Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Antagonist Relations Podcast 45 - Cellar Gases

Antagonist Relations Podcast 45 - Cellar Gases


The third of three parts of our August 2018 Beyond the Wall Actual Play Episodes, now separated into bite size chunks for your audio enjoyment (or at least, not an listenable 3 hour podcast).

The party ventures down into the cellar of the Golden Grain Inn, unsure of what macabre secrets they might stumble upon...

Starring Ben as Hugen Coldhands, the New Watchman, Christy as Ziska Forespark, the Student of the Dark Arts, Mike as Jasper (Jape) Sweetberry IV, the Gifted Dilettante and Cassandra as Tulip, the Village Bear.

If you want to know more about Beyond the Wall, check out the Antagonist Relations reviews:


Friday, August 24, 2018

Music to Game to: Walker Harris English - Walker Harris English [OF013]

I listen to a lot of music (over 40 days worth in 2017 according to last.fm) and I find that few things help me keep the mood of a game foregrounded in my mind like a good soundtrack. Plus, I’ve discovered that when I’m playing music to a speaker via Bluetooth, I’m less likely to be on my phone, lest my players hear any stray sounds, letting me better model engagement during a game. To that end, I want to share some of my favorite music to game to; the albums that inspire and inflame my imagination and that I’ve found work well as background music for games as well. I’ll do a mini-review and cover the basics of what mood it helps me set.

WALKER HARRIS ENGLISH – WALKER HARRIS ENGLISH [OF013]

Few things are finer in life than listening to Thor Harris playing the dulcimer, which makes this album a delight, but the archaic feel that a dulcimer evokes for most players will also make this album great for gaming too. In addition to the dulcimer (both acoustic and electric), Thor plays bass clarinet and is joined by field recordings from Conor Walker with bass drum and electronic treatments by Lawrence English. The sparse instrumentation lends the album an eerie feel, suspenseful without relying on intense spikes in dynamics and the lack of traditional rock instruments gives the music a ghostly timeless feel. This music would fit right in for a more subdued session of Call of Cthulhu or Ravenloft.

  • Vocals?...No
  • Music Genre(s)… Drone, Experimental
  • Perfect for…Any game that could benefit from etherealness and low-key eerie suspense.
  • If you only grab one track, make it... “The House Part II”, which opens with a haunting electric dulcimer melody, that then splits and divides like an amoeba, cleaving apart and back again.



Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Parasol of the Daywalker - Weird Magic Item #13

Inspired by the incredibly excellent Weird Magic Item generator over at Donjon.bin.sh, I've been coming up with a few of my own system agnostic weird magic items to put in the many games I run, be they 13th Age or Beyond the Wall...

Eventually I want to try and put them into a randomizer, but I need to generate a few first. I'm going to try and post one every other Wednesday. Please let me know if you end up using an item I've created in your own game. You can find the entire series here...

Antagonist Relations Weird Magic Item Generator Presents...

Parasol of the Daywalker

This pink silken parasol casts a much darker shadow than the diaphanous material would lead an observer to guess it would. There is enough shadow for a single human-sized creature to stand in. It allows a creature that would otherwise take a penalty or damage due to sunlight to avoid taking that from normal daylight. It also gives a +5 roll to any checks against heat exhaustion or other weather conditions that could be ameliorated by an umbrella or shade. It can be made to float above a creature with a command word, leaving both of a user’s hands free.


Monday, August 20, 2018

Antagonist Relations Podcast 44 - Save Vs Dad Joke... Fail!

Antagonist Relations Podcast 44 - Save Vs Dad Joke... Fail!


The second of three parts of our August 2018 Beyond the Wall Actual Play Episodes, now separated into bite size chunks for your audio enjoyment (or at least, not an listenable 3 hour podcast).

The party find ruins in the swamp and suffer a setback, but persevere. Also features a commercial for Sweetberry Goodberries...

Starring Ben as Hugen Coldhands, the New Watchman, Christy as Ziska Forespark, the Student of the Dark Arts, Mike as Jasper (Jape) Sweetberry IV, the Gifted Dilettante and Cassandra as Tulip, the Village Bear.

