00:00.00 sidekqpodcast Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting episode of sidekicks and sidequest still the best unofficial dungeons and dragons podcast in my humbly biased opinion I've got an awesome guest for you this week but before I get to the guest. You know I have to do the thing I have to do the ad read. So my first sponsor of course is. Plus one exp tony vicinass the mastermind behind this master craft of beardbas game design and community building. He's got all of the beard balls named after all of the basic stats from d and d so whether you feel like picking up a can applying it to your face and smelling that sweet aroma and that sweet victory. Comes along with perhaps some increased strength dexterity charisma and more beards and beyond is the indie rpg that helped to launch this entire brand but Tony has collaborated and developed several other indie games including repugnant eye toaster down. We go through the void vamp nuggula. And brandstanding. 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Dot com all right without further ado hello mystery contestant would you care to introduce yourself tell us who it is that you are and what is it that you do. 02:06.16 Mike Christensen Hi I am Mike Christensen I am the person behind the super geek Mike Youtube channel and I talk about dungeons and dragons and other rpgs and critical role and the goal of my channel entirely and all my videos is to. Help new game masters find their style or not even new game masters but help game masters find their style and refine what they're doing and introduce cool things about the hobby. 02:35.56 sidekqpodcast Yeah I Really like your vibe and your setup your presentation The way you do things? Um, yeah, so not a problem you know credit is due where credit is due and um, how you first came across my radar screen was you got a name drop. 02:39.40 Mike Christensen Um, oh thank you. 02:52.24 sidekqpodcast From someone pretty major in the Youtube d and d sphere can you tell me about that experience and what that was like. 02:54.28 Mike Christensen Yes, that was surreal because the day that happened I finally held my 25000 subscriber Livestream which was fully like three four months after I'd actually hit 25 it had been a. Wild couple of months with ah me losing my day job and trying to figure out am am I doing this full time or trying to find ah a new day job and all this stuff. So just as that was settling I I was doing my Livestream and I had seen Matt we're talking about Matt Colville um 03:28.95 sidekqpodcast M. 03:32.22 Mike Christensen He had commented on that video a video of mine about um, it's ah it's sort of a response and like expansion of a questing beast video about how original D and D was basically structuretured like how original D and D was basically structured like and Mmmmo Rpg where. All took place in real-time whoever was around played in those games and you kept track of the time that took place in the game world according to real-time when you weren't playing and I saw that video I thought it was fascinating I sort of came at it from a very different perspective of being not in the osr like questing Beast is and sort of offering my own perspective and. 03:57.48 sidekqpodcast So. 04:07.85 sidekqpodcast Um. 04:10.47 Mike Christensen So Matt Culville was doing research on a video and tweeting about it and someone who had seen my video wasn't even a subscriber but was just enjoyed some of my videos sort of pointed it to him and was like hey this this kind of talks about what it is. You're talking about which is that it seems like this game assumes you're playing in real-time. There's a super geek mic video about that. So he commented on the video because I'm wearing an mcdm shirt in which is his brand in the video and I thought oh that's awesome and then he like I found the Twitter thread and like how he got um you know how he was made aware of the video and I was like that was awesome. So the day that the shout-out happens I'm doing a live stream. 04:31.31 sidekqpodcast M. 04:50.12 Mike Christensen And somebody says how did it feel to be shouted out in a Matt Colville video and the video wasn't out yet now I now know oh that person must be a patron of Matt Colville's I guess they saw a script or something before it came out but I was like oh I think you're confused he commented on a video and I tweeted about that but he hasn't actually he never talked about me on my channel. 04:59.84 sidekqpodcast So mm. 05:09.52 Mike Christensen That would be ridiculous and then like 5 hours later ah less than that I was literally like in the car was like oh who back Coldfield video I'll put that on as I'm driving and within like 5 minutes of the video I hear my own name and actually as he's starting to talk about the subject I was like wait a minute. 05:26.67 sidekqpodcast Hold on a second here. 05:29.16 Mike Christensen Wait a minute I think I know where this is going so that was truly surreal. Um, you know because I am such a fan of his content and he is one of I have a lot of influences on my Youtube channel but he is 1 of them and not undeniable. So yeah, exactly. Um. 05:41.84 sidekqpodcast Sure ditto holding holding my hand up here ditto as well. Yeah I haven't shouted out in the episode yet. But you know maybe I've tweeted at him a couple of times and he's responded and that's made me feel cool. 05:48.52 Mike Christensen So That was just you know? Yeah, exactly. It's just kind of really awesome to interact with someone who you're just you just enjoy their work and you're just a fan of them so that was a really and of course. The video. He talks about is the one where my sound was all goofed up. But what can you do you know what better better that he enjoyed the video for what it was than for it to be my most polished video and no one ever saw it. So. 06:05.23 sidekqpodcast Yeah, yeah. 06:17.53 sidekqpodcast Sure? yeah, and and before that you know, ah obviously you know with the Matt Colville bump you know I'm sure that helped in the Youtube subscriber camp. But before that you know you got your idea to start this whole. Critical role demystified series. Can you talk about that and like where that inspiration kind of came from. 06:34.23 Mike Christensen Yeah I mean critical role demystified is basically the entire reason I started the channel because I had been talking to friends about critical role about vox mackina this is before there was a cartoon I think before there were even comic books and I was just like oh it's really good and people were like it's such a time commitment and I was like yeah yeah. So I thought like oh I'd be nice if there was like a video that was about where you can start and then I was like how would you talk about the player who left I guess that would be its own video and I sort of had those in the back of my head for literally years like oh at some point I should make those videos put them in the Facebook group with the friends I have. 07:09.89 sidekqpodcast I. 07:12.42 Mike Christensen Then a couple years ago I was doing some Tiktok content and you know sort of struggling with that platform the stuff I now do on Youtube I was doing on Tiktok and that's not really the right platform for that. But you know I was making content I was like you know what it would be kind of nice to go through every episode and talk about lessons. It's sort of like. 07:22.66 sidekqpodcast Um. 07:30.51 Mike Christensen Because I was thinking about victor the black powder Merchant Who for those who are not familiar with the cartoon or with the livestream is just this eccentric character who shows up a couple of times and is beloved by the fans but I was like I don't think the reason that character works is just because of the voice I think it's because of what he. 07:34.49 sidekqpodcast Um. 07:48.77 Mike Christensen Signals about Percy's arc I think that's actually the more interesting part that we can dive into so I was like well maybe down the road I should talk about that and then sort of from there. It started snowballing into okay I kind of think I could do that with every episode and find things to talk about and ah. Probably a tiktok with its limit of 4 minutes and having to cook people within 5 seconds is a little bit limiting so that led to the ah the Youtube channel but I also knew there was a lot of non-critical role stuff I wanted to talk about so that's where the format came along of you know, 2 videos a week um and 08:19.69 sidekqpodcast Um. 08:23.70 Mike Christensen Every other week. One of those videos is about critical role just going in order through the ah the series of well for now Vox Maana I Thank you. 08:32.60 sidekqpodcast Yeah, and I've really been enjoying it too. You know as someone who now and now ah just trying to get myself the mindset because I was working at my job in downtown and so the stream started in like March of. 15 and so by the time I saw it pop up in my Youtube suggested feed. It was like the summer of 2015 when I finally heard about it I was like oh this craghammer thing. What's this and I was like oh they're playing d and d because ah you know I started playing d and d ah, fourth edition. 08:49.96 Mike Christensen Yep. 08:57.90 Mike Christensen Um. 09:06.50 sidekqpodcast And that's what an acquisitions incorporated was the big thing and that was the big celebrity thing and so then I was like oh okay voice hackctors and like oh this is really engaging and cool. So then that's how I got my start into the the critter fandom. Um, so yeah, it's been really enjoyable to sit down with you in each of these videos and you like are like okay. 09:06.57 Mike Christensen Um, yes, yes. 09:25.70 sidekqpodcast Here's what happens here's the context here the lessons we can learn is just a very enjoyable series and it's nice to go down memory lane and be like oh yeah, that's what this is going on. Yeah, so. 09:33.35 Mike Christensen Yeah, especially with you know the gradual reinterpretation or reframing in our memories of what something formative was like in a hobby that we enjoy is to kind of go back and be like oh yeah, you can sort of see where this was happening by accident and sort of see where like they knew what they'd had and they like. 09:44.95 sidekqpodcast Um. 09:52.24 Mike Christensen We're trying to chase that like that moment and recreate it and others where it's like I think they're still struggling with this aspect and you know having the benefit of hindsight because I think there are people who make incredible recap videos about the current campaign of critical role and of other actual play shows as well. My favorite is probably ah Luna. 10:05.41 sidekqpodcast I. 10:11.84 Mike Christensen Of the Youtube channel loop often who really frames a lot of her commentary around like basically like conspiracy theories like what's going on and what's going to happen which I think gives it an extra layer other than just here's what happened here's my opinions. It's also like the fun of speculating which is all we can really do as fans is speculate. But I think by. 10:31.10 sidekqpodcast Um. 10:31.90 Mike Christensen Formatting it more as a fun speculating about the lore like you might with like X-files are lost. It helps like focus that channel in a way that I think a lot of other recaps struggle with I could never do on like I could never do recaps in the way that those people do where it's like live. 10:41.80 sidekqpodcast Um. 10:49.66 Mike Christensen Or like right after the episodes like I am probably about three months behind on campaign 3 at least and. 10:53.15 sidekqpodcast Oh yeah, no I remember starting campaign 3 and then with a newborn and stuff I just dropped off so I kind of like no cursory through the grape vine through social media. But that's that's about it I I I don't know the details. So I'll I keep telling myself off that go back and watch it. 10:59.68 Mike Christensen Um, yeah. 11:06.41 Mike Christensen It exactly I definitely have a plan to to catch up I'm just not like I don't have the free time right now to do that because I'm making content I'm making a lot of content right now. But also I wouldn't want to do I can't imagine for the stuff I Want to talk about. 