Changeling the Podcast https://changelingthepodcast.com/series/changeling-the-podcast/ Changeling the Podcast is a weekly exploration of the roleplaying game Changeling the Dreaming. Episodes range from readthroughs of books, to interviews with people relevant to Changeling, to deep dives into various topics. We are two fans of the game who are excited to share our love for Changeling with you all. Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:24:41 +0000 en-US © 2024 Joshua Hillerup and Pooka Gar A podcast where we explore the game Changeling the Dreaming Joshua HIllerup and Pooka Gar episodic Changeling the Podcast is a weekly exploration of the roleplaying game Changeling the Dreaming. Episodes range from readthroughs of books, to interviews with people relevant to Changeling, to deep dives into various topics. We are two fans of the game who are excited to share our love for Changeling with you all. Joshua Hillerup and Pooka Gar podcast@changelingthepodcast.com true http://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ctp_mainicon.png Changeling the Podcast https://changelingthepodcast.com/series/changeling-the-podcast/ podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Changeling the Podcast is a weekly exploration of the roleplaying game Changeling the Dreaming. Episodes range from readthroughs of books, to interviews with people relevant to Changeling, to deep dives into various topics. We are two fans of the game who are excited to share our love for Changeling with you all. Yes yes Support us on Patreon! b6eab75b-03a9-5c79-bf46-ede8c85fe221 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 episode 136 — vampire: the requiem https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-136-vampire-the-requiem/ Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:24:40 +0000 77427a37-c1fe-5ca1-bc74-d4e0e4e524ca Another week, another exploration of nWoD/CofD crossover. This time, with an eye to the upcoming Dark Eras, we're taking a look at Vampire: the Requiem and approaches to integrating it with Changeling: the Lost. There are some thematic similarities: both vampires and changelings are parasites in different ways, both have a tricksy relationship with time and memory, and both are deep into politics. (We'd also pay good money to see a Daeva/Fairest walk-off, just saying.) But how do the games align mechanically? Do Keepers take notices of leeches or might Kindred try to feed on fetches? Is there proper, actual crossover material out there? We dig into these questions and more as we trapeze between editions, so get your grip powder and your... neckguards? is that a thing? in place. On we go!

If you too have thoughts and opinions on bloodsuckers (the supernatural kind) or just, you know, whatever:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers the Crone's other shapes, like the Trapezoid or the Hendecagram. Amelia Fetch (she/her) snagged some deep discount Coils of the Dragon at the corner store, but they turned out to be just expired licorice.

I got the ways and means to New Orleans I'm going down by the river where it's warm and green I'm gonna have a drink and walk around I got a lot to think about, oh yeah... —Concrete Blonde, "Bloodletting"

]]> full 136 5 Another week, another exploration of nWoD/CofD crossover. This time, with an eye to the upcoming Dark Eras, we're taking a look at Vampire: the Requiem and approaches to integrating it with Changeling: the Lost. There are some thematic similarities: both vampires and changelings are parasites in different ways, both have a tricksy relationship with time and memory, and both are deep into politics. (We'd also pay good money to see a Daeva/Fairest walk-off, just saying.) But how do the games align mechanically? Do Keepers take notices of leeches or might Kindred try to feed on fetches? Is there proper, actual crossover material out there? We dig into these questions and more as we trapeze between editions, so get your grip powder and your... neckguards? is that a thing? in place. On we go!

If you too have thoughts and opinions on bloodsuckers (the supernatural kind) or just, you know, whatever:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers the Crone's other shapes, like the Trapezoid or the Hendecagram. Amelia Fetch (she/her) snagged some deep discount Coils of the Dragon at the corner store, but they turned out to be just expired licorice.

I got the ways and means to New Orleans I'm going down by the river where it's warm and green I'm gonna have a drink and walk around I got a lot to think about, oh yeah... —Concrete Blonde, "Bloodletting"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Episode-136-icon.png episode 136 — vampire: the requiem true no 1:09:53 Yes no episode 135 — the god-machine update https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-135-the-god-machine-update/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:07:42 +0000 c462d5f5-6478-5f5e-9a68-06de2375a429 The time has come to put aside the old new World of Darkness and move into the Chronicles of Darkness, as we read through the God-Machine rules update. This is the back half of the God-Machine Chronicle released in 2013, which revised and expanded the rules for nWoD's first edition and would later become the basis for the second edition ruleset in Chronicles of Darkness (which is also lightly being considered here). Some of the changes are small; some of them are large; and some of them are just downright baffling. But as we continue to advance through the wilderness between Changeling: the Lost's initial and subsequent conceptions, we're taking the opportunity to observe this museum of ludic experiments and delights along the way. So strap in, prepare yourself for the unholy abomination that is the God-Machine's brass-meat angels, and listen as we discuss the finer points of experience costs and Morality systems and whatnot.

The God-Machine Chronicle book is no longer available for purchase, having been supplanted by Chronicles of Darkness corebook (https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/168428?affiliate_id=3063731). You can still get the rules update as a standalone (https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/114078?affiliate_id=3063731), but why would you want to? As we discuss in this episode, although the one was based on the other, the material from the update was not copied over to CofD wholesale; further tweaks and occasionally annoying omissions were made. Depending on how completionist you feel, get one or both, or neither!

For non-book-buying purposes that are purely social in nature, some other links for reaching out to us include:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) "accidentally" made an angel out of glowsticks and VapoRub, for the God-Machine is a raver god. Amelia Fetch (she/her) favors the Goddess-Contraption, which is like the God-Machine, but looks way better with those shoes and that hat.

And God created man; and man created machine; and machine— machine created music. And machine saw everything it had created and it said: behold. —Apoptygma Berzerk, "Kathy's Song (VNV Nation mix)"

]]> full 135 5 The time has come to put aside the old new World of Darkness and move into the Chronicles of Darkness, as we read through the God-Machine rules update. This is the back half of the God-Machine Chronicle released in 2013, which revised and expanded the rules for nWoD's first edition and would later become the basis for the second edition ruleset in Chronicles of Darkness (which is also lightly being considered here). Some of the changes are small; some of them are large; and some of them are just downright baffling. But as we continue to advance through the wilderness between Changeling: the Lost's initial and subsequent conceptions, we're taking the opportunity to observe this museum of ludic experiments and delights along the way. So strap in, prepare yourself for the unholy abomination that is the God-Machine's brass-meat angels, and listen as we discuss the finer points of experience costs and Morality systems and whatnot.

The God-Machine Chronicle book is no longer available for purchase, having been supplanted by Chronicles of Darkness corebook (https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/168428?affiliate_id=3063731). You can still get the rules update as a standalone (https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/114078?affiliate_id=3063731), but why would you want to? As we discuss in this episode, although the one was based on the other, the material from the update was not copied over to CofD wholesale; further tweaks and occasionally annoying omissions were made. Depending on how completionist you feel, get one or both, or neither!

For non-book-buying purposes that are purely social in nature, some other links for reaching out to us include:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) "accidentally" made an angel out of glowsticks and VapoRub, for the God-Machine is a raver god. Amelia Fetch (she/her) favors the Goddess-Contraption, which is like the God-Machine, but looks way better with those shoes and that hat.

And God created man; and man created machine; and machine— machine created music. And machine saw everything it had created and it said: behold. —Apoptygma Berzerk, "Kathy's Song (VNV Nation mix)"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Episode-135-icon.png episode 135 — the god-machine update true no 1:37:00 Yes no episode 134 — geist: the sin-eaters https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-134-geist-the-sin-eaters/ Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:12:57 +0000 4884ed45-dc1f-5531-ba09-78f8d3494889 A wild CROSSOVER appears...! Soon enough, we'll be getting into the historical Dark Eras settings for Changeling: the Lost, some of which involve pairings with other games in the new World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness line. We'll be moving through this semi-chronologically, and the first one on our list involves Geist: the Sin-Eaters, our topic of discussion for today. This game of mediums brought back from the brink of death with a mysterious passenger is sort of oblique to the themes of Changeling, but we have some connections to pull out from the text. Where the Hedge and the Underworld meet, there you'll find the krewe and motley, ectoplasmic hand in thorn-shredded paw. What stories might ensue?

Of course, if you'd like to share your thoughts with us about either or both games and how they intersect, your best options are:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) runs with a krewe who's committed to adding more disco to funerals. Amelia Fetch (she/her) dropped her ring of Keys behind the burger joint and now the whole place is just crawling with meat-specters.

Now it is the time of night, That the graves, all gaping wide, Every one lets forth his sprite, In the church-way paths to glide. —William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, V.i.386–389

]]> full 134 5 A wild CROSSOVER appears...! Soon enough, we'll be getting into the historical Dark Eras settings for Changeling: the Lost, some of which involve pairings with other games in the new World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness line. We'll be moving through this semi-chronologically, and the first one on our list involves Geist: the Sin-Eaters, our topic of discussion for today. This game of mediums brought back from the brink of death with a mysterious passenger is sort of oblique to the themes of Changeling, but we have some connections to pull out from the text. Where the Hedge and the Underworld meet, there you'll find the krewe and motley, ectoplasmic hand in thorn-shredded paw. What stories might ensue?

Of course, if you'd like to share your thoughts with us about either or both games and how they intersect, your best options are:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) runs with a krewe who's committed to adding more disco to funerals. Amelia Fetch (she/her) dropped her ring of Keys behind the burger joint and now the whole place is just crawling with meat-specters.

Now it is the time of night, That the graves, all gaping wide, Every one lets forth his sprite, In the church-way paths to glide. —William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, V.i.386–389

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Episode-134-icon.png episode 134 — geist: the sin-eaters true no 1:16:16 Yes no episode 133 — ten films for the lost https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-133-ten-films-for-the-lost/ Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:09:24 +0000 ec7b9325-d617-52b5-a3d0-a67ea0b34f0a This week, we turn once more to the wonderful world of media as we consider ten films for Changeling: the Lost inspiration. We did this previously with Changeling: the Dreaming (check out episode 50!), so it seemed like the right time to pull a similar for the other fae game. There are a couple crossover titles whose themes and plots and aesthetics work equally well in both, in our opinion... but otherwise, this list has a slightly eerier, horror-inflected vibe overall, we suppose? We've tried to keep the discussion as spoiler-light as possible, but for your edification, here are the deets and some trailers for the films we discuss in this order:

Obviously, there were lots of other options that we could have discussed, but for the sake of keeping things trim, these ten will have to suffice. (For now...!) And for other shortlist goodness, further vectors of media include the various avenues to get our attention:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is four degrees from Kevin Bacon, depending how broadly you want to count. Amelia Fetch (she/her) has secured three of five clauses in the Contracts of Blooper Reel.

Mothers of America / let your kids go to the movies! —Frank O'Hara, "Ave Maria"

]]> full 133 5 This week, we turn once more to the wonderful world of media as we consider ten films for Changeling: the Lost inspiration. We did this previously with Changeling: the Dreaming (check out episode 50!), so it seemed like the right time to pull a similar for the other fae game. There are a couple crossover titles whose themes and plots and aesthetics work equally well in both, in our opinion... but otherwise, this list has a slightly eerier, horror-inflected vibe overall, we suppose? We've tried to keep the discussion as spoiler-light as possible, but for your edification, here are the deets and some trailers for the films we discuss in this order:

Obviously, there were lots of other options that we could have discussed, but for the sake of keeping things trim, these ten will have to suffice. (For now...!) And for other shortlist goodness, further vectors of media include the various avenues to get our attention:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is four degrees from Kevin Bacon, depending how broadly you want to count. Amelia Fetch (she/her) has secured three of five clauses in the Contracts of Blooper Reel.

Mothers of America / let your kids go to the movies! —Frank O'Hara, "Ave Maria"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Episode-133-icon.png episode 133 — ten films for the lost true no 1:16:09 Yes no episode 132 — glimpses of the unknown https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-132-glimpses-of-the-unknown/ Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:29:40 +0000 6144063e-24e8-5a17-8893-5050191020de Rounding out our series of "blue books" from the first edition of new World of Darkness, today we're covering Glimpses of the Unknown, a rather brief assortment of story hooks, crunchy tidbits, and setting expansion for all the extant game lines at that point. And when we say "brief," we mean 48 pages, with lots of recycled art, so this episode is on the shorter side. We're considering the book through the lens of Changeling (which gets a massive Goblin Contract and... very little else), but mentioning other games is fortuitous, as we will soon be digging into the wonderful world of crossover...! For now, though, consider this a little intermezzo sorbet to cleanse your supernatural palate.

If you'd like to preview this book and possibly add it to your PDF shelf, check it out at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/93242?affiliate_id=3063731. And then carry on to check out our various spaces around the web at:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) didn't so much glimpse the unknown as give it a long, lascivious look right in the third eye. Amelia Fetch (she/her) made a collage out of Pat Loboyko art and inadvertently crafted a golem from thousands of flame-like flesh growths.

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. —T. S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

]]> full 132 5 Rounding out our series of "blue books" from the first edition of new World of Darkness, today we're covering Glimpses of the Unknown, a rather brief assortment of story hooks, crunchy tidbits, and setting expansion for all the extant game lines at that point. And when we say "brief," we mean 48 pages, with lots of recycled art, so this episode is on the shorter side. We're considering the book through the lens of Changeling (which gets a massive Goblin Contract and... very little else), but mentioning other games is fortuitous, as we will soon be digging into the wonderful world of crossover...! For now, though, consider this a little intermezzo sorbet to cleanse your supernatural palate.

If you'd like to preview this book and possibly add it to your PDF shelf, check it out at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/93242?affiliate_id=3063731. And then carry on to check out our various spaces around the web at:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) didn't so much glimpse the unknown as give it a long, lascivious look right in the third eye. Amelia Fetch (she/her) made a collage out of Pat Loboyko art and inadvertently crafted a golem from thousands of flame-like flesh growths.

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. —T. S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Episode-132-icon.png episode 132 — glimpses of the unknown true no 50:15 Yes no episode 131 — mirrors https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-131-mirrors/ Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:59:42 +0000 a7da6e33-36a8-599c-a603-8d11baa2cbce Through the looking glass we go, as we consider other shapes the World of Darkness might take. A collection to spark ideas along the way is World of Darkness: Mirrors for first edition nWoD, whose pages we're riffling this time around. Alternate systems, alternate settings, and a whole lot of Storyteller insights fill these pages, from the genius to the puzzling. Nearly everything can be adapted to all of the games, but naturally we're looking at this one through a Changeling lens. Both Changeling: the Lost and Changeling: the Dreaming can make use of many ideas in here. Care to build a system around social combat? get post-apocalyptic? give mortals in the setting one-off powers that slowly drive them mad? We had to keep a high-level view of this one, because this book could its own Season of mirrors going down forever. Hopefully this taste will sufficiently whet your appetite to do investigations of your own...!

The book is available at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/82477?affiliate_id=3063731 (with a PDF currently on sale). And if you speak our names in front of any of these mirrors, we shall appear:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can do the Galadriel pool-of-liquid divination thing, but only with bowls of ramen. Amelia Fetch (she/her) just has Finesse as an Attribute nine times.

A difference of opinion exists only as to the question to which of the two classes anything belongs; whether to the class of the impossible, or to that of the possible. —Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed

]]> full 131 5 Through the looking glass we go, as we consider other shapes the World of Darkness might take. A collection to spark ideas along the way is World of Darkness: Mirrors for first edition nWoD, whose pages we're riffling this time around. Alternate systems, alternate settings, and a whole lot of Storyteller insights fill these pages, from the genius to the puzzling. Nearly everything can be adapted to all of the games, but naturally we're looking at this one through a Changeling lens. Both Changeling: the Lost and Changeling: the Dreaming can make use of many ideas in here. Care to build a system around social combat? get post-apocalyptic? give mortals in the setting one-off powers that slowly drive them mad? We had to keep a high-level view of this one, because this book could its own Season of mirrors going down forever. Hopefully this taste will sufficiently whet your appetite to do investigations of your own...!

The book is available at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/82477?affiliate_id=3063731 (with a PDF currently on sale). And if you speak our names in front of any of these mirrors, we shall appear:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can do the Galadriel pool-of-liquid divination thing, but only with bowls of ramen. Amelia Fetch (she/her) just has Finesse as an Attribute nine times.

A difference of opinion exists only as to the question to which of the two classes anything belongs; whether to the class of the impossible, or to that of the possible. —Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Episode-131-icon.png episode 131 — mirrors true no 1:42:51 Yes no episode 130 — proverbial monsters https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-130-proverbial-monsters/ Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:51:45 +0000 8a7eb432-3a05-540a-9f3a-1d8fae949564 Good things come to those who wait... so forgive us for the day of delay, but we are back with a discussion of Proverbial Monsters. This slim bestiary of creatures inspired by sayings and superstitions seemed like a natural follow-up to our dive into Urban Legends. It's not specifically a Changeling book, but most or all of the options in here can fit easily into a Lost game, so it's through that lens that we turn our critical eyes. Here's the thing, though—this book is no longer available for sale, and we can find no explanation for why. Consider this episode your armament for if you should eventually come across these pages in the wild, for a book in hand is worth two in the... cloud? Whatever the digital archiving equivalent of that saying would be.

What's not lost to the currents of time is our standard list of get-in-touch-with-us links, like so!:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) taught a man to fish and he was devoured by a kraken. So... mixed results. Amelia Fetch (she/her) spoke of the Devil, but he merely sent a polite invitation for cream tea at a crossroads three days thence.

