Slack and Slash

#026: Fastcast: Expanding the Gothic with Sam Hirst

April 27, 2021 18:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MB

DM Scott welcomes a guest expert on all things Gothic: Dr. Sam Hirst, of Manchester Metropolitan University. Scott and Sam chat about the tangled origins of Gothic fiction; some of Sam’s favourite Gothic tropes and subversions; and how Gothic is Ravenloft, anyway?? Dr. Hirst is on Twitter as @RomGothSam, and runs the Gothic resource hub, romancingthegothic.com.

#027: Strahdcast Ch.13: The Thin Salt Line

April 27, 2021 18:00 - 1 hour - 41.4 MB

Things get a bit bitey, as our heroes face off against Ingrid the vampiress and a pair of elephantine wolves inside the Vistani’s circle of salt. Expect a quantity of near-death experiences, garnished with horrifying transformations, and topped off with a hand-delivered missive from someone very Dark and Lordly…

#025: Strahdcast Ch.12: Bled and Circuses

April 20, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 44.3 MB

The Darklord’s gaze has fallen upon the heroes, which means it’s time to make tracks! But since their best chance to hide from Strahd involves joining a cabal of sinister circus freaks, is the cure worse than the disease?

#024: Fastcast: The Vistani

April 13, 2021 16:00 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MB

The sinister Vistani have appeared in every iteration of Ravenloft since the beginning… but are they an essential staple of Gothic fiction, or a culturally offensive stereotype? Scott and Gayle discuss the problematic legacy of the Vistani, and Scott describes how he has adapted them to suit his campaign.

#023: Strahdcast Ch.11: Rubbing Shoulders

April 13, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 49.1 MB

A new story arc begins! The heroes agree it’s time to get out of town, so they introduce themselves to the Vistani, a band of traveling performers who can either help to protect them on the road… or pose a whole new set of threats!

#022: Strahdcast Ch.10: The Wolf You Feed

April 06, 2021 15:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MB

“Well, let’s just roll for initiative, shall we?” The Burgomaster’s mansion is under siege! As the unholy servants of Strahd seek to draw our heroes out, like lambs to the slaughter, Dragomir proves that he has the spirit of the wolf within him. Also in this episode: the mystery of the heroes’ centuries-long sleep is resolved – sort of.

#021: Fastcast: Campaign Changes Thus Far

April 06, 2021 15:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MB

In a tête-à-tête with any dungeon masters who might be listening, Scott the DM explains what changes he made to The Curse of Strahd campaign prior to its debut, plus what narrative details he has tweaked over the course of the first 10 episodes or so. SPOILER ALERT: Gamers beware! This episode contains spoilers for the Curse of Strahd!

#020: Strahdcast Ch.9: The Broken One

March 29, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 43.3 MB

After much deliberation on who gets to sleep in which spooky bedroom, the heroes of Barovia snuggle down at the Burgomaster’s house for a much-needed long rest. But it’s hard to sleep when you’re surrounded by murmuring phantoms, zealous avengers, and hysterical priests. Also: what’s that rule about vampires in your house? “Always invite them in,” right?

#019: Postcast: David <3 Barbarians

March 29, 2021 20:00 - 23 minutes - 16.5 MB

Join the gang for a relaxed (read: inebriated) comparison between 5th Ed and previous editions of D&D. Laird expresses his desire to come back as a lich; Scott applauds the ethics of Hades; and David takes a nostalgic rampage down Barbarian Lane.

#018: Strahdcast: Ch.8: Why It’s Called Death House, Part III

March 23, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 57.1 MB

Our heroes have found a secret staircase leading to the catacombs beneath Death House, but nobody wants to go first for some reason. In the climactic chapter of the Death House saga, Andrej gets angrier than ever, Ralston faces his greatest fear, and Dragomir learns all about saves vs. death. NOTE: This episode incorporates material from "Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd: Death House," a 3rd-party expansion by MandyMod (find it here: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/345700/Fleshing-Out-Curse-of...

#017: Fastcast: DM Tips: Role-Playing Fear

March 23, 2021 16:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MB

DM Scott grabs the mic to expound upon one of tabletop RPGS’ perennial challenges: how can your game transcend from a collection of stats and experience points into a spine-chilling terror-fest? Scott shares tips for generating both in-character fear and meta-fear, while Gayle pauses to ask, “Why make anyone scared in the first place?”

#016: Strahdcast Ch.7: Why It's Called Death House, Part II

March 16, 2021 17:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MB

Replete with dread secrets, Death House seems to possess a deadly hunger, and the heroes are its next meal! Andrej fights face-to-knob with a killer door; Dragomir finds new uses for his spear; and Ralston foolishly reveals his deepest fear. Also… a letter from the Darklord himself? NOTE: This episode incorporates material from "Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd: Death House," a 3rd-party expansion by MandyMod (find it here: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/345700/Fleshing-Out-Curse-of-Strahd-D...

#015: Postcast: House Rules & Craft Brews

March 16, 2021 17:00 - 11 minutes - 7.66 MB

A quick aside about 5th Edition’s Channel Divinity feature, featuring a quick aside-within-an-aside about how IPAs are garbage.

