Changeling the Podcast

There was a bit of a delay for this episode—sorry! When you party with the satyrs for the sake of episode data, you party hardy. But in the end, we have some thoughts about the kith and their presentation in Kithbook: Satyrs. To overcome the fairly one-dimensional sex maniac trope, the kithbook situates them within an extensive fae history of Greece, argues that passion can go in many directions, gives some insights into how satyrs age... not all bad stuff. That said, it's middle of the road for a splatbookl, introducing some interesting ideas without pushing the kith in any exciting new directions—which they could have benefited from. If they're your favorite kith, it's certainly worth the read. If you'd like to take a look at the book (perhaps to consider purchasing it), here's the link: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/3468/Kithbook-Satyrs?affiliate_id=3063731 And if you want to drop us a line, you can find us 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 your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a Passion for pudding, but only the instant kind. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) insists that the "G" is not for "Goat," but nobody seems to believe that. "Passion persuades me one way, reason another. I see the better and approve it, but I follow the worse." —Ovid, Metamorphoses VII.19-21

When it comes to themes in Changeling, there are plenty of possibilities for discussion: the bittersweetness of time, the necessity of balance, alternative forms of horror (which we talked about back in Episode 24). Two closely aligned ones that interest us are queerness and kinship. The experience of the former is often paralleled by many of the game's core ideas, and the various forms of the latter come to the foreground in the game's setting. This episode is kind of a meditation on those two themes, drawing a lot on our personal experiences. It's a discussion that could take several more hours... for now, though, we kept ourselves to one (more or less) where we muse about some of the more prominent connections we see. Hopefully it will provide you with some food for thought! Feel free to let us know what you think about this themes episode, and these more wide-ranging discussions in general: 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 your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) sometimes uses the term "faemily" into conversation just to see what kind of impact it has on others. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) favors incorporating glitter into as many cantrip Bunks as possible. I've heard it too many times to ignore it. It's something that I'm supposed to be. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me. —Kermit the Frog, "Rainbow Connection"

...no, not the pseudo-Kithbook: Sidhe. We already covered that book, if you'll remember Episode 11. This time we'll be talking about the similarly named but wholly different The Shining Host, Changeling's entry in the LARP (Live-Action RolePlaying) universe of Mind's Eye Theatre. Given the alignment between the themes and mechanics of Changeling: the Dreaming and, well, make-believe, it's a natural fit for this more performative style of roleplaying. Part book dive and part exploration of the role-playing style, this episode is also one of those situations where Josh has extensive experience and Pooka has basically zero, and the disparity in knowledge is quite apparent. But we have a special guest to help us out this time: the book's author, and eventual MET/C20 developer, Pete Woodworth! With such knowledgeable guides, surely even a pooka can come out of this episode having learned something. You can purchase the book at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1491?affiliate_id=3063731, for your LARP education and edification (edufication?), and check out Pete's other work at: His website, https://peterwoodworth.com/ A bluebird-feed, https://twitter.com/WriterPete Supplements for The Expanse RPG like this one, co-written with (among others) fellow CtD luminary Ian Lemke And then there's our usual social links in case you need to bother us for Things and Stuff: 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 your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has the power to turn invisible with a mere fold of the arms. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) believes in the primacy of rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock. "We're actors — we're the opposite of people!" —The Player, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

In case it wasn't clear, the sidhe are the star kith (some might say "Marys Sue" or "prime donne") of Changeling: the Dreaming. More metaplot space was devoted to their intrigues than any other, players seem drawn to play them (possibly for those sweet House benefits), and while they never got 72 or 96 pages of proper kithbook, they got ~400 pages of House book divided across three supplements. (And that's putting aside Nobles: the Shining Host and The Shadow Court, each of which could also arguably be called "Kithbooks: Sidhe"...) It is to the first of that trilogy that we turn this week, as we discuss Noblesse Oblige: The Book of Houses, covering the five "core" Seelie Houses from 1st edition. It's a weighty tome with a lot of information about the history and culture of these groups, but we do our best to get through them at a brisk clip...! Granted, you might not have time to listen to in-depth descriptions of the Houses and their role in the broader landscape of Kithain society. We thought it might be best to reduce each one to a phrase or two that summarizes their ethos, but we wanted to jazz it up a bit, so here they are as flavor profile descriptions, complete with cheese pairings: House Dougal: robust with little variation, notes of stone fruit, smoky finish; pairs nicely with a sharp Cheddar House Eiluned: complex and (actually) acidic, a succession of flavors, velvety mouthfeel; goes well with an aged Gruyère House Fiona: effervescent and bright, with a balance between vanilla and citrus; even out with a mild goat cheese House Gwydion: intensely flavorful with cedar notes, but a slight metallic aftertaste; only Roquefort can match its power House Liam: simple and bittersweet, with occasional tartness and a nutty finish; best with a smear of honey-coated Brie Feel free to agree or disagree with these picks on our social media, where you can also share and discuss other Changeling-flavored whatnot: 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 your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) grew up in the suburbs of Arcadia, where light rail is affordable and organic co-ops abound. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) isn't keen on adjectives gone wild, but syntax gone wild is something up with which they will gladly put. "I had been too long away from the nobility; I had forgotten how silly even the best of them could be." —Laurell K. Hamilton, "Geese"

