Latest / Bards and Barrels / Bonus: Season 2 Preview!
Transcript
- 0:02SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Bards and Barrels, the podcast for Dungeons and Dragons players new and old.
- 0:06SPEAKER_02: I'm Ross Struess, and I'm joined by my friends and co-hosts Brett Miller and Phil Boone.
- 0:10SPEAKER_02: We'll be exploring the world of Dungeons and Dragons in each episode, sharing our experiences, offering tips and advice for those who play and run this classic game.
- 0:18SPEAKER_02: So whether you're a new player just starting out or a seasoned veteran looking to get a new perspective on things, Bards and Barrels has something for everyone.
- 0:25SPEAKER_02: So sit back, grab a drink, and join us as we roll for initiative and embark on an epic adventure.
- 0:34SPEAKER_02: And there, my friends, is the opening crack.
- 0:37SPEAKER_02: There it is.
- 0:38SPEAKER_02: It's time for another episode.
- 0:40SPEAKER_02: Uh well, this is a special episode of Bards and Barrels.
- 0:43SPEAKER_02: I'm Ross, along with me, Brett and Phil.
- 0:45SPEAKER_02: How are we doing, boys?
- 0:46SPEAKER_02: Good.
- 0:47SPEAKER_02: Feels like it's been a while.
- 0:48SPEAKER_01: It does feel like it's been a while.
- 0:50SPEAKER_01: That's okay.
- 0:51SPEAKER_01: Hey, for the record, we gotta clear thing up before one thing up before we get started any further.
- 0:56SPEAKER_01: The opening crack.
- 0:59SPEAKER_01: That's a real case.
- 1:00SPEAKER_01: It's a real crack.
- 1:01SPEAKER_01: That's a real crack.
- 1:02SPEAKER_02: For those out there who's we have been asked, it is a real crack.
- 1:07SPEAKER_02: Uh so this episode is going to be uh, well, a couple things.
- 1:11SPEAKER_02: We're going to take a look back at season one, and then we're going to give everybody a little bit of a preview into what we're thinking for season two.
- 1:18SPEAKER_02: So let's take a look back at season one, guys.
- 1:21SPEAKER_02: What what were I mean, this is the first time we've done something like this, but what what were the things you liked the most about what we did through the first 15 episodes?
- 1:29SPEAKER_02: 16 if you count the bonus episode.
- 1:33SPEAKER_01: You know, I had a lot of fun learning some classes that I have never played before.
- 1:37SPEAKER_01: Uh, it pushed me even to dig into some of those other classes that uh maybe have been in our party or ones that don't get used as often and dig into them a little bit more and learn about some of the depth of the not token ways you can play some of those classes.
- 1:57SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I agree with Brett completely there.
- 1:59SPEAKER_00: I mean, since we've had some of these, I've started playing classes that I had not played before.
- 2:04SPEAKER_00: One of the things I really like we did this season too was when we started to kind of enhance those sessions and we started building characters and sharing those details because that really helped connect some of those dots.
- 2:15SPEAKER_02: So just so everybody knows, like the reason we started this show was that there was a stretch of time where where we would get together, we try to get together like once a week for beers.
- 2:25SPEAKER_02: And when we got together for beers, we we were talking about DD the whole time.
- 2:29SPEAKER_02: We we just were like, hey, what if we what if we like sat down and did a podcast?
- 2:32SPEAKER_02: Okay.
- 2:32SPEAKER_02: So that's how the that's how Bards and Barrels was born.
- 2:35SPEAKER_02: And then from there, one of the things as we were talking about this was, you know, even if nobody listens to this thing, which thank you to all you listeners out there, uh, if even if nobody listens to this, we were like, we're gonna learn something from this.
- 2:49SPEAKER_02: So to your point, Brett, I think you're absolutely correct.
- 2:52SPEAKER_02: I have learned things.
- 2:53SPEAKER_02: I've played two types of characters before this.
- 2:55SPEAKER_02: So I had never created, you know, c I haven't even created a cleric or a ranger or a warlock, but now I have that experience doing that, and I feel like I know more because of it.
