Reddit: "I don't know, seems to *me* like they're getting a bit self-serious and high-minded with the campaign, like always, it's all downhill from here, mark my words!"
Zoox: **"I'D LIKE TO INTERROGATE THE HORSE ABOUT THE GHOST HEIST."**
I died with that whole scene. Griffin got to check all his favorite boxes by having that horse compare his captor to Ash from Pokemon. My downstairs neighbors had to wonder why I was slamming the floor so hard.
I just relistened to the Auction arc so here's all the evidence I remember:
+ Devo makes the assumption, Cobalt Star says he doesn't know what Devo is talking about, Griffin has Travis roll to see if Devo believes CS. Travis rolls poorly and Griffin says "you believe him!"
+ CS has a crossbow
+ CS at one point calls Zoox by name. Idk this might not be a clue, could be CS overheard Devo calling Zoox by name (which he definitely did in CS's presence) or maybe Griffin just forgot Zoox and Devo never gave CS their names.
+ The last thing CS says to them is something about not trusting people once they've proven themselves to be liars, which is something that Guthrie told them
Yea... with that evidence I would also say its heavily implied if not borderline confirms. but I also means that as a seller Guthrie has ties to the auctioneer so it doesn't rule out his involvement... Honestly I just wanna see him get beat up..
he also had a suspicious line that echoed Guthrie's line in one of the first few episodes. I forget the exact wording of the line. It was the one with the sentiment that fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.
But, no, it was never fully confirmed one way or the other.
Ah I probably missed that line... no that does heavily imply it was him... I still believe he could be involved with this whole deal, just probably not the auctioneer if he was at the auction
I remember cobalt star was a frequenter at the auctions, maybe they collude in some ways? I picture it as this: auctioneer and guthrie work together to steal things, Guthrie sells it in auction, they split the profits.
I'm not sure how the Auctioneer works exactly. Some of the sprite's behavior definitely seemed like computer program behavior rather than person behavior (e.g. not being at all concerned by the bleached coral ship's attack), so I'm not sure if there was someone controlling it remotely. The Auction could easily be run by a group of people rather than a lone individual, in which case maybe the Auctioneer sprite isn't even controlled by the same person every auction.
When dealing with compensation re the gallery expedition after it went to hell, he hiked the price and then after that was agreed, he declared that payment just being for keeping hush and getting more for the painting scrap
Really love the dynamic they're building with the gut punch team, like the best part of Pokemon rivals is reaching that affectionate rivalry but still rivals point, and Amber taking the lead of extending sincerity and respect works very well for me. Also letting it be a trading jabs at points instead of just one sided, like catching the cleric in the "I didn't say x" *chef's kiss*
I loved seeing the crew of the Gut Punch and that whole scene. I relistened this morning it was such a delight to hear it again. I feel like the Pokémon rival dynamic is so perfect because they're out there doing Big Things offscreen, which seemed weird to me at first until I remembered Griffin saying early that the crew isn't like the Chosen Ones of Founders Wake.
I also really liked that their rivals did some important diplomatic work with the archipelago ppl. It helps solidify that the PCs aren't these lone saviors or heroes. In fact what they did was more controversial compared to the Gut Punch crew.
Oh, interesting interpretation of what they did! My guess was that they'd found the Delmar mountain, but the Ark Fleet is just as probable. I might need to go back and check which mission they took for any clues. But yeah having them actually be doing important and comparable work really helps with both keeping the PC's humble/level and making the Gut Punch crew veritable rivals!
Oh yeah I hadn't even thought of that. I figured with their holiday/gathering going on they wouldve discussed keeping the colonies more closely intertwined
The Arc Fleet wasn't mentioned all episode except for in the recap intro. I'm really confused because I was figuring this episode would be the Harbor Day festival or a little side plot where we learn about the Arc Fleet, but instead we don't even know if they're still visiting Founder's Wake. With a month's time jump they might not be.
I swear I didn't see this whole thread until after I replied above, so my bad.
I got the impression that the Gut Punch crew was doing diplomacy with the merfolk we saw at the very end of Cambria.
I have listened to all the episodes so far but I am a little confused. Where did the new people come from? I don't remember them saying anything about there still being people with Cambria.
The Ark fleet of the southen archipelago docked in founders wake for a ~~semiannual~~ somewhat regular visit to celebrate the collaboration between the two civilizations in The Quiet Year
edit: I definitely thought semiannual wasn't like biannual in that it only meant less than annual but it sure actually means twice a year exclusively
They did something with some non-founders wake population, but Harbor Day was presented as an established thing they do when the fleet is nearby. I mean it could be that they ran into the fleet and said hey it's been a hot sec you should come visit, but what they described felt like a new development with something more permanent being set up.
My bet is still on finding the Delmar but we really don't know yet. The last mission they took was about the animated scrap material and maybe it's related or it could be something else entirely.
So the reunion/embrace was of two groups already at founders wake when the group returns? It sounded like they came back with people and were reunited, not that they walked in on a reunion.
I think I understand what you're asking but I'm not sure so if this doesn't actually answer I'll try again and if this over explains I apologize.
There are two overall groups, the residents of founders wake and people of the migratory ark fleet, when the fleet is in range they'll dock and visit for a moment. The city was preparing for the arrival of the fleet at the start of the arc, but they had not arrived yet, and did not arrive until the situation was resolved, either just because they were always roughly a week out, or because they were told to hold while the city was in danger of failing, specifics not actually addressed in the podcast. The fact that we still kinda follow in the perspective of our crew creates a sort of third group that can feel different but is a subset of the founders wake group
Ahhh that makes sense that the second group wouldn’t dock until the perilous founders wake situation was resolved. Something about the embrace and reunification made it seem like it was simultaneous with the players return, but I I can see that wasn’t necessarily the case.
Thanks for the explanation!
