Will the ship come in on Milo and Quinn? What does January do when they’re home alone? When is the Knight of Mirrors coming back? All those answers and more in the Afterparty!
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Cast & Crew
- Dungeon Master, Co-Producer: Eric Silver
- Co-Host (Milo Lane), Co-Producer, Editor, Sound Designer, Composer: Brandon Grugle
- Co-Host (Val Vesuvio), Co-Producer, Editor: Julia Schifini
- Co-Host (Aggie O’Hare), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Multitude: multitude.productions
About Us
Join the Party is a collaborative storytelling and roleplaying podcast, powered by the rules of Dungeons and Dragons. That means a group of friends create a story together, chapter by chapter, that takes us beyond the tabletop to parts unknown. In the first campaign, we explored fantasy adventure, intrigue, magic, and drama. In the newest story, we tackle science, superpowers, a better future, and the responsibility to help others.
Every month, we sit down for the Afterparty, where we break down our game and answer your questions about how to play D&D and other roleplaying games at home. We also have segments at the beginning of each campaign to teach people how to play the game themselves. It’s a party, and you’re invited! Find out more at jointhepartypod.com.
Transcript
Amanda: Hey, hi, hello, and welcome to the After Party for Episodes 15 and 16. These are the ones that we had just recorded a few APs ago where we were like, “You guys don't even know what's happening next --
Julia: Ooh.
Amanda: -- and then it happened.
[Brandon laugs]
Amanda: So, I'm very excited to talk about it.
Julia: Me too.
Eric: I just like making an actual blizzard happen after teasing a blizzard would happen.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Now, it's actually happening and I'm just not – I'm not like, “You look at an onion. Looks weird.”
[Amanda laughs]
Julia: An onion, huh?
Eric: It's weird smelling.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: You roll all your bird bones and then it says, “What? Snow?”
Julia: You mean my girlfriend’s – my girlfriend's bones?
Amanda: What?
Eric: No, this is the bird bone witch --
Julia: Oh, okay.
Eric: -- from the Midroll a little while ago.
Julia: Gotcha.
Eric: You don't need a therapist if you have a bird bone witch.
Brandon: But, also, your girlfriend's bones, we do roll those.
Julia: We do.
Amanda: Well, we have lots of questions from the JTP audience. But, first, Julia and Brandon, I'm sure you guys have some things to ask. I wrote down from Episode 15 the quote, “Would you say snow is water?”
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Julia: That’s a good one.
Amanda: Which I just thought was really charming.
Eric: I, yeah, know, man. Dungeon and Dragons is lovely because everything is flexible. So, you know what the answer? Yes, snow is water. So, I do want Milo’s ghost hand hanging out the backside of his best friend’s ride trying to holler at the snow.
Brandon: No scrubs. No snobs. That's nothing.
Julia: Hmm. That's nothing. No.
Eric: The, the funny thing about making challenging things for your players is that you might think it's challenging in your head, but then they do one interesting thing and that becomes much easier. But, like, it's not a big deal. Like, if I really wanted the car to crash, I would make it crash --
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: -- and, you know, have a bear bite a piece out of said truck. I don't need the car to crash into a snow pile for you all to have fun. So, like, that was just really innovative.
Brandon: You have a weird definition of fun.
Julia: Quote unquote.
Eric: Oh, you love it. You love it.
Amanda: Eric, I have so many questions about the mechanics of this episode. I would love to know about blizzard mechanics. I would love to know about that vehicle table, the mishap table? And, also, what the fuck is happening with those bears? Julia, do you have any insight here? You're the one who rolled the great roll.
[Brandon laughs]
Julia: Just I know that the, the bears are the same bears. That's all I know. I don't know if they're clones.
Eric: It's the same bear. That's all you know.
Julia: Same bear.
Eric: I – something I also love about Dungeons and Dragons is that, when the players roll to understand things, I really do like tailoring it to the specific roll you're doing. Like, you could have made a few different rolls. You could have investigated. You could have perceived. This could have been Arcana if you were looking at, like, if something was really fucking weird.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: But you did nature. So, I'm like, “Alright. What – what does Val know about bears and living in upstate New York?”
Julia: Not much.
Eric: I feel like, if a bear comes on your property, you’re like, “Oh, no, I know that bear. It has a spot on it and a scar on its – on its paw.” You’d be like, “Oh, that's the same bear.” So I feel like that was the kind of thing and also making it a nature check was a little bit more interesting. You’d be like, “Yeah, you look at that fucking bear. It's there and it’s standing in the road.”
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: Something really funny was, in my mind, of Aggie really, really slowly driving around the bear like a kid doing --
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: -- trying to parallel park for the first time.
[Brandon laughs]
Julia: Yep.
Amanda: Mhmm.
Brandon: I mean, as you say, you don't want to scare a bear with your big car. Be nice to bears.
Amanda: Don’t run them over.
Eric: Listen, if you ding the bear, that is, like, two points on your license.
Brandon: That’s true.
Julia: That’s true. It’s almost an auto fail. You got to get one more point.
[Everyone laugh]
Eric: Ah, yeah, let me tell you about some tables, my friends. I want to talk about the vehicle table. So, this was just the possible vehicles that could have been in – I actually had a few different – I had a few different things that could have happened.
Brandon: If Batmobile is one of them, I'm going to leave this podcast.
Eric: It was not a Batmobile. No, it was not.
Amanda: I feel like I really fucked up in wanting to take my own car here. I feel like Eric looks so disappointed.
[Julia laughs]
Amanda: I felt like I waste time in the episode. I just – I want to – I want to just air that out with you guys.
Eric: No, that's totally fine. I was more like – that was one of the various things you could have done. So, there could have been vehicles in different places. Dr. Morrow could have had a vehicle. We could have used vehicles you already had. But, of course, that associates you with the citizen that you are. Or you could have tried to get vehicle somewhere else like knocking on doors for your neighbor, trying to steal a car, any of these other places. So, you had a lot of places that you could have taken cars from, but I also had a vehicle table and then I had a Dr. Morrow version of things. So, the vehicle table was a truck, which is just like Aggie’s struck. You just had a regular sort of four-door car. There was snowmobiles.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: So, you all could have rolled out on snowmobiles and took them instead.
Brandon: Oh, man.
Eric: And then there was just, like, a straight-up minivan, which has, like, high HP but not really that great steering. But then Dr. Morrow versions of it was, was the same car. She had a very similar truck to Aggie did. Her car had a hard, like, plow on it.
Julia: Ooh.
Eric: So, if you had a four-door sedan, you could have hit a button, and then a plow would have just popped up on the front of it.
Julia: Alright.
Brandon: That's neat.
Julia: That is dope.
Eric: On the snowmobile, there was a compartment for skis and a tow rope. So, if some – if someone wanted to ski behind it or you had to do some sort of flips maneuver, that would have been possible.
Brandon: Eric.
Julia: That would have been so much fun for Val.
Brandon: What? Come on.
Amanda: Amazing.
Eric: It’s there. You guys got a tank. The last thing, instead of minivan --
Julia: We did get a tank.
Eric: -- was a little tank.
Julia: We didn’t even take the tank though. I'm so mad.
Amanda: I'm still stuck on the, the snowmobiles because then there would have been much less opportunity for Milo to flirt with Quinn.
Julia: That's true.
[Eric laughs]
Brandon: That's true, but also flips on skis.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: I'm actually very surprised you didn't take the tank. It would have been helpful. You already saw that there was danger out there, but you did kind of go for speed or the similar thing that you had before. So, I thought that that was actually interesting. I didn't want to dissuade you from taking the tank. But the question you asked me was, “How fast is this?” And I'm like, “It's a tank.”
Brandon: Right.
Julia: Yeah, I think we prioritized speed just because we had to go back.
Brandon: Mhmm.
Julia: And, like, we felt like we were losing time. I don't know if that was just me. But I, I --
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: -- did want the tank. In character, I really wanted the tank, but, also, I want to get to the museum as soon as possible.
Brandon: That's a good question. Was there a time table on it – element to it, Eric?