- 3:05SPEAKER_00: I also think it's helped me be a better DM, learning those things too, because I understand how some of the characters are supposed to work or how some of their features kind of tie into how we're playing.
- 3:17SPEAKER_01: And how you can mix and match the playstyles even with even within one character class to balance out your party makeup and especially grow over time and fill gaps in your party strengths and weaknesses.
- 3:32SPEAKER_02: So you know, when you're talking about becoming a better DM because of all of this, I I think that you hit something on the head because it's like whenever I've watched Critical Role or I've seen interviews with Matt Mercer, like his knowledge of the game is so extensive that I I'm like, how how in God's name did he ever learn that?
- 3:52SPEAKER_02: And it's and it's like now I I'm certainly not to his level.
- 3:55SPEAKER_02: I don't think any of us are to his level, but I do think like like what you're talking about, Phil, I feel like I know so much more.
- 4:01SPEAKER_02: Like I hear things, I'm like, I know what that is.
- 4:03SPEAKER_02: And even if I don't know like the minutia of it yet, I'm like I'm still better than where I was a year ago when we started this.
- 4:10SPEAKER_00: I feel like I know enough now that I have no problem making the rest of it up.
- 4:15SPEAKER_00: Yes, like I know enough that I'm like, hmm, I can sound like I know what I'm talking about, and we're just gonna roll with it.
- 4:20SPEAKER_00: And you just do.
- 4:21SPEAKER_00: That's my guide to life.
- 4:24SPEAKER_02: Uh okay, so what what were some things that uh maybe you didn't like so much about what we've done so far?
- 4:30SPEAKER_02: And maybe didn't like isn't the correct word, but maybe maybe how we adjusted as we went, like things that we were like, this is great, but we need to do a better way of doing that.
- 4:38SPEAKER_02: What were some of those things that maybe a listener wouldn't necessarily notice?
- 4:42SPEAKER_00: I don't know, I gotta think about that one.
- 4:43SPEAKER_02: I do have one.
- 4:44SPEAKER_02: So so our our class reviews.
- 4:46SPEAKER_02: So like when we started out, it's it's like we changed those, and hopefully you all noticed was like when we started building characters.
- 4:53SPEAKER_02: So it's like it was super hard to sit there and talk about a character that I had never built.
- 4:59SPEAKER_02: And I think it was the sorcerer episode that was probably one of the hardest ones.
- 5:02SPEAKER_02: It's like I knew like the the basic details of the sorcerer, but having not having built one, it was very hard to talk about like the choices because it was just it was like almost just like reading the books like, oh, you could do this, this, and this, but I know nothing about those.
- 5:16SPEAKER_00: I would agree with that one, Ross, because I think I I feel like a lot of that too kind of we got lost in the weeds with some of this you know subclass stuff that's out there and supplemental material, and we kind of rein that back in and instead focused instead on these character builds, and that's helped kind of morph those episodes into something that's more palatable for sure.
- 5:38SPEAKER_01: You know, one thing that I learned pretty quickly as we got into it is a lot of our very first episodes were focused on uh the things that were really exciting to us, like the DD movie, the new virtual tabletop from DD Beyond, things were that like were very current at the time.
- 5:56SPEAKER_01: Uh, but as we got into it and started to hear from our listeners, we learned that there's a lot of people listening that haven't played DD or haven't played very much and need to learn some things along the way to get them comfortable um moving into some of those other topics.
- 6:12SPEAKER_02: I think a lot of your like really veteran players don't listen to DD podcasts.
- 6:17SPEAKER_02: Like they've been playing long enough that they know enough about the game that's like, why why do I want to listen to somebody talk about that?
- 6:22SPEAKER_02: So your typical podcast listener is probably someone that's fairly new to the game anyway.
- 6:27SPEAKER_02: And so I think you're absolutely right, Brad.
- 6:30SPEAKER_02: I I think it's those people hearing from them and then reining things back.
- 6:34SPEAKER_02: Uh I I did like how like on our class reviews, like at least two of us are always doing like the basic stuff.
