Sword of Symphonies
164 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsCozy roleplaying in a haunted post-apocalypse.
Join Cobb, Tissa, and Penelope as they travel the pastoral continent of Amylte and try to help the world heal from the mistakes of its war-torn past.
Sword of Symphonies is the award-winning Actual Playtest of Heroic Chord, led by designer Cat McDonald and played by their excellent friends.
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Episodes
Feed Drop - Afterschool Wonderland.
April 21, 2024 16:12 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBThe next project from Cosmos Cameo Studios is live on Kickstarter! We're playing Animon Story, a Pokemon and Digimon inspired game by Zak Barouh. Join Misha, Syd, and Alexis as they go through the mirror to the mysterious City Spectacular, meet their reflections, and help avert a disaster coming for both worlds! Support the Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peachgardengames/afterschool-wonderland Check out Animon Story at https://www.animonstory.com/
I Came Hell to Ween
November 04, 2023 21:53 - 55 minutes - 76.7 MBDId you know that if you squint, I Came Here to Win can be used to play a Halloween party that goes horribly wrong? Original music by Kathleen~! You can find the Heroic Discord here!
They Were Once (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 56)
April 15, 2023 15:58 - 45 minutes - 77.4 MBIn an enormous nest lined with soft tawny feathers, the Prince of This Island sits, knees drawn close to their chest, watching the sea. They close their glassy black eyes and begin to hum, rocking side to side as the sounds of the waves beat a backing track against This Island’s stony beach. It brings back a pleasant memory. “You will come to understand” the Prince repeats out loud. They can’t help but wonder if this prophecy has come true for their visitor. A storm is brewing in the dista...
They Were Once (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 55)
April 08, 2023 22:53 - 48 minutes - 82.4 MB“I understand this must be confusing,” says the soft little human in the robe, and the Ambassador in Pearl hates that thought. “It is not.” She moves her head, and she can feel the movement ripple down the cloak of javelins covering her back. Any one of them would end this uncomfortable encounter. “Ah. My apologies for assuming. But, it’s about time you and I discussed the terms of your agreement with us, right?” “Is it?” She has no sense of time. Some of the humans in the robes seem to ...
Mausoleum of Mischief (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 54)
April 02, 2023 00:20 - 41 minutes - 71 MBThe Emerald Duchess approaches the city of Stageport, surrounded by a flurry of daemons. She takes the first step from the soft grass of the Veldt onto the fabricated stone roads of this gray world. A cloud of poison whirls around her, and her very breath is plague. The sky above her is darkened, and amid the thump of massive wingbeats, the Clocktower Baroness herself descends from the sky to land on the road, face proud and tail lashing. Any humans nearby flee to their homes. The Baroness...
Mausoleum of Mischief (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 53)
March 26, 2023 22:42 - 55 minutes - 79.9 MBThe Ambassador in Pearl stops in her tracks, and her hounds circle in close to her as everything in the clearing becomes still. "There you are. Do you have a moment?” She turns to see a human, one of the ones in the robes that comes to talk to her sometimes. He is small and slow and soft and round at the edges. This one is unarmed, but they aren’t always. Someone else’s daemon follows at his heels. The sight is disgusting, but somehow she swallows her irritation. “What do you want?” “The...
Descent in Silver and Glass (Cat Solo)
January 21, 2023 03:49 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBDoes Cat really deserve to rule as Host King? Let’s play the new game Descent in Silver and Glass to find out! Check out Solo But Not Alone here! Journey SRD and Beneath the Wishing Tree here! Mastering by Kathleen - thanks a ton!
I Left Them Unattended (Cat's Cradle 29)
October 15, 2022 17:22 - 40 minutes - 56.4 MBI have no idea what happens in this one. I’ve been working hard on stuff for our new network, and so I left them to their own devices and this is what they sent me. Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!
Mausoleum of Mischief (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 52)
August 27, 2022 13:27 - 49 minutes - 83.5 MBShe is hungry. She is always hungry. Surrounded by a chill mist and the infinite darkness of the southern ocean, she waits, hungry, for her next prey to approach. A ship drifts past her, and faintly, she can hear singing from the deck. For a second, she is no longer hungry, but curious about the sound, compelled to learn more. The Princess of the Southern Isles shakes her head to clear it, ignores the music, and drifts through the mist toward her next meal. Welcome to Sword of Symphonie...