11:16.53 sidekqpodcast Sure. So. 11:25.72 sidekqpodcast Um. 11:26.25 Mike Christensen Wanting to talk about this stuff until after it was all done because now we have the benefit of seeing where everything was going and seeing you know and having the recap after the campaign or the sort of wrap up conversations after the campaign where they answer questions from the fans and they answer questions from each other and being able to like use that resource. Because there's times you know they have after shows and they'll ask Matt hey what's going on with this and he'll be like I can't tell you because we're still in the campaign so being able to come back to that much later really makes what I'm trying to do so much more possible and so much easier because I couldn't I would not just be able to do a recap and be like here's a fun thing and like. 11:56.15 sidekqpodcast Yeah. 12:03.50 Mike Christensen If you want to do this in your own game. You can do this I'm like I think that's ah first of all I don't have the ah stamina to do it live? Ah, but also like that's just not the part I want to talk about I want to really pull back the curtain and see what was happening as far as I can guess or tell ah in the head of Matt as he's working on this campaign and that's just. I could not imagine trying to do that live. 12:22.89 sidekqpodcast Sure yeah, and I promise we will get to the normal inter interview questions here of the show but I just thought of this you know since we talked about our mutual hero Matt Colville and you explaining the process behind critical role demystified. You know your Patreon subscribers. 12:35.48 Mike Christensen Um, if. 12:41.35 sidekqpodcast Ah, you know get to help you decide like what other actual play shows and stuff that can ah other actual play shows to tackle in your research and doing the same sort of structure. Um, you know our our our hero Colville you know famously ah has done. Ah. 12:49.33 Mike Christensen Um. 12:57.14 sidekqpodcast Campaign diaries for some of his games that he's run and so I'm curious if ah, some of those mcdm campaigns are on the short list perhaps of trying to do the same sort of approach and maybe you know obviously in campaign Diaries Matt's ah, very articulate with explaining you know like his Dm. Ah, teaching moments and and you know getting into the nuances of the story and stuff like that. But I'd be curious to see maybe like what the super geek mike ah perspective on that might be so. 13:23.20 Mike Christensen I think it would be if I was going to do a campaign diary for Colville campaign that we've seen it would probably be dusk because that's the only one where he hasn't done his own campaign diary because and I was just thinking about this probably this weekend when we're recording this. 13:31.14 sidekqpodcast I. 13:39.88 Mike Christensen How much the format of critical role demystified os a lot to the campaign diary format. You know of the sort of here's what was going on here's a recap. But also I'm going to dip in and dive into the lessons. The fact that he's offered that format already for so many of his campaigns means that I think Dusk is the only one where every episode doesn't have a companion. 13:42.39 sidekqpodcast And. 13:59.34 Mike Christensen Recap of some kind or a live stream of some kind or or what have you so that that is definitely one that I especially as as me as well. My first edition that I dmed was fourth edition. it wasn't the first one I exactly it wasn't the first one I played but it was the first one where I dmed it was the first time I understood the rules. Ah. 14:08.84 sidekqpodcast Fourth Edition M yeah so. 14:18.82 Mike Christensen Um, because I'd only played a little bit before fourth edition came out. Um, so I think that would be a fun one to talk about, but there's a bunch on the list. You mentioned acquisitions incorporated that was definitely my intro into actual play and and the other games that Chris Perkins ran back in the fourth edition days I would just. 14:29.10 sidekqpodcast And. 14:37.50 Mike Christensen Scour Youtube and find like the game he ran for some robot chicken writers and games he ran ah inventions or in Britain and just like that was all we had you know that was the only way we could figure out but when you had to have like a camera set up or. 14:39.72 sidekqpodcast Yeah I remember that one. So. Right back in the old and age of actual plays. 14:55.84 Mike Christensen Have the microphones of professional podcasters. 14:56.76 sidekqpodcast Yeah, well I think that's a perfect segue and I think that's a perfect segue then into the question of do you currently or have you ever played DAndT before I mean I'm I'm pretty sure it's a dead giveaway. But yeah. 15:07.40 Mike Christensen Yes, I've been playing d and d since my sophomore year of college I was about 19 and I came home and my I came back to the dorm and my roommates were rolling up characters. They were like hey we're playing d and d do you want to play and I was like. No I think I'm okay and then I heard them describing their characters and I was like oh this is not what I thought it was at all like this is just storytelling and like like you know as someone who was into drama and theater I'm I'm not not the kind of person who's like it's just like improv. It's just like theater but it has enough common. 15:33.53 sidekqpodcast Mm. 15:44.39 Mike Christensen Ground with that that it was very easy for me to jump into it and I was so deep so quick and in ways that I was like okay well I want to find a way to like legitimize this hobby and and I'm still keeping it at a distance. So I'll find cool things I can do like draw Comic book. 15:45.98 sidekqpodcast Awesome. 15:56.90 sidekqpodcast I. 16:02.40 Mike Christensen Style covers for each session that we have because that definitely indicates that I'm less invested in this game was so deep so fast. Absolutely. 16:12.92 sidekqpodcast Um, hook line and sinker wonderful. Well, of course you know the namesake of this podcast is p sidekicks and side quest so we like to ask the question of. Who happens to be your favorite Npc or sidekick character whether they're from an rpg video game movie, film, television, etc. And why is this character your favorite Npc or sidekick. Yes. 16:33.50 Mike Christensen This is tough because I know this is recency bias right? I know it's just because it's been on my mind recently because my wife's been playing through the nig sorry take that again. this is tough because I know this is recency bias I know if you ask me. In six months I'll have a different answer in 2 years I'll have a different answer and they'll all be things that I've grown up on or have a deep love for but right now because my wife has been playing through god of war ragnarok meir is really high on my list Memir is the severed head. That just hangs on the back of Kratos's belt and just sits there cracking wise and offering observations and being insightful and I like him for so many reasons because he's not just 1 thing. So many wise characters are just wise characters. You know I mean I love. Uncle Io so much in my heart and he's a comic relief character as well. But he's also rarely the voice of the audience the way that mair is you know forir to sit there as in the first game very slight spoilers as the the childreus is sort of. 17:27.76 sidekqpodcast Um. 17:36.70 sidekqpodcast Mm. 17:44.73 Mike Christensen Getting a power trip about what they've experienced movies just sitting there going should we be worried about that is this concerning. It feels like this is not a good line for these things to go down and basically vocalizing what the audience is thinking but also he has just vast swaths of lore but also he's. 17:55.10 sidekqpodcast So. 18:01.41 Mike Christensen Intensely funny I just really like meir. Um, but there's also I don't want to just keep listing characters I like who I think of as side characters. But I don't know man Hurley from lost is terrific. He's another one who yes exactly he. 18:09.54 sidekqpodcast And a weezer album named after him. So I mean you know that's pretty cool. Yeah. 18:21.40 Mike Christensen Is very much a voice of the audience as well and I think there's like 5 characters on that show who serve as sort of audience surrogates at various points but he's the one who's the most consistent and 1 of the most beloved characters on that show. But I do think he is kind of by definition a sidekick just because of the way that show was structured. 18:38.39 sidekqpodcast Sure. 18:40.40 Mike Christensen Um, and just always liked that character a lot and I'm so reluctant to list this last example, but it it is one of my favorite films. It is the film unbreakable by MNight shaalan and the side character I'm thinking of is. 18:54.22 sidekqpodcast Okay. 18:59.90 Mike Christensen Bruce Willis his son in that film who is just a hype man for Bruce Willis who is like no no no I promise you are a superhero you are a superhero and like it's very weird for me to be like yeah he's one of my favorite sidekicks. He pulls a gun on the main character. It's one of the most tense scenes in cineva. 19:00.24 sidekqpodcast Okay. 19:19.11 Mike Christensen But like he is such an interesting reflection of like the danger of Samuel Jackson's rhetoric being taken seriously. But also he eggs on Bruce Willis to try cool things like the the weightlifting scene and unbreakable is ah a pure joy anytime I watch that scene I'm just. Biggest smile on my face but every time I get to the gun scene I stop breathing for 3 minutes and the fact that those both rotate around the same character having the same opinion which is my dad is basically a superhero um and the fact that that scene is that sentiment is expressed into. 19:50.15 sidekqpodcast M. 19:57.50 Mike Christensen Drastically different ways one of which being sort of Jolly and light and joyful the fun of a superhero movie which that movie kind of is and kind of isn't ah the fun sequence of like you're testing your powers and figuring things out and then the really really dark side something we don't see in film very often which is a. Child pulling a gun on his dad not because he's trying to hurt his dad but because he says this won't hurt you I promise and the father being like my son's about to shoot and kill me because he believes this delusion. That's such a such a fascinating character and a movie I Love so Much. Ah, so. Those are my 3 examples for very different reasons. 20:35.14 sidekqpodcast There We go yeah sounds like I need to go back and watch unbreakable then again because I only remember bits and pieces. So yeah. 20:42.64 Mike Christensen Oh it's great. It's slow and it definitely the fact that that movie came out. You know the same year as the first x-men movie right? before superhero movies like changed radically makes it a very strange artifact because it is like an adaptation of comic book ideas. 