It's been a while since we had one of our inspiration episodes, where we take a look at material outside of the CtD canon that we find helpful for grokking the themes of the game. We've had novels and spoopy novels, but in this episode (#THE ANSWER) we're turning to graphic novels and other visual narratives of the comic form. A professor might say, pairing text with image creates its own kind of media experience for the reader, tickling a particular set of imaginative centers in the brain that are good for conceptualizing the intricate mytho-fictive narratives of the game. But more simply put, MOAR COMIX BETTER GAME. (And even if you don't think of yourself as a "comics reader," these are worth a look.) The full list: Neil Gaiman with various artists, Sandman (and assorted spinoffs) — the original fan annotations website is archived here, but there is also an official Annotated Sandman out from DC Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, DIE — and see the tie-in roleplaying game here! Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and so many others, X-Men Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, Monstress Winsor McCay, Little Nemo in Slumberland (and variations on the title) — in the public domain, so you can see many of the old strips (along with the excellent Krazy Kat) at the Comic Strip Library [bonus! Jamie McKelvie, Suburban Glamour] Alan Moore, Watchmen — there was a film adaptation and everything, but here's the 80s cartoon the world deserved Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Saga — we're not going to link to merchandise websites, but you can get resin statues of plushies of the Lying Cat, if you so desire (and really, why wouldn't you?) Chris Ware, Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes Bill Willingham and (mostly) Mark Buckingham, Fables And then as usual, another list, where you can rail about how right or wrong we were about this list (although take note—limiting ourselves to eleven was tough, and we acknowledge there's a lot more out there): 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 If you join our Discord, feel free to send us your suggested stats for Hobbes the Lycian, or vote on which sidhe Houses you think Xavier and Magneto would fall into, or just talk about the episode to your hearts' contentments. our hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) often trips over speech balloons and tumbles through the fourth wall. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) defies the square panel as a convention of story-binding, favoring instead the trapezoid. "Let's see if we can call time on this trend by demanding and creating big, wild comics which stretch our imaginations. Let's make living breathing, sprawling adventures filled with mind-blowing images of things unseen on Earth. Let's make artefacts that are not faux-games or movies but something other, something so rare and strange it might as well be a window into another universe because that's what it is." —Grant Morrison

At long last, we come to the end of the road... well, not the end, because that would (presumably) be Arcadia. But we are deeper into the Dreaming than we've yet been, as we deal this week with the final part of our dive into Dreams and Nightmares! Joining us is C20 author and longtime community bastion Charlie Cantrell, for a discussion of the Realms in the farthest reaches of dream, and the stories one might tell on the way there. While we are talking about the Deep Dreaming write-ups in particular, the conversation ranges across the entirety of the book and what it has to offer. Our conclusion: it's an indispensable one for players and Storytellers alike, even those who have never played 2nd Edition, but it's a springboard more than a proper guide. There are hundreds (thousands?) of ideas floating around its pages, with little to no guidance on how to use them. But for a representation of the infinite space that is the collective subconscious, it's hard to see how the book could have been anything else... If you missed the first two installments of this trilogy, check them out: Episode 39 (Near Dreaming): https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-39-dreams-nightmares-1-near-dreaming/ Episode 40 (Far Dreaming): https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-40-dreams-nightmares-2-far-dreaming/ The book continues to be available at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/2173/Dreams-and-Nightmares?affiliate_id=3063731, and we continue to be available for your social contact needs (within reason) throughout the following constellation of sites: 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 Charlie can sometimes be spotted on our Discord, or else you might try your luck at: Twitter: @PookaKnight Facebook: Radio Free Arcadia for more info about the latest projects from Charlie and his team Kiths of Arcadia on the Storytellers' Vault: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/299635?affiliate_id=3063731 Harbingers of Winter, a supplement on Thallain and Dauntain and Fomorians (oh my!): https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/388455?affiliate_id=3063731 Charlie's homebrew conversion guide to 5th Edition for Changeling can be found here your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) reminds the listener that we're each forever story-battling the subtle yet sinister extra-planar Fair Folk, each of us wielding the weapon that is An Entire Life. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has one word for you, just one word: BALLOON. From star to star the mental optics rove, Measure the skies, and range the realms above. There in one view we grasp the mighty whole, Or with new worlds amaze th' unbounded soul. —Phillis Wheatley, "On Imagination"