Mausoleum of Mischief (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 51)
August 20, 2022 11:54 - 45 minutes - 86.5 MBThe ironclad Invincible drifts up Amylte’s coast, casually knocking aside the ice floes that decorate the surface of the ocean this far northeast. The Admiral of the Glacier Legion stands on the deck, looking out over the shoreline, a hot drink in his hands. He can see a glint from the coast. The tundra surrounding a small ancient shrine is no longer bare – now, it is covered in steel grass and flowers sprouted by the Princess Of The Shrine of Blades. Just like the scouts reported, she has...
Mausoleum of Mischief (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 50)
August 13, 2022 23:53 - 52 minutes - 99.7 MBIn an abandoned hall half-buried in the Veldt, the emerald Duchess opens her eerie green eyes to the sight of light filtering in through the one window that remains. This is her place, and until now that has always been enough for her. But, this morning, she emerges from the hall and stares out over the world of green that surrounds her, moved by a longing she doesn’t understand. Or rather, by a longing she used to understand but had forgotten. Her venomous daemons swirl around her on the...
Veldt Stories (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 49)
July 30, 2022 23:34 - 52 minutes - 99.9 MBThe Radiant Prince hops off his altar, in the darkness of the shrine called Escape Route of the South Wind, content to be the only light in the stone ruins. His odd little courtiers watch him as they go about their business sweeping up the shrine for him, and all is right with his world. He runs a hand along the carved surface of the shrine’s walls, and a memory startles him, as if waking him from a deep sleep. Visions of the past, of the people who carved these walls, of the offerings once...
Mausoleum of Mischief (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 49)
July 30, 2022 23:34 - 52 minutes - 99.9 MBThe Radiant Prince hops off his altar, in the darkness of the shrine called Escape Route of the South Wind, content to be the only light in the stone ruins. His odd little courtiers watch him as they go about their business sweeping up the shrine for him, and all is right with his world. He runs a hand along the carved surface of the shrine’s walls, and a memory startles him, as if waking him from a deep sleep. Visions of the past, of the people who carved these walls, of the offerings once...
Roadtrip Problems (Cat's Cradle 28)
July 16, 2022 06:33 - 40 minutes - 64.5 MBThis week on Cat’s Cradle, hop in the car with us! We’re joined by Bappy from The Eternity Archives! We’re going on a roadtrip, and it’s time to answer the eternal gamer question: What should we play? Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!
Veldt Stories (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 48)
July 09, 2022 17:18 - 46 minutes - 88.5 MBThe sky over the eastern desert is enormous. Standing on the sacred plateau where the remains of the deilith Benevolent Zhuge are collected, one can see from horizon to horizon, an endless world under an endless sky. The torches that adorn the plateau flicker. Moved by the sight, and terrified by the thought of being moved by the sight, the Chosen Emperor places his face in his hands and begins to weep. Welcome to Sword of Symphonies. Original music by Kathleen~! You can find the Her...
Chains of Obsession (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 47)
July 02, 2022 06:06 - 56 minutes - 55.4 MBThe moon is full over the Silver River, and for the first time in ages, as the tide recedes, the sound of a flute echoes over the area. One by one, they emerge from the cave, dressed in layers of seawater-soaked silks embroidered with gold. One in violet, one in blue. In teal and green and yellow and orange. Six beauties wade through the ocean to approach the Silver River and the city of Celres, moving as one being and staring around at the world again. Welcome to Sword of Symphonies. Ori...
Chains of Obsession (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 46)
June 25, 2022 05:52 - 1 hour - 104 MBWhat is the purpose of power? There are countless answers, of course, from countless people, ranging from obvious to esoteric, from benevolent to craven. But for many people, power is its own reason, and they don’t stop to consider why. In Amylte, there are Noble Demons, and there are Horrors, and there is a wild world hostile to humanity. In the face of this, many want power to help others, to protect the things they see as worth protecting. But in the face of the Noble Demons, the Hor...
In Pieces (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 45)
June 18, 2022 05:46 - 40 minutes - 71.2 MBFor better or for worse, chaos reigns in Amylte. The gods are asleep, the kings dethroned, the land unruled except by its own nightmares. For better or worse, the age of order in Amylte is over. Nations and institutions melted with the mountains, sunk into the Veldt with the rest of the ruins. People are left deciding on their own how to take care of each other, how to live their lives, and how to rebuild. And whether this is for better or worse is now for them to decide. Welcome to Swo...
In Pieces (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 44)
June 11, 2022 15:37 - 46 minutes - 76.2 MBThis week Kathleen did the intro, as is tradition! So, enjoy! Original music by Kathleen~! You can find the Heroic Discord here!