Eric: There was. I think that there was something there. I think that, as what happened, you kind of ran in on Lucas while everything was fine. And then things popped off. That might have been the most “normal” situation, but that is if you did it in a timely manner.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: If you got there really quickly, maybe if you didn't fuck around with Emily Slaughter and Sour Anthony or you didn't do your Instagram side quest, you could have gotten there faster. You could have gotten there slower if things really messed up. So, you kind of got there in a timely but not, like, super prepared manner. So, vaguely. Kind of more, like, a clock that I had in my head.
Brandon: Gotcha.
Julia: But then Anise would have frozen to death and then I would have felt bad.
Brandon: That's true.
Amanda: Anise.
Eric: Oh, Anise.
Amanda: Our BFF.
Eric: My good friend. Anise – Anise works at Luke's diner somewhere at Stars Holiday.
[Everyone laugh]
Julia: Good for him.
Amanda: It's Carlos’s coworker.
Eric: Yeah. But, yeah, there was also a mishap table. If you'd had taken the sedan or you'd taken the minivan, these mishaps probably would have happened more if you had, like, hit the side of the road or if a bear ate you or destroyed that. So, you did actually get one of the mishaps. Five to save – I rolled on a D10. A five to six, your heater died, which would have had you keep getting cold rolls instead of, like, keeping you insulated. But, of course, there's instead of the heater dying, there was just a literal hole in the car. You could have had messed up steering. You could have immediately veered off. Aggie would have had to do a dexterity check to, like, keep on black – from black ice. Nine, the engine just literally would have died and you would have needed to jump. And then, if you rolled – I rolled a 10, the car, just straight up, would have flipped.
Julia: Oof.
Eric: And you had to do saving throws or take a lot of damage.
Brandon: Just like randomly? Just baaah!
Eric: I mean, like, it's not – it's – yes, Brandon, immediately, like, you're in fucking BeamN – BeamNG. They would have – you would have clipped through a barn and you would have died. Yes, Brandon, that's exactly what would have happened.
[Brandon laughs]
Brandon: That was fun.
Julia: I really love mishap tables. In my home game, we used it for a – like, airship battle. And, oh, my god, like, just being – having to fix stuff in the middle of a fight is so fascinating and so much fun and throws a real wrench into things. I really like that you incorporated it.
Brandon: I did.
Eric: Thank you. I think that that was Misha, right?
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, we definitely talked about that.
Brandon: So, we figured.
Eric: And, also, me when you think about it. But then, again, a lot of this stuff here is also a little bit Misha.
[Julia and Amanda laugh]
Eric: So, it's all kind of the same. Julia, you're all just talking about the same big game here.
Julia: Mhmm. Mhmm.
Brandon: I'm a little bit country, a little bit of Misha.
Eric: Oh, do you guys want to know the different events you could have come upon during your, your drive over to the museum?
Brandon: Yes, please.
Eric: The whole thing with the Black Diamond Diner, that was number one. And, number two, there could have been a power line down and you had to save a family that was stuck in a car there --
Julia: Whoa.
Eric: -- which would have been a little bit interesting because the car is conducting electricity. A lot of, like, not touching metal, it would have been a little bit more of a finesse mission. I was actually really interested in that and some of the stats on that. And, like, really making you do superhero stuff would have been fun. Three was the one that you saw the tree down. I also rolled to see if the upcountry keepers were there.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: And that was the one that they would have been there. Also, that was entirely possible, a truck would have come before you would all move the tree out of the way. So, Val, the fact that you took care of that was actually very good because you would have had to make a DC20 strength check to stop the truck like you were Spiderman.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: Oh, my gosh.
Julia: Very cool. I'm glad that Val got their moment because I think they felt a little useless sitting in the backseat just kind of waiting for Aggie to drive and Milo to do his cool magic stuff. And they were just like, “Alright. Well, if we had taken the tank, we would have had a gun that I could have mounted and whatever, you know.”
Eric: Let's see. The bear threat, so, that was number four. And figuring out what if there was a bear. Black ice, that would have just been, like, straight up, Aggie, you needed to stop from driving off the road. And then the first thing that you did immediately that was so funny was that immediately Dr. Morrow skis by you, which was my favorite thing.
Amanda: Would you have let me use my monk slow fall to help with the – with the black ice situation?
Eric: How would that have – look, you would have slowly – it's like you had slow motion in the car --
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: -- but everybody else --
Amanda: Like, I'd slow motion and, because I was touching the car, it also has slow motion because that's how slow-motion works, right? Right? Right?
Julia: We've all seen The Matrix. We know how slow-motion works.
Eric: I'm not really used to you trying shenanigans. So --
Amanda: And just really – I have that, like, little [Inaudible 10:32] Emily expert energy.
Eric: No, that wouldn't have helped. But, if you’d use a key point, I would let you --
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: -- move in slow motion and maybe you could have saved the car.
Amanda: Cool.
Eric: Honestly, I'm getting more and more excited about event tables. I feel like I'm adapting to the fact that, like, I've laid all of these out and I have no problem with playing out the scenario. It feels like very crunchy rules has written Dungeons and Dragons. Like, straight-up stuff from Wizards of the Coast. Boo, boo. Wizards of the Coast, boo.
Julia: Yes.
Eric: But, honestly, I'm kind of like a – I like that it's a real thing that I wrote. And I'm kind of taking it out of my own hands, which makes me happy.
Julia: Hell yeah. This is more of a question for the players. Was everyone else, like in character, very frustrated with Dr. Morrow in these two episodes?
Amanda: Oh, yeah, 1000 percent.
[Eric laughs]
Julia: Val was just like, “Please be honest with us for like two seconds and just tell us what's going on. Like, I understand you have places to be because you're mysterious and shit, but, like, we need to know what's happening.”
Amanda: Yeah. And, like, this is normal for your life, Dr. Morrow, but you, you realize that the rest of us are not you. And maybe, after so long of just being insulated and having, like, unlimited resources, you know, and just like living her own life, it feels like, “Well, of course, you don't understand. Like, I'm fine with this bear.” But we're all just like, “You're not fine.”
Brandon: I think Milo – based on all the biographies of Dr. Morrow, he's like, “Oh, my god, it’s happening in real life.” Yeah, [Inaudible 11:59].
Eric: Just like in the graphic novels, she's so cool under pressure.
[Julia laughs]
Amanda: Alright. Well, here are a few questions from our audience on these episodes as well. So, Plotbunnies on Insta would just like to say, “How dare you, Eric?”
Eric: Oh, I made it. Thank you. Appreciate it.
[Everyone laughs]
Amanda: JayPaul90 on Twitter would like to ask where you got the stat block for the Velociraptor. Did you make yourself, re-skin something? Is it someone else's homebrew? Or is it just like a thing in D&D?
Eric: Oh, that's a good question. Yeah, the velociraptor is in Volo’s Guide to Monsters. However, here's a surprise for you. I actually didn't come up with any sort of mechanics for that fight. I just kind of let you guys do whatever the fuck you want because I'm like, “I'm gonna shut this down and around. So, it doesn't really matter.”
Julia: I also realized, after we recorded and after listening to that episode, that, in the moment, I was very worried about Quinn following Val into the fight. But then I realized that all of those raptors took their reactions to make attacks of opportunity on me. So, they wouldn't have been able to take opportunity attacks on Quinn. So, I realized that later, but not in the moment.
Brandon: Oooh.
Julia: Mhmm.
Brandon: I didn't think about that either.
Amanda: We can do little diversion into Quinn corner here. Bray on Discord asks if Quinn has a specified class.
Eric: Oh, that's a good question. Not really. Right now, I just have, like, her powers. And then I have a vague idea for HP and what her stats are. If I wrote it out, I bet I could just, like, have it there. But, right now, it's kind of just, like, ambiently in my head, because NPCs don't do the same thing as PCs do, you know. And PCs need this because US players are playing a game, but, like, NPCs are just like living their lives. So, it's like Quinn just has climb powers, and she's very nimble, and she has like high decks. But she's pretty low on, like, everything else.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Or pretty like plus zero to everything else. So, I don’t --
Brandon: It’s probably pretty plus, you know, eight on charisma too, though,
Julia: Only for Milo, though.