We're continuing down the path into the Firchlis-warped wilderness as we dip into Chapters 2, the first half of 4, 6, and the Appendix of Dreams and Nightmares. Why the scattered approach? While we focused on the Near Dreaming along with general Dreaming cosmology and (meta)physics last time, in this installment we're talking specifically about the Far Dreaming, its Realms, and more of the mechanical side of things. If you want to know more about the specific rules you'll need to run a Dreaming-heavy game, or notes about the beasts and denizens one may find there, we've got a few treats (and headaches) in store for you... but if it's not entirely to your liking, don't worry. We've still got another episode in this trilogy to get through. Our own Dreaming Realms: 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 your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is part shareholder of an artisanal butter outfit in the Fields Behind, because everyone needs a retirement plan. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) was awarded the key to the city of Quoxburg, but it turned out to be a miserably sentient three-day-old croissant with the word "KEY" written on it in royal icing. The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. —William Blake, third proverb of Hell

Brace yourselves—it's time for another trilogy of episodes as we dive into the library for a book of exquisite density. While Isle of the Mighty (our previous three-fer) was long in addition to dense, Dreams and Nightmares is a trim 128 pages with standard-sized font. So why the excessive episodage for it? Because this is the first, last, and thus far only entry in the Changeling canon to give us a thorough look at the Dreaming, whose impact on the world of the game cannot be overemphasized. This week, as we enter the Near Dreaming, we're joined by (friend of the show, Patron, and host of Mage: the Podcast) Terry Robinson to talk about the overall cosmology and metaphysics of this plane, its connections to broader Mage and WoD cosmology, and specifically the Nearer side of things. Much mayhem ensued! The book can be purchased from https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/2173/Dreams-and-Nightmares?affiliate_id=3063731, and if the interwebs are a kind of Dreaming, then here are some of our Realms: 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 Meanwhile, Terry can be found in places that include: Mage: the Podcast: https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j Mage: the Podcast Discord page: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Pain in the Dice podcast (with Chazz Kellner): https://www.paininthedice.com/ Systematic Understanding of Everything, an Exalted podcast: https://www.exaltcast.com Storyteller's Vault material: https://www.storytellersvault.com/browse.php?author=Terry%20Robinson Twitters include @magethepodcast and @terryrobinson your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) takes a trod to work because the bridge traffic is just unacceptable since the new troll started working under there. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) | discreetly laughs | at those who scorn | the Silver Paths. | BURMA SHAVE One backward look by any of us Can cost what it cost Orpheus. —Kay Ryan, "Doubt"

Even when you're equipped with quickstart materials (as we discussed a few episode ago...!), it can be daunting to prepare your/your players' first Changeling game. Many of the potential speed bumps can be smoothed over with a solid Session Zero, where everyone gets together, talks about the characters they want to play, the particular game and story they expect to craft, and the questions they need answered before diving into the roleplaying "proper". In this episode, we draw on our experiences both great and abysmal, to inform our takes on some important things to think about in general and for Changeling in particular. This is by no means a tutorial on "how to Storytell," but we hope that it will helpfully enrich your own playing style. Our social media links, if you'd care to leave some feedback, show your appreciation, or just scream like an opossum in the night: Discord: https://discord.me/ctpEmail: podcast@changelingthepodcast.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPodPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast consent documents In this episode, we make reference to these documents, which some Storytellers like to circulate before starting to supplement the "lines" and "veils" deployed in-game. They're usually checklists of topics which might be triggering for players, giving them the opportunity to highlight specific items they don't want in a game. There are a variety of these out in the world, but here are three (free) examples: Monte Cook's "Consent in Gaming" booklet: https://www.montecookgames.com/store/product/consent-in-gaming/Gehenna Gaming's WoD/horror-centered checklist/safety document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g5c2GhmnJYaGIDFKlxgXLL_GruGPNncv/view?usp=sharingAnother WoD-centered example, from DTRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/314220/World-of-Darkness-RPG-Consent-Checklist-A4 your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) requires players to handwrite their sheets with calligraphy on parchment if they take Title greater than 2. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) awards starting XP based on how many crullers each player brings to the table in tribute. "Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again." —Andre Gide, Le Traité de Narcisse

Another dive into the library...! This week, we're taking a closer look at the ill-tempered genius of the nockers as we flip through the pages of their Kithbook, the third in the lineup. There are certainly some interesting tidbits in this one: the origins of nockers' foul mouths, some fast-and-loose chimerical "science", a panoply of devices and vehicles from their workshops. And then there are... choices that were made about their heritage and presentation that we examine with more critical eyes. Friend of the show Charles Siegel joins us on this episode to help hash out who the nockers are, who they could be, and how to (better) fold them into your Changeling chronicle. Some places you can find us around the intersphere: Discord: https://discord.me/ctpEmail: podcast@changelingthepodcast.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPodPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast And some places where you can find Charles and his work: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlessiegelOne of Charles' many offerings on the Storytellers' Vault, Paradigm Explored: Number and Shape, for all your mathemagician needs: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/367375?affiliate_id=3063731 your hosts Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is one step closer to discovering the elusive Higgs monad. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) knows that many nockers can tune a piano, but not a one can tuna fish. "Everything was normal and then suddenly, it's like the laws of physics went right out the window." "And why shouldn't they? They're so inconvenient." —Geordi and Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation, "True Q"