Je n'ai jamais fait qu'une prière à Dieu, une très courte : "Ô Seigneur, rends mes ennemis ridicules". Et Dieu l'a exaucée. (I've only ever made one prayer to God, a very short one: "O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And God has granted it.) —Voltaire

]]> full 130 5 Good things come to those who wait... so forgive us for the day of delay, but we are back with a discussion of Proverbial Monsters. This slim bestiary of creatures inspired by sayings and superstitions seemed like a natural follow-up to our dive into Urban Legends. It's not specifically a Changeling book, but most or all of the options in here can fit easily into a Lost game, so it's through that lens that we turn our critical eyes. Here's the thing, though—this book is no longer available for sale, and we can find no explanation for why. Consider this episode your armament for if you should eventually come across these pages in the wild, for a book in hand is worth two in the... cloud? Whatever the digital archiving equivalent of that saying would be.

What's not lost to the currents of time is our standard list of get-in-touch-with-us links, like so!:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) taught a man to fish and he was devoured by a kraken. So... mixed results. Amelia Fetch (she/her) spoke of the Devil, but he merely sent a polite invitation for cream tea at a crossroads three days thence.

Je n'ai jamais fait qu'une prière à Dieu, une très courte : "Ô Seigneur, rends mes ennemis ridicules". Et Dieu l'a exaucée. (I've only ever made one prayer to God, a very short one: "O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And God has granted it.) —Voltaire

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Episode-130-icon.png episode 130 — proverbial monsters true no 49:12 Yes no episode 129 — urban legends (nWoD) https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-129-urban-legends-nwod/ Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:05:25 +0000 7c2dd771-713c-5928-8fde-83dd2044df4f And so, with some variable amount of fanfare, we are taking a deep breath and plunging into Season Five. Taking a machete to the wilderness of nWoD, we are beginning by carving a path from the last books of Changeling: the Lost's first edition towards the Hedge of the second, tackling various other books and general concepts along the way. At the top of our upcoming slate of episodes on crossovers, generic WoD titles, and assorted inspirations, is this week's dive into Urban Legends: a collection of creatures and antagonists for any game. We're stepping back to the early days—before CtL was even released!—in order to move forward again, examining this and following works through the lens of the Lost. Changelings are half legendary themselves, after all; surely we can find some connections here? The only way to find out is to listen in...

Hushed whispers say that you can obtain this book for yourself at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/25984?affiliate_id=3063731. Otherwise, you can obtain conversation and community via the following routes that one must never travel at night...

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has appeared as a levitating, glitter-bedecked figure in many amateur photographs, but all but one are hoaxes. Amelia Fetch (she/her) enjoys a steaming bowl of creepypasta topped with sage butter sauce and Parmesan.

A world that might have Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster is clearly superior to one that definitely does not. —Chris van Allsburg

]]> full 129 5 And so, with some variable amount of fanfare, we are taking a deep breath and plunging into Season Five. Taking a machete to the wilderness of nWoD, we are beginning by carving a path from the last books of Changeling: the Lost's first edition towards the Hedge of the second, tackling various other books and general concepts along the way. At the top of our upcoming slate of episodes on crossovers, generic WoD titles, and assorted inspirations, is this week's dive into Urban Legends: a collection of creatures and antagonists for any game. We're stepping back to the early days—before CtL was even released!—in order to move forward again, examining this and following works through the lens of the Lost. Changelings are half legendary themselves, after all; surely we can find some connections here? The only way to find out is to listen in...

Hushed whispers say that you can obtain this book for yourself at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/25984?affiliate_id=3063731. Otherwise, you can obtain conversation and community via the following routes that one must never travel at night...

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has appeared as a levitating, glitter-bedecked figure in many amateur photographs, but all but one are hoaxes. Amelia Fetch (she/her) enjoys a steaming bowl of creepypasta topped with sage butter sauce and Parmesan.

A world that might have Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster is clearly superior to one that definitely does not. —Chris van Allsburg

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Urban-Legends-icon.png episode 129 — urban legends (nWoD) true no 1:45:17 Yes no episode 128.5: state of the podcast, winterregnum 25–26 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-128-5-state-of-the-podcast-winterregnum-25-26/ Mon, 22 Dec 2025 13:43:26 +0000 ac7a2b33-eca3-5cbf-8135-140c415425ca And thus we come once again to a moment of pause in our madcap readings, as winter's chill settles over the land (in this bit of the world, anyway). We may have an episode or three up our sleeves in the coming weeks, but assume that things will be fairly quiet until about mid-February—so we hope this report on the state of the podcast will tide you over until then. The usual episode data, some reflections on accomplishments from 2025, and fervent plans for Season Five(!) make up the core of our discussion, but as with all things of the Dreaming, you never quite know where the discussion will lead you...

In the meantime, if you want to keep in touch with us, the doors of the digital freehold are always open:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) will be building an army of snow people to defend the Kingdom from syrup-smuggling ne'er-do-wells. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) plans to brew some eggnog from whichever oviparous chimera are available. Sphinx nog? Fenghuang nog? Amelia Fetch (she/her) has the aurora borealis localized entirely to her kitchen (but no, you may not see it).

There’s a certain Slant of light, Winter Afternoons – That oppresses, like the Heft Of Cathedral Tunes – —Emily Dickinson

]]> bonus 128.5 4 And thus we come once again to a moment of pause in our madcap readings, as winter's chill settles over the land (in this bit of the world, anyway). We may have an episode or three up our sleeves in the coming weeks, but assume that things will be fairly quiet until about mid-February—so we hope this report on the state of the podcast will tide you over until then. The usual episode data, some reflections on accomplishments from 2025, and fervent plans for Season Five(!) make up the core of our discussion, but as with all things of the Dreaming, you never quite know where the discussion will lead you...

In the meantime, if you want to keep in touch with us, the doors of the digital freehold are always open:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) will be building an army of snow people to defend the Kingdom from syrup-smuggling ne'er-do-wells. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) plans to brew some eggnog from whichever oviparous chimera are available. Sphinx nog? Fenghuang nog? Amelia Fetch (she/her) has the aurora borealis localized entirely to her kitchen (but no, you may not see it).

There’s a certain Slant of light, Winter Afternoons – That oppresses, like the Heft Of Cathedral Tunes – —Emily Dickinson

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CtP_season4.png episode 128.5: state of the podcast, winterregnum 25–26 true no 24:45 Yes no episode 128 — victorian lost https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-128-victorian-lost/ Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:14:09 +0000 d08cd320-cb10-53a1-b5bc-3ba5a4a92ad3 Ahoy ahoy! We've moved forward to step back (in time) as we reach, at long last, the final supplement for Changeling: the Lost's first edition, Victorian Lost. This short-ish volume nevertheless packs in the information as the one historical book for the line, although we will get some shorter bits in the Dark Eras sequence coming up soon. Victorian Lost is also one of the earliest books in the Onyx Path canon, as the success of Vampire's 20th Anniversary Edition showed there was still enough of an appetite for World of Darkness material to keep the books coming. It seems fitting to wrap up one era and begin another, transitioning between editions, as we come to the end of the year and Season Four. This will be the last full-length episode before Interregnum, so we hope it is much to your anarchic and anachronistic tastes.

Naturally, the book is available for purchase through the usual channel at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/102468?affiliate_id=3063731. And supernaturally, we are available for discourse through all the others:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) speaks the language of flowers and has a marked propensity for singlestick, as any foppish dandy should. Amelia Fetch (she/her) is down by the wharf with goblin fruit for sale! Goblin fruit for sale! Two for a ha'penny, ten for a groat!

History is merely gossip. But scandal is gossip made tedious by morality. —Oscar Wilde

]]> full 128 4 Ahoy ahoy! We've moved forward to step back (in time) as we reach, at long last, the final supplement for Changeling: the Lost's first edition, Victorian Lost. This short-ish volume nevertheless packs in the information as the one historical book for the line, although we will get some shorter bits in the Dark Eras sequence coming up soon. Victorian Lost is also one of the earliest books in the Onyx Path canon, as the success of Vampire's 20th Anniversary Edition showed there was still enough of an appetite for World of Darkness material to keep the books coming. It seems fitting to wrap up one era and begin another, transitioning between editions, as we come to the end of the year and Season Four. This will be the last full-length episode before Interregnum, so we hope it is much to your anarchic and anachronistic tastes.

Naturally, the book is available for purchase through the usual channel at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/102468?affiliate_id=3063731. And supernaturally, we are available for discourse through all the others:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) speaks the language of flowers and has a marked propensity for singlestick, as any foppish dandy should. Amelia Fetch (she/her) is down by the wharf with goblin fruit for sale! Goblin fruit for sale! Two for a ha'penny, ten for a groat!

History is merely gossip. But scandal is gossip made tedious by morality. —Oscar Wilde

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Episode-128-icon.png episode 128 — victorian lost true no 1:39:13 Yes no episode 127 — book of worlds https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-127-book-of-worlds/ Mon, 08 Dec 2025 13:30:12 +0000 03ba00cc-3215-58ca-a73f-84bd0747ac38 Changelings aren't the only ones who step outside the fleshly realm from time to time. Human magi have also been known to wander the farther spaces, and it's not unreasonable that a fae might encounter one of these upstart travelers. Mage: the Ascension's 2nd edition supplement Book of Worlds provides an in-depth treatment of how these willworkers perceive and navigate the Otherworlds. The text mainly deals with the Umbrae, but also contains the first detailed description of the Dreaming—or "Maya", to use their term. (It was early 1996, so very little had even been written for Changeling: the Dreaming at that point.) In this episode, Josh and Pooka pull some highlights from the book that are most relevant to CtD players, from the dreamscapes of Hollywood to mysterious spirit-muses, a smattering of those corners of the Dreaming mages have thus far explored, a space that is indeed vast... but what percentage of infinity is that?

If you'd like to flip through the Otherworldly gazetteer yourself, check out https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/62217?affiliate_id=3063731 for options. Other links you might wish to click include our socials, such as:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is only two planets away from a free gift on the Magrathea punch-card! Pooka G (any pronoun/they) grudgingly accepts Leibniz's principle that this is the best of possible worlds, but only because baklava exists.

As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts. —Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

]]> full 127 4 Changelings aren't the only ones who step outside the fleshly realm from time to time. Human magi have also been known to wander the farther spaces, and it's not unreasonable that a fae might encounter one of these upstart travelers. Mage: the Ascension's 2nd edition supplement Book of Worlds provides an in-depth treatment of how these willworkers perceive and navigate the Otherworlds. The text mainly deals with the Umbrae, but also contains the first detailed description of the Dreaming—or "Maya", to use their term. (It was early 1996, so very little had even been written for Changeling: the Dreaming at that point.) In this episode, Josh and Pooka pull some highlights from the book that are most relevant to CtD players, from the dreamscapes of Hollywood to mysterious spirit-muses, a smattering of those corners of the Dreaming mages have thus far explored, a space that is indeed vast... but what percentage of infinity is that?

If you'd like to flip through the Otherworldly gazetteer yourself, check out https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/62217?affiliate_id=3063731 for options. Other links you might wish to click include our socials, such as:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is only two planets away from a free gift on the Magrathea punch-card! Pooka G (any pronoun/they) grudgingly accepts Leibniz's principle that this is the best of possible worlds, but only because baklava exists.

As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts. —Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Episode-127-icon.png episode 127 — book of worlds true no 1:04:03 Yes no episode 126 — the fear-maker’s promise compilation https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-126-the-fear-makers-promise-compilation/ Mon, 01 Dec 2025 13:49:34 +0000 e3a7c790-5b78-51ff-a641-1becf4abd120 Once in a while, you actually want to play the game you're into. But if you can't think of a good complex plot for your players or don't have the time, what to do? Why, the pre-packaged story, of course! The first edition of Changeling: the Lost had two of these released in the "Storyteller Adventure System" or SAS format: ENnie Award-winner "The Fear-Maker's Promise" and "The Rose-Bride's Plight". And here nearing the end of the run, The Fear-Maker's Promise Compilation collects them in print, along with a pre-generated "Personae" motley. Fetch took the extra step of running both modules for extra Storytelling insights, so tune in as we talk structures and characters while desperately maintaining our pledge of no spoilers.

NOTE: these two modules, the first one in particular, both feature some heavy themes. We don't go into deep detail about those topics in each during our discussion, but we do list some content warnings for your information, especially if you're going to pick up this book.

And speaking of picking up the book, you can do so here: https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/92561?affiliate_id=3063731. (For reasons unclear, it's listed as the Compendium on the Vault, despite the cover title...) The individual modules are also available at:

And as for us...!

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is more of a cheer-baker than a fear-maker. Stuffing waffles for everyone! Amelia Fetch (she/her) knows there's no pledge so entangling that it can't be resolved by a dance-off.

True, I talk of dreams; Which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy... —Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, I.iv.97–99

]]> full 126 4 Once in a while, you actually want to play the game you're into. But if you can't think of a good complex plot for your players or don't have the time, what to do? Why, the pre-packaged story, of course! The first edition of Changeling: the Lost had two of these released in the "Storyteller Adventure System" or SAS format: ENnie Award-winner "The Fear-Maker's Promise" and "The Rose-Bride's Plight". And here nearing the end of the run, The Fear-Maker's Promise Compilation collects them in print, along with a pre-generated "Personae" motley. Fetch took the extra step of running both modules for extra Storytelling insights, so tune in as we talk structures and characters while desperately maintaining our pledge of no spoilers.

NOTE: these two modules, the first one in particular, both feature some heavy themes. We don't go into deep detail about those topics in each during our discussion, but we do list some content warnings for your information, especially if you're going to pick up this book.

And speaking of picking up the book, you can do so here: https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/92561?affiliate_id=3063731. (For reasons unclear, it's listed as the Compendium on the Vault, despite the cover title...) The individual modules are also available at:

And as for us...!

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is more of a cheer-baker than a fear-maker. Stuffing waffles for everyone! Amelia Fetch (she/her) knows there's no pledge so entangling that it can't be resolved by a dance-off.

True, I talk of dreams; Which are the children of an idle brain, Begot of nothing but vain fantasy... —Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, I.iv.97–99

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Episode-126-icon.png episode 126 — the fear-maker’s promise compilation true no 1:27:57 Yes no episode 125 — goblin markets https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-125-goblin-markets/ Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:30:51 +0000 c4347057-a4d4-5cf4-a5e6-a7e1cd192bd9 Whatever you need, chances are you can find it—along with a few things you absolutely don't—in the goblin markets of the Hedge and similarly liminal spaces. The market is a dumping ground for any and all story hooks, an opportunity to dole out all kinds of boons, and a space to explore the more ordinary side of fae socialization. While markets are regularly featured in Changeling: the Lost books, the eponymous book Goblin Markets goes into brisk yet exquisite detail about their mechanics and possibilities. It's a short one, clocking in at less than 50 pages, but the density of crunch gives us plenty to talk about the wonders and dangers lurking behind every tent flap. Get your fistful of trinkets for trade at the ready as we delve into the winding passages of changeling commerce. Who knows what deals you might find today?

If you're in the mood to explore a more digital market for things fae, you can pick up this volume at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/64285?affiliate_id=3063731. And while you wander the online Hedge, maybe you'll stumble through one of these gateways and therein find us:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers night markets where nobody can see how many goblin fruit you've quietly pilfered. Amelia Fetch (she/her) is ranked #17 in the Professional Hagglers' league due to judicious deployment of the table-flipping gambit.

Commerce! beneath whose poison-breathing shade No solitary virtue dares to spring. —Percy Bysshe Shelley, Queen Mab, IV.45–46

]]> full 125 4 Whatever you need, chances are you can find it—along with a few things you absolutely don't—in the goblin markets of the Hedge and similarly liminal spaces. The market is a dumping ground for any and all story hooks, an opportunity to dole out all kinds of boons, and a space to explore the more ordinary side of fae socialization. While markets are regularly featured in Changeling: the Lost books, the eponymous book Goblin Markets goes into brisk yet exquisite detail about their mechanics and possibilities. It's a short one, clocking in at less than 50 pages, but the density of crunch gives us plenty to talk about the wonders and dangers lurking behind every tent flap. Get your fistful of trinkets for trade at the ready as we delve into the winding passages of changeling commerce. Who knows what deals you might find today?

If you're in the mood to explore a more digital market for things fae, you can pick up this volume at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/64285?affiliate_id=3063731. And while you wander the online Hedge, maybe you'll stumble through one of these gateways and therein find us:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers night markets where nobody can see how many goblin fruit you've quietly pilfered. Amelia Fetch (she/her) is ranked #17 in the Professional Hagglers' league due to judicious deployment of the table-flipping gambit.

Commerce! beneath whose poison-breathing shade No solitary virtue dares to spring. —Percy Bysshe Shelley, Queen Mab, IV.45–46

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Episode-125-icon.png episode 125 — goblin markets false no 1:00:47 No no episode 124.5 — pax unplugged expo hall 2025 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-124-5-pax-unplugged-expo-hall-2025/ Sat, 22 Nov 2025 12:38:19 +0000 2581ef8e-888c-5190-b8dc-e33b75467c98 Once more unto the breach, dear listeners, once more... Pooka is doing the PAX Unplugged thing this weekend, and spent their Friday accosting various TTRPG creators in the expo hall for short on the spot interviews. Herewith the fruits of those labors! As always for these convention minisodes, shouting through a mask over thousands of people in a cavernous space doesn't make for the best acoustics, but hopefully everything is still audible enough for you to get a sense of these games and their creators. If you also happen to be in attendance, do check out their booths (indicated below); if not, well, that's why the gods created the internet.

The interviewees and their presences:

And then our usuals:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) will carry on with the ritual of acquiring remaindered 90s TTRPG books until time reverses and THAC0 lives again.