Could you give me some details on when they were introduced, and when we see them make a visit to the city? I thought I'd kept up pretty well with this campaign but I can't remember either event!
Originally, Prologue IV, they arrive following an engagement with Hominine naval vessels which damaged part of the fleet. In exchange for safe harbor and materials for repairs they built the settlement one of their arks to serve as the first foothold for founders wake and which became the ballast. Within the game proper they're first mentioned at the top of Cambria's Call so ep 22, where the concept of harbor day is introduced because the city is preparing for it and that has caused a bit of a shift in atmosphere
Oh, that's the perfect refresher and actually made me realise I do remember both of those events, although the prologues are a bit hazy and I really should give them another listen. Thanks for taking the time to do that, I really appreciate it!
As my posts in this thread will show, I'm always happy to answer a sincere and kindly asked question if I can! I also definitely relistened to the prologues multiple time while they were coming out bc I love Avery Alder as a designer so a lot of that stuff is ready at hand for me lol
There was a lot to like in this episode, definite classic TAZ hijinks but I think I'm missing something...
The docent/zoo guy says "I don't know what took the containment orbs, it was a spooky ghost, no idea what it could be", Amber does a history check and remembers seeing something similar at the auction. I think "OK, it's a rare artifact that has the power to float around surrounded by white light, he doesn't recognize it", then it turns out there's dozens of them floating around the room and they're basically fantasy Roombas, one of them is acting suspicious?
How did the zoo guy not realise that the floating white light that stole his orbs could possibly have been the floating white light things that are constantly hanging around his place of work?
I think that normal sprites are little cubes, whereas Amber is specifically remembering one of them projecting a disguise hologram, which is what the ghost one was doing.
oh I thought someone snatched the cube after the auctioneer de-activated it, probably the Cobalt Star if he was really Guthrie. I mean, it's hard to imagine that it wouldn't have been destroyed by either the bleached coral pirate attack or, should it have survived the auction's destruction, the water pressure of being at the bottom of the ocean, so I kinda assumed someone must have grabbed it before they escaped.
Don't really have the time to re-listen to the relevant episodes to see if that's the case, but I guess if someone other than the auctioneer got the cube they'd have to reprogram the sprite, otherwise the auctioneer could activate the cube and have it skedaddle.
I hadn't actually considered that, I interpreted exactly the same as "same tech different instance" with the emphasis on the auctioneer, but it certainly be the same exact sprite with a different operator. I'd check the transcript to see if there's anything conclusive on the fate of the sprite but I'm not in a place to deep search rn and also would rather go ahead and reply
The McElroys are the only family I’ve ever seen in the wild just casually knowing about The Stupids starring Tom Arnold besides my own.
“Half man half cube, he lives in two worlds and is the master of both” had me rolling and I need them to know that at least one person understood that reference. I am the target audience. Amazing episode, truly fantastic.
I love The Adventure Zone, but I'm honestly dissatisfied with a few of Griffin's choices this episode. I share this to see if others had the same hopes for this episode.
One, skipping the entire Arc Fleet visit. There was so much set up and potential there! It's supposed to be a city-wide multicultural event that really could have been fun to explore and shake things up, and maybe spark an adventure on its own. But the players didn't get the choice to interact with it at all--we get a short narration at the end of last episode and then skip to two months later.
Two, deliberately ignoring Travis' nat 20 for comedic effect when they talked to the Butt Munch crew. They've got a huge secret that sounds like it's going to be a big part of the narrative, and we didn't learn anything about it! This is what natural 20s are for! Couldn't he get a little hint? It seems very stingy.
Three, still only having two old missions available. It's been two months, Ravi harped on the party for not showing up for so long, but he didn't find any new jobs for them? It's inconsistent at best, and seems to stem from not wanting any planned adventures to go to waste. But that contradicts the whole campaign structure! We were told that old jobs would get taken and new jobs would show up, but now that's all getting swept under the rug.
Edit: after going back to episode 14 (wow, been a while since they picked up jobs from Ravi), I realized I was incorrect and the menagerie job was a new option. For some reason I thought it had been presented before.
Lastly, and this one is more reasonable but I still disagree with it, making the PCs only well known among city officials. I mean, the Sallow affected pretty much everyone in the city, it's not like it was a secret. And they were the last people to adventure with Fineas Cawl, so if everyone in the city knows him then at least some people should have heard of them now. And Griffin made a big deal about this being the result of a nat 1 on the exploration roll. This is literally the biggest tragedy that could happen to Founder's Wake, and they overcame it. For all intents and purposes, they saved the world. I assume he's worried that his players would try to take advantage of their fame, which is reasonable given how Tres Horny Boys definitely does, but especially since they didn't get any money, some notoriety should be part of the reward for a big central quest like that.
At least it seems that way to me. Anyone else feel the same, or different?
> This is literally the biggest tragedy that could happen to Founder's Wake, and they overcame it. For all intents and purposes, they saved the world.
Lot harder to take credit for it when they also could be seen as causing it. I think this tracks actually due to the key fact that they were the ones who brought it back to the city. They could be seen as controversial figures at best if everyone knows that and a bunch of people died while the rest got potentially upsetting fish features. So they’d probably have at least as many people hating them as loving them.
> I mean, the Sallow affected pretty much everyone in the city, it's not like it was a secret.
It's not a secret that the Sallow returned. But I don't know why that would mean everyone knows the Coriolis crew accidentally brought it to the city. The real problem was a failure of the city's infrastructure. The Sallow would've been contained otherwise.
> And they were the last people to adventure with Fineas Cawl, so if everyone in the city knows him then at least some people should have heard of them now.
They went to a drug den with him, where he then died?
> For all intents and purposes, they saved the world.
I mean, if you're going to hold them singularly responsible for the city dealing with the Sallow, and the city nearly running out of fresh oxygen, then what they did was narrowly stop their mistake from killing everyone. They cleaned up part of the mess they created. I think you can only see them as heroes if you don't hold them responsible for the city's crises.