20:51.90 sidekqpodcast I. 21:00.80 Mike Christensen In like a more realistic grounded way but not at all in the way that hollywood then would then go on to do for twenty three more years um but it's also like I don't know man I think it's I think it's a pretty good and my shamelan movie I'd put it up there with the sixth senses. So I think that movie's I think that movie's terrific. Wow that is a deep cut. 21:05.22 sidekqpodcast I. 21:13.17 sidekqpodcast And what a twist Robot chicken there We go all right and then same thing. What's been one of your favorite side quests whether it's been an Rpg video game movie film television, etc. 21:20.77 Mike Christensen It is. It is a robotic reference. 21:31.95 sidekqpodcast And why has this side Quest Been your favorite ooh. Okay. 21:35.26 Mike Christensen I'm actually gonna go to the D and D movie for this one because I think the fact that the best scene in that movie is essentially a side quest to get a magic item is really funny and very D and D to me that for you know So so slight spoilers ahead I'm not. 21:45.60 sidekqpodcast Yeah. 21:51.62 Mike Christensen I'm going to try not to get into it too much. But basically they spend I think most of act 2 you know at least a good chunk of it I haven't I haven't timed it out but you know at least 45 minutes just trying to go get this magic helmet because that's just 1 more way. They hope that they can. That's the way they want to get into the vault is to get this magic helmet. 22:08.35 sidekqpodcast I. 22:10.26 Mike Christensen And fact that it winds up being this deep deep dive both literally into the underdark and you know with all of these different steps that they have to go to they have to go and dig up the graves and then they have to go and find the dude and then they have to go to the place where he hit it and then they have to you know, get across the bridge and and fight the guardian and all these things. And all of that just to go get 1 magic item I know that it's like the next step of the plan but that has huge side quest energy to me and it also introduces zanc who is my favorite character in that film. 22:36.34 sidekqpodcast Sure yeah for sure. Yeah i. Right? Which I know in your videos. You talked about how you know I guess they reveal like oh this was really supposed to be Dritz do Ordin's character but it was. It would be really weird to try and stick him in this movie with no context to a wider audience that doesn't understand who this character is so we'll just get the guy from bridgerton to do it instead. 23:03.90 Mike Christensen Basically I think there were probably a bunch of reasons why they didn't go with drist but I'm so grateful for them because it means that they could bring in a character who I think with dred you'd be tempted as filmmakers to take him as seriously as the character takes himself. 23:15.88 sidekqpodcast And. 23:17.91 Mike Christensen Or you'd be worried that he's taking himself too seriously so you don't want to like Annoy the fans because it's someone original. He can really be the most self-serious person in the world and the rest of the film can be like who's this clown and being able to walk that balance really? well I think that would be a lot trickier with an established character of any kind, not just grist. But if it was anyone from any. 23:26.50 sidekqpodcast Right. 23:37.84 Mike Christensen Other work you be right? Yeah I think they would have that that same struggle and I'm just very glad that they they dodged that for their own character who they just they could take seriously when they wanted to and not feel like they were um. 23:39.30 sidekqpodcast Minskin Boo or jar relaxxo or anything like that. Yeah. 23:55.49 Mike Christensen Taking the piss out of a beloved character when they roast him a little bit. So. 24:01.10 sidekqpodcast And then the only other final thing I'll say about the D and D movie which I did go see and loved ah just a plus work on the practical effects I think we need more movies that do practical effects. So. 24:07.93 Mike Christensen Yes, I was so delighted by yeah I Love how wonky they are like like I don't mean that as an insult like they feel like practical effects. Sometimes they're good and sometimes they're they're fine, but. 24:14.24 sidekqpodcast I see G I But I loved the practical effects in this movie. 24:27.74 Mike Christensen The fact that they're fine and they still just like look like practical effects. They look like a dude in a suit. They don't look like a real life creature is fine like I think we all kind of forgot that like the moment that the Star Wars franchise got money. They just hired the guys who made the muppets to make them a muppet like and we were all we were all cool with that. 24:33.11 sidekqpodcast Now. 24:47.63 Mike Christensen I wasn't born yet but you know in theory everyone was like oh yeah, sure is a big movie Now you get Muppets That's the rule and I just I'm I'm totally on board Anytime someone's like yeah this puppet is real I dare you I dare you to to deny me like you bought a ticket for a movie. You know this is all fake. 24:51.89 sidekqpodcast Yeah. 25:06.56 Mike Christensen Why is the puppet less fake than a cgi person that we all feel the un Uncanny Valley vibes with like just buy in. It's a puppet who cares, especially for a movie like that. Not every movie can get away with that I think if ah I don't know if joker tried to replace someone with a puppet. It would not flow quite as well. 25:23.96 sidekqpodcast So. 25:26.60 Mike Christensen Um, maybe that's a bad example, but you know I think that if any see that because there's no cgi characters in that one. But um, you know if there was an mc you movie. Maybe's a better example and they replaced a character with a puppet I'm not sure it would work but like I would love it if they tried. 25:40.84 sidekqpodcast That feels very dead pool that feels like a very deadpool thing so we'll have to see if ah deadpo 3 pulls a Jim Henson on us or not. 25:47.00 Mike Christensen Man that would be I'd be so happy with more puppets in fiction. But I think this movie it helped this movie feel very much like the fantasy movies we grew up on. You know it made it feel more like your princess brides or. 25:57.64 sidekqpodcast Mm. 26:02.27 Mike Christensen Ah, you know, dark Crystal or labyrinth or any of these things that sort of like to to varying degrees of ah quality I'm sure all those films are but it just sort of made it feel less like part of the standard studio machine. 26:06.93 sidekqpodcast Kroll Conan the barbarian 26:19.76 Mike Christensen Sort of made it jarring when we get to the more like traditional story beats the third act because it it gets kind of predictable at the end which like fair enough movies are you know, very often a little predictable so they pulled some tricks I'm like oh yeah I think we saw this exact same moment and onward but also like that's fine because you made me buy in through the rest of it being so practical and so fun. 26:27.62 sidekqpodcast So. 26:39.70 Mike Christensen So. 26:40.93 sidekqpodcast And not to mention that Onward did get some ah give some shoutouts to wizards of the coast for use of some of their ah ah intellectual properties that were featured in that movie which I loved onward as well. So. 26:50.40 Mike Christensen I I didn't realize they did that. But yeah I I was delighted by Onward I Remember sitting there and watching it and just throughout the film. My wife just turning to me and being like I promise I did not write this movie. 27:03.51 sidekqpodcast All right? and then the way we end the personal interview and then the way that we end the personal interview section of the show. What are you passionate about and why. 27:15.92 Mike Christensen I Mean aside from tabletop games because that's a huge part of it and I think the reason why is something I've been thinking about a lot recently just because it's been brought up in in other videos I've watched or or you know in blog posts and sort of like what? Yeah, what do we enjoy about this hobby and everyone has their own answers to that. I Think there is something very compelling to you know the idea that we're telling a story together. But you know you're not in full control of it. But I think that's only part of it I think that I think it's very exciting for people who aren't just like writers in their daily lives to have the experience of being able to tell a story and be in the driver's seat. There is that sort of permission to play and the sort of opportunity to say yeah you can be just as creative as anybody you know we are so surrounded by content these days and some of it is content. That's very much about. Well I didn't like the new Star Wars.. Whatever so here I'm going to rewrite half of it and and tell you what it would be like and and so there is this sort of gradual opening up of like the permission for people to basically do their own version of fan fiction or their own version of what would you do? if you had control of X Franchise. What would you do with? whatever. And think that's just natural based on the democratization of ideas through social media Plus the proliferation of our ah general understanding of story structure and the fact that some of these franchises just hit Miss just sort of happens. But I think. 28:46.38 Mike Christensen D and D offers a different way to exercise the same muscle where instead of just saying hey here's something we didn't like we're discontent with it and so you're starting from a sort of cynical standpoint and I don't say that to be dismissive like I like a lot of creators who make their bread and butter saying hey this franchise. Installment didn't work I Wish it had been Better. You know savage Books naovvi movies. The folks from previewed like these people make content I enjoy and they also spend a lot of time talking about what they do differently if they were in control of franchises. But by definition it starts at such a like. Contrarian point of view that D and D opens that up to say hey you're not trying to fix something. You're not trying to correct a broken path. You just have the keys to tell a story and everyone has their hand on the ball and there is something really exciting about that about everyone getting the opportunity to. Tell stories together and giving them permission to do so because I think that we otherwise we keep falling into the idea of us and them the people who get to tell stories and the people who get to watch stories and D and D gives us the power to say. Hey I know how stories work and I know what I would like for my character and I I know what I wish characters would do in these sorts of situations and I just I Just really love that I Really love the way that it empowers people to be creative and that can take various forms Sometimes it's just hey ah what if you were playing a video game. But. 30:19.44 Mike Christensen There wasn't an arbitrary wall where the designers stopped putting in monsters. You go right? when the Dm thought you were gonna go left and the Dm has to figure out a way to make that work that is a form of being creative or it's boy I'm I'm telling this story but I wish there were monsters that actually worked for what I'm go. Going for, but there are none in the monster manual I guess I'm gonna have to make up my own and that's another way that the game sort of implicitly empowers you to be creative on your own by sadly not providing you the tools you needed to tell the story you wanted and the other is way more obvious, especially for someone like me who talks about critical role which is sorry do that again without hitting the. 30:55.25 sidekqpodcast And. 30:57.62 Mike Christensen Pop filter and the other is way more obvious which is the version I talk about the most because I talk about critical role and role play heavy stories which is hey what if you could tell a fantasy adventure story but everyone got to decide how it went instead of 1 person doing it and the. Reason I love that is because everyone should be able to do that I think that I spend a lot of time thinking about writing thinking about fiction thinking about Tv shows and movies and it's been my industry for a few years I I worked in the entertainment industry for 10 years and I absorbed voraciously behind the scenes content and all this stuff and I kept seeing writers who I admired answer the question where do you get your ideas in really dumb ways because they don't like to answer that question because fundamentally they don't know but really the answer is. Writers are just the same as everybody else they have the same ideas as anybody they just write them down d and d breaks down that barrier again and says hey you can do what anyone else does you can tell a story. You don't have to write it down to it for it to still matter for it to still have an impact. So I think that is part of what draws me so much to. Ah d and d and roleplaying games in general. 