- 6:42SPEAKER_02: Like you can take this character having nothing else except for the the free-to-play stuff, yeah, the basic rules, and you can take this character and go play.
- 6:52SPEAKER_02: And then one of us, Phil and Brett, you both have done that.
- 6:54SPEAKER_02: I have not done that yet, but just doing something to basically show an example of hey, this is this is how you can take this and make this really cool, right?
- 7:04SPEAKER_02: So next.
- 7:06SPEAKER_02: So we talked about things we like, things we dislike, or things that we changed along the way, however you want to phrase that.
- 7:12SPEAKER_02: Uh, what were just some fun moments that we had throughout the season?
- 7:16SPEAKER_02: I know we had a lot, but your favorite.
- 7:18SPEAKER_02: Oh man.
- 7:21SPEAKER_01: Well, a lot of them got cut out of episodes because they're Yeah, stay tuned for that.
- 7:25SPEAKER_00: Oh, some nuggets.
- 7:28SPEAKER_02: That was the rated R version of bars and barrels, typically.
- 7:32SPEAKER_01: You know, a f uh a really fun one was going back through our descent into a Vernus bonus episode um and being joined by Matt and Isaac, um, the other two players in our party, and running through our entire campaign and reliving a lot of those highlights.
- 7:48SPEAKER_01: It's something that none of us had we hadn't had the chance to all get together and do that up until we recorded that podcast.
- 7:56SPEAKER_01: And it was a lot of fun just uh to relive the highs and lows of that whole long-term campaign.
- 8:04SPEAKER_01: A lot of stuff that we had forgotten about too.
- 8:06SPEAKER_02: You can definitely see that, like, or not see.
- 8:08SPEAKER_02: You can hear that when you listen to the episode because there's there's several moments where like Phil would describe something, or you and I were describing something, and Isaac or Matt or any of us would just go, Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that.
- 8:19SPEAKER_02: And then that would launch us into a 10-minute well, remember when this happened, and remember when Ari tried to blow us up?
- 8:25SPEAKER_02: Well, we all remember that, but which time?
- 8:27SPEAKER_02: That's right, yeah, exactly.
- 8:29SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
- 8:30SPEAKER_02: I can't wait to get to get back to that and then see how you blow us up in new and exciting ways.
- 8:34SPEAKER_02: Oh, uh, Ari will find a way.
- 8:36SPEAKER_02: I know he will.
- 8:38SPEAKER_00: I really enjoyed too um when we had Anthony come on to do that interview and just kind of hear his experience playing and with his group of kind of seasoned people that he's joined being a newer player.
- 8:49SPEAKER_00: It was really fun to hear that perspective and how he approaches the game.
- 8:52SPEAKER_02: Totally.
- 8:53SPEAKER_02: And and I think that's a good segue into talking about what we're gonna do for season two.
- 8:58SPEAKER_02: Uh so speaking of interviews, we're gonna continue bringing some people in.
- 9:02SPEAKER_02: Uh, we we know several people in our community that um have played this game, you know, at various levels.
- 9:07SPEAKER_02: Anthony was was a very beginner, he had been playing for less than a year.
- 9:11SPEAKER_02: We have some people who have been playing for five to ten years, and we know some people who've been playing for 40 plus years.
- 9:16SPEAKER_02: Uh, and I think that's one of the exciting things that we're gonna be able to offer to you is at least bringing some of those people in to talk and share their experiences with you guys, um and and then you know at their different levels.
- 9:29SPEAKER_02: So uh I think that'll be exciting.
- 9:31SPEAKER_02: We have one plan for this season, we have one that's already on the docket for season three, and then we've already talked about bringing Anthony back.
- 9:36SPEAKER_02: So, Anthony, if you're listening, uh ding ding, brother, you're you're coming back.
- 9:40SPEAKER_02: So message me.
- 9:44SPEAKER_02: Um, what else do we have coming up, guys?
- 9:46SPEAKER_01: Uh there's this little nugget as part of Dungeons and Dragons that we have not really even touched on uh in a dedicated manner is being the dungeon master.
- 9:58SPEAKER_01: That's a whole segment of this entire game.
