Big Gay Nerds

It's our halfiversary here at Big Gay Nerds! In this episode, Bishop finds themself out of their element and faced with ever-more startling revelations. Pennyworth plays host, Jessamine plays the voice of relative reason, and Mark plays it cool.

In the aftermath of Mark's rampage, Bishop vows to find out more about their mysterious peers. Meanwhile, Jessamine eyes the menu and Mark gets his shit together for long enough to drop some arcane lore. Also, there were some technical issues with our audio tracks; everything should be presentable, but let us know if anything stands out.

In this episode of Monsterhearts things get real messy, like HBO messy. Alcohol? Check. Drugs? Check. Violence? Most definitely check. Mean words? Check. Sex? Checkish, I mean it’s mostly just implied but... Anyway, cannibalism? Half-check I guess, it’s almost a given at this point. Consider yourself warned/tantalized.

This Monsterhearts episode is about relationships. Jessamine and Pennyworth form a cautious alliance. Mark's new friendship gets taken in a new direction. Bishop reconnects with family.

Class is back in session at Mater Dolorosa College! Jessamine and Pennyworth try to tidy up some loose ends from our last session, and Bishop starts doing some research when their peers' business becomes family business. Mark, meanwhile, hangs out with a cute boy and supports local vendors. Our intro and outro music is STILL courtesy of Aesop Rock (https://soundcloud.com/rhymesayers/aesop-rock-the...

In the final—for now—Dungeons & Dragons episode, the party weighs their options, plays to their strengths, and exploits unusual routes to try out advanced tactics instead of just running into things uncoordinated. The result is, as you would expect, much… oh. Well. Just how attached to these characters are you?

We start this episode by celebrating a milestone and making a promise that we ultimately fail to keep; listen all the way through to discover which! Then the party storms a bandit-infested tower; which will win out, their complete disregard for tactics or their sheer murderous intent?

The heroes return to the caverns and very quickly remember why they left. Myra is attacked by '90s Nickelodeon nostalgia. Gull threatens to get Too Hot for Soundcloud. Feodora gets a little too eager for elf-slaying. George reconnects with some distant relatives. Levi tosses several pages of lovingly-crafted adventure notes out the window.

After braving the creepy caverns, the adventurers reap the rewards of their do-gooding! First, we take some time to level them up and review the new tricks up their sleeves. Then, they kick back at the local pub to bond over moonshine and religious discourse. Also, if you haven't already, check out our Tumblr http://biggaynerds.tumblr.com/ for more material, including fanart!

Our heroes—yeah, let’s go with heroes—descend further into the caverns and encounter: holes within holes! Peril after peril! Two dogs stapled together! Watch as they get walloped to death’s door and back (again), poke some gross cave stuff with sticks (again), and laugh at each other’s misfortune (again)!

It's St. Valentine's Day, and what better way to celebrate than to descend into an unlit cave complex in search of dead bodies? George the bugbear, Gull the tiefling, Feodora the dwarf, and Myra the half-elf kick off their adventuring career and learn that everything's a threat when you're Level 1. This episode was made possible by https://roll20.net/ but not in a sponsorship way (yet).

Levi leads us into the latest iteration of Dungeons & Dragons, the biggest name in tabletop roleplaying! We navigate character creation, noting the improvements that Fifth Edition brings to the table, and assemble a team with magical powers and checkered pasts. EDIT: Whoops, I forgot the music! Our intro and outro beats are still courtesy of Aesop Rock's The Blob, available here: https://soundclou...

Another Monsterhearts session wraps up with ominous cliffhangers! I think that means we’re doing it right. With a strange new threat and personal secrets revealed, the students of MDC are left vulnerable and confused, but make a last-minute push to obliterate your sympathy for them.

Mark faces consequences for his... wait, I read that wrong, he faces consequences for Bishop's actions. Meanwhile, what started out as a wholesome ritual sacrifice goes awry when a mysterious force manifests in the forest. Also, all those Hot and Cold rolls pay off with two game-changing Advances in one episode!

This week in Monsterhearts, everyone sticks their nose into each others' business and makes way too many anime references! Pennyworth shows Mark what smooth moves really look like; Jessamine engages Bishop in a sinister-charisma-off.

We return to Mater Dolorosa College! In the wake of last week's party, everyone has personal business to address. A new friend meets a new threat, Mark gets a pep-talk from his boss, Bishop has a family heart-to-heart, and Jessamine navigates her relationship with tact and finesse.

The holidays are here and the year is almost over, so the Big Gay Nerds gather to talk about tabletop games of the past, present, and yet to come. (To all you Sara fans, she was enjoying an ACTUAL holiday gathering at the time of recording.)

The Ring of Fire session comes to its thrilling conclusion! Rio attempts to solve a problem without violence! Seimei and Oshiro escalate the situation without really knowing what the situation is! Mori encounters our most marketable foe yet! Will the misfit heroes foil a regicidal plot, or literally shoot themselves in their collective feet? There's also a brief reflection after everything's wrapp...

After the last episode's revelations, our heroes leap into action with a plan to reap fame and fortune from the dire situation! Witness hard-boiled investigation, barroom combat, equestrian heisting, and an unexpected reunion under the worst circumstances possible.

Rio, Oshiro, Mori, and Seimei kick off their new misadventures in the Ring of Fire by cashing in on their earlier, undocumented misadventures. Then they're invited to the lavish estate of an eccentric but loving friend of the family! Then the game ends because everyone's happy and no one's previous actions have come back to haunt them. Content warning: brief suicide mention.

A new big gay nerd joins the team! Ian's here with a character-driven, easily-modified game called Lady Blackbird (http://www.onesevendesign.com/ladyblackbird/) and a genre-splicing setting of his own creation. Owen, Sara, and Levi revisit some old characters, and Saturn starts to devise a new one. If you were hoping for Lawful Good PCs... well, you might have to temper your expectations for this...

With the first Monsterhearts session over, we reflect on... whoa! Oh boy, this one starts out pretty heavy. But seriously though, we talk about what makes this game so much fun for us. I promise that Levi didn't get disappeared at the end. There's also a VERY belated endorsement for Monsterhearts 2, which as I type has a day and a half left on Kickstarter, so if you wanna push for some last-minute...

Our first session of Monsterhearts draws to a conclusion! Bishop steals away with more than family photos. Jessamine gets her fill and earns a reputation. Mark... Mark's got a real mixed bag of a situation, folks. We think you're gonna like this one.

Let's get this party started! Our band of young monsters arrives at their first-ever college party to mingle with their peers... and advance their dark agendas. Jessamine sinks her claws into Jake, Bishop and their minions start a heist, and Mark gets some mixed signals.

Class is in session at Mater Dolorosa College! Not that any of the students care. Bishop, Jessamine, and Mark are too busy chasing money, blood, family heirlooms, and the cheapest beer they can illegally obtain. Intro and outro music courtesy of Aesop Rock: https://soundcloud.com/rhymesayers/aesop-rock-the-blob