Camp Diogenes Staff Handbook, Rule #103: The best way to get campers enthusiastic about an activity is if you’re enthusiastic about it! If you want your campers to jump in the Water Hole, challenge them to a cannonball contest. If you want them to learn more about ritual sacrifices, run into the woods and help wrangle a calf as white as snow. If the camp lines up a special activity, you should be the first ones in line to try it!
Sponsors
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Find Us Online
- website: jointhepartypod.com
- patreon: patreon.com/jointhepartypod
- twitch: twitch.tv/jtpsidequests
- youtube: youtube.com/c/jointhepartypodcast
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- instagram: instagram.com/jointhepartypod
- tumblr: jointhepartypod.tumblr.com
- merch & music: jointhepartypod.com/merch
Cast & Crew
- Co-Host, Co-Producer, GM: Eric Silver
- Co-Host (Les Proenneke), Co-Producer, Sound Designer, Composer: Brandon Grugle
- Co-Host (Carrie-Ann Price), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Co-Host (Phoebe Cooper), Co-Producer: Julia Schifini
- Multitude: multitude.productions
About Us
Join the Party is an actual play podcast with tangible worlds, genre-pushing storytelling, and collaborators who make each other laugh each week. We welcome everyone to the table, from longtime players to folks who’ve never touched a roleplaying game before. Hop into the Camp-Paign, our Monster of the Week story set in a weird and wild summer camp, or marathon our D&D games with Campaign 2 for a modern, sci-fi superhero game and Campaign 1 for a high fantasy story. And once a month we release the Afterparty, where we answer your questions about the show and how we play the game. New episodes every Tuesday.
Transcript
Eric (as JBB): Good morning, campers! It's John Bonez Bones with your morning announcements! Pew! Pew! Pew!
Julia: Pew! Pew! Pew!
Brandon (as Les): [scream] It's too early!
Eric (as JBB): No, it's not. Get the fuck up, Les. Freddy Escabeche, you need to pick up your retainer because you dropped on the field.
Julia (as Phoebe): Was it labeled with his name?
Eric (as JBB): I know what his teeth look like.
Brandon (as Les): They have his dental records.
Eric (as JBB): Please don't talk back to me while I'm doing morning announcements.
Julia (as Phoebe): You paused for commentary!
Eric (as JBB): I can't hear you. And finally, campers, remember, we're having a special surprise for everyone in camp tomorrow. So you better be on your best behavior. No pantsing. No throwing whipped cream at each other. And no causing drama, because I'm here to make friends, and I'm not here to win. That was your morning announcement. Cock A Doodle Doo!
Brandon: Sorry, I just to make sure I have written down it was no pantsing, no whipped cream.
Eric: No throwing whipped cream.
Brandon: And no drama.
Eric: No drama, because you're here to make friends. You're not here to win.
Julia: Yep.
Brandon: Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): He's really the best in the game.
Julia (as Phoebe): What if, what if I am here to win?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I think um, doing your job for camp is winning. And so he doesn't like say it and we don't say it to the campers but winning is doing your job and coming back to work another summer at camp. Like people talk about retirement. And I'm like, Why? Why would you do that? If you had a job where you could work at camp until you die?
Brandon (as Les): And then you die at camp and you get buried at camp?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yes, Les! High five.
Julia (as Phoebe): Maybe that’s the bones that makeup Steven are people who died at camp of like old age.
Brandon (as Les): Dark Phoebe. I love it.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Do you think he was like a bad camera and they threw his body over the wall instead of letting him be buried in consecrated grounds at camp? Like I don't think anyone ever died at camp. I want to be the first and so I have to find out if Steven did.
Julia (as Phoebe): You- you don't think anyone's died at camp like ever?
Brandon (as Les): You don't think anyone's died at Camp Die?
Julia (as Phoebe): I feel like I literally we literally almost died, Carrie-Ann. You don't think anyone's died at camp?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Phoebe, I came the closest, I'm still not the first, okay?
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I can't stop short of my goal. I'm here to win.
Julia (as Phoebe): Which is to die at camp?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah.
Julia (as Phoebe): Of old age?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): When I'm like 100. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Brandon (as Les): Carrie-Ann, can you pass the chocolate chips?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah.
Brandon (as Les): Thanks.
Amanda: I throw them over to your top bunk.
Brandon: I don't know where we are.
Julia: I don't know where are we?
Eric (as Springer): (in the distance) There's no reason for you to have snacks in the cabins when I give you food whenever you want!
Julia (as Phoebe): That's true Springer did say that they would give us whatever snacks we want so long as we gave them enough time.
Eric (as Springer): [in the distance] I'm here on my morning run, don't mind me!
Julia (as Phoebe): Have fun, Springer.
Eric (as Springer): [in the distance] See you later!
Brandon (as Les): I love that Springer keeps their, their body fit and you know, sticks to a routine every morning. It's really beautiful and smart and healthy.
Julia (as Phoebe): I mean they gotta.
Brandon (as Les): Yeah. All those waffles.
Julia (as Phoebe): When they eats that many waffles, yeah.
Brandon (as Les): Yeah.
Eric (as Springer): [from outside] I just want to come back and remind you not to describe my body. See you later!
Julia (as Phoebe): I'm not, Springer. We're just saying that you're nice and healthy and we appreciate that and healthy comes in many forms.
Brandon (as Les): Exactly. I said fit. I didn't say a body type. Fit can be any kind of body type.
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah.
Eric (as Springer): [from outside] Good. Just wanted to make sure. We're having meatloaf paninis for lunch.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Ooh.
Julia (as Phoebe): We love you, Springer.
Eric (as Springer): [from outside] I love all of you like you were all my own children.
[Phoebe sobs]
Eric (as Springer): [from outside] No throwing whipped cream in the Cafetorium.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Amanda: Carre-Ann just pats Phoebe's knee like one at a time, pat, pat, pat, pat.
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah.
Brandon: I love that Springer is just like jogging in place while saying this shit.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: In my head, there's like a track that goes around the field and like you can cut off at any time to go to the various parts of Camp.
Julia: Sure.
Eric: And then Springer ran towards the cabin and then ran back right away and then came back and then right back to the track.
Brandon: I love that.
Eric: Hey, Brandon, could you like do some sound design to interpret that?
Brandon: Yeah, I totally can.
Eric: Oh, I just don't I don't know if you're able to do that if you've ever done anything like that.
Amanda: Can you just like build me a spatial palace?
Eric: Yeah. Can you build me a mind palace in the podcast?
Brandon: Uhhh... This got really aggressive real fast.
Julia: Leave your Sound Designer alone, guys.
Eric: So I'm in– I'm in my mind palace and I walk forward in Springer's there and then I take a right and pick up a sneaker and it makes me remember that Mississippi is spelled like this.
Brandon: [singing] MI-SSI-SSI-PP-I [in a higher tone] sneakers. Now you'll never forget.
Eric: No. It's right there in my mind palace next to Springer and you sound-designed it so it's perfect. Okay, let's talk about where the characters are at after the last session.
Amanda: Why, Eric, what happened? Anything eventful?
Eric: Nothing. Nothing eventful.
Julia: Nothing happened. It was like a chill session. Chill two sessions.
Amanda: I’m kind of bored, tbh. But-
Eric: Yeah, for sure. Les, I think you're fine. You're good.
Brandon: I mean, in health and vitality, but I think Les is a little bit shook still.
Eric: Right. Oh, strictly game mechanically speaking, for sure.
Brandon: Yes.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: All of us are emotionally unstable.
Eric: For sure, for sure, for sure.
Amanda: We're teens.
Eric: And then Phoebe, you start with 1 harm?
Julia: Yes.
Eric: Because you only had a certain amount of time in the nurse's office, and you healed Carrie-Ann's health-
Julia: I did.
Eric: -thing before and now Carrie-Ann has a cool tattoo of your hand.
Amanda: Sick.
Julia: It's dope.
Eric: And then Carrie-Ann you leveled up, right?
Amanda: I did. Yeah.
Eric: Right.
Amanda: And I decided for the first time to take a move from another playbook.
[Oooohs from everyone]
Amanda: So this is from The Wronged playbook. And it is called What Doesn't Kill Me. And anytime-
[Brandon and Julia singing]
Amanda: That's right. Doesn't mean I'm loney when I'm alone.
Eric: [singing] This is my fight song. Take back my life song.
Amanda: Exactly right. And so that means that when I take harm and a fight, I get +1 forward until the fights over
Eric: Ooh, that's fun.
Brandon: Oh, guys, I'm sorry. We got a copyright strike, we gotta quit the podcast.
Julia: Oh, dear, our bad. Yeah, it's almost like Amanda and I went through some really fucked up emotional things in the last fight that we went through and we're like, how can we make this better?
Eric: So true.
Amanda: Exactly.
Eric: Yeah, for sure. I love that. That's great.
Brandon: That's cool. Yeah, I love that.
Amanda: Right on.
Eric: Alright, as the three of you are eating chocolate chips in your cabin, you hear [distant horn noises]
Brandon: And Springer arrives.
Eric: And there seems to be like the bone-shattering deep rumble horn of a truck carrying a trailer. Sometimes there's trucks that come in, they bring Springer's supplies, or are dropping off some sort of new furniture or, I don't know, fun equipment. I guess the last time you saw this was for the loop de loop slide. And since it was from that janky waterpark, it was unshackled in the bed of some guy's pickup truck.
Amanda: Yes.
