The Experience Quest — a TTRPG Talk Show
18 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -Well met! The Experience Quest is a TTRPG variety podcast hosted by Sarah and focused on the experiences of players, gamemasters, and creators. With an emphasis on Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) 5th edition Sarah discusses her experiences running and playing the game. Episodes featuring guests bring fresh perspective and incredible tabletop role-playing tales! What quest will you embark on next?
Enjoy the episodes at your own pace, in any order, and check out the companion blog for more content.
This podcast was formerly titled "Critical Catastrophe"
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Episodes
A thrilling battle recounted with far too little annunciation!
January 06, 2021 10:00 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBEpisode 3 of The Experience Quest. Rin, Sgaoileadh, Tam, and the NPC Brazen face off against a horrible aberration in an abandoned ruin. Grappled, restrained, poisoned, stunned — there's much for the heroes to overcome in this thrilling battle! Will they triumph or have they met their match against this otherworldly foe? Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. My Website: www.critica...
Creative success fueled by passion and ramen! feat. Laura and Hector from A Few Burnt Hairs
December 23, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 82.4 MBEpisode 2 of The Experience Quest. If you love D&D and candles this one is for you! Sarah talks shop with Hector and Laura from A Few Burnt Hairs, a D&D and dark fantasy themed online store. In this energetic episode, the trio discusses everything from DMing the game to entrepreneurship fueled by passion, coffee, and ramen. Check out their website https://www.afewburnthairs.com/ or connect with them on Twitter @AFewBurntHairs. Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan fro...
A new quest beckons
December 09, 2020 10:00 - 56 minutes - 52.6 MBEpisode 1 of The Experience Quest. What does a Dungeon Master (DM) burning out on their main campaign do when a new quest beckons? Answer the call, of course! Sarah reflects on her Magic Awry campaign and chats about what one-shots she's been playing in and DMing. Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. My Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com --- Send in a voice message: https://p...
S0:E14 | Season 0 finale and transforming into The Experience Quest
November 25, 2020 10:00 - 10 minutes - 9.83 MBThe final episode of Critical Catastrophe before it becomes "The Experience Quest." Join me for a rundown of what's changing and what to expect with the new podcast name. If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate! Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Website: www.criticalcatastrophe.com --- ...
S0:E13 | Interview with Mark, a full-time DM with over 20 years of experience!
November 12, 2020 01:50 - 1 hour - 84.4 MBSeason 0, Episode 13. Tune in for an incredible interview with Mark! It's bursting at the proverbial seams with realistic DM advice for running a stronger game with engaged players and a healthy table. Mark has over 20 years of experience DMing. He runs 6 concurrent games using D&D 5e, all set in his homebrew world. He is a full-time paid DM with a growing community of players and viewers. Learn what it takes to DM professionally, how to curate players, and how to avoid burn out as a busy ga...
S0:E12 | Ody has inspired homebrew, DM experience, and the most fascinating beard to grace Crit. Catastrophe!
October 28, 2020 21:31 - 56 minutes - 44.8 MBSeason 0. Episode 12. CONTENT WARNING: Alcohol and drinking games. This episode features Ody, a homebrew creator for Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. He has experience to share with publishing work on DM's Guild, tips for writing content, and hilarious stories from his time as Dungeon Master. Check out his work with the links below. Follow Ody on Twitter @OdyWrites and check out his link tree! If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter...
S0:E11 | Make traps visible!
October 21, 2020 09:00 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBSeason 0, Episode 11. This is a companion episode to the Make Traps Visible blog post (linked below). Let's explore why it is beneficial to let your players know that there is a trap in the vicinity with helpful clues! If you'd like to be a guest on Critical Catastrophe you can find me on my blog or on Twitter @CritCatastrophe. Let's collaborate! Intro and Outro Music: "The Drunken Siren" by Philip Melvan from the Tabletop Music Bazaar. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licens...
S0:E10 | Let's talk breaking tropes and creative worldbuilding with Sword & Quill's Zein (Party Chat)
October 14, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBSeason 0, Episode 10. In this episode, I sit down with Zein, the Dungeon Master of Sword & Quill podcast. He's a narrative designer, pen and paper enthusiast, and an entrepreneur with a video game studio. His experiences and creative spirit make for a riveting conversation! We discuss his work on Sword & Quill, worldbuilding, language, diverse NPCs, and tackle some tropes we've encountered at our tables. Find out what unique takes Zein has implemented in his homebrew world of Ryva! You can ...
S0:E9 | From gaming tropes to character hopes ft. Ethan (Party Chat)
October 07, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 114 MBSeason 0, Episode 9. Ethan returns to Critical Catastrophe for a party chat about tabletop gaming tropes! Along the way we discuss all sorts of influential media, tropes we love and dislike, and some very strong feelings about movies, anime, and games. To top it all off we share our tabletop character ideas. A cleric pâtissier? A masked half-orc monk? Why not! You can check out Ethan's latest articles at rollwithit.blog and can find him on Twitter @RollWithItBlog. Be sure to investigate his...
