[Nightlife: The Demon's Mirror] Hunter: the Vigil Edition Update

We sit down to update from Classic World of Darkness to Chronicles of Darkness and take the chronicle from Hunter's Hunted to Hunter: the Vigil.


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] Searching for Bacchus

A terrifying haunting sets the tone as the investigators uncover not one but two cults operating in Trieste--and try to get a leg up before they meet their abyssal doom...



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Horror on the Orient Express] Cold Wind Blowing

The train rolls into Trieste, where the wind-blown investigators "look up" a certain Johann von Winckelmann.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Horror on the Orient Express] The Dark Crusader

Padma's reading of The Devil's Simulare unlocks a terrifying flashback to Constantinople's darkest days and the foul machinations the made it so, both mortal and supernatural.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Jen
Jade
Des
And...Edie the Dog

[Nightlife: The Demon's Mirror] "Point of No Return" (Episode Three)

With help from her spirit guide, Amy engages in her first proper investigation into the dark world of the shen, as her Grandmother would have called it.


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] Death in Venice

Our 200th episode! The Venice chapter concludes amidst stinking miasmas, rumors of plague, and...comical slapstick?



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Nightlife: The Demon's Mirror] "Back to Life" (Episode Two)

Amy delves into the death of her friend, Dawn Barber, and experiences her "instigating incident."


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] Love in Venice

The train rolls on to Venice, where the investigators welcome a new member to their ranks and get involved in mysteries outside of their immediate remit—it's hard to say no to a pretty face!



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Nightlife: The Demon's Mirror] "Pictures of Your" (Episode One/Prelude)

A new World of Darkness chronicle gets underway with the Prelude for Amy Patterson, the young heir to an ancient line of vampire hunters...


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Vampire: the Masquerade] Giovanni Chronicles I: The Last Supper, Act I

Our annual Halloween mega-session this year takes the form of a revolting, sadistic, blood-drenched banquet for the ages, courtesy of Lord Claudius Giovanni.



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Featuring:

Jen
Renae
David L.
Jade
Dave S.
And...Edie the Dog

[Horror on the Orient Express] La Scala

The investigators run down the clues leading them to a missing diva, and experience the terrible wonder of everything Italian opera has to offer.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Horror on the Orient Express] Milano

The investigators complete another leg aboard the Dreamlands Express, where they find out that, really, anything is possible. Upon awakening, they find themselves afoot in a subdued and grieving Milan, where they are sucked into a most unusual missing-persons case.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Someplace Better Than This" (Episode Fourteen)

The conclusion of the Chronicle. Aaron plays puppet-master, but is he being played as well? Alliances are solidified and hidden enemies reveal themselves.


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] Dream Lausanne

A foursome of investigators venture into the realm of the Jigsaw Prince. An old ally returns to the fold; a new enemy is made.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "My War" (Episode Thirteen)

The intensity continues to ramp up in this, the penultimate session of the Chronicle. Butcher's bills come due—can Aaron pay up?


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] Nocturne

The investigators finally board the Orient Express! Onboard, they make the acquaintance of an Italian opera diva, an exiled Russian princess, a travel writer, and other assorted passengers. Arriving in Lausanne, they look up a certain Edgar Wellington, supposedly in possession of one of the Sedefkar scrolls...



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Death Party" (Episode Twelve)

As the chronicle races towards its conclusion, Aaron goes against his better instincts and pursues love. A road trip is undertaken. Many tears are shed.


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] Duet: The Dreamlands Express

A special bonus episode!

As the other investigators head off for Paris, Padma journeys into realms beyond the physical world...



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Jade

[Horror on the Orient Express] Les Fleurs du Mal

We return to the main narrative as the intrepid investigators board a plane for Paris with a satchel full of money and few notions of what they'll find once they arrive...on the Continent of Horrors.

Part one of a two-part double-feature!



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Fear to Fear" (Episode Eleven)

For the first time since his Embrace, Aaron finds himself with one foot solidly back in the mortal world. But how long can he keep up his own personal masquerade, and what will it cost?


