#realms of peril & glory

[tench-art]

There are two magical coins in your pocket, detective

Can't wait for the final season of Liminal London on @realmspod! I'll miss the feral detective squad

[katgametable]

Introduction and Master Page

About three years ago, a friend of mine told me that if I really loved DnD, I would have at least 100 gaming podcasts in my library. I am still quite far from that number - and I’m starting to suspect she was having me on - but boy am I having a good time.

What do we do with the things we love? We hoard them, or share them. So let me share with you.

Everything I listen to, or watch, is either on Apple Podcasts (probably others, but that’s the app I use), and/or YouTube.

Oxventure

Main page here

Oxventure, my first and truest love. When I decided to really get into DnD, this was my first actual play show, and it managed to tickle me just right. It has definitely spilled over into my games, and I refuse to be ashamed of my house rule “if it worked in Oxventure, it can work here”, even when it meant a moonbeam blew up a drug lab.

Oxventure was started by video gaming channels Outside Xbox (OXBox) and Outside Xtra (OXtra). Two of the hosts of OXBox, Andy Farrant and Jane Douglas, and the two hosts of OXtra, Ellen Rose and Luke Westaway, got their colleague Johnny Chiodini, then of EuroGamer, to DM a one-off game for them back in 2017. Not much later, the OXs had acquired costumes, convinced the last OXBox host Mike Channell to join, and started doing live shows at cons. Johnny has since spent some time on the channel DiceBreaker (more about them later), and then moved on to their own independent projects. Luke has also left OXtra for his own projects. However, both are still heavily involved in Oxventure, which has gone from strength to strength.

The main series, The Oxventurer’s Guild, was retroactively rearranged into seasons when they changed from almost exclusively one-session adventurers (sometimes broadcast in multiple instalments but recorded in one) to extended storylines. They brought the adventures of the Guild to a close in 2024, but by that point had already spun off two side-series, Blades in the Dark and Deadlands, and announced a new DnD series, Wyrdwood. They also have a selection of special one-offs, One-Shot Wonders and DnD But…, plus several mini-series.

The Adventure Zone

Main page here

As far as I can tell, The Adventure Zone is one of, if not the, oldest actual play shows out there - it debuted several months before Critical Role started streaming. They began with 5e as it was launched; when they started, there was only the Starter Set, not even the Player’s Handbook. Over a decade later, it’s still going strong.

I found them because one of the team co-hosts Sawbones, another podcast I listen to. The team are all one family; Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy and their father Clint. They all have backgrounds in broadcasting and journalism, the boys were early into the podcast game with My Brother, My Brother and Me, and they’ve also done other podcasts. So their games are less technical, more jokey, and prioritise entertainment.

At time of writing, they are on their seventh main campaign, with numerous short series and one-shots, some of which attach to a campaign, some form their own series, and some are stand-alone.

DiceBreaker

DiceBreaker was a YouTube channel set up by Johnny Chiodini along with Michael “Wheels” Whelan and Alex Lolies in 2019. They were joined by Matt Jarvis, Alex Meehan and Sara Elsam. The channel was the home of all things tabletop, covering boardgames, trading card games, and TTRPG, or “pen-and-paper” role play games. Personally I’m only interested in the TTRPGs, though.

In 2020, Sara Elsam left, and then in 2021 Johnny left, and Lolies shortly after. Maddie Cullen and Olivia “Liv” Kennedy came on to take their places.

The parent company was acquired by IGN Entertainment in 2024, and DiceBreaker was shut down without public comment shortly after.

I miss DiceBreaker. Particularly the first two years; Liv and Maddie are great, but the chemistry just wasn’t the same. But I still loved it.

DiceBreaker’s stock in trade was to try a little bit of everything. While they tried extended serieses several times, most of their games were one-shots, often spread over two or three episodes. But their most endearing factor, for me, was a propensity for absolute chaos. They’re probably some of the games I revisit most

…damn I miss them.

Natural Six

Four voice actors and two writer/producers, all veterans of the video game industry, went to the pub to chat DnD, and left the stars of a new show. They recorded an episode zero, played a zero-point-five at a EGX 2023, and started a kickstarter. They got funding for ten episodes, then launched a Patreon to keep going. It’s a really quite high production value show, too.

The DM is Harry McEntire, and the players Doug Cockle, Hollie Bennett, Ben Starr, Aoife Wilson, and Alex Jordan.