Julia: Just jumbling around
Amanda: There are nuts and bolts all over I-90 and-
Eric: This is jibling, jumbling.
Brandon: It's missing the panel because of that but we just say that's part of it. You just have to like if you get the momentum you still make it from one to the other, you know?
Julia: They put it at the top.
Eric: It's on the top of the Loop The Loop? Yeah the gravity if because of gravity, it's fine. Yeah.
Brandon: Imagine a younger like, like six-year-old going, weee! Like fucking roller coaster tycoon.
Julia: Away from the water based on how the loop de loop is too.
Eric: Yeah, no one's ever died at Camp Die.
Julia: No one's ever died at Camp Die.
Eric: It's called centripetal force. You're gonna learn it in {physics when you're in high school.
Amanda: Don't worry about it.
Eric: High school physics 1. But yeah, so there's a-- so it's not uncommon for a big truck to be pulling into camp.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh, hey. Do we need like propane or something? What's happening?
Brandon (as Les): Maybe it's the chocolate chip delivery, which would be great.
Julia (as Phoebe): We've eaten so many of the chocolate chips. I kind of feel bad for Springer.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah.
Eric: You guys can just keep hanging out eating-
Julia: What’s on the truck, Eric?
Eric: I– no, truly you don't have to go see truck.
Julia: I wanna know what's on the truck.
Eric: You go out there.
Julia: It was bone-shattering.
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: Yeah, I have a question. It says, is it something normally that CITs would go sort of greet the truck-
Julia: Like, help unload?
Brandon: -and help unload?
Eric: Not necessarily. I would say that.
Brandon: Oh, yeah. Then we're just going to stay here.
Eric: The kids do like running up to the truck because they're like, oh my god, civilization, remember that? Remember the outside?
Julia: It's like in the Music Man. When it’s the Wells Fargo wagon. And everyone goes, I'm getting something from the Wells Fargo wagon.
Eric: A bunch of 10-year-olds are like the Wells Fargo wagon is a comin’, yeah, absolutely.
Julia: Thank you.
Eric: So the campers do run out there. I mean, it's up to you if you want to-
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: -help take something out of a truck.
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Why did the children always run it at the moving truck? Let's- let's go
Julia: Yeah, we like we have to go out and herd them-
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: -away from the truck.
Brandon: That's why the truck drivers always honk so loudly so they're like, "Adult! Adult!
Julia: "Help! Help!"
Eric: Yeah, you guys run over there and of course, there are various kids singing songs from The Music Man in front of the truck.
Brandon: Springer with a top hat coming on and off.
Eric: Yeah, they're just [truck honking noises]
Eric (as Mystery Trucker): Get out of the way!
Julia (as Phoebe): Alright, everyone, everyone's step away from the giant tires so that we don't get run over. Can't enjoy camp if we get run over.
Eric: I think this doesn't look like the usual like truck head pulling a trailer you know what I'm saying? I think that this is actually like a big pickup truck that is pulling a rather large trailer behind it. The trailer’s beat up it has a ton of like divots and and ouchies and it's incredibly dirty in a-
Julia: Like a U-haul trailer kind of thing?
Eric: Yeah, it's more of a U-haul trailer and also spray painted on the side with decent it seems like they paid an actual graffiti artists to do this says, "Property of the Puzzle Cleric. Open your mind, find your way through."
Brandon: Holy shit
Julia: Oh, boy.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Who is that?
Julia (as Phoebe): Do you think it's like a maze? Sounds like a maze.
Brandon (as Les): There's only one way to find out.
Brandon: And then Les just got back in the track, let's let's fucking go maybe.
Eric (as Camper): Do you not know how to read yet? It says puzzle cleric on it.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Eric (as Camper): I can read. I can read even though this many old.
Brandon (as Les): Sir, do you have drugs on you?
Eric (as Camper): No, I would just nine.
Julia: Pheobe looks at this kid and is like-
Julia (as Phoebe): I can read. It’s like basically the only thing I do.
Eric (as Camper): Okay, do you want to see a stick I have?
Julia (as Phoebe): No.
Eric (as Camper): Okay goodbye. [walking away]
Julia (as Phoebe): I don’t like that kid.
Eric: The kid runs away swinging a like, very nice a stick twice as tall as him, just swinging it around.
Julia: I Jinx him so he trips.
Eric: Phoebe roll Magic for me.
Julia: You got it. 7.
Eric: What is it, remind me what jinx does.
Julia: In this case, it's going to interfere with a monster, minion or bystander what they're trying to do.
Eric: Cool. This kid trips and falls.
Eric (as Camper): Oh, my stick. Oh, my stick. I broked it.
Brandon: Ooooh.
Amanda: Tater Tot runs over licks his cheeks, it's okay.
Eric: Yeah, Jane leans down from his crutches and say-
Eric (as Jane): Hey, kid, that just means you're gonna be able to find another stick.
Eric (as Camper): Thank you, Jane.
Brandon (as Les): Now you have two sticks.
Eric (as Jane): Now you have two sticks, and you could use them like you're a skier. Swish swish. You're going down a mountain. Shoosh shooosh! Can you do it with me?
Eric (as Camper): Eh, shh, shh, pshh.
Eric (as Jane): Yeah, that's right.
Julia: I'm not gonna feel bad for this kid.
Brandon: Oh my god. We're never gonna finish this episode.
Eric: That's why we record two sessions at a time.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Hell yeah. The truck pulling the U haul of the Puzzle Cleric pulls up next to the Cafetorium. And out hops out, kind of like a grizzled older man, maybe in his mid-40s, mid-50s. Though you can't really tell because you're too taken aback by everything that's just kind of going on with him. Shoulder length auburn hair, an eyepatch five o'clock shadow, big scar across his face.
Brandon: Cool.
Eric: A duster with the sleeves ripped off that goes all the way down to his knees.
Brandon: Less cool.
Eric: Black tank top underneath, black pants and black sneakers. He also has sunglasses on his tank top pocket that he doesn't put out obviously because he has the eyepatch on. But if he could put them on, maybe he do that just to complete the whole look. He's also a white man because he's inspired by Kurt Russell. So just like you take all of that in as he hops down. The other thing that you notice is that on his left arm, he has kind of like a black leather strap wrapped all the way around. It kind of starts from his hand and wraps up his wrist of his forearm and up to his bicep. On the end of the black leather strap, a kind of there's three black boxes that's affixed by the leather strap. The leather strap like kind of goes through all three boxes, and you hold them down as it's wrapped around his arm. That's like kind of held down by the black leather strap. It is like tied on his left hand.
Brandon: So like three-dimensional boxes that are physically real and like how big are they?
Eric: Yes, correct. And maybe the size of like two matchboxes stacked on top of each other because they're cubes.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: Almost like a small ring box.
Eric: Yes, like a small ring box, but they're a it's a cube and the three of them are kind of in a row as attached by the leather strap.
Julia: Phoebe's gonna walk up to this guy and be like-
Julia (as Phoebe): Hello, sir, are you expected?
Eric (as Mystery Trucker): I guess in the way anyone is expected. But I have business with the director.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay. Yeah, it was a yes or no question, but. Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Hi, I'm Carrie-Ann, I'm basically her assistant. May I, may I ask who's calling?
Brandon (as Les): You're Phoebe's assistant? Is that new thing that we've-
Julia (as Phoebe): Oh, you mean the director. No, I gotcha.
Eric (as Mystery Trucker): Oh, you're Friday's assistant. Yeah.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): [gasps] [whispers] He said his first name.
Julia (as Phoebe): [whispers] Are they like, do you think they dated?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): [whispers] I would love to know.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Let her know that Crudo Anaconda has pulled up-
Julia: Fuck you.
Eric: Uhh, what? Yeah, Julia?
Julia: No, nothing.
Eric: Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I'm sorry. You said Crudo Anaconda?
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Yes. spelled the way that it sounds.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Okay. Um, please take a seat. I will be right back.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): No problem.
Brandon: Eric, real quick before we go any further, can I just use my Ockham's Broadsword here?
Eric: Yeah, for sure.
Brandon: Can you tell me if this thing is natural or unnatural creature, a weird phenomenon or a person?
Eric: I will tell you that he is a person. But he turns to you and says-
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Hey, uh, you like puzzles?
Julia (as Phoebe): Not when an older man asks me like that.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Excuse me. I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to this tall drink of water in front of me.
Julia (as Phoebe): That's a weird thing to say to a teenage boy, sir.
Brandon (as Les): [in a raspy voice] Hey, I like puzzles.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): You do?
Eric: Les, how tall are you?
Brandon (as Les): I'm 6'1, baby.
Eric: Got it. Crudo Anaconda is six feet tall. So you do have an inch on him. He's like, he is broad. He is as rectangular of a man as you've ever seen.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): So, what puzzles you like? You like rebuses? You like Rubik's? You like mazes? You like escape rooms? What do you play, soldier?
Brandon (as Les): I like escape rooms. But I call them just rooms. Because-
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Yeah, I also just call them rooms because they're just you there's ways you get in and out.
Brandon (as Les): Yeah.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Yeah, just rooms to me. There's like open doors. I was just about to say they're just rooms.
Brandon (as Les): Yeah, fuck yeah.
Julia (as Phoebe): Les, are you sick? Do you need to go to the nurse's office? There's something like wrong with your voice.
Brandon (as Les): What? It's early morning, maybe I just need a little bit of water, you know?