Eric: No, that’s just – no, that’s just to you, Brandon.
Amanda: Milo’s a personal plus 10 to all, all Quinn rolls.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: Yes, that's right. She also does have high charisma. But, again, it's more like what happens in the – in the moment. And, since I'm kind of controlling everything, I don't have to, like, roll for her necessarily. But, like, if she got hurt, I have a vague idea of how many – how much HP she has as compared to the PCs and other things that are around.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Like, I just don't anticipate anyone punching Quinn, but we'll see.
Amanda: Bonnie and Eddie on Insta wants to know if Quinn could ever become a permanent member of the team. And Mila wants to know, if so, what would her superhero name be?
[Julia chuckles]
Brandon: Sticky hands.
Eric: I was literally just gonna say sticky hands. Yeah.
Amanda: Oh, no, dust got caught in it.
[Brandon and Julia laughs]
Julia: Now, it's useless. Throw it away. Buy another one at the grocery store for 50 cents.
Amanda: My favorite thing is when – when my joke takes a, a couple seconds to, to land on Brandon and I can watch on Zoom as it – as it hits and it makes me really, really happy.
Eric: Listen, Quinn needs to stay in Laketown City. Before that even happens, she has to train, but, right now, that she's being a, a fun actress and having famous friends. So, who even knows?
Julia: Yeah, she’s got a real life. It's nice that she's visiting, but she's got a real life.
Amanda: Lots of people want to know about Milo and Quinn shipping. I, I --
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: Listen, in reality, as, as Amanda, the co-host of this podcast, I think it's very funny, and I'm down for it. But, in character, Aggie was just so immediately like, “Fucking no. I don’t want to cross the streams. It's – it’s bad enough for my sister to be here. I don't need my new coworker hitting on her.”
Brandon: To be fair, I don't think Milo knows how to hit on anyone. So, as it’s probably just, like --
Julia: We could tell.
Brandon: -- mumbling --
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: -- in her direction.
Amanda: Yeah, you, regarding [Inaudible 15:34 - Evelyn Zach Rose], makes me think, “Yes, that is true.”
Eric: I will say a really fun thing for me to do was telling Milo to fly. It’s, like, it’s so much fun because all I have to do is just lean super hard into the chaotic thing I want and then it will probably happen, which is something that definitely happens for Quinn.
Amanda: I love that.
Brandon: Eric, the fun thing about that is you spend so much time of your life in this Dungeons and Dragons game trying to make me not chaotic, like, as a player. And then we have a chaotic off. Like, “Alright, if we're gonna go down this road, you're gonna lose.”
Eric: And then Val just slams the door.
Julia: Nope, not happening.
Eric: Not even that, I – it’s just like [sigh] I think Brandon's characters do the thing that – yes, it just the most chaotic thing. But I think that all of them have a very – sort of preservation. Like, you need to be the one to make the chaos.
Brandon: Sure.
Eric: And I think you're doing it to me. So, when someone is doing it to you and peer pressuring your character, like, all of your characters pretty much do what they're – also, like, have a pretty, like, weak backbone in terms of that. With Tracey, you’re just like, “Fine.” And the man stuck out of time. Also, it’s just like, “Nothing matters. It's fine.” So, I think Milo also just like, “Yeah, I want friends. I'll do it. That's fine.”
[Brandon laughs]
Julia: Gives in to peer pressure. That's the, the Milo guarantee.
Brandon: Absolutely.
Eric: So, yeah, listen, like, I’ll – yeah, I thought it was fun. I – listen, it was messing my own thing up. So, I'm like, I'll – if I'm doing it to myself, that's fine.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Amanda: Nola Braseen on Insta wants to know where Lucas gets all his snacks from.
Eric: This is – I wanted to give this to Brandon. Like, do you have – is there a secret place in MMFFC that you all stash all of your snacks?
Brandon: I mean, yeah, as in any office place where you have some sort of snacks, like, you need to hide them from your ravenous coworkers --
Amanda: Yep. Yep.
Brandon: -- who are jerks and will steal them.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: Mhmm.
Brandon: So, within the museum, I like to think that occasionally Milo's doing a tour. So, he gets to, like, a giant diorama of, like, an electron, and, like, what it looks like, and why it's so important to Dr. Morrow. And, like, hidden behind it is all of their snack stash. And, so, occasionally --
Amanda: What’s in the nucleus? Candy. Full-size candy.
Brandon: And, occasionally, if a kid is short enough, they can see it. And, so, they'll be like, “Why are there Snickers behind the electron?” And then Milo has to just move the group along really quickly.
Julia: Asher the child away.
Eric: The only thing in electron is energy, which helps this atom stay together.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Amanda: Michelle Spurgeon asks on Insta, “Does Milo not feel cold because of his connection to the dead?”
Brandon: Yeah, I think so. We're – we’re just sort of, like, dipping our toe in the water with that. I think there'll be some more sort of, like, developments on how the ghost and, like, the soul life affects the, the physical form that is Milo. But, yeah, there's no real inferences to draw from that except for, yeah, it's not – it’s not a big deal when he goes outside in the winter with a t-shirt on.
Eric: Except when he takes like cold damage.
Julia: Yeah, he doesn't feel it, but he does take the damage.
[Eric laughs]
Julia: That’s the important part.
Brandon: I mean that's an – that's an Eric Silver trademark. So, you know –
[Eric and Julia laugh]
Eric: I didn't think that this was – this was like a combination of the – of the ghost stuff and also, like, those skinny, white boys, you know, who are outside in January in shorts.
Brandon: Yeah, totally.
Julia: Except, we have established Milo’s never worn shorts in his life.
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: Only jeans
Eric: But if he was in a different reality. Like, if someone like John O'Donnell, who I knew in sixth grade who only wore shorts even when it was snowing, then you might be like that.
Julia: Yeah.
Brandon: Yeah, absolutely.
Eric: I know. It's okay John O’Donnell doesn't know what podcasts are.
Julia: Good. Good, good, good.
Amanda: Michelle also asks, “What other Go Go Gadget stuff does Dr. Mayor Morrow have on her person?
Eric: First of all, thank you for acknowledging my titles.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: Constantly petitioning different, like, charitable boards to add that as his honorific.
Eric: You have to include multiple, multiple [Inaudible 19:50].
Julia: Needs to be five there. Or, else, what's the point?
Amanda: Yep.
Eric: You know, here's another thing, I didn't necessarily know how Episode 15 was going to resolve. I just knew that there was going to be a bear there and everyone's gonna throw themselves at them. And then Dr. Morrow was gonna do something. So, while we were doing this, I'm just like, “You know what would really be funny? It’s if Dr. Morrow had rocket boots on that she could just leave because she is --
[Julia and Amanda laugh]
Amanda: How dare you?
Eric: -- she knows that she is always vaguely in danger. So --
[Brandon laugh]
Eric: So, she could just do this on our own time. Honestly, a lot of this stuff happens while we play together. I don't know. It’s – I don't know. Probably a bunch of stuff, probably a, a grappling hook, probably like a taser just in case. There might be, like, a hot cocoa machine in there. Like, very Jetsons. You use the button.
Julia: I feel like a net gun maybe.
Eric: Yeah, she, she clicks her heels, and a net pops out of her skis.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Amanda: I was thinking I feel like she would definitely have, like, really primo snacks. Just like scatter and run if there's like a bunch of kids running at her or something.
Julia: Just throws candy out.
Eric: I have – I still have Code Red. Does anyone want Mountain Dew Code Red? She throws it and skis away.
Julia: Okay, but consider piñata pantsuit.
Amanda: Hmm.
Eric: Go on.
Julia: It’s just like --
[Everyone laugh]
Julia: You know how there's, like, the life vest and you pull a thing and it puffs out?
Amanda: Oooh.
Julia: It's like that, except when there's a bunch of children around and she wants to escape, she pulls the tab and it just explodes and there's candy everywhere. Piñata pantsuit. TMTM.