Dragons of Amylte (Cat's Cradle 27)
May 28, 2022 15:56 - 50 minutes - 80.5 MBThis week on Cat’s Cradle, Cat has finally done their best to write a Golden Sky Stories! It’s called Dragons of Amylte, and it’s a sweet little family-friendly game about being baby shapeshifters and learning new ways to interact with the world. So, Nick and Kathleen agreed to playtest! Join Newt and Rhododendron as they use their very best manners when meeting a new friend. Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!
In Pieces (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 43)
May 21, 2022 06:12 - 44 minutes - 71.9 MBListener, about two weeks ago I knocked a bowl off my kitchen counter onto the floor, where it shattered. I swore a little, and then set about sweeping up the pieces and safely disposing of them to prevent future injuries. About a week ago, I saw something in the bedroom, stark white against the rug. It was a piece of porcelain, a jagged little blade about the size of a fingernail. I have no idea how it got there. When things break, there is no telling where the pieces will end up. Welco...
Personal Growth (Cat's Cradle 26)
May 07, 2022 06:40 - 38 minutes - 62.6 MBThis week on Cat’s Cradle, we talk about levels, gear, abilities, mechanics, and other ways that characters change in a long-term roleplaying game! What does it mean to level up? When should abilities be given, and what kinds of abilities should be gated behind levels? What different ways to players have to expand their play options as a game goes on? How many M&Ms can Nick eat? Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!
In Pieces (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 42)
April 30, 2022 06:50 - 53 minutes - 87.1 MB(Content warning: Trauma, trauma responses, claustrophobia) One hundred million years ago, there was a river. Most people can’t conceive of one million, let alone one hundred of them, but it’s true. Back when the mountains of the Coral Coast were proud, jagged peaks and the Cloudcombs weren’t even born yet, there was a river. It wound out of the proud mountains down over the lush plains to the sea, as many rivers seem to like to do. Over the course of its lifetime it flooded and ebbed and ch...
In Pieces (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 41)
April 16, 2022 06:32 - 43 minutes - 70.6 MBThe thing about organic life is that, while it can be broken, wounded and damaged, it cannot be repaired. We are not bridges, or knives, or clocks. We are not doors or garments or wheels. We can’t be mended, we can only heal, and even then, we hold on to scar tissue both literal and metaphorical as a record of that healing. Like a tree growing over and around a deep gash in its body, we hold on to our wounds. Our bones remember every break. We are books, carrying our own history. Welco...
In Pieces (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 40)
April 09, 2022 08:00 - 51 minutes - 83.6 MBIn our chaotic world, everything is changing. Things change in dramatic, explosive, powerful ways. They change in subtle, invisible ways. Every action changes the world, and the world in turn changes us, and makes us look at the world with new eyes and see it changed again. Moment to moment, the world is being reborn. In light of that, what is the purpose of looking back? Welcome to Sword of Symphonies. Original music by Kathleen~! You can find the Heroic Discord here!
Dice Scream Sunday (Cat's Cradle 25)
April 02, 2022 06:08 - 53 minutes - 85.6 MBYes, this episode goes live on Saturday. Humor me. What are your favorite dice? What are your favorite ways to use them? How can you use random outcome mechanics deliberately and mindfully? Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!
In Pieces (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 39)
March 26, 2022 16:37 - 47 minutes - 77 MBListener, let’s start at the end this time. When the action is done with, and the story is told, and what sense can be made of things has been, what remains is memories. Memories are the final product of our mind’s alchemical process, the gold we make of leaden everyday events. Memories aren’t the end. They remain with us, guideposts to our mind and our identity, and so many beginnings are formed by following them. We build new memories among them, again and again, as time filters throug...
The One About Crunch (Cat's Cradle 24)
March 19, 2022 14:46 - 40 minutes - 64.7 MBThis week, Cat, Nick, and Kathleen talk about crunch, fashion in game design, and reasons you might want to make a very crunchy game! Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!
Noble Goals (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 38)
March 12, 2022 07:49 - 37 minutes - 61.9 MBIt can be comforting to think that everything has an assigned place in the world, and that, like a well-ordered kitchen, things will make sense when everything is in its proper place. It can sometimes feel like we are a dish left on the counter, waiting to be put in our assigned space so that the world will make sense. Of course, the cold fact of the matter is that there is no such order in the world, and, luckily for us, we can choose where we belong. Welcome to Sword of Symphonies. Orig...
Noble Goals (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 37)
March 05, 2022 07:07 - 47 minutes - 77.3 MBEverything is tied together. Amylte is chained to its past, and its future will be chained to its present, by the horrors. The Noble Demons are chained to their obsessions, imprisoned by desires they barely comprehend, and the Lesser Daemons are chained to their bound masters. Rangers are tied to their gods, and to the people of the world they are trying to protect. And those people are tied to each other, through bonds of love and hate and envy and fear and desire and every other ribbon i...