- 10:01SPEAKER_01: One person at the table that we haven't touched on much.
- 10:04SPEAKER_01: And we're gonna dive into that.
- 10:06SPEAKER_01: And what do you need to be uh starting out as a dungeon master?
- 10:10SPEAKER_01: What do you need to know?
- 10:10SPEAKER_01: What do you need to look at when you first start up your next campaign?
- 10:14SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's at least three episodes, maybe four episodes.
- 10:17SPEAKER_02: It could be a whole season if you really wanted to.
- 10:20SPEAKER_00: You could even just do one of the episodes on what not to do.
- 10:22SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
- 10:23SPEAKER_02: That's a great idea.
- 10:24SPEAKER_02: We should totally do that.
- 10:26SPEAKER_00: One of the other things that I'm excited for in the second season that we have coming up, and we've started putting together are our bonus episodes.
- 10:33SPEAKER_00: So they're going to be called the opening crack, and we are going to try a beer and rate it for you guys and kind of let you know, you know, the barrels part of our Bards and Barrels title.
- 10:44SPEAKER_00: So we got to get back to that a little bit.
- 10:46SPEAKER_02: So if you didn't guess this already, we actually do have some beers while we record this thing.
- 10:50SPEAKER_02: So if you wonder why we're a little loose sometimes, that's why.
- 10:54SPEAKER_02: Um, but I think it Phil nailed it on the head.
- 10:56SPEAKER_02: So it's it's like we did get a little bit away from one of the original principles, not principles, but one of the original like foundational things of this show was getting together and having a beer.
- 11:05SPEAKER_02: We kept doing it, but we didn't talk about it anymore.
- 11:08SPEAKER_02: So we're we're bringing that back in a way that it's actually gonna allow us to break into a little bit different audience, but with a little bit DD twang to it in a way.
- 11:17SPEAKER_02: Uh, you'll hear more about that uh probably in episode one, like right before we launch the the the inaugural uh opening crack episode.
- 11:25SPEAKER_02: But the it's gonna be a ton of fun.
- 11:27SPEAKER_02: We did a pilot episode that we listened to and we had a blast listening to it.
- 11:31SPEAKER_02: So uh I I think they're gonna be uh fun.
- 11:34SPEAKER_02: So so if you know anybody that that brews or or have recommendations for really tasty brews, totally let us know.
- 11:42SPEAKER_02: Absolutely let us know.
- 11:43SPEAKER_02: So we can we can go out and find that and then do a review.
- 11:46SPEAKER_02: I I think the one thing that we kind of decided, uh, and we'll see if this holds true when we actually go to do it, is it'll be tongue-in-cheek a little bit.
- 11:54SPEAKER_02: Like it's a review, but it's as quality of a review as we can give, which is not it's like we already decided that our rating system is complete bull crap.
- 12:05SPEAKER_02: Uh, but that's okay.
- 12:06SPEAKER_02: You know, there's nothing wrong with that.
- 12:07SPEAKER_02: Uh, because that's the fun of it, too.
- 12:10SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's three dudes in a basement tasting a beer.
- 12:14SPEAKER_01: How quality is that?
- 12:15SPEAKER_01: Get excited for our new bonus episode.
- 12:18SPEAKER_02: Yeah, nothing says over 30 loners then sitting sitting in a basement drinking a beer in a semi-dark room.
- 12:26SPEAKER_01: Okay, um well, there's our promo for the next season.
- 12:31SPEAKER_01: That's that's right.
- 12:33SPEAKER_00: What else we got coming?
- 12:36SPEAKER_00: We got some of the goods still, right?
- 12:38SPEAKER_00: So some of the trides and the trues.
- 12:40SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna keep doing mailbags.
- 12:42SPEAKER_00: You know, those are always uh popular episodes and a lot of fun to do, too.
- 12:46SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna keep those up.
- 12:47SPEAKER_00: Continuing our class reviews.
- 12:48SPEAKER_00: Yep, finish out those class reviews.
- 12:50SPEAKER_01: One that I'm excited about is getting into some pop culture breakdowns.
- 12:54SPEAKER_01: So uh different movies, TV shows that uh connect to DD.
