:18.85
Tony
Um, let's go with sunny as you in ah in let's go I e so sunny um sunny sunny sunny sunny. Um, ah, let's go with sunny pond born. Um, this they came over young sunny has always been their name. Ponborn is kind of the denotation that like ah the great digger just found them in this water feature. Ah one day and thought somehow a hippopotamus had gotten it until they realized this is. This is my new apprentice and child in surrogate child will now live with me I will adopt them and they will be mine and I will be theirs.

01:04:03.92
sidekqpodcast
Ah, this sounds wonderful. Yeah I can't wait to put sunny pawnborn in my game. Yeah that's awesome. Okay, well I think we've learned so much about this character that I think it's time we throw them into a random encounter and of course. At this point in the show. There should be another ad segment but there isn't because ah reer miniatures had to suspend their their affiliate program and ah, again, continue to support them. They're a great local company here in the dfw area. You could get great miniatures from them. But. I will say you know maybe maybe listen to this on Zencastr because the the deal with the Zencastr recording program is that they're supposed to throw you know, ah sponsorships and affiliate. What's some who's it's my way but I guess the program is still new or not enough people are listening on Zencastr whatever app and so it's not. I haven't gotten anything yet. But I am more than happy to look at your proposals. Certainly if you're an independent game designer. You got a kickstarter you got something that you're really proud and cool of and you got some green in your pocket that you can throw my way I'm happy to promote it here at this point in the show. So if you want to do that. Be sure to send me an email to sidekicks and side quest at Gmail.com will talk lunch. My people will talk to your people and ah checks in the mail. All that good stuff. Okay, so with a random encounter segment of the show. We'd like to do the roleplay. The vignette.

01:05:33.44
sidekqpodcast
And I think you'll do a fantastic job as sunny pond born but the question becomes who should I be in this scene am I going to be ma ah talking to sunny and explaining like oh pa's really sick and his medicines on the other side of town. Ah, is it going to be sunny meeting one of the podcast adventurer characters that's going to help him across town or is it just going to be a scene a scene at a funeral and maybe sunny is having the opportunity to share his wisdom and perspective on life with those who are mourning. Ah, death of a loved one or what are you interested in showcasing Sonny often.

01:06:16.94
Tony
Um, that's a great question I think the adventure one um is fun like maybe first couple of steps out out of the graveyard.

01:06:26.23
sidekqpodcast
Okay, all right? So we have of course since the last time we spoke a number of different adventurer characters in the rolodex to use and so going through them real quick. We of course have Duncan who is the recklessly brave adventurer for hire. Ah, no task too small no feet too daring for him. We've got Sonia the warrior woman who started off as a barbarian multiclassed into a paladin who serves a god that redeems the undead we have core act the lawful evil arcane trickster roguish dwarf. We've got chrisley. The herbalist botanist woodef druid who then multiclassed into a cleric that serves loving memory. We have o'ri who is the astral elf illusionionist wizard and then we've got a gape who is the tiflling wild magic. Sorcerer but the wild magic is like fayil sort of flavored so of all of those characters which one stands out to you or if none of them do then we can totally invent a new one brand new on the spot. Okay.

01:07:34.70
Tony
Um, um I I do like a wild magic character. Um sure.

01:07:37.10
sidekqpodcast
Okay, so you'd like to meet a gape then would you care to set the scene or would you like for me to set the scene. Okay, where we last left a gotpe.

01:07:44.61
Tony
I Wait you go ahead and set the same.

01:07:52.96
sidekqpodcast
She had been transported to the astral sea she had come across an interesting elf named ok computer and she was given the task to help out ah with ah ok computer and her dragon and. Being a wild magic Sourcer of the of the faye variety as soon as her sidecat quest was completed um, she attempted to do a bit of magic and it kind of like poofed her a little bit a couple feet away and then that caught her like in a jet stream through the astral sea and so she found herself. Swirling and tumbling and going over this way and that way and pretty soon there's a big splash and a crash and she finds herself in this stagnant po and in the middle of a graveyard and she's sputtering. She's coughing. She's trying to wipe. Ah, perhaps a lily pad off of her head and she's trying to push a bull frog out of the way as she's coming to and wiping her eyes and what is she going to see once. Ah, she kind of you know, gets her vision. Ah clear again.