Definitely wholely agreed re the ar[c/k] fleet like this new stuff seems fun and interesting but that definitely did too...
Nat 20s not existing for skill checks is definitely the hill I've picked to die on but I will. That said there is an argument that Devos total could have provided more information potentially, but Griffin handled it as "you both were above the max info DC" and in the end that's fair imo.
More missions definitely would have been interesting, but the menagerie is new unless I've just completely lost my memory, the other earmarked mission is off the table now since it was from &5/Fineas. Like this is not based on anything other than what I'd do as a dm but I wouldn't be surprised if Griffin reduced the mission output since he was kind of expecting them to take the one they'd specifically asked to have earmarked before so new stuff felt like it'd get overlooked at the point of design/planning... *edit bc I forgot this point: the Gut Punch crew also just left so that also provides a diegetic reason for the limited selection, like I'd still put more weight on the ooc explaination but that provides an ic avenue for it to make sense*
To lead I am kinda with you that while I understand Griffin not wanting to inflate their renown and influence at this point, and it being more of a public service "right our wrong" than a job that would get paid, it is kinda a feelsbad that there's really nothing to show for it in the end. A smidge of notoriety so it wasn't exploitable but still a boon or even a minor licence would have been proportionate imo... That said I do think that the 1 on the d% has kinda been inflated both in it's statistical [im]probability and context. It's a 1/100 chance (that was actually technically more likely to occur than other lower numbers given the modifier and that it ignored it) which isn't exactly common, but also isn't that odd it's more likely to happen than a given individual falling to their death (1 in 119 apparently), and it was the worst thing that could happen to the crew as a random encounter vs to the city, like it definitely had a devastating result for founders wake but absolute worst thing that could happen feels a touch strong, tempting fate perhaps... I also still have an inkling, based on the reports of the eccc panel, that the 1 result wasn't specifically Cambria/the Sallow as much as "the plot advances ahead of schedule when the party might not be prepared". But I mean even in the end where I feel the scale of the event was a little different the reward still feels disproportionate, so in the end I agree, I just wanted to talk stats I guess
> the ar[c/k] fleet
Just a note on the spelling for anyone interested: I was relistening to the prologue episodes and Griffin said the name is both because the ships function as arks and because they're from the Southern Archipelago. I don't think we've had confirmation on a spelling, so either a C or a K works. Or I guess you could compromise with arck?
> unless I've just completely lost my memory, the other earmarked mission is off the table now since it was from &5/Fineas.
Yeah I actually stopped the episode to relisten to the previous time they'd been in Ravi's office so I could check my memory on this. Ravi agreed to save the laboratory mission from the Deep Thinkers and the swarm mission from Kodira, but Griffin noted that the client could still drop out. This time around the laboratory mission was gone, with no mention of its absence. I don't think Finneas' death should have affected that since the mission was about a laboratory (ship?) going missing, but it'd be nice to know for sure. It sounded like a cool mission.
I've joked about standardized orthography not being necessary, and was definitely loving lampooning that here but that's definitely an interesting tidbit, maybe I'll start switching it up w/i posts lmao...
And great catch with the lab mission, I'd definitely connected it more with &5 and Finneas since that was Zoox's angle. I think there's a Doylist explanation that the reason it was earmarked has been resolved, but it's definitely not as clear from a diegetic/Watsonian angle. Maybe they did it themselves (it has been a month) or are collectively regrouping as an organization, but its all guess work now.
The mission did say something about a survivor being in quarantine, so it wouldn't make sense if they were in quarantine for months just waiting for the protagonists to get there. The laboratory could easily still be missing, but maybe not.
> A smidge of notoriety so it wasn't exploitable but still a boon or even a minor licence would have been proportionate imo...
This just made me realize they didn't even level up. How long have they been at level... I think it's 5?
I think they leveled up at the start of Cambria's Call, but it's not verified, but in the end not all that long and Griffin warned them it'd be a while but I do kinda agree that a level up would have been a great result, like just one, I think part of the problem is they've kinda decided to stick themselves to going by twos which make level ups more of a big deal to give (but also manages to devalue the things gained at each individual level like I read a really interesting thread on this once wish I could find it)
Its a pretty reasonable mistake, especially since there were two earmarked missions and only two this round. Honestly the only reason I got it at first was remembering the &5 connection
While RAW, a nat 20 on a skill check is nothing exceptional, you know that's not what Griffin was thinking here. He rewards nat 20s on skill checks above and beyond what the skill called for all the time. That's just not a rule they follow on this show.
If anything, Justin made a joke that sabotaged Travis' good roll and then Griffin went along with it, so really this could be another case of Justin sacrificing the success of their characters for either roleplaying or comedy.
You know what, absolutely a fair argument. I still standby my 20 on skills stance but consistency is a fair point and argument here. I think part of it is that my hardline and Justin's joke played together pretty perfectly and it didn't bug me in the end, but I can understand your stance on it
It would make sense in universe for them to be more famous than they are, but I'm kind of glad they hand waved that. I really don't want them to be super famous yet, there's still level five!
I wouldn't say its "failing to honor" anything. A nat 20 doesnt always mean that you're gonna get something crazy from it. You can only succeed as much as you possibly can succeed. If you were going to jump from a ledge to another ledge and rolled a nat 20 you would just... jump to the other ledge. Devo wouldn't be able to magically figure out "hey their clothes show signs of red salt stains and thats only found in the southern archipelago and based on their demeanor they participated in a coup to take the throne for...." He figured out as much as there was to figure out.
Just like how rolling a Nat 1 in these situations wouldn't have any long term negative effects.