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The "Fool for Love" scene referenced in the episode (video link).

The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] The Blood Red Fez, Part II

The conclusion of the first flashback adventure finds trouble coming on board in Vienna and trouble awaiting in Constantinople. And with each passing mile, the investigators wonder more and more: who can we trust?



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Des
Jen
Renae

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Everything Turns Grey" (Episode Ten)

Aaron's attempts to settle back into a normal unlife in Los Angeles are thwarted at every turn as he is drawn deeper and deeper into vampiric politics...and tangled matters of the heart. Love triangles and quadrangles abound.


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] The Blood Red Fez, Part I

In this, the first "flashback" episode of the campaign, a reading of Professor Smith's 1893 diary transports the narrative back to the Gaslight era for an earlier adventure on the Orient Express...



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Des
Jen
Dave S.
Renae
Sage

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Colors" (Episode Nine)

Aaron and Karen have fled Los Angeles after killing a high-profile Cainite. But whither are they bound, and what may they find when they return to the City of Angels months later?

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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] The Doom Train

While waiting for a plane flight to the Continent, the investigators decide to follow up on another strange article from the papers in which the ever-elusive Mr. Makryat seems to figure once again.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Des (Dotty Gale)
Jen (Max Mallowan)
Dave S. (Vance Victorson)
Renae (Lady Cynthia Asquith)
And...Edie the Dog

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "No One Lives Forever" (Episode Eight)

A desperate plan is hatched in an attempt to outmaneuver the forces arranged against Aaron and his sire. Can our intrepid actor use his special skills to outwit a 600-year-old Justicar?


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] Dancers in the Evening Fog

The group reconvenes in January, 1923 to attend a lecture on the topic of their haunted mirror put on by one Dr. Julius Smith. Amidst the freezing rain and chill fogs, disappearances ensue, the same man dies three times in one night, and the investigators set out upon a most hazardous adventure.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Jade (Padma Daschel)
Des (Dotty Gale)
Jen (Max Mallowan)
Dave S. (Vance Victorson)
Renae (Lady Cynthia Asquith)
And...Edie the Dog

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Never Tear Us Apart" (Episode Seven)

Aaron is finally reunited with his infamous sire, who immediately starts exerting a bad influence. In a murder house high in the hills above Los Angeles, blood is exchanged and vows are made, and a confrontation with potentially world-shattering consequences is set up.


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Horror on the Orient Express] Mirror, Mirror

Our group comes together as guests of Dion Fortune, occultist and author, who has recently bought a house full of mirrors. What reflections will our investigators see when they gaze into the rippling, glassy depths?

Audio Alert! We're in the process of upgrading our recording equipment yet again, which means--you guessed it!--some growing pains for us amateur A/V enthusiasts. Levels and stereo mix balance are not quite what we're looking for, but all should be resolved by next session. (In particular, our main recorder failed with 40 minutes to go in the session, but thankfully the backup came through...) Your patience and forbearance is much appreciated.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Jade (Padma Daschel)
Des (Dotty Gale)
Jen (Max Mallowan)
Dave S. (Vance Victorson)
Renae (Lady Cynthia Asquith)
And...Edie the Dog

[Horror on the Orient Express] Character Creation

The full Order convenes to create characters for our long-awaited run of Horror on the Orient Express! Owing to the adventure's deadly nature, everyone makes a primary and secondary character. Among the 10 player-characters created are some familiar faces from campaigns past, as well as characters from the pages of history books and fiction alike...



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Jade
Des
Jen
Dave S.
Renae

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Night of the Living Dead" (Episode Six)

Aaron sets out to find his sire, knowing that when he does he'll be faced with an impossible decision. Along the way, he runs afoul of more than one of L.A.'s more...eccentric Kindred.


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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Delta Green] Last Thing's Last

The Order takes the new Delta Green RPG rules for a spin using the "Need to Know" quick start rules and the included scenario, "Last Thing's Last". A couple agents are called in for a routine clean-up of a dead agent's possessions--what could possibly go wrong?