The way these guys play is a lot more like a home game; the episodes tend to be longer, and there’s a lot more emphasis on mechanics in certain places. But it’s not too crunchy, it’s still very narrative, and a very cohesive story too, even though it’s clear players are still making a lot of the choices. Currently, there is one campaign, with each episode proper followed by a an after-show called Action Surge.

Fool’s Gold/ Fool’s Gold Sands

A YouTuber called DingoDoodles decided to make an animatic of a particularly memorable incident in her DnD game involving karaoke and a tarrasque. The viewers wanted more, so she animated the next bit. And the next, and the next. She kept going.

Dingo, her DM and now husband Felix, and fellow player Avery have managed to build it up: merchandise such as plushies; a successful kickstarter for a setting book and plethora of accessories; converting the game into a graphic novel; and an actual play with an all-new adventure called Fool's Gold: Sands.

The original animated series is still ongoing; Dingo has said she's not interested in animating the portion of the campaign before the karaoke incident (other than brief flashbacks), but she fully intends to animate to the end of the campaign. And Sands continues with Felix DMing and Dingo and Avery playing. Both are reasonably chaotic (honestly, the way I like it), but Sands feels more cohesive. However, that might be more of a reflection on the difference between Dingo remembering and retelling a game from years ago, and a game happening right now in your ear. Could also indicate Felix has tightened up his worldbuilding over the years. Either is totally fair.

Rusty Quill Gaming

This was recommended to me when they were midway through their…I believe it was their fourth season. I regret that I have yet to actually start the main campaign, as a 150+ episodes backlog is rather daunting. What I have listened to, and very much enjoyed, is their wide variety of one-shot specials utilising a whole host of different systems, and quite often guests as well.

Following the conclusion of their long-running campaign, they decided to start a new project called Chapter and Multiverse. This was relatively short-lived. The RQ network is still going strong - you may have heard of their hit horror podcast The Magnus Archives - but they seem to have stopped gaming. Which is a pity. If they started up a new campaign, I would love to jump in at the start.

The GM for the original campaign was Alex Newell, and the players were Brynn Monroe, Ben Meredith, Lydia Nicholas, and James Ross, who left partway through the campaign, replaced by Helen Gould. The GM for Chapter and Multiverse was Maddy Searle, and the players Ahmed Aljabry, Lowri Ann Davies, Lydia Nicholas, and Pip Gladwin.

Rolling With Difficulty

A couple of veteran podcasters and DnD aficionados decided to try their hand at an actual play show, and it came out quite nicely. It explores the Planescape, but before the Planescape was brought to 5e, which to my mind means DM Austin did a pretty impressive job. They ran a campaign of five seasons, then started a second, currently in its second season.

This is a rather more technical game than most I listen to. While it’s very definitely set into episodes, it feels a lot more like a home game than something like TAZ, which plays to the audience. It’s also less chaotic - some chaos, but much more restrained - but where it shines is in the setting. Not only is there the Planescape world-between-worlds, they explore so many different worlds, many with their own rules governing them. Of course the characters are also well-crafted, with their own quirks and foibles, and the characters and the settings mesh very well together. And of course, the Weird Little Dudes, the ever-growing cast of companion creatures running around at ankle level.

Not all the cast members use full or real names, so bear with. They are Austin Funk, OSP Red, Sophia Ricciardi, Noir, and Wally.

Realms of Peril and Glory

At time of writing (07 Mar 2025), Realms is my newest, and I haven’t really got to grips with it yet. They play a lot of different systems, shorter seasons that sometimes follow on from each other and sometimes don’t. They have guests often, including Johnny Chiodini from Oxventure and DiceBreaker. I will hopefully be able to write a better summary after I’ve familiarised myself with it; I’ve only listened to one short season so far, and it was very good.

I believe the main cast members are Zack Fortais-Gomm (who’s also Oxventure’s producer), James Barbarossa, Maddy Searle, Liz Campbell, Laura Girling, Naomi Clarke, and Pip Gladwin.

Puffin Forest

YouTuber Puffin Forest, Ben, has a wonderful range of bitesized animatics of notable characters or incidents, but he’s also done an absolutely brilliant retelling of an entire Curse of Strahd campaign he played in, another retelling of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, and a handful of actual plays.

Ben’s illustrations are great, his breadth of game knowledge is impressive, but his storytelling is astounding. I remember awaiting eagerly each new instalment. He doesn’t seem to be doing much anymore, at least not publishing on YouTube, but what he’s given us is fabulous.

Reba Derps’ Chibi DnD

I'm not trying to throw shade on Reba Derps, she's got a lot more talent and a lot more gumption than me, but I highly doubt you'll ever see this channel on a recommended list. There's not a lot, Reba went silent quite a few years ago now, but it's fun, it's funny, and the illustrations are lovely.