32:12.91 sidekqpodcast Awesome Mike Drop you might say why? why? why? all right? So now with this portion of the show done. We move on to the next segment which is called npc creation. 32:17.30 Mike Christensen La Go one one. 32:29.58 sidekqpodcast And npc creation is brought to you by you the podcast audience and our patrons from patreon that's right now is the time in the show where we give a shout out to our comfortable patrons and above with a loud hurrah. So do you Katie Downey answer Jablinsky my parents as of the time of this recording we say cheers again this is for patrons who donate. Just a measly two dollars a month or more these folks are actually among my current higher highest tier wealthy level patrons which means they also get to introduce an element of chance to our random tables which we might get to use here today. 33:02.41 Mike Christensen Who. 33:04.36 sidekqpodcast So if you want to learn more and join the coolest podcast Patreon community out there. Ah obviously a present company. You know not excluded in the cool Patreon club but go go to my podcast website. Ah check the show notes below or just go directly too. 33:13.39 Mike Christensen No sharks. 33:21.80 sidekqpodcast Patreon.com/sidekicks and sidequest to find out about to find out about our current 3 tiers one two four dollars a month help us expand our operations at the levitating platter in this demiplane and worlds beyond all right? So before we began. Hitting all of the record buttons and making sure all the microphones were good I asked you what kind of character we were going to be making today and you opted for the path of randomization is that correct all right. 33:49.00 Mike Christensen Yes, indeed. 33:53.34 sidekqpodcast Well, you are a listener of the show and so you will know that we begin our Npc creation segment by asking the question of what is the character's name and we determine this dice roll with a D twenty. So. 34:06.16 Mike Christensen Already this by the way is the first d twenty I ever bought I still have my first dice set is a Robin's egg blue I think with a with white numbers. That's a 15 34:12.59 sidekqpodcast Wow. Nice 15 okay, as we scroll down the list aha your answer was provided by previous guest fenway Jones Kakira which is spelled kh I r a and is pronounced. 34:27.38 Mike Christensen Oh cool. 34:35.17 Mike Christensen Cool. 34:36.22 sidekqpodcast Kira all right so far so good. Our next question we have to ask is what is the ancestry of our character and we determine this by rolling two d ten s for a d 100 effect 34:48.14 Mike Christensen All righty 22 34:54.52 sidekqpodcast 22 okay this is a first um Kira is a death night. 35:01.33 Mike Christensen Whoa Whoa. Okay, this zagged on us very quickly. 35:04.38 sidekqpodcast Okay, indeed it did um but we also have to you know Kira the death night. Sure. But what is Kira's job or role in society could be very different as well. Just roll a regular d 10 and let's see what Kira's doing 35:21.47 Mike Christensen Kira is 9 35:22.73 sidekqpodcast Okay, your answer was provided by previous guest Ben Martin Mooney Chimney sweep yeah yeah you know death nights are prolific chimney sweeps don't you know and then the final question here. 35:29.29 Mike Christensen Sure sure sure sure. 35:37.84 Mike Christensen Ah, ah. 35:41.17 sidekqpodcast Ah, that we get to do a random dice roll on before we take a slight pause is what is the age range of our character. Let's roll a d eight and figure that one out midlife. So we have a middle aged death night named Kira that just so happens to be a chimney sweep. 35:43.27 Mike Christensen Yeah. Already d Eight five d yeah 36:00.94 sidekqpodcast And with all of these key pieces of information in mind when you picture this character. What are you envisioning. 36:09.97 Mike Christensen I'm a mid I'm envisioning that this character is a death night who is posing as a chimney sweep under some sort of illusion spell in order to get close to someone for um, nefarious purposes. This is a a death Knight who also has some sort of illusion ah capacity. 36:22.70 sidekqpodcast Um. 36:27.31 Mike Christensen Um, or you know some some way of disguising themselves and they will at the drop of a hat transform back into their death night form but they are actually um, you know getting getting close to someone and posing in plain sight. 36:39.61 sidekqpodcast Okay, is there a particular way that this guys appears and. 36:46.70 Mike Christensen Um, I'm so well I think it is a a middle aged woman. Um, you know, probably probably pretty lean because you have to imagine based on what I know about Chimney Sweeps which is in the very authentic Mary poppins film. They jump in and out of the Chimneys a lot when they're doing their dance numbers. So. 37:03.00 sidekqpodcast Um, of course. Yes, yeah. 37:04.70 Mike Christensen But probably no, probably not I think actually what she would be is you know, sort of like broad little little round and in fact, that's just sort of hiding the death night visage underneath um and their Chimney sweep. 37:17.20 sidekqpodcast I. 37:23.71 Mike Christensen Machine. Whatever their tool their apparatus would transform sure Brush I guess is 1 word you could call it ah transforms into their their lance or their sword or their battleaxe when they transform. 37:24.77 sidekqpodcast Brush. Yeah. 37:36.70 sidekqpodcast This interesting. Yeah I was going to say so this definitely sounds like a um, a uniquely flavored reoccurring villain. Ah maybe in someone's backstory of like oh there's a death night hunting me I serve ah a warlock patron. 37:49.20 Mike Christensen Wait here. 37:53.12 sidekqpodcast But I turn my back on the Patron and so now the Patron's just like okay I'm just going to send this death night after you, you know because you besmirched my good name or whatever. Okay, very cool. Okay, so we have the the idea of a physical appearance in mind and then if you had to describe. 38:01.29 Mike Christensen Absolutely. 38:12.81 sidekqpodcast Kira with 3 adjectives what 3 adjectives would you use. 38:15.92 Mike Christensen Patient because you know she's she's posing as someone with a full day job. Ah so obviously they have some idea that they have time on their hands. Um, pardon me oh there was another What's the best way to put this. Um there's like a word I'm looking forward like she doesn't think highly of herself like um, she doesn't she's not self-important. Um, because clearly she's willing to get in the grime. With the common people and and doesn't think of that as beneath her which you know if you're talking about death nights like Lord Soth who's very much a ah regal character who still thinks of himself in very highfalutin terms. This is not that at all. Um, you know she's willing to get into the muck as needed. And um, creative I think that she's kind of inventive I think she you know she could easily just find some other method to get at her prey but this is how she chooses to do it because she has a sort of um flair for theatrics theatrical maybe a better way to put that. 39:26.71 sidekqpodcast Ah, okay, yeah, that's a good way to put it. Um, yeah, while you were explaining kind of this idea you know of of Kira ah through the adjectives I was very quickly trying to Google what what does the forgotten realms wiki have to say about death. Knights as far as the lores concerned according to the fifth edition version. Not not not too much. Um I don't have a stat box stat block in front of me to know whether or not they actually have spell casting abilities. But again this is our game we can do whatever we want and so yeah, why not have a ah a death night with some limited. Ah. Ah, spell casting abilities that that specializes in illusory magics in order to be able to pull off these? Um, you know, insane ah kills or whatever you know the feared ah like ah you know the the feared servitor of some god of death or what have you. 40:18.99 Mike Christensen Right? Um, the stat block in 5 v has some paladin spells prepared um but you could easily just add in a a quick disguise spell why not. 40:28.37 sidekqpodcast Yeah, sure or maybe Kia happens to have an item on their person to be like ah this is like my hat of disguise so it looks like a chimney sweet hat. But really, it's like a hat of disguise or something like that. So. 40:30.55 Mike Christensen Yes. 40:37.84 Mike Christensen I think that's what I would go with as well because that gives you something that the players can get if they happen to do combat with Kira and you know and and she doesn't make it or there's some sort of trade. You get the the disguise back. 40:52.76 sidekqpodcast And here's a question since we in the adjectives describe Kira as someone not thinking very highly ofself. You know that they want to be able to blend in and you know fit these roles in these disguises kind of like an agent 47 in the hit man series or what have you. 41:11.29 Mike Christensen Prisons. 41:12.13 sidekqpodcast Um, is Kira her the death night's real name or is this just like the cover name that that the death night is using does the death night have you know enough care about themself to even be like oh I have some sort of personal identity and character and all that. Sort of kind of stuff so ki is like a cover name but also is the identity that this death night is so taken up. 41:31.60 Mike Christensen I think it might be a James Bond situation where it's both. Um. 41:44.28 Mike Christensen I think I think yeah I mean I think that's the name that the players would know them by I don't think that Kira would necessarily care what people call her. Ah you know she probably has some title or something but if the players continue to call her kira. She'll answer to it. 41:55.67 sidekqpodcast I. 42:00.76 Mike Christensen She's not particularly so she's not pretentious. 