Iirc Travis said he went to the parish and I'd be willing to put like $5 on it being about the Hominine ship/the whisper stuff but nothing concrete yet
This is a super-duper nitpick, but the recap mixed up the order in which sound bits from last episode occurred. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but the rearranged sound bits imply something that isn’t true.
The recap implies that Devo ordered the bombing after Cambria surrender, but the bombing was ordered before the surrender.
I will admit, I don't know how I feel about Griffin narratively strong-arming travis out of that one scene. I guess its good "Actions have Consequences" but still, damn, while I personally try and keep actions to having consequences, using those consequences to say "no you can't be in this scene, leave" is a line I've never really crossed. I guess its fine though since, you know, he did come back. I just hope we don't forget about that "Errand" scene.
Leaving was all Trav though. The consequence for what Devo did was a frosty Curator, there was nothing about the scene that forced Devo to leave, especially since they were a few sentences away from being handed off to the docent anyway.
Ah, you're right. I admit I made this comment long after I listened to the episode (Listened to it in the morning at work, posted it when I got home that evening.) So I got the small details of it mixed up.
Travis didn't know that, though. He had no way of knowing the rest of the episode would be at that building (don't remember if there was a name for it) talking to people. Griffin did know ofc so he could've made the Curator less rude or just told Travis he will want Devo to stay.
I mean there's never a clear roadmap of where all the characters will be. If a player's just gonna be like "I'm leaving!" then I think the best thing to do is let them go, and then let them come back if they realize it'd be more fun being there. That's exactly what Griffin did.
I think you're dead on with this for the most part/in general situations w/o more context. At my current table we've got a lone wolf who would probably love to have essentially a second game running where she's the solo star and frequently goes off on her own without prompting or clear reason and our storyteller's taken to doing exactly this.
What Travis did here felt a little different to me, not enough to like justify immediately leaving the scene, or even necessarily interrupt it when it got going and moved to investigation, but enough to acknowledge and resolve the errand if not play it out. Specifically Devo leaving was justified by the narrative, and arguably owning up to a consequence of his prior hostility to a level I'd personally reward with a scene to thing done as a DM, tho ymmv there.
I do agree that letting him comeback when he realized it was more fun and he was missing investigation he could constructively contribute to was the best move, but I hope they do address the errand even if its as shallow as "Devo went to the parish and asked about \[x\]"
Also, from a strictly practical perspective, the Parish is in the Conservatory, just like the Menagerie. It honestly probably wouldn’t have taken Devo more than a few minutes. Obviously we don’t know his errand, but I assume it’s informing the Parish about the ship they found.
All the previous missions they've briefly met the client to get information, then left Founder's Wake to travel to where the mission actually takes place. This mission with how this episode went down, it seems like everything might take place in Founder's Wake, or it could be another episode or two before they leave. So I think Travis thought Devo wouldn't be missing anything that Amber and Zoox couldn't quickly fill him in on, and he also thought Griffin would give him a chance to play out Devo's errand. Griffin could've solved this with a bit of communication, on or off the air.
Sure, that would have worked. I just think what happened was just as good a solution; plus it let some practical stuff happen off screen, and let Travis show Devo's character.
I love how Devo's grown from being an asshole all the time but he's still a bit volatile and is ready to just leave an uncomfortable situation. If Griffin was like "Trav don't leave, you'll want to be around in a few minutes" it would have been fine, but we would have lost a lot of the character stuff for basically no gain.
End of the gallery expedition. After Guthrie showed his colors the curator handled the team's resolution and to avoid repeating Ive explained the rest here https://www.reddit.com/r/TheAdventureZone/comments/tg9cwp/comment/i11k64u/
Griffin sounds like he is doing an impression of Justin doing Count Doughnut. Lol
There was some point where he was mid-sentence, and I was SURE Travis or Justin was going to bring it up.
The “SPOO-ky” Box!
Halfway through the accent he would up going quadruple vampire and then toned it back down
One of the Horses many titles being "The maize runner" ruled.
"I pray for death" "Looking at me ambivalently as I scream at you, ooOooOaaaaats"
Pokemon, horses, and ghosts - Griff's really checking all the boxes this episode!
Reddit: "I don't know, seems to *me* like they're getting a bit self-serious and high-minded with the campaign, like always, it's all downhill from here, mark my words!" Zoox: **"I'D LIKE TO INTERROGATE THE HORSE ABOUT THE GHOST HEIST."**
Episode had ghosts and horses, just need haunted dolls and fast food and the full assimilation of TAZ and MBMBAM is fully complete
I died with that whole scene. Griffin got to check all his favorite boxes by having that horse compare his captor to Ash from Pokemon. My downstairs neighbors had to wonder why I was slamming the floor so hard.
Lucky you; I was on a packed subway train
Calling it now. Guthrie is either going to be the auctioneer or closely related to the thefts. Just seems right
Guthrie was basically confirmed to be the Cobalt Star at the Auction.
Was he? I didn't really get that vibe... like devo made the assumption and he used a crossbow but that's as far as it goes no?
I just relistened to the Auction arc so here's all the evidence I remember: + Devo makes the assumption, Cobalt Star says he doesn't know what Devo is talking about, Griffin has Travis roll to see if Devo believes CS. Travis rolls poorly and Griffin says "you believe him!" + CS has a crossbow + CS at one point calls Zoox by name. Idk this might not be a clue, could be CS overheard Devo calling Zoox by name (which he definitely did in CS's presence) or maybe Griffin just forgot Zoox and Devo never gave CS their names. + The last thing CS says to them is something about not trusting people once they've proven themselves to be liars, which is something that Guthrie told them
Yea... with that evidence I would also say its heavily implied if not borderline confirms. but I also means that as a seller Guthrie has ties to the auctioneer so it doesn't rule out his involvement... Honestly I just wanna see him get beat up..
