Slack and Slash

This is the end, my friends… but Scott, Laird, Jason, David, and Gayle have some ruminating to do, and you’re invited! Find out what the boys think about D&D 5e; what bits of Curse of Strahd were completely fudged or invented by Scott; and why Gothic horror is so cathartic/hilarious. 

The survivors of last episode’s boss battle regroup, and next moves are discussed. The sun peeks through the mists. A conversation with a dragon skull gets heated. Ralston gets a few cantrips named after him. Happily ever afters??? 

This is it! The colossal climactic instalment of Curse of Strahd, featuring: epically uncoordinated team combat! Heroically failed saving throws! And so many Hail Mary spells, you’ll think the Morninglord converted to Christianity. THIS IS IT!!! 

Beneath Strahd’s tomb, a gargantuan undead monstrosity rises. Can the heroes rescue Nadja from its clutches before the Darklord returns to finish them off? It’s the penultimate battle!

The heroes await word from Nadja, who has wriggled into Ravenloft’s depths in pursuit of Strahd. A ghostly, musical interlude provides a glimpse at the OG Red Wedding. 

It’s the throne-room smackdown with the Darklord! Agonizing dice rolls and hairbreadth reversals await! Laird is very drunk this week! 

We push on past some garbled audio; the heroes break an ancient curse; David says a bad word; and Ralston delivers a pep talk that would inspire the Day Daddy himself! 

In the hidden heart of Castle Ravenloft, the heroes trade noisy blows with some uncle-spiders before discovering a fortress within the fortress… and a treasure beyond price! 

With Death defeated and the party reunited, the heroes indulge in some chimney-diving and trap-springing. 

When the Grim Reaper comes at you swinging, you need to hope your dice hold up. This is what happens when they don’t.

Intense NPC roleplay presides, as Ireena’s cards turn her into a second Esmerelda, and Nadja says goodbye to the stone age. 

The way down is up? The Ought-Not Nursery awaits, with sanity checks all ‘round. What does Channel Divinity sound like, anyway? 

A lot can go down during a long rest in the vampire’s castle: one million maggots, a pop-up swordwraith, and an awkward conversation about Dragomir’s ex. 

NOTE: The audio is grimy, but at least it’s a short ep?? Better next time, promise! 

The heroes are on the back foot in Castle Ravenloft, but there’s nowhere to hide when the Darklord’s eyes see all! NOTE: Geez, the audio on this one sucks. Apologies. 

Fun times! Dragomir just mercy-killed his true love, and Andrej’s offspring isn’t far behind. Also, did you know Strahd always rolls natural 20s? Fun times. 

Divided and under attack, the heroes of Barovia pause their crusade briefly to learn some crucial lessons about equestrian anatomy. 

The fellowship presses deeper into the trap-filled, fog-choked, guano-clogged dungeons of Ravenloft. Aren’t you glad this podcast doesn’t come with smell-o-vision? 

This is it, ghosts ‘n’ goblins: The Assault on Castle Ravenloft begins here, featuring the return of the swordwraiths and a fearless foray into the guano crypts. 

As we move ever closer to the Ravenloft showdown, we learn the grim, legal truth about Strahd von Zarovich’s original descent into darkness! 

After fixing David’s “sexy android” problems, Ralston and Andrej trounce howlers in the Gloaming, and Dragomir gets persuasive. 

Not gonna lie: this ep is mostly wrangling about where to go next, punctuated with (baseless!) complaints that the DM never lets the party get a long rest.

Azalin roams  free! Andrej invents the elevator! Ralston experiences the Bad Touch, and Dragomir helps Saffron pull off the heist from Hell. 

Andrej contemplates cracks. Dragomir and Saffron take the plunge. And Ralston seals a deal with Azalin, and learns you can’t trust an old son-of-a-lich. 

Call of Cthulhu? Pendragon? Vampire: The Masquerade? Yes, the boys (sans Jason) talk about all these RPGs, and more! 

A desecrated underground temple! A bottomless pit! And the unexpected appearance of a legendary Ravenloft villain (NOT Strahd?!?). 

The players respond to this week’s shocking name-drop. Scott enumerates Buddhas and says “Yeahh!” to Gary Oldman.  David vivisects "Picard."

In a harrowing mountaintop search for the Well of Souls – er, the Heartless Well – the heroes risk losing everything – er, well, at least all their treasure.

Trapped in a dimension of madness! Ralston is out of spells, and he’s not afraid to mention it! 

A brutal battle with a floral foe leaves our heroes disoriented. Without Saffron’s guidance through the Gloaming, Dragomir follows his nose!

Our heroes venture back into the Gloaming, only to find that the demiplane is overrun with shadow demons and skele-plants. There goes the neighbourhood!

It’s DM Scott’s most self-indulgent podcast yet! Join him on a brisk saunter down D&D Memory Lane. 

Eavesdrop on DM Scott’s live panel discussion at this year's CaperCon! 

Ralston has a girlfriend! The Gloaming is long on real estate, but short on jobs. A brazen plan elicits a snigger from the Morninglord. The road to Hell is paved with pillow talk. 

It’s a colossal season finale as the heroes, harried by Strahd’s far-reaching powers, fight desperately against the very trees, rocks, and evil skeleton babies of Krezk!

Following this episode, we'll be on hiatus until Oct. 17 or so.

Dragomir’s dybbuk sparks trouble during a stormy night in Krezk. Featuring our first PC vs PC combat (except for that time Andrej sucker-punched Ralston, I guess).

Even as Ralston strives to remove Nadja’s medusa curse, Dragomir succumbs to a different darkness. 

Reunions abound!

The squatters in the Magic Tower can sense danger drawing near, but none of them realize… the (wolf) call is coming from inside the house! 

The heroes play a deadly game of Bejewelled, which despite being a visual puzzle is still totally dramatic in podcast form…

NOTE: Merci beaucoup to Julien Ribiollet aka DM Faction, who provided the puzzle via “Van Richten’s Tower Door Puzzle Alternative” (available to buy at dmsguild.com) 

Catch-up with Ireena! A round of Tarokka! A visit from the Sandman Squiggleface! All this, plus a fight to the death with a many-(MANY-)limbed demon!