01:09:04.85
Tony
I think she looks up you know pulls that that Lily Pat off of her her eyes like looks up and sees this big or this this chubby child. you know. um you know about four feet tall but like presenting in a way that suggests that they may only be 8 or 9 as far as they're like general mode of bearing and kind of like the sweetness of their face and they're just grinning a huge grin at her. While making ah mud angels on the Muddy banks um of this kind of water feature. Um, you know like just spreading their their short like legs and arms out. You can see like their shirt pulled back up from their belly as they are just like. Frantically waving their arms making an angel in the mud on the edge of this pond.

01:09:55.32
sidekqpodcast
So what Gotpe kind of sputters and coughs a little bit because she swallowed a little bit of the the water and so she's like trying to get her airway cleared and she kind of stumbles ah towards the bank and climbs out of the pond and she'll look around and then she'll. So. She'll see this child and she'll be like and she's like trying to like get all the the wet out of her clothes and she's just kind of like ah hi excuse me. Um, can where where am am I but am I back where where am I where where exactly right.

01:10:27.55
Tony
It's it's hard to get back. you're you're um you're in the pond. Um the um, ah it it. It's the house is over there. Um, and there's um, there's this There's a funeral at four o'clock but we already dug it ah which is good pi isn and feeling good. Um, so I came down here to think and make some angels.

01:10:58.58
sidekqpodcast
Do you see like kind of like in an anime her eyes get like real big and she like puts her hands up next to her face and kind of like crouches down and she's like oh are you so cute and adorable. What is your name.

01:11:13.85
Tony
Um, um, well I don't I don't know you? Um I don't know if I should tell you? um, but my friend calls me Sonny. and so does ma and so does pa um and yeah um but I don't know you who are you.

01:11:39.33
sidekqpodcast
Oh oh, Oh well? well you my name's a gape and so you'll you'll look at her appearance and even though you know she wears like greens and leathers and stuff that are that are obviously wet from the pond but you'll see she's kind of like this light lilac colored ah teaflling. And so she you know she goes Oh My name is a gape and well I I'm a I'm a I do magic and she'll she'll do like a little bit of like pre to digitation with her hands and of course because of Wild Magic. She has a bit of a surge and then we'll say I don't know like her nose. Turns into like a pig snout for a little bit and she looks down at it and she's like oh fiddlesticks.

01:12:20.34
Tony
Oh I can do magic also and then he just sticks his head underneath the water and blows a bunch of Bubbles. Um, and the the bond. Um, but I'll tell you it's a secret. Um, it's just just me making bubbles. It's not really. Like.

01:12:38.74
sidekqpodcast
Ah, oh well, very impressive I I cannot make bubbles as as large as you well she thinks for a second she tries to see if she can she tries to do another magical effect to see if she can generate some bubbles.

01:12:45.71
Tony
I would be a bubble if it was as big as me.

01:12:56.10
sidekqpodcast
Ah, but we'll say instead that it it almost kind of looks like ah like a weak. Confetti blast of like but and like a little sensory noise that goes off and she's like I get I just must be just must be discombobulated and she like pushes her nose a little bit to see if it goes back and then maybe on the. Fifth or sixth hit it finally like reverts back to her normal nose. She's like oh that's better. What and so she's just trying to like collect her bearings and and and let Sonny talk.

01:13:27.99
Tony
Um, so um, yeah, you um, are you going to leave.

01:13:34.94
sidekqpodcast
Oh am I bothering you I I can leave. It's just I I.

01:13:38.60
Tony
Oh I'm I'm supposed to go out. But yeah, but I've never been out before because I'm not supposed to go out but I have to go out and.

01:13:45.51
sidekqpodcast
O.

01:13:55.65
sidekqpodcast
Aha mm.