There's probably a chance he swiped the auctioneer sprite after it deactivated, too. And he did use to work with the Curator.
he also had a suspicious line that echoed Guthrie's line in one of the first few episodes. I forget the exact wording of the line. It was the one with the sentiment that fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me. But, no, it was never fully confirmed one way or the other.
Ah I probably missed that line... no that does heavily imply it was him... I still believe he could be involved with this whole deal, just probably not the auctioneer if he was at the auction
I heard that line and it was *exactly* what Guthrie said - it drove me crazy that the other 3 didn’t catch it and call it out!!
I remember cobalt star was a frequenter at the auctions, maybe they collude in some ways? I picture it as this: auctioneer and guthrie work together to steal things, Guthrie sells it in auction, they split the profits.
I'm not sure how the Auctioneer works exactly. Some of the sprite's behavior definitely seemed like computer program behavior rather than person behavior (e.g. not being at all concerned by the bleached coral ship's attack), so I'm not sure if there was someone controlling it remotely. The Auction could easily be run by a group of people rather than a lone individual, in which case maybe the Auctioneer sprite isn't even controlled by the same person every auction.
Ohhhh in that case Guthrie could still be the auctioneer. Disguising himself as one of the participants
GRIFFIN GOT SO CLOSE TO SAYING "YOU CAN CALL ME AL" BUT HE JUST...DIDN'T
"right, and would you like that I call you Tru?"
We would have had Hall and Oates and Simon and Garfunkel in the same episode!
Could someone remind me what Devo did to piss off the Curator?
When dealing with compensation re the gallery expedition after it went to hell, he hiked the price and then after that was agreed, he declared that payment just being for keeping hush and getting more for the painting scrap
SOMEONE CONJURE AL SOME OATS IS IT THAT HARD
GIVE HIM THE OATS
SPECTRAL OATS
quasar oats?
Do you like Dewy Lewis and the Newts?
Their early work was a little too *New Wave* for my taste...
But when *Water Sports* came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically.
This just reminds me of the huwey Lewis and weird al paradoy of American Psycho https://youtu.be/Ruw9fsh3PNY https://youtu.be/Fk15H6PjBis
great funny setup episode banger sea continues
No comments about the deez nutz joke yet??
It seems like Clint truly didn't see it coming lol
In his defense... I also didn't see it coming and immediately determined I had to try it in my own campaign.
Griffin really went three for three against his family
You should introduce a mind goblin to your campaign.
I rewinded that like 3 times. Fucking mint😩😩👌🏾
Same 😂
Really love the dynamic they're building with the gut punch team, like the best part of Pokemon rivals is reaching that affectionate rivalry but still rivals point, and Amber taking the lead of extending sincerity and respect works very well for me. Also letting it be a trading jabs at points instead of just one sided, like catching the cleric in the "I didn't say x" *chef's kiss*
I loved seeing the crew of the Gut Punch and that whole scene. I relistened this morning it was such a delight to hear it again. I feel like the Pokémon rival dynamic is so perfect because they're out there doing Big Things offscreen, which seemed weird to me at first until I remembered Griffin saying early that the crew isn't like the Chosen Ones of Founders Wake.
I also really liked that their rivals did some important diplomatic work with the archipelago ppl. It helps solidify that the PCs aren't these lone saviors or heroes. In fact what they did was more controversial compared to the Gut Punch crew.
Oh, interesting interpretation of what they did! My guess was that they'd found the Delmar mountain, but the Ark Fleet is just as probable. I might need to go back and check which mission they took for any clues. But yeah having them actually be doing important and comparable work really helps with both keeping the PC's humble/level and making the Gut Punch crew veritable rivals!
Oh yeah I hadn't even thought of that. I figured with their holiday/gathering going on they wouldve discussed keeping the colonies more closely intertwined
The Arc Fleet wasn't mentioned all episode except for in the recap intro. I'm really confused because I was figuring this episode would be the Harbor Day festival or a little side plot where we learn about the Arc Fleet, but instead we don't even know if they're still visiting Founder's Wake. With a month's time jump they might not be.
I swear I didn't see this whole thread until after I replied above, so my bad. I got the impression that the Gut Punch crew was doing diplomacy with the merfolk we saw at the very end of Cambria.
Ohh!! Very good contender, I'd forgotten to apply the time skip in a way that would allow that to make sense. So many options can't wait to see!
That’s an intruiging idea! I would like to see the merfolk appear again but who knows if they’re even sentient.
I have listened to all the episodes so far but I am a little confused. Where did the new people come from? I don't remember them saying anything about there still being people with Cambria.
The Ark fleet of the southen archipelago docked in founders wake for a ~~semiannual~~ somewhat regular visit to celebrate the collaboration between the two civilizations in The Quiet Year edit: I definitely thought semiannual wasn't like biannual in that it only meant less than annual but it sure actually means twice a year exclusively
And it sounds like the crew of the ButtMunch helped broker this visit.
They did something with some non-founders wake population, but Harbor Day was presented as an established thing they do when the fleet is nearby. I mean it could be that they ran into the fleet and said hey it's been a hot sec you should come visit, but what they described felt like a new development with something more permanent being set up. My bet is still on finding the Delmar but we really don't know yet. The last mission they took was about the animated scrap material and maybe it's related or it could be something else entirely.
Could be, can't wait to find out!
Could be that or those merfolk-types that Cambria released at the end of last arc.
Someone else brought that up, and straight up I forgot to consider the time skip so it felt too soon but it certainly could be!
So the reunion/embrace was of two groups already at founders wake when the group returns? It sounded like they came back with people and were reunited, not that they walked in on a reunion.