42:01.22 sidekqpodcast Okay, they do speak abysle and common these death nights so it could be that maybe you know the real name isn't abysle and you have to know abysle in order to know what the real name is but in common it's just like looked at a sign and was like Kira. Yeah, that's what you can call me. So. 42:16.59 Mike Christensen Right? exactly or or it was the name that meant something to her in her past and so she uses it when she's in in hiding in secrets but the name the name has no bearing now on you know, controlling her because her she's been. 42:23.22 sidekqpodcast Oo yeah because what does it say. 42:33.80 Mike Christensen You know, imprisoned through some other name. 42:33.92 sidekqpodcast Sure? yeah, stated lore here being death knights mighty undead warriors created by gods of death or other malevolent forces. They were most commonly created from evil humanoids who in life had been black guards fighters rangers barbarians and even paladins fallen from Grace. So. So Kira is like the 1 thing that this death night can pull from their past prior to their fall and becoming raised up as a death night if you will okay, very cool, interesting and again I'm just trying to. 43:01.30 Mike Christensen Yeah I think so. Or yeah I mean the other option is she that is a name that she simply chose because she liked it. It's not her title. It's just like I I wish in another life. This is who I could be I could disappear into this this role this realm go back to being an ordinary person but that is not who I'm ever going to be. Able to be more than just when I'm on a job when I'm on a mission sort of tragic in that way. 43:27.34 sidekqpodcast Okay, yeah, yeah, and so I'm just trying to imagine. Yeah, if we you know I put forward the idea of like oh this is like a character that's like stalking the party and then just has them kind of following the party. 43:40.88 Mike Christensen This is. 43:45.34 sidekqpodcast Or do you put this person like in a town and this in this character just sits there in the town and they you know every once in a while is reoccurring or or I don't know just you know, not that we have to definitively say one way or the other but I'm just kind of curious your thoughts of like if you're going to stick cua in your game which I hope you do. 43:56.79 Mike Christensen Right. 44:03.64 sidekqpodcast How are you best going to deploy Kira. 44:06.41 Mike Christensen I Think it would be through the method of um, yeah, pursuing the party to a city getting in as the Chimney sweep taking a form that allows them to get close enough that they'll be undetected and probably. 44:19.86 sidekqpodcast O o. 44:22.97 Mike Christensen Allowing themselves to be spotted multiple times before they strike. Oh yes. 44:25.30 sidekqpodcast I was gonna say here hear me you know, hear me out on this the Colville Strongville rules you get a stronghold and you need to hire people to take care of your keep and so oh here's a chimney sweep. You know she does a great job. She cleans the chimneys phenomenal work meanwhile she's gathering Intel she's learning about all your weaknesses and where all the the safety fail guard measures are how to disable those and then when you least expect it. The disciise disguise comes off and suddenly a crseventeen death night is now inside your stronghold and you have to fight this creature while you don't have armor or access to your magic items or whatever else if you're really trying to punish your party for. 45:02.93 Mike Christensen Oh That's really good. That's really good and and potentially has been finding a way to bring other enemies in very quickly. You know finding some way to introduce the the cupboard that you know opens up a portal to. The army on the other side of the continent so they don't see you don't see them coming and now you're just dealing with these enemy forces in your castle or or whatever her plan is once she arrives definitely getting in through that Stronghold is an excellent idea I like that a lot. 45:32.42 sidekqpodcast So there we go. That's what we do on this podcast make great ideas for you to steal and continuing on with our character creation process. We like all of our Npcs to have cool stuff on them. So what is going to be a valuable item a piece of lore. 45:37.10 Mike Christensen Yes, and steal I shall. 45:51.77 sidekqpodcast Ah, secret or an idealer concept that this character Ascribes to and this is a combo role so we'll do a d 4 first for the category and then a d six for the particular thingaabbob. 46:01.89 Mike Christensen All right? that is a one on the d 4 and a 2 on the d 6 46:05.86 sidekqpodcast Okay, so this is a Matt an item and your item was suggested by previous guest Elvia Garcia a magic conducting baton so potentially a really cool like bartic magic item. Perhaps. 46:20.97 Mike Christensen Yes. 46:24.64 sidekqpodcast Yeah, do you have any thoughts on why Kira would have a magic conducting baton on her person and. 46:31.53 Mike Christensen It kind of lines up with the idea that she has some illusion magic as well. You know she doesn't have to have been a former palette and she can have been a former bard a sort of um, a person who. 46:40.59 sidekqpodcast Mm. 46:44.73 Mike Christensen Maybe was if we what's the bardick college college of secrets because yeah, but the but the college of college of whispers. This is what it is I believe. 46:47.79 sidekqpodcast There is secrets isn't there swords as well or something like that like kind of like a more fighty bard class. Okay. 47:00.39 Mike Christensen College of whisperers bards poses other bards. So that's another opportunity for her to have um you know have a good ah to have had a baton to conduct because she was posing as some other composer or instrumentalist and we can figure out what the Baton does in a moment but um. 47:16.72 sidekqpodcast Sure didn't didn't merser write up a particular bard subclass that was like the the college of conducting or something like that. 47:20.36 Mike Christensen But I think. 47:29.71 Mike Christensen Yes, it was I'll see if I can find it because I have that as well in my Dm's guild account um but I think also the college of whispers bard can like steal the shadows and the images of the people they kill. So. Giving them that power for that reason as well works really nicely I think it's the college of maestro maybe what the something like that. Let me find it hold on yep college of the maestro. Yep so that's the form that they were taking. 47:46.68 sidekqpodcast Um. 47:50.47 sidekqpodcast Oh okay. 47:57.14 sidekqpodcast A wonders up. Wow Yeah, that was a big. 48:05.50 Mike Christensen Ah, but in reality they're a ah college of whispers bard now turned a death night. 48:11.73 sidekqpodcast Wow, That's quite the journey. Yeah yeah, okay, um, yeah now I'm just trying to imagine like. 48:16.62 Mike Christensen Corrupted by Evil and and sin. It seems. 48:22.58 sidekqpodcast Her Origin story of like being with a party being this great epic bard and then tangoed with this God of death and she fell in battle and then that ah God of death is like oh no, you're too good to like you know, just be you know on in the afterlife I'm going to steal your soul. You're going to be my death night now and hunt like your former adventuring party members and then when you're done with that. You're still going to do my bidding and whatever else I want. So. 48:47.87 Mike Christensen Yeah, interesting compelling I like it a lot. 48:51.45 sidekqpodcast So yep yep yep, yep and then of course all of our Npcs on our podcast like to give out side quests. You know that's kind of the whole shtick. So if you want to roll randomly for a side quest that Kira might be willing to offer. 49:00.97 Mike Christensen Um, of course. 49:08.57 sidekqpodcast 2 player characters or recruit them for you can roll a d 12 or if you have a pretty good idea. You could just kind of spitball it and kind of tell us what your thinking is sure. Yeah, maybe combine the 2 6 Okay. 49:15.40 Mike Christensen I have an idea but I'd like to roll as well as a 6 49:26.47 sidekqpodcast Your answer provided by previous guest Kevin Shenard steal a valuable ring from a gambler. 49:33.86 Mike Christensen Okay I think she's trying to she will recruit the party to do this if she thinks that they have a chance of doing so because she thinks it will help her get free of the curse upon her in order to become mortal again and. 49:52.77 sidekqpodcast Ooh. 49:53.77 Mike Christensen Liberate her from the service of this this foul force that has control over her. 50:01.54 sidekqpodcast Interesting. Okay, because even though it's like oh you know death nights are typically chaotic evil aligned ah enemies and stuff like that. So it's it's kind of like a annakin Darth Vader sort of thing. It's like oh. There's still a part of her inside her that wants to be free, but at the same time she's like compelled to serve and and kill and all this stuff right. 50:21.61 Mike Christensen Yeah I think that you know there's something significant about the ring. It's either a magical item or it's something that she like stole in a previous life and and basically if she can get that she can you know take the gem out of it or whatever it is and use that to. 50:38.79 sidekqpodcast I Feel like yeah I feel like that's like artifact level like kind of like how we were talking about in the D and D movie how they spent so much time getting this one magic item I feel like maybe that's another thing from her pash that she remembered that it was like this legendary gambling ring. 50:40.94 Mike Christensen Regain their her soul. 50:57.89 sidekqpodcast Like was made by the god of luck and of gambling and like left it as a token and so whoever they favor it just kind of passes from person to person and you know, kind of like the the Kenny Rogers the gambler song. 50:58.64 Mike Christensen Um. 51:01.37 Mike Christensen Oh wait. 51:11.78 Mike Christensen Subject. 51:13.57 sidekqpodcast Ah, you know you have to have like a last drink and a smoke with that person and then they ah you know they they fall down dead and then the ring just passes on to the the person who is kind to them and you know gave them a last drink and a smoke or something like that. 51:25.10 Mike Christensen Or is it the soul jar for a liitch and by getting her own hands on it. She can have control over this other magical person who's commanding her. She's she's the henchman for a liitch. But she doesn't want to be and if she can get her hands on their you know the the item where they will always resurrect their their phyacty their whore crux and just use that as a um bargaining chip they can earn their own freedom. 51:58.33 sidekqpodcast Okay, and so by having this this artifact level gambling ring would give her the edge that she would need to be able to successfully ah capture the soul boxer. What have you of the liitch. 52:01.23 Mike Christensen User. 52:11.99 sidekqpodcast If we're imagining a litch maybe instead of like a god of death or whatever holding holding her soul Ransom basically and oh. 52:17.53 Mike Christensen Oh I was imagining that the gambling ring is the soulbox and then the players have to make a decision of oh well, do we want this awesome magic item or do we destroy it So the Lich doesn't come back because that's always a fun thing to tease your players with. 52:29.78 sidekqpodcast Oh oh oh so then it's a lich that's a gambler or this gambler that's going around and is you know they look a oh how I was going to say that how is this gambler not being hunted down by and. 52:39.10 Mike Christensen I Think the gambler just got their hands on it. 52:48.68 sidekqpodcast Undead creatures all the time that are trying to get that back. Mm. 52:52.37 Mike Christensen That's a great question. We'd have to flesh that out in the side Quest Perhaps they you know they just because he's a gambler doesn't mean he's also not extraordinarily wealthy and well connected. You know I'm thinking of the ah. 53:00.67 sidekqpodcast Wow! yeah. 53:04.58 Mike Christensen The critical role subplot where they went and gambled with a fire giant who was like the head of an entire clan in the city of brass like sure you can maybe win things through gambling. But if you try to just steal from them. Things could go extraordinarily badly extraordinarily quickly. 