It is a happy talent to know how to play. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

]]> bonus 124.5 4 Once more unto the breach, dear listeners, once more... Pooka is doing the PAX Unplugged thing this weekend, and spent their Friday accosting various TTRPG creators in the expo hall for short on the spot interviews. Herewith the fruits of those labors! As always for these convention minisodes, shouting through a mask over thousands of people in a cavernous space doesn't make for the best acoustics, but hopefully everything is still audible enough for you to get a sense of these games and their creators. If you also happen to be in attendance, do check out their booths (indicated below); if not, well, that's why the gods created the internet.

The interviewees and their presences:

And then our usuals:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) will carry on with the ritual of acquiring remaindered 90s TTRPG books until time reverses and THAC0 lives again.

It is a happy talent to know how to play. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Episode-125-5-icon.png episode 124.5 — pax unplugged expo hall 2025 false no 37:06 No no episode 124 — swords at dawn https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-124-swords-at-dawn/ Mon, 17 Nov 2025 13:17:23 +0000 c67ad06c-de5c-53e7-b7ab-0ca67c656e56 The start of each day is the beginning of a new world, or so they say. As we open up the other half of our pair of liminal books, Swords at Dawn, we are reminded that this is a time of change and transition, new opportunities and new directions... in theory, at least. Whether or not the book itself bears out that theme is something we discuss at length in this week's episode. This is the "player-aspected" book of the dusk/dawn pairing for Changeling: the Lost's first edition, and the last of the full-on hardcovers to be produced for that line. Information about wars and duels, new talecrafting systems, a passel of tokens and treasures, and the optimistic Dawn Court round out this volume, each of which we consider in turn. Join us for the readthrough and see what light through yonder podcast breaks...!

The book can be purchased at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/63362?affiliate_id=3063731, to which we herewith add our usual smattering of links for chitchat and whatnot:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has perfected the art of hitting Snooze on the alarm and diving back in for the last dream's post-credits scene. Amelia Fetch (she/her) suspects that there is a secret conspiracy of early birds bent on cornering the worm market.

Mole stood still a moment, held in thought. As one wakened suddenly from a beautiful dream, who struggles to recall it, and can re-capture nothing but a dim sense of the beauty of it, the beauty! Till that, too, fades away in its turn, and the dreamer bitterly accepts the hard, cold waking and all its penalties... —Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn"

]]> full 124 4 The start of each day is the beginning of a new world, or so they say. As we open up the other half of our pair of liminal books, Swords at Dawn, we are reminded that this is a time of change and transition, new opportunities and new directions... in theory, at least. Whether or not the book itself bears out that theme is something we discuss at length in this week's episode. This is the "player-aspected" book of the dusk/dawn pairing for Changeling: the Lost's first edition, and the last of the full-on hardcovers to be produced for that line. Information about wars and duels, new talecrafting systems, a passel of tokens and treasures, and the optimistic Dawn Court round out this volume, each of which we consider in turn. Join us for the readthrough and see what light through yonder podcast breaks...!

The book can be purchased at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/63362?affiliate_id=3063731, to which we herewith add our usual smattering of links for chitchat and whatnot:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has perfected the art of hitting Snooze on the alarm and diving back in for the last dream's post-credits scene. Amelia Fetch (she/her) suspects that there is a secret conspiracy of early birds bent on cornering the worm market.

Mole stood still a moment, held in thought. As one wakened suddenly from a beautiful dream, who struggles to recall it, and can re-capture nothing but a dim sense of the beauty of it, the beauty! Till that, too, fades away in its turn, and the dreamer bitterly accepts the hard, cold waking and all its penalties... —Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Episode-124-icon.png episode 124 — swords at dawn true no 1:48:03 Yes no episode 123.5 — sueños en guerra https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-123-5-suenos-en-guerra/ Mon, 10 Nov 2025 19:06:28 +0000 6d3a1632-79a0-5e79-9926-ae98caed6208 Back to the Dreaming bookshelf this week...! Pooka once again attempted to flex some language skills (with a little bit of help from WordReference) to read through Sueños en Guerra, a supplement produced as part of the Kickstarter to translate Changeling's 20th Anniversary Edition into Spanish. This short adventure has never been released in English, but the folks at Nosolorol, the official Spanish publisher for White Wolf content, were kind enough to provide a copy for review so that Pooka could skim and summarize. This minisode will cover some basics about what's in the module and a bit of discussion around the game's localized versions; mostly, this is an intermezzo until the next full-length installment.

Although the module itself is not available online for purchase, we can point you towards the Spanish–English Glosarios produced by Biblioteca Oscura (the official Spanish writers for White Wolf content) at https://www.bibliotecaoscura.com/recursosydescargas/glosarios/. The basic one for C20 that was created for the Kickstarter is in PDF form, and an extended version with terms from the rest of the line is available in GDoc form. The other X20 lines are also represented there, if you're interested! And then, depending on your Spanish or your determination to translate the auto-generated transcript, you can watch a short interview on the module with its author, Concepción Perea, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvbAY8a7pWA.

Meanwhile, the rest of the links are all about us, sorry:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has drunk many times from the Font de Canaletes and will get back to Barcelona one day for good...

Por la calleja vienen extraños unicornios. ¿De qué campo, de qué bosque mitológico? [Through the lanes come strange unicorns. From what fields, from what mythological forest?] —Federico García Lorca, "Procesion [Procession]", tr. Lysander Kemp

]]> bonus 123.5 4 Back to the Dreaming bookshelf this week...! Pooka once again attempted to flex some language skills (with a little bit of help from WordReference) to read through Sueños en Guerra, a supplement produced as part of the Kickstarter to translate Changeling's 20th Anniversary Edition into Spanish. This short adventure has never been released in English, but the folks at Nosolorol, the official Spanish publisher for White Wolf content, were kind enough to provide a copy for review so that Pooka could skim and summarize. This minisode will cover some basics about what's in the module and a bit of discussion around the game's localized versions; mostly, this is an intermezzo until the next full-length installment.

Although the module itself is not available online for purchase, we can point you towards the Spanish–English Glosarios produced by Biblioteca Oscura (the official Spanish writers for White Wolf content) at https://www.bibliotecaoscura.com/recursosydescargas/glosarios/. The basic one for C20 that was created for the Kickstarter is in PDF form, and an extended version with terms from the rest of the line is available in GDoc form. The other X20 lines are also represented there, if you're interested! And then, depending on your Spanish or your determination to translate the auto-generated transcript, you can watch a short interview on the module with its author, Concepción Perea, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvbAY8a7pWA.

Meanwhile, the rest of the links are all about us, sorry:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has drunk many times from the Font de Canaletes and will get back to Barcelona one day for good...

Por la calleja vienen extraños unicornios. ¿De qué campo, de qué bosque mitológico? [Through the lanes come strange unicorns. From what fields, from what mythological forest?] —Federico García Lorca, "Procesion [Procession]", tr. Lysander Kemp

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Episode-123-5-icon.png episode 123.5 — sueños en guerra false no 20:31 No no episode 123 — dancers in the dusk https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-123-dancers-in-the-dusk/ Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:19:19 +0000 8069d7f6-fde8-5cb5-9f60-b67befcbbf10 The fae are all about liminality and change, an idea reinforced by the next pair of books we'll be considering in Changeling: the Lost's first edition run. We begin with Dancers in the Dusk, a hodgepodge of strange mechanics, curious foes, subtle magics, and new allegiances that all hearken back to the notion and feel of twilight. Sometimes this is overt, as with the Dusk Court and their focus on fatalism, and sometimes more abstract, such as when we flip through an astrological schema to talk about the symbolic nature of dreams. It's a heady mix of things that push the game into several new directions at once, which every good TTRPG book should strive to do. Join us for a spell as we talk about what worked and what didn't for each of us in this particular attempt...

You can pick up the book for your own collection at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/60527?affiliate_id=3063731, and while you're clicking links (or walking through dream-gates, as the case may be), do consider stopping by one of our social spaces as well:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) gets a thrill out of conjugating gloam as a verb and finding new translations; some individuals are just like that. Amelia Fetch (she/her) wanted to dance in the dusk, but ended up just kicking people in the golden hour and had to leave the establishment.

My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light! —Edna St. Vincent Millay, "First Fig"

]]> full 123 4 The fae are all about liminality and change, an idea reinforced by the next pair of books we'll be considering in Changeling: the Lost's first edition run. We begin with Dancers in the Dusk, a hodgepodge of strange mechanics, curious foes, subtle magics, and new allegiances that all hearken back to the notion and feel of twilight. Sometimes this is overt, as with the Dusk Court and their focus on fatalism, and sometimes more abstract, such as when we flip through an astrological schema to talk about the symbolic nature of dreams. It's a heady mix of things that push the game into several new directions at once, which every good TTRPG book should strive to do. Join us for a spell as we talk about what worked and what didn't for each of us in this particular attempt...

You can pick up the book for your own collection at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/60527?affiliate_id=3063731, and while you're clicking links (or walking through dream-gates, as the case may be), do consider stopping by one of our social spaces as well:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) gets a thrill out of conjugating gloam as a verb and finding new translations; some individuals are just like that. Amelia Fetch (she/her) wanted to dance in the dusk, but ended up just kicking people in the golden hour and had to leave the establishment.

My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light! —Edna St. Vincent Millay, "First Fig"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Episode-123-icon.png episode 123 — dancers in the dusk true no 1:30:45 Yes no episode 122 — night horrors: grim fears https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-122-night-horrors-grim-fears/ Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:03:01 +0000 69adfc81-5d0c-57a3-b8c0-b484937679f0 It's the most spoopiest tiiiime of the year...! As we enter Halloweek, it seems appropriate that we're delving into a stack of antagonists gruesome and strange for Changeling: the Lost's first edition, namely Night Horrors: Grim Fears. Heartless changelings (literally, in at least one case), peculiar hobgoblins, and stranger things abound. This was the first book in the line after their decision to extend it beyond the initial six books, so it had a lot of expectation to live up to. It's focused on its brief—seriously, it's just write-ups for possible foes, one after the other—but they're done with remarkable diligence and depth. We're talking about each one in turn this week, highlighting some favorites and talking about their utility in games, so get your shields up and dive in with us.

The book is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/58364?affiliate_id=3063731, and until the end of October, it's 40% off as part of the Month of Darkness sale. Consider browsing and picking up some of our community's homebrew titles while you're there, which are now conveniently laid out in this handy-dandy spreadsheet. Otherwise, feel free to reach out and metaphorically touch us via the following:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) knows there's nothing to fear except fear itself. And also that guy who locks eyes with you while licking a dagger. Amelia Fetch (she/her) painted the living room grim, but did the ceiling cheery to bring it in a bit, and confusing on an accent wall for variety.

We have met the enemy and he is us. —Walt Kelly, Pogo

]]> full 122 4 It's the most spoopiest tiiiime of the year...! As we enter Halloweek, it seems appropriate that we're delving into a stack of antagonists gruesome and strange for Changeling: the Lost's first edition, namely Night Horrors: Grim Fears. Heartless changelings (literally, in at least one case), peculiar hobgoblins, and stranger things abound. This was the first book in the line after their decision to extend it beyond the initial six books, so it had a lot of expectation to live up to. It's focused on its brief—seriously, it's just write-ups for possible foes, one after the other—but they're done with remarkable diligence and depth. We're talking about each one in turn this week, highlighting some favorites and talking about their utility in games, so get your shields up and dive in with us.

The book is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/58364?affiliate_id=3063731, and until the end of October, it's 40% off as part of the Month of Darkness sale. Consider browsing and picking up some of our community's homebrew titles while you're there, which are now conveniently laid out in this handy-dandy spreadsheet. Otherwise, feel free to reach out and metaphorically touch us via the following:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) knows there's nothing to fear except fear itself. And also that guy who locks eyes with you while licking a dagger. Amelia Fetch (she/her) painted the living room grim, but did the ceiling cheery to bring it in a bit, and confusing on an accent wall for variety.

We have met the enemy and he is us. —Walt Kelly, Pogo

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Episode-122-icon.png episode 122 — night horrors: grim fears false no 1:53:31 No no episode 121 — equinox road https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-121-equinox-road/ Mon, 20 Oct 2025 13:49:42 +0000 8c597a8f-a22b-587c-8b52-d461230dee01 We're about a month late to the balance-of-day-and-night party, but it's still very much a season of shifting light, so it's appropriate that we're wandering down the Equinox Road this week. As the last book planned for the original run of Changeling: the Lost 1e, there was a lot riding on this conclusion to the line that dealt with endgames and the final portentous trek into Faerie... except the developers then decided to keep going because the game was so popular, and the road wound on. So! We've done our best to do justice to its twists and turns, in the hopes that Storytellers might find it useful at any step in their chronicle's journey. Hang out a while, flip some pages with us, et cetera.

The book is available at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/57384?affiliate_id=3063731, and currently 40% off for the Month of Darkness sale on the Storytellers' Vault. The devastating opening story that we mention in this episode can be read by clicking on the Preview for the title. We also encourage you to check out other titles, especially Changeling homebrew by members of our community (of which there is ample). Otherwise, find us at:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders if anyone has used "Equinox" as a name for a brand of horse tranquilizer. Amelia Fetch (she/her) played a move in the Game of Immortals with this recording, but it'll be a while before the consequences are apparent...

End, begin, all the same. Big change. Sometimes good, hmph, sometimes bad. —Aughra in The Dark Crystal

]]> full 121 4 We're about a month late to the balance-of-day-and-night party, but it's still very much a season of shifting light, so it's appropriate that we're wandering down the Equinox Road this week. As the last book planned for the original run of Changeling: the Lost 1e, there was a lot riding on this conclusion to the line that dealt with endgames and the final portentous trek into Faerie... except the developers then decided to keep going because the game was so popular, and the road wound on. So! We've done our best to do justice to its twists and turns, in the hopes that Storytellers might find it useful at any step in their chronicle's journey. Hang out a while, flip some pages with us, et cetera.

The book is available at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/57384?affiliate_id=3063731, and currently 40% off for the Month of Darkness sale on the Storytellers' Vault. The devastating opening story that we mention in this episode can be read by clicking on the Preview for the title. We also encourage you to check out other titles, especially Changeling homebrew by members of our community (of which there is ample). Otherwise, find us at:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders if anyone has used "Equinox" as a name for a brand of horse tranquilizer. Amelia Fetch (she/her) played a move in the Game of Immortals with this recording, but it'll be a while before the consequences are apparent...

End, begin, all the same. Big change. Sometimes good, hmph, sometimes bad. —Aughra in The Dark Crystal

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Episode-121-icon.png episode 121 — equinox road true no 1:59:15 Yes no episode 120 — lords of summer https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-120-lords-of-summer/ Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:08:32 +0000 4787936d-f5ef-5a55-bf4f-d8cfdd12a2fd At long last...!

So, one thing after another happened in our lives this summer, and the hiatus lasted longer than we anticipated or intended. But! We are back for another handful of episodes to round out the Season, kicking off today with a readthrough of Lords of Summer. This volume for Changeling: the Lost's first edition explored the concept of freeholds and provided a wealth of information for the four main Courts, giving us a much-needed look at the politics and society of the fae. We also get some fascinating new Entitlements for the Lost who needs some added purpose in their life. As with the other books in the game's first wave, this one is dense with material, and a lot of our discussion has been cut or condensed to fit into the episode. But equally, we hope as always that it's informative and sheds some light on the lore of the 'lings.

You can snag a copy of the volume at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/56375?affiliate_id=3063731, and note that it's currently 40% off for the Month of Darkness sale on the Storytellers' Vault. (Maybe fill out your collection with some other discounted books while you're at it, especially the homebrew Changeling stuff created by the community...!) Apart from that, if you'd like to reach out and bother us politely, feel free to do so via the following:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) qualified for an Autumn Court Scrivener position thanks to some fiercely effective bullet journaling. Amelia Fetch (she/her) would rather the Winter Court specialized in the Contracts of the Blanket-Wrapped Hot Chocolate Book Club.

Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can't get into it do that. —Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

]]> full 120 4 At long last...!

So, one thing after another happened in our lives this summer, and the hiatus lasted longer than we anticipated or intended. But! We are back for another handful of episodes to round out the Season, kicking off today with a readthrough of Lords of Summer. This volume for Changeling: the Lost's first edition explored the concept of freeholds and provided a wealth of information for the four main Courts, giving us a much-needed look at the politics and society of the fae. We also get some fascinating new Entitlements for the Lost who needs some added purpose in their life. As with the other books in the game's first wave, this one is dense with material, and a lot of our discussion has been cut or condensed to fit into the episode. But equally, we hope as always that it's informative and sheds some light on the lore of the 'lings.

You can snag a copy of the volume at https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/56375?affiliate_id=3063731, and note that it's currently 40% off for the Month of Darkness sale on the Storytellers' Vault. (Maybe fill out your collection with some other discounted books while you're at it, especially the homebrew Changeling stuff created by the community...!) Apart from that, if you'd like to reach out and bother us politely, feel free to do so via the following:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) qualified for an Autumn Court Scrivener position thanks to some fiercely effective bullet journaling. Amelia Fetch (she/her) would rather the Winter Court specialized in the Contracts of the Blanket-Wrapped Hot Chocolate Book Club.

Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can't get into it do that. —Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Episode-120-icon.png episode 120 — lords of summer false no 1:59:59 No no episode 119 — on the umber road https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-119-on-the-umber-road/ Mon, 21 Jul 2025 15:17:00 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=688 Shh, we're not really back yet... it's still the lazy days of summer, and much needed rest and recuperation is taking place. But the slow grind of content waits for no fae, and so we are dipping our toes back into the airwaves with an episode here and episode there for the next handful of weeks. To that end, today we present On the Umber Road, a homebrew book from Thomas Milare that dropped on our heads pretty unexpectedly. The book gives a thorough treatment of the Barony of Nutfield in New Hampshire, detailing places both real and chimerical, a cast of eclectic characters, and some goings-on beneath the surface that suggest the charming town of Derry is more than meets the eye... We chatted with the author to find out more about the book and see what it can bring to the fans. Make yourself a nice cup of tea and settle in as we explore this first volume of The Nutfield Codex—we're keen to see what comes next.

(This episode also overcame technical difficulties to manifest, so hopefully no wonky sound artifacts made it through post-production. Apologies in advance if they did.)

You can pick up the book itself at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/526970?affiliate_id=3063731, and Tom has created an Instagram account for visual inspirations around Derry at https://www.instagram.com/the_nutfield_codex/. For all your other socialization needs, we humbly suggest our own winding road of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) holds with those who favor fire. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has promises to keep, but miles to go before they sleep, so leave a message after the beep.

]]> full 119 4 Shh, we're not really back yet... it's still the lazy days of summer, and much needed rest and recuperation is taking place. But the slow grind of content waits for no fae, and so we are dipping our toes back into the airwaves with an episode here and episode there for the next handful of weeks. To that end, today we present On the Umber Road, a homebrew book from Thomas Milare that dropped on our heads pretty unexpectedly. The book gives a thorough treatment of the Barony of Nutfield in New Hampshire, detailing places both real and chimerical, a cast of eclectic characters, and some goings-on beneath the surface that suggest the charming town of Derry is more than meets the eye... We chatted with the author to find out more about the book and see what it can bring to the fans. Make yourself a nice cup of tea and settle in as we explore this first volume of The Nutfield Codex—we're keen to see what comes next.

(This episode also overcame technical difficulties to manifest, so hopefully no wonky sound artifacts made it through post-production. Apologies in advance if they did.)

You can pick up the book itself at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/526970?affiliate_id=3063731, and Tom has created an Instagram account for visual inspirations around Derry at https://www.instagram.com/the_nutfield_codex/. For all your other socialization needs, we humbly suggest our own winding road of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) holds with those who favor fire. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has promises to keep, but miles to go before they sleep, so leave a message after the beep.

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Episode-119-icon.png episode 119 — on the umber road false no 1:11:01 No no episode 118.5: state of the podcast, midseason 4 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-118-5-state-of-the-podcast-midseason-4/ Mon, 23 Jun 2025 17:53:34 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=681 As we drift into midsummer night dreams, it remains only to give an accounting of the State of the Podcast before we take a semi-hiatus for the next several weeks. There are a couple episodes planned, but otherwise we'll see you on the airwaves again in mid-August or thereabouts. In the meantime, we've got some data about listenership in the last six months, an update on the Changeling 30th Anniversary Project, some discussion of upcoming episodes, and the nervosa in the room: the rumors around Changeling 5th Edition. Is that enough to keep things tidy until our return? We hope so...!

Stay cool in the summer heat (or warm if you are in the winter half of the planet), and in the idle times, feel free to reach out to us at one of our usual haunts:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) finds the word "swelter" to be most unseemly in mixed company. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) doesn't sweat, but instead slowly evaporates into pitiful and rainbow-hued wisps of steam.

...and at last one morning the diffident and delaying dog-rose stepped delicately on the stage, and one knew, as if string music has announced it in stately chords that strayed into a gavotte, that June at last was here. —Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

]]> bonus 118.5 4 As we drift into midsummer night dreams, it remains only to give an accounting of the State of the Podcast before we take a semi-hiatus for the next several weeks. There are a couple episodes planned, but otherwise we'll see you on the airwaves again in mid-August or thereabouts. In the meantime, we've got some data about listenership in the last six months, an update on the Changeling 30th Anniversary Project, some discussion of upcoming episodes, and the nervosa in the room: the rumors around Changeling 5th Edition. Is that enough to keep things tidy until our return? We hope so...!

Stay cool in the summer heat (or warm if you are in the winter half of the planet), and in the idle times, feel free to reach out to us at one of our usual haunts:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) finds the word "swelter" to be most unseemly in mixed company. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) doesn't sweat, but instead slowly evaporates into pitiful and rainbow-hued wisps of steam.

...and at last one morning the diffident and delaying dog-rose stepped delicately on the stage, and one knew, as if string music has announced it in stately chords that strayed into a gavotte, that June at last was here. —Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CtP_season4.png episode 118.5: state of the podcast, midseason 4 false no 21:38 No no episode 118 — rites of spring https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-118-rites-of-spring/ Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:03:24 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=679 Summer is arriving with a vengeance in the northern part of the globe, so it's a bit odd to be going back a season... and yet, we regret it not, as we open up the pages of Rites of Spring. This supplement for Changeling: the Lost 1e is a compendium of magics and Glamour, folklore and rumor, all of it steeped in the eponymous Court's energy of desire. In a sense, that emotion underlies the principle of magic to begin with: the desire to reshape the world as one wishes. But fae being fae, such workings are as treacherous as they are beautiful. We're looking at new Contracts, mystically-flavored Merits and Flaws, a thorough treatment of dream interpretation, and more scandalous ways to manipulate the Hedge than you can shake a stick at (if that's your idea of a good time). Like all the other books for the line we've examined so far, this one is dense with ideas, so bear with us as we navigate its primrose paths. And mind how the way seems to shift as you walk it, leading where you did not expect...

...but where you might indeed expect to be led is, first to the page for your own purchase of the book, namely, https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/54401?affiliate_id=3063731, and thereafter to our usual cross-platform Hollow:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) regains one point of any given day's lost Clarity with each shot of espresso consumed the next morning. Amelia Fetch (she/her) tried to write a poem where everything rhymed around "hobgoblin", but every single attempt was NSFW.

Nitimur in vetitum semper, cupimusque negata. [We are always striving for things forbidden, and coveting those denied us.] —Ovid, Amorum, III.iv.17

]]> full 118 4 Summer is arriving with a vengeance in the northern part of the globe, so it's a bit odd to be going back a season... and yet, we regret it not, as we open up the pages of Rites of Spring. This supplement for Changeling: the Lost 1e is a compendium of magics and Glamour, folklore and rumor, all of it steeped in the eponymous Court's energy of desire. In a sense, that emotion underlies the principle of magic to begin with: the desire to reshape the world as one wishes. But fae being fae, such workings are as treacherous as they are beautiful. We're looking at new Contracts, mystically-flavored Merits and Flaws, a thorough treatment of dream interpretation, and more scandalous ways to manipulate the Hedge than you can shake a stick at (if that's your idea of a good time). Like all the other books for the line we've examined so far, this one is dense with ideas, so bear with us as we navigate its primrose paths. And mind how the way seems to shift as you walk it, leading where you did not expect...

...but where you might indeed expect to be led is, first to the page for your own purchase of the book, namely, https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/54401?affiliate_id=3063731, and thereafter to our usual cross-platform Hollow:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) regains one point of any given day's lost Clarity with each shot of espresso consumed the next morning. Amelia Fetch (she/her) tried to write a poem where everything rhymed around "hobgoblin", but every single attempt was NSFW.

Nitimur in vetitum semper, cupimusque negata. [We are always striving for things forbidden, and coveting those denied us.] —Ovid, Amorum, III.iv.17

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Episode-118-icon.png episode 118 — rites of spring true no 1:50:23 Yes no episode 117 — c30: book of gremayre https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-117-c30-book-of-gremayre/ Mon, 16 Jun 2025 12:40:26 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=676 Cantrips and oaths and Unleashings (oh my!) are all perfectly respectable kinds of magic, but what others might the fae be heir to? We're tackling that question with another entry in the Changeling 30th Anniversary Project lineup, as the anniversary itself approaches... The book-in-progress of our discussion today is Book of Gremayre, a compendium of systems and setting options that build upon what's in the C20 system. Inspired by the never-finished Book of Glamour for 2nd Edition, we've let our imaginations run riot with possibility when it comes to doing more with Glamour. Rarely-explored topics like infernalism and cantrip dueling make appearances; bespoke kith sorceries and new powers abound. We aim to have the final product ready this summer, but in the meantime, perhaps this chat will whet your appetite for what's to come.

We will be collecting suggestions on the Discord linked below for the next few weeks. In particular, we're gathering questions and contradictions that we can help resolve in the book's Q&A, and suggestions for creative applications of Arts. Do come hang out in our digital freehold or leave a message through one of our other portals:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) believes that Glamour should be like pizza: variegated, shareable, and just as good cold the next morning. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) hangs out at the Crystal Circle's monthly meetings, but only for the (boggan catered) refreshments. Amelia Fetch (she/her) formally requests an explanation for why redcap rituals are "unacceptable behavior in this establishment."

Wisdom never comes to those who believe they have nothing left to learn. — Charles de Lint, "The Forest is Crying"

]]> full 117 4 Cantrips and oaths and Unleashings (oh my!) are all perfectly respectable kinds of magic, but what others might the fae be heir to? We're tackling that question with another entry in the Changeling 30th Anniversary Project lineup, as the anniversary itself approaches... The book-in-progress of our discussion today is Book of Gremayre, a compendium of systems and setting options that build upon what's in the C20 system. Inspired by the never-finished Book of Glamour for 2nd Edition, we've let our imaginations run riot with possibility when it comes to doing more with Glamour. Rarely-explored topics like infernalism and cantrip dueling make appearances; bespoke kith sorceries and new powers abound. We aim to have the final product ready this summer, but in the meantime, perhaps this chat will whet your appetite for what's to come.

We will be collecting suggestions on the Discord linked below for the next few weeks. In particular, we're gathering questions and contradictions that we can help resolve in the book's Q&A, and suggestions for creative applications of Arts. Do come hang out in our digital freehold or leave a message through one of our other portals:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) believes that Glamour should be like pizza: variegated, shareable, and just as good cold the next morning. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) hangs out at the Crystal Circle's monthly meetings, but only for the (boggan catered) refreshments. Amelia Fetch (she/her) formally requests an explanation for why redcap rituals are "unacceptable behavior in this establishment."

Wisdom never comes to those who believe they have nothing left to learn. — Charles de Lint, "The Forest is Crying"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Episode-117-icon.jpeg episode 117 — c30: book of gremayre true no 58:19 Yes no episode 116 — winter masques https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-116-winter-masques/ Mon, 09 Jun 2025 12:07:19 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=673 The emotion espoused by the Winter Court of the Lost is sorrow, but it's hard to feel too down about the sheer volume of material provided in their nominally associated book, Winter Masques. (Maybe we can shed a tear for the wild inconsistency in font sizes between sections?) While Autumn Nightmares was more of a Storyteller-facing guide, this one introduces a wealth of options that players can take advantage of as well: new kiths, new Contracts, alternate Court systems, and so forth. There are some deep dives into the nature of each Seeming and descriptions of new corners of Arcadia (and new Hedge-paths to reach them). The book insists upon diversity as a theme, and while its take might look a bit quaint nearly twenty years later, it still points to the vast potential scope of the game. So put on your thickest mittens and turn some pages with us as we delve into what's inside...

You might wish to pick up your own copy of the book, in PDF form or otherwise, at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/51347?affiliate_id=3063731. And regardless, you can attend our own masquerade at:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) isn't kithless, but plays one on TV. Amelia Fetch (she/her) insists that any Winter Masque needs a capable chatelaine to handle the goblin hors d'oeuvres.

How beautiful, if sorrow had not made Sorrow more beautiful than Beauty's self. —John Keats, Hyperion, I.35–36

]]> full 116 4 The emotion espoused by the Winter Court of the Lost is sorrow, but it's hard to feel too down about the sheer volume of material provided in their nominally associated book, Winter Masques. (Maybe we can shed a tear for the wild inconsistency in font sizes between sections?) While Autumn Nightmares was more of a Storyteller-facing guide, this one introduces a wealth of options that players can take advantage of as well: new kiths, new Contracts, alternate Court systems, and so forth. There are some deep dives into the nature of each Seeming and descriptions of new corners of Arcadia (and new Hedge-paths to reach them). The book insists upon diversity as a theme, and while its take might look a bit quaint nearly twenty years later, it still points to the vast potential scope of the game. So put on your thickest mittens and turn some pages with us as we delve into what's inside...

You might wish to pick up your own copy of the book, in PDF form or otherwise, at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/51347?affiliate_id=3063731. And regardless, you can attend our own masquerade at:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) isn't kithless, but plays one on TV. Amelia Fetch (she/her) insists that any Winter Masque needs a capable chatelaine to handle the goblin hors d'oeuvres.

How beautiful, if sorrow had not made Sorrow more beautiful than Beauty's self. —John Keats, Hyperion, I.35–36

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Episode-116-icon.png episode 116 — winter masques true no 1:59:18 Yes no episode 115 — thallain and dauntain pcs https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-115-thallain-and-dauntain-pcs/ Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:55:17 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=669 The nature of evil is a wiggly thing in all the World of Darkness games, but especially in Changeling. Who's to say whether a rabid beastie or a diabolical Eiluned is more dastardly than the other? Surely it's a matter of perspective. Still, among the various groups in the game, the Thallain and the Dauntain in particular are treated as Bad News, suitable as antagonists due to their extreme disalignment with the goals and values of Kithain and Gallain. Naturally, that hasn't stopped players from wanting to play them. We're talking today about whether that's a good idea—or perhaps, how to make that less of an evil idea. Can they mix with others in a motley? What sorts of stories can you tell with a thoroughly corrupt or broken changeling? The main takeaway is that you shouldn't just jump into playing a character from one of these groups without some extensive considerations. We've done our best to lay those out so that if you do indeed stroll down that primrose path, you'll be prepared to do these fiendish fae justice.

We're primarily discussing from a C20 perspective, but if you're unfamiliar with the older editions' takes that we reference here, it might behoove you to go WAY back in time and listen to our episodes on the books Autumn People (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-9-autumn-people/) and The Shadow Court (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-19-the-shadow-court/). For all your other communicative needs—the ones that have to do with our show, anyway—consider one of these links instead:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) runs a tasting event every second Wednesday of the month, pairing Nightmare Legacies with fancy cheeses. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) suffers under the Brand of the Scribbler, unable to write just one word when ten will do.

Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein. [And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.] —Friedrich Nietzsche, Also Sprach Zarathustra

]]> full 115 4 The nature of evil is a wiggly thing in all the World of Darkness games, but especially in Changeling. Who's to say whether a rabid beastie or a diabolical Eiluned is more dastardly than the other? Surely it's a matter of perspective. Still, among the various groups in the game, the Thallain and the Dauntain in particular are treated as Bad News, suitable as antagonists due to their extreme disalignment with the goals and values of Kithain and Gallain. Naturally, that hasn't stopped players from wanting to play them. We're talking today about whether that's a good idea—or perhaps, how to make that less of an evil idea. Can they mix with others in a motley? What sorts of stories can you tell with a thoroughly corrupt or broken changeling? The main takeaway is that you shouldn't just jump into playing a character from one of these groups without some extensive considerations. We've done our best to lay those out so that if you do indeed stroll down that primrose path, you'll be prepared to do these fiendish fae justice.

We're primarily discussing from a C20 perspective, but if you're unfamiliar with the older editions' takes that we reference here, it might behoove you to go WAY back in time and listen to our episodes on the books Autumn People (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-9-autumn-people/) and The Shadow Court (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-19-the-shadow-court/). For all your other communicative needs—the ones that have to do with our show, anyway—consider one of these links instead:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) runs a tasting event every second Wednesday of the month, pairing Nightmare Legacies with fancy cheeses. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) suffers under the Brand of the Scribbler, unable to write just one word when ten will do.

Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein. [And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.] —Friedrich Nietzsche, Also Sprach Zarathustra

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Episode-115-icon.png episode 115 — thallain and dauntain pcs true no 1:12:58 Yes no episode 114 — autumn nightmares https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-114-autumn-nightmares/ Mon, 26 May 2025 13:06:11 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=667 So, we had thought, surely the supplements for Changeling: the Lost's first edition can't be as dense as the corebook. Surely there will be some let-up in the sheer volume of material crammed into the pages. And yet, here we are with the first book in the line, Autumn Nightmares, applying nostrums to our eyes and brains after the sea of tiny text and dizzying array of concepts and creatures contained therein. Have we regrets? Always, but not about this one. The book is focused on antagonists for the Lost: their fellow changelings, their former Keepers, their fetches and so forth. Underneath it all is the idea that the Autumn Court's pet emotion of fear is a defining part of the Lost experience... so if we forged ahead through these pages without stopping, is that bravery? Better philosophers than us will have to answer. In the meantime, as we recover our wits, here are two hours of our findings!

The book is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50679?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined. And another inclination you may have is to get in touch with us! If so, a smattering of options include:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) keeps a small farm of Hedge-squirrels who are superb dream-thieves, but have worryingly started to unionize. Amelia Fetch (she/her) is still paying the price for giving Lady Bolevile only three stars on Yelp. Let us not speak of it further.

Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear. —Baruch Spinoza

]]> full 114 4 So, we had thought, surely the supplements for Changeling: the Lost's first edition can't be as dense as the corebook. Surely there will be some let-up in the sheer volume of material crammed into the pages. And yet, here we are with the first book in the line, Autumn Nightmares, applying nostrums to our eyes and brains after the sea of tiny text and dizzying array of concepts and creatures contained therein. Have we regrets? Always, but not about this one. The book is focused on antagonists for the Lost: their fellow changelings, their former Keepers, their fetches and so forth. Underneath it all is the idea that the Autumn Court's pet emotion of fear is a defining part of the Lost experience... so if we forged ahead through these pages without stopping, is that bravery? Better philosophers than us will have to answer. In the meantime, as we recover our wits, here are two hours of our findings!

