Pardon Our Dust

Archive.org keeps dropping old episodes, so I've made the decision to migrate our hosting services to Podbean. The intention, of course, is that you won't experience any disruption in the feed, but we all know those gremlins can foil even the best-laid plans...

This blog will remain active, but you can also follow us over on our Podbean page (which is currently a total mess as I wrangle episodes into order, etc.) if you're into that sort of thing.

At any rate, fingers crossed for a glitch-free transition!

- David L.

[Call of Cthulhu] The Fall Without End

Today is David S.'s birthday, and, to help celebrate, friends of the Order Randy and Susan Steward are in town and Susan is taking the Keeper's chair to run "The Fall Without End" from Hebanon Games' No Security scenario pack.

Join us as three teams of intrepid mountain climbers attempt to be the first to definitively summit Alaska's Mount McKinley, and see what awaits them at the top...



Featuring:

David S.
Randy
David L.
Des
Jen
Scott

Side Note: Apparently, according to some spud's one-star review on iTunes, we are unlistenable due to poor audio quality. If this is the case and y'all have just been too polite to mention it over the course of 145 episodes (give or take), please don't hesitate to speak up, either with specific examples or just generally. If, as I suspect, this is not an actual problem, please consider heading over to our iTunes page and leaving a more positive comment to balance out that Negative Nelly. Either way, thanks as always for listening!

[Pendragon] Alternate Universes: The Rise of Sir Blains

Inspired by the recent releases of The Book of Uther and The Marriage of Count Roderick, we return to the world of Pendragon for an "alternate universe" look at Sir Blains and his efforts to win the hand of young Lady Ellen.



Pendragon Achievements, as mentioned during the session.

Featuring:

Des
Jade
Dave S.

[Trail of Cthulhu] L.A. Diabolical

The L.A. Writers' Club is back! It's been two years since the events of the Big Hoodoo, and Bob Heinlein has gone missing. What strange and depraved events await our intrepid investigators amidst the jaded glitterati of 1950's Hollywood?



Featuring:

Des (Virginia "Ginny" Heinlein)
David L. (Phillip K. Dick)
Renae (Tony Boucher)

[Night Witches] 1942

The ladies of the 588th get their baptism of fire as war rages all around them. Blood is shed, planes are shot down, passions are inflamed, and many a double-entendre is dropped.



Our natural-born Soviet airwomen this session include:

Jade
Des
Renae
Dave S.

[Esoteric Order Duets] Neon Masquerade (Classic World of Darkness) - Episode One: Suicide's an Alternative/You'll Be Sorry

The Vampire Duet campaign kicks off in earnest as Aaron comes to grips with his new condition and gets his first taste of the depths and intricacies of Kindred society and politics.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Welcome to the Jungle" (Episode One/Prelude)

In this, the first of the Esoteric Order's semi-regular "Duet" series, David L. and Desiree sit down for a game of Vampire: the Masquerade. Follow the Prelude of poor, doomed Aaron Evans, aspiring actor and soon-to-be bloodsucker, as he gives up the life of a Kansas farmboy for the bright lights of the big city.

Download this episode (right click and save)

The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Night Witches] Training

We kick off our group's "winter phase" of one-shots and mini-campaigns with Jason Morningstar's Night Witches. This Powered by the Apocalypse game follows the lives of the brave women who flew in the Red Army Air Force's 588th Night Bomber Regiment during World War II. There is no set Game Master (that duty can rotate between or even during sessions), but for this introductory scenario, the usual suspect took the GM's helm.



Our other natural-born Soviet airwomen this session include:

Jade
Jen
Renae
Dave S.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Post-Campaign Round Table Analysis and Discussion

The Order reconvenes to discuss its thoughts and impressions regarding their run of the Great Pendragon Campaign: lessons learned, roads not taken, favorite moments and characters, and so on.



As mentioned in the recording, further listener questions are more than welcome! Please leave them in the comment section.

Featuring:

Des
Jade
Dave S.
Jen
Renae

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Trail of Cthulhu] The Big Hoodoo (Part II)

The thrilling conclusion of the Trail of Cthulhu scenario "The Big Hoodoo". Can Phil Dick, Ginny Heinlein, and Tony Boucher unravel the mystery of the Psychohistory Institute and the machinations of its shadowy leader?


Download this episode (right click and save)

Featuring:

Des (Virginia "Ginny" Heinlein)
David L. (Phillip K. Dick)
Renae (Tony Boucher)

[Trail of Cthulhu] The Big Hoodoo (Part I)

It's that time of year again - time to return to some horror gaming, courtesy this session of "The Big Hoodoo" for Trail of Cthulhu.