53:21.13 sidekqpodcast Um, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, so there's definitely a lot of leeway here to play with you know, whichever angle you decide to go with or you decide to think up your own thing but okay so. 53:30.99 Mike Christensen Fit it. 53:34.32 sidekqpodcast With this in mind so Kira needs the party the player characters to go and steal this valuable ring from a gambler. So what is going to be the reward for the party they they successfully pilfer this ring. They return to Kira they present it to her. What's going to be the reward. So. 53:50.89 Mike Christensen And is that a role as well or we just spit on. 53:53.59 sidekqpodcast Oh no, this is just spitballing now. 53:57.18 Mike Christensen Ah I would think that it's some sort of um I mean I would think a magical item because I think that's the easiest way to sort of reward players some sort of um I would be inclined to say like a cloak or boots of flying that way, you're ah. Your fighters and your barbarians actually have some mobility on the field, especially if she's a Chimney sweep and she's doing all those dance moves that we know Chimney Sweeps do jumping in and out of Chimneys and all these things. Um I think that some methods like that sort of sort of Anti-gravity boots. 54:24.26 sidekqpodcast Um. 54:29.20 sidekqpodcast And ooh okay winged boots Anti-gravity boots or a cloak of levitating or something like that get some real doctor strange energy going on. Okay, all right, very cool and then we also have to consider the other side of the equation. 54:32.34 Mike Christensen With you. Yeah, exactly. 54:46.10 sidekqpodcast What's going to be the consequence of failure or refusing Kira to even take the side quest option. 54:54.15 Mike Christensen I mean I think she's threatening them with the the fact that they're going to report back. She's going to report back to her master with all their their secrets. Um, she's been posing as a Chimney sweep for them for weeks. She knows how to get in and out of the Castle. She knows their movements She could go in and kill them at any point. But if you do this thing for me and if you trust me not to do anything with that information which is another question. The players will have to sort of grapple with can we take this person at their word. Ah then I will I'll keep my mouth shut. 55:20.55 sidekqpodcast I. 55:25.65 Mike Christensen I couldn't get into your castle. They spotted my ruse on day two and I wasn't able to get the information I needed we need another way and I can buy you some time against the big bad who has their eyes on you. 55:35.75 sidekqpodcast Oh okay, see now. So you're you're teasing that out and explaining and I'm just imagining like this Chimney sweep comes up to the party and is like oh I need you to go get this ring from this famous gambler and the party's like no way and then all of a sudden the Chimney sweep just changes into a death night and is like. 55:50.60 Mike Christensen Right. 55:55.67 sidekqpodcast Ah, no, actually you are going to get this thing because otherwise I'm going to teleport out of here back to the one who sent me here and then we're just going to raise your stronghold to the ground kind of a thing and kill you all and drag you down to the 9 circles of hell right. 56:05.17 Mike Christensen Right? And then of course the challenge for the players and this is something you know I think based on the tone of the campaign if you're doing sort of a stronghold this is the kind of sort of political decisions. The players would be forced to make and this is the kind of thing that comes from. Me having binged all of succession in one month you need some sort of assurance that they're actually going to keep their word because otherwise if you just do this favor for her. Okay, she still has all the leverage. She can just keep asking you for stuff. You need some way to actually bind her to her word or find a way to actually like. 56:34.10 sidekqpodcast Mm. 56:41.42 Mike Christensen Get some assurances from her and I think that would be really interesting just to see what the players would come up with or if they don't and she's like all right? Well I'm just going to keep blackmailing you and you're like oh shoot. Well I guess we're going on all these D and D adventures but we should really do something about this death night. 56:57.14 sidekqpodcast Let's just hanging around our castle. 56:58.29 Mike Christensen Just hanging around our castle cleaning Chimneys like okay bare Minimum. We need to at least stop her from cleaning all these chimneys and getting all of our secrets and have to like work against her but not yeah, just fire her even though you theoretically could because that won't end. Well I think that would just. That's just the kind of thing I just throw at the party and be like I don't know I don't know what you're going to do but you cannot keep these things as they're on as they're going right now. This is not a tenable situation. You need some leverage and it might be they go and find a bigger fish they go and find an enemy or they go and try to find a weapon and maybe that sends them towards. 57:25.47 sidekqpodcast Yeah. 57:35.47 Mike Christensen Another character will be created on this podcast. We'll have to find out. 57:39.00 sidekqpodcast Yeah, there we go all right and of course ah you know, just watching our time you know, no no rush or anything like that. But I know we have the optional questions were you interested in trying to tackle kiir a little further in those or do you feel like Kira is pretty well flushed out. 57:45.19 Mike Christensen Um, yeah. 57:54.86 Mike Christensen I'm happy to dive into these. Yeah. 57:56.35 sidekqpodcast Okay, all right? So let me get those pulled up and I'll start asking away. So what are the goals and motivations of Kira as a character. 58:04.74 Mike Christensen I Think her goal is to be free of her curse. She would actually like to go back to being an ordinary person a chance that she has never had to be an ordinary person. She's been this. You know Assassin bard. Turned death night. She would really just like to retire to obscurity. 58:24.56 sidekqpodcast Okay, and then how do these affect her general personality. 58:29.28 Mike Christensen I think that she's reluctant to do the awful things that she does because she doesn't see a way out. You know she doesn't perceive that there is a solution for her problem and I think there's actually a little bit of hope if she thinks the party's up to the task. You know this person who's been a death night for who knows how long feeling hope for the first time would be very wary about that. But I think that could make her a little unpredictable in some really interesting ways. 58:58.30 sidekqpodcast And then how does Kira react with other people is she pretty the is she pretty much the same across the border is she pretty nuanced depending on who she's talking to. 59:10.93 Mike Christensen I would say that she's probably nuanced I think she's very good at telling people what she thinks they want to hear I think she's very adept at reading people and being whoever she needs to be to get what she wants out of them in the short term but you know. I Don't think she's especially gifted at the long-term wheels within wheels because she hasn't been able to free herself for this long I don't even know if she has a plan for when she gets her hand on the ring just like if I can get my hands on the ring I can I can come up with the next step of the plan. Um, but that's just. Getting that far has always eluded her but in the short term. She's excellent at manipulation. 59:50.13 sidekqpodcast And then does cura happen to have a particular accent or language that she uses are there any idiosyncrasies in how she acts or speaks. 01:00:01.40 Mike Christensen I think that she's very cold very like I think Darth Vader was a really good poll. You know, very calm and slow and careful and deliberate with her words. That's how I'm picturing her. 01:00:18.53 sidekqpodcast I Find your lack of faith disturbing. 01:00:22.67 Mike Christensen Exactly such a good character. 01:00:24.97 sidekqpodcast Yeah, and then let's see what impact has Kira made on the world. How has she shaped her local area. 01:00:35.28 Mike Christensen I Think that it's impossible to know how many Chimney sweeps have been nearby when Heads of state were killed because no one ever looks at the Chimney Sweeps I think she has shaped the land at the at the hands of ah at the behest of very very bad people. A couple of them. Whoever her master is probably this lich that we've alluded to um for a lot longer say that again. 01:00:54.98 sidekqpodcast Has she traded hands. That's a question we haven't explored has she been traded hand I was going to ask has she traded you know masters like maybe a God of death creating her and then this God of death is like hey lich you're doing such a good job. You should have this death night in your employ. 01:01:05.18 Mike Christensen Hello. 01:01:14.90 sidekqpodcast Um, because I know what is it Colville has the codex where that summons like a f night out of it. So just kind of thinking of that like you know so maybe her latest master is thislch but then you know you were saying like okay great. She gets this ring. She doesn't know what the next step is like maybe it's going to be a longer journey to actually. 01:01:19.70 Mike Christensen Um, yeah. 01:01:33.60 sidekqpodcast Break this whole cycle and then potentially have an Npc weird pole ally of like okay we can maybe summon this death night to our side who will actually help us out in combat. Maybe if we play our cards right? so. 01:01:40.99 Mike Christensen Right? Yeah I like that a lot it could be literally magical like ah like the codex you mentioned or it could just be like you know when Thanos trades his kids to Ronan and the guardians of the galaxy first film like like trading cards. You know, just like she doesn't get a say in where she's sent but ah it could be It could be magical as well. I think that depends on what works better for the game. 01:02:00.92 sidekqpodcast Mm. 01:02:08.42 sidekqpodcast Sure sure and and before I interrupted you with my my cool idea. So the the impact on the world is that like you know, kind of like ah you know the winter soldier being like the real reason why all these assassinations or these political things. 01:02:20.90 Mike Christensen Um, that's. 01:02:25.86 sidekqpodcast Happened or like you know conspiracy theories and grassynolls and whatever else. So like she Hira has like been the agent the tool that's been behind it. So. 01:02:35.37 Mike Christensen I Think that's exactly it I think that she has been the instrument to keep ah opposition to the litch from ever getting to the point where they would pose a challenge to him. 01:02:41.90 sidekqpodcast Oh now I'm just imagining that winter soldier scene where it's like red box Car 43 and then like that's the code phrase that gets the death night to like calm down and like not get. Angry and attack you or whatever like that. So. There's like a ah magical Phrase. You have to say. 01:02:57.14 Mike Christensen Okay, but but we did talk about how she's sort of bound by some sort of abyssal language right? as some sort of a bisal abyssal name. You know I I was thinking of Hellboy at the time where he has the sort of secret name but that exactly also works with the box car. 01:03:05.90 sidekqpodcast So. 01:03:14.29 sidekqpodcast Right? Yeah and it's a random string of words. But if you say it in the right order like that's the that's the thing to unlock it. Yeah. 01:03:15.17 Mike Christensen I don't I don't remember any of them homecoming you know? Yeah yeah I think it's I think it's an abyssal but there is a there is a phrase that if you're the one who speaks it. You're the one who has command over her. 01:03:30.16 sidekqpodcast Ooh and that's probably a very closely guarded secret. So like that would be yeah so we were talking about trying to find leverage. So it's like if you can figure out the abysle phrase then you can get her on your side or whatever. 