Featuring:

David L.
Des
And...Edie the Dog

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" (Episode Five)

In a high-rise building in Century City, conspiracies are hatched and bullets and blood fly...

(We had some audio issues this outing, unfortunately, so your intrepid Storyteller is a bit muddy in the mix. Apologies.)

Goth af

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The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Achtung Cthulhu] Into the Breach

We wrap up the "Shadows of Atlantis" arc with ancient artifacts, time paradoxes, death by flamethrower, and mile-long worm gods...



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

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

[Achtung Cthulhu] Over the Rainbow

We pick up the action on a ghost-lit island in the middle of the North Atlantic and wrap up in a sinkhole on an island in a Greenland fjord. In between comes black goo, frantic chases, seal-leather short pants, hot cups of caribou blood, and chaotic firefights.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Des
Jade
Jen
Dave S.
Renae

[Achtung Cthulhu] Ghost Light

As the eventful year of 1939 comes to a close, Nachtwülfe and Section M set a collision course for Greenland. En route, some of our intrepid heroes take an unexpected detour into the cold Atlantic waters north of Britain, led on by a host of strange lights...



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Jen
Dave S.
Renae

[Achtung Cthulhu] The Disintegrator, Part II

The auction is on! But how long can it last with a group of determined troublemakers and an uninvited weirdo doing their level best to disrupt proceedings? And then there's the matter of the giant moth-creature outside in the mist...



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Jade
Jen
Des
Renae

[Achtung Cthulhu] The Disintegrator, Part I

A telegram from America takes our intrepid Section M operatives on an intriguing side-quest to Kingsport and a nearby hotel, where a mysterious piece of weird science stands at the ready for a most peculiar demonstration.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Jade
Jen
Des
Dave S.

[Achtung Cthulhu] Into Darkness

Cross-cutting abounds in this session as the group confronts enemies in the waking world and in the dream-realm of the dead. We also convert fully to 7th edition Call of Cthulhu and the new Pulp Cthulhu rules.

[The original upload had some audio issues. We've sorted them to the best of our modest abilities.]

The campaign wiki can be found here.

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Featuring:

Jade
Jen
Des
Dave S.

Crit This! Sunday

The Esoteric Order is off this weekend. We'll be back next week with more Achtung! Cthulhu action.

In the meantime, our own David Schimpff has recently posted a selection of actual-plays on his "Crit This!" blog. Games include the Iron Kingdoms RPG, Savage Falllout, and a new installment of his popular Swords & Scrolls series.

Follow the link and crit this!

Merch Now Available!

There are certain advantages to having a professional artist/designer for a father, one of which being that he can whip up a badass logo for your actual-play RPG podcast.

When I was at ChupacabraCon, I repp'd for the group by wearing a shirt with the Esoteric Order crest on it every day I was there. (I'll be doing the same when I attend Gen Con in a couple months.) I mainly wore the shirt as a bit of a larff, but during a conversation with John Wick, the man himself told me he loved my shirt and said that he "would pay 25 dollars" to have one of his own.

Hint taken.

Let Mr. Wick's gain also be your own! Don't be the last kid on the block to sport your very own swanky EoRP logo at the gaming table and at cons (or just around town...?).

My profit margin on these shirt sales is pretty thin, and will be going exclusively towards buying snacks, dice, and game books for the group, so in a very real way, every sale supports more good gaming!

[Achtung Cthulhu] A Light on the Horizon

The "Phoney War" dominates the headlines, but the Secret War rages on as four plucky Section M operatives take ship for Egypt in pursuit of the next piece of the so-called Palladion, the Atlantean super-weapon revealed in the pages of Botho Erlichmann's journal. But who else is in Egypt? What dangers stalk the crowded streets of Cairo?



The campaign wiki can be found here.

The Esoteric Order is now on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Google Plus, and/or Twitter.