The Order take on the personae of real-life folks active in the science-fiction scene of the 1950s, investigating the death of rocket scientist, occultist, and sci-fi fan Jack Parsons in June of 1952.


Download this episode (right click and save)

Featuring:

Des (Virginia "Ginny" Heinlein)
David L. (Phillip K. Dick)
Dave S. (Robert Heinlein)
Renae (Tony Boucher)

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 565 - Camlann

It's all come down to this.



Featuring:

Des
Jade
Dave S.
Jen
Renae

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Years 563 & 564 - Knight Makes Right

In this, the penultimate session of the campaign, events quickly spiral out of control at a drunken Pentecost feast, setting in motion Fortune's wheel in a tragic trajectory. Blood is spilled, thunder rolls, and great knights fall one after the other. How will the player-knights side in the factional disputes? Who among them will survive?



Featuring:

Des
Dave S.
Jen
Renae

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 562 - Murder Most Foul

A brief overnight at Marshfield Manor turns out to be much more than the knights bargained for. But what further dark secrets wait to be discovered as the mystery unfolds?



Featuring:

Des
Jen
Renae

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 561 - Monsters Aplenty

It's a good old-fashioned quest this year! Rumors of Count Cynrain living mad and naked in the Perilous Forest draw our heroes north, but beyond the Castle of Gloom and the Bower of Thorns lie much stranger mysteries indeed.



Featuring:

Des
Jen
Renae

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Years 559-60 - Bloody Tournaments!

This two-year session sees the return of Sigebryht, lots of Orkney shenanigans, and some very bloody tournaments indeed. Oh, and a manticore and some furries.



Featuring:

Jade
Jen
Renae

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 558 - And Then There's Hebes

Long-held debts, most incurred by previous generations, come back to roost as life and vitality return to the land. Once more unto the Other Side dear friends, once more...


And, as promised, a couple shots of the current table setup, including the blown-up Battle Zones diagram used in this session:

Featuring:

Dave S.
Jen
Des
Renae
And...Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Years 555 & 557 - Infernal Devices

A two-fer this session, with Part One comprising an all-lady adventure on the home front of the Grail Quest, and Part Two picking up with the usual gang, still under the thrall of the Black Hermit...



Featuring:

Dave S.
Des
Renae
And...Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 554 - The Ultimate Quest

“By God, my fellows,” says the king, “We have seen marvels this day, but I reckon that we will see more.”



Featuring:

Jade
Dave S.
Des
Renae
Jen
And...Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 553 - The Persistence of Memory

We kick off this session with the brief return of an old favorite before bringing in the usual suspects at the Pentecost feast. Magical swords, amnesiac knights, and tough decisions all figure this year as the Wastelands continue to exert their fell grip on the land.



Featuring:

Jade
Dave S.
Des
Renae
Jen
And...Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 552 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Surluse

An eventful Winter Phase gives way to various plots and plans as to how best to help the ailing king and kingdom. But will seeking help from the Other Side lead to solutions, or only madness?

(A technical note: our audio recording experiments and upgrades continue, and this episode marks the premiere of binaural sound! Tremble before the positional, multi-channel recording!)



Featuring:

Dave S.
Des
Jen

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 544-51 - The Tale of Sir Leander

We get caught up with Sir Leander, along with what happened during the "missing years" that the rest of the knights skipped during their jaunt to the Other Side. Then, with everyone back on the same page in 551, the group visits a stone house and discover its explosive secret. Meanwhile, King Arthur loses a son and...gains a son?



Featuring:

Jade
Des
Jen

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 547 - Gen Con Special Session

This session, run at an undisclosed location at Gen Con 2015, was put on at the request of friends of the Order; it is set in the continuity of the GPC, albeit with randomly-generated characters, during the "missing time" experienced in the main narrative of the campaign, as established in the last session. Certain key campaign events occur during this year for the elucidation of the listener...


Note: Some sake, port, and/or brandy may or may not have been consumed over the course of the session, but I think everyone involved made their CON rolls. Judge for yourselves!



Featuring

Dave S.
Susan
Randy
Cael

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 545 - The Tournament of Overthere

King Arthur is once again heading to the Other Side--but will this venture be as deadly as his adventure at the Castle of Bones?



Featuring:

Dave S.
Jade
Renae
Jen

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 544 - The Tournament Circuit

The knights ride out for glory on the "tournament circuit," joining like-minded fellows as they criss-cross Britain with lance in hand. How well will their season fare?



Featuring:

Dave S.
Jade
Renae
Jen

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 543 (Part II) - The Tournament of the Hard Rock

Sir Leander continues his quest to defeat his cousin in the race to claim the prize of the Circle of Gold, and, later, the PCs encounter a strange knight and a hard rock tournament.



