COUNTER/Weight 00: If Han Solo Used To Be Beyoncé, or: Hashtag Otechku

Welcome back to the Road to PARTIZAN. Today, we're moving into a new trio of episodes that explore an era of history that would come to be called The Divine Clash. For over a century, the ever-growing Divine Principality would throw its might against the allied forces of the Orion Combine and the Divine Collaborate, the distant successor states of two major nations featured in our COUNTER/Weight season. Next week and the week following, we'll see the climax of the Divine Clash via Austin Ramsay's Beam Saber. But first, we offer a pair of vignette one-shots via two games that were made for the Emotional Mecha Game Jam (which was organized by John R. Harness and Takuma Okada). First, in Role Over Play Dead's Ech0, we travel through the wreckage the war left behind, as children born over a generation after the war's end try to reunite the memory core of a long dead pilot with her machine. Then, in Riley Rethal's Dusk to Midnight, we define the early days of the Clash, and follow the careers (and the wavering resolve) of four of the pilots who would help to decide its outcome. A couple of extra notes: First of, because one of the player's files was totally corrupted, much of this episode had to be rebuilt via a backup recording. That means that there are a few times where you can hear breathing sounds heavier than normal. There are also moments where background noise is a bit more prevalent, and it was pretty impossible to untangle some crosstalk (especially since we were playing as children especially prone to crosstalk in Ech0). You'll might also notice that I say a few times up top that we want to play three of these vignettes. Due to time concerns, we couldn't make that happen, but for the record, the final vignette I'd planned was EPITAPH by Dante Douglas, which is metal as hell and rules. You should check it out. Finally, because Ech0 is such a visual experience, I've included a screenshot of the map we drew below. You can find close ups of all of our sketches at the Mapmaker tier over on our Patreon (with a quick caveat that we're currently catching up on much of our Patreon stuff, and we've been prioritizing new shows up rather than supporting material, but it's coming soon, I promise!) This week on the Road to PARTIZAN: Ech0 & Dusk to Midnight ////PARTIZAN PALACE DATE ENTRY | 1418 P.M. 05 22\\\\ . . . ///OPERATION: CHOOSE SECTION: CRIME AND DEVIANCE && OPERATION: DISPLAY TOP ARTICLE\\\ . . . //VERGLAZ UNIVERSITY ARCHAEOLOGY ANNALS RAIDED, HOUSE LESON INVESTIGATORS POINT TO HERETICAL GROUP\\ . . . /OPERATION: IDENTIFY KEY SUBJECTS: SUBJECT (ROLE | EVALUATION)\ ELET VALERA (VICTIM, SCHOLAR | TRUSTED) CARBIDE LESON (CHIEF INVESTIGATOR | TRUSTED) SLOE UPLIGHT (WITNESS, EXPERT IN FIELD | SUSPECT) "THE FRIENDS OF GUR SEVRAQ" (████████ , ██████████ | ANATHEMA, SEEK ACCESS APPROVAL FOR FURTHER INFORMATION) Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

1 Nov 20192h 40min

The crew of the Constellation-class Carrier Hellebore has breached the earliest defenses of the station which orbits the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Having dispatched the mercenary Barter and his crew of ConCons, pilots Cerise, Teasel, and Gold repair and rearm. Above them, Captain of the Ivory Prince (and secret leader of the rebel group known as Horizon) Briar Brightline watches over them.. But they are not alone. Beyond the next gate, something strange has made the station its roost. And behind them, out in black of space…. something new, but all too familiar, approaches. This week on the Road to Partizan: Armour Astir Pt. 2 ////PARTIZAN PALACE DATE ENTRY | 1423 P.M. 03 06 22\\\\ . . . ///OPERATION: CHOOSE SECTION: FAITH AND CULLLLLLLLLPRATION: DSPLTPPPPPP ARTICL\\\ . . . //\\//\\ PERENNIAL WAVE READINGS: HIGH. PALACE ACCESS DISRUPTED. PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER. //\\//\\ Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot)

