Changeling the Podcast

The emotion espoused by the Winter Court of the Lost is sorrow, but it's hard to feel too down about the sheer volume of material provided in their nominally associated book, Winter Masques. (Maybe we can shed a tear for the wild inconsistency in font sizes between sections?) While Autumn Nightmares was more of a Storyteller-facing guide, this one introduces a wealth of options that players can take advantage of as well: new kiths, new Contracts, alternate Court systems, and so forth. There are some deep dives into the nature of each Seeming and descriptions of new corners of Arcadia (and new Hedge-paths to reach them). The book insists upon diversity as a theme, and while its take might look a bit quaint nearly twenty years later, it still points to the vast potential scope of the game. So put on your thickest mittens and turn some pages with us as we delve into what's inside... You might wish to pick up your own copy of the book, in PDF form or otherwise, at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/51347?affiliate_id=3063731. And regardless, you can attend our own masquerade at: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Pooka G (any pronoun/they) isn't kithless, but plays one on TV. Amelia Fetch (she/her) insists that any Winter Masque needs a capable chatelaine to handle the goblin hors d'oeuvres. How beautiful, if sorrow had not made Sorrow more beautiful than Beauty's self. —John Keats, Hyperion, I.35–36

The nature of evil is a wiggly thing in all the World of Darkness games, but especially in Changeling. Who's to say whether a rabid beastie or a diabolical Eiluned is more dastardly than the other? Surely it's a matter of perspective. Still, among the various groups in the game, the Thallain and the Dauntain in particular are treated as Bad News, suitable as antagonists due to their extreme disalignment with the goals and values of Kithain and Gallain. Naturally, that hasn't stopped players from wanting to play them. We're talking today about whether that's a good idea—or perhaps, how to make that less of an evil idea. Can they mix with others in a motley? What sorts of stories can you tell with a thoroughly corrupt or broken changeling? The main takeaway is that you shouldn't just jump into playing a character from one of these groups without some extensive considerations. We've done our best to lay those out so that if you do indeed stroll down that primrose path, you'll be prepared to do these fiendish fae justice. We're primarily discussing from a C20 perspective, but if you're unfamiliar with the older editions' takes that we reference here, it might behoove you to go WAY back in time and listen to our episodes on the books Autumn People (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-9-autumn-people/) and The Shadow Court (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-19-the-shadow-court/). For all your other communicative needs—the ones that have to do with our show, anyway—consider one of these links instead: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) runs a tasting event every second Wednesday of the month, pairing Nightmare Legacies with fancy cheeses. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) suffers under the Brand of the Scribbler, unable to write just one word when ten will do. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein. [And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.] —Friedrich Nietzsche, Also Sprach Zarathustra

So, we had thought, surely the supplements for Changeling: the Lost's first edition can't be as dense as the corebook. Surely there will be some let-up in the sheer volume of material crammed into the pages. And yet, here we are with the first book in the line, Autumn Nightmares, applying nostrums to our eyes and brains after the sea of tiny text and dizzying array of concepts and creatures contained therein. Have we regrets? Always, but not about this one. The book is focused on antagonists for the Lost: their fellow changelings, their former Keepers, their fetches and so forth. Underneath it all is the idea that the Autumn Court's pet emotion of fear is a defining part of the Lost experience... so if we forged ahead through these pages without stopping, is that bravery? Better philosophers than us will have to answer. In the meantime, as we recover our wits, here are two hours of our findings! The book is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50679?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined. And another inclination you may have is to get in touch with us! If so, a smattering of options include: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Pooka G (any pronoun/they) keeps a small farm of Hedge-squirrels who are superb dream-thieves, but have worryingly started to unionize. Amelia Fetch (she/her) is still paying the price for giving Lady Bolevile only three stars on Yelp. Let us not speak of it further. Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear. —Baruch Spinoza