Featuring:

Dave S.
Des
Jen

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Call of Cthulhu] "Taterdemalion" One-Shot

The Esoteric Order has a new HQ! To celebrate (and because we were down two of the three players from last week's Pendragon session), an impromptu Call of Cthulhu one-shot was held to consecrate the new game room.

(Sorry this one's a little late, folks--still without Internet access at the new place, so I'm obliged to upload the audio from work. Shhhh...don't tell my boss!)



Featuring:

Jen
Cecilia
David S.
Brendan
Jade

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 543 (Part I) - The Kingdom of the Circle of Gold

A family feud sparks a challenge for a quest...but will the winner find only dole and sorrow awaiting at the end of the adventure?



Featuring:

Dave S.
Des
Renae
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 542 - A Soft Seven

A helmed knight, a deadly tournament, mud raining from the sky, and a blood-filled bowl all feature this year. Who will survive?



Featuring:

Dave S.
Jade
Des
Renae
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 541 - The Castle of Annowre

Yr humble GM is (finally) back in the pink, and Leander, Daig, and Perry are back on the trail of the missing king - joined this time by a couple friends, one old and one new.

(Special thanks to Jessie Frye for her casting cameo as Annowre.)



Featuring:

Dave S.
Jade
Des
Renae
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

Foiled Again!

Yr humble GM has once again been obliged to forgo the weekly game session due to this damn cold that just won't go away.

Gods willing, we will return next week, and quite possibly with a surprise guest!

Til then...

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 540 - Hyenas and High Kings

Strange animals, broken oaths, missing persons, faerie maidens, and the possibility of mutual lip-licking. What more could you ask for in a Pendragon session?



Featuring:

Dave S.
Des
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

We Interrupt This Program...

Your humble GM is out of action this weekend thanks to a particularly nasty late-season cold that just will not stop. Ahem. Barring any other unforeseen developments, the EoR will be back next week.

In the meantime, if you absolutely need a King Arthur Pendragon A-P fix this week, I direct your attention to this batch of files posted by +Shannon Mac, a fellow traveller in the realms of broadcasting RPG sessions into the aether.

I'll quote from Shannon's post to the KAP Google Plus community:

There are bits and pieces of sexual content within so beware. Our group tends to play for keeps. 

If you just want a taste of the 30+ hours and don't want to go through the whole thing I would recommend 490 AD for an epic yet deadly scope. Renee lost two characters in a short time and other players came close to dying but prevailed. 

The 491 A.D. duo has a good chunk of humor within, especially sexual. 

This is a new thing for all of us. I had to beg some of them to let me record the game at first but now they're on board but we're all new and exploring it with the little free time that we have in our lives. As a result there are no official sections for comments yet and the like but you can PM me if you want me to pass a message on to one of my players.

The link one more time. 

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 539 - Tiny Tournament Time

We were down two players this week but soldiered on...and ended up with one of the most bizarre sessions not only of this campaign, but, well, ever. Buckle up for the twists and turns!

In spite of the action-packed session, we still finished early thanks to the lack of a Winter Phase this year, so there's a bonus character creation session at the end for those of you who enjoy listening to such things.


Download this episode (right click and save)

Featuring:

Jade
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Call of Cthulhu] "The Auction" One-Shot

The GPC is on hold this week due to Mother's Day festivities. This special "Los Angeles chapter" incarnation of the Esoteric Order of Roleplayers, recorded about a month ago, is a Call of Cthulhu (7e) adventure run for Tim and Alex, your humble Keeper's oldest friends and gaming companions, on the eve of Alex's wedding weekend. Will the auspicious circumstances of our reunion augur well for the PCs?

(Apologies if the volume level is a little dodgy; I was obliged to record directly off my iPhone, precariously perched on a Coke can.)



Featuring:

Tim
Alex

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 538 and 539 - The Ox-Knight and the Loathly Lady

An all-ladies adventure sees the return of a dastardly villain, while Camelot sees the return of a famous knight and his strange adversary.



Featuring:

Des
Jade
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 537 - The Treacherous Pict

Picking where we left off last week to complete the year 537, our heroes each find a reason to head north this year, where many surprises await.



Featuring:

Des
Dave S.
Jade
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 536 and 537 - The Notorious D.A.I.G.

It's a quite continental adventure spanning two years this session, as knights and ladies alike depart for France and adjoining regions to wage war and debate romance. And what's the deal with that Count of Ascalon, anyway?




Featuring:

Des
Dave S.
Jade
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 535 (Part II) - The Basket Knight

In addition to the eponymous Basket Knight, this year also sees a double wedding, love potions, enchanted drinking horns, and five ladies by a fountain. I'm amazed we got through it all in a regular session's time!