26 Okt 20191h 59min

Join us in our second game on the Road to PARTIZAN, where we are playing Armour Astir: Advent by Briar Sovereign, a fantastic PbtA mech game that is equal parts Escaflowne and Mobile Suit Gundam. Today's episode starts with about 20 minutes of setup explaining the game and introducing the characters. If you want to skip all of that, then read the next couple of paragraphs and jump ahead to 22:45. Our game of Armour Astir takes place in a time of fables and magic, around 500-1000 years after our first Road to PARTIZAN game. As the Divine Principality spreads and grows in power, one small group inside of it tries to check its imperial ambition. That group is called Horizon, and it is funded and controlled by the powerful House Brightline of Stel Kesh, who are nostalgic for a better age--whether or not that age ever existed is, of course, up for debate. Horizon has heard word that Stel Nideo has located an incredible source of power at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and is sending some sort of force to capture it. To stop Nideo, Horizon rushes ahead with a single ship to locate that device and to disable, destroy, or take it over for their own. The Ivory Prince, Horizon's ship, is blessed (and accompanied) by the mischievous divine Perennial, and captained by the noble Briar Brightline (Art Maritnez-Tebbel), an officer who loves it when a plan comes together. On board are three ace pilots: The Arcanist and Consul Cerise Sky (Andi Clare), a devotee of Perennial and high ranking magistrate in the Divine Principality. Teasel Mode (Janine Hawkins), an Ashen witch, who has bound herself tightly with Perennial in exchange for powerful gifts. And Vessel's Gold (Andrew Lee Swan), a cyborg mercenary from a culture left behind, who fights for a paycheck… and a good cause. As they land at the edge of a massive space station, can the crew come together to face down their foes and uncover the mysteries of the galactic core? This week on the Road to PARTIZAN 03: Armour Astir Pt. 1 ////PARTIZAN PALACE DATE ENTRY | 1423 P.M. 01 01 01\\\\ . . . ///OPERATION: CHOOSE SECTION: FAITH AND CULTURE && OPERATION: DISPLAY TOP ARTICLE\\\ . . . //PRESENT ELECT AND VERSE GALLICA DELIVERS SERMON AT PERENNIAL DAY SERVICE\\ . . . /OPERATION: HIGHLIGHT AND EXTRACT SUBJECT QUOTES\ "Twelve years ago, just after my election, ███ ██████ put our great House in jeopardy. I worried at first, I admit. But then, I remembered my lessons. I remembered the Constellation of the Adversary: Three thousand years ago, a misguided and treasonous group attempted to sabotage everything we had built. But as time has shown, Divinity will not, can not, crumble so easily. Ours is a culture of equilibrium, a balanced society which--though it may shake--cannot fall. The Principality is a star shining so brightly, that no matter how many foes surround it, its light exceeds. It is for this reason that, even in this time of trouble, I am confident in Stel Nideo's future." Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

19 Okt 20192h 12min

For millennia, three rules guided the Hypha as they traveled across the galaxy. First: Follow the light of the strand through the stars, stopping only on worlds marked by its color—and even then, only temporarily. Second: Never leave behind the bodies of our dead. And third: Protect at all costs the mystery of the Chorus Bond, that which connects us to each other, to the Strand, and perhaps to something even greater than that. But now, these rules—and the way of life they protect—have come under threat. The Divine Principality, a vast and hungry empire, has arrived. This week on Friends at the Table: The Road to Season 6: Dialect Pt. 2 ////YEAR: 850 MIRACULOUS MILLENNIUM ////LOCATION: PARTIZAN | ASHEN STRAND 001.01 | 33550336.8128.496 ///RECORD TYPE: AUDITORY The sound of an excavator's claw striking clay ground. Voices with Stel Kesh dialects discuss early findings at an archaeological site. [See Conversation 850MM.SK.ASHEN01]. Metal strikes metal, and the heft of something is raised from the ground. Near the microphone, there is the electronic beep of an incoming message, but none arrives. Then, from the distance but growing louder, the high pitched sound of resin shattering accompanied by human screams. Finally, the sound of a single pair hooves walking towards, and then past, the microphone, and the sound of the communications channel closing. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Text by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