The book is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50679?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined. And another inclination you may have is to get in touch with us! If so, a smattering of options include:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) keeps a small farm of Hedge-squirrels who are superb dream-thieves, but have worryingly started to unionize. Amelia Fetch (she/her) is still paying the price for giving Lady Bolevile only three stars on Yelp. Let us not speak of it further.

Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear. —Baruch Spinoza

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Episode-114-icon.png episode 114 — autumn nightmares false no 1:59:57 No no episode 113 — nobilis https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-113-nobilis/ Mon, 19 May 2025 13:56:12 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=664 If you've been listening to our show for a while (or hanging out on our Discord!), chances are you've heard Josh mention Dr. Jenna Moran's game Nobilis. In some ways adjacent to the World of Darkness and Exalted, in some ways adjacent to its own distinctively hallucinogenic blossom-laden spatial warp of hyperconsciousness, it seemed like a good choice for our first discussion of games outside of our usual bailiwick. And indeed, there is lots of inspiring cross-pollination to explore! We're giving an overview of the game's third edition corebook in this episode—mostly Josh explaining and trying to alleviate Pooka's confusion—and some thoughts on parallels for Changeling players. Perhaps other entries in this series of episodes will follow, where we examine other games outside the WoD? It's always best to start with the trippiest and see how things go from there.

As discussed in this episode, Nobilis has had kind of a torturous publication history, but a version of the third and most recent edition—the one we talk about here—is available at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/89003/nobilis-the-essentials-volume-1?affiliate_id=3063731 (and hey, it appears to be on sale at present!). Some other links that might be of use are the usual passel of socials we espouse:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) committed a level 9 Domain miracle and only got this lousy T-shirt. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) would be the Mimulus God rather than the Hollyhock God, but the dental benefits are terrible.

There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. —Francis Bacon, "Of Beauty"

]]> full 113 4 If you've been listening to our show for a while (or hanging out on our Discord!), chances are you've heard Josh mention Dr. Jenna Moran's game Nobilis. In some ways adjacent to the World of Darkness and Exalted, in some ways adjacent to its own distinctively hallucinogenic blossom-laden spatial warp of hyperconsciousness, it seemed like a good choice for our first discussion of games outside of our usual bailiwick. And indeed, there is lots of inspiring cross-pollination to explore! We're giving an overview of the game's third edition corebook in this episode—mostly Josh explaining and trying to alleviate Pooka's confusion—and some thoughts on parallels for Changeling players. Perhaps other entries in this series of episodes will follow, where we examine other games outside the WoD? It's always best to start with the trippiest and see how things go from there.

As discussed in this episode, Nobilis has had kind of a torturous publication history, but a version of the third and most recent edition—the one we talk about here—is available at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/89003/nobilis-the-essentials-volume-1?affiliate_id=3063731 (and hey, it appears to be on sale at present!). Some other links that might be of use are the usual passel of socials we espouse:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) committed a level 9 Domain miracle and only got this lousy T-shirt. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) would be the Mimulus God rather than the Hollyhock God, but the dental benefits are terrible.

There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. —Francis Bacon, "Of Beauty"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Episode-113-icon.png episode 113 — nobilis false no 1:15:32 No no episode 112 — changeling: the lost 1e corebook (part three) https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-112-changeling-the-lost-1e-corebook-part-three/ Mon, 12 May 2025 13:28:25 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=660 At long last, with this third installment, we are at last finished our readthrough of the Changeling: the Lost 1st edition corebook. Here's hoping that when we get to 2nd edition, we can just breeze through and say "nyaaahhh, it's mostly the same but here are things that have changed." (Doubtful.) This week, we're talking about Entitlements, the sample freehold setting of Miami, our thoughts overall on the book, and listener questions that we've been saving til the end. But of course, this is only the first step in our considerations of 1e Lost, for there's a handful of supplements that we will work through in the coming months, and after that, who can say? Until then, we hope this deep dive was informative, and whether you're learning about CtL for the first time or thinking "thanks the fates they finally got more into the other Changeling," may it have whetted your appetite for more.

One last time, you can pick up the PDF of the 1e corebook if you're so inclined, at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50010?affiliate_id=3063731. And more socially, points of ingress to our own digital freehold include:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can't believe that Appendix II passed up the chance for a manatee Beast motley politely guarding the coast. Amelia Fetch (she/her) secretly thinks the book's covers should've had actual thorns, to dissuade all but the most dedicated players.

The trick is to combine your waking rational abilities with the infinite possibilities of your dreams. Because, if you can do that, you can do anything. —Guy Forsyth in Waking Life

]]> full 112 112 At long last, with this third installment, we are at last finished our readthrough of the Changeling: the Lost 1st edition corebook. Here's hoping that when we get to 2nd edition, we can just breeze through and say "nyaaahhh, it's mostly the same but here are things that have changed." (Doubtful.) This week, we're talking about Entitlements, the sample freehold setting of Miami, our thoughts overall on the book, and listener questions that we've been saving til the end. But of course, this is only the first step in our considerations of 1e Lost, for there's a handful of supplements that we will work through in the coming months, and after that, who can say? Until then, we hope this deep dive was informative, and whether you're learning about CtL for the first time or thinking "thanks the fates they finally got more into the other Changeling," may it have whetted your appetite for more.

One last time, you can pick up the PDF of the 1e corebook if you're so inclined, at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50010?affiliate_id=3063731. And more socially, points of ingress to our own digital freehold include:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can't believe that Appendix II passed up the chance for a manatee Beast motley politely guarding the coast. Amelia Fetch (she/her) secretly thinks the book's covers should've had actual thorns, to dissuade all but the most dedicated players.

The trick is to combine your waking rational abilities with the infinite possibilities of your dreams. Because, if you can do that, you can do anything. —Guy Forsyth in Waking Life

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Episode-112-icon.png episode 112 — changeling: the lost 1e corebook (part three) false no 1:33:32 No no episode 111 — changeling: the lost 1e corebook (part two) https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-111-changeling-the-lost-1e-corebook-part-two/ Mon, 05 May 2025 15:11:27 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=654 Another week, another as-rapid-as-we-dare readthrough of the Changeling: the Lost 1st edition corebook. This time, we're having a look at Chapters Three and Four. "But Pooka and Fetch," you might say, "this was supposed to be a two-part series, not a trilogy. How could you spend just under two hours talking about two measly chapters?" Well, when those two chapters clock in at ~120 pages with small text, little art, and extensive detail on both the intricate bespoke systems of the game and how to run the damn thing... as you'll discover, we had plenty to talk about. Still, we hope that the brisk clip of our discussion and the occasional wisecrack will help keep you engaged. (And seriously, there's only one more episode left for this book before we put it down, if not for good, at least for a breather.)

As indicated previously, the 1e corebook is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50010?affiliate_id=3063731. Our usual passel of links below as well:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) spun the Hedge like a roulette wheel, and just look what happened... Amelia Fetch (she/her) sells jewelry made of seashells and mysteries at the goblin market for the low low price of only three soul fragments!

This was the way he had to go; he had no choice. He had never had any choice. He was only a dreamer. —Ursula K. LeGuin, The Lathe of Heaven

]]> full 111 4 Another week, another as-rapid-as-we-dare readthrough of the Changeling: the Lost 1st edition corebook. This time, we're having a look at Chapters Three and Four. "But Pooka and Fetch," you might say, "this was supposed to be a two-part series, not a trilogy. How could you spend just under two hours talking about two measly chapters?" Well, when those two chapters clock in at ~120 pages with small text, little art, and extensive detail on both the intricate bespoke systems of the game and how to run the damn thing... as you'll discover, we had plenty to talk about. Still, we hope that the brisk clip of our discussion and the occasional wisecrack will help keep you engaged. (And seriously, there's only one more episode left for this book before we put it down, if not for good, at least for a breather.)

As indicated previously, the 1e corebook is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50010?affiliate_id=3063731. Our usual passel of links below as well:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) spun the Hedge like a roulette wheel, and just look what happened... Amelia Fetch (she/her) sells jewelry made of seashells and mysteries at the goblin market for the low low price of only three soul fragments!

This was the way he had to go; he had no choice. He had never had any choice. He was only a dreamer. —Ursula K. LeGuin, The Lathe of Heaven

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Episode-111-icon.png episode 111 — changeling: the lost 1e corebook (part two) true no 1:59:54 Yes no episode 110 — changeling: the lost 1e corebook (part one) https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-110-changeling-the-lost-1e-corebook-part-one/ Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:52:24 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=651 As the light half of the year breaks over the horizon, it's time at last for us to take the deepest of breaths and open the tome that is the Changeling: the Lost 1st edition corebook. The density of the text and the number of pages meant that this was always going to be a multi-part endeavor, but we did our best to keep the wild tangents we could have gone down to a minimum. In this installment, we're covering the introductory material and the first two chapters... which is a solid 170 pages of material with very tiny font, so we really still had to pack it in. We're commenting on elements as they relate to Changeling: the Dreaming throughout, so for any veterans who haven't tried one of the games but are curious to know about what they could bring into the other, we hope it will be of use! And as a historical curiosity—for now the second edition has obviated many of our comments here—perhaps it will show the roots of the setting to newer Lost players. About this trilogy of episodes, we've got hopes and perhaps left and right. And what, besides abductions and transformations and oneiromancies, could be more fae than that?

If this preliminary dive inspires you to purchase a copy of the book, you can do so at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50010?affiliate_id=3063731. And if you are otherwise inspired to get in touch with us, that is also possible, through the links below:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) greatly prefers hanging out with Alec Bourbon's lighthearted and garrulous cousin, Bill Tequila Sunrise. Amelia Fetch (she/her) has three dots in Back to School Mantle and Court Goodwill with Christmas in July.

I saw pale kings and princes too, Pale warriors, death-pale were they all; They cried—'La Belle Dame sans Merci Hath thee in thrall!' —John Keats, "La Belle Dame sans Merci"

]]> full 110 4 As the light half of the year breaks over the horizon, it's time at last for us to take the deepest of breaths and open the tome that is the Changeling: the Lost 1st edition corebook. The density of the text and the number of pages meant that this was always going to be a multi-part endeavor, but we did our best to keep the wild tangents we could have gone down to a minimum. In this installment, we're covering the introductory material and the first two chapters... which is a solid 170 pages of material with very tiny font, so we really still had to pack it in. We're commenting on elements as they relate to Changeling: the Dreaming throughout, so for any veterans who haven't tried one of the games but are curious to know about what they could bring into the other, we hope it will be of use! And as a historical curiosity—for now the second edition has obviated many of our comments here—perhaps it will show the roots of the setting to newer Lost players. About this trilogy of episodes, we've got hopes and perhaps left and right. And what, besides abductions and transformations and oneiromancies, could be more fae than that?

If this preliminary dive inspires you to purchase a copy of the book, you can do so at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50010?affiliate_id=3063731. And if you are otherwise inspired to get in touch with us, that is also possible, through the links below:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) greatly prefers hanging out with Alec Bourbon's lighthearted and garrulous cousin, Bill Tequila Sunrise. Amelia Fetch (she/her) has three dots in Back to School Mantle and Court Goodwill with Christmas in July.

I saw pale kings and princes too, Pale warriors, death-pale were they all; They cried—'La Belle Dame sans Merci Hath thee in thrall!' —John Keats, "La Belle Dame sans Merci"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Episode-110-icon.png episode 110 — changeling: the lost 1e corebook (part one) true no 1:59:49 Yes no episode 109 — world of darkness: hong kong https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-109-world-of-darkness-hong-kong/ Mon, 21 Apr 2025 12:25:20 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=648 We're visiting other shelves on the bookcase again, this time to dig into World of Darkness: Hong Kong. As with the Tokyo citybook, this was a Year of the Lotus supplement that was ostensibly for all the oWoD gamelines, but in truth was more vampire-centric than anything. Still—the tilts at the other games are present, and to help us sort through the Prodigals, we were joined by Terry Robinson from Mage: the Podcast (recorded before his passing) and Josh Heath from Werewolf: the Podcast (with whom Pooka recorded a follow-up segment more recently). From a Changeling perspective, the book notably contains example of hsien that are not quite built like Kithain, but are still a far cry from those in Land of Eight Million Dreams, which would not come out for several more months. The book overall is a richly described take on the city, and while its approach and accuracy are... debatable, some of it surprisingly prescient for what would follow in the next 25 years.

If you'd like to go beyond taking our word for it, you can pick up a copy of the title at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/344?affiliate_id=3063731. And as with the Tokyo episode, some links for the ad hoc World of Darkness Podcast Network:

And for our usual passel of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) warns you not to meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with hoisin sauce. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has few weaknesses, but a maximalist signage aesthetic such as found in Kowloon is one of them.

We all need stories. What happens in our daily lives changes our stories. —Wong Kar-Wai

]]> full 109 4 We're visiting other shelves on the bookcase again, this time to dig into World of Darkness: Hong Kong. As with the Tokyo citybook, this was a Year of the Lotus supplement that was ostensibly for all the oWoD gamelines, but in truth was more vampire-centric than anything. Still—the tilts at the other games are present, and to help us sort through the Prodigals, we were joined by Terry Robinson from Mage: the Podcast (recorded before his passing) and Josh Heath from Werewolf: the Podcast (with whom Pooka recorded a follow-up segment more recently). From a Changeling perspective, the book notably contains example of hsien that are not quite built like Kithain, but are still a far cry from those in Land of Eight Million Dreams, which would not come out for several more months. The book overall is a richly described take on the city, and while its approach and accuracy are... debatable, some of it surprisingly prescient for what would follow in the next 25 years.

If you'd like to go beyond taking our word for it, you can pick up a copy of the title at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/344?affiliate_id=3063731. And as with the Tokyo episode, some links for the ad hoc World of Darkness Podcast Network:

And for our usual passel of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) warns you not to meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with hoisin sauce. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has few weaknesses, but a maximalist signage aesthetic such as found in Kowloon is one of them.

We all need stories. What happens in our daily lives changes our stories. —Wong Kar-Wai

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Episode-109-icon.png episode 109 — world of darkness: hong kong true no 1:47:11 Yes no episode 108 — guildbook: sandmen https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-108-guildbook-sandmen/ Mon, 14 Apr 2025 11:46:58 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=644 It's rare that the fae and the dead have much to do with each other, which is surprising given that within the latter category, the wraiths called Sandmen are oneiromancers extraordinaire. Manipulating the dreams of mortals from beyond the grave, they should be one of the more likely sorts of Prodigal a changeling may encounter. They are suggested as antagonists (in the C20 corebook, if not elsewhere), but what do these dramatic ghosts get up to on their own time? We're opening up their splatbook, Guildbook: Sandmen, to answer this question and learn more about being a theatre person for all eternity, for better or worse. Perhaps you'll be inspired to introduce them on the fringes of dreams in your own game for an unsettling bit of mystery...

We previously talked about crossover between Changeling: the Dreaming and Wraith: the Oblivion waaaay back in Season One; check out that episode (#25) here: https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-25-changeling-and-wraith-crossover/. And if you'd like to purchase the guildbook in question, you can follow the mist-shrouded path to https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/143?affiliate_id=3063731. Aside from all that, should you want to send missives in dreams to us, you have a range of options:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) makes use of a relic shepherd's crook to ensure no vaudevillian Sandmen get too fast and loose with Phantasm. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) worked in a haunted theatre during university, but the ghost mostly just hid among remaindered prop furniture.

To die, to sleep; — To sleep, perchance to dream: — ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. —William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III.i.64–68

]]> full 108 4 It's rare that the fae and the dead have much to do with each other, which is surprising given that within the latter category, the wraiths called Sandmen are oneiromancers extraordinaire. Manipulating the dreams of mortals from beyond the grave, they should be one of the more likely sorts of Prodigal a changeling may encounter. They are suggested as antagonists (in the C20 corebook, if not elsewhere), but what do these dramatic ghosts get up to on their own time? We're opening up their splatbook, Guildbook: Sandmen, to answer this question and learn more about being a theatre person for all eternity, for better or worse. Perhaps you'll be inspired to introduce them on the fringes of dreams in your own game for an unsettling bit of mystery...

We previously talked about crossover between Changeling: the Dreaming and Wraith: the Oblivion waaaay back in Season One; check out that episode (#25) here: https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-25-changeling-and-wraith-crossover/. And if you'd like to purchase the guildbook in question, you can follow the mist-shrouded path to https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/143?affiliate_id=3063731. Aside from all that, should you want to send missives in dreams to us, you have a range of options:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) makes use of a relic shepherd's crook to ensure no vaudevillian Sandmen get too fast and loose with Phantasm. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) worked in a haunted theatre during university, but the ghost mostly just hid among remaindered prop furniture.

To die, to sleep; — To sleep, perchance to dream: — ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. —William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III.i.64–68

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Episode-108-icon.png episode 108 — guildbook: sandmen true no 1:17:37 Yes no episode 107 — creating lost with pete woodworth https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-107-creating-lost-with-pete-woodworth/ Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:16:19 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=641 When talking about these games that we love, sometimes we may give the impression that we know more about the history behind the scenes than we let on. It's when we have the opportunity to interview an actually knowledgeable person that the extent of how much we don't know becomes obvious. So it goes today, as we talk with Pete Woodworth about the creation and development of Changeling: the Lost back in its earliest days. As one of the stewards of Changeling: the Dreaming who helped carry over some of the ideas in the new World of Darkness, Pete had anecdotes to share and perspectives to illuminate about how one game informed the other. (And secrets, too, that fall somewhere between curious and earthshaking, but we'll let you decide towards which end of that spectrum these tidbits fall closest.) We hope you'll find these stories as intriguing as we did for this rich and complicated game.