01:13:56.52
Tony
My is worried Well, she's worried about a lot of things because Pa is he's sick and where I got to go get the medicine and it's got be me what.

01:14:06.36
sidekqpodcast
Um, right? Yeah no, Okay, yeah yeah, you were saying that your Pa was sick. So yeah, okay, you got to get medicine. Okay.

01:14:14.23
Tony
Yeah, in in Masa this guy I got to go but she normally doesn't I've never been out and I I can go out I just don't do it and but now I have to. And so I was I didn't know if you could go with me.

01:14:36.85
sidekqpodcast
Oh you, you need? ah you need a buddy to go with you ah like ah like a like a friend buddy like ah like a guard buddy Someone who's tough.

01:14:42.50
Tony
I Yeah, my friend my friend will go but they're not here right now and I don't know if I don't know if they know how to go out there or not.

01:14:50.13
sidekqpodcast
Oh.

01:14:56.40
sidekqpodcast
Okay, he she he says like oh my friend will go and just acting kind of like maybe like a Faye whispering or something like that she kind of starts waving her arms around this. She's trying to feel if there's like an invisible friend and she's like they're not. They're not right here.

01:15:15.63
Tony
You No, they're not if they were if they were here. They'd be here but they're not and are you okay like you were you under the water a long time I can go and walk.

01:15:16.27
sidekqpodcast
Are they she's like swishing her hands around thinking as if she's gonna hit a ghost or something like that.

01:15:32.56
sidekqpodcast
No oh I I don't doubt that I don't doubt that ah for you in the slightest. Um, no I was I was in the astral sea and then I did some magic and I ended up in ah in a swirling fast river.

01:15:33.65
Tony
Log time.

01:15:49.90
Tony
Um I do I've been there. That's it's a crazy ride. Um, yeah I keeps a try to give me to go back. But like this is where I'm supposed to be um mom.

01:15:50.61
sidekqpodcast
Ah, in the astral sea and then I I crashed here and.

01:15:55.96
sidekqpodcast
Oh oh, you've been there. Okay, okay.

01:16:07.87
Tony
Mom Po need me and so Pa especially right now I mean yeah if you if you I mean my friends not here right now. But if you help me you I mean you can meet my friend and they could I mean you could dig it help you I guess.

01:16:21.58
sidekqpodcast
Oh okay, yeah, I'm happy I'm happy to do that you see like you know, maybe some of that ah that Faye flavoring with her wild magic you see like she's playful and she's nice and you know she's being honest and and sincere and um. You know, ah this this child has melted her heart. So she's not even worried about like insight checks or or anything like that to see if ah this this child is deceiving her or anything like that. She just will um she'll do one more press edition at.

01:16:46.60
Tony
Very thought that that.

01:16:53.65
sidekqpodcast
Unk effect and this time it actually works just fine as how it's supposed to and so now her clothes are instantly dry. She's like ha that's much better and then she'll kind of hold out her hand and and and and ah kind of tingingling with her fingers to be like you know I'm ready to take your hand and we can go. Ah, get that medicine for your pop.

01:17:11.97
Tony
All right sounds good.

01:17:16.31
sidekqpodcast
All right and seen so there we go what a delightful little grave Digger. So yeah, what do you think getting to to be sunny in this moment I feel like there's there's definitely a lot of potentials for a lot of future games out there. So.

01:17:34.15
Tony
I Like sunny um I like I hope so you know I think sunny is is definitely a Pc they fall in love with but also it's great because it's a Pc. That's right Npc that they fall in love with but it's also an Npc You can drop back off with his parents as long as you get that medicine at the end of the day and therefore. They know they probably don't have to go out of quest with you but you can always visit them when they're in town and really as a Gm That's the best kind of Mpc Not the one who's going to start traveling with them. But the one can visit whenever you're in town.