01:03:32.10 Mike Christensen Yes. 01:03:39.72 Mike Christensen Um, exactly. Um. 01:03:42.76 Mike Christensen Exactly that just lines up with what we were talking about as well is she magically summoned is she magically given control by each of these people or like because it could be that whoever's in control says hey go and follow this person's orders but the person that she's working for doesn't have the command words doesn't have that level of control. Or it could be somebody figures out the words and steals her away and now has control over her and essentially she has no autonomy for what happens to her you know much like the same thing you get with yugaloths where they are summoned reluctantly by the people who make these deals and bargains and they're always trying to find a way out of them. Think she is trying to find a way out of you know out of her ah constant ah war against dissidents. 01:04:29.84 sidekqpodcast Yeah, and then the final optional question we have here sorry man. Ah, do you have any current problems that prevent you from being a bigger player on the stage. Probably the fact of like some sort of Abysle pass phrase code contract binding or whatever. 01:04:37.77 Mike Christensen It. 01:04:43.76 Mike Christensen I mean ironically both from being a bigger player on the stage and a smaller player on the stage. Yeah, but yeah that I think that that answer is exactly right? It's the ah the the abyssal name the abyssal title I Guess is what we we would call it. 01:04:48.96 sidekqpodcast So. 01:04:59.95 sidekqpodcast But m yeah okay so an abyssal tile. Yeah now I'm just so it's not like winter soldier in the mcu where it's just like ah ah like soviet conditioning that you know that sunk into the subconscious of Bucky Barnes winter soldier to get him. And a compliant state like it's ah some sort of abysle title or phrase or something that you know gets her to like listen to you and be under your command. 01:05:25.21 Mike Christensen It's a true name. It's it's the name of her as a death night. You know. 01:05:26.88 sidekqpodcast Okay, very cool all right? Well I think we've learned a lot about this character that I think it's time we head into a random encounter all right? And of course this segment of the show doesn't have a sponsor but if you want to change that. 01:05:37.26 Mike Christensen Yes, definitely. 01:05:45.52 sidekqpodcast And become my rich eccentric noble lord or noble woman to lend me your patronage I'm happy to take it. You know, ah talk to me on social media but send me all the details of my email sidekicks and sidequest at Gmail.com to give me all the details and all that good sort of kind of stuff. Listen to this podcast through the Zencastr ah program which is what I used to record it and they have like in a ah like a monetization program which I know they're working on but I'm sure if you listen to me on that platform that'll help maybe get some. Algorithms redirected and analysis done and then maybe someone will want to take a chance on me. But you know what? I'm just happy that you're listening anyway and without further ado let's get to that random encounter. So this is the segment where we do a roleplay little vignette a scene with our character that we've made here today. So with Kira. The death night chimney sweep. Ah the question becomes what kind of scene? are you interested in showcasing her in is it going to be her meaning a podcast adventurer character is as her talking with the lich is this her with the god of death who created her in the first place or. 01:06:35.38 Mike Christensen I said. 01:06:40.90 Mike Christensen Him. 01:06:52.85 sidekqpodcast I don't know what kind of scene are you interested in showcasing Kira in. So. 01:06:58.00 Mike Christensen Who those are both really exciting or all of those are really interesting I think ah, we're going to go with what happens when she meets an adventurer because I think it's the most useful for someone who wants to steal this character to hear how she might make her pitch. 01:07:08.73 sidekqpodcast Okay, okay, and so then on this podcast we have several different adventure characters available in a pool so we have Duncan who's the happy co lucky chaotic good adventure fighter for hire. We've got Sonia the warrior woman. 01:07:24.18 Mike Christensen Um, is it. 01:07:26.80 sidekqpodcast Who multiclass from a barbarian into a paladin who serves to redeem the undead we have korac ah lawful evil arcane trickster roguish dwarf there's Chris Lee the herbalist botanist wood elve druid who multiclassed into a cleric who serves living memory. 01:07:30.30 Mike Christensen Oh. 01:07:44.71 sidekqpodcast There's o'ion who's the astral Elf Allusionist Wizard. There's a gape who's the ah tiflling wild Magic Sorcerer That's like fay wild inspired. Um, or if none of those characters sound interesting to you. We could just make up someone completely new and add them to the list. So. 01:08:04.30 Mike Christensen I'm sorry I just have to say we've got our cameras on for this recording you listed all those characters off the top of your head I didn't realize that. 01:08:09.61 sidekqpodcast Oh yeah, yeah, that's that yeah, that's not a prepared thing in my Google doc that I'm looking at. Yeah. 01:08:17.10 Mike Christensen Very impressive I was really impressed by that. Um I think we got to go with Sonja the one who's a paladin who wants to ah reform undead. 01:08:25.85 sidekqpodcast Okay, yeah, it sounds like a pretty good match made in heaven. So um, would you like to start the scene or shall I Okay, let's see as I check my list here just so I can make sure I have the right lead in so do do do do do? okay. 01:08:32.86 Mike Christensen Um, go ahead. 01:08:43.35 sidekqpodcast So where we last left our hero Sonia she was in a desert town with axios the revenant priest who is kind of like her sponsor or her mentor that she works alongside. They went to the desert town and that's where they met. Leroy Jenkins Leroy Jenkins the vampire artist. Um, so they were able to retrieve the painting. Get it back to him and begin that process and Leroy Jenkins was reformed. He's no longer a vampire He's back to his normal self and he's learned his hard lesson. And decided to still make his own path forward as an artist and not necessarily live in that legacy of being a foolhardy adventure and so it's not that long after they've left the desert Sonia and axios are traveling and. Ah, they come across to another major metropolis and of course it's taken quite some time to journey. Um, and they've had to rest a couple of days but now we're at that point where axios is about ready to wake up from his. Extended rest period and his eyes flit open. He looks down at his journal and he pulls out the journal and he looks at it to read what the god is telling him what kind of cryptic answer. He's given him and Sony's there witnessing it. She doesn't quite know what to make of it because this is the first time. 01:10:15.66 sidekqpodcast Maybe that she's really seen this happen and so the writing appears in a script that maybe she can't quite read but axios looks at it and then looks up at Sonia and kind of intones that there is there is something foul but also something. Mysterious. That's going on in this town and I think it is best if we move with haste to find this and deal with it. You know, kind of like ah a hurriedness or or something in his in his voice that maybe she hadn't seen and so she's like okay yes, yes, you know you know. Lead the way and because axios is kind of like a bloodhound in some points in trying to find this and so they're going through this town and you know people come up to them and they're like you know recognizing their their garb and their their religious imagery and they're like oh we have you know we have these problems down here. But it's like for whatever reason axios. And Sonia are on this bee line making for this manor house and so when they knock and they open and like the Butler sees who it is and then is just kind of like overwhelmed but also is just just moves aside like just the sheer command and presence that axios and Sonia have he just parts ways. And move and so it's not too long. They're walking into this large expansive foyer in this echoing hall and then they come across one of you know, many fireplaces that are built in this place and they turn and look and then they're looking towards ah Kira and so what is it that they're seeing. 01:11:51.79 Mike Christensen They see a um, a plump sturdy woman with sort of curly red hair. You know with a um broom partway up the the Chimney turns back I know is is is this something I can ah help you help you both with. 01:12:07.57 sidekqpodcast But um, you'll see axios raises hand up and you see his eyes flash and he is just you know and it kind of like this ah pharmaturgic sort of voice. It echoes and reverberates in this place and he will be like I mean you no harm. But I must ask you to reveal your true form and it like almost is this with this sheer power. He like exerts his hand forward and there's like a force that just kind of like emanates out as if to like Dispel any magic that might be in the area and does it take effect in a work. And dispelling. Ah the magic from the hat. 01:12:47.81 Mike Christensen I think so I think it would the ah the form shimmers and standing. There is a armored woman. Ah you know of all of her skin covered in the sort of um soot colored armor. Ash sort of crumbling from underneath the armor from something inside as if whatever's in there is just dust that just keeps generating more dust. She draws a wand from her gauntlet and waves it and the door slams closed behind ah Axios and Sonia. And she slips the wand back in and says there really wasn't any need for that. 01:13:30.80 sidekqpodcast And so axios will just stand there and look and so Sonia will step forward. Um, and she's taking axios his lead and so she's not trying to be aggressive in this moment and and so she will speak up and so she'll say. 01:13:46.94 sidekqpodcast We mean you no harm. We are servitors of the one who seeks to redeem those who walk the path of undeath axios has shown me the way and I have seen his power and his might and what he can do. There is a chance of redemption. There is a chance. To save your soul if that is what you want and that is the path that I hope that you will want to take and axios is just standing there in all of his presence. He looks you know, solid but he also looks skeletal and ghostly at the same time but he's just holding his ground. And he's not doing anything. He's not being violent or ah combative or anything. He's he's standing there as someone as holding authority and with power and command and respect. But he's there trying to appeal ah to Kira and you know. Being there for her and wanting to be there for her and help her out. 01:14:44.53 Mike Christensen The ah armored figure Kira takes the ah the broom that has now become a ah halberd but holds it at her side as she's sort of walking around the room keeping distance but still moving and saying. 