Julia (as Phoebe): Are you going through puberty again? You can tell me.
Brandon (as Les): Phoebe, do you do that twice? Is that a thing you can do twice?
Julia (as Phoebe): Les, I don't know. Why would I that?!
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): They didn’t cover second puberty in CIT training.
Brandon (as Les): It's like second breakfast.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah.
Julia: Yes, but what about second puberty?
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Really? I have to start setting up. But you should stick around and make sure to check out what the Puzzle Cleric's all about.
Brandon (as Les): Fuck yeah. Hey, Crudo.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Hey, no swearing. Not in front of the kids.
Brandon (as Les): Oh, I'm sorry. Heck yeah, Crudo.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Yeah?
Brandon (as Les): Do you do close-up magic?
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): No, I do close-up puzzles.
Eric: And he pulls out a piece of paper that has a really intricate maze on it. And then he pulls out a Sharpie for those in like the tank top pocket. And then you just hear it "Pshhh pshhhhhshhh!" And then you look at it. And it's perfect.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Noooo!
Julia: And he didn't even look at it.
Eric: Now he was looking at you in the eye the entire time.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Damn.
Julia: Wow.
Brandon (as Les): God, I love that.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Where is Fri- Where is Friday? Where did where did her assistant go? I need to talk to Friday.
Amanda: Yeah, Carrie-Ann, unfortunately, missed this whole exchange because she ran inside and said-
[Amanda as Carrie-Ann is talking unintelligibly fast]
Eric (as Director Löw): [sighs] Carrie-Ann, we talked about you talking slower.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): You're right, you're right.
Eric (as Director Löw): What's happening?
[Carrie-Ann hyperventilating]
Eric (as Director Löw): Is this choc- is another chocolate chip delivery? Or is it the whipped cream because the kids have been throwing it around so much.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): No, that's what we thought it was. It's a man called Crudo Anaconda. And he's called you by your first name. And I'm not going to repeat it even though I really want to and he's outside and he asked for you. And I said I was your assistant. I hope that's okay.
Eric (as Director Löw): Crudo’s here. Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): You called him by your first name, have you kissed?
Eric (as Director Löw): Carrie-Ann I don't I'm not going to my private-
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh, is that an outside thought?
Eric (as Director Löw): That's inside, that's a private question.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I'm sorry. Okay, go ahead.
Eric (as Director Löw): Okay.
Eric: Back outside and Carrie-Ann, you can you can hustle-
Amanda: I hustle behind her. Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, as Director Löw walks out. At this point Crudo Anaconda, he's opening up the trailer in the back and he kind of just like throws open the doors, and then all of the doors of the trailer like drop like it's a set. Like it opens up like a-
Amanda: Like a Chinese food box. Yeah.
Eric: Thank you like a Chinese food box. Yeah. And inside, you hear like a whirring of a generator. And you see that an inflatable kind of like, bouncy castle starts to inflate.
Amanda: Whoa.
Eric: And starts to open up. It's one of those really intense bouncy castles, you know, those like the ones that like is an obstacle course.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: You know, that has like a slide that goes up and maybe, you gotta like jump in between some-
Julia: Pillars.
Eric: Pillars yeah, inflatable pillars or something, and so it's pretty intense. And then there is an area that you have to squeeze yourself in between two inflatable walls. And that seems like there it's you got to go inside and be like-
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Let me- let me tell you kids my story. And you're all going to be able to do this tomorrow when the Puzzle Cleric is fully set up.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): We weren't told about any puzzling event.
Julia (as Phoebe): They did say there was going to be a surprise, though.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh.
Julia (as Phoebe): Is this the surprise?
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): This is the surprise.
Brandon (as Les): Got it. I hope it is, otherwise-
Julia (as Phoebe): Otherwise, really weird that you just showed up here?
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Yeah, one day I was wandering around in the jungles of some country that doesn't exist anymore. I stumbled upon some ancient ruins. [acoustic-like instrumental fading in] And I saw some pieces that were on the ground. And I realized that if I assembled the pieces, and seemingly there was a head, a torso, and the legs of a silver monkey, that I had to assemble together as a shrine. And once I did that, I was spoken to by an eldritch puzzle god of a long storied civilization that doesn't exist anymore.
Julia (as Phoebe): Oh, so you're a colonizer?
[sudden stop of music]
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): No, it's not- no, it's not. I was willing. It saw me as the chosen one who came upon their shrine that needed to be assembled. And I go around our country and various other countries trying to bring the good world of the good word of puzzles to various kids and see if they're ready to take on the thing that's inside of them to grow in the puzzles. It’s teen-- this is team--
Eric: Director Löw says-
Eric (as Director Löw): Yes, campers. This is our teen team-building activity that we're going to do tomorrow. If everyone is really good and stops throwing whipped cream around so much. You're going to do the challenge of the Puzzle Cleric and build your self-esteem and learn skills. That's what we're that's what we're doing but we're gonna do it tomorrow. Once the Puzzle Cleric is set up.
Brandon (as Les): Hey, Director why do you keep pausing before you say it.
Eric (as Director Löw): Because I'm remembering who this is in front of me, Les.
Brandon (as Les): Right, right, right.
Eric (as Director Löw): It's the puzzle cleric is setting up and they will have the puzzle, the challenge you will do it tomorrow. So everyone go to your activities. There you should be swimming or doing macrame or learning rugby, whatever we do things here at camp. Go, go go go go.
Julia: Phoebe turns to walk away then turns back look this man in the eye and says-
Julia (as Phoebe): You're a chosen one? Okay.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): I don't know what's going on with you. So I do not understand where that's coming from. Are you saying that you understand Chosen One things?
Julia: Phoebe has already walked away just looking over her shoulder like kind of scoffs.
Eric: Director Löw says-
Eric (as Director Löw): No, Phoebe, not you, Phoebe. Les, Carrie-Ann, come here. I meant the campers not, not, not you guys. The staff needs to stay.
Brandon (as Les): Oh, okay.
Julia (as Phoebe): I thought I had to like supervise the macrame. So I was just gonna go.
Eric (as Director Löw): No, they're doing that at the Art Barn and they have the Art Barn, folks have that-
Brandon (as Les): I'm on swimming today. I thought that I might have misread the schedule.
Eric (as Director Löw): No, it's fine. I didn't realize that the Puzzle Cleric was coming this early and I have a special thing that I needed the three of you to do.
Brandon (as Les): Oh okay.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Really? Are you sure? Because I like I didn't know how much kids could harm each other with a rugby ball. So I was gonna just like double check on that.
Brandon: Famously non-violent sport, rugby.
Eric (as Director Löw): They're playing flag- Carrie-Ann, we're playing flag rugby today.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh, okay.
Brandon: How do you have a flag scrum?
Julia: You just do, Brandon.
Eric: Hey, Bran- hey, Brandon, yes and, how do you do a flag scrum?
Brandon: I don't know. Maybe you just like hold your flags out in them in a circle or you just like-
Amanda: Oh, here it is. Maybe it's like a banner, a flag is like a pennant, you know, a flag that got all tangled up. And y'all have to compete to see who can untangle it the fastest.
Brandon: I love that.
Amanda: That's the kind of sport I would like to play.
Eric: That's fun. That's kind of like a biathlon.
Amanda: Right?
Eric: Like two very different things. You know how it's like shooting and skiing?
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: This is like rugby and knot untying.
Amanda: Exactly. Just saying. Worth the chance, worth a thought.
Eric: Tossing and place kicking an oblong ball and getting a knot untangled is the biathlon.
Amanda: Listen, which one are you gonna use more in your adult life? I'll leave that question with you.
Eric: That's true. I do use drop kicking in my life every single day. Unlike Calculus. I dropkick every day.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): So you're gonna be my testers.
Julia (as Phoebe): No, thank you?
Brandon (as Les): I’m in. Let's go.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, I'm Phoebe. I think we have to maybe supervise Les as he does this.
Brandon (as Les): What?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I think no, no, Les. Shhhh...
Brandon (as Les): Okay.
Amanda: And I like, put a hand over his face.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): So, how tall are you?
Brandon (as Les): I'm-
Brandon: This is going on the background as you continue to talk.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, I think Les really wants to have like, a whole vibe like this guy.
Julia (as Phoebe): Why?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I think he's like, you know show off. I don't know. I think he might kind of show off too hard. And so maybe we have to just kind of like look out for him.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay, I guess.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Like, I kind of enjoy the personal branding, but I feel like a coat like that would just really get caught up with you after you know, like run, you know, from monsters or neighbors and, and like defend a kid or something.
Julia (as Phoebe): It just seems like a lot. Like there's a lot going on. Like he's mixing a lot of like metaphors and also like inspiration.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah.
Julia (as Phoebe): And like, I'm not like, listen, Carrie-Ann. I'm not here to judge people. But I am judging him a little bit.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): So, um, Director Löw totally called him by his first name. I think that means they kissed.
Julia (as Phoebe): Oh my god, they totally kissed.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Right?
Brandon (as Les): So you're saying you got that from Men's Warehouse?
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): No, YOU keep saying I got it from Men's Wearhouse. I got this on a lone dusty road, out there in the deserts outside. You know, it's that part when you're driving from LA to Las Vegas. And you think you're gonna die and you're-
Brandon (as Les): I can't drive.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Well, you'll know when you're older. It's like, you should watch the movie Rounders and Boogie Nights.
Amanda(as Carrie-Ann): Do you need someone to do your laundry? Because we have laundry here.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): I can do the laundry.