Put simply, it's an animatic retelling what happened in a home game - not unlike the original Fool's Gold, but somewhat less dramatic. But games don't have to be overly dramatic to be fun. This was a series I found very early in my journey to loving DnD, and in reflection, I can see some really clever stuff that went on in that game.

And of course, adventurers in an adorable chibi style.

[realmspod]

Welcome to 2025 with Realms of Peril & Glory!

The return of the main Vael Campaign, the end of Liminal London and the return of an old favourite! All that and more below!

🔮🏰Vael: Adventures in Athril!

Students stuck at Athril, Academy of the Arcane over summer break begin a heist of the school’s Vault but quickly realise they’ve got competition… This four-episode series arrives February 3rd 2025! GM’d by Zack FG with Nathan Blades, Naomi’s Clarke, Maddy Searle & Liz Campbell

🩸🗡️Vael: Rapscallion Rule!

Someone is trying to kill the head of the Rapscallion Crime Family, a Gnomish crime syndicate with an iron grip on Vael’s criminal underbelly. The culprit must be found before their coup can be completed! This four-episode series arrives in Spring! GM’d by Zack FG with Liz Campbell, Max Briar, James Barbarossa & Pip Gladwin!

🥶🤖Nibiru: Coldbreach!

In this planet-sized space station, strange bio-mechanical life flourishes, and four amnesiacs are found at the edge of the world with impossible memories. Episodes will arrive monthly starting in February only on the Light & Tragic Patreon. GM’d by Ella Watts with Zack FG, Amber Devereux, James Barbarossa and Liz Campbell.

🔮⚙️Vael: Campaign 2

Two years after Campaign One, Maerydyth embarks on her first tour, bringing Isadora, Zongroff and Torbrennan along. A nefarious plot is set in motion that will upend the world of Vael! 20+ episodes will be released in two halves starting this spring! GM’d by Zack FG with NPC voices by James Barbarossa and players Liz Campbell, Laura Girling, Maddy Searle & Pip Gladwin!

💂🧚The Final Liminal London mystery!

Truths will be revealed, and conflicts will come to a head as the party makes its final moves to unseat the Queen of Hyde Park. The as-yet-unnamed final mystery arrives between the two halves of Vael: Campaign 2 This Summer! GM’d by Zack FG with Naomi Clarke, Liz Campbell & Pip Gladwin!

That is our 2025 on Realms! We cannot wait to transport you through even more unforgettable campaigns and heart-pounding one-shots!

Find out more at RealmsPod.com!

[maddyisabstract]

A Game of One's Own | Pitcrawler (ft. Zack FG)

The latest episodes of my solo/duet TTRPG podcast A Game of One's Own are now available wherever you listen to podcasts!

In this crossover with @realmspod, @zackfg and I play Pitcrawler, a fantastic duet game by @macguffinandco! Listen as Zack and I embark on a choose-your-own-adventure style quest...

Part I is available on the Realms feed here

Part II is available on the A Game of One's Own feed here

[merelymatt]

Audio Drama Sunday didn't know what to expect

Here's a crossover I didn't know I needed! And wouldn't you know it, the "city metro line becomes a city" show and the "rescued aliens share people's bodies" show have a weird amount in common, which the episode has fun pointing out. I like the idea that Give Me Away is canon in Greater Boston, but everyone is Greater Boston is just too wrapped up in all the bs in front of them to even comment on the confirmed existence of aliens.

More magic! More London! More of Naomi's 🎶 London facts 🎶 ! Realms' Liminal London series has been dropping big hints about the Queen of Hyde Park for a long time, and the only thing I love more than teasing at a powerful off-screen villain is when the spotlight moves to them and the teasing pays off.

I'm just going to copy-paste from the show description here:

The world has been ravaged down to the core, the oceans banished to the skies, and the two remaining habitable continents are divided by a massive canyon full of demonic birds. One of these continents is the playground of the wealthy, the other a slum inhabited by the poor. In addition to having to live in a Dickensian gutter, the inhabitants of the poor hemisphere are afflicted with a second terrible curse: Every day is Christmas Day.

Two teams of four characters have four sessions to acquire as much in-game wealth as possible, by any means necessary. The winning team gets a real cash prize and their characters each gain a wish.

I can't really articulate what this is better than this. Already there's been rules lawyering aplenty and even more weird worldbuilding on top of the ridiculous initial premise.