Eric: I do like the idea – when you first said it's a – it's a pinata. It's a facsimile of Dr. Morrow. So, she can, like, leave it in places.
[Amanda and Brandon laugh]
Julia: Like a decoy. Hmm. Interesting.
Eric: But it's also filled with candy all the time.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: But it is just also a decoy if she needs to escape.
Julia: Gotcha. Cool. Cool. Cool.
Amanda: Michelle, again, coming through with great questions. Are the upcountry keepers just a publicity stunt for Emily? Or are they actually interested in helping? I'll say, from my perspective --
Brandon: Yeah, Eric.
Amanda: -- they probably are interested in helping in theory. But, for us, they're so fucking annoying.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: That, that they are mostly interested in publicity. Like, I, I see how their intentions are good, but also, like, no.
Brandon: I don't know. I don't see how it – I don't – I mean I don't think their intentions are bad, but I don't think they have intentions to help per se.
Julia: Is it like performative superheroic? Is that what we're kind of like --
Amanda: Mhmm.
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: -- dubbing it? Yeah.
Amanda: It feels that way. Yeah.
Julia: Interesting.
Eric: Yeah, I think it – it’s from – if we were looking at this objectively and I was writing like a BuzzFeed list or an average bear list as it were --
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: -- about nine reasons why the upcountry keepers are actually good. You know, that they were doing it, but Emily Slaughter – I guess I have – she's such a busybody to me. Like, she's a – if you met Leslie Knope in real life, I feel like that's what she would be like.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Like, she's not – like, if that was someone you had to interact with on a regular basis who worked with you, you'd be like, “Man, fuckin’ bums me out.”
Julia: This person.
[Brandon laugh]
Eric: Just please stop. Just please stop. And someone like me with the cynicism that you need in 2020 or 2020X as we're living in, in Laketown City. They're definitely doing stuff. I just think that she also knows that it has to be public-facing and as the other superhero team feels like that you are doing good stuff and not saying anything about it. I could see why you're taking that on the chin.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: I mean lots of people think that she's – she's doing a great job and Sour Anthony's great and so is Taxonomy and all those guys.
Brandon: No one thinks that Sour Anthony is great, Eric.
Sour Anthony: Hey, man.
Brandon: Not a single --
Sour Anthony: Hey, man, I talk to KB toys and they're making, like, a stuffed animal of me.
Julia: Oh, no.
Sour Anthony: Hey, fuck you, man. You’re just jealous.
Amanda: Alright. We got to end this with a question that I can talk about. Deep2121 on Insta asked, “With the media closing in on the O'Hare's, how does Aggie feel about the most public ones being near?” Bad. Bad.
Julia: Bad.
Amanda: I think she – again, like she's kind of torn, you know, between these two impulses of, like, integrating her life a little bit better and, and being kind of open with her loved ones or being not just the fixer in front of her family. But, also, it’s dangerous. They are impulsive. And it's, like, if she had to choose for some siblings to be around, why not, like, the quiet married one or the one – the Guggenheim Fellowship who is not gonna fucking do anything to destroy his own career. So, I, I love that Eric has the, the most sort of plot worthy ones around. But Stephanie Kay on Insta asked if we wish we did anything different with our characters. And that was the only thing that came to mind for me. It’s like, selfishly, I wished that I started Aggie’s opening scene, you know, like, on a video chat with her family so that I could know what all their powers are because I really want to know and I don't know.
Brandon: Mhmm.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: So, that is the only thing that I have to say bad about my builds for Aggie.
Brandon: I would really love to see Eric do a – like, like, buttoned-up sort of, like, conservative MPC.
Julia: Mhmm.
Brandon: You know what I mean? Because I don't think I've seen you really, like, go full into that. Yeah.
Julia: Like, corporate.
Brandon: Or like – yeah, like, mild – like, mild-mannered. Like, married. You know, married, with children, normal kind of – kind of person.
Amanda: Milo’s dad struck me as a little bit like that. I mean he's also like a little bit --
Julia: But he’s like big dad energy.
Amanda: Big dad energy. Yeah.
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: But just a little bit different.
Brandon: But he's still a little quirky, you know?
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: I guess they all are a little quirky just because I think that that's a lot more interesting.
Julia: Mhmm.
Brandon: Oh, I do too. Yeah, don't get me wrong.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: Yeah, I'm trying to think from Campaign 1. I think that there were a lot of people – like the speaker --
Amanda: Mhmm.
Eric: -- was always – was incredibly buttoned up. Yeah.
Brandon: That's true.
Eric: And your, your ridiculousness really pulled it out of her.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Eric: And, as, as the world was kind of falling apart on the speaker, I was really trying to lay down the law on that. I'm also trying to think of people from, like, the bachelorette tournament as well. Like, a lot of those people were a lot more normal. And they were just, like, on a reality show. It’s definitely something.
Brandon: That’s true.
Amanda: So, not Kevin Vacation, you're saying.
[Julia laughs]
Eric: There was nothing wrong with Kevin Vacation.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: He just had wings. And his last name was Vacation.
[Brandon laughs]
Julia: So chill.
Eric: But, yeah, I don't know. I feel like the people who you all interact with just aren't normal. They all have really important jobs or, at least, think it's important --
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: -- in that way. So, like, I don't know. It's, like, the people who are incredibly buttoned up and not even snooty, like, they're at home, you know.
Julia: Yeah. Yeah.
Brandon: That’s true. That's true. It's a good point.
Julia: I think, like, Mr. Brewpot is fairly normal. He's just like a boss.
Amanda: Also, big dad energy.
Brandon: Yeah, that’s true.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Hitomi seems quite – quite level headed.
Julia: She's cool though.
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: She’s cool.
Eric: Hitomi is very cool. Yes, that’s a thing.
Amanda: She’s too cool. Yeah, that’s true.
Eric: Yeah. I don't know if there's anyone who just has, like, zeros as their modifiers for anything. I think Mr. Brewpot is close. But, again, they have to dad energy.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: And, yeah, I think that that – that’s just – that’s kind of just where I end up pulling from. It's – it’s hard --
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: -- because – especially because I, I don't go voice to who they are. I go the opposite way. So, I think that I have to give them strong adjectives to go for, but buttoned-up is one --
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: -- to your point, Brandon.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Like I said, not, not that it’s bad. I just – I don't know if I found a place for them to put together.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: But they're – but they're around. I mean the council – some of the council people also are a little bit buttoned up. If not, they – they're – they're just terrible.
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: Yeah, I think, Eric, to return to the, the question about if we wanted to change anything about our characters, I do wish that I had a more distinctive voice for Aggie because, every time we sit down to play, I'm just like, “Umm. I wished I made her voice a little bit lower.” And Julia’s very good accent of the town in which we grew up just like gets into my brain. And it's very hard for me not to use what Julia [Inaudible 27:26].
Julia: Yeah.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: So, that's my, my only, only complaint really. Julia, how about you? How about Val?
Julia: I don't think so. I think Val was – [sigh] I don't want to say that they were, like, fully formed with the idea, but it was easy to iterate off of my original concept. And I don't think there's anything that I would particularly change about them because I love them as is. And I know how I would respond to most situations now as well.
Amanda: Yeah, me neither.
[Brandon laughs]
Brandon: Yeah, I thought – yeah, I'm sort of on the same page with you, Julia. I don't think I would change much about Milo. I think he is pretty, like, average, but that's sort of like the choice that was intentional --
Julia: Mhmm.
Brandon: -- to make him pretty average, you know. But yeah.
Julia: He's a dorky lad and I love him. So --
Brandon: He’s a dorky lad.
Amanda: Alright. If, if we were all at a party and you, like, reached into the chip bowl and your hand hit the bottom of the bowl and realize there’s no more chips there, what would each of you do? What would your characters do?
Julia: Val would track down another bag of chips and probably pour half of them in there.
Amanda: Mhmm.
Julia: And then carry what's left of the bag around with themselves.
Amanda: Very good. Very good. Milo.