Noble Goals (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 36)
February 26, 2022 07:15 - 58 minutes - 95.7 MBThe first disappearance was a matter of money. A competitor who needed to disappear at the right time in order to clear the way for new growth. It was also an experiment, a test to see if stories passed down from one head of the household to the next were true. The second disappearance was a matter of fear. A way of sweeping away the tracks. The third disappearance was another matter of money. The fourth disappearance was a matter of envy. The fifth would have been a matter of honor. ...
The Rainbow Roll Festival (Cat's Cradle 23)
February 12, 2022 17:59 - 38 minutes - 61.4 MBThis week, special guest Ziva of The Eternity Archives joins us to discuss the upcoming Rainbow Roll Fest, a podcast festival we’re planning to showcase queer Actual Play content! Find Ziva and her gorgeous castmates here! Find the Rainbow Roll Fest Here! Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!
Noble Goals (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 35)
February 05, 2022 06:04 - 40 minutes - 65.4 MBWe’ve talked a little about the concept of value. I think now you understand why. You see, as human beings, value is something we can pick up and shape with our own hands, define and redefine as we like. It may be the redefining that is the most beautiful part – the ability to look at something’s value to us and decide for ourselves that it needs to change. We are not Noble Demons. We are not shackled to value. That is, unless we decide to be. Then, the only difference between us and the ...
Noble Goals (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 34)
January 29, 2022 06:55 - 50 minutes - 82.8 MBYou may remember the Countess of the Silver River, whose love of dominion made it possible for Tissa to convince her to cease her campaign of terror. Of course you know the Ambassador in Pearl, who fought more or less alongside mortals in the hunt for a common foe. Some of you may even know the Baron of the Gallery, whose collection of unique objects recently had a new sword added to it by some canny adventurers. They are powerful. They are practically gods. But if one knows the right thin...
Noble Goals (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 33)
January 22, 2022 06:58 - 50 minutes - 82.9 MBValue is a funny concept. Somehow human beings turned something abstract into something concrete – what was once just the notion that something meant something to someone became a measure of worth in real, absolute terms. How much does it mean to them? Not everything can be measured in numbers, but we hold the ruler up to more and more objects, events, circumstances, and concepts anyway. In that regard, we might be the irrational ones. I doubt a demon ever cared how much something cost. ...
Feed Drop - Roar to Heaven Session 0
December 05, 2021 21:48 - 39 minutes - 90.6 MBWe interrupt this Sword of Symphonies feed to bring you a special previous of Cat’s next big project, Roar to Heaven! If you’d like to hear the rest of this podcast, then please follow our campaign on Kickstarter!
Making an Actual Play Podcast Is a Good Idea (Cat's Cradle 22)
November 27, 2021 07:13 - 34 minutes - 54.8 MBThis week, on Cat’s Cradle! If you’ve ever idly wondered about what it would be like to make an AP podcast, let us tell you some of the ways it might be different from what you were expecting! Roar to Heaven Kickstarter is here! You can find more about Roar to Heaven on our website! Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!
Noble Goals (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 32)
November 20, 2021 10:07 - 49 minutes - 79.8 MBPeople are full of stories. When you get right down to it, we live and breathe them. So it stands to reason that any place that is full of people is doubly full of stories. Some of them are anecdotes, some of them are tales, and some of them are even legends. The more people there are in any given place, the deeper and more beautiful the library of that place, which just might be its greatest treasure. Welcome to Sword of Symphonies. Original music by Kathleen~! You can find the Heroic Di...
Noble Goals (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 31)
November 13, 2021 15:16 - 46 minutes - 76.5 MBWe’ve spoken before about the Noble Demons and their obsession, the single beacon of light that illuminates everything they think and do. The Radiant Prince exists to acquire, with no thought at all for what he acquires, from whom, or why. Whether or not he is even capable of questioning his urge to hoard, he doesn’t. The Lady of the River’s Origin, though she claims to hate uncleanliness, builds her entire life around corruption, around seeking it out and destroying it, and without it she w...
Noble Goals (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 30)
November 06, 2021 06:37 - 55 minutes - 90 MBOnce upon a time, there was a Duke in Stageport. It’s true. Once upon a time, so long ago that the city as it stood was wrapped in a wall of stone to defend it from neighboring city-states, there was a Duke in Stageport. In fact, there was an army in Stageport. Not like the Crusaders, mind you, nothing like that. An army hired and paid for by this Duke, retained in order to preserve the city as it was, unless there was an opportunity for it to grow. Then this army would become an invading ...