Julia(as Phoebe): I can do really looks like you need someone to do your laundry.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, like you got it on the road. And then it's still dusty from it.
Eric: I need everyone to roll. I know. I know. This is a D&D thing, but I need everyone to row +Sharp for me.
Amanda: Okay, shit.
Brandon: Great.
[dice rolls]
Amanda: Sorry to say that's a 5.
Julia: I rolled an 11.
Eric: Oh, wonderful.
Brandon: I rolled a 6 total.
Eric: Okay, Phoebe, you can see. You can see that. The Puzzle Cleric makes direct eye contact with Director Löw and says-
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): No, I can do my own laundry just fine. I'm good at it.
Julia (as Phoebe): Oh my God. They broke up because he doesn't know how to do laundry or he wasn't doing it enough. It seems like he's just an irresponsible adult.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Wow. I mean, I could get that from his whole vibe. But like wow.
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah, but like now we have confirmation.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Okay, so. So before the rest of the campers can go inside, I'm gonna need some testers to make sure that the challenge of the Puzzle Cleric is up and operational. Basically, here's what you have to do. I'm going to be inside with you. At various times, you're just going to have to get five keys off of me.
Eric: And you see that he opens up his his sleeveless duster. And there are five ornate gold keys attached to him with like, little chains.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): The kids aren't going to have to like grab inside your coat, right? Because I just think that’s not a good precedent to be setting.
Julia (as Phoebe): You understand why that sounds weird?
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): No, they're for the testers you're gonna have to grab them off of me but they will have the keys. So you have-- Yes, they will have to grab them off of me. It's a combination of puzzle solving, quickness and agility and also strength.
Brandon (as Les as Crudo): But the keys are all in appropriate places on my body.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): No there it's all appropriate I hold my duster out very far you're not he's not on my body. It's on the Duster.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): As long as it's more like flag rugby than it is like pickpocketing just because we try to teach about like boundaries and like bathing suit areas you know and stuff like that.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): I need people to stop assuming things about what I do and do not know about bathing suit areas. Yeah, it is exactly like flag rugby. It's like they're technically flags. Yes, but you got to but they have weight, they're keys, they're keys.
Brandon (as Les): Cool.
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): And you will find me I will appear in various various rooms as you go through the changes-- you go through the challenge of the Puzzle Cleric. And then eventually you will be able to come out the other side and beat the grand as you'd be the grand finale.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): What what do we like get a surprise?
Julia (as Phoebe): If you say satisfaction, I'm going to be really disappointed.
Brandon (as Les): I think it's I think it's friendship and team building. I think it's the reward, right?
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): Yeah. And then like, I don't know, you’re testers, you’re staff. How about like whoever, which one of you comes out first gets $50
Brandon (as Les): 50?
Eric (as Crudo Anaconda): $50
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah.
Julia (as Phoebe): That's a lot of money.
Brandon (as Les): You have $50?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Wow.
Brandon (as Les): You're rich.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): You're paid that well.
Julia (as Phoebe): Like $100
Brandon (as Les): That's like $200 dollars.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): That’s like $1000. Yeah.
Eric: Well, fine. You drive a hard bargain. How about $60.
Brandon (as Les): Holy.
Julia (as Phoebe): What?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): What?!
Julia (as Phoebe): That's like $120.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): That's like three 20s or a 50 and a 10 instead of just a 50.
Brandon (as Les): That's a lot of money.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Where do you even spend a 50? Who even takes 50?
Brandon (as Les): Do you know how many chocolate chips you can buy with that? Because I don't, can you tell me?
Julia (as Phoebe): Are we talking about bags of chocolate chips? Or do you want to like an individual count?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): 1000s of discrete chips, I bet.
Brandon (as Les): Either is fine.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Like in a bun in a bag of mini chips that cost what like $4 and you get like at least 400 chips.
Eric (as Crudo): Do you want me to give you chocolate chips instead?
Brandon (as Les): Yeah!
Eric (as Crudo): Okay.
Julia (as Phoebe): I want to be able to buy my chocolate chips.
Brandon (as Les): Sure.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Okay.
Julia: What is up with us and chocolate chips this episode? I don't know what's happening.
Eric: With cream and chocolate chips. That's the only currency that exist here.
Julia: Oh, I'm sorry. Is this taking place on a Sunday?
Eric: Hey, Julia. Great job. Good job, Julia. Good job.
Brandon: Oh, boy.
Julia: Good, can I have some party points?
Eric: Yeah, Julia, you get 10 party points.
Julia: Can I get a Joken, please?
Eric: Yeah, Julia gets one Joken.
Amanda: Yay.
Eric: To acknowledge that you made a joke so good, we had to stop.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Good job.
[theme]
Amanda: Hey, it's Amanda. I am here wearing loose overalls and a sweatshirt. And I gotta tell you, this is the kind of outfit that I would have blocked against when I was in kindergarten and elementary school. But good god do I love it now. This is the premonition of fall. This is the midroll, welcome, you made it. First and foremost, thank you to our newest patrons Tyler and Jeremy. The party never stops over in our patron-only discord where we are releasing such incredible things as our every other week patron-exclusive video podcast party planning. We went through famous groups of four recently and said which of each we are things like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Scooby Doo gang. We didn't do Scooby Doo himself. The elements suits of cards, it was so much fun over the seasons, things got a little contentious, but also some of them we all just knew right off the bat. It was really, really fun. And it's available to all patrons. Join today at patreon.com/jointhepartypod. With fall in the air, and the night sky is kind of beckoning to you. Isn't it a great day to check out Exolore This is all about what life is like on a planet different from our own and how writers create our favorite fictional worlds. Dr. Moiya McTier explores why fictional worlds are the way they are and how we get inspired to make them you will learn and laugh and gain an appreciation for how special our planet really is. So search for Exolore like the word Explore, but it's got an O instead of a P in your podcast app or go to exolorepod.com. We are sponsored this week by Backblaze. And seriously, every Monday morning, I come to the office a little bit earlier than I have to. And I plug in my external hard drive and I go to my Backblaze. And I watch the happy little icon as my Backblaze updates. And make sure that not just my computer, but my external backup hard drive is backed up to the cloud. Oh my god, there is no better feeling than knowing that my data is safe and on the cloud. And if I need something that's like on my external hard drive, and I forgot to send it to myself or to print it, I can just go to Backblaze or use the very convenient Backblaze app and download any of my files from anywhere. Seriously, it is so affordable, it is so worthwhile. Trust me if anything were to happen to your device, you gotta make sure that all your stuff is backed up securely to the cloud, get a free, fully featured, no credit card required trial at backblaze.com/JTP. That's backblaze.com/jtp for a free fully-featured trial of Backblaze. Back up your stuff, please. And finally now word from our sponsor BetterHelp, therapy can be a really useful tool when there are problems in your life that you're not really sure how to solve. Maybe it's that like Carrie-Ann, you call the director of your camp mom. Maybe I don't know you are like encountering something weird and bizarre and your instinct is not to sort of ask questions or get help, but just to double down and try to like tackle it on your own. Wow, my D&D Characters are really embarrassing. Just very clear examples of things I'm struggling with in my private life. Okay, so if there is something weighing heavily on your mind therapy can be a really incredible tool to help you learn to kind of strengthen those muscles and learn those skills and solve those problems on your own. When you want to be a better problem solver, therapy can get you there. Visit betterhelp.com/jointheparty today to get 10% off your first month. That's better H E L P.com/jointheparty. My therapist, Amanda and I will be cheering you on. And now let's get back to the show.
[theme]
Eric: God, this podcast. And Director Löw says-
Eric (as Director Löw): Yeah, okay, sure. The Puzzle Cleric will give whoever wins $60. Fine. Alright, um, Carrie-Ann. Can I just talk to you for a second?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Always. Sorry. I mean, yes.
Eric: Yeah. So the director pulls you aside, and-
Brandon: The camera fades away and you hear-
Brandon (as Les): So is this 100% pleather or is it like actual genuine?
Brandon: And then we fade into conversation.
Eric (as Crudo): Yeah, it has to be pleather, I'm a vegan.
Eric (as Director Löw): Hey, Carrie-Ann -
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Did you um, did you did you notice my shirt? Is that why we're talking right now?
Eric (as Director Löw): What is your shirt?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): It's from the year you started camp!
Eric (as Director Löw): Yes.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I got it on eBay!
Eric (as Director Löw): That's why I pulled it. That's why I pulled it aside. Yeah, I love your shirt.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I mean, like, I don't I don't know for sure it was yours. Because like you would never put your old camp gear on eBay. But like, there is a stain. Do you see it? It's right here.
Amanda: And she like holds up her armpit and there's like a marinara stain.
Julia: How did that get there?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): See? I don't know if you don't recognize it, but like I thought it was, I thought it was really authentic.
Eric (as Director Löw): Yeah, Carrie-Ann I really need you to win those $60, to win the challenge of the Puzzle Cleric. I think it'll be really important to demonstrate that you've learned a lot here at camp. And that people who are going to grow up to be camp directors. I think it will be really important to demonstrate-- I know it is it is working together as a team. But ultimately, there will be someone who comes out.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Someone who always wins on the team. And I always say someone always wants on the team.
Eric (as Director Löw): Yeah, that's why I need that. I do need that to be you. And it’s very important to me. And if you do it, I'll be very proud of you.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh my god. Yes, of course. Thank you for trusting me.