S0:E8 | Philippa's journey from player to TTRPG writer is a treasure trove of insight (Interview)
September 30, 2020 09:00 - 52 minutes - 37.6 MBSeason 0, Episode 8. This interview with Philippa Mort is packed with insight, gaming experiences, and advice for getting started as a TTRPG writer! Philippa's journey from player, to GM, to author of TTRPG modules is an inspiration for anyone considering the hobby or looking to start writing content. Her work studying medieval religious history provides expertise as we discuss how history has shaped the game we run. Find out how she got into tabletop gaming, what hobbies and interests are i...
S0:E7 | Exploring nuanced characters with Amy (Party Chat)
September 23, 2020 09:00 - 48 minutes - 39.9 MBSeason 0, Episode 7. Join me and Amy as we explore nuanced characters, discuss opinions on character flaws, and delve into the qualities of a good character for a shared gaming table. We play Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) together and each have a catalog of fun and interesting characters to chat about in this Party Chat episode. Why didn't Harlan want to join the adventure? Is it reasonable to always have a weapon drawn - always? The barbarian critted with what weapon?! Stay tuned to find out! ...
S0:E6 | The power of player choice - plan the conflict, not the outcome
September 16, 2020 09:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBSeason 0, Episode 6. Dear Dungeon Masters (DMs), have you ever had a brilliant idea and forced it upon your party? Players, have you been caught in narrative cutscenes? This solo episode is all about avoiding the use of force as DM. Instead, learn to promote choices your party can make to interact with the scene. I explain how to avoid taking away player agency, why to avoid it, and how to build choices into scenarios. With these straight forward examples, you'll be able to identify what not...
S0:E5 | Ethan's decade of gaming weaves a tapestry of tales (Party Chat)
September 09, 2020 09:00 - 1 hour - 92.4 MBSeason 0, Episode 5. This Party Chat episode features Ethan! He's a writer and Dungeon Master (DM) with a broad range of experience across a variety of tabletop games. With a decade of playing and DMing, he has the wisdom to spare and a collection of outrageous game tales to share. Join us as he brings much-needed energy to the episode and we discuss what makes gathering together at the gaming table so entertaining! We've barely scratched the surface, so stay tuned for the follow-ups to come...
S0:E4 | Devil in the Details - How fiendish lore transformed my campaign
September 02, 2020 08:00 - 30 minutes - 21.3 MBSeason 0, Episode 4. In this solo "blogcast" style episode I lay out the canonical differences between devils and demons in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D) and how, armed with that knowledge, I transformed my homebrew campaign. It was a journey of personal growth as I went from ignoring the established lore to embracing it. It all began with Milva, the cursed goat lady... and how she changed the campaign forever. Join me on this journey and discover what your TTRPG's lore can do for...
S0:E0 | Welcome! The Dice Don't Run the Table
August 29, 2020 06:00 - 10 minutes - 8.32 MBSeason 0, Episode 0. Welcome to Critical Catastrophe! I am Sarah and this is an introduction to the TTRPG talk show with an emphasis on Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D). In this episode, I lay out the podcast formats and explain who I am, what you'll get from Critical Catastrophe, and how to participate! I recommend starting here, but all episodes can be listened to in any order. Episode Formats: Blogcast - Solo episodes with informative content about playing D&D and other tableto...
S0:E2 | Amy Breaks out of the "Creative Box" (Party Chat)
August 29, 2020 06:00 - 47 minutes - 38.2 MBSeason 0, Episode 2. In today's "Party Chat" segment I sit down with Amy, a long time friend of mine! We have a casual conversation about our beginnings in D&D 3.5e, the transition to 5e, and our shared experiences with this massive creative world of tabletop roleplaying games. Amy explains the "creative box" she found herself stuck in and what it took to break free of it and fully enjoy Dungeons and Dragons. Join us in this chill chat and find out if you, too, have a creative box blocking y...
S0:E3 | Jak Started his D&D Actual Play Podcast How? (Interview)
August 29, 2020 06:00 - 1 hour - 46.7 MBSeason 0, Episode 3. This episode is an interview with Jak, the Dungeon Master (DM) of an actual play Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) podcast called "The Five Crystals." Jak, an incredibly chill and charismatic fellow, takes the time to explain how he got started podcasting, gives advice to newcomers, and goes into detail about running his Five Crystals campaign with the lovely cast. Find out who's editing behind the scenes, what Cubemaster's (Aligrax) famous catchphrase is, and learn the secret ...
S0:E1 | Fantastic Characters and How to Make Them
August 29, 2020 06:00 - 26 minutes - 20.4 MBSeason 0, Episode 1. "Fantastic Characters and How to Make Them" teaches the fundamentals for creating a fantastic character in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) and other TTRPGs. This isn't about races, classes, feats, or crunching numbers. These are guidelines for creating a character that will play well with others, contribute to the shared story, and still have a unique personality and background. I also touch upon the infamous phrase "but that's what my character would do" and address it head-...