The Experience Quest — a TTRPG Talk Show

Episode 3 of The Experience Quest. Rin, Sgaoileadh, Tam, and the NPC Brazen face off against a horrible aberration in an abandoned ruin. Grappled, restrained, poisoned, stunned — there's much for the heroes to overcome in this thrilling battle! Will they triumph or have they met their match against this otherworldly foe?

Episode 2 of The Experience Quest. If you love D&D and candles this one is for you! Sarah talks shop with Hector and Laura from A Few Burnt Hairs, a D&D and dark fantasy themed online store. In this energetic episode, the trio discusses everything from DMing the game to entrepreneurship fueled by passion, coffee, and ramen.

Episode 1 of The Experience Quest. What does a Dungeon Master (DM) burning out on their main campaign do when a new quest beckons? Answer the call, of course! Sarah reflects on her Magic Awry campaign and chats about what one-shots she's been playing in and DMing.

The final episode of Critical Catastrophe before it becomes "The Experience Quest." Join me for a rundown of what's changing and what to expect with the new podcast name.

Season 0, Episode 13. Tune in for an incredible interview with Mark! It's bursting at the proverbial seams with realistic DM advice for running a stronger game with engaged players and a healthy table. Mark has over 20 years of experience DMing. He runs 6 concurrent games using D&D 5e, all set in his homebrew world. He is a full-time paid DM with a growing community of players and viewers. Learn what it takes to DM professionally, how to curate players, and how to avoid burn out as a busy game master.

Season 0. Episode 12. CONTENT WARNING: Alcohol and drinking games.

This episode features Ody, a homebrew creator for Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. He has experience to share with publishing work on DM's Guild, tips for writing content, and hilarious stories from his time as Dungeon Master. Check out his work with the links below.

Season 0, Episode 11. This is a companion episode to the Make Traps Visible blog post (linked below). Let's explore why it is beneficial to let your players know that there is a trap in the vicinity with helpful clues!

Season 0, Episode 10. In this episode, I sit down with Zein, the Dungeon Master of Sword & Quill podcast. He's a narrative designer, pen and paper enthusiast, and an entrepreneur with a video game studio. His experiences and creative spirit make for a riveting conversation! We discuss his work on Sword & Quill, worldbuilding, language, diverse NPCs, and tackle some tropes we've encountered at our tables. Find out what unique takes Zein has implemented in his homebrew world of Ryva!

Season 0, Episode 9. Ethan returns to Critical Catastrophe for a party chat about tabletop gaming tropes! Along the way we discuss all sorts of influential media, tropes we love and dislike, and some very strong feelings about movies, anime, and games. To top it all off we share our tabletop character ideas. A cleric pâtissier? A masked half-orc monk? Why not!

Season 0, Episode 8. This interview with Philippa Mort is packed with insight, gaming experiences, and advice for getting started as a TTRPG writer! Philippa's journey from player, to GM, to author of TTRPG modules is an inspiration for anyone considering the hobby or looking to start writing content. Her work studying medieval religious history provides expertise as we discuss how history has shaped the game we run. Find out how she got into tabletop gaming, what hobbies and interests are incorporated into her creations, and what advice she has to offer as both a GM and a writer. 

Season 0, Episode 7. Join me and Amy as we explore nuanced characters, discuss opinions on character flaws, and delve into the qualities of a good character for a shared gaming table. We play Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) together and each have a catalog of fun and interesting characters to chat about in this Party Chat episode. Why didn't Harlan want to join the adventure? Is it reasonable to always have a weapon drawn - always? The barbarian critted with what weapon?! Stay tuned to find out! 

Season 0, Episode 6. Dear Dungeon Masters (DMs), have you ever had a brilliant idea and forced it upon your party? Players, have you been caught in narrative cutscenes? This solo episode is all about avoiding the use of force as DM. Instead, learn to promote choices your party can make to interact with the scene. I explain how to avoid taking away player agency, why to avoid it, and how to build choices into scenarios. With these straight forward examples, you'll be able to identify what not to do and how to alter the way you think about conflicts and outcomes. This advice is TTRPG system agnostic and a lesson I've personally had to learn. Check out the companion blog post: https://www.criticalcatastrophe.com/post/use-choice-not-force 

Season 0, Episode 5. This Party Chat episode features Ethan! He's a writer and Dungeon Master (DM) with a broad range of experience across a variety of tabletop games. With a decade of playing and DMing, he has the wisdom to spare and a collection of outrageous game tales to share. Join us as he brings much-needed energy to the episode and we discuss what makes gathering together at the gaming table so entertaining! We've barely scratched the surface, so stay tuned for the follow-ups to come!

Season 0, Episode 4. In this solo "blogcast" style episode I lay out the canonical differences between devils and demons in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D) and how, armed with that knowledge, I transformed my homebrew campaign. It was a journey of personal growth as I went from ignoring the established lore to embracing it. It all began with Milva, the cursed goat lady... and how she changed the campaign forever. Join me on this journey and discover what your TTRPG's lore can do for your game.

Season 0, Episode 3. This episode is an interview with Jak, the Dungeon Master (DM) of an actual play Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) podcast called "The Five Crystals." Jak, an incredibly chill and charismatic fellow, takes the time to explain how he got started podcasting, gives advice to newcomers, and goes into detail about running his Five Crystals campaign with the lovely cast. Find out who's editing behind the scenes, what Cubemaster's (Aligrax) famous catchphrase is, and learn the secret behind how Jak and friends took a concept and turned it into a real-life actual play podcast. The answer was quite a surprise!

Season 0, Episode 2. In today's "Party Chat" segment I sit down with Amy, a long time friend of mine! We have a casual conversation about our beginnings in D&D 3.5e, the transition to 5e, and our shared experiences with this massive creative world of tabletop roleplaying games. Amy explains the "creative box" she found herself stuck in and what it took to break free of it and fully enjoy Dungeons and Dragons. Join us in this chill chat and find out if you, too, have a creative box blocking you or if you're rolling free!

Season 0, Episode 0. Welcome to Critical Catastrophe! I am Sarah and this is an introduction to the TTRPG talk show with an emphasis on Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (D&D). In this episode, I lay out the podcast formats and explain who I am, what you'll get from Critical Catastrophe, and how to participate! I recommend starting here, but all episodes can be listened to in any order. 

Episode Formats:

Blogcast - Solo episodes with informative content about playing D&D and other tabletop roleplaying games.

Party Chat - A casual conversation between host and guest exploring all things D&D from experiences and stories to discussions about game mechanics and running the game.

Informal Interview - A deep dive that showcases the guest and their projects. Learn more about others who share this creative space!