Somehow, I forgot to mention that the third series of D&D podcasts featuring Penny Arcade, Scott Kurtz, and Wil Wheaton (that's me!) has been available for a couple of weeks.
Here are links to the episodes that are currently online:
It's Fallcrest, midwinter, and snow has settled over everything. Acquisitions Incorporated has been holed up in their favorite sanctuary, The Silver Unicorn, enjoying the warmth of a fire. All is calm… until they meet their old acquaintance, Nathan Farringray—looking troubled and with a tale of woe that can only be solved by Acquisitions Inc.
Over at Five League House, Farringray's companion, Barton has been keeping on eye on local bandits. A number of merchant wagons have been besieged in recent days, and the trade route has become jeopardized.
Acquisitions Inc. agrees to perform this small favor, checking on Farringray's friend… with the assumption that adventure will soon find them.
There is something on the roof… a guy on the roof…
Or is there? Sometimes houses just have guys on their roof…. at least so goes the theory so far as what Acquisitions Incorporated saw as they departed Barton's on the way to the Dawnforge Mountains. Hammerfast lies ahead, as are the bandits Acquisitions Inc. is determined to face.
Once at Hammerfast, dwarves are seen milling around… along with the occasional spectral apparition. It seems, the dwarven clan lords who wished to build this place needed to strike a compact with the indigenous—and often cursed—residents.
Marcinda Goldspinner, leader of the dwarven merchants guild, meets with Acquisitions Inc. to discuss the bandits. The Ambershard dwarven bandits!
Through the front doors, Acquisitions Inc. enters a snow-covered yard surrounded by a 20-foot wall. In the middle of the yard, a cabin waits, smoke rising from its chimney. A giant boar lies sleeping alongside the side of the cabin. And inside, they know, lives Thazin Stormbellow.
How well can an angry dwarf carrying a shield and a hammer sneak past a sleeping boar? Answer: Not very.
Roll for initiative.
I loved playing in this adventure, not only because I got to sit down and hurl polyhedrons with some of my favorite people in the world, but also because we all did a ton of roleplaying this time around. In fact, there isn't even a combat encounter until the third episode.
And for those of you keeping score at home, his name is AEOFEL. Not Al. Godsdammit, I swear to Melora.
New episodes come out every Friday, and while you can subscribe in iTunes or whatever to have them automatically show up, I strongly encourage you to actually visit the podcast page at Wizards, so you can see the artwork that accompanies each episode.
Until next time, Jim winks!
Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jim winks!
I’ve been LOVING the D&D Podcasts. Also, thanks for clearing up how to spell Aeofel’s name! It was a nice change to see that much roleplaying this time around. Keep up the good work…or play, as it may be.
I’ve been enjoying the hell out of listening to these. Just yesterday, my first day back at work after PAX, I listened to all three currently available series 3 podcasts and considered putting the series 2 stuff on my mp3 player. A nice thing about them is that when my tabletop gaming friends ask me what’s so great about things like D&D, I can point out these podcasts as an example of what tabletop gaming can be like.
“hurl polyhedrons” – I love it! ::snort:: Hope you don’t mind if I steal that turn of phrase next time I’m sitting at the D&D table!
I love these so much! Especially Kurtz, he’s on fire in these. Hammertime!
Oh my god, you can’t even hear all the different variations of Hammerfast that Scott unloaded that day, because there were so many of them.
Scott Kurtz is a funny, funny man.
Chris Perkins as Barton @ the Five League House is AWESOME!
The role-playing between Chris and Mike in Ep1 is classic!
And these words that stuck out for me in Ep2:
Jim Darkmagic: Do you know that guy that was on your roof?
Barton: Guy??!!!
Jim Darkmagic: ON your ROOF!
Barton: ROOF?!?!
Jim Darkmagic: YAAH!!
Barton: *looks up towards his roof*
Jim Darkmagc: Ya he’s gone… he’s gone now…
Barton: *Waves* *puts his hands on his hips*
Then hearing Scott Kurtz whispering : “What is THAT!?”
Classic D&D at its best!
Oh YA! Scott really played his hatred for the Amber Shard Dwarves!
“My father quit drinking because of the Amber Shard!”
Ya…Scott was awesome in that.
Was this part of Binwin’s history that Chris was privy to? Or was it part of notes that the DM past to Scott? or was it just Scott play the part in an awesome way?
I know the answers to all of those questions, but I don’t think I can speak to them. Ask Scott, though, and he may tell you.
Awwwww, I want to hear that! Scott’s Binwin has kicked ass in these first 3 episodes, and your “Dwarven pound-me-in-the-ass prison” line had me rofling!
Barton: “And you… You…You… You’re new.”