- 13:00SPEAKER_01: Break those down and give our thoughts on some of those uh new and old pop culture references.
- 13:06SPEAKER_02: So if you if you've watched Vox Machina, or maybe more importantly, if you've seen the 2000 DD movie, uh, we're gonna be taking a look at that, and uh, you can be guaranteed that there will be some beer had before watching that and then reviewing that bad boy.
- 13:20SPEAKER_02: Matter of fact, now that I say that, we should totally like drink some beer, watch it, and then record the episode right afterwards.
- 13:26SPEAKER_01: Woohoo, the fresh hot tanks.
- 13:28SPEAKER_02: It's only like a 90-minute movie, so we could totally do it.
- 13:31SPEAKER_02: All right, I mean that's like the whole night.
- 13:34SPEAKER_02: Drink beer, watch a movie, record an episode.
- 13:36SPEAKER_02: We can manage that.
- 13:37SPEAKER_02: It might be not a great episode.
- 13:39SPEAKER_01: I had to mark that one explosive.
- 13:42SPEAKER_02: Wouldn't be the first time.
- 13:43SPEAKER_02: That's fine.
- 13:44SPEAKER_02: Uh, but yeah, you guys are right.
- 13:45SPEAKER_02: So, so yeah, kicking back into our class reviews, the tried and trues for sure.
- 13:49SPEAKER_02: Um, looking forward to doing that.
- 13:51SPEAKER_02: Uh, and then we'll have a few other like bonus episodes that aren't opening crack to um right now.
- 13:56SPEAKER_02: If you follow our social media, we have it, which is uh Facebook and Instagram.
- 14:01SPEAKER_02: Uh I've posted a few times that we're playing Light as a Axis right now, uh, which is like Space Base DD, which is is a ton of fun, but we'll probably do like a debrief, kind of like we did with Descent into a Vernus when we're done with that.
- 14:13SPEAKER_02: I think that would be a ton of fun to do and look back on some things.
- 14:16SPEAKER_02: We've already had some really exciting moments in that one, um, including losing the ship.
- 14:22SPEAKER_02: You know, the Don Juan took took took the The Don Juan.
- 14:26SPEAKER_02: Uh yeah.
- 14:27SPEAKER_02: Rest God rest the Don Juan.
- 14:29SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 14:29SPEAKER_02: Anyway, so the Don not Don Juan, the Donjon.
- 14:32SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 14:32SPEAKER_02: The Donja.
- 14:33SPEAKER_02: Oh.
- 14:34SPEAKER_02: Wow, the Donjon.
- 14:36SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
- 14:36SPEAKER_02: Maybe it needs to be the Don Juan now.
- 14:38SPEAKER_02: The next one.
- 14:39SPEAKER_02: The next one's the Don.
- 14:40SPEAKER_02: Better watch out.
- 14:40SPEAKER_02: Murphy's gonna eat you.
- 14:41SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
- 14:42SPEAKER_02: It was your ship.
- 14:43SPEAKER_02: Well, you know, it's fine.
- 14:45SPEAKER_02: It's that time in prison my character and he just doesn't remember things anymore.
- 14:48SPEAKER_02: Uh it but something else that that we're going to get into is uh we it's on the list of things, uh, would be doing a one-shot, like for you guys to actually hear us play and and not just talk about us playing.
- 15:03SPEAKER_02: Um, so hopefully we can we can do a one-shot that'll probably span a few episodes.
- 15:08SPEAKER_02: Um and we'll we'll probably do that with Matt and Isaac.
- 15:11SPEAKER_02: So I think that'll be a ton of fun for everybody to hear us play after we've talked about that, all of that.
- 15:15SPEAKER_02: Um, and then um some other things that we've talked about were uh some potential solo uh bonus episodes too.
- 15:24SPEAKER_02: And right now there's only one that we really have on there, and that's uh a long time ago.
- 15:29SPEAKER_02: Uh over the summer I picked up Nations and Cannons, which is like a Revolutionary War 5E setting um that you can play and incorporate into your into your uh campaigns and stuff.