[ollieofthebeholder]

Okay, y'all, baseball season is starting up and I'm trying to decide who the next blorbo I work on between innings is, SO. Soliciting opinions on where on my list to start, but let's narrow it down first...

For reference, these are the characters on the list for each of those podcasts; the ones that have links are already done. (Sam is finished and has been for a while, I just need to fix his mouth and take pictures and he'll be posted.)

If you want to say which of the characters on the list from that podcast you think I should do, go for it, although that'll be a separate poll if the winner has more than one character on it. And keep in mind that eventually I'm going to do all of them. I just need to know where to start.

[monstrousproductions]

🎉🤩 Episode One Hundred is now live! One Hundred!!! ONE HUNDRED!!! 🥳😲

[Image: The Monstrous Agonies logo, teal against a black background. The logo is a complex puzzle cube with M on one face and A on another in a gothic font. End description.]

This week, a listener confused by new emotions; and pushing back against unreasonable expectations…

Listen on our website, on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Full transcript available online.

This episode's first letter was submitted by Skeletonhouseplant and this week's advert came from an anonymous submission. Thanks, friends! 🥰

This week's second letter was written by the effervescent Naomi Clarke, writer of The Secret of St Kilda (hi, @thekilda!) who you are SURELY listening to already, right??

Naomi is also a prolific TTRPG player and Big Nerd, and can be found playing a Cockney wizard on actual-play podcast Realms of Peril and Glory, @RealmsPod on Twitter.

Hello and welcome to our latest supporters on Patreon, Gwethulu and Space Modulator, two names that absolutely had me cracking up when I read them 😅

See if you can top them with your own witty nicknames by signing up at Patreon! You can also donate to the 100th Episode Celebratory Sushi I'm going to buy tonight with a one-off payment at www.ko-fi.com/hrowen 🥰

100 episodes is a crazy wicked milestone and I'm so surprised and thrilled to be here, thank you all so much for your support 💖😍 By all means, take a moment to freak out to the person closest to you (emotionally or physically) about how much you love the show, and help spread the word 😎

[thekilda]

London PodFest 2023!

We had a great time watching other people's shows and catching up with lovely Kilda folk, so here's a big ol' post about the day!

I arrived late and missed the morning shows, but was reliably informed that they were fantastic! Alas, two of our most social-media-averse boys spent the morning together, so we have no pics.

But! Pre-afternoon-shows, here is our most beloved island elder who toootally has a medical degree, and actual legend Kirsty who just found out this weekend young Amy was like 6, lol.

Spent some time lovingly bullying the We Fix Space Junk crew by making memes (Bin Juice is the name of Michael's cat)

Gave someone a delicious frozen beverage that kind of exploded, and Kirsty very kindly provided this extremely legible sign.

Watch the Realms of Peril and Glory live show, which was incredible! So proud of Naomi, who killed it as always.

No We Fix Space Junk pics, a travesty! But they were spectacular, as were Amelia and Greater Boston!

Michelle!!!

And super fun, super funny, very meta Kane and Feels live show to wrap up the day!

Kilda group photo!!!

We lost Rhys to The Grind before the evening shows, rip.

Assorted Scottish people who found themselves in London.

Aaaand finally one giant group photo!

Thank you everyone for a fab day! Hope to see you all next year!

[crochetedblorbos]

"Look, she's well steep."

Character Name: Montgomery “Three-Card Monty” Barker

Fandom: Realms of Peril & Glory (@realmspod), Liminal London campaigns [Podcast]

Played By: Naomi Clarke (@naomithinksit)

Yarn Used: Hair: CraftSmart Value - Toasted Almond Skin: CraftSmart Value - Taupe Birthmark/Mouth: Caron Lava Cakes - Sour Cherry Tracksuit: Red Heart Super Saver - Spring Green Zipper: CraftSmart Value - Heather Grey Shoes: CraftSmart Value - Tomato Soles: CraftSmart Value - White

Basic pattern here.

Monty, our beloved chicken nugget wizard. I fell in love with this kid pretty much from the moment I heard him (him being Naomi’s creation helped with that) and he’s just…adorable. And after Episode 4 of Loose Change (the fourth mystery), Great Googly Mooglies, that boy needs all the hugs. I hauled ass to get him finished in time for Episode 5 (I am writing this paragraph prior to actually finishing him, so we’ll see if I manage since it’s, uh, Sunday night). [Crafter’s note: I did not. I finished him two weeks later, in time for Episode 7.] He differs from the base pattern as follows:

Shoes: I actually used a different color for his soles this time! Like with Joseph’s, I did the soles in white, then switched to red for the body of the shoes. However, I did use white for the decreases at the toes in the first round of decreasing the shoes to give that white toe cap that’s so distinctive on Converse and Converse knockoffs (per Naomi, everything Monty owns is a knockoff). I also added an extra round of decreases to make longer flat tops to the shoes and skinnier ankles. The shoes went up to R9 like that, and then: R10: Ch 1, sc in front loops of first 5 sc, sl st in next 2 sc, sc in next 5 sc, sl st in first sc (12 sc).