Pete's website, Positively Woodworthian, can be found at https://peterwoodworth.com/, from which you can check out his various works around the TTRPG sphere. As for various links on our end, you might try any of the following:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) feels the lack of mixed goblin fruit salad mechanics was a significant oversight by the writing team. Amelia Fetch (she/her) wants to know who is responsible for Vainglory and what in the world they were thinking.

If change is inevitable, predictable, beneficial, doesn't logic demand that you be a part of it? —Captain Kirk in Star Trek, "Mirror, Mirror"

]]> full 107 4 When talking about these games that we love, sometimes we may give the impression that we know more about the history behind the scenes than we let on. It's when we have the opportunity to interview an actually knowledgeable person that the extent of how much we don't know becomes obvious. So it goes today, as we talk with Pete Woodworth about the creation and development of Changeling: the Lost back in its earliest days. As one of the stewards of Changeling: the Dreaming who helped carry over some of the ideas in the new World of Darkness, Pete had anecdotes to share and perspectives to illuminate about how one game informed the other. (And secrets, too, that fall somewhere between curious and earthshaking, but we'll let you decide towards which end of that spectrum these tidbits fall closest.) We hope you'll find these stories as intriguing as we did for this rich and complicated game.

Pete's website, Positively Woodworthian, can be found at https://peterwoodworth.com/, from which you can check out his various works around the TTRPG sphere. As for various links on our end, you might try any of the following:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) feels the lack of mixed goblin fruit salad mechanics was a significant oversight by the writing team. Amelia Fetch (she/her) wants to know who is responsible for Vainglory and what in the world they were thinking.

If change is inevitable, predictable, beneficial, doesn't logic demand that you be a part of it? —Captain Kirk in Star Trek, "Mirror, Mirror"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Episode-107-icon.png episode 107 — creating lost with pete woodworth true no 1:13:00 Yes no episode 106 — c30: changeling cookbook and kithbook: swan maidens https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-106-c30-changeling-cookbook-and-kithbook-swan-maidens/ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 13:21:43 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=637 For a solid year now, we've been going on about the Changeling 30th Anniversary project, a celebration of three decades of this game we all know and love and dedicate too much headspace to, probably. We've also mentioned that one of the things we're trying to do for this Season is a series of books produced by the podcast for release on the Storytellers' Vault. Well—the day has finally come. This week, we're talking with guest Andrew Goodman in his capacity as co-author on the first two volumes, The Changeling Cookbook and Kithbook: Swan Maidens. We recorded this back in early February, back when we foolishly thought that both books would be out in a matter of days. Here we are, nearly two months later, eating humble pie—for which there is not actually a recipe in the Cookbook, unfortunately. But may these nevertheless be a catalyst to get the other ones done in timely fashion; we'll be releasing episodes in tandem with the other books as they come out.

If you'd like to pick up the Changeling Cookbook, it's available now at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/517123?affiliate_id=3063731. Kithbook: Swan Maidens is coming soon, and this page will be updated to reflect its release.

And if you have comments on either book, or on this project as a whole, or you just want to chat about whatever fae-flavored business, herewith our usual passel of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) prefers diffident pie, which is like humble pie, but with more boysenberries and whipped cream on top. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) advocates instead for a slice of arrogant cake, many-tiered and covered in garish pink fondant.

A cookbook is only as good as its worst recipe. — Julia Child

]]> full 106 4 For a solid year now, we've been going on about the Changeling 30th Anniversary project, a celebration of three decades of this game we all know and love and dedicate too much headspace to, probably. We've also mentioned that one of the things we're trying to do for this Season is a series of books produced by the podcast for release on the Storytellers' Vault. Well—the day has finally come. This week, we're talking with guest Andrew Goodman in his capacity as co-author on the first two volumes, The Changeling Cookbook and Kithbook: Swan Maidens. We recorded this back in early February, back when we foolishly thought that both books would be out in a matter of days. Here we are, nearly two months later, eating humble pie—for which there is not actually a recipe in the Cookbook, unfortunately. But may these nevertheless be a catalyst to get the other ones done in timely fashion; we'll be releasing episodes in tandem with the other books as they come out.

If you'd like to pick up the Changeling Cookbook, it's available now at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/517123?affiliate_id=3063731. Kithbook: Swan Maidens is coming soon, and this page will be updated to reflect its release.

And if you have comments on either book, or on this project as a whole, or you just want to chat about whatever fae-flavored business, herewith our usual passel of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) prefers diffident pie, which is like humble pie, but with more boysenberries and whipped cream on top. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) advocates instead for a slice of arrogant cake, many-tiered and covered in garish pink fondant.

A cookbook is only as good as its worst recipe. — Julia Child

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Episode-106-icon.jpeg episode 106 — c30: changeling cookbook and kithbook: swan maidens true no 58:20 Yes no episode 105 — sorcerer[s] https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-105-sorcerers/ Mon, 24 Mar 2025 12:02:37 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=635 Apologies for skipping an episode release last week—there's a point at which even a pooka must throw in the towel for a day or two to recover from the wheel of reading, preparing, recording, editing. Now that things are a bit settled, we're back on track as we delve into the Changeling-adjacent library again today to talk about Sorcerer[s]! The hedge magicians of the World of Darkness haven't made many inroads into the game line, but today we're talking about a few groups that might be relevant, a few fae-impacting powers they possess, and a few tips for including them in your chronicle. (How many fews does it take to make a several? or a many?) Scattered across a number of books all somewhat titled "Sorcerer", these unexpectedly powerful mortals provide potential antagonists and allies for any motley.

The three books in question, should you wish to snag them for your own:

And you too can start your journey on the sorcerous Path of Podcasting by getting in touch at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) advocates for more dank eldritch grimoires on audiobook and in readable EPUB format. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) sold their soul to learn the Path of Rock and Roll. 🎸

Magic is not science, it is a collection of ways to do things — ways that work but often we don't know why. — Robert Heinlein, Glory Road

]]> full 105 4 Apologies for skipping an episode release last week—there's a point at which even a pooka must throw in the towel for a day or two to recover from the wheel of reading, preparing, recording, editing. Now that things are a bit settled, we're back on track as we delve into the Changeling-adjacent library again today to talk about Sorcerer[s]! The hedge magicians of the World of Darkness haven't made many inroads into the game line, but today we're talking about a few groups that might be relevant, a few fae-impacting powers they possess, and a few tips for including them in your chronicle. (How many fews does it take to make a several? or a many?) Scattered across a number of books all somewhat titled "Sorcerer", these unexpectedly powerful mortals provide potential antagonists and allies for any motley.

The three books in question, should you wish to snag them for your own:

And you too can start your journey on the sorcerous Path of Podcasting by getting in touch at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) advocates for more dank eldritch grimoires on audiobook and in readable EPUB format. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) sold their soul to learn the Path of Rock and Roll. 🎸

Magic is not science, it is a collection of ways to do things — ways that work but often we don't know why. — Robert Heinlein, Glory Road

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Episode-105-icon.png episode 105 — sorcerer[s] true no 50:43 Yes no episode 104 — lost 1e intro materials https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-104-lost-1e-intro-materials/ Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:52:57 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=630 The gravity of Changeling: the Lost's first edition corebook is slowly pulling us in... but before we get there, let's make a few stops along the way. Two whole months before the game was officially released at GenCon 2007, there were a number of introductory and ancillary materials that helped drive up interest. This includes the Demo rules summary and quickstart adventure, "Dwelling in Darkness", featured in previews on the White Wolf website, as well as the usual swag: Storyteller's screen, character sheet pad, fancy dice. While we're focusing mostly on the first one today, the others helped to set the aesthetic of the game that was about to launch, If you're looking to dip your toes into 1e, then the quickstart may be just the thing for you, before the headlong plunge. Listen along as we try our best to give comprehensive and spoiler-free summaries of what is found therein!

Naturally, things are available on the Storytellers' Vault, namely https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/28293?affiliate_id=3063731 for the Demo, https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50484?affiliate_id=3063731 for the Character Sheet Pad (but why, in this day and age), and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/126290?affiliate_id=3063731 for the Screen, although if you print it out, you'll want to stick it to something sturdy. Dice are unfortunately not yet available for print on demand.

And as for our own links...!

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) was forced to check for Clarity after snorting a handful of Pixy Stix. Amelia Fetch (she/her) suspects that most of the Miami freehold's political intrigues could be solved with a well-placed pack of Hedge-gators.

Percy: Oh, Edmund, can it be true? That I hold here, in my mortal hand, a nugget of purest green? Blackadder: Indeed you do, Percy. Except it's not really a nugget, but more of a splat. Percy: Well, yes, a splat today, but tomorrow, who knows, or dares to dream! —Blackadder II, "Money"

]]> full 104 4 The gravity of Changeling: the Lost's first edition corebook is slowly pulling us in... but before we get there, let's make a few stops along the way. Two whole months before the game was officially released at GenCon 2007, there were a number of introductory and ancillary materials that helped drive up interest. This includes the Demo rules summary and quickstart adventure, "Dwelling in Darkness", featured in previews on the White Wolf website, as well as the usual swag: Storyteller's screen, character sheet pad, fancy dice. While we're focusing mostly on the first one today, the others helped to set the aesthetic of the game that was about to launch, If you're looking to dip your toes into 1e, then the quickstart may be just the thing for you, before the headlong plunge. Listen along as we try our best to give comprehensive and spoiler-free summaries of what is found therein!

Naturally, things are available on the Storytellers' Vault, namely https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/28293?affiliate_id=3063731 for the Demo, https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50484?affiliate_id=3063731 for the Character Sheet Pad (but why, in this day and age), and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/126290?affiliate_id=3063731 for the Screen, although if you print it out, you'll want to stick it to something sturdy. Dice are unfortunately not yet available for print on demand.

And as for our own links...!

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) was forced to check for Clarity after snorting a handful of Pixy Stix. Amelia Fetch (she/her) suspects that most of the Miami freehold's political intrigues could be solved with a well-placed pack of Hedge-gators.

Percy: Oh, Edmund, can it be true? That I hold here, in my mortal hand, a nugget of purest green? Blackadder: Indeed you do, Percy. Except it's not really a nugget, but more of a splat. Percy: Well, yes, a splat today, but tomorrow, who knows, or dares to dream! —Blackadder II, "Money"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Episode-104-icon.png episode 104 — lost 1e intro materials true no 1:16:19 Yes no episode 103 — vampire: the dark ages https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-103-vampire-the-dark-ages/ Mon, 03 Mar 2025 13:58:02 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=626 The other gamelines in the World of Darkness rarely engaged with Changeling very deeply, but now and then, a book would have a chunk of pages illuminating some new corner of the lore. We're looking to Vampire this week, and in particular the first Dark Ages corebook and the original Dark Ages Companion. This first edition of Dark Ages, using the second edition Vampire ruleset, was contemporaneous with early Changeling—and it shows. These two books show glimpses into fae conceptions that didn't quite make it into the deep history, let alone Dark Ages: Fae when that finally dropped, but we're curious about how they might still be of use. And beyond that, the rich setting information in this line is useful for anyone looking to set up a medieval Europe game that is more CtD than DA:F. We promise this is not a deep readthrough of 500 Vampire pages!

That being said, as promised, the Fishmalk:

Even mad vampires can use a friend once in a while!

The two books in question are available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/2672?affiliate_id=3063731 and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/100?affiliate_id=3063731, respectively. We are available but not for purchase at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) rolls Chimerical Alchemy to distill dreamstuff into heraldic tinctures impossible for human eyes to discern. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has successfully used the Ride Skill only once and on a camel.

Uns ist in alten maeren  | wunders vil geseit von heleden lobebaeren  |  von grozer arebeit von vroevden hohgeciten  |  von weinen und von klagen von chvener recken striten  |  muget ir nu wunder hoeren sagen. (We have been told in ancient tales many marvels / of famous heroes, of mighty toil, / joys and high festivities, of weeping and wailing, / and the fighting of bold warriors – of such things you can now hear wonders unending!) —The Nibelungenlied, tr. A.T. Hatto

]]> full 103 4 The other gamelines in the World of Darkness rarely engaged with Changeling very deeply, but now and then, a book would have a chunk of pages illuminating some new corner of the lore. We're looking to Vampire this week, and in particular the first Dark Ages corebook and the original Dark Ages Companion. This first edition of Dark Ages, using the second edition Vampire ruleset, was contemporaneous with early Changeling—and it shows. These two books show glimpses into fae conceptions that didn't quite make it into the deep history, let alone Dark Ages: Fae when that finally dropped, but we're curious about how they might still be of use. And beyond that, the rich setting information in this line is useful for anyone looking to set up a medieval Europe game that is more CtD than DA:F. We promise this is not a deep readthrough of 500 Vampire pages!

That being said, as promised, the Fishmalk:

Even mad vampires can use a friend once in a while!

The two books in question are available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/2672?affiliate_id=3063731 and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/100?affiliate_id=3063731, respectively. We are available but not for purchase at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) rolls Chimerical Alchemy to distill dreamstuff into heraldic tinctures impossible for human eyes to discern. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has successfully used the Ride Skill only once and on a camel.

Uns ist in alten maeren  | wunders vil geseit von heleden lobebaeren  |  von grozer arebeit von vroevden hohgeciten  |  von weinen und von klagen von chvener recken striten  |  muget ir nu wunder hoeren sagen. (We have been told in ancient tales many marvels / of famous heroes, of mighty toil, / joys and high festivities, of weeping and wailing, / and the fighting of bold warriors – of such things you can now hear wonders unending!) —The Nibelungenlied, tr. A.T. Hatto

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Episode-103-icon.png episode 103 — vampire: the dark ages true no 1:01:25 Yes no episode 102 — (new) world of darkness 1e https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-102-new-world-of-darkness-1e/ Mon, 24 Feb 2025 15:53:17 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=624 It's the dawning of a new age here at Changeling: the Podcast, as we begin to eye that entity known as Changeling: the Lost... veteran Storyteller and noted gaming authority Fetch joins us as co-host for this run of episodes that will proceed through Season Four. We're beginning with a deep dive into the (new) World of Darkness 1st edition corebook, the central text for the games that succeeded the original run of World of Darkness. This edition ran from 2004 through 2013 (or thereabouts) before being succeeded by the "Chronicles of Darkness" that ended late last year. We're talking this time around about Fetch's background with the games, the context of the gaming landscape in the mid-Naughty Aughties, mechanical differences in nWoD, and the themes/moods of the setting—which are quite different as well as being quite the same. If you've never delved into the series, then this will be a primer for you to get your feet drenched, and if it's old news to you, we hope it will be an engaging refresher nonetheless.

If you're inclined to purchase the book, drop by https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1124?affiliate_id=3063731. Otherwise, for communication purposes, you can drop us a line via any of the following:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is more "Horror Stylish" than vice versa, or so say the latest and greatest society rags. Amelia Fetch (she/her) gets 9-again on Occult rolls because of that deal made with that entity that one time, let's leave it at that?

O, brave new world That has such people in ’t! —William Shakespeare, The Tempest, V.i.217–218

]]> full 102 4 It's the dawning of a new age here at Changeling: the Podcast, as we begin to eye that entity known as Changeling: the Lost... veteran Storyteller and noted gaming authority Fetch joins us as co-host for this run of episodes that will proceed through Season Four. We're beginning with a deep dive into the (new) World of Darkness 1st edition corebook, the central text for the games that succeeded the original run of World of Darkness. This edition ran from 2004 through 2013 (or thereabouts) before being succeeded by the "Chronicles of Darkness" that ended late last year. We're talking this time around about Fetch's background with the games, the context of the gaming landscape in the mid-Naughty Aughties, mechanical differences in nWoD, and the themes/moods of the setting—which are quite different as well as being quite the same. If you've never delved into the series, then this will be a primer for you to get your feet drenched, and if it's old news to you, we hope it will be an engaging refresher nonetheless.

If you're inclined to purchase the book, drop by https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1124?affiliate_id=3063731. Otherwise, for communication purposes, you can drop us a line via any of the following:

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is more "Horror Stylish" than vice versa, or so say the latest and greatest society rags. Amelia Fetch (she/her) gets 9-again on Occult rolls because of that deal made with that entity that one time, let's leave it at that?

O, brave new world That has such people in ’t! —William Shakespeare, The Tempest, V.i.217–218

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Episode-102-icon.png episode 102 — (new) world of darkness 1e false no 1:50:45 No no episode 101 — world of darkness: tokyo https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-101-world-of-darkness-tokyo/ Mon, 17 Feb 2025 12:13:24 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=621 And so it begins...! meaning Season 4, of course. We have a nice little backlog of recordings to edit, bowdlerize, and disseminate to the masses in the coming weeks and months. While we're done with the core line of Changeling: the Dreaming, there are a number of books we'd like to consider from the old World of Darkness. First up among these is World of Darkness: Tokyo, a Wraith book pretending to be an all-the-lines book (with a smattering of Changeling material). This episode was recorded a few months ago, but delayed due to the passing of our friend Terry Robinson, who appeared in it as a representative of Mage: the Podcast (along with Josh Heath for Werewolf: the Podcast). We've decided to move forward with producing this one in his memory. And then who knows in which pages we'll be losing ourselves next week...?