11 Okt 20191h 17min

Welcome to the Road to PARTIZAN, an interlude connecting Twilight Mirage to PARTIZAN, our next full season (where we'll be playing Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay) which will begin later this year! On that note, please know that though there is one spoiler for the way a couple of Twilight Mirage factions end up, there are no spoilers about major Twilight Mirage characters or their arcs anywhere throughout these episodes. The Road to Season 6 started with a desire to try out new game systems before we committed to one for a full season, but after thinking about it for a bit, we realized that we could use a bunch of games to explore the history of the massive, fracturing empire that will be at the center of PARTIZAN. And to do that right, we needed to make sure to start outside of that empire. To that end, we kicked things off with Dialect: A Game About Language and How It Dies by Kathryn Hymes and Hakan Seyalioglu. In this episode, we develop a new culture of nomadic space deer, and watch as they encounter an empire which aims to obliterate time and space themselves. As a quick follow up: This episode (and the rest of the Road to Season 6) all began as episodes in our Live at the Table series, a collection of one shot streams that we do for all $5+ Patrons! That means that you can go watch or listen to every episode of the Road right now if you head to our Patreon! They won't have the intros (and they'll all be unedited, with a lot more dead air), but if you're desperate to know what comes next, you can learn that right now. If all this world building isn't your thing, and you'd rather skip these and rejoin us for the character driven drama and action of season six proper, then please know you can toatlly do that too. While these episodes will help fill in some blank spaces, they are not required listening for our next season! Either way, I hope you enjoy this series of episodes as much as we enjoyed making them. We'll see you in a couple of months, in the shadow of the giant Girandole, on the holy moon of Partizan... This week on Friends at the Table: The Road to Season 6: Dialect Pt. 1 ////YEAR: 174 ASCENDANT MILLENNIUM ////LOCATION: VALENCE 4 | HYPHAN STRAND 170.2 ///RECORD TYPE: VISUAL On a misted grassland running the length of the continental shelf, seventeen capital ships, 1223 rated vessels, and 340 personal vehicles are prepared for launch. A pilot boards a personal corvette, pausing to look at the sky above her. An aide whispers words of comfort to a pair in grief, then steps away to direct the transfer of remains and grave goods. The ghostlike projection of a heretical oracle flickers, antlers transparent yet reflecting the sun's light, and fades. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Text by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

3 Okt 20192h 49min

Hey everyone! Austin here. If you've already listened to the entire Spring in Hieron Post-Mortem or follow us closely via social media or our Patreon feed, then you have probably heard about a bunch of exciting Friends at the Table related things recently! But in case that doesn't describe you, I wanted to make sure that you were able to get thsoe updates too! So, enjoy this brief update on merch, music, and the updcoming season. (ALSO: While I forgot to mention it in this update, you can actually listen to the Road to Season 6 games right now by joining our Patreon at the $5 level.) I've included all the relevant links below! Hieron Cover Art Prints by Craig Sheldon Fall of Magic T-Shirt, Hoody, and Print by Simon Sweetman. Live at the Table Soundtrack The Friends at the Table Patreon PARTIZAN Trailer Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay A transcription is available for this episode here. A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