#014: Strahdcast Ch.6: Why It's Called Death House, Part I

March 09, 2021 18:00 - 48 minutes - 33 MB

It's our title with the most numbers yet!!! The trail of their recently pilfered silver leads Ralston, Andrej,and Dragomir to an abandoned, indestructable, and very haunted house on the edge of town. Tempers flare and teeth are bared as the house begins its sinister work upon the heroes. The first of a three-part story arc, it's a great place to jump in.

#013: Postcast: Scott + David <3 Genre

March 09, 2021 18:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MB

Out of character but no less intense. David and Scott champion genre role-playing; Scott vows to mansplain Gothic horror at a later date; David distinguishes chocolate from fantasy (or something); both guys sound extra-white whilst raving about Lovecraft Country; and other ineffable, uncanny topics of discourse.

#012: Strahdcast Ch.5: The Ghost

March 02, 2021 18:00 - 48 minutes - 33.5 MB

Returning to the Burgomaster’s mansion, the heroes pursue sooty thieves and portentous phantoms, with limited success in both. Ireena performs a reading with her Tarokka deck to reveal the heroes’ path through the dark land. Also, this episode introduces Ireena’s familiar and the Slack & Slash mascot, Luna, into the campaign!

#011: Fastcast: Talking Tarokka

March 02, 2021 18:00 - 23 minutes - 16.1 MB

This week’s Strahdcast includes a Tarokka reading. What the huh? Gayle and Scott explore Curse of Strahd’s very own fortune-telling deck. We review the current 5th Edition deck and its function in the game; we expose some of the flaws in Ravenloft’s aleatory design; and Scott reveals his own plans to use the deck for motif-making and wild magic. NOTE: Players beware! This episode contains some spoilers for the Curse of Strahd!

#009: Curse of Strahd Special Editions: Fancy & Fancier

February 23, 2021 14:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MB

Scott and Gayle review the two recently released special editions of Curse of Strahd, drooling over handouts, finger puppets, and sooooo many maps.

#010: Strahdcast Ch.4: Church Service

February 23, 2021 14:00 - 45 minutes - 31.3 MB

Claws and fangs abound as the heroes square off against an undead son-of-a-priest and a (were)wolf at the door.

#008: Postcast: Scott + David <3 Buddycasts

February 23, 2021 14:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MB

While catching up after a long time living in separate cities, David and Scott swap podcast favourites, daydream about perfect liveplay narratives, and chew the fat about the Golden Ages of Radio and Video Rental outlets .

#007: Strahdcast Ch.3: Maimed Rites

February 16, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 42.4 MB

As the heroes adjust to the nightmare to which they have awakened, they get to know the son of Barovia’s late Burgomaster, Ismark the Lesser, as well as his sister Ireena, who bears an uncanny resemblance to a familiar face from long ago. An attempt to bury the Burgomaster goes poorly.

#006: Fastcast: A Personal History of Barovia

February 16, 2021 20:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MB

In this bonus episode, Scott offers Gayle some context for the Ravenloft experience. The conversation starts with the classic “I6” module from 1st edition, wanders through the 2nd Ed. Demiplane of Dread, and steers clear of the dark times of 4th Edition before arriving at the present campaign.

#004: Postcast: Scott + Laird <3 Strahd

February 09, 2021 13:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MB

After the dice have been put away, Laird and Scott drink Belgian beer and reminisce about early D&D modules and the vampires they’ve loved (and hated). Bonus features include a (very) brief detour into Star Wars fandom, a definition of “epistolary,” and a deep dive into the roots of Gothic horror.

#005: Strahdcast Ch.2: The Mists

February 09, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 41.7 MB

The heroes cautiously explore the world into which they've awoken: a warped, cursed version of their beloved Barovia, bristling with zombies; barkeeps who act like zombies; and a Burgomaster who died trying to protect his children from -- you guessed it -- zombies. And worse!

#003: Strahdcast Ch.1: The Cursed Queen

February 02, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 57.7 MB

THE SAGA BEGINS! Royal visitors come to the peaceful town of Barovia; Ralston the Novice takes charge of a crisis; Andrej gets outshined by Prince Sergei; and Dragomir sniffs out a hoard that comes with a catch. This episode makes a fine jumping-on point, but if you'd like to peek behind the D&D screen to see how the characters were created, start with #001. And if you'd like a quick intro to the main characters before the story begins, check out #002. So many choices!

#002 FastCast: Origin Stories

January 30, 2021 17:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MB

Meet the story's three heroes -- Ralston the Novice, Andrej the Bear, and Dragomir the Wolfboy -- in this short, introductory episode. NOTE: This episode isn’t strictly necessary to get into the story, but it helps.

#001: Strahdcast: Pre-Game Prologue: Rolling Up

January 30, 2021 16:00 - 1 hour - 44.1 MB

Old gaming buddies reunite, share their earliest memories of Dungeons & Dragons, and sink their teeth into 5th Edition by rolling up characters. NOTE: You can skip this episode with no risk of narrative discombobulation. Besides, the audio’s not perfect.

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