Don, Jon, & Dragons

Note: this episode was recorded immediately after Game of Thrones #7.4 (Spoils of War) and contains spoilers for that episode. Join our heroes as they talk about movies, including Jonny's inability to remember the actual details of Pulp fiction, as well as the social injustices of Harry Potter (and Bill Weasely's false equivalencies).

(Rule of adventuring 9B: There's ALWAYS a big cat.) This week, the boys talk about animals including combat encounters from the lowly housecat up to the mighty mammoth. What's the scariest monster out there? (Hint: it's a kangaroo.) Plus, they talk about all the ways animals can work FOR a party, from paladin mounts to animal companions and even familiars! Discussed links: Kangaroo vs Monster Cat's Meow

In this episode, our heroes give you the low-down on all the living (and unliving!) threats you might expect to find in your adventuring career. From aarakocra to zombie, they run down some of their deadliest encounters, some of their most memorable foes, and a few monsters they thought were more bark than bite. Plus: who would win in a fight between Khal Drogo and Thibbledorf Pwent? Should liches encourage Grey Shivers? And more!

Warning: Game of Thrones Season 7 Spoilers! In this week's adventure, our heroes contemplate a vacation to Westeros but wisely decide against it. Instead, they give you their take on all the goings on in the land of Ice and Fire. From fire wights to Many Faced Gods, they kick around all the talking points they can think of, plus toss out some well deserved props to a friend for a successful prediction almost two decades ago!

"The further into the future you go, the more valuable charisma gets." In this episode, our heroes engage in a lively debate about what a rogue is, and then run down some great examples of the different rogue archetypes, from talky rogues to knifey rogues. They cut out a good fifteen minutes of trying to explain to Donzarion who William H Macy is, and come to the conclusion that Raistlin is the original edgelord. WARNING! SPOILERS FOR BETTER CALL SAUL SEASON TWO!

In this episode, our heroes talk about spellcasters, from the wizard to the healer and all the mages in between. They explain the Moment of No Restraint, talk about their childhood love of Elminster and Are You Afraid of the Dark? as well as their adult mancrushes, like Szass Tam. Also, in this episode, the boys reveal who won the little competition from the Fighters episode, have an argument about the education level of wizards on and off for a full hour, and Jonny makes an ass of himself by calling Kim Harrison (@burningbunnies) Charlaine Harris by mistake while discussing Kim's Hollows series.

Don and Jon talk about the basic building block of the adventuring party: the loveable meathead the fighter.  From barbaric maniacs in loincloths to daring fighter aces, they cover the whole spectrum of people who live by the sword and die by the laser blaster.   Jonny a couple of ill-conceived wagers.  Our heroes also run down their top ten list of fighters. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: REBELS

In this episode, our heroes discuss the other side of the alignment coin: ethics! From Professor McGonagall's wild-child youth to the weird propensity to put Chaotic people in charge of law enforcement on space stations, they cover it all.  Not just who is and isn't lawful or chaotic, but what law means (a dedication to order, structure, and orchestration) vs what chaos means (a commitment to freedom, improvisation, and justice) and how they apply to the characters we know. So, are you lawful or chaotic?  The answer to that question can be found in your answer to another: Who would win in a fight, astronauts or cavemen? Although our heroes neglect to mention it (because one is an evil prick and the other is a selfish asshole), today's featured artist is Jane Espenson, whom you should follow on Twitter, @JaneEspenson. Thanks also to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt.

In this episode, our fearless heroes talk about good and evil.  From mere mortals whose choices define their morality, to planar beings and monsters who are born with a given alignment, Don and Jon cover the whole spectrum, and even touch on some intersectionality with ethical alignments. Can Terminators be good or evil? Our heroes slug it out on this question for you! Bonus: Don and Jon highly recommend the work of Richard Lee Byers in this episode.  If you want to take them up on their author recommendation, Richard Lee Byers most recent work is This Sword for Hire.

In the first installment of the show, our heroes establish the basics of the adventuring party.  They discuss the various adventuring archetypes, including what each role brings to the party and what pitfalls come with their inclusion.