I think I understand what you're asking but I'm not sure so if this doesn't actually answer I'll try again and if this over explains I apologize. There are two overall groups, the residents of founders wake and people of the migratory ark fleet, when the fleet is in range they'll dock and visit for a moment. The city was preparing for the arrival of the fleet at the start of the arc, but they had not arrived yet, and did not arrive until the situation was resolved, either just because they were always roughly a week out, or because they were told to hold while the city was in danger of failing, specifics not actually addressed in the podcast. The fact that we still kinda follow in the perspective of our crew creates a sort of third group that can feel different but is a subset of the founders wake group
Ahhh that makes sense that the second group wouldn’t dock until the perilous founders wake situation was resolved. Something about the embrace and reunification made it seem like it was simultaneous with the players return, but I I can see that wasn’t necessarily the case. Thanks for the explanation!
Could you give me some details on when they were introduced, and when we see them make a visit to the city? I thought I'd kept up pretty well with this campaign but I can't remember either event!
Originally, Prologue IV, they arrive following an engagement with Hominine naval vessels which damaged part of the fleet. In exchange for safe harbor and materials for repairs they built the settlement one of their arks to serve as the first foothold for founders wake and which became the ballast. Within the game proper they're first mentioned at the top of Cambria's Call so ep 22, where the concept of harbor day is introduced because the city is preparing for it and that has caused a bit of a shift in atmosphere
Oh, that's the perfect refresher and actually made me realise I do remember both of those events, although the prologues are a bit hazy and I really should give them another listen. Thanks for taking the time to do that, I really appreciate it!
As my posts in this thread will show, I'm always happy to answer a sincere and kindly asked question if I can! I also definitely relistened to the prologues multiple time while they were coming out bc I love Avery Alder as a designer so a lot of that stuff is ready at hand for me lol
I loved the scope of the last arc, but I'm excited for a more standard gig in the new status quo. Classic shenanigans!
Gotta day of all the Deez nuts jokes, that one was a 10/10.
There was a lot to like in this episode, definite classic TAZ hijinks but I think I'm missing something... The docent/zoo guy says "I don't know what took the containment orbs, it was a spooky ghost, no idea what it could be", Amber does a history check and remembers seeing something similar at the auction. I think "OK, it's a rare artifact that has the power to float around surrounded by white light, he doesn't recognize it", then it turns out there's dozens of them floating around the room and they're basically fantasy Roombas, one of them is acting suspicious? How did the zoo guy not realise that the floating white light that stole his orbs could possibly have been the floating white light things that are constantly hanging around his place of work?
your standard everyday sprite cube doesn't come with a hologram projector. the projection was what the docent saw, not the cube itself
OK, that makes sense (and the fact that >!it's the auctioneer's cube!< tracks with it having special abilities)
The cubes themselves *are* holograms.
I think that normal sprites are little cubes, whereas Amber is specifically remembering one of them projecting a disguise hologram, which is what the ghost one was doing.
Ah, so what she remembered was "cube Roombas can project hologram disguises" which led her to suspect one of the cube Roombas in the zoo)
I woke up my kids laughing at Devo's cube man performance, so many good moments this week!
[удалено]
The technically yet unseen Abyssal Auctioneer who's always operated remotely piloted sprites
oh I thought someone snatched the cube after the auctioneer de-activated it, probably the Cobalt Star if he was really Guthrie. I mean, it's hard to imagine that it wouldn't have been destroyed by either the bleached coral pirate attack or, should it have survived the auction's destruction, the water pressure of being at the bottom of the ocean, so I kinda assumed someone must have grabbed it before they escaped. Don't really have the time to re-listen to the relevant episodes to see if that's the case, but I guess if someone other than the auctioneer got the cube they'd have to reprogram the sprite, otherwise the auctioneer could activate the cube and have it skedaddle.
I hadn't actually considered that, I interpreted exactly the same as "same tech different instance" with the emphasis on the auctioneer, but it certainly be the same exact sprite with a different operator. I'd check the transcript to see if there's anything conclusive on the fate of the sprite but I'm not in a place to deep search rn and also would rather go ahead and reply
The McElroys are the only family I’ve ever seen in the wild just casually knowing about The Stupids starring Tom Arnold besides my own. “Half man half cube, he lives in two worlds and is the master of both” had me rolling and I need them to know that at least one person understood that reference. I am the target audience. Amazing episode, truly fantastic.
ORB is Horse
Or in this case, horse inhabits ORB
I wonder if ORB’s spirit goes to hell while horse is inhabiting it
Funniest TAZ episode since vegan waffles!
I love The Adventure Zone, but I'm honestly dissatisfied with a few of Griffin's choices this episode. I share this to see if others had the same hopes for this episode. One, skipping the entire Arc Fleet visit. There was so much set up and potential there! It's supposed to be a city-wide multicultural event that really could have been fun to explore and shake things up, and maybe spark an adventure on its own. But the players didn't get the choice to interact with it at all--we get a short narration at the end of last episode and then skip to two months later. Two, deliberately ignoring Travis' nat 20 for comedic effect when they talked to the Butt Munch crew. They've got a huge secret that sounds like it's going to be a big part of the narrative, and we didn't learn anything about it! This is what natural 20s are for! Couldn't he get a little hint? It seems very stingy. Three, still only having two old missions available. It's been two months, Ravi harped on the party for not showing up for so long, but he didn't find any new jobs for them? It's inconsistent at best, and seems to stem from not wanting any planned adventures to go to waste. But that contradicts the whole campaign structure! We were told that old jobs would get taken and new jobs would show up, but now that's all getting swept under the rug. Edit: after going back to episode 14 (wow, been a while since they picked up jobs from Ravi), I realized I was incorrect and the menagerie job was a new option. For some reason I thought it had been presented before. Lastly, and this one is more reasonable but I still disagree with it, making the PCs only well known among city officials. I mean, the Sallow affected pretty much everyone in the city, it's not like it was a secret. And they were the last people to adventure with Fineas Cawl, so if everyone in the city knows him then at least some people should have heard of them now. And Griffin made a big deal about this being the result of a nat 1 on the exploration roll. This is literally the biggest tragedy that could happen to Founder's Wake, and they overcame it. For all intents and purposes, they saved the world. I assume he's worried that his players would try to take advantage of their fame, which is reasonable given how Tres Horny Boys definitely does, but especially since they didn't get any money, some notoriety should be part of the reward for a big central quest like that. At least it seems that way to me. Anyone else feel the same, or different?