If you've been listening to our show for a while (or hanging out on our Discord!), chances are you've heard Josh mention Dr. Jenna Moran's game Nobilis. In some ways adjacent to the World of Darkness and Exalted, in some ways adjacent to its own distinctively hallucinogenic blossom-laden spatial warp of hyperconsciousness, it seemed like a good choice for our first discussion of games outside of our usual bailiwick. And indeed, there is lots of inspiring cross-pollination to explore! We're giving an overview of the game's third edition corebook in this episode—mostly Josh explaining and trying to alleviate Pooka's confusion—and some thoughts on parallels for Changeling players. Perhaps other entries in this series of episodes will follow, where we examine other games outside the WoD? It's always best to start with the trippiest and see how things go from there. As discussed in this episode, Nobilis has had kind of a torturous publication history, but a version of the third and most recent edition—the one we talk about here—is available at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/89003/nobilis-the-essentials-volume-1?affiliate_id=3063731 (and hey, it appears to be on sale at present!). Some other links that might be of use are the usual passel of socials we espouse: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) committed a level 9 Domain miracle and only got this lousy T-shirt. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) would be the Mimulus God rather than the Hollyhock God, but the dental benefits are terrible. There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. —Francis Bacon, "Of Beauty"

At long last, with this third installment, we are at last finished our readthrough of the Changeling: the Lost 1st edition corebook. Here's hoping that when we get to 2nd edition, we can just breeze through and say "nyaaahhh, it's mostly the same but here are things that have changed." (Doubtful.) This week, we're talking about Entitlements, the sample freehold setting of Miami, our thoughts overall on the book, and listener questions that we've been saving til the end. But of course, this is only the first step in our considerations of 1e Lost, for there's a handful of supplements that we will work through in the coming months, and after that, who can say? Until then, we hope this deep dive was informative, and whether you're learning about CtL for the first time or thinking "thanks the fates they finally got more into the other Changeling," may it have whetted your appetite for more. One last time, you can pick up the PDF of the 1e corebook if you're so inclined, at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50010?affiliate_id=3063731. And more socially, points of ingress to our own digital freehold include: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can't believe that Appendix II passed up the chance for a manatee Beast motley politely guarding the coast. Amelia Fetch (she/her) secretly thinks the book's covers should've had actual thorns, to dissuade all but the most dedicated players. The trick is to combine your waking rational abilities with the infinite possibilities of your dreams. Because, if you can do that, you can do anything. —Guy Forsyth in Waking Life

Another week, another as-rapid-as-we-dare readthrough of the Changeling: the Lost 1st edition corebook. This time, we're having a look at Chapters Three and Four. "But Pooka and Fetch," you might say, "this was supposed to be a two-part series, not a trilogy. How could you spend just under two hours talking about two measly chapters?" Well, when those two chapters clock in at ~120 pages with small text, little art, and extensive detail on both the intricate bespoke systems of the game and how to run the damn thing... as you'll discover, we had plenty to talk about. Still, we hope that the brisk clip of our discussion and the occasional wisecrack will help keep you engaged. (And seriously, there's only one more episode left for this book before we put it down, if not for good, at least for a breather.) As indicated previously, the 1e corebook is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50010?affiliate_id=3063731. Our usual passel of links below as well: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Pooka G (any pronoun/they) spun the Hedge like a roulette wheel, and just look what happened... Amelia Fetch (she/her) sells jewelry made of seashells and mysteries at the goblin market for the low low price of only three soul fragments! This was the way he had to go; he had no choice. He had never had any choice. He was only a dreamer. —Ursula K. LeGuin, The Lathe of Heaven

As the light half of the year breaks over the horizon, it's time at last for us to take the deepest of breaths and open the tome that is the Changeling: the Lost 1st edition corebook. The density of the text and the number of pages meant that this was always going to be a multi-part endeavor, but we did our best to keep the wild tangents we could have gone down to a minimum. In this installment, we're covering the introductory material and the first two chapters... which is a solid 170 pages of material with very tiny font, so we really still had to pack it in. We're commenting on elements as they relate to Changeling: the Dreaming throughout, so for any veterans who haven't tried one of the games but are curious to know about what they could bring into the other, we hope it will be of use! And as a historical curiosity—for now the second edition has obviated many of our comments here—perhaps it will show the roots of the setting to newer Lost players. About this trilogy of episodes, we've got hopes and perhaps left and right. And what, besides abductions and transformations and oneiromancies, could be more fae than that? If this preliminary dive inspires you to purchase a copy of the book, you can do so at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50010?affiliate_id=3063731. And if you are otherwise inspired to get in touch with us, that is also possible, through the links below: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Pooka G (any pronoun/they) greatly prefers hanging out with Alec Bourbon's lighthearted and garrulous cousin, Bill Tequila Sunrise. Amelia Fetch (she/her) has three dots in Back to School Mantle and Court Goodwill with Christmas in July. I saw pale kings and princes too, Pale warriors, death-pale were they all; They cried—'La Belle Dame sans Merci Hath thee in thrall!' —John Keats, "La Belle Dame sans Merci"