Featuring:

Jade
Jen
Dave S.
Renae

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Straight Outta Compton" (Episode Four)

Aaron continues to wrestle with his inner Beast as the time of the monthly Rant fast approaches. Will he go through with his plan to break the Masquerade? How many other words can we Capitalize?


Download this episode (right click and save)

The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Acthung Cthulhu] The Truth Will Out

The clues have come together. The authorities are closing in. War is beginning. It's time to don plague masks, fire up electric torches, rig demolition packs, and strap on vintage flamethrowers for a jaunt into the tunnels and caves beneath the streets of Rome.



The campaign wiki can be found here.

The Esoteric Order is now on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Google Plus, and/or Twitter.

Featuring:

Jade
Jen
Des
Renae

[Achtung Cthulhu] Snakes & Labyrinths

Call this one the Great Rome Caper. Morgues are raided, shots are fired, grenades are thrown, lamas are spotted, a strange archaeological dig in the middle of Rome piques the group's interest. An adventure many would give their right hand for...



The campaign wiki can be found here.

The Esoteric Order is now on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Google Plus, and/or Twitter.

Featuring:

Jade
Jen
Des
Renae
Dave S.

[Achtung Cthulhu] Into the Mouth of Truth

Section M wraps up its business in Vienna, but not before losing track of one of their own, thoroughly traumatizing a delivery boy, and earning a personal vendetta from a member of the Nazi party. And then it's on to the Eternal City, where things get very bloody indeed...

The campaign wiki can be found here.

The Esoteric Order is now on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Google Plus, and/or Twitter.

Featuring:

Jade
Des
Renae
Dave S.

[Achtung Cthulhu] The City of Broken Dreams

Under the guidance of Alexander, Viscount Towton, MI6 launches a new secretive division, Section M. And with the threat of war looming ever closer on a daily basis, two new recruits are dispatched to Vienna to retrieve a couple of assets, veterans of Operation THREE KINGS...

The campaign wiki can be found here.

The Esoteric Order is now on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Google Plus, and/or Twitter.

Featuring:

Jade
Jen
Renae
Dave S.

[Achtung Cthulhu] Three Kings

Picking right up where we left off last session, our intrepid heroes make disastrous contact with the Czech underground and hatch plans to infiltrate Castle Karlstein. What secrets does that great old fortress, or the priest known as Codename ANGEL, conceal?

Photo by Lukáš Kalista

The campaign wiki can be found here.

The Esoteric Order is now on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Google Plus, and/or Twitter.

Featuring:

Des
Jen
Renae
And...Edie the Dog

[Achtung Cthulhu] Character Creation and Campaign Intro

The Order convenes for a new campaign, set in the world of Modiphius Games' Achtung! Cthulhu.

Character creation precedes the start of the scenario proper...

It is July, 1939, and a covert mission to occupied Bohemia brings together a startling variety of characters to investigate the mystery of Karlstein Castle and make contact with the resistance group known as the "Three Kings".



The campaign wiki can be found here.

Featuring:

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

The Storm Clouds Gather...

Greetings, true believers!

Late-winter/early-spring allergies and colds continue to cause havoc among the Order, compelling us to delay our inaugural session for our next campaign by a week.

However, we did settle on a winner, and by a rather large margin. We'll be kicking off next week with an anticipated dozen-or-so-session campaign of Achtung! Cthulhu. The wiki can be found here.

Art by Dim Martin.

In the meantime, if you want to hear the Order's very own two Davids, as well as Bill from "The Veil of Isis", participating in a 5th Edition D&D online campaign run by David L.'s long-time gaming buddy Alex, check out The Mists of Time; session recordings will be going up on YouTube and also linked via Obsidian Portal, so you've got two ways to track the campaign's progress. The first session (character creation) is also embedded below:

[Castle Falkenstein] The Flight of the Liberté

The launch of the Paris-Constantinople "Oriental Express" airship route brings three Dramatic Characters together to convey a vital document - and foil a Dastardly Plot. The conclusion of this Adventure Entertainment.