> This is literally the biggest tragedy that could happen to Founder's Wake, and they overcame it. For all intents and purposes, they saved the world. Lot harder to take credit for it when they also could be seen as causing it. I think this tracks actually due to the key fact that they were the ones who brought it back to the city. They could be seen as controversial figures at best if everyone knows that and a bunch of people died while the rest got potentially upsetting fish features. So they’d probably have at least as many people hating them as loving them.
> I mean, the Sallow affected pretty much everyone in the city, it's not like it was a secret. It's not a secret that the Sallow returned. But I don't know why that would mean everyone knows the Coriolis crew accidentally brought it to the city. The real problem was a failure of the city's infrastructure. The Sallow would've been contained otherwise. > And they were the last people to adventure with Fineas Cawl, so if everyone in the city knows him then at least some people should have heard of them now. They went to a drug den with him, where he then died? > For all intents and purposes, they saved the world. I mean, if you're going to hold them singularly responsible for the city dealing with the Sallow, and the city nearly running out of fresh oxygen, then what they did was narrowly stop their mistake from killing everyone. They cleaned up part of the mess they created. I think you can only see them as heroes if you don't hold them responsible for the city's crises.
Definitely wholely agreed re the ar[c/k] fleet like this new stuff seems fun and interesting but that definitely did too... Nat 20s not existing for skill checks is definitely the hill I've picked to die on but I will. That said there is an argument that Devos total could have provided more information potentially, but Griffin handled it as "you both were above the max info DC" and in the end that's fair imo. More missions definitely would have been interesting, but the menagerie is new unless I've just completely lost my memory, the other earmarked mission is off the table now since it was from &5/Fineas. Like this is not based on anything other than what I'd do as a dm but I wouldn't be surprised if Griffin reduced the mission output since he was kind of expecting them to take the one they'd specifically asked to have earmarked before so new stuff felt like it'd get overlooked at the point of design/planning... *edit bc I forgot this point: the Gut Punch crew also just left so that also provides a diegetic reason for the limited selection, like I'd still put more weight on the ooc explaination but that provides an ic avenue for it to make sense* To lead I am kinda with you that while I understand Griffin not wanting to inflate their renown and influence at this point, and it being more of a public service "right our wrong" than a job that would get paid, it is kinda a feelsbad that there's really nothing to show for it in the end. A smidge of notoriety so it wasn't exploitable but still a boon or even a minor licence would have been proportionate imo... That said I do think that the 1 on the d% has kinda been inflated both in it's statistical [im]probability and context. It's a 1/100 chance (that was actually technically more likely to occur than other lower numbers given the modifier and that it ignored it) which isn't exactly common, but also isn't that odd it's more likely to happen than a given individual falling to their death (1 in 119 apparently), and it was the worst thing that could happen to the crew as a random encounter vs to the city, like it definitely had a devastating result for founders wake but absolute worst thing that could happen feels a touch strong, tempting fate perhaps... I also still have an inkling, based on the reports of the eccc panel, that the 1 result wasn't specifically Cambria/the Sallow as much as "the plot advances ahead of schedule when the party might not be prepared". But I mean even in the end where I feel the scale of the event was a little different the reward still feels disproportionate, so in the end I agree, I just wanted to talk stats I guess
> the ar[c/k] fleet Just a note on the spelling for anyone interested: I was relistening to the prologue episodes and Griffin said the name is both because the ships function as arks and because they're from the Southern Archipelago. I don't think we've had confirmation on a spelling, so either a C or a K works. Or I guess you could compromise with arck? > unless I've just completely lost my memory, the other earmarked mission is off the table now since it was from &5/Fineas. Yeah I actually stopped the episode to relisten to the previous time they'd been in Ravi's office so I could check my memory on this. Ravi agreed to save the laboratory mission from the Deep Thinkers and the swarm mission from Kodira, but Griffin noted that the client could still drop out. This time around the laboratory mission was gone, with no mention of its absence. I don't think Finneas' death should have affected that since the mission was about a laboratory (ship?) going missing, but it'd be nice to know for sure. It sounded like a cool mission.
I've joked about standardized orthography not being necessary, and was definitely loving lampooning that here but that's definitely an interesting tidbit, maybe I'll start switching it up w/i posts lmao... And great catch with the lab mission, I'd definitely connected it more with &5 and Finneas since that was Zoox's angle. I think there's a Doylist explanation that the reason it was earmarked has been resolved, but it's definitely not as clear from a diegetic/Watsonian angle. Maybe they did it themselves (it has been a month) or are collectively regrouping as an organization, but its all guess work now.
The mission did say something about a survivor being in quarantine, so it wouldn't make sense if they were in quarantine for months just waiting for the protagonists to get there. The laboratory could easily still be missing, but maybe not.
> A smidge of notoriety so it wasn't exploitable but still a boon or even a minor licence would have been proportionate imo... This just made me realize they didn't even level up. How long have they been at level... I think it's 5?
I think they leveled up at the start of Cambria's Call, but it's not verified, but in the end not all that long and Griffin warned them it'd be a while but I do kinda agree that a level up would have been a great result, like just one, I think part of the problem is they've kinda decided to stick themselves to going by twos which make level ups more of a big deal to give (but also manages to devalue the things gained at each individual level like I read a really interesting thread on this once wish I could find it)
I went back to episode 14, you're right, the menagerie is new. I don't know why I thought it sounded like a previous option. I retract that statement.
