The Secret Cellar

In which the Proprietor dreams of a world he visited long ago — and fears he may never find a return. (It's Gen Con weekend, or it would be in a non-pandemic timeline.) As balm for the saudade, we're playing a live interview recorded at Gen Con 2019: Ethan Schoonover visits the Cellar to talk about his fascinating #DnDGirls project — teaching D&D Club at Lake Washington Girls' Middle School in Seattle. Ethan is an absolute delight — as are these young women who have made D&D their own.

“Remarkable! I've only seen that color once before… in a pair of gems set deep within the pupils of an entity named Esthanas. Last I knew, they were living under the light of the Silver.” In which the Proprietor tells tales of one of his favorite half-worlds, a place of distant memory and deep dreams, … Continue reading "16❦ Weaponized Hospitality"

“The Triumvirate has always been rumored to track intersombral travel — shipping, especially — but I never expected THAT.” In which the Proprietor, bleary from travel and a bit out of sorts, welcomes two new guests, who seem nonetheless somehow familiar. John Harness and Takuma Okada discuss their experiences creating and curating the Emotional Mecha Jam on … Continue reading "15❦ A Hundred and Seventy Seven Emotions"

“I really don't know how they've done it. They don't even have souls… do they?” Tonight, Jason talks with Glenn Fleishman about his ambitious Tiny Type Museum project — as well as typography, design, technology, and the weird spaces between digital and analog. Also, a conversation with Steve Robinson, owner of Wolf Mountain Books, about … Continue reading "14❦ Sighted Digits"

“No, no, don't worry. We'll be keeping Anais around. They keep their own schedule, anyway.” Tonight, Jason talks about Bot Land, an indie game he's been working on for the past few years — and interviews creator/lead developer Adam Damiano and Illustrator Kendra Hinojosa. HONORED GUESTSAdam Damiano(@xtonomous)Kendra Hinojosa (@kendrahinojosa) SHOW NOTESYou can read more about Bot land at Bot.Land, or watch the trailer … Continue reading "13❦ Sponsored by Water"

“Every once in awhile, the Grey gets it right. That whole thing about 13th floors just… not existing in Shadow hotels? Divine wisdom.” The Secret Cellar has been absent, for months. Jason explains why, and what next. My deepest gratitude to my guests for bearing with me as I sort this thing out. Kate Taylor (@tolkientrash) is a linguist who has constructed a language for use within … Continue reading "12❦ Congratulations & Condolences"

“No, we can't accept it, I'm sorry. It's policy, Ma'am. Especially when the guarantor is unknown. “But honestly, would YOU accept a cheque written entirely in Goetic script? I'm not sure I even want that thing down here.” It was honor to host James D'Amato (@oneshotrpg) and Adira Slattery (@adiraslattery) this week in the Cellar. … Continue reading "11❦ The Meat and the Bones"

“Oh, but you really must go and see them recite. The Versifier is truly… resplendent. You may have heard some cautions about joining their audience, but my advice? Throw caution to the wind! Give yourself fully to their words. “You may find yourself on loop for a night or so, unable to think of anything else… but it's worth it, I promise. Also, Zielony is good'un, and deserves your business.” If you could construct a Venn diagram of the topics about which I am most likely to GEEK, Matt … Continue reading "10❦ The More Seemly Professions"

“I'm sorry, that particular Shadow object is not allowed h —  “No, when I said the thing about the light from all of the Suns, I absolutely did NOT mean — “It's an entirely different thing! If Void is what has gathered them, all the colors cease to have meaning. Out and apart with you! … Continue reading "9❦ Secretly a Raccoon"

“Hello again, Sebbin? You work with the Thah sometimes, don't you? “You haven't heard any… news, have you? Nothing pertinent to my business? I mean. Public houses, and, err, private ones, are an important part of the Satyrine economy, no? And they bring joy and warmth to the populace? “Just — pass along a good … Continue reading "8❦ Keep Your Pen to yourself"

“Yes, hello. This is the Proprietor of the Secret Cellar. I'm calling about the Dampening Circle you put in place? “It is supposed to extend to our entire premises, is it not? I've received reports that there's a painting in the coatroom, near the ceiling, that has been… malfunctioning of late. Would you please look into it … Continue reading "7❦ More than Reality"

“One final piece of advice: given the means of your arrival here, you obviously didn't speak with Quiss when you arrived… if such a thing is even still possible. As such, it's probably the Triumvirate who are keeping track of your time here. It's not documented anywhere, but most folks agree 8 days seems a … Continue reading "6❦ Changing Shape"

I had not been familiar with the notion of ‘Con crash' until both reading about and experiencing it this year, on the way back from Gen Con. So, join me as I un-crash myself. You'll be treated to  conversations about the mind & heart of the most incredible public RPG game I've ever played in, a Sunday morning romp in the (literally) wonder-full undersea world of Rich Howard's Descent into Midnight. You'll marvel, or weep, at one of the first live recordings with an actual Goetic to make it out into the Grey. You'll also hear terrible puns and amateur foley cranked up to 11.

Today I chat with Alexei Othenin-Girard about the historical Surrealism movement as a basis for understanding and telling stories within Invisible Sun — but more interesting, Alexei takes issue with some elements of the setting. What is really going on in the Grey? I also perform a (spoiler-free!) virtual unboxing of the Directed Campaign for Invisible Sun.

A quick-and-dirty, unscripted/unedited conversation with Scott and Dave from Incantations podcast — now that NDA has lifted, we're talking freely about our experiences GMing for Invisible Sun.

Tonight we talk with improv comedian Alan Linic, who recently played Wayne on OneShot RPG's A Woman with Hollow Eyes, about the intersections of improv, tabletop, and tech — and why Invisible Sun as a system leads to deeply personal character choices. You'll also meet Talbert Tso, who will be playing Zearonith in my upcoming home game. We'll also hear from Rourke Bywater, who created Suns & Circles, a 2-player game which utilzes the Invisible Sun Sooth Deck, and can be either either in- or out-of-world.

Tonight we talk with author & real-life Apostate Erin Stalcup (erinstalcup.com) about how to smash with compassion, in both Grey & Indigo. We'll also hear from Rourke Bywater, who created Suns & Circles, a 2-player game which utilzes the Invisible Sun Sooth Deck, and can be either either in- or out-of-world.

A look at Invisible Sun through the lens of UX and game design. Honored guest: Ian Smith.