Eric (as Director Löw): Yeah, absolutely. Okay. And you can still keep the $60, I just need you to I need you to win it.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Okay. Yeah.
Eric (as Director Löw): Great. Okay, great. Thank you.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh, my God.
Eric (as Crudo): So the, also the the great thing about pleather that it also wicks away sweat unlike regular leather.
Julia (as Phoebe): Oh, my god.
Brandon (as Les): That's amazing.
Eric (as Crudo): Yeah.
Brandon (as Les): Do you have to wash it ever or is that just something you don't do?
Eric (as Crudo): Are you- is this like a teenage boy thing that I need to tell you to wash your clothes? You guys should be washing your washing your clothes.
Brandon (as Les): Oh, okay.
Eric (as Crudo): Even your your dusters.
Brandon (as Les): I was confused by the conversation earlier but yet that makes sense.
Julia (as Phoebe): Your whole vibe gives me the impression that you don't wash your clothes though.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Okay, are you guys ready to get started?
Eric (as Crudo): Teen Girls. Teen girls are so mean. My- oh my god. I felt that, but--
Brandon (as Les): Hey, I thought you. [clears throat] Hey, I thought you're cool, man. Don't talk about Phoebe like that.
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah.
Eric (as Crudo): Alright. Alright, guys. Okay, well, you know, it's time for me to do my do my Puzzle Cleric stuff. So whenever you're ready, go inside. And I just started go push yourself into the challenge of the Puzzle Cleric. And we'll you'll get and you'll get going. Remember, you gotta get all five keys off of me, and, and then you'll get to the grand finale. Really quick. Oh, I forgot. I forgot to ask. Hey, what is each of your greatest fear?
Brandon (as Les): Uhhh...
Julia (as Phoebe): No, no.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): No.
Eric (as Crudo): I do need to know what your greatest fear is before you go inside.
Julia (as Phoebe): Cool. My greatest fear is uh...
Eric (as Crudo): Here, I'll give you each a piece of paper and you can just write it down on merit. It gives each of you a slip of paper and a pencil and like a golf pencil to write your greatest fear down on it.
Julia: Phoebe writes kittens.
Amanda: Carrie-Ann writes winning
Brandon: Les writes a world in which supernatural beings aren't real.
Amanda: Oh, bud.
Eric: Great. Okay. I'm going to ask each of you are those real? Kittens, I'm gonna go ahead and say is not real.
Julia: Hey, rude.
Eric: And was winning I'm gonna say is not real.
Amanda: That's right.
Eric: Les, was yours real?
Brandon: Yeah. I mean, like, he loses his purpose that way.
Eric: Yeah, in a world where the supernatural doesn't exist. Okay. You don't have to roll for this. So I'm going to need you guys to manipulate someone. So please roll +Charm.
[dice roll]
Amanda: 7.
Julia: 7 as well.
Eric: Okay, but you got a 7. I'm going to Slack both of you something really quickly.
Amanda: Eric, I'm loving this character. I'm so excited.
Julia: [singing] This man is a nightmare.
Eric: [singing] Nightmare. Nightmare.
Julia: [singing] He doesn't wash his clothes.
Eric: That's not true. The Puzzle Cleric who takes the slips of paper away from you, and looks at them really quickly and says-
Eric (as Crudo): You know, it's really important for the challenge. If you're gonna be able to grow as teens, if you're honest about what you're afraid of.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Okay.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Amanda: Carrie-Ann holds out her hand.
Eric (as Crudo): So, anybody wants to change theirs.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yes.
Julia (as Phoebe): Kittens are really scary. They have like, very sharp claws and very sharp teeth and they don't know boundaries yet.
Brandon (as Les): That is true.
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah.
Eric (as Crudo): Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, I'll change it.
Eric (as Crudo): You're gonna, you want to change do you want to change it?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yes-uh!
Eric: He gives it to you another slip of paper.
Amanda: Carrie-Ann crosses out winning and writes losing camp.
Julia: Awww…
Amanda: Alright. So he takes that.
Brandon: The camp lights on fire in a Chicago Fire-esque incident.
Eric: A cow goes moo and then the Cafetorium bursts into flames. It's like-
Julia: Oh, no.
Eric (as Crudo): Okay, thank you. I appreciate everybody for being truthful. I will see you inside. And he pushes his way into the challenge. And you just the squeaking of inflatable plastic.
Brandon: Against pleather.
Eric: Yeah, against pleather as he pushes his way inside of the inflatable challenge. And Phoebe, I'm gonna need you to roll for your premonition.
[dice roll]
Julia: Shit. I rolled a 5.
Eric: Tight. Mark experience.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: And what does that mean?
Julia: That means that on a miss you get a vision of something bad happening to you and the keeper holds 3 to be spent 1 for 1 as penalties to roles you make.
Eric: Okay. Phoebe, you immediately flash to another moment as you're in your premonition. And you are, you're on the edge of a cliff. But the cliff is made out of inflatable plastic. And you are like you're you feel yourself falling and falling and you're losing your balance and behind you is just like nothingness behind you. And you're falling and in front of you. You see Les riding a moose-
Julia (as Phoebe): What?
Eric: -and you're falling backwards and Les is just looking at you while riding a moose.
Julia (as Phoebe): Charles?
Julia: And the moose goes-
Eric (as Moose): Moo.
Brandon: And Les is singing-
Brandon (as Les): [singing] Charles in charge, of my fate.
Eric: Do you want to reach out? Do you- you can reach out?.
Julia: Oh, I can interact with the premonition?
Eric: Yeah, you can interact. Yeah.
Julia: Wow. I reach out to try to grab a hold of something.
Eric: Yeah, there's nothing there. There's so-- Les riding the moose is like five feet in front of you, they're so close to you.
Julia: I tried to reach out further and further
Eric: And Les says-
Eric (as Premonition Les): I thought you could help yourself.
Eric: And then you fall backwards, then do you see Les riding the moose just going farther and farther and farther away, and as you're about to hit bottom, you come back.
Julia (as Phoebe): Ah!
Brandon: Oh, man, I don't like Premonition Les.
Julia: Phoebe just looked at Les.
Brandon (as Les): Yeah?
Julia: Like terrified and then looks back and it's like-
Brandon (as Les): What?
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Brandon (as Les): What? What? What happened?
Julia (as Phoebe): Nothing.
Brandon (as Les): Okay.
Julia (as Phoebe): Do you know Charles?
Brandon (as Les): Is that a camper?
Julia (as Phoebe): No, nevermind.
Brandon (as Les): Okay.
Eric (as Camper): I'm Charles, I have a stick.
Julia: Fuck that little kid.
Brandon: He has two sticks.
Eric (as Charles Stick): I'm Chawles, I have a stick. I have two sticks. I'm like skiing psh, psh, osh.
Julia: Fuck that little kid.
Eric: Alright. Would you now the three of you would you like to push into the challenge of the Puzzle Cleric?
Julia: Yes.
Brandon: Before we do, Les is just going to say-
Brandon (as Les): Carrie-Ann, Phoebe? Just circle for a moment just getting can we huddle for a second?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Always, best friends.
Julia (as Phoebe): Sure.
Brandon (as Les): Okay. Before we enter this challenge, I just wanted to say, you know, they call like rock climbing, like a solo endeavor, but it's really a team sport. And I think it's a good metaphor for just like life and approaching challenges.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Is the team like you and also the rocks in that scenario?
Brandon (as Les): No, it's like your other team members of your team. So like,
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh, sure.
Brandon (as Les): Yeah, yeah. So like, even though when one person looks like they're doing the thing, there's always people supporting them with like, you know, like carabiners, and like water and making sure that they're all okay and support. So like, I just wanted to say, we do this as together, we do this as a team. We hold it prop each other up. We support each other. There's no I in team. You can't win a team sport individually. So I believe in us. Let's go kick this guy's ass.
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah, and like, you know, I don't know if I'm gonna win. I don't know who's gonna win. But like, if I win, I'll split that $60 with you guys.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, I totally will too. But the thing is, I do need to win.
Julia (as Phoebe): Oh, okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): So, wait.
Brandon (as Les): So it's not a team sport?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): No, like the team like we one of us has to win, but the one that has to win does have to be me. Doesn't mean that I win. It means we won, but I am the one who wins, you know?
Brandon (as Les): No.
Julia (as Phoebe): Is this, Carrie-Ann, is this like super important to you that you win?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, it's like it's like a 12 out of 10.
Julia (as Phoebe): Oh, really high.
Brandon (as Les): Oh.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I'll split the money is totally fine to have the money even but like, I just I need to I need to do this for like my future.
Brandon (as Les): Did, was I-- did I mishear our good friend here. He say like this was like team building and teen building.
Julia (as Phoebe): Its team and teen. Yeah.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, yeah.
Brandon (as Les): Okay. You so wanna win. This is like a thing that-
Julia (as Phoebe): Well, isn't team building, you know, supporting Carrie-Ann in her very important mission?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Thank you.
Brandon (as Les): You know what?
Julia (as Phoebe): Like, well, you know, what make us good team members?
Brandon (as Les): You know what, Phoebe? You're right.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Brandon (as Les): I gotta put my ego and we take my ego out of my ego box, put it on the ground, and then I'm gonna go up that mountain baby.
Julia (as Phoebe): Were you carrying a box full of your ego with you?
Brandon (as Les): It's a metaphor.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh, okay. Yeah.