Some links:

The socials, as usual:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) fashions ikebana out of used circuit boards mounted on skewers. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) secretly yearns to occupy a designated seat at the end of the counter at a humble, impossibly delicious izakaya.

Tokyo, city of my dreams! Will you fulfill my one desire and give me a life of my own? Yes, I believe you will, I know you will, in spite of the hardships and trials in store. —Kaneko Fumiko (金子 文子), from Prison Memoirs of a Japanese Woman, tr. Jean Inglis

]]> full 101 3 And so it begins...! meaning Season 4, of course. We have a nice little backlog of recordings to edit, bowdlerize, and disseminate to the masses in the coming weeks and months. While we're done with the core line of Changeling: the Dreaming, there are a number of books we'd like to consider from the old World of Darkness. First up among these is World of Darkness: Tokyo, a Wraith book pretending to be an all-the-lines book (with a smattering of Changeling material). This episode was recorded a few months ago, but delayed due to the passing of our friend Terry Robinson, who appeared in it as a representative of Mage: the Podcast (along with Josh Heath for Werewolf: the Podcast). We've decided to move forward with producing this one in his memory. And then who knows in which pages we'll be losing ourselves next week...?

Some links:

The socials, as usual:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) fashions ikebana out of used circuit boards mounted on skewers. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) secretly yearns to occupy a designated seat at the end of the counter at a humble, impossibly delicious izakaya.

Tokyo, city of my dreams! Will you fulfill my one desire and give me a life of my own? Yes, I believe you will, I know you will, in spite of the hardships and trials in store. —Kaneko Fumiko (金子 文子), from Prison Memoirs of a Japanese Woman, tr. Jean Inglis

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Episode-101-icon-CtP.png episode 101 — world of darkness: tokyo true no 1:42:55 Yes no episode 100.6 — from the cutting room floor https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-100-6-from-the-cutting-room-floor/ Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:01:43 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=618 One last minisode to tide you over through Winterregnum...! As you may or may not be aware, not all the audio we record makes it into the final episodes. It's been a while since an episode with some outtakes, so we've returned to the cutting room floor for random bits of conversation. Here's the list of disconnected items and the episodes they're from:

  1. "Sensible advice" (from Episode 19, The Shadow Court)
  2. "Dual-wielding" (from Episode 19, The Shadow Court)
  3. "Neck fashions" (from Episode 28, Isle of the Mighty: England with Andrew)
  4. "Elizabeth II" (from Episode 28, Isle of the Mighty: England with Andrew)
  5. "Kith creation" (from Episode 29, Isle of the Mighty: Scotland)
  6. "Dots of 90s White Wolf" (from Episode 30, Isle of the Mighty: Wales with Terry)
  7. "Coracles" (from Episode 30, Isle of the Mighty: Wales with Terry)
  8. "Geography lesson" (from Episode 30, Isle of the Mighty: Wales with Terry)
  9. "Lifetime movie" (from Episode 33, The Immortal Eyes Novels)
  10. "Lasers and feelings" (from Episode 36, Glamour and Banality)
  11. "Death of a freehold" (from Episode 36, Glamour and Banality)
  12. "Mage Banality" (from Episode 39, Dreams and Nightmares: Part One with Terry)
  13. "The Most Important Dream Realm" (from Episode 39, Dreams and Nightmares: Part One with Terry)
  14. "Pooka's proudest moment" (from Episode 44, The Shining Host with Pete)
  15. "The world of DIE" (from Episode 45, Queerness and Kinship)
  16. "Texas" (from Episode 49, Kingdom of Willows)

There's more where that came from, but probably this will suffice for now, as a sampler. And yes, this is really just filler material, but in these curious and uncertain times, we're doing what we can to stoke the balefire and keep ourselves grounded with voices and memories. Otherwise, we are as always available at the usual passel of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps spare minutes in a chronometric piggy bank for future splicing into bonus hours of undiluted time. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) once played "Exquisite Corpse" with a sluagh, but not the kind you'd think.

]]> bonus 100.6 3 One last minisode to tide you over through Winterregnum...! As you may or may not be aware, not all the audio we record makes it into the final episodes. It's been a while since an episode with some outtakes, so we've returned to the cutting room floor for random bits of conversation. Here's the list of disconnected items and the episodes they're from:

  1. "Sensible advice" (from Episode 19, The Shadow Court)
  2. "Dual-wielding" (from Episode 19, The Shadow Court)
  3. "Neck fashions" (from Episode 28, Isle of the Mighty: England with Andrew)
  4. "Elizabeth II" (from Episode 28, Isle of the Mighty: England with Andrew)
  5. "Kith creation" (from Episode 29, Isle of the Mighty: Scotland)
  6. "Dots of 90s White Wolf" (from Episode 30, Isle of the Mighty: Wales with Terry)
  7. "Coracles" (from Episode 30, Isle of the Mighty: Wales with Terry)
  8. "Geography lesson" (from Episode 30, Isle of the Mighty: Wales with Terry)
  9. "Lifetime movie" (from Episode 33, The Immortal Eyes Novels)
  10. "Lasers and feelings" (from Episode 36, Glamour and Banality)
  11. "Death of a freehold" (from Episode 36, Glamour and Banality)
  12. "Mage Banality" (from Episode 39, Dreams and Nightmares: Part One with Terry)
  13. "The Most Important Dream Realm" (from Episode 39, Dreams and Nightmares: Part One with Terry)
  14. "Pooka's proudest moment" (from Episode 44, The Shining Host with Pete)
  15. "The world of DIE" (from Episode 45, Queerness and Kinship)
  16. "Texas" (from Episode 49, Kingdom of Willows)

There's more where that came from, but probably this will suffice for now, as a sampler. And yes, this is really just filler material, but in these curious and uncertain times, we're doing what we can to stoke the balefire and keep ourselves grounded with voices and memories. Otherwise, we are as always available at the usual passel of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps spare minutes in a chronometric piggy bank for future splicing into bonus hours of undiluted time. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) once played "Exquisite Corpse" with a sluagh, but not the kind you'd think.

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Episode-100-6-icon.jpeg episode 100.6 — from the cutting room floor true no 20:51 Yes no episode 100.5 — mind’s eye remnants https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-100-5-minds-eye-remnants/ Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:33:05 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=615 We're kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel for the last dregs of content from the vaults. On the LARP side of the equation, there are a few remnants from various Mind's Eye Theatre books that never made it into either The Shining Host or the Shining Host Player's Guide, which we have collected to discuss in today's minisode. These basically consist of live-action Dauntain, adapting the Time of Judgment stories, a piece of fiction, and a meditation on supernatural phenomenology (whew). We've gathered these together so that you don't have to, and we're giving a bit of commentary, but as far as we can tell, this is really it for the Dreaming official content in print (with one exception) that we know of.

If you do feel compelled to pick up either Laws of the Hunt (revised) or Laws of Judgment, you can find them at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/182?affiliate_id=3063731 and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1621?affiliate_id=3063731, respectively. And if you're looking to chat with us instead, some places to do so include...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) once threw a LARP with nothing but dollar-store buntings, a tray of mini-pizzas, shaving cream, and gumption. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) scrapes the bottom of barrels knowing that it's just barrels all the way down.

The real challenge is to make art out of these bits and pieces of our reality. —Joe Lewis

]]> bonus 100.5 3 We're kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel for the last dregs of content from the vaults. On the LARP side of the equation, there are a few remnants from various Mind's Eye Theatre books that never made it into either The Shining Host or the Shining Host Player's Guide, which we have collected to discuss in today's minisode. These basically consist of live-action Dauntain, adapting the Time of Judgment stories, a piece of fiction, and a meditation on supernatural phenomenology (whew). We've gathered these together so that you don't have to, and we're giving a bit of commentary, but as far as we can tell, this is really it for the Dreaming official content in print (with one exception) that we know of.

If you do feel compelled to pick up either Laws of the Hunt (revised) or Laws of Judgment, you can find them at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/182?affiliate_id=3063731 and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1621?affiliate_id=3063731, respectively. And if you're looking to chat with us instead, some places to do so include...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) once threw a LARP with nothing but dollar-store buntings, a tray of mini-pizzas, shaving cream, and gumption. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) scrapes the bottom of barrels knowing that it's just barrels all the way down.

The real challenge is to make art out of these bits and pieces of our reality. —Joe Lewis

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Episode-100-5-icon.png episode 100.5 — mind’s eye remnants true no 39:45 Yes no episode 100.4 — hallowed haven studios https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-100-4-hallowed-haven-studios/ Mon, 06 Jan 2025 12:29:29 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=611 Welcome to 2025, changelings and changelants! We said that Winterregnum was going to be our hibernation season... but truth be told, there are too many things to do and not enough time to do them, so yes, we're going to continue to put some content out for the coming weeks. The Season proper will launch in February as usual. Whether the episode numbering will tick up to 101 in this intercalary period remains to be seen, but for this week, at least, we'll keep with the convention for giving fractional numbers to minisodes. This time around, Pooka has a chat with Bloodied Porcelain about Hallowed Haven Studios about their upcoming Changeling: the Dreaming actual play, "District of Dreams"! The first live episode will launch on Friday the 10th, so we hope you'll be able to tune in... but if not, audio recordings will be available thereafter on their website and on podcast platforms near you.

For more information and other ancillary material—teasers, prologues, etc.—check out the various HHS places around the interwebs:

And our own interweb scramblings can be found at:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) lived in DC for a while, but had to go to Virginia just to find green hair dye, because DC was that kind of town.

You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists. —Abbie Hoffman

]]> bonus 100.4 3 Welcome to 2025, changelings and changelants! We said that Winterregnum was going to be our hibernation season... but truth be told, there are too many things to do and not enough time to do them, so yes, we're going to continue to put some content out for the coming weeks. The Season proper will launch in February as usual. Whether the episode numbering will tick up to 101 in this intercalary period remains to be seen, but for this week, at least, we'll keep with the convention for giving fractional numbers to minisodes. This time around, Pooka has a chat with Bloodied Porcelain about Hallowed Haven Studios about their upcoming Changeling: the Dreaming actual play, "District of Dreams"! The first live episode will launch on Friday the 10th, so we hope you'll be able to tune in... but if not, audio recordings will be available thereafter on their website and on podcast platforms near you.

For more information and other ancillary material—teasers, prologues, etc.—check out the various HHS places around the interwebs:

And our own interweb scramblings can be found at:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) lived in DC for a while, but had to go to Virginia just to find green hair dye, because DC was that kind of town.

You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists. —Abbie Hoffman

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Episode-100-4-icon.jpg episode 100.4 — hallowed haven studios false no 26:35 No no episode 100.3 — state of the podcast, winterregnum 24–25 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-100-3-state-of-the-podcast-winterregnum-24-25/ Fri, 20 Dec 2024 13:48:08 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=604 Woo-hah! We got here at last. Yule is upon us and it's time for another State of the Podcast before we enter our Winterregnum period. As stated before, there will likely be a bit of content here and there through the coming weeks, but—with one or two possible exceptions—no full episodes until some point in February. And when we come rocketing back at that point, well, we have a thing or three in store for you. In this bit of bonus content, we're talking about statistics from the Season, plans for the next one, little life updates, and whatever else crossed our brains on a chilly weekday night.

Although we won't be releasing much to the winter airwaves, you are still welcome to get in touch with us through the usual socials below! The conversation rolls on, and if you don't want to miss what's happening, our freeholds are always welcome to you:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has set up the nocker sugar shack what makes the Glamour syrups and chimerical caramels. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) offers heady sacrifice to the gods in eager anticipation of First Snow...!

Et quand viendra l'hiver aux neiges monotones, Je fermerai partout portières et volets Pour bâtir dans la nuit mes féeriques palais. (And when old Winter puts his blank face to the glass, I shall close all my shutters, pull the curtains tight, And build me stately palaces by candlelight.)

—Charles Baudelaire, "Paysage" (tr. George Dillon)

]]> bonus 100.3 3 Woo-hah! We got here at last. Yule is upon us and it's time for another State of the Podcast before we enter our Winterregnum period. As stated before, there will likely be a bit of content here and there through the coming weeks, but—with one or two possible exceptions—no full episodes until some point in February. And when we come rocketing back at that point, well, we have a thing or three in store for you. In this bit of bonus content, we're talking about statistics from the Season, plans for the next one, little life updates, and whatever else crossed our brains on a chilly weekday night.

Although we won't be releasing much to the winter airwaves, you are still welcome to get in touch with us through the usual socials below! The conversation rolls on, and if you don't want to miss what's happening, our freeholds are always welcome to you:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has set up the nocker sugar shack what makes the Glamour syrups and chimerical caramels. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) offers heady sacrifice to the gods in eager anticipation of First Snow...!

Et quand viendra l'hiver aux neiges monotones, Je fermerai partout portières et volets Pour bâtir dans la nuit mes féeriques palais. (And when old Winter puts his blank face to the glass, I shall close all my shutters, pull the curtains tight, And build me stately palaces by candlelight.)

—Charles Baudelaire, "Paysage" (tr. George Dillon)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Episode-100-3-icon.png episode 100.3 — state of the podcast, winterregnum 24–25 true no 18:33 Yes no episode 100.2 — shadownessence with chris bern https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-100-2-shadownessence-with-chris-bern/ Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:52:29 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=602 Like any grumps, we often ruminate on the past and what it has (and hasn't) brought us. After the closing of the old White Wolf forums post-Time of Judgment, those in search of community found our way to various places on the internet, one of the most noteworthy of which for the two of us was Shadow'n'Essence, a message board forum with extensive space for each of the WoD lines (and more!) in the 2000s. You may have heard us wax poetic about it in our online games episode a couple weeks ago. The vibrant atmosphere and creative energy among the Changeling fans in particular is something still fondly remembered, and sometimes people turn up years later to talk about it—like Chris Bern (aka Swordsman), former coordinator (aka Vilicus) of the Changeling section of the site, who joins us for this minisode walk down memory lane. Tune in to hear us talk about things as they once were, and if you were on SnE, we'd be delighted to hear from you...!

Chris' repository of Changeling bits from the days of yore can be found at: https://theshepherdsfreehold.wordpress.com/. And as for us, it's the usual mishmash of places:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (zenten) absconded with a Glamour slushie machine and the gods of internet past can't have it back. Pooka G (AlecRavager) will use however many Chronos Unleashings it takes to stir the slumbering PHPbeast.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to min'? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days o' auld lang syne? —traditional, adapted by Robert Burns

]]> bonus 100.2 3 Like any grumps, we often ruminate on the past and what it has (and hasn't) brought us. After the closing of the old White Wolf forums post-Time of Judgment, those in search of community found our way to various places on the internet, one of the most noteworthy of which for the two of us was Shadow'n'Essence, a message board forum with extensive space for each of the WoD lines (and more!) in the 2000s. You may have heard us wax poetic about it in our online games episode a couple weeks ago. The vibrant atmosphere and creative energy among the Changeling fans in particular is something still fondly remembered, and sometimes people turn up years later to talk about it—like Chris Bern (aka Swordsman), former coordinator (aka Vilicus) of the Changeling section of the site, who joins us for this minisode walk down memory lane. Tune in to hear us talk about things as they once were, and if you were on SnE, we'd be delighted to hear from you...!

Chris' repository of Changeling bits from the days of yore can be found at: https://theshepherdsfreehold.wordpress.com/. And as for us, it's the usual mishmash of places:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (zenten) absconded with a Glamour slushie machine and the gods of internet past can't have it back. Pooka G (AlecRavager) will use however many Chronos Unleashings it takes to stir the slumbering PHPbeast.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to min'? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days o' auld lang syne? —traditional, adapted by Robert Burns

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Episode-100-2-icon.gif episode 100.2 — shadownessence with chris bern true no 30:21 Yes no episode 100.1 — pax unplugged 2024 expo https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-100-1-pax-unplugged-2024-expo/ Sat, 07 Dec 2024 12:29:50 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=598 Once again, it happened...! Pooka is in attendance at PAX Unplugged this weekend, and spent Friday afternoon rushing around doing on-the-spot interviews with creators whose work is somewhat Changeling-aligned. Herein are five short interviews about games that touch on the fae, dreams, imagination, and more. The sound quality in this minisode is particularly awful, which is what happens when you're doing interviews in a giant hall filled with 10,000 people, but at least everybody was as lovely and informative as they could be on a frantic day. Hopefully these will inspire you to seek out new and interesting games to expand your horizons, and if you happen to be at the convention, check out the booths in questions!

The various creators and their web presences:

As for ourselves...

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has no voice today, and must game. (Credit to Mike from Darker Days Radio for this too-true line.)

The thing about performance, even if it’s only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities. —Daniel Day-Lewis

]]> bonus 100.1 3 Once again, it happened...! Pooka is in attendance at PAX Unplugged this weekend, and spent Friday afternoon rushing around doing on-the-spot interviews with creators whose work is somewhat Changeling-aligned. Herein are five short interviews about games that touch on the fae, dreams, imagination, and more. The sound quality in this minisode is particularly awful, which is what happens when you're doing interviews in a giant hall filled with 10,000 people, but at least everybody was as lovely and informative as they could be on a frantic day. Hopefully these will inspire you to seek out new and interesting games to expand your horizons, and if you happen to be at the convention, check out the booths in questions!

The various creators and their web presences:

As for ourselves...

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has no voice today, and must game. (Credit to Mike from Darker Days Radio for this too-true line.)