Brandon: I think Milo would sort of like go around the party and, like, casually be like, “Oh, yeah, You can see there’s no chips left.”
[Amanda and Eric laugh]
Julia: Oh, man, we’re out of chips.
Brandon: To like everyone --
Eric: That’s not what – that’s not what he’d do.
Brandon: To like everyone he saw just to see what happens until someone else did it.
Amanda: I, I think Aggie would already be in the kitchen refilling it because the chips should not get below one third. So, on that note, I'm going to be right back.
Midroll Music
Amanda: Hey, it's Amanda. And, for the first time ever, we have a guest anecdote for you titled Sleepy Kitty. Alright. Here's what it says. My cat is very vocal. He loves meow and, sometimes, I have a little conversations with him. So, when it's time for me to go to bed, he follows me right into my bedroom and tries to keep me from leaving him and going into the void between reality and the dreamscape. So, I've been looking for every possible way to keep him quiet while I'm trying to get my well – beauty rest. And it just so happens that I tried listening to Join the Party one night and, let me tell you, he went straight to sleep. I thought maybe it was just that there was a sound for him to drift off to. So, I also tried calming music. But, no, it was only your fantastic D&D podcast. He now waits patiently right beside my pillow for me to play that sweet, sweet audio magic so he can fall asleep. Sincerely, Cassidy. Welcome to the Midroll. That noise you hear is your cat purring on your pillow. Thank you so much to the newest members of our Patreon family; Kris, Krusal, Alexandro, Casey, Justin, Daniel, Laurie and Magnolia, Quint, Chanteuse. Thank you so much for joining. We hope you enjoyed the first part of Join the Team as well as the second part that we just dropped last week. We made it. And thanks for all of you who set aside $5, or $10, or $20 a month to support independent podcasts like ours. You make it possible for this to be our jobs. And we are so excited to bring you the third part of that game next month. If you're able to chip in, we want you to be part of our community as well. Today is a great day to join for as little as $5 a month at patreon.com/jointhepartypod. Benefits to joining include access to our thriving Join the Party discord chat forum, bonus content from Campaign 2 but also Campaign 1, and so much more. That's patreon.com/jointhepartypod. Oh, and, if you haven't checked your Patreon in a while, go ahead and do so. There are still, like, 70 of you who are on the old tiers and you're not getting those sweet rewards. So, go ahead and update today. And we haven't mentioned this one in a while. But, regardless of whether or not you can support us on Patreon, or buy merch, or support us financially, it's incredibly helpful when you recommend the show to your friends. Finding new audiences in podcasting is really hard. The most effective way to connect with people who might really love the show is just for someone who knows them really well to suggest it. It's like giving someone the perfect present, you know, but no one had to spend money or deal with packages. So, we set up a special landing page to help new audiences get to know the show, including links to the beginner episodes, where we teach people how to play D&D. So, listen, text or email someone you care about the link to jointhepartypod.com/start today and tell them why they’d love the show. It's a huge help. We are sponsored by BetterHelp, a secure online counseling service. They connect you with licensed counselors through their secure app, letting you message with your therapist, and schedule live phone or video sessions. You can also message your counselor in between sessions if you're worrying about something or think of a topic you want to cover in your next call. I do this with my therapist to be at BetterHelp. And, because they want you to find the best therapeutic match possible, they make it easy and free to switch counselors if need be. I cannot emphasize enough how much that is not a thing in traditional offline counseling. It's also more affordable than traditional counseling with financial aid also available. You can get 10 percent your first month of counseling by signing up at betterhelp.com/jointheparty. 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Theme Music
Amanda: Alright. We're back. All the chip bowls are topped off. Nobody needs to worry.
Eric: Oh, hey, did you guys notice there are chips now? They’re so great.
Julia: Oh, hell yeah.
Eric: [Inaudible 34:43].
Julia: Is there dip?
Amanda: Let’s --
Eric: Oh, man. If only there was dip. I really wished there was.
[Brandon laughs]
Julia: I wished someone would get us some dip. That would be really cool.
Amanda: Aggie puts down her drink, makes deliberate eye contact, and turns back into the kitchen.
Julia: I liked the moment in the episode where Quinn turned to us and was like, “Is she always like this with you guys?” And I was like, “Yes, but that's a good thing.”
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: Thank you. Let's get into some more kind of fun, like, general and character questions. AskBergman on Insta says, “How was Eric's first game of D&D that you did DM? How the hell did you sort your notes? I’m writing my first campaign and I haven't been a DM before. Love the show on Multitude, but I'd love some help.”
Eric: Oh, man, I'm trying to think. I think that this was the first one that I played with Amanda, Julia, Eric Schneider, and Jake.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: That’s right. I wrote down a lot of stuff. I definitely wrote down all of the places that I thought you might go, people who were there. There's, like, a really big list. I think it was really helpful. Like, writing down all the places that you think they would go, all the rooms, and then writing down all of the NPCs that – like, really naming them in advance and giving them adjectives, and characters, and jobs. But then, the one I did later, which I think about is that, immediately, someone Jake or Schneider canceled.
Julia: It was Jake. Jake wasn't there in that episode.
Eric: Oh, it was Jake.
Julia: You had him fuck the cheese witch.
Eric: That's right. He was fucking – he was fucking the cheese witch [Inaudible 36:13].
Brandon: Jesus Christ.
Eric: Yeah, I was like – this was at my Session 4 and I had to throw something together that was non-canonical in, like, half an hour. And then it just kind of happened and it was really fun. And it was, like, an adventure – an adventuring consultants wanted to hire them and have them do, like, some word associations but they conjured a demigod. It was really fun. So, kind of just, like, giving yourself a through-line about what you want to do. The way that I think of DMing is like you're playing a game of Euchre, or spades, or anything where you have a hand that you have to play even like Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh, where it's like you have your hand and that is your prep. Those are your notes. But you can play it in any order that you want according to what they do. You can move NPCs from one place to another. So, for example, a really good example from Campaign 1 was when everyone into the giant mistake and, and Tracey went into the back kitchen immediately. What I did have, I wrote down that there were illegal Snail Races happening, but I did not know that this was gonna happen. I thought that you had to look at some shady shit and, like, see if you wanted to make some money or not. But I had that. And I'm like, “Alright. Well, oh, Tracy wants to be Batman. And I guess Batman is breaking up in a legal snail racing ring.” But that's going to be happening there. So, you just kind of move it around. And, if someone does interact with an NPC, it's fine because you just use it that episode or not. So, what I would say is have your prep. Don't spend – I've seen that, like, you want to cap yourself at half of the amount of time prepping that you would spend playing. So, like, if you're going to play for three hours, do not prep for more than an hour and a half. And just, like, write down as much stuff as you think you need, write down a lot of extra names, and write down things that you want them to interact with because they're fun and funny. But, anything else, just, like, let it flow and I think that you're okay. I use – I use Google Docs. And I use Notion because I just like making lists and tables.
Julia: I will also say that the last-minute prep session was the infamous session where you made me cry just for people’s --
Amanda: Mhmm.
Eric: I didn't want to include it this time. I feel like I say it every time.
Amanda: Every time.
Eric: But, yes, the, the reason why when I felt, like, I was doing a good job and that you don't need to over-prepare is that I made Julia cry because it’s just like pulling stuff in from her character's backstory and things that I thought would be fun. And we also didn't know what the demigod was going to be until I pulled things from the literal actual character, which was really fun. So, if you want to DM, you have storytelling abilities. So, like, you have that and, you know, you're – you’re playing it out. I think the less – the less notes, the better because it forces you to think on your feet.
Julia: Hell yeah.
Amanda: I do really like Notion for organizing. I switched from Evernote to notion at the end of last year because Evernote sold personal data to the government.
Eric: Ba, ba, bop.
Amanda: And it's – it's really – it's like very modular. So, it's cool if you want to, like, make a list. But then it ends up being part of a larger project and it has, like, Emoji support and the titles, which is very important to me. So, recommended it.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: I do like the emoji support. I have a different Notion document for each arc. And the first arc was a bank and the second one was a snowman.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Amanda: What about this one, Eric?