If you want to know more about Beyond the Wall, check out the Antagonist Relations reviews:


Friday, August 10, 2018

Antagonist Relations Podcast 43 - Snake Steaks

Antagonist Relations Podcast 43 - Snake Steaks


The first of three parts of our August 2018 Beyond the Wall Actual Play Episodes, now separated into bite size chunks for your audio enjoyment (or at least, not an listenable 3 hour podcast).

The party ponders the arson that occurred in Orlane while they slept and head into the swamps... where they encounter a snake, will 'o the wisps and consider if they qualify as murder hobos...

Starring Ben as Hugen Coldhands, the New Watchman, Christy as Ziska Forespark, the Student of the Dark Arts, Mike as Jasper (Jape) Sweetberry IV, the Gifted Dilettante and Cassandra as Tulip, the Village Bear.

If you want to know more about Beyond the Wall, check out the Antagonist Relations reviews:


Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Draught of Learning - Weird Magic Item #12

Inspired by the incredibly excellent Weird Magic Item generator over at Donjon.bin.sh, I've been coming up with a few of my own system agnostic weird magic items to put in the many games I run, be they 13th Age or Beyond the Wall...

Eventually I want to try and put them into a randomizer, but I need to generate a few first. I'm going to try and post one every other Wednesday. Please let me know if you end up using an item I've created in your own game. You can find the entire series here...

Antagonist Relations Weird Magic Item Generator Presents...

Draught of Learning

This bottle contains a foul smelling, black liquid that appears to be ink. When a cup of this liquid is drunk by a spell caster capable of learning new spells, that spell caster automatically succeeds on the next check they make to learn a spell. In addition, the time required to learn the spell is reduced to 1 hour. If a spell caster takes a second drink, they must make a saving throw vs poison or suffer one of the consequences below:


2d12 Draught of Learning Consequences
2 Spell caster "unlearns" a random spell they already knew and can never re-learn it.
3 Spell caster loses a level.
4 Spell caster loses 1 point of Dexterity
5 Spell caster loses 1 point of Dexterity
6 Spell caster loses 1 point of Strength
7 Spell caster loses 1 point of Strength
8 Spell caster loses 1 point of Strength
9 Spell caster loses 1d4 hitpoints
10 Spell caster loses 1d4 hitpoints
11 Spell caster loses 1d4 hitpoints
12 No negative effect
13 No negative effect
14 No negative effect
15 No negative effect, but the Spell caster automatically fails the check to learn the spell.
16 No negative effect, but the Spell caster automatically fails the check to learn the spell.
17 No negative effect, but the Spell caster automatically fails the check to learn the spell.
18 Spell caster loses 1 point of Constitution
19 Spell caster loses 1 point of Constitution
20 Spell caster loses 1 point of Constitution
21 Spell caster loses 1 point of Charisma
22 Spell caster loses 1 point of Charisma
23 Spell caster cannot learn any additional spells for 1d4 months
24 Spell caster loses a point of their primary spellcasting ability.



Friday, August 3, 2018

Music to Game to: Narcosatanicos - Body Cults

I listen to a lot of music (over 40 days worth in 2017 according to last.fm) and I find that few things help me keep the mood of a game foregrounded in my mind like a good soundtrack. Plus, I’ve discovered that when I’m playing music to a speaker via Bluetooth, I’m less likely to be on my phone, lest my players hear any stray sounds, letting me better model engagement during a game. To that end, I want to share some of my favorite music to game to; the albums that inspire and inflame my imagination and that I’ve found work well as background music for games as well. I’ll do a mini-review and cover the basics of what mood it helps me set.

NARCOSATANICOS – BODY CULTS

I’ve been re-reading Richard Kadrey’s “Sandman Slim” series, and listening to Body Cults to prep this review, all I could think is that this would fit right into the jukebox at the punk tiki bar, Bamboo House of Dolls. Intense, noisy, wonderfully sleazy and with enough swing to make it feel dangerously gleeful, like a serial killer winking at you as he wipes the blood off his blade. The album feels like an alternate soundtrack to a particularly unhinged 70s low budget splatter film, transporting you a realm of dangerous chases, desperate escapes and brutal combats.