The thing about performance, even if it’s only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities. —Daniel Day-Lewis

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PAX-Unplugged-icon.jpeg episode 100.1 — pax unplugged 2024 expo true no 39:55 Yes no episode 100 — online games https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-100-online-games/ Mon, 25 Nov 2024 14:30:17 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=594 Maybe it's pretty obvious that we do a lot of gaming online nowadays, and that as hosts of a podcasts, we are thorough netizens who have thoughts and feelings about the interwebs. Nevertheless, online games have their own particular dynamics, opportunities, and cultures that we thought it might be good to explore, for people who are less or un-familiar with the experience. We're joined by veteran Storyteller of online gaming, Fetch, who shares wisdom from her extensive experience, which we compound with hoary reminisces about the forums and text-based ditherings of yesteryear (which we would not trade for anything of this world). This isn't an episode about the digital Dreaming itself, although maybe that's yet another entry for the Season 4 wishlist; this is an episode about how, through gaming, to dream digitally.

Some of the links we discussed in the episode include:

As for ourselves:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) once used Metamorphosis with Prop 5 and Scene 5 to briefly transform all of mIRC into a single honeybee. Pooka G (any pronoun/they), upon seeing in online game a (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻, will politely do a ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ).

On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog. —Peter Steiner

]]> full 100 3 Maybe it's pretty obvious that we do a lot of gaming online nowadays, and that as hosts of a podcasts, we are thorough netizens who have thoughts and feelings about the interwebs. Nevertheless, online games have their own particular dynamics, opportunities, and cultures that we thought it might be good to explore, for people who are less or un-familiar with the experience. We're joined by veteran Storyteller of online gaming, Fetch, who shares wisdom from her extensive experience, which we compound with hoary reminisces about the forums and text-based ditherings of yesteryear (which we would not trade for anything of this world). This isn't an episode about the digital Dreaming itself, although maybe that's yet another entry for the Season 4 wishlist; this is an episode about how, through gaming, to dream digitally.

Some of the links we discussed in the episode include:

As for ourselves:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) once used Metamorphosis with Prop 5 and Scene 5 to briefly transform all of mIRC into a single honeybee. Pooka G (any pronoun/they), upon seeing in online game a (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻, will politely do a ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ).

On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog. —Peter Steiner

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Episode-100-icon.png episode 100 — online games true no 1:25:09 Yes no episode 99 — mind’s eye theatre: changeling, bns edition https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-99-minds-eye-theatre-changeling-bns-edition/ Mon, 18 Nov 2024 14:33:49 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=592 In the annals of Changeling history, there are many books that have been promised without coming to fruition. The Changeling atlas, Kingdom books beyond Willows, Book of Glamour... the litany goes on. Things are less clear for C20, but one title with a particular twisty path was By Night Studios' Mind's Eye Theatre: Changeling, which was almost official before it was de-officialized, and then eventually released on the Storytellers' Vault, but with a different team, even though their books for the other lines are official... or something. In any case, at nearly 400 text-dense pages, this is by far the largest homebrew Changeling product on the Vault, and its vaguely formal connections to the line meant that it was a candidate for reading. Pooka is joined by special LARP correspondent Amanda to talk about the book's evolution, particulars, and reception within the community. Much mixing of opinions ensues!

You can purchase the PDF from https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/326469?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined. Amanda also recommends reading the essay "The Economy Cool" by Jason Andrews at https://jasonbandrew.com/role-playing-games/role-playing-game-articles/the-economy-of-cool/. And naturally, if you want to get in touch with us, you can reach out via any of the following:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders if the mind's eye is covered by the company vision plan.

The thing about performance, even if it’s only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities. —Daniel Day-Lewis

]]> full 99 3 In the annals of Changeling history, there are many books that have been promised without coming to fruition. The Changeling atlas, Kingdom books beyond Willows, Book of Glamour... the litany goes on. Things are less clear for C20, but one title with a particular twisty path was By Night Studios' Mind's Eye Theatre: Changeling, which was almost official before it was de-officialized, and then eventually released on the Storytellers' Vault, but with a different team, even though their books for the other lines are official... or something. In any case, at nearly 400 text-dense pages, this is by far the largest homebrew Changeling product on the Vault, and its vaguely formal connections to the line meant that it was a candidate for reading. Pooka is joined by special LARP correspondent Amanda to talk about the book's evolution, particulars, and reception within the community. Much mixing of opinions ensues!

You can purchase the PDF from https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/326469?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined. Amanda also recommends reading the essay "The Economy Cool" by Jason Andrews at https://jasonbandrew.com/role-playing-games/role-playing-game-articles/the-economy-of-cool/. And naturally, if you want to get in touch with us, you can reach out via any of the following:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders if the mind's eye is covered by the company vision plan.

The thing about performance, even if it’s only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities. —Daniel Day-Lewis

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Episode-99-icon.png episode 99 — mind’s eye theatre: changeling, bns edition false no 0:00 No no episode 98 — c20 player’s guide, part three https://changelingthepodcast.com/2024/11/04/episode-98-c20-players-guide-part-three/ Mon, 04 Nov 2024 14:52:49 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?p=585 And so here we are. It's time to open up the last few chapters of the Changeling 20th Anniversary Player's Guide, thereby ending our readthroughs of the game's canon. Feels weird, to be honest. When we started the show, it felt like we'd be going through the library of official texts forever, and now that there are no more, there's a bittersweetness much like when the game was canceled (and then canceled again). We don't know whether it will reincarnate in the future, as the fae are wont to do, but if there's one thing the last three years have taught us, it's that the community is as vibrant and inventive as it ever was. So while we're discussing Síocháin and Imprints and Lycians and swan maidens on this episode, our thoughts are already reaching forward to see what new dreams are on the horizon. (And we hope you'll continue with us on that journey...!)

Once again, the book can be purchased at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/274520?affiliate_id=3063731, and if you want to listen to our previous two episodes on the title:

And if you'd like to get in touch with us, the options are ample!

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) jousts every Wednesday with the snarky Oppidan guarding the Chaudière Bridge. Or is that Pont de la Chaudière? Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wears Goth voile that gives all movements fierce angles and has unlimited throwing shapes up the fishnet sleeves.

It is today that we must create the world of the future. —Eleanor Roosevelt

]]> full 98 3 And so here we are. It's time to open up the last few chapters of the Changeling 20th Anniversary Player's Guide, thereby ending our readthroughs of the game's canon. Feels weird, to be honest. When we started the show, it felt like we'd be going through the library of official texts forever, and now that there are no more, there's a bittersweetness much like when the game was canceled (and then canceled again). We don't know whether it will reincarnate in the future, as the fae are wont to do, but if there's one thing the last three years have taught us, it's that the community is as vibrant and inventive as it ever was. So while we're discussing Síocháin and Imprints and Lycians and swan maidens on this episode, our thoughts are already reaching forward to see what new dreams are on the horizon. (And we hope you'll continue with us on that journey...!)

Once again, the book can be purchased at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/274520?affiliate_id=3063731, and if you want to listen to our previous two episodes on the title:

And if you'd like to get in touch with us, the options are ample!

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) jousts every Wednesday with the snarky Oppidan guarding the Chaudière Bridge. Or is that Pont de la Chaudière? Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wears Goth voile that gives all movements fierce angles and has unlimited throwing shapes up the fishnet sleeves.

It is today that we must create the world of the future. —Eleanor Roosevelt

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Episode-98-icon.png episode 98 — c20 player’s guide, part three false no 1:10:23 No no episode 97 — fae demography https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-97-fae-demography/ Mon, 28 Oct 2024 13:17:31 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=582 What do you get when you cross the infinity of the Dreaming's possibilities with eight billion humans? Questions about how many of them are changelings, that's what. This week, we're applying the art/science of demography to the fae, throwing numbers and proportions and calculations around like so much spaghetti, so that we can see what sticks. You may ask, why does this matter—but how many and what kinds of changeling are running around the setting for your game will impact its feel. And not just the fae themselves: a local expression of the game's themes and moods depends upon Dreamers, Autumn People, and even just those mundane humans we talked about last time. So take note, Storytellers! We hope that after listening, you too will be able to graph a demo, Dreaming-style.

The spreadsheet to which Josh refers to throughout the episode, with some proposed numbers based on the population of various divisions of Concordia, can be found at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rv_S2aGs1VtfeCvhyOoq_iZ10w9Eag2ERlo-UONllcY.

We also refer to two episodes from our sibling show, Mage: the Podcast, on the subject of games with high numbers of mages and low numbers of mages, and how adjusting those numbers creates a different play experience. Pooka may have been using Chronos when talking about these, as it appears only the former has actually been released thus far. Nevertheless, check it out at: https://magethepodcast.com/running-and-playing-low-mage-count-games/.

Our own bureaux of statistics:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) bribes fae of the Kingdom of Northern Ice into filling out the census form with maple syrup dross. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) traverses the Kingdom of Apples in a balloon-ship, dropping leaflets about the benefits of mixed-use zoning.

A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it. —Agent K in Men in Black

]]> full 97 3 What do you get when you cross the infinity of the Dreaming's possibilities with eight billion humans? Questions about how many of them are changelings, that's what. This week, we're applying the art/science of demography to the fae, throwing numbers and proportions and calculations around like so much spaghetti, so that we can see what sticks. You may ask, why does this matter—but how many and what kinds of changeling are running around the setting for your game will impact its feel. And not just the fae themselves: a local expression of the game's themes and moods depends upon Dreamers, Autumn People, and even just those mundane humans we talked about last time. So take note, Storytellers! We hope that after listening, you too will be able to graph a demo, Dreaming-style.

The spreadsheet to which Josh refers to throughout the episode, with some proposed numbers based on the population of various divisions of Concordia, can be found at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rv_S2aGs1VtfeCvhyOoq_iZ10w9Eag2ERlo-UONllcY.

We also refer to two episodes from our sibling show, Mage: the Podcast, on the subject of games with high numbers of mages and low numbers of mages, and how adjusting those numbers creates a different play experience. Pooka may have been using Chronos when talking about these, as it appears only the former has actually been released thus far. Nevertheless, check it out at: https://magethepodcast.com/running-and-playing-low-mage-count-games/.

Our own bureaux of statistics:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) bribes fae of the Kingdom of Northern Ice into filling out the census form with maple syrup dross. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) traverses the Kingdom of Apples in a balloon-ship, dropping leaflets about the benefits of mixed-use zoning.

A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it. —Agent K in Men in Black

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Episode-97-icon-e1730120658778.jpeg episode 97 — fae demography false no 1:03:27 No no episode 96 — mortal life https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-96-mortal-life/ Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:13:22 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=577 Changelings, lest we forget, are part human. Spending time in a meatsack isn't always Glamourous or exhilarating (though it can be both), but it's an inherent part of their experience that can be interesting both in and of itself, and as a contrast to the escapist fantasies that the Dreaming is built on. Yet players and Storytellers often gloss over those aspects of the characters that populate their games. So! We're here this week to try and redeem mortal life in Changeling a bit, giving due consideration to some of the more human elements that might come up at the table. Day jobs and homework, customer service interactions and strangers on the street, Dreamers and Kinain and Autumn People alike... there are many possibilities that you can explore. Naturally, we won't be covering them all, but maybe some of the tidbits here will help you craft a game experience that feels a little more real and useful for when you step away from the table at last.

Our perfectly mundane contact information:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is fourth on the leaderboard for messing with Autumn People in the halls of Canadian government. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) might not be Kinain, but plays one on TV.

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack And you may find yourself in another part of the world And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?" —Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

]]> full 96 3 Changelings, lest we forget, are part human. Spending time in a meatsack isn't always Glamourous or exhilarating (though it can be both), but it's an inherent part of their experience that can be interesting both in and of itself, and as a contrast to the escapist fantasies that the Dreaming is built on. Yet players and Storytellers often gloss over those aspects of the characters that populate their games. So! We're here this week to try and redeem mortal life in Changeling a bit, giving due consideration to some of the more human elements that might come up at the table. Day jobs and homework, customer service interactions and strangers on the street, Dreamers and Kinain and Autumn People alike... there are many possibilities that you can explore. Naturally, we won't be covering them all, but maybe some of the tidbits here will help you craft a game experience that feels a little more real and useful for when you step away from the table at last.

Our perfectly mundane contact information:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is fourth on the leaderboard for messing with Autumn People in the halls of Canadian government. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) might not be Kinain, but plays one on TV.

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack And you may find yourself in another part of the world And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?" —Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Episode-96-icon.png episode 96 — mortal life false no 56:50 No no episode 95 — c20 player’s guide, part two https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-95-c20-players-guide-part-two/ Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:30:45 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=573 It's that time again! This second installment of our trilogy of episodes on the Changeling 20th Anniversary Player's Guide continues as we flip through Chapter Three. What's that, you say? An entire installment on a single chapter of a single book? Well, yes, because this "World of Dreams" section takes up a third of a dense text and covers a lot of ground, visiting four continents in swift succession. We're taking an honest look at how the fae histories of these regions are handled, the kiths that dwell there, and the stories one might be able to tell that connect with the game as a whole. Slight spoiler: we have a bone or five to pick, and honestly two to three of them were immediately resolved by In the Realm of Gods and Dreams, which you can hear about at https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-90-in-the-realm-of-gods-and-dreams/. But don't let all this stop you from learning a thing or two about changelings around the world and how they got that way...!

As mentioned in our last C20PG episode notes, you can pick up the PDF (or print on demand book) at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/274520?affiliate_id=3063731. Visit our own digital world of dreams around the various platforms below if you want to contact us:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is still searching for Carmen Sandiego. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) just realized while typing this post that Brazilian Carnival didn't get mentioned once, which is getting added to this chapter's ever-lengthening list of iniquities.

I'll put a girdle round about the earth / in forty minutes. —Robin Goodfellow, A Midsummer Night's Dream, II.i.175–176

]]> full 95 3 It's that time again! This second installment of our trilogy of episodes on the Changeling 20th Anniversary Player's Guide continues as we flip through Chapter Three. What's that, you say? An entire installment on a single chapter of a single book? Well, yes, because this "World of Dreams" section takes up a third of a dense text and covers a lot of ground, visiting four continents in swift succession. We're taking an honest look at how the fae histories of these regions are handled, the kiths that dwell there, and the stories one might be able to tell that connect with the game as a whole. Slight spoiler: we have a bone or five to pick, and honestly two to three of them were immediately resolved by In the Realm of Gods and Dreams, which you can hear about at https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-90-in-the-realm-of-gods-and-dreams/. But don't let all this stop you from learning a thing or two about changelings around the world and how they got that way...!

As mentioned in our last C20PG episode notes, you can pick up the PDF (or print on demand book) at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/274520?affiliate_id=3063731. Visit our own digital world of dreams around the various platforms below if you want to contact us:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is still searching for Carmen Sandiego. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) just realized while typing this post that Brazilian Carnival didn't get mentioned once, which is getting added to this chapter's ever-lengthening list of iniquities.

I'll put a girdle round about the earth / in forty minutes. —Robin Goodfellow, A Midsummer Night's Dream, II.i.175–176

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Episode-95-icon.png episode 95 — c20 player’s guide, part two false no 1:38:26 No no episode 94 — romance and changeling https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-94-romance-and-changeling/ Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:34:33 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=572 What is love? (Baby, don't hurt me!) In the context of tabletop RPGs, sex and relationships and all the matter around them can be tricky business to navigate for players and Storytellers alike. In the context of romance and Changeling, there are all sorts of specific considerations to think about. What are the norms of chivalrous courtship in this or that noble's jurisdiction? How do cantrips complicate physical pleasure and emotional fulfillment? Can a redcap truly feel love? Questions of this sort abound in the pages of the supplements, as it sometimes seems like every other characters has some kind of sexual or romantic thread to their story. This episode is not an exhaustive treatment of everything that might come up in the game... but we try to cover some important topics and give some pointers about handling at the table.

As for links...! We alluded to the recent episode at our sibling-show, Mage: the Podcast, on this topic; check it out at https://magethepodcast.com/adding-romance-to-games-with-friday-stout-and-sebastian-yue/. We made reference as well to our Session Zero episode (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-38-session-zero/) on hashing out discussion around sensitive topics before you jump into a chronicle. And as usual, you can reach out to us strictly platonically at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) theorizes that non-binary polycules are held together by them-ical bonds. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers to get to know people in the deuterocanonical sense.

Love, love is a verb; Love is a doing word Fearless on my breath— —Massive Attack, "Teardrop"

]]> full 94 3 What is love? (Baby, don't hurt me!) In the context of tabletop RPGs, sex and relationships and all the matter around them can be tricky business to navigate for players and Storytellers alike. In the context of romance and Changeling, there are all sorts of specific considerations to think about. What are the norms of chivalrous courtship in this or that noble's jurisdiction? How do cantrips complicate physical pleasure and emotional fulfillment? Can a redcap truly feel love? Questions of this sort abound in the pages of the supplements, as it sometimes seems like every other characters has some kind of sexual or romantic thread to their story. This episode is not an exhaustive treatment of everything that might come up in the game... but we try to cover some important topics and give some pointers about handling at the table.

As for links...! We alluded to the recent episode at our sibling-show, Mage: the Podcast, on this topic; check it out at https://magethepodcast.com/adding-romance-to-games-with-friday-stout-and-sebastian-yue/. We made reference as well to our Session Zero episode (https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-38-session-zero/) on hashing out discussion around sensitive topics before you jump into a chronicle. And as usual, you can reach out to us strictly platonically at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) theorizes that non-binary polycules are held together by them-ical bonds. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers to get to know people in the deuterocanonical sense.

Love, love is a verb; Love is a doing word Fearless on my breath— —Massive Attack, "Teardrop"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Episode-94-icon.png episode 94 — romance and changeling false no 51:41 No no episode 93 — science fiction and changeling https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-93-science-fiction-