Eric: I can't tell you.
Amanda: Nooo!
Eric: Well, it's gonna be – it's gonna be spring next season.
Amanda: Okay.
Eric: So, it’s a flower.
Julia: Nice.
Eric: It’s a flower emoji.
Amanda: Ooh. Writing down my notes. Okay.
Eric: Spoilers. It’s gonna be spring next.
Amanda: Bray asks, “What is each of our character’s favorite wintery drink? Coffee, hot chocolate, eggnog, et cetera.
Julia: Wooh.
Amanda: I think Aggie really likes hot apple cider. And it's, you know, local cider, malt on the stove or bust.
Brandon: Gosh, that's so good.
Eric: I bet Aggie has, like, all of the big spices. Like, the full spices. Like, an actual piece of star anise and, like, an actual nutmeg nut. Did you know nutmeg is a nut? It's just a nut.
Julia: I’ve never ever heard of that before.
Brandon: What?
Amanda: It's just a nut. Yeah, I think Aggie has, like, my dream pantry. And, if any of our very talented audience members who would like to draw Aggie and her dream pantry just want to, like, let me know, I would love that.
Brandon: Just sort of like Ariel in her cave of wonders or whatever.
Amanda: Yeah, like, in front of just, like, you know, beautiful, like, dark wood shelving with glass jars of, like, whole spices and, you know, grains and all that good shit. Oh, my god. I'm getting a little bit, like, sweaty palms right now. That was so great.
[Julia laughs]
Eric: Thingamabobs? Yeah, I got them. Just give me a second.
Amanda: So good.
[Brandon laughs]
Julia: It’ll be somewhere around here.
Eric: What do you call them?
Amanda: Star anise?
Eric: Nuts – quarter nuts? Quarter bolts? Quarter nuts bolts?
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Amanda: Oh, yes. No, half of it is, is food and the other half is hardware organized the exact same way.
Eric: And that's when you walk into Pier One and say, “I want more.”0
[Amanda and Julia laugh]
Eric: These were all mermaid – Little Mermaid references. Give me my flowers.
Julia: Incredible.
Brandon: Is Pier One still around? Did they go bank --
Julia: No, they're going bankrupt.
Brandon: Oh, that sucks.
Amanda: Well, that’s sales.
Eric: There’s a Pier One in my – in my alternate universe, there’s still a Pier One. Sorry. I meant House – House Warehouse, my fault.
Julia: Yeah. You know what disappointed me? The sales, even with their going out of business sales, were not very good. Still too expensive.
Brandon: It seems like we've solved the mystery of why they're going out of business.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: I really have a lot of headcanon about Aggie’s house and kitchen. I think all of her appliances are, like, from the 60s and 70s and they're just like workhorses. It’s just like they don't make them like this anymore.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: Yesterday, my grandma texted me like, “Oh, my mother's juicer” – my grandma's 81. Her mom's juicer from her childhood --
Brandon: Oh, my god.
Amanda: -- she still had. And then she's like, “My mom's toughest iron juicer mint condition and Connor doesn't want it. How about you?”
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Amanda: And I was like, “Hell yes, I do, grandma. Hell yes, I do.” And I think Aggie – all of her appliances are, like, from the 40s through 70s. And she just, like, maintains them lovingly as if they are vintage car.
Julia: Incredible.
Amanda: Anyway, favorite drinks.
Brandon: That was a question. Yeah.
Julia: I think Val likes a – like the, the kind of decaf coffee that you have after a meal.
Amanda: Hmm.
Eric: Mhmm.
Julia: But spiked with Frangelico.
Brandon: Now, what is Frangelico?
Amanda: Nice.
Julia: It is a --
Eric: Is that one of Val’s plans?
Julia: -- Italian liqueur that's, like, hazel flavored.
[Amanda laughs]
Brandon: Ooh.
Amanda: Very cool, Eric.
Eric: That's actually one of Salamone’s cousins.
Julia: [Inaudible 42:16].
[Brandon laughs]
Salamone: Hey, you better pay me or me and my good friend, Frangelico, are gonna come over and turn over your shit.
[Amanda laughs]
Julia: You want to know something really funny? It's a brown bottle that’s shaped like a monk.
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: Oh, my god.
Eric: Yep.
Amanda: And then – and, you know, Chino will be right over.
Eric: I got my two friends, Fran and Gelico right here for me.
Amanda: One crazy night.
Brandon: Jesus Christ. I think Milo just likes super sugary coffee drinks. Like, he's super into hot peppermint mocha. And --
Amanda: Oh, yeah.
Eric: Mhmm.
Brandon: -- What is the other Christmas drink? Peppermint mocha and --
Amanda: I think they’re like a butterscotch something, right?
Brandon: Something like that.
Amanda: Praline.
Julia: They usually do like a salted caramel for winter and stuff like that.
Brandon: Yeah. He love – he loves a good salted caramel. Yeah.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: Does Milo have a Starbucks name even though his name does not need a Starbucks name?
Brandon: Yes, it – well, he thinks, because he has powers, that he needs to always hide his name --
Amanda: Hmm.
[Julia laughs]
Brandon: -- even though it doesn't matter at all.
Amanda: Very good.
Brandon: And, so, he changed it up each time also. So, right now, he goes by, like, Rex, you know.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: It’s great.
Amanda: I love it.
Eric: You used Lucas for a long time until Lucas called you on it.
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: I was gonna say Lucas and Skywalker. And then Lucas was like, “I'm ordering with you. This doesn't help.”
Eric: Luke – Lucas. You can do Filo. I mean that's – that's your name, right?
Julia: Miles
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: Filo. Filo dough, is that – that’s one of your names?
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Eric: I know that this was on everybody's tongue – at the tip of their tongue and I just need to tell you. January goes hard into hot cocoa.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: And – but it's like sourcing the best cocoa. There was a place – this just shut down in New York City. What was the name? City Bakery used to have in --
Brandon: Mhmm.
Eric: They would have the most incredible sugary hot chocolate. I'm talking about like – the hot chocolate was very bitter. But then the, the marshmallow was like the size of a one inch by one-inch cube.
Julia: Incredible.
Eric: It was mass – it was massive. And they would have different flavors all throughout February. It was like February was a hot chocolate month. And it was just – it was so incredible. So, I feel like January is really into that stuff and hops down to New York City to get that.
Julia: Nice. Hops down.
Brandon: I feel like January will take --
Eric: Thank you.
Brandon: -- the, the private helicopter down to, like – Where is cocoa grown? Nicaragua? I don’t know.
Julia: Interesting. Alright.
Brandon: Costa Rica. Costa Rica. And just like picks the, the beans himself.
Amanda: In his little paws.
Eric: That's adorable.
Brandon: Mhmm.
Julia: And then has to roast and process it himself?
Eric: 100 percent.
Amanda: Well, Julia Catherine on Insta wanted to know, other than drink cocoa, what does January get up to when they're home alone?
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: Is it just like cocoa and cocoa-related hobbies? Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, roasting the cocoa, grinding the cocoa, making sure it's delicious.
Julia: I can picture as a January's a knitter.
Eric: Yeah, for sure. I think January is just, like, when you – your grandpa says he's puttering around.
[Everybody laugh]
Eric: Whatever he's doing, that's what January is doing.
Amanda: Julia, extraordinary transition here, Bray on discord wants to know, “Does Val's mom knit? And, if so, how many lewd scarves and hats does Val have from their mom?
Brandon: Oh, my God, so many dick scarves.
Julia: I don't think that she does knit. I think that is like – I picture her very much like a – like feminist rebel in that she grew up with very strict gender norms that she kind of, like, goes as far away from them as possible. She's very, like, much, like, a woman of the 70s and 80s.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: So, I don't think she knits. I think she does, like – again, she does pottery and stuff like that. So, she has, like, her own kiln and makes a lot of, like – if she's giving gifts for the holidays, it's usually a mug or something to that effect.
Amanda: Lots of boob planters. A lot of those are big on Etsy.