Julia (as Phoebe): Because like, I've read a book where someone could like, take their emotions out of them physically. And oh, like, put them aside. So-
Brandon (as Les): That sounds like a good fucking book.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): That sounds really helpful.
Brandon (as Les): Can I borrow that?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Can we do that?
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah, it's called Jar of Emotions.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh.
Brandon (as Les): I love it.
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah.
Brandon (as Les): Okay, everyone put your hands in.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Brandon (as Les): On three, say best friends. 1-2-3
Julia, Brandon, and Amanda (as the Bestfriends): Bestfriends!
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Thanks, guys. I love you. Okay, let's go kick some ass.
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): Anytime now. Get yourselves in here.
Julia (as Phoebe): Alright, let's go.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Okay.
Eric: Cool. You hop up there. The ground is bouncy and pliable below you. Everything is made of inflatables. You push like some rock 'em sock 'em bopper things out of the way and you wedge, you can wedge yourself in between these walls. As you go inside-
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): The challenge of the Puzzle Cleric.
Amanda: Yeah!
Brandon: The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire theme. Music just doo doo doo doo doo.
Eric: Alright, so I'm going to send you how this is going to work. I want to give a special shout out to Jason Cordova who wrote this a very long time ago for Dungeon World. Because in Monster of the Week, you're not supposed to like actually do a puzzle or a labyrinth or a thing like this, is that there are ways for you to navigate a large area in a different way, using a custom move. So I developed that based off of something that this guy wrote a very long time ago, when like tabletop RPG stuff was just in magazines. And he recently published this and I thought this was really interesting. Okay, so here is how this is going to work. As you are going to push through the challenge of the Puzzle Cleric is kind of that is going to have different rooms and you're going to go from room to room. Have you all seen Infinity Train? I know, Julia, you probably have.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Basically, like as you go through each room, each room can be a totally different genre, or a totally different like scenario. But the only condition is that everything is made out of inflatables. Okay.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: I love it. Like Snowpiercer.
Eric: Yeah, so he's like, exactly, just like Snowpiercer. Yes. I want you to keep that in mind, because this is the this is kind of the phenomena for those of you who have phenomena.
[Brandon hums]
Eric: Thank you, Brandon. Related moves for the mystery technically starting. As you navigate the challenge of the Puzzle Cleric, choose a leader and have them roll + Sharp. On a 10+, describe the next room. And now it's all made up of inflatables, and the party will then hold 1, if you roll 12+ you get to hold 2. At 7 to 9, you get to hold one and describe the room. But I'm going to introduce a hazard that you need to deal with, if you roll a 10+, you just say, this is how we transverse to how we move through this room or, or whatever.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: On a 6 or less, the course will fight back as you deal with the hazards. So it's going to be like a 7 to 9, but it's going to be even harder as I applied some more screws on you. And anytime you may spend 1 hold to come across something valuable or a resource, and you describe the area, you can do this in a room that already exists. Or you can do it as you're going into the next room. And they can be a totally different room that has some sort of valuable or resource in it. At any time when you are not immediately doing a puzzle, actually, I'm going to change that you can do this at any time, the party may spend one whole to encounter the Puzzle Cleric. If you defeat the Puzzle Cleric and grab a key off of him five times you can reach the finale.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: Okay.
Julia: And that's the group, right? Not individuals?
Eric: All of you together. The hold pool is collective and so are the keys.
Julia: Gotcha.
Eric: However move you want to do on to the Puzzle Cleric to grab a key from him. You can.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: I can reveal more as this goes and will will this move will get mooshed and meeshed in different ways, but this is kind of the basis of what we're doing.
Brandon: Okay. So on a 6 or less, we fail.
Eric: No, you will. You are always going to describe the next room.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: On 10+, you will have no problems and you get to describe how you kind of just move through it. Whether it's an easy room, if there is a hazard you just kind of take care of it easy and you just get to describe that.
Brandon: And if we get 12+, we just get a bonus. Extra bonus.
Eric: You get 2 points.
Brandon: Right, yeah, yeah.
Eric: On a 7 to 9, you still get one, but there will be a hazard that you will have to deal with that I will describe as you describe the room. On a 6 or less, the hazard is going to actively fight you as you tried to do it.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: Great.
Eric: And then you can use those holds to come across a value-- something valuable or a resource, or you can use the hold to run into the Puzzle Cleric at any time to try to attack him and grab a key off of him.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: Love it.
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: Who has the highest Sharp? I'm just 1.
Brandon: Does it matter? Because I think Carrie-Ann is the leader. So-
Julia: Can-
Amanda: I don't have to be the leader? As long as I'm the one that crosses the finish line, baby.
Julia: Yeah, that's fine.
Brandon: That's fair. That's fair.
Julia: I have a +2.
Amanda: I think you should lead.
Brandon: I have a +1.
Amanda: Or one of you should lead.
Julia: I mean, let's see how it goes. And then I want to give everyone else opportunities to also describe the rooms. So-
Amanda: Sure.
Eric: I'm going to describe the first room-
Julia: Okay, great.
Eric: -to give you a sense of what this is, but I will still let you lead.
Julia: Excellent.
Brandon: Oh, Eric, a quick question with my Ockham's Broadsword when you describe the Puzzle Cleric, do I get plus one for dealing with it?
Eric: You get +1 forward dealing with the Puzzle Cleric, yes. So if you want to use that, you get 1 whenever you want to do something to it, but remember forward just means you get to use that singularly.
Brandon: Right. Yeah.
Eric: Yeah. So Phoebe. Well, you can still roll on this, but I will describe the first one.
Julia: I rolled a 7.
Eric: Okay, 7. Great. So the Party currently has 1 in the hold pool. Okay.
Julia: Gotcha.
Brandon: Cool.
Eric: So as you push your way through with a like a inflatable rubbery pop, you look up and you see that there is a-- everything is still inflatable, the ground still gives under your weight, and there's a little bit of a bounce to it. But do you see that there is a climbing wall that goes straight up, it goes to about 20 feet in the air, there are little climbing wall nubbins that are placed inside of it. But of course they are attached to the climbing wall and they're still made out of inflatable bouncy castle material. You also look up and you hear caw! As you see little balloon animal birds flying by.
Brandon (as Les): Cool.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Eric: The sky has little clouds floating by but beyond that sky, you see it is also just like blue inflatable sky.
Brandon: Cool.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): How expensive was this thing?
Julia (as Phoebe): This guy spent a lot of money on something that is used by teens for team building. And that seems interesting.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah.
Brandon (as Les): I mean, you know, he has $60 to give away.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): That's true.
Brandon (as Les): He's obviously a billionaire.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, you're right.
Julia (as Phoebe): Good point. It's a good point.
Eric: Also, you as you can look up and I'm at the top of the climbing wall, there is a big golden rubbery doorway. That is like slightly ajar that leads to the next room.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: Cool. Can we assume that like the nubbins are-- can hold our weight?
Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You, I think Les, especially you can like you immediately do like a cursory scramble. And you like you know, it's that thing when you're when you as a kid you like go to a climbing wall. And while you're waiting for the teams to attach yourself to the belay, one of the kids just kind of like climbs up 6 feet. And you're like, you shouldn't do that yet just to test it out. You can't you definitely do that and you just kind of scramble up and you can they definitely hold your weight. Yeah.
Brandon: Cool. Going forward, can we assume that like the things that are in the rooms have the physical properties of the things that they look at? Or should we not assume that?
Eric: In general, yes. But-
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): [over the PA system] You know, the thing about puzzles is that there are tricks and treats everywhere.
Brandon: Cool.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Give me a key! Where are you?
Eric: Do you do actually want that?
Amanda: Yeah, I'm gonna yell that.
Eric: Okay. So-
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): Alright, here we go.
Eric: And from top of the climbing wall, you see just like the bottom of the of his size 12 boots just falling from above. And as he lands with a boing, boing, boing, and the Puzzle Cleric is now standing in front of you.
Julia (as Phoebe): Do we just have to ask for it? Is that a trick?
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): I'll just show. I'll show up whenever you, whenever you want. What's up? Do you have like a question?
Julia (as Phoebe): No, I want a key.
Brandon: I take the key.
Eric: Go on.
Julia: How do?
Eric: How?
Brandon: I snatch fast while he's talking to Phoebe.
Eric: He snatch fast. Alright.
Brandon: I'm going to use my No Limits. I'm going to push my physical-
Julia: Damn.
Brandon: -body pass it's-
Amanda: Already?
Brandon: -its limits. There's no limit on it. There's no limit on the No Limits.
Eric: Okay.
Julia: You just have to roll well.
Brandon: Yeah, but I just want to move real fast.
Eric: Okay, what uh, yeah. What does that look like? If you're doing something that's super natural, in terms of how you're pushing your body? How are you gonna grab a key off?
Brandon: Yeah, so I think Les spots of opportunity. And it's kind of like comedically ironic, because Les is a sort of like a slow moving kind of guy, you know? But as the Puzzle Cleric is talking to Phoebe, he spies an opportunity, and he just sort of like, juts out his hand, grabs the key and does like a barrel roll off to the side, or attempts to at least.
Eric: Cool. I like how we've established this before. They're like your Les is only two speeds are walking through the woods, and sprinting unnaturally.
Brandon: Yeah, it's like his body uses all the glucose in it like immediately.
Eric: Hell yeah. Alright. Yeah. Why don't you roll on it's this is + Weird for you.