- 15:39SPEAKER_02: So I'll probably read through that over the next month or so and then do just a uh a short solo review for you guys.
- 15:45SPEAKER_02: So but Brett and Phil may end up doing some solo ones too.
- 15:49SPEAKER_02: So I think that'll be a a ton of fun for everybody just to hear like some just us talking without like the other two jumping in and being assholes.
- 15:58SPEAKER_00: It'll be weird.
- 15:59SPEAKER_02: It'll be very weird just sitting here by yourself just talking.
- 16:01SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 16:02SPEAKER_00: Do we have to drink by ourselves?
- 16:03SPEAKER_02: Oh I think you have to.
- 16:04SPEAKER_02: I mean, we may be out in the other room, but I think you have to sit in here and drink too.
- 16:08SPEAKER_02: You can't knock it out.
- 16:08SPEAKER_00: Or we just when you record, we'll just sit here and watch you.
- 16:11SPEAKER_02: That's so awkward.
- 16:12SPEAKER_02: So awkward.
- 16:13SPEAKER_02: This is why I don't make eye contact with you guys sometimes when I'm like talking.
- 16:17SPEAKER_01: I would say we would just sit outside and heckle you, but that's what we do in here.
- 16:20SPEAKER_01: So what's the difference?
- 16:22SPEAKER_02: Except you're banging on the door.
- 16:24SPEAKER_02: That would be the difference.
- 16:28SPEAKER_00: And one uh one final thing that we're really looking forward to in the second season.
- 16:32SPEAKER_00: Well, I think it might happen during the second season potentially, but we have registered to attend and have a booth at our first festival.
- 16:43SPEAKER_00: Grand Comic Fest.
- 16:44SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
- 16:45SPEAKER_00: So if you are in the area, we will be at Grand Comic Fest 6, April 20th and 21st of 2024 in Grand Island, Nebraska.
- 16:55SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be fun.
- 16:56SPEAKER_01: We're starting small.
- 16:57SPEAKER_01: Hey, you gotta start somewhere.
- 16:59SPEAKER_01: It's a small one, but it's growing, and it should be pretty fun.
- 17:03SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be a blast.
- 17:04SPEAKER_02: I I think you know, we sat down and talked about this.
- 17:06SPEAKER_02: Like, what the hell are we gonna do?
- 17:09SPEAKER_02: He's like, you can go to a comic fest.
- 17:11SPEAKER_02: I don't know if you guys have been to one, I've been to the Denver one.
- 17:14SPEAKER_02: But it's like you see people at these booths and they're like selling things and like peddling their wares, so to speak.
- 17:19SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, I've never imagined myself on that side of the table.
- 17:22SPEAKER_02: So now I gotta like rethink things and be like, oh, we're gonna do this.
- 17:25SPEAKER_02: But there'll be some giveaways, we'll have some cool stuff that you can swing by the table and do.
- 17:29SPEAKER_02: So I think that's gonna be a ton of fun when we get there.
- 17:31SPEAKER_00: Live mics, maybe.
- 17:32SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
- 17:34SPEAKER_02: I I think we want to find ways to involve our listeners and new listeners for sure.
- 17:38SPEAKER_01: Open up the mailbag in person.
- 17:40SPEAKER_01: So if you ever have any mailbag questions, bring them to the Graham Gomic Fest.
- 17:45SPEAKER_01: But if you're not gonna be there, send them to us regardless.
- 17:48SPEAKER_01: We'd love to have more mailbag questions um coming our way because we've got more mailbag uh episodes coming up.
- 17:55SPEAKER_02: All right, I think that's gonna do it for this special episode of Bards and Barrels.
- 17:59SPEAKER_02: Uh, you can listen to the to all of season one uh anywhere podcasts can be found.
- 18:04SPEAKER_02: So definitely go do that.
- 18:05SPEAKER_02: Want to stay in the loop and not miss the latest from us?
- 18:07SPEAKER_02: Be sure to head over and give us a like and follow on Facebook at Bards and Barrels, and you can now follow us on Instagram too.
- 18:12SPEAKER_02: So we'll see you soon on season two.