The battle in the third episode is just epic. “Hey wait, can I just try to open the door as a minor action?” I almost drove off the road I was laughing so hard.
The image of Binwin, so angry he can hardly contain himself, clanging across that courtyard and not being able to kick in that door kills me every single time I think about it.
Could you post your character sheet?
“How well can an angry dwarf carrying a shield and a hammer sneak past a sleeping boar? Answer: Not very.”
But it wasn’t the dwarf who woke up the boar, now was it, Mr. “IT SMELLS LIKE DWARF SHIT”?
Great series, as always. You guys have an awesome group, and I loved seeing more role playing this time around.
“No. Jim votes no.”
(after hearing about the possible loot)
“Jim votes yes.”
Oh, and is there a law that says you can’t have math skills if you have art skills? Gabe and Scott are HORRID at math. 🙂
As Far as character sheets go, you can get them from the D&D character builder at wizards.com
the bundle some “sample heroes” in there, and all 4 of these guys are in it, along with Drizzt and Elminster.
I think there is an apostrphe missing up there… hmmm.
I would be SO happy if the next episode were to come out, oh, say, tomorrow? Seeing as how it’s my 43rd birthday and all. Gotta ease the pain of leaving 42 behind somehow, eh? I’ve been listening to all the episodes from the beginning (even the first eight before you joined the party) a *lot* while working on my own character for the LFR games our local shop has been hosting for the last two months or so. You know, character sketching, developing backstory, all that. She’s a Razorclaw Shifter Shaman, and I’ve been having loads of fun. I hadn’t played since 2nd Edition was replaced by 3rd.
Uh, let’s not dwell on the nearly twenty 2nd ED books crammed into my bookshelves, shall we?
Thanks, you rock!
These podcasts are extremely good entertainment. I’m loving them so much. I don’t know who came up with the idea but whoever it was is a genius.
What a team of geek heroes: D&D+PvP+PA+Wil=Win
What is the possibility of seeing our Wil DMing a campaign? With Chris as a player!
(First comment here, so hi everyone /wave)
I had no idea there was even going to be a third series until I saw the title of the first episode in Google Reader. It was such an awesome surprise! Usually between 2pm and 430pm on Thursdays the episodes go up, which is perfect for me because I download them into iTunes in my math class, then when I get to my car I put them on my iPod and listen to almost the entire episode on half hour drive home. 🙂 It’s like a mini holiday every Thursday.
Oh, and speaking of thirds, Season two of The Big Bang Theory arrived at my doorstep yesterday, and watching these episodes again is getting me super excited for Season three.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget about The Guild Mr. Wheaton! the first 3 episodes of Season 3 are out too! I much enjoyed you in the first two episodes. 🙂
The roleplaying has been awesome. I was so happy to listen to the first two episodes and hear you guys managing to really show off your characters. Very funny, too; there have been some absolute corkers this series.
I’ve probably mentioned it a billion times before whenever I talk about these podcasts, but so far I’ve really being enjoying D&D4 vicariously through them, so I’m very grateful for that. Still trying to round up my friends so we can get back into pen-and-paper D&D again; it’s been a long while.
When do the dice go up for auction, and where could I go to bid for them?
(I haven’t played any sort of tabletop RPG since… middle school. Might be worth getting back into if I had the time and a group.)
I’m not sure, but it’s for Child’s Play Charity, and will probably happen around November or December.
That is just totally awesome, Wil.
http://www.docnielsen.dk/churchsign.jpg
Everytime I listen to these podcasts, I gaze at my 3E books, my cursed die (where rolling a 1 makes a pie appear out of nowhere) and wonder where my old DM lives nowadays.
And your hatred of being called Al – I can relate: the first campaign I played in, my character was named Ru’afo (I was reading the novel of Star Trek: Insurrection at the time). After a while, everyone got sick of calling him that and just called him Waffles.
But that story pales compares to when a PC tried to pickpocket the NPC that was helping our party. The NPC wore invisible armour and the PC almost died from the contents of his pockets.
Ah, memories…
I almost missed this series, there didn’t seem to be a lot of mention about it through the normal channels. Listening to the heavy roleplaying and hearing the in game mention of some of the “mistakes” you guys were getting beat up for all over the internets makes me laugh almost as much as the actual humor.
I didn’t hear any mention of level though. What level is the group for this adventure?
I also noted the sound quality wasn’t as good as the previous episodes… they must have changed something. Still wouldn’t miss it though.
That line was so awesome that I literally cried in laughter when I heard it. My vision of it… I am lucky to have listened while no one was nearby otherwise coworkers might have thought I was nuts. That said I relayed the story to a few D&D friendly co-workers. They all laughed too.
Thank you so much for proving that 4e =/= WoW. Some of the best and funniest roleplaying I’ve seen in a long time.