Brandon: So I roll a 5 plus 2 for my weird, which is 7 and then I believe I have to use my +1 going forward on that.
Eric: From your Ockham's Broadsword.
Brandon: Broadsword, right, so that gives me an 8.
Eric: Okay, cool.
Brandon: So I do it, but I choose one consequence, I suffer 1 harm, take -1 forward or I need to rest right now.
Julia (as Les): Just gonna take a quick nap, guys.
Amanda (as Les): I'll meet you guys outside.
Eric: Yeah, what would you like?
Brandon: Um, I'll take that -1 forward.
Eric: Okay, cool.
Brandon: I think that's fun.
Julia: Can we all just grab keys in this one room? Sort of like the first room, we all have three keys. That would be funny as hell. I'm gonna say Eric's gonna tell me no.
Eric: I'm gonna say no. I'm gonna say no, you can't do that. Because it's each individually the key-
Julia: Wrap it up.
Eric: -it's supposed to be for each encounter. Yeah, Les, I think you get your hand inside of the Duster and you're able to grab one of the keys. But as you pull your hand out, you feel your fingers get laced together, and you look down and all of your fingers are stuck in Chinese finger traps. Being like-
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): So, I'm going to tell you right now that the puzzle for that is not that you put your fingers together. There's another thing involved with that. So that was good. You did catch me off guard. You could keep the key.
Eric: As you have it smooshed in between your fingers even as they're trapped. So you-
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): Keep the key. That's fine.
Julia (as Phoebe): I think the answer is teamwork.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah.
Brandon (as Les): I bet the answer is like a knife or a saw.
Julia: Phoebe goes-
Julia (as Phoebe): I have a knife.
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): I mean, do you-- I can give you a clue. And would you like a clue?
Brandon (as Les): Yeah.
Julia (as Phoebe): Sure.
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): I-uh
Eric: He gestures towards the boxes that are affixed on his arm.
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): Yeah, you just need to trade me something and I can give you a clue. It's an equal trade as determined by the Puzzle God, by the Eldritch Puzzle God. But you know, the Eldritch Puzzle God is fair and wants teens to grow and learn things. So whatever you have to offer, I'm sure I can. We can come up with a trade. That's just what I got. That's what I really wanted to come in and say but you did get me and be taken key off of me. That was pretty good.
Julia (as Phoebe): Do you want like a half eaten bag of chocolate chips? Because we do have that.
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): I will check with the Eldritch Puzzle God but I'm gonna go ahead and say probably not.
Julia (as Phoebe): Well, that sucks.
Brandon (as Les): Oh thank god.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Do you want a handkerchief from Camp Die in the 90s? Because I got that.
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): No, I already have one of those from going to Camp Die in the 90s.
Eric: And he pulls-
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): You what?
Eric: He pulls out, he pulls it out of his tank top pocket. And he has a bandana from like 1992.
Julia: From 1892.
Eric: From 1892, from whatever year he has, he has a very old bandana that he uses to mop his brow.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Woah, I didn't see that coming. Do you want some of my pocket almonds?
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): I'm gonna need you guys to stop offering to the puzzle god. Unless-
Julia (as Phoebe): You said you wanted to trade.
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): I'm saying when you're ready for a clue I we can come to a trade. You can't just keep giving me things.
Julia (as Phoebe): We're not giving them to you. We're offering them to you.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): We're negotiating like-
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): -adults at a job.
Brandon (as Les): We can-
Julia (as Phoebe): I want a bonus.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): You should pay me as much as Les.
Brandon (as Les): We can give you like, like a bank. I can offer you $20 before I have it.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Oh.
Brandon (as Les): You know what I mean?
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): That's good, Les, that's interest.
Brandon (as Les): But when I said 20 I meant 1.
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): I feel like you guys aren't taking this seriously. So I'm gonna go.
Eric: As he just like get some momentum and room and bounces up and gets like halfway up the rock climbing wall and just scampers up and be like-
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): I'll see you again when you need me, just holler.
Julia (as Phoebe): Uhhh... Okay.
Eric: And he pushes his way into the golden balloon door.
Brandon: Eric, does that mean that we have used our 1 hold then?
Eric: Correct. You have used your one hold so you're back to 0 but you do have one key.
Brandon: Lovely.
Eric: But you can only roll again once you get through this particular hazard.
Julia: Sure.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay, first things first, best friends. I'm concerned about the inflatable birds.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Sure.
Julia (as Phoebe): Because I feel like we're going to try to climb up this and then they're going to peck at us and then we'll fall and that'll suck.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Smart.
Julia (as Phoebe): What if I tried to feed the inflatable birds some of our chocolate chips to distract them?
Brandon (as Les): That's a pretty hefty price to pay. I don't know if it’s worth it.
Julia (as Phoebe): Well, if we all get $20 at the end of this when Carrie-Ann wins, then we can buy like-
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): 2000 chips.
Julia (as Phoebe): I know, so many chips.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I am a little worried that chocolate is bad for birds. So how about these almonds instead?
Julia (as Phoebe): Sure. I mean they are inflatable. So they probably don't have like actual-
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): True, no, you're right.
Julia (as Phoebe): -Digestive Systems.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): You're right.
Eric (as Inflatable Bird): Caw!
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Alright. Go for it. That's definitely tastier than an almond.
Brandon (as Les): Do you? Do you both feel comfortable climbing? Do you-
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah.
Julia (as Phoebe): I mean, if I fall I bounce off a bouncy thing. So, it's probably okay.
Brandon (as Les): Cool, yeah that's sounds-
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, yeah.
Brandon (as Les): That sounds good to say yeah.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Why don't you go last, Les, give us a boost and we'll help pull you up over the top.
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah. Well, apparently we can just jump and get halfway up. Because that's what the Cleric did. So-
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): I know.
Julia: Phoebe is gonna pour a handful of chocolate chips out into her hand and then like go like.
Julia (as Phoebe): [bird calls] Ca-caw! Ca-caw!
Julia: And then throw it to the side.
Eric (as Bird): Ehh!
Eric: Pffft! All the inflatable birds dive bomb on the chocolate chips and it just start pecking them.
[happy bird noises]
Julia (as Phoebe): We did it. Alright, let's go.
Brandon: Eric, your bird voice is your best voice.
Amanda: I want one as a pet
[bird noises]
Amanda: Can I, Eric just real quick have boo talking at a bird?
Eric: Boo's not there.
Amanda: Oh, okay.
Eric: But we can cut to boo at woodworking where he's like-
Eric (as Boo): I'm gonna make my mom a bird.
Amanda: Thank you.
Eric (as Boo): I get to use the buzzsaw.
Brandon: Oh, no!
Julia: Oh, no.
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon (as Les): Go, go, yell. It's time to go, go.
Amanda: Let's go.
Julia: Alright, we're gonna climb up.
Eric: I'm going to say that this is Act Under Pressure.
Julia: Great.
Amanda: Cool.
Julia: Is that Tough?
Eric and Amanda: That is + Cool.
[dice roll]
Amanda: Nice. I got an 11.
Eric: Very good.
Julia: I got a 5.
Amanda: Oh, no!
Eric: Neat, neat. Oh, on a miss things go to hell. Yeah, yeah dude.
Amanda: Can I describe how I think this could work?
Eric: Yes, please.
Amanda: So I think if Les is willing to like with his hands like boost up both Phoebe and Carrie-Ann like a little bit up the wall, then I think Carrie-Ann really easily grabs on to one of them. Because she's very used to swinging down the bunk beds from the top bunk to like just do a patrol without anybody noticing at night, silently.
Brandon: Carrie-Ann is so creepy.
Amanda: But Phoebe slips. And so Carrie-Ann lunges down with her other arm to grab Phoebe's wrist and help steady her on the wall.
Eric: Yeah, absolutely. I think and you're also it's pulling on you hard because Phoebe. This is Phoebe's entire weight. That is plunging downwards.
Amanda: Yep. So I'm gonna roll again to help you, Phoebe.
Eric: Do it.
Julia: Great.
[dice roll]
Amanda: Okay, I got a 7.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: Alright.
Amanda: So that is a success, but I expose myself to danger. So Phoebe, you get a +2.
Julia: Okay, which means I get up to 7.
Amanda: Exactly.
Brandon: Nice.
Amanda: And then I expose myself to potential danger. So like, I'm probably much less stable on the wall and could potentially fall.
Eric: Yeah, you are holding Phoebe from falling over. But you're both in precarious situations on the climbing wall.
Amanda: Sure.
Eric: It's like the times when both when you don't have a good foothold. And you're just like kind of scrambling around to try to find something-
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: So both of you are now just holding yourselves off by like one hand on the-
Julia (as Phoebe): Ow. Ow. Ow.
Eric: -the climbing wall.
Brandon: I think at that point, Les would his trading would kick into gear and he would start sort of coaching the paths, the proper paths to get up there.
Amanda: Nice.
Eric: Sure. What does it look like?
Brandon: I think Les would be like-
Brandon (as Les): These are the moments that make us as climbers. So don't panic. It's important not to panic. Just look up and see your paths. Phoebe, your path is this way.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Brandon (as Les): Carrie-Ann, your path is this way.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Okay.
Brandon (as Les): Just move one hold at a time, one hold at a time. Slow and steady.
Eric: Okay, I'm gonna say this is Manipulate Someone because you're helping them and you're not going up and your hands are currently stuck in the finger traps.
Julia: Right, I forgot about that.
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: Yeah. So when Les is pointing he's pointing with both hands.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Like a seal.