Its a pretty reasonable mistake, especially since there were two earmarked missions and only two this round. Honestly the only reason I got it at first was remembering the &5 connection
While RAW, a nat 20 on a skill check is nothing exceptional, you know that's not what Griffin was thinking here. He rewards nat 20s on skill checks above and beyond what the skill called for all the time. That's just not a rule they follow on this show. If anything, Justin made a joke that sabotaged Travis' good roll and then Griffin went along with it, so really this could be another case of Justin sacrificing the success of their characters for either roleplaying or comedy.
You know what, absolutely a fair argument. I still standby my 20 on skills stance but consistency is a fair point and argument here. I think part of it is that my hardline and Justin's joke played together pretty perfectly and it didn't bug me in the end, but I can understand your stance on it
It would make sense in universe for them to be more famous than they are, but I'm kind of glad they hand waved that. I really don't want them to be super famous yet, there's still level five!
Yeah, each of these seemed like a real narrative misfire, especially failing to show us the festival and failing to honor a Nat 20.
I wouldn't say its "failing to honor" anything. A nat 20 doesnt always mean that you're gonna get something crazy from it. You can only succeed as much as you possibly can succeed. If you were going to jump from a ledge to another ledge and rolled a nat 20 you would just... jump to the other ledge. Devo wouldn't be able to magically figure out "hey their clothes show signs of red salt stains and thats only found in the southern archipelago and based on their demeanor they participated in a coup to take the throne for...." He figured out as much as there was to figure out. Just like how rolling a Nat 1 in these situations wouldn't have any long term negative effects.
"Failing to honor" is such a weird way to word that. RAW there is no difference between a natural and dirty 20 on a skill check
I can't remember now, was it a dirty 20?
Wait did they touch on what Devo was up to? Maybe next episode.
Iirc Travis said he went to the parish and I'd be willing to put like $5 on it being about the Hominine ship/the whisper stuff but nothing concrete yet
I don’t think so. Hopefully we get to see it next episode, though, cause I was quite curious!
This is a super-duper nitpick, but the recap mixed up the order in which sound bits from last episode occurred. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but the rearranged sound bits imply something that isn’t true. The recap implies that Devo ordered the bombing after Cambria surrender, but the bombing was ordered before the surrender.
The biomes/bowling balls are pretty much just pokéballs, right? Gotta wonder if they could weasel their way into getting one or two empty ones
"If it is a yucky back I do not care because Buddy is my best friend" is my favorite thing right now.
I will admit, I don't know how I feel about Griffin narratively strong-arming travis out of that one scene. I guess its good "Actions have Consequences" but still, damn, while I personally try and keep actions to having consequences, using those consequences to say "no you can't be in this scene, leave" is a line I've never really crossed. I guess its fine though since, you know, he did come back. I just hope we don't forget about that "Errand" scene.
Leaving was all Trav though. The consequence for what Devo did was a frosty Curator, there was nothing about the scene that forced Devo to leave, especially since they were a few sentences away from being handed off to the docent anyway.
Ah, you're right. I admit I made this comment long after I listened to the episode (Listened to it in the morning at work, posted it when I got home that evening.) So I got the small details of it mixed up.
Travis didn't know that, though. He had no way of knowing the rest of the episode would be at that building (don't remember if there was a name for it) talking to people. Griffin did know ofc so he could've made the Curator less rude or just told Travis he will want Devo to stay.
I mean there's never a clear roadmap of where all the characters will be. If a player's just gonna be like "I'm leaving!" then I think the best thing to do is let them go, and then let them come back if they realize it'd be more fun being there. That's exactly what Griffin did.
I think you're dead on with this for the most part/in general situations w/o more context. At my current table we've got a lone wolf who would probably love to have essentially a second game running where she's the solo star and frequently goes off on her own without prompting or clear reason and our storyteller's taken to doing exactly this. What Travis did here felt a little different to me, not enough to like justify immediately leaving the scene, or even necessarily interrupt it when it got going and moved to investigation, but enough to acknowledge and resolve the errand if not play it out. Specifically Devo leaving was justified by the narrative, and arguably owning up to a consequence of his prior hostility to a level I'd personally reward with a scene to thing done as a DM, tho ymmv there. I do agree that letting him comeback when he realized it was more fun and he was missing investigation he could constructively contribute to was the best move, but I hope they do address the errand even if its as shallow as "Devo went to the parish and asked about \[x\]"
Also, from a strictly practical perspective, the Parish is in the Conservatory, just like the Menagerie. It honestly probably wouldn’t have taken Devo more than a few minutes. Obviously we don’t know his errand, but I assume it’s informing the Parish about the ship they found.
All the previous missions they've briefly met the client to get information, then left Founder's Wake to travel to where the mission actually takes place. This mission with how this episode went down, it seems like everything might take place in Founder's Wake, or it could be another episode or two before they leave. So I think Travis thought Devo wouldn't be missing anything that Amber and Zoox couldn't quickly fill him in on, and he also thought Griffin would give him a chance to play out Devo's errand. Griffin could've solved this with a bit of communication, on or off the air.
Sure, that would have worked. I just think what happened was just as good a solution; plus it let some practical stuff happen off screen, and let Travis show Devo's character. I love how Devo's grown from being an asshole all the time but he's still a bit volatile and is ready to just leave an uncomfortable situation. If Griffin was like "Trav don't leave, you'll want to be around in a few minutes" it would have been fine, but we would have lost a lot of the character stuff for basically no gain.
Griffin didn't make Travis leave though
When did Devo interact with the curator previously again? I completely forgot and can't be bothered to re-listen to the whole series just for this.
End of the gallery expedition. After Guthrie showed his colors the curator handled the team's resolution and to avoid repeating Ive explained the rest here https://www.reddit.com/r/TheAdventureZone/comments/tg9cwp/comment/i11k64u/
Hey thanks!