If I recall correctly, and I’ve been known to lie, we’re at level 5 for this adventure.
I love, love, love the PA D&D podcasts. You guys are a blast. The only thing that makes me sad is that each episode is just a half hour long this time around.
Others have already said it, but there are SO many great lines in this one! Binwin’s rage at the Ambershard’s is EPIC.
http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/index.php/2009/09/16/president-obama-wan-kenobi/
Wil, you have to see this. Best news story about President Obama of the year. The geek shall inherit the earth…
Eee! Happy birthday to me! I can hardly wait for the download to finish! Oh it IS finished! I listen now! “Delicious!”
Okay, here’s the geek out! I’ve been visiting the site for about 6 months, just finished reading “just a Geek” and have listened to all the D&D podcasts (so far). Wil, you bring us all so much awesomeness! Thanks and thanks and thanks! You are just as cool as Neil Gaiman and Jonathan Frakes!
Okay, here’s the geek-out! I’ve been visiting the site for about six months, just finished reading “Just a Geek”, and have listened to all the D&D podcasts! Wil, you bring us all so much awesomeness! Thanks and thanks and thanks! You are just as cool as Neil Gaiman and Jonathan Frakes 🙂
obviously, I am not (double post) cool…
Wohoo!, I cant wait to listen to it. Also don’t forget tomorrow (Sat, Sept 19)is “Talk like a pirate day.” Grr, So everyone better talk likes your a pirate, or you’ll be going down to Davy Jones’s locker..
OT!
My my. You must have found the cure. It is Talk Like A Pirate Day, and not a post about it from you. There is hope for a solution!
4th Episode’s Up and… well, that’s one hell of a cliffhanger.
“And for those of you keeping score at home, his name is AEOFEL. Not Al. Godsdammit, I swear to Melora.”
In my head, I always pronouce that “Ethel.”
Don’t make me swear Oath of Enmity on you. I swear, I will do it.
It’s the avid role-playing that makes me love this 3rd series the best of all. Scott even comments on it at one point mentioning how you have all progressed from “What’s an Armor Class?” to “I skirt from the floor to the wall and hop off the table as I attack him with a sweeping blow.”
The fluidity with which you capture the essence of your characters is what differentiates these from the other D&D podcasts I listen to.
Now if you guys could only get Vin Diesel to play the rogue in the 4th series….
Hey Will, I mean Al, I mean Aeofel… I think you keep forgetting to add your weapon’s +3 proficiency bonus to hit when you are doing weapon attacks.
I still want a “Rudy the undead hound T-shirt”. That would be totally awesome.
I played D&D for the first time last week and had a blast. I figured it would be kind of interesting to listen to the PA D&D podcast, and maybe I would pick up a few things about the game. I guess I’ve learned a little bit, but listening to you and Mike threaten Jerry with a cock punch was one of the funniest things I’ve heard in my life. The first time I heard it I was buckled over laughing, in tears. I’ve listened to that part alone 3 or 4 times and it’s always funny. Anyway, I’m really enjoying the 3rd series as well. Can’t wait until the next one comes out.
Have to say that after hearing episode 8 I am glad at all that you have brought to the podcast over last two. Damn Chris and his double sided scotch tape…
Uuuuugh, is it bad that I actualy can’t sleep cause of how royaly pissed I am that Aeofel kicked the bucket?
I’m sure there’s a fancy psychological term for being so upset for something that really shouldn’t be a big deal, but…. rrrrrrgh. Anyone have a scroll of resurection we could cast on those bracers left behind?
Wow, you seriously got screwed over on that last episode, didn’t you Wil? I felt so mad just as it opened, and you rolled that 18 and it didn’t work, I went over to my coworker and ranted about how that trap was too dangerous to be placing in a location of this level. Either the escape DC ought to have been lower (you guys were what, level 6?) or the damage the acid dealt shouldn’t have been so high. It killed you in 2 rounds, for crying out loud! And it is such that it isn’t even very feasible for your companions to get any of your remains to cast Raise Dead afterwards.
Scott rubbing it in so badly didn’t help, either. I totally empathize with your rage at that time. Though hopefully it hasn’t ended your friendship with him (I’ve seen such things happen around the gaming table before).
Now I’m wondering what’s going to be up for the next podcast series (I presume there will be another)–will you be turning Aeofel into a Revenant? Will the DM bend the rules a bit and let them raise you from the bit of equipment they recovered (some cells might not have melted off it yet)? Or are you going to start entirely from scratch with a new character?
I didn’t realize Aeofel was a Norwegian Blue…is the only reason he stayed up a long as he did in the acid pit because he had been nailed there?
Hope to see an Aeofel resurrection and can’t wait for Big Bang Theory on Monday!