We also spend the first 20 minutes or so discussing what we're going to do next.



Featuring:

Jen
Des
Renae
And...Edie the Dog.

Favorite Moments?

Hello, loyal listeners!

Here at the Esoteric Order HQ, we are working on a little soon-to-be-revealed secret project. Part of this project involves collating a "sound collage" of favorite moments from past recorded sessions, and we thought that we'd open up nominations to the general audience.

So: out of our hundreds of hours of recorded sessions, are there any small moments that still stick with you? Critical dice rolls, moments of high drama or low comedy, tragic deaths and heroic sacrifices, and so on.

If so, please leave your nominations in the comments section below and our Master Archivist will delve into the back catalog and retrieve them.

Thanks!

[Castle Falkenstein] Wheels Within Wheels

The notable attendees of Count de Navarre's wedding receive a mysterious invitation to meet at a Bayernese coaching inn on the Winter Solstice. Who sent the invitation, and for what purpose? And what other guests await at the inn?



Featuring:

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

[Castle Falkenstein] The Ambiguously Fae Duo

In this mostly-improvisatory Story, the Dramatic Characters convene at the island of Barataria for a most unusual wedding. Can the Characters safely find their way through the Mist and Fog before the Explosive Conclusion?



Featuring:

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

We Will Return Next Week

A bout of late-season Winter colds and early-onset Spring allergies rendered the Order unable to convene this week as planned. We shall return next week, if it pleases God and the Good Folk, to carry on our Narrative.

And if you can't do without a Dose of aural High Adventure this week, may we humbly suggest some classic Radio Theatre...

[Castle Falkenstein] Like Clockwork

In this, our inaugural Story, the Dramatic Characters first meet in the coffee houses of Vienna, attend a Grand Ball, and ponder the nature of Love and Free Will.



Featuring:

Des
Jen
Renae
Jade

[Castle Falkenstein] Character Creation

The Esoteric Order begins a short but hopefully fruitful assignation with the classic steampunk/fantasy RPG, Castle Falkenstein. And yes, this is three solid hours of character creation, but it's mostly story spinning and character development, so hopefully it will be worth a listen.

Giles

Featuring:

Dave S.
Des
Jen
Renae
Jade

[End of the World] Schimpff's "Session for the Fans"

For some time now, David S. has been teasing us with the prospect of a one-shot "for the fans" that required all of us to be present. Having a full quorum this week (even though Jen is getting over a cold), we pulled the trigger on this long-promised session. Most unexpected results ensued.



Maps that may prove useful to the listener:

Featuring:

David L.
Des
Jen
Renae
Jade

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Free Fallin'" (Episode Three)

Aaron finds a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing as he begins to formulate a plan to save his sire and possibly revolutionize Kindred society in the process, all while trying his worst to save his fledgling acting career.


Download this episode (right click and save)

The campaign wiki can be found here.

[Ryuutama] Journey to Iffa, or: Evil Pirate Kitty-Goblins

The Esoteric Order celebrates its three-year anniversary with a full crew and lots of Japanese sour candies, wasabi-coated edamame beans, tea, and a heart-warming session of Ryuutama, the "natural fantasy RPG."

Tonight's episode is brought to you by Nobel Super Sour Candy and Kasugai Gummy Candies.



Intro music: "Boogiewoah" by Ozzed.

Featuring:
Jen
Renae
Jade
Des
David L.

[Night Witches] 1943-44

The meat grinder of the Russo-German war wears on, claiming many more victims--some natural-born Soviet airwomen among them.



Our natural-born Soviet airwomen this session include:

Jen
Des
Dave S.

[Nightlife: Neon Masquerade] "Cavity/First Communion" (Episode Two)

Picking up right where we left off - with Aaron naked in a hot tub filled with horse blood - we explore more of the world of the Kindred in Los Angeles as Aaron begins to understand just how many sharks he is swimming with.


Download this episode (right click and save)

The campaign wiki can be found here.