  • Vocals?...Yes, deeper in the mix or incoherent screams.
  • Music Genre(s)… Noise Rock, Psychedelic Rock
  • Perfect for…Horror games that need an intense and sleazy soundtrack with a 70s vibe.
  • If you only grab one track, make it...Television Dreams” which roars in on a whirlwind of guitar, sax and drums and then only gets more intense after it slows down to show you the full terrifying scope of its sonic vision.

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Antagonist Relations Podcast 42 - "Karaoke Dreaming Explosions"

Antagonist Relations Podcast 42 - "Karaoke Dreaming Explosions"


The Antagonist Relations Players take a short detour from Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures to playtest an early draft of "Cleanup in Aisle Five" a Starting Adventure I'm writing for the post apocalyptic Godless of the Shadow of the Demon Lord RPG by Schwalb Entertainment.

With Part Four, "Karaoke Dreaming Explosions", the PCs deal with the aftermath of the party at Bluthammer Grocery, an oasis of safety and supplies in the midst of the wastes.

You can find my reviews of both Shadow of the Demon Lord and Godless on the Antagonist Relations blog.

"Pitchfork Sad" - A review of Shadow of the Demon Lord
Godless: The World of Fire and Blood (review)

Please take our listener survey here.

Antagonist Relations Podcast 41 - Halt, Party Time!

Antagonist Relations Podcast 41 - Halt, Party Time!


The Antagonist Relations Players take a short detour from Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures to playtest an early draft of "Cleanup in Aisle Five" a Starting Adventure I'm writing for the post apocalyptic Godless of the Shadow of the Demon Lord RPG by Schwalb Entertainment.

With Part Three, "Halt, Party Time!", the PCs repair a karaoke machine and attend a party at Bluthammer Grocery, an oasis of safety and supplies in the midst of the wastes.

You can find my reviews of both Shadow of the Demon Lord and Godless on the Antagonist Relations blog.

"Pitchfork Sad" - A review of Shadow of the Demon Lord
Godless: The World of Fire and Blood (review)

Please take our listener survey here.

Antagonist Relations Podcast 40 - "How You Did Me Wrong"

Antagonist Relations Podcast 40 - "How You Did Me Wrong"


The Antagonist Relations Players take a short detour from Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures to playtest an early draft of "Cleanup in Aisle Five" a Starting Adventure I'm writing for the post apocalyptic Godless of the Shadow of the Demon Lord RPG by Schwalb Entertainment.

With Part Two, "How You Did Me Wrong, the PCs settle into Bluthammer Grocery, an oasis of safety and supplies in the midst of the wastes and begin to prepare for a party.

You can find my reviews of both Shadow of the Demon Lord and Godless on the Antagonist Relations blog.

"Pitchfork Sad" - A review of Shadow of the Demon Lord
Godless: The World of Fire and Blood (review)

Please take our listener survey here.

Antagonist Relations Podcast 39 - Employee Orientation

Antagonist Relations Podcast 39 - Employee Orientation


The Antagonist Relations Players take a short detour from Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures to playtest an early draft of "Cleanup in Aisle Five" a Starting Adventure I'm writing for the post apocalyptic Godless of the Shadow of the Demon Lord RPG by Schwalb Entertainment.

With Part One, Employee Orientation, the PCs are introduced to Bluthammer Grocery, an oasis of safety and supplies in the midst of the wastes.

You can find my reviews of both Shadow of the Demon Lord and Godless on the Antagonist Relations blog.

"Pitchfork Sad" - A review of Shadow of the Demon Lord
Godless: The World of Fire and Blood (review)

Please take our listener survey here.

The Saltmarsh Register - Vol 1.18 & Vol 1.19

The Saltmarsh Register is the in-game newspaper I invented for the Ghosts of Saltmarsh game I run online every other Saturday. It is reprint...