Featuring:

Des
Dave S.
Jade
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Scrolls and Swords] "Crit This!" One-Shot, Part II

With your regularly-scheduled GM and his lovely wife on the road this weekend to attend a friend's Easter wedding, we once again resort to assembling a melange of the Crit This!/Esoteric Order crews and return to the world of Scrolls and Swords!



Featuring:

Jade
Brendan
Scott
Aidan
Cecilia

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 535 (Part I) - The Goblin Market

Our heroes agree to help out the Earl of Salisbury by clearing out the woods outside Vagon Castle. What could possibly go wrong?



Featuring:

Des
Dave S.
Jade
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 534 - Jerk Hervis

Sir Leander continues his quest to help Lady Cealwina win back her true love. Meanwhile, a new bandit knight appears, and everyone's talking about the Peningues Tournament...



Featuring:

Des
Dave S.
Jade
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 533 - Two Tournaments

Great events transpire at the Pentecost tournament this year...and at another tournament far across the Channel.

[Apologies for the technical glitch at the start of the recording; not sure what happened there...]

And by popular demand, our group now has an Instagram! Head on over to Esoteric Order Eats to see what we're serving up every week. This week, it's mixed nuts, olives, and bacon-wrapped apricots.



Featuring:

Des
Dave S.
Jade
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 532 - The King of Overthere

An unexpected royal visitor brings his court to Camelot for a visit, but there's plenty of drama already playing out for the intrepid player-knights. The Age of Romance and Adventure has well and truly begun!



Featuring:

Dave S.
Jade
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 531 - The Castle la Roche

A trio of fresh characters embarks as part of an expedition to the Fens of Anglia to rid the realm of a pernicious evil. But first, a wedding!



Featuring:

Des
Jade
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 530 - The Castle of Bones

“You may have conquered the upper world, Arthur, but the Underworld lies outside your realms. If you will not leave by your own will, then I will make you leave by force!”



Featuring:

Des
Jade
Dave S.
Jen
Scott
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 529 - The Third Disclosure

What happens when you dig up the head of a dead god? The PCs (and the rest of Arthur's subjects) get to find out this year...



Featuring:

Des
Jade
Dave S.
Jen
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 528 - A Dagger in the Dark

We've got a smaller-than-usual crew this week, but that doesn't stop the dramatic moments from coming thick and fast. Fiends both real and metaphorical are battled, some with success, others with tragic failure...



Featuring:

Des
Jade
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 527 - The Roman War

We actually pick up at the end of 526 and the little matter of the Battle of Saussy. After that trifle is dealt with, we continue to follow Arthur's campaign trail as he wages war against the Roman Empire in his bid to be recognized as Emperor.



Featuring:

Des
Jade
Dave S.
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 526 - Every Little Bit of Hate

The assembled armies of Britain cross the Channel and undertake a grand war against the Romans. “The Glory of Britain stands to gain mightily on this day. May God bless every one of us, and the just effort that we are making to maintain the order of the world.”



Featuring:

Des
Jen
Jade
Dave S.
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 525 - The Sleeping Lord

The Earl of Salisbury has fallen under a curse! What can possibly awaken him from his slumber? Also, some Romans come by for a visit.



Featuring:

Des
Jen
Jade
Dave S.
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Pendragon] The Great Pendragon Campaign: Year 524 - Of Lakes and Boars

This year's Pentecost feast and tournament prove most eventful for our intrepid heroes...and for one hero-in-the-making. Then...tragedy strikes for a popular knight of Salisbury while on the hunt for the Troit Boar.



Featuring:

Jen
Jade
Dave S.
And…Edie the Dog

The campaign's wiki can be found here.

[Scrolls and Swords] "Crit This!" One-Shot

'Tis the season for unexpected travel plans and unexpected colds, and a combination of both scuttled our scheduled Pendragon session this week. But fear not! We shall return next week, come hell or high water (or stuffy noses).

This week, instead, we'd like to share a recent session from our sister AP feed, Crit This!. It's David Schimpff's other regular group, and if you enjoy the Esoteric Order's shenanigans, do go give them a look - there's a fair amount of incestuous back-and-forthing between the players.

Case in point, our selection from the Crit This! archives is a recent session Dave ran for EoRP regular Jade and Crit This! regulars Russell and Scott, and is the one-page fantasy RPG Scrolls and Swords, based off of onesevendesign's Lasers and Feelings RPG. Dave sends along the warning that the session was heavily influenced by Adventure Time and features a candy break in the middle...



Featuring:

Jade
Scott
Russell