Eric: So I'm going to tell you to roll + Charm, because you're charming another hunter, and we're going to kind of mush this a little bit and you get -1 forward for this.
Amanda: Yeah, you're charming us out of panic, the best kind of manipulation.
Brandon: So I rolled a 10.
Julia: Dang.
Brandon: + Charm is 11 -1 is 10.
Amanda and Julia: Oooh!
Eric: Dang, alright. Hell, yes.
Julia: Good job, Les.
Brandon: He's really good at climbing.
Eric: Yes.
Amanda: I just flashed forward to lessons like a high school phys ed coach that like really changes your relationship to like your body and the outdoors, and it was really sweet.
Julia: Aw!
Eric: Both Phoebe and Carrie-Ann, you're holding yourself up. And the only way for you to get up there is for you to like pull yourself up from like the ledge you’re on and like literally like fling yourself up to a more stable position. It would be a scary thing for you to do even though it's definitely the thing that you need to do.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: So if you two do that you get because Les rolled a 10 you get to mark experience and you get +1 forward to what you're going to do.
Amanda: Oh, hell yes.
Julia: Okay.
Amanda: Should we roll again to Act Under Pressure?
Eric: Yeah. Brandon, can you coach them through this move?
Brandon: Yeah, so Les says-
Brandon (as Les): Alright, you both pick up two D6's
Brandon: Just kidding.
Eric: I'm just laughing not in the microphone, you just didn't hear it.
Brandon: Les says-
Brandon (as Les): Alright, what you want to remember is that you're not actually putting weight on your hands. You want to put all your weight on your actual feet so you have a stable position. Now when you when you move to the next hold, keep your other other hand planted firm. Keep your feet planted firm, and then only move your feet when you have a good grip on your, on your two hands.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Okay, Phoebe ready on 3.
Julia (as Phoebe): 1.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): 2.
Julia (as Phoebe): 3.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Heh!
Eric: Alright, both of you Act Under Pressure.
[dice roll]
Julia: Oh, hell yeah, dog. I got a 10. Do I add anything to that?
Eric: Yeah, you add +1.
Julia: Great 11.
Amanda: 9 + 1 is a 10.
Julia: Yay, we doin it.
Eric: Alright, so both of you mark experience because you did what Les wanted.
Amanda: Yey!
Eric: Phoebe, I'm going to give you -2 from your premonition move.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Eric: So I'm going to drop that down to a 9. So it's going to be a mixed success, and I'm going to give you a worse outcome, a hard choice or a price to pay.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Eric: Phoebe, you trusted what Les, what Les wanted you to do. What is the worst outcome?
Amanda: Okay, Eric, let me, let me posit something to you.
Eric: Okay. Yeah.
Amanda: The chocolate chips fall out of her back pocket. Spill all over the floor.
[Phoebe moans]
Eric: No, it’s gonna have to be more. Alright, Phoebe, I'm going to give you a choice.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: This is your hard choice that I'm going to make you do.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: You are afraid to do this. And you are also not sure if Les is going to give you the right-- the correct advice. So I will give you two choices. You are worried you're going to fall. And you can you can slip and hopefully Les will grab you. Or will maybe you won't be so bad. Or you can use your magic and the power of nature to dig into the wall and to make sure that you don't fall because you think this is a little bit too precarious of a move. And I think that you might make it harder to climb up for whoever's behind you.
Julia: Sure.
Eric: So that's your hard choice.
Amanda: Use Magic. Use Magic. Use Magic.
Julia: Oh, I like that the options are like trust Les or make things harder for Les. It's a hard decision.
Amanda: Picture the moose saying-
Amanda (as Chuck Moose): Show them you're the chosen one.
Julia: I agree but also I think the premonition has kind of spooked Phoebe a little bit and I think that, oh god all Phoebe can think about is the image of like reaching out for Les and Les not trying to help her and I think Phoebe almost wants to test that and see like if that will be an actual thing that happens and I think Phoebe slips and falls backwards.
Eric: Hell yeah. Alright. Phoebe, you're falling. Les, you're in a very good spot to grab her. What do you do?
Brandon: I'm gonna rush over there, maybe use my no limits and try to catch her
Eric: Yeah, for sure. What does this look like you no limits grabbing someone?
Brandon: It's a speed boost again, but it's like so dramatic, Eric, like imagine it like so dramatic.
Eric: Just like so dramatic, is it in slow motion?
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: Eric, have you ever seen the film Twilight where he's running through the woods?
Amanda: Les sparkles in the sun?
Eric: He's sparkling, baby.
Amanda: Les has an Audi?
Brandon: So I rolled a 7 + 2 which is 9. So that means I do it but I choose one consequence suffer -1 Harm take -1 Forward or I need to rest, so I’ll probably just take 1 Harm.
Eric: Cool. Alright take the Harm.
Julia: Phoebe elbows you in the face
Eric: Hell yeah. A slow motion ends with Phoebe's elbows just fully going into your nose. You have hurt nose, 1 harm.
Brandon: So I think what happens is Les dashes over grabs Phoebe out of the air. And they're like you know, they sit there for a second and it's like-
Brandon (as Les): Oh my god. Phoebe, are you okay?
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah, I'm totally totally okay.
Julia: And made under her breath. She's like-
Julia (as Phoebe): I knew you wouldn't drop me.
Brandon: And then Les realizes the situation that's actually in front of him and he goes-
Brandon (as Les): Ah!
Brandon: And then drops Phoebe.
Julia: I bounce.
Eric: Also your nose might be broken and you are bleeding from the nose
Julia: Ooops. Uh-oh.
Eric: Hey, 1 of the harm moves is intense pain so I'm gonna give you I've given you broken nose.
Brandon: Damn. Broken nose?
Amanda: Alright, it'll probably make him look more rugged. It's fine .
Brandon: That's true.
Eric: And like it looks it still looks cool. Like you have like the bloody the your the tissues you stuffed up there are bloody but it looks neat.
Brandon: Eric, everyone knows, and Les would know this for a bloody nose you don't want you want to pinch you got to apply pressure.
Eric: You put a splint on your nose?
Brandon: Yeah, I put like like an anti breathe right strip
Amanda: Pinched it together.
Eric: You take a strip out of your pocket and tape it to your nose.
Julia: Oh, you know what actually what I would love to do is I would love to use magic in order to heal 1 harm.
Eric: Okay. What Phoebe what does this look like in Les like, what is Les seeing you do?
Julia: So I think Phoebe is like-
Julia (as Phoebe): Oh no, your nose is bleeding. Oh god.
Julia: And then reaches over and like kind of, like Les says pinches it because all of the CITs had to go through the same kind of first aid training. And goes to pinch it and there's like a little spark of the icy blue electric energy that hops onto Les’s face.
Brandon: So I think though what happens is when Les immediately sees that blue spark, he basically panics and like backs away as quick as he can. And yells like-
Brandon (as Les): Stop!
Brandon: And is that manipulate, maybe?
Eric: No, don't you just do that? That's fine.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay?
Brandon (as Les): Ah.
Julia (as Phoebe): Why?
Brandon (as Les): I think the [clears throat] I think the bloody nose looks cool on me, it's a good look. We should get going, I think.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Yeah, I'm at the top so I can just tell you where to go. I just, just do what I did. So that works so-
Julia (as Phoebe): We should absolutely just do what Carrie-Ann did. Yeah, that makes sense.
Brandon (as Les): Carrie-Ann saying just do it I did is the most Carrie-Ann ask like, ever.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): You're welcome.
Julia: Damn, I even rolled good Brandon, fuck.
Eric: Hell, yeah. I think both of you after with Les you can definitely do this, and Phoebe gave me another try. You guys can just scramble up there.
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: Definitely. Cool.
Julia: Tight. We need to get Les’s fingers out of the trap-
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: Oh, I was gonna say, could I try to thank you for reminding me. Can I try to like put the like corner or the middle of the Chinese finger traps on a finger hold and sort of like put my body weight on them and see if it'll like snap in the middle.
Eric: Oh, yeah, they won't because these are not rocks. They're inflatables, but I think that is you make it to the top, they just disappear.
Brandon: Okay, great. Okay.
Julia: Oh.
Brandon: I just use this as like a U hold?
Eric: Yeah, exactly. You're pulling yourself up. Like by the end. You're using that as a hold?
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Was the, was the puzzle? Did you have to solve it by like, accomplishment, self esteem and friendship?
Brandon (as Les): No, I think it was just like, the guy just wanted to like fuck with me. So like, yeah, it was just like the prank was over.
Julia (as Phoebe): Yeah, weirdly, my self esteem is not feeling super great right now. So-
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): No, Phoebe! You're the best.
Julia (as Phoebe): It’s okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): You're my best friend. In addition to Les. Both of you, best friends. Do you want an almond?
Julia: Phoebe like starts crying a little bit but then it's like-
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay. Okay. Okay.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): You know, Phoebe, I think you should walk first into the next room because whatever is there will be behind you ready to deal with it.
Julia (as Phoebe): Okay.
Brandon: I love that that’s inspirational. But it's also like you walk first into the buzz saw.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda (as Carrie-Ann): Both. Both are true.
Julia: There you go.
Eric: Yeah. Alright, you three pushed through the golden door and you go to the next room-
Eric (as Puzzle Cleric): Of the challenge of the Puzzle Cleric.
Amanda: Oooh!
[theme]
Transcriptionist: KM