Julia: Boob planters.
Eric: I also think that, like, she's never done a dick because she says – like, she's never made an artistic penis.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: Because she's like, “There's enough of that in the real world.”
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: That’s true.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: Why would I need to make that?
Brandon: She's not wrong.
Amanda: She’s not wrong. Otto would like to know what is HPC and a couple of NPC’s favorite Stuart's flavor. If you don't know this regional gas station ice cream chain, go with just general flavor.
Eric: For ice cream.
Amanda: For ice cream.
Julia: Mhmm.
Amanda: Yeah, I think Aggie really likes the mint chip.
Julia: Huh. I'm a mint chip person myself. I have to think about what Val likes. Give me a second.
Eric: Can I – can I do one – do you want just a lot off that?
Julia: Sure.
Eric: Alright. I would say that Val likes anything – like, anything that has alcohol in it like a rum. Even rum raisin or like an Amaretto, any of that. Just like the fact that you're eating something sweet that also has the alcoholic bite.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: That feels very Val, especially from the, the drinks. Milo really loves, like, mango sorbet. And you compare mango sorbet all over the city.
[Amanda and Brandon laugh]
Brandon: Mango sorbet is delicious. So --
Eric: I – it’s not – it's not a dig. It's the truth. It's the truth.
Brandon: I was gonna say Milo might – I think you're right, but I think he also – he vacillates between, like, a mango sorbet, which is much lighter, and then, on his heavy days, he goes for like a – like a rocky road or something --
Julia: Mhmm.
Brandon: -- where it has just, like, tons of mini marshmallows in it, you know.
Eric: Nice.
Julia: Yeah, I was gonna say I think Val is the kind of person that really likes a lot of, like, crunch going on in their ice cream. So, like, throw some peanuts or some chocolate chips or something like that. And there's something that gives it like texture besides the ice cream texture.
Amanda: Nice.
Brandon: Hmm.
Eric: I was gonna say that Aggie really likes strawberry. And then takes it home and doctors it up herself.
Julia: Hmm. Cute.
Amanda: Hmm. I like that. Folly and some berries. Oh, yeah.
[Julia laughs]
Amanda: Kazaya Wilkins asks what our favorite NPCs are. So, players, what are our favorite NPCs? Obviously, January, but beyond him.
Julia: Hmm. Oh, this is like picking your favorite children. Unacceptable.
Eric: It’s fine.
Brandon: I mean Dez? Can we say Dez? Or --
Amanda: Dez.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: I mean there's just so many.
Brandon: I mean January is the correct answer, but --
Eric: I would like to challenge you all and do someone who's not, like, around all the time. Like, is there anyone who's – who is very – that was a flash in the pan who you’re just like, “I like that guy.”
Julia: I have loved every – and I haven't had a lot. I've only had the one interaction. But I have loved every Ant-man moment --
Amanda: Mhmm.
[Brandon laughs]
Julia: -- that Val and Ant-man have had so far. Like, that was – like, they're just intense. And I like an intense RP moment. So, it's – it's a big thing for me. I really like Val's mom because I can just kind of sit back and watch the scene unfold in front of me. And it's like I'm watching a movie. It's just really wonderful.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Brandon: I mean, obviously, I'm a big fan of all the, the boys. I do like Apple’s just general aura.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: So big.
Amanda: Very true.
Eric: I think I like all the NPCs, like, the third time I do them. I think that that's where – that was something – when you said the question about anything you'd wish you could change about the PCs. Like, I wish I had a better handle on them when I started. But, you know, it just takes time to develop them. Like, I really like Dr. Morrow now. I didn't like Dr. Morrow nearly as much when I first started doing her. But, now that she's like this dark brown character who's really intense and needs to tell you how things go, it’s very – it’s a lot of fun to do.
Brandon: Yeah, I noticed them – I think it was in 15 when it was the moment where it was, like, something flipped and you're like, “Oh, this is who Dr. Morrow is.”
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: I, I think it was when – in the, the whiteboard meeting, when she said, “I did something with electrons.” And that's when I'm like, “Ah, that's who she is.”
Brandon: Oh, yeah.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Yeah, you said that in the episode of Clear Eyes, Full Hearts. You're like, “That is the moment where I was like, “This is Dr. Murrow's character.”
Amanda: Aww.
Eric: Man, you should really – everyone should be really listening to that because there's a lot of really interesting insight. And it's a really good game.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: And Episode 2 is out now and there'll be a third episode. So, everyone should be patrons. So, it would just be a really good idea.
Julia: It also might be like that game has repercussions on the game that we're playing. Who's to say?
Amanda: Who’s to say?
Eric: Oh, that's true. That's true. That did happen.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: I could say there is a canonical moment in Clear Eyes. Like, I'm thinking it's canonical now. So, you – all three of you need to listen to it so you’ll understand what's happening.
Amanda: Well, I'm going to close with less of a question, more of a comment from Cathy Snob on Twitter. I don't like Sour Anthony. But, at the same time, I think he's underrated.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: Food for thought.
Brandon: That's – that's a take. That is a take.
Amanda: I respect it. Oh – and we also had a couple questions about Slam.
Julia: Hmm.
Brandon: Slam.
Amanda: It feels like every day is a year. So, I completely forgot that this came up.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Eric: We put out so much audio in the last 30 days really.
Julia: We really did.
Brandon: I know.
Eric: Now that we can actually talk about it, we did two regular episodes, one After Party then now this After Party, two episodes of Joined the Team. And I feel like there was something else in there and maybe I have to start writing.
Amanda: And Slam.
Brandon: Slam.
Eric: And then Slam. Yeah, exactly. So, we put out a lot of audio. That was the audio I was teasing.
Amanda: Mia Schloss asked, “Did Charles, the assistant, look like Chris Hemsworth in Ghostbusters?”
Julia: Now, that's all I can picture. Oh, my god.
Amanda: I dig it.
Brandon: That's really good.
Eric: He definitely had really similar energy. I thought that that was really funny. And I thought that Julius character --
Julia: Awesome.
Eric: -- needed a male assistant. Moxie needed a male assistant to kick around. And he was really important to me. He was – in my head, he looked like the assistant from the first season of Smash.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: Do you remember that?
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: The one about Broadway.
Julia: Yes, the Marilyn Monroe Musical.
Eric: Which is so terrible. Everyone needs to watch it.
[Julia laughs]
Eric: Yeah, he was like Ellis. But, now, it's something like – he's like a little taller and a little more – he was just like super tall and super skinny in my head. But, now, it's probably just Chris Hemsworth wearing glasses.
Julia: I'm into it.
Amanda: That actor is Jaime Cepero, who is wonderful.
Brandon: It makes it even better thinking about Chris Hemsworth becoming Thor later. And he's just – in our camp – in our world, he just keeps getting kidnapped.
Julia: Yes, it's very cute.
Eric: It's now even funnier knowing that he lit on fire and then disappeared for a while.
[Eric and Brandon laugh]
Julia: I really liked the idea that it is, like, canonically as big as Chris Hemsworth is, but Moxie is bigger.
[Everyone laugh]
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: That is – that is incredibly funny. Yes, for sure.
Amanda: Also, I think he addressed this in the discord. But, for everybody else who's not yet a patron, is the talking Daisy based on the flower from Hello from the Magic Tavern?
Eric: Oh, my god, the talking Daisy. There's something really funny about a flower that swears at you and says shit like that.
[Everyone laugh]
Eric: So, no, it wasn't based off that. I just thought it was really funny. I, I – it was kind of like a reverse Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors. Like, not a big plant but a really small plant. But I, I see that. I – now that I remember, it's very similar. I actually had a lot more inspiration from Flowey from Undertale. This, like, terrible, evil, conniving flower that ruins your whole life in Undertale. But, no, I just thought it was a really funny thing to have.
Julia: Mhmm.
Brandon: What would have happened if we had fed the flowers enough blood?
Eric: Oh, it probably would have Audrey 2ed out.
Julia: Okay. Yeah.