Tracksuit: I asked on the Light & Tragic Discord, and Naomi was kind enough to inform me that Monty wears high-tops and tucks the hem of his tracksuit into them. I also wanted the pants to have a kind of baggy effect. So once I joined the tracksuit yarn, I chained 2, then did 2dc in the back loop of the first sc in R9, then dc in the back loop of the next 10 sc in R9, then 2dc in the back loop of the final sc in R9, sl st in first dc (15dc). I then continued as normal. I used the same method for his shirt as I did for Joseph and Gerry, just a bit higher up when I started the hemline. I also formed his torso the same way as I did Gerry’s—square most of the way up and then starting the decreases at the very end. Neither of these decisions were intentional, I just wasn’t paying attention to how many rounds I’d done. For the zipper, I tied three knots on top of one another to make a zipper pull, then embroidered in straight lines up and down either side of the zipper track before doing a cross stitch up the middle.

Head: Naomi said in S4E5 that Monty “had one of those big birthmarks” and I knew I had to include it. I didn’t really plan the defined edges of the birthmark, just changed color back and forth as seemed appropriate. Came out a bit Ziggy Stardust, but you know, it’s Monty. I also used safety eyes for him again. Think I put them in too far up too soon, because stitching around them was a pain in the ass, but it worked out.

Hair: I, uh. Forgot to start adding his hair in as low as I usually do, so his hairline is a bit higher in the back than normal, which is one of the reasons there are no pictures from behind, the other being that for some reason the seam got really jagged up the back (I’m guessing I wasn’t counting carefully enough and my joins got off). I’d meant for him to have a textured stitch to his hair, but I got to that point while I was away from home and didn’t have my book with all the stitches in it with me, so I improvised. I gave him a fun little swoosh of hair at the front. Turns out I was overcomplicating things with Hux’s and Mini’s hair. There’s a legitimate stitch called the hair stitch or fur stitch that does exactly what I was trying for on them with significantly less stress, so I used that here for Monty. Gives him kind of a cheeky look and I love it.

Arms: I used the same method I used for Joseph. I only stuffed up to R20 so he would have a little more flexibility in the shoulders.

[voidambassador]

im a ttrpg, cyberpunk and podcast nerd and realms of peril & glory is an absolute fuckin masterclass in the zone of rpg liveplay pods. just finished their cy_borg run and god they are just an absolute pleasure the listen to, Insane production quality, got the charm of the setting n system in one. mwah. beautiful.

[skyfullofpods]

A little write-up of London Podcast Festival's audio drama day!

[dingusdemeanour]

I love a found family of objectively terrible people <3

Detail below

(Why did I make myself draw a car? Just to suffer??)

[merelyroleplayers]

Tune in this time next week

Four delvers rove deep, deep into the unreality of the City Beneath.

Each seeks to achieve the unimaginable.

But in a city shaped by desire, it can be dangerous to want too strongly...

[realmspod]

Yesterday on the Realms feed, we announced two thrilling new projects that are going to see Realms of Peril & Glory through to the end of 2024!

Return to Liminal London!🔎 The inimitable Johnny Chiodini! joins us for this haunting mystery!!🥳

🧚The Fey courts of the Hidden City and the uneasy peace between them are put to the test! Glass Houses, Liminal London Mystery Six arrives this autumn!🍂 Get caught up on Liminal London before our latest mystery!

🩸This December is Solemn Vale: Of Oak & Holly! GM Fiona Howat utilises the folk horror system by Dirty Vortex! 🗡️

When a group of school friends reunite in their home town decades later, all their old grudges start a cascade that could lead to their demise😱

Subscribe and don't miss out on this incredible series!

[maddyisabstract]

#RPGaDAY2024 Day 6! You Awaken in a Strange Place by Jacob Andrews is a no-prep game that is very easy to pick up and creates beautifully chaotic one-shot adventures! I've got to play in two games for @realmspod and they were both utterly delightful.

[haveyouheardthispodcast]