A Question of Character (Cat's Cradle 21)
October 23, 2021 06:48 - 43 minutes - 70.6 MBThis week on Cat’s Cradle, how do you come up with a character? Worse, how does Bill do it? Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!
Like White Stars (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 29)
October 16, 2021 20:15 - 45 minutes - 74.3 MBListener, have you ever felt yourself melt out into the world around you? Felt your body relax as your mind takes its leave for a moment? In Amylte, the world responds to this feeling. When a person takes leave of themself, the world answers that courage with power. To some, it has become second nature to melt into Amylte, so much so that they have forgotten what it means. That their own heart is what pushes the world. Their own heart stays out there, working for them. Welcome to Sword of ...
Like White Stars (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 28)
October 09, 2021 06:13 - 49 minutes - 80 MBSometimes when you see yourself slipping away, you see another self. But then you begin to understand that this self is also your self, and it is all selves. Lines of distinction begin to blur, and you realize that you are not you, and I am not me, but we are everything and we are infinite. All joys, fears, hopes, and dreams are experienced as one, all understanding is as one. And all listeners are now joining Sword of Symphonies. Original music by Kathleen~! You can find the Heroic Di...
Like White Stars (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 27)
October 02, 2021 21:22 - 46 minutes - 75.2 MBA couple days ago, the Chosen Emperor conjured a stately pleasure barge from thin air. It was crewed by eager daemons and fueled by supreme egotistical force. Spikes of coral and poison and love drove the barge away, back up the coast, away from the Coral Spirit’s precious home. The Chosen Emperor turned around in defeat but not in surrender. The spirit knew the scent of a demon, yes, but what of an insignificant emissary? Neither the Emperor or Coral Spirit seemed even to care about thos...
Like White Stars (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 26)
September 11, 2021 06:51 - 47 minutes - 72.2 MBOn a high plateau decorating the sacred Origin Island, where, centuries ago, a great temple one stood, there is now a ruined garden. You may remember the Conqueror’s Coin, the gold-colored flower that stirred the heart of the Conqueror, according to legends. The flower that now grows on the same Conqueror’s grave, in the ruins of his hometown, which was a humble fishing village back when he was a humble fisherman. Welcome to Sword of Symphonies. Original music by Kathleen~! You can fin...
Like White Stars (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 25)
September 04, 2021 08:13 - 47 minutes - 100 MBDo you remember the Conqueror, listener? The Coral Coast remembers him, even if its people have forgotten. He once collected a rich garden of different peoples and traditions under his banner through force of arms and valiant, warlike courage. The history books also give him credit for the infrastructure that made widespread trade and study possible in the region. It was in service of war. They have forgotten that, too. Welcome to Sword of Symphonies. Original music by Kathleen~! You c...
Like White Stars (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 24)
August 21, 2021 06:20 - 43 minutes - 61.6 MBFar to the south of Amylte, there is a chain of islands surrounded by mist and jagged stones like the teeth of a monster. Here, the Princess of the Southern Islands lies in wait for passing ships to deliver her favorite delicacy – raw human flesh, which she devours without hesitation or mercy. In a particular castle, half-sunken beneath the Veldt, overgrown by ancient orange trees, there is a grand hall adorned in rose gold. Here, the Emerald Duchess sits, admiring her riches and pacing aro...
Like White Stars (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 24
August 21, 2021 06:20 - 43 minutes - 5.87 MBFar to the south of Amylte, there is a chain of islands surrounded by mist and jagged stones like the teeth of a monster. Here, the Princess of the Southern Islands lies in wait for passing ships to deliver her favorite delicacy – raw human flesh, which she devours without hesitation or mercy. In a particular castle, half-sunken beneath the Veldt, overgrown by ancient orange trees, there is a grand hall adorned in rose gold. Here, the Emerald Duchess sits, admiring her riches and pacing aro...
Westbreaker (Sword of Symphonies, Season 2 Episode 23)
August 14, 2021 14:07 - 51 minutes - 71.7 MBThe gods of Amylte sleep in their treacherous homes. Augustine rests at the center of a huge whirlpool, Hector dreams from the back of the King of the Desert. These are the gods of Amylte, and have been for as long as the people of Amylte can remember.But have they always been? Welcome to Sword of Symphonies. Original music by Kathleen~! You can find the Heroic Discord here!
Uphill All The Way (Cat's Cradle 20)
August 14, 2021 14:06 - 37 minutes - 51.5 MBThis week on Cat’s Cradle, a bonus episode where the team builds an encounter all together! Join our Discord! Music by Kathleen!