Eric: Yeah. Or you could have, like, thrown it at the – it was really just supposed to help you out if it was – if you could just give it a little bit and it was just --
Amanda: Throw it.
Eric: Uh, huh. Oh, you fuck me. Oh, man, fuck that guy. I fucking hate the robot devil. Fuck that. Fucking asshole bitch. I fucking hate that guy.
Amanda: I would never throw my best friend.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Eric: It’s just like his – more like his vengeance or something. But, yeah, if all of you gave him blood, I think it would have been a real Audrey 2 mode. Yeah.
Julia: Yeah, I'm still concerned that that's gonna be like the next villain after the, the robot devil.
Amanda: You gotta – you got to play fast and loose in side campaigns.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: I love it so much.
Eric: Listen, the robot devil, much like the Christian devil, can never die and will always haunt you.
Julia: Okay.
[Amanda and Brandon laughs]
Amanda: Oh, very good. I keep waking up sometimes. And the first thought in my brain is like, “Why didn't I block the fucking doors?” And it really just haunts me.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Eric: Oh, man, I love Slam so much. It's – there's something about playing a comic book inside of a comic book. They, like, really restores some of the silliness of the first campaign of a fantasy campaign that I really like going back to, like, having a giant rolling pumpkin, having a robot devil, having a character die but not actually die. Like, all that silliness of like when, when Agent Smith looked up where the robot devil was and it was like a Luigi’s Mansion mansion. And it's just like, “The robot devil lives here.”
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: That was very funny. And I know I do stuff like that in the actual campaign, but really leading into it intentionally is the – why we like slam so much.
Julia: Yeah.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: And, Hero Forge, keep sponsoring us so we can keep doing it.
Amanda: Yeah. No, genuinely, podcast ads are like – you know, they're – they're complicated. Most of the time, it's just like, “Okay. There's an ad slot on an episode. So, like, I'll do a one-minute ad and, like, that's that. But Hero Forge, genuinely, is really great. They love working with creators. They love sponsoring weird shit. And, when we talked to our contact there and was like, “Hey, do you want to sponsor a side quest episode set in a comic book set in our universe?” They were like, “Sign me up, dude.”
[Julia laughs]
Amanda: So, we really appreciate it and, hopefully, we can bring you more.
Brandon: Yeah. And, if you want us to keep doing more, go tell Hero Forge that you liked it.
Julia: Yes, tell Hero Forge and let me play Moxie more so I can say ridiculous things like, “I subsidize your healthcare. I get your acupuncture.”
[Amanda and Brandon laugh]
Eric: Man, maybe we should put some more heroes in there and maybe I can take the NPCs from the different subclasses from No Capes. You should buy that as well.
Julia: Ooh.
Amanda: Ooh, No Capes, the guy linked to in the description of this episode? Ooh.
Eric: Oh, my goodness.
Julia: [Inaudible 55:49] me up.
Amanda: Let's move into the spoily the corner.
Eric: Oh, there were so many spoilies.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Oh, you all want to know what happens next so bad, don't you?
[Julia laughs]
Amanda: I am thinking I'm just going to read them in succession. Then, at the end, we can have a really extended one. Like a – like an elementary school graduation. Like, let's just save the class till the end. That should fill that up.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: Okay.
[Eric laughs]
Julia: So specific.
Amanda: Yeah. Alright. Knight of Mirror’s corner, Stephanie Kay, is the bear connected to the Knight of Mirror somehow? When it's Knight of Mirror coming back? Not having them in the last few episodes is eyes emoji. Mia Schloss asks does the Knight of Mirror use a snowmobile instead of a motorcycle in winter. That's a very good one. Vicki Moo, “Why is Dr. Mayor Morrow cloning bears? Good question. Mel118, is the keypad combo for Dr. Morrow’s office 8005? Michelle Spurgeon --
Eric: Its boobs in Math.
Brandon: Oh.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: Yeah, all of the keypad – the default keypad code in Laketown City, all of it, is boobs.
Amanda: Not 11111.
Brandon: boobs.
Eric: Its boobs. It, it – actually, Dr. Morrow instituted that because she thought that boobs would make more people change it other than 12345.
Julia: That’s fair.
Eric: So, that's actually --
Julia: Smart thinking.
Eric: That was actually a big deal. Yeah.
Amanda: Michelle asks how has crime-fighting affected Aggie’s work as caretaker of the Historic District. Andy Noel, Yo, what's up it's Sour Anthony?
[Julia laughs]
Amanda: He's so sus. Immediately would call out.
Eric: For those of you Olds out there, sus is what people say in the popular game
Among Us where people are suspicious.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: Vicki Moo, will we be seeing Teagan again? Sachdesh, was the bear a villain in disguise? Because regular black bears hibernate. Thank you.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: Hey, you – hold on. I looked this up. Please, excuse me.
Brandon: Bears don’t hibernate.
Eric: I spent so much time looking up animals in Upstate New York.
Brandon: They don’t.
Eric: Guys, so, please be proud of me. Bears don't just sleep. Bears also go out and have to forage for food when they do get hungry. So, there would be a bear out if it was a real bear. I'm not saying it is or I'm not saying it isn't. But, according to the Alaska Fish and Wildlife News segment, Ask A Wildlife Biologist, do bears really sleep all winter? No, they don't.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: They, they do not hibernate. They go into a torpor.
Amanda: Ooh.
Brandon: And they do forage for food.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: Eric is 100 percent correct. I learned this, like, a month ago.
Eric: Did you also learn from the Alaskan Fish Wildlife News? Well, the --
Brandon: I did. Yeah. I'm subscribed to them.
Eric: For February 2008?
Brandon: Yeah.
[Amanda laughs]
Amanda: Alright. Just to close out, Kate asks does Lucas notice the switch between Kilonova and Milo at all? I’m surprised Eric didn't try to address the deception of it all. Can you believe this? Is this all taking place within the danger shed of fun and destiny? Michelle, is there still stuff in the water causing changes?? Big Bear and big mountain lobster. And then Desmond Ishmael, what is Dr. Morrow not telling us about these giant animals? She is way too calm about this entire bear situation.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: Who can say?
Julia: Who can say?
Brandon: Who can say?
Eric: Who can?
Brandon: Who can say [Inaudible 58:58]?
[Julia laugh]
Eric: Who can say?
Amanda: Eric could say. He just isn't.
Julia: Mhmm.
Eric: These are just really good spoilies. I think they’re all interesting and they’re also smart. And thanks for listening.
[Julia and Eric laugh]
Eric: Keep listening. They will be unspoiled for you.
Amanda: Well, I know that working on Join the Party is my, my favorite part of the week in terms of being able to, like, sit down, think about a fictional universe where my actions have consequences. And it is really lovely. So, thanks, Eric, for preparing this world for us. Thanks, Julia and Brandon for being my compatriots. Thanks, everyone, for listening, genuinely. It's – it's way more fun to do podcasts when there are people who care about them. And you guys care so much.
Julia: Aww.
Brandon: Thank you.
Julia: That was very sweet.
Brandon: And Eric, specifically, thank you for allowing me the chance to try to roll better every week.
[Amanda and Eric laughs]
Amanda: Oh, buddy.
Julia: It can only go up from here.
Eric: That's true. It's such a low bar now. You’re just like, “Oh, I rolled a 12” and everyone's like, “Yes.”
Julia: Excellent.
Eric: Yes, my son.
Amanda: My son. My son.
[Julia and Brandon laugh]
Eric: Hey, that was another episode of the After Party. We'll be back with a new episode next week. See you later.
Julia: Later.
Brandon: Bye guys.
Amanda: May your rolls trend ever upward.
Outro Music
Eric: Pew, pew, pew.
Julia: I know. I know.
Amanda: [Inaudible 1:00:46]. I think it was good.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: Yo, you could do it again.
Amanda: You, you can keep holding it.
Eric: Do you want to do it again?
Amanda: No, I want to do that.
Eric: Oh, okay. Good. End Scene.
Amanda: Yay.
Eric: We did it.
Transcriptionist: Rachelle Rose Bacharo
Editor: Krizia Casil