We're visiting other shelves on the bookcase again, this time to dig into World of Darkness: Hong Kong. As with the Tokyo citybook, this was a Year of the Lotus supplement that was ostensibly for all the oWoD gamelines, but in truth was more vampire-centric than anything. Still—the tilts at the other games are present, and to help us sort through the Prodigals, we were joined by Terry Robinson from Mage: the Podcast (recorded before his passing) and Josh Heath from Werewolf: the Podcast (with whom Pooka recorded a follow-up segment more recently). From a Changeling perspective, the book notably contains example of hsien that are not quite built like Kithain, but are still a far cry from those in Land of Eight Million Dreams, which would not come out for several more months. The book overall is a richly described take on the city, and while its approach and accuracy are... debatable, some of it surprisingly prescient for what would follow in the next 25 years. If you'd like to go beyond taking our word for it, you can pick up a copy of the title at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/344?affiliate_id=3063731. And as with the Tokyo episode, some links for the ad hoc World of Darkness Podcast Network: Werewolf: the Podcast can be heard at https://keepontheheathlands.podbean.com/, and Josh Heath's other endeavor, OpCast (arms around the Trinity Continuum), may be perused at https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/opcast; Mage: the Podcast is at https://magethepodcast.com/ In the long ago times of Season One, we spoke with Josh about Werewolf/Changeling crossover (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-8-werewolf-changeling-with-josh-heath/), and with Terry on Mage/Changeling crossover (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-14-mage-changeling-with-terry-robinson/) And for our usual passel of links: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) warns you not to meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with hoisin sauce. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has few weaknesses, but a maximalist signage aesthetic such as found in Kowloon is one of them. We all need stories. What happens in our daily lives changes our stories. —Wong Kar-Wai

It's rare that the fae and the dead have much to do with each other, which is surprising given that within the latter category, the wraiths called Sandmen are oneiromancers extraordinaire. Manipulating the dreams of mortals from beyond the grave, they should be one of the more likely sorts of Prodigal a changeling may encounter. They are suggested as antagonists (in the C20 corebook, if not elsewhere), but what do these dramatic ghosts get up to on their own time? We're opening up their splatbook, Guildbook: Sandmen, to answer this question and learn more about being a theatre person for all eternity, for better or worse. Perhaps you'll be inspired to introduce them on the fringes of dreams in your own game for an unsettling bit of mystery... We previously talked about crossover between Changeling: the Dreaming and Wraith: the Oblivion waaaay back in Season One; check out that episode (#25) here: https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-25-changeling-and-wraith-crossover/. And if you'd like to purchase the guildbook in question, you can follow the mist-shrouded path to https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/143?affiliate_id=3063731. Aside from all that, should you want to send missives in dreams to us, you have a range of options: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) makes use of a relic shepherd's crook to ensure no vaudevillian Sandmen get too fast and loose with Phantasm. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) worked in a haunted theatre during university, but the ghost mostly just hid among remaindered prop furniture. To die, to sleep; — To sleep, perchance to dream: — ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. —William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III.i.64–68

When talking about these games that we love, sometimes we may give the impression that we know more about the history behind the scenes than we let on. It's when we have the opportunity to interview an actually knowledgeable person that the extent of how much we don't know becomes obvious. So it goes today, as we talk with Pete Woodworth about the creation and development of Changeling: the Lost back in its earliest days. As one of the stewards of Changeling: the Dreaming who helped carry over some of the ideas in the new World of Darkness, Pete had anecdotes to share and perspectives to illuminate about how one game informed the other. (And secrets, too, that fall somewhere between curious and earthshaking, but we'll let you decide towards which end of that spectrum these tidbits fall closest.) We hope you'll find these stories as intriguing as we did for this rich and complicated game. Pete's website, Positively Woodworthian, can be found at https://peterwoodworth.com/, from which you can check out his various works around the TTRPG sphere. As for various links on our end, you might try any of the following: Discord: https://discord.me/ctp Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast your hosts Pooka G (any pronoun/they) feels the lack of mixed goblin fruit salad mechanics was a significant oversight by the writing team. Amelia Fetch (she/her) wants to know who is responsible for Vainglory and what in the world they were thinking. If change is inevitable, predictable, beneficial, doesn't logic demand that you be a part of it? —Captain Kirk in Star Trek, "Mirror, Mirror"