01:15:00.38 Mike Christensen You ask me what it is that I want and I've not been allowed to want for longer than either of you have been alive I No longer have the option of agency. Of Desire. What I want is immaterial for everything I could is outside of my grasp. 01:15:30.50 sidekqpodcast And Axios will reach down to his book and he holds it open and it's just like a flittering of pages happens and then he looks down and then he holds the book up and it has drawn on it. A ring that matches the description of what she's thinking, but she hasn't verbalized or said out loud and. 01:15:55.29 Mike Christensen I Think the halbert all like clatters against the stone floor and she bends and picks it up and sort of tries to regain composure that ring is lost to me. You know of it. 01:16:16.19 sidekqpodcast So axios will speak and say I know of what I am told and I know my charge and I know my purpose and it is for you and for your redemption should you want it should you seek it. So he's kind of speaking more cryptically and kind of in a more priestly sort of way but Sonia will take that opportunity to kind of take a few more steps forward again, not raising any weapons or anything like that and she will say I have walked the warriors path and I can do what. But needs to be done if you need something to take your first steps of redemption I I can help you if that is what you truly want. You will find no tricks no falsehoods here. We we serve and we serve him we serve the one. Who gave axios his rebirth and his charge to redeem those so that they may not suffer eternal damnation. 01:17:22.23 Mike Christensen You are not the first to extend me such an option but it is little matter to me whether you succeed or fail. You are welcome to try none have successfully reclaimed the ring. But if you can bring it to me I can use it to free myself from the influence of the dark lord who commands me. 01:17:53.85 sidekqpodcast Insonia will look back at Axios you know to see if like you know like do you but do you believe what? she's saying and axios just stands resolute and firm and he just intones in celestial. And he's saying a prayer out loud and it's reverberating and washing over the room and um does that affect Kira in any way with him speaking celestial and and saying these kinds of prayers and holy words out loud. 01:18:19.69 Mike Christensen I Think she shrinks to the corner of the room but the magic still takes hold and she still speaks the truth as far as he can tell. 01:18:28.60 sidekqpodcast Okay, okay, okay so he will say we will help you we will help you find redemption I will remain here with you. And I will keep you safe for the one that I serve is greater than any master that you may have Sonia will go. She will find this ring and she will bring it back. Do you agree to these accords. 01:19:00.27 Mike Christensen With an amendment I am working on business for my master now I can stall it for a time axios I will not I'm sorry she wouldn't know his name. I can stall it for a time but it won't last forever at some point I will need to make moves against the people who live here so I say this to you both do as you will try what you may I welcome. Your opportunity to attempt this I hope you succeed I will be disappointed if you fail. But if you tell any one of my presence here. The gutters will flow with blood before the sun rises again. As far as you're concerned. You've just met Kira the lovely lovely chimney sweep kindly old woman but not someone to be trifled with. 01:20:09.32 sidekqpodcast I was going to ask was there anyone else in this room or conveniently no other housekeepers or staff or what have you were present. So. 01:20:20.26 Mike Christensen I sure hope there was no one present. No no one else was present. The the room is empty and I know that that wasn't the same accent if I was playing the character I would write down what Kira's accent is as well as what? ah the chimney sweeps accent is. 01:20:23.50 sidekqpodcast All right. 01:20:36.80 sidekqpodcast Well, regardless, the scene is is tense and the words are exchanged and knowing glances are shared between all and so then ah Axios will kind of like glow a little brighter to like show you know strength and power. So. There's like a warmth and a radiance that washes over ah Kira and it kind of it's like a purifying fire and so kind of like a taste of it. So it's almost like for a brief glimpse of a second Kira is able to tap into her old life. She gets flashes. She gets images. Of her past it burns it pains her to her very core but yet she can see those moments. She can see back when she was a barge she can see flittering moments of her parents and of growing up and of her mortal life that she once had before. And then as soon as the pain starts to get to be too much the light ah decreases in intensity and axios returns to to his more normal form and so then he will stand there again and will say that is but a taste of the power. That I wield for the one for whom I serve we will honor our agreement and we will see you made right? and. 01:21:57.43 Mike Christensen Kira sort of flexing her fingers the the feeling as if you know the cold dead sensation in her fingers. She felt life in them for just a moment and I think sort of like instinctively was reaching out to axios even though she was repelled. In some way by the pain. There was something instinctive about reaching out to that warmth and actually sort of looking at her fingers I'd completely forgotten about our dogs I can grant you a month. No more time than that before I must take the steps required by my master and holy man if you are to cast magic upon me once again, ask first. I have very little left to my name that I can call my own the rights to not have magic inflicted upon me still counts among those. 01:23:02.76 sidekqpodcast Axios Nods He understands agency and and all that stuff. But you know he is a servant of his God and he has been doing this for a lot longer than she might think you know he he does not try to presume and be like you know super. 01:23:18.96 Mike Christensen Good. 01:23:18.99 sidekqpodcast Duper overpowered all the time and there are limits to his powers for sure but axios will calm down and he will respect her and he'll hold up his hand as if to take away some sort of aura or force that would prevent her from returning to her guys. And so then he will say you know very well we will return to our abode at the tavern and Sonia will begin her mission to find this if you have any whereabouts that we should know about to begin our searching we can work out those details. 01:23:56.90 Mike Christensen I think that she sort of regards them and says. Talk to the people in the underworld about the fighting pits find out who places the bets at the high tears when the blood flows. They'd know that ring. 01:24:18.88 sidekqpodcast And scene so there we go. What'd you think of getting to be Kira. 01:24:26.56 Mike Christensen Um, I think that was a lot of fun and she's ah she's an interesting compelling character I like that character a lot for what she is. You know?? Ah not doing things because she wants to doing things because she is is basically commanded to. Very interesting and compelling character I think that she'd be very at home as well in in a ravenloft game and I'm I'm starting to get ready for one. So ah, ah. 01:24:47.72 sidekqpodcast Yeah I was gonna say I know you were talking about in your Youtube videos how you're preparing for you know, a new game and stuff like that. So I was like have we just created a new favorite reoccurring npc villain that might potentially turn into an ally of the party and. 01:24:57.31 Mike Christensen That's right. 01:25:04.90 Mike Christensen Might do might do I think that is ah a really interesting character to slip into vlaki or krez or even all of the cities just pursuing the party I think Kira would make a lot of sense I think she's probably going to show up in my next fraud game. 01:25:20.14 sidekqpodcast Woo. So I've this podcast has done its public service work. 01:25:24.11 Mike Christensen Ah, yes, indeed I man what an interesting character I like her a lot. 01:25:27.35 sidekqpodcast Yeah, and so to kind of go on since we're now in the final thoughts section of the show I Always like to check in with my guests and just you know ask hey how is your time on the show. Did you enjoy it. You know feedback critiques and all that sort of kind of stuff. 01:25:38.93 Mike Christensen Um, yeah, it was Excellent. No critiques. Ah really wonderful I mean when you reached out I I listened to some episodes and I Really enjoy this show So I'm very excited to um to be a part of it and ah. Um, hopefully people also get a chance to sneak this character into their own campaigns. Maybe you'll have to change the name in case your party listens to the podcast. But ah if they do then that just means there's more listeners to this show. So That's not ultimately a bad thing. 01:26:10.22 sidekqpodcast Yeah, and you know you can tweak any details that you want so you know, ah you know, maybe they recognize the name which would be super cool and that would you know that would just make my day and my year but you could still change details around so they don't quite know what all of her weaknesses or tricks or ticks. 01:26:18.48 Mike Christensen Yes. 01:26:26.33 Mike Christensen Yes, definitely. 01:26:27.30 sidekqpodcast Are going to be. Yeah, So um, yeah, So then you know unless you've got anything else that you you want to share about your experience and and all that then I always leave the final moments of the podcast to the guest so where can people find you online what projects and things do you need to promote and. You know, are there any causes or passions that you want us to be made aware of. 01:26:50.64 Mike Christensen Yeah, um I am Mike Christensen I am on Youtube on super geek mike I am on Instagram at Super Geek Mike I'm on Tiktok I'm at I'm on Tiktok at super geek Mike I'm on Twitter as seldom as I can be and um. I'm just working on some really awesome videos I've got some really exciting ones scheduled for this month I think by the time this comes out I've got some path finder content coming out in the next couple of weeks and right after this episode airs and really excited for some upcoming. Videos about the world that critical role takes place in and what we can steal from that for our settings and for our games. um as for causes um I don't have any specific like charities or anything like that. But just be kind to each other. And don't be jerks. It seems like such a simple thing. Um, but really it is just ah, life is too short to be awful to each other and recently seeing more and more articles of misbehavior in Entertainment Fields literally right before this interview was reading about some. Ah, really poor behavior in the writers room of lost which is a real bummer because it was a show I liked a lot and just like come on youall just be kind to each other There's no reason for any of that stuff. 01:28:13.36 sidekqpodcast Aimmen into that. Yeah, the golden rule. That's what we like to promote on this podcast. So with that. Thank you so much. Mr. Super geek Mike Christensen for being a guest on this podcast I can't wait to have you back on. It might take a couple of years because you know this list of guest continues to grow and. 01:28:29.45 Mike Christensen Um. 01:28:30.38 sidekqpodcast We always like to have people come back on but I can't wait to have you back on to make even more interesting and pcs. 01:28:37.60 Mike Christensen I'm very excited I Look forward to the next time I have a chance to join you. 01:28:38.97 sidekqpodcast And all right? So the stopping of the.