27 Sep 201916min

Thank you for joining us to say goodbye to Hieron.... From beginning... ...to end!! It's been quite a journey and we had a great time capping it off by answering some of your questions! We had such a wonderful outpouring of support and love the past week and it really means the most to us! We love doing this and we love that people enjoy listening to it. Over the next weeks, the friends behind Friends at the Table are going to take a short break before starting our sixth season: PARTIZAN, a story of war, politics, faith, and (yes) giant mechs. You can hear the trailer in this episode or by itself, right here, and you can check out the game we'll be playing in PARTIZAN, Austin Ramsay's Beam Saber, right here. But before we get there, to keep your podcast feed warm, we'll be sharing the Road to Season Six, an anthology of one-shots played in different systems that will bridge the Twilight Mirage and PARTIZAN seasons. The Road to Season Six isn't necessary listening if you want to hop on board PARTIZAN in a couple of months, but it definitely provides some big picture context for the stakes and history that lead us to this new setting! These episodes originated as Live at the Table games, available to watch live for all of our Patreon supporters, and if you want to check them out (unedited, without music) right now, you can actually do that! Just go to friendsatthetable.cash and become a $5 supporter to get access to all of the Live at the Table games, our bonus campaign, Bluff City, and both Tips at the Table and Drawing Maps, two shows that share our thoughts on playing and prepping games. For just $1, you can get years of "Clapcasts," collections of the all the chatter between us that happens before we get into the game proper. (Speaking of Live at the Table, most of the past Live at the Table music is NOW AVAILABLE over on Jack's bandcamp. Go check it out!) If you're already a patron, or if you're not looking for more podcast to listen to but want to support the show somehow, then guess what: We have TWO new pieces of merchandise to check out. First, we've teamed up with Heart of the Deernicorn (creator of Fall of Magic and BFF!) and the incredible artist Simon Sweetman to make this Fall of Magic t-shirt, hoody, and print, featuring characters from our very own playthrough of that game! Second, we've opened up our own online store at friendsatthetable.shop, where you can (FINALLY!) buy prints of the incredible Hieron cover art by artist Craig Sheldon! A single print is $15 USD, but you can get the entire set for just $35! A transcription is available for this episode here. A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

19 Sep 20194h 2min

...took a new name: the Frost Shepherd. It was in trying to understand this act, its causes, and its consequences, that I first thought this second volume might be necessary. Even as it happened, I sensed a moment of diversion, of what an old mentor would have called a potential "rupture" in history. In the old Hieron, when such a thing was still possible, I studied and practiced as a semiotician of the New Archives. Because the Rhizome stretches as it does, and because we were so removed from the histories which precede us, you may not know what that means. In short: We collected the world so that we might better arrange it. This is how I fell in love with writing and with history. Towards the end of my studies, in some north campus basement, Semiotician Emeritus Uklan Tel delivered a guest lecture for a select group out of some technical obligation to the department. "The world unfolds according to systems and rules," he told us. "History, politics, war, society--they have velocity, they have force, they have momentum. But now and then there is a chance for great change." Any average evening would be followed by an equally average day, but a rupturous evening might bring a day like one we've never seen. But these moments only carried the potential for transformation, he told us. These moments of historical rupture, he said, offered opportunity for the systems and rules by which we organize ourselves to find a new route. But most of the time? That opportunity was wasted. Things returned to the status quo. The moons past over the edge of the world, the sun arose, and we'd be back to normal. I had the impression, as he started to speak, that he was trotting out an old lecture, something reliable, that even dead in his voice would impress on our young, eager psyches. But as he spoke, he found a startling rhythm, like an old workhorse building towards a colt's gait. It was as if something he'd seen, something recent, maybe, had given flesh to words that had only been bone. I could tell that he thought he wasn't just correct, but that he right. He told us, then, that we might not know it, but that we lived in a moment of rupture. And when I stood in that crowd and heard the Frost Shepherd speak, I recognized in my own blood, on my own skin, an echo of Tel's old confidence in recognizing a moment rupture. When Tel warned us about the future, he was, of course right--and only now do we know how ironic this warning was, considering his own role in the events of the years that followed that lecture. Which is excuse enough for me to extend his warning to you: In times like these, the rupture is not one night, it is ongoing, and we are all participants in whatever comes next. Pace yourselves. Recognize the way you touch the world. And travel accordingly. -An Excerpt from the Foreword to The Last Days The We Had: A Narrative Catalogue of Hieron, End Apparent, Pt. 2 by Alonzo Victor Devareaux van der Dawes This week on Spring in Hieron: The Second Spring Pt. 5 Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Text by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

11 Sep 20192h 46min