01:17:58.42
sidekqpodcast
Um, yeah, and then as far as and then as well. Um, it'd be really interesting to see the npc dynamics especially if this. Ah, you know since we talked about like oh he's not going to be a gravedigger forever because he's going to get too big or whatever. It'd be really interesting over time if this campaign persists over like a long period of time if you're measuring it in like years or something like that. Maybe even across different campaigns in the same setting. Maybe how sunny. Ah. Pawn born changes over time and stuff like that moves from child to teenager to young adult. But even if by that point, you know, maybe they've taken over the grave digging or you know maybe they've gone to do something else.

01:18:31.51
Tony
Practical. Yeah.

01:18:38.99
Tony
Sell how like a graveyard Gif who's a teenager is one I cannot wait to run as an npc will know like yeah like I mean you know like.

01:18:47.87
sidekqpodcast
So a little email a little goth gif.

01:18:57.85
Tony
What is the veil but a thing that we all pass through at some point in time.

01:19:03.00
sidekqpodcast
Ah, it's like I remember when sunny was a lot more sunny and optimistic and now he's kind of like in this moody phase. Awesome yeah, so you know we've made it to the end of the podcast. So with the final thought section. How has it been for you a second time now on.

01:19:09.60
Tony
Yeah into yeah.

01:19:22.90
sidekqpodcast
Sidekicks and side quest.

01:19:23.56
Tony
Super Fun. Had a great time getting up with 2 very different characters I'm a big fan of the I mean I love rolling on tables I Love trying to figure things out. Um I Love you know, um the the eggcarnation for this one is fun like the like hey let's get a little fat lift which I don't know that I've ever done with an npc. Think even like what does because we don't we we oftentime don't inject child mpcs and if we do sometimes we might just like go a little bit higher like kind of false set of voice to give a sense that like they're a child but like the um, the kind of fat lipping thing is also like nice I mean you can do we did sunny as a child but you could do like. A wealthy Merchant a mayor like a lot of other people who might rather than just being about their the corporality of like I'm a big like chubby kid. It could be around kind of the opulence of that. So It's that I don' I've ever worked into an mpc voice before but I Also really like um as just a kind of a general.

01:20:10.64
sidekqpodcast
I.

01:20:19.69
Tony
Easy thing to add. Ah that can create a lot of distinctions in the way that the character might be played.

01:20:26.73
sidekqpodcast
Yeah, for sure and of course you know this this child grave Digger is just too delightful. Not to stick in your game immediately tomorrow next week. You know, right now. So awesome. So yeah as we're here in the you know the final moments of the podcast episode. Ah this is the.

01:20:34.33
Tony
I yeah.

01:20:44.52
sidekqpodcast
Part where I give the soapbox the stage the platform to the guest. So whatever have you got to plug where can we do all the socials and any passions or causes that we need to be made aware of.

01:20:53.74
Tony
Yeah, you can find his app plus one e xp across pretty much any social media platform if you're an indie creator out there get designer who's looking to for a place to come play games or if you want to learn more about indie games. You can check out our Youtube channel role for content over youtube.com/ plus one e exp you can find our main. Website where we saw of our games bombs everything else over at plus one. Yeah eexp.com and keep an eye out for a zine club which we're really excited about if you are passionate about supporting small independent creators helping them get their games onto tables. Hopefully your table. Ah, plus one is a great brand to be following and zine club is going to be a great way to do that if you want to check out our Discord community. Ah you can head to ttrpg.link/discord head on over join that community. Um, we we talk about indie games. We talk about design. We talk about. Weird and good things that are happening in the indie rpg space. Um, we love supporting small press and independent creators whenever we possibly can and we love getting to come on great shows like this one and have a good time making characters. So um, reach out if you have any questions. But any of that stuff or I want to check it out and make sure if you go to plus one eexp.com to use the discount code to help support sidekicks and side quests.

01:22:16.71
sidekqpodcast
Awesome. Tony is an honor to get to speak with you again and and make npcs can't wait to you know continue our discussions online talking about cool games and cool characters and then before too long. It'll be the the time for your third. Ah. Visit on the show where we'll make even more interesting in pcs. Okay, all right? So we'll go ahead and stop the record.