Or Not to God? (w/ Ryan McLaughlin)

Ryan McLaughlin from D&D for the Deconstructed is back for part 2 in our series on Religion and Deities. This episode we are going to talk about Matt's view of the Gods in Exandria and we'll also focus on three different characters from Campaign 2, examining their relationships to divinity. This is a longer episode. We hope you enjoy the rich, theological discussion and connections to Critical Role. And maybe it will even inspire future characters and campaigns for you and your friends. You can find D&D for the Deconstructed on Apple Podcasts and follow them on IG @forthedeconstructed.

18 Apr 202455min

Ryan McLaughlin from the D&D for the Deconstructed podcast joins us for a three-part series on religion & deities. In this episode, we set the tone for the series by talking about how D&D can be a cathartic experience and used as therapy. Ryan provides an overview of D&D and religion, and shares his own experience using D&D to address religious trauma. This episode is light on Critical Role connections, but we dig deeply into Vax's arc from Campaign 1 in the latter half of the episode. You can find Ryan's podcast on Apple here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/for-the-deconstructed/id1710075757

4 Apr 202443min

In Homebrew Pt 2, we discuss monsters, magic items and classes, how to create your own and how Critical Role creates theirs. We talk about the aeorian baby abomination, Grog's cursed sword and our favorite classes from Critical Role. Which one would you play?!

21 Mars 202441min

Scott Mayfield is back as our guest star, and we're talking about homebrew! In Part 1, we focus on campaign settings and house rules, using loads of examples from Critical Role. In Part 2 we'll then focus on classes, monstahs, and magic items.  The clip we use of Matt Mercer is from the Adventuring Academy episode on Campaign Settings with Brennan Lee Mulligan.  Follow Scott on Instagram at skawtsalot.studio.

7 Mars 202436min

Love is in the air! This week we discuss how you can bring romance to your table like the cast of Critical Role. We use one example from each campaign to demonstrate how the cast establishes healthy communication and boundaries when embarking on a romance. We'll also talk about what happens when a romance doesn't work out and how to prevent character bleed. Romance is a daunting step to take in roleplay, but we are here to help you make it a success at your table!

22 Feb 20241h 5min

We finish up our discussion on Worldbuilding by talking about collaboration using examples of the three Critical Role DMs (Brennan, Aabria and Matt). Then we talk about map making, the advantages and disadvantages, and how you can get started. You can follow Scott on Insta: @skawtsalot.studio

8 Feb 202451min

This week's episode is extra special: it's the first time we have a guest join us; which leads to it being our longest episode to date; and worldbuilding is such a big topic we split it into two parts! Writer and cartographer, Scott Mayfield, joins us to discuss the many different aspects of worldbuilding, from balancing story view and worldview to not getting overwhelmed by the logistics or the details. The book we pull from is called Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction written by Jeff VanderMeer. You can find Scott on Instagram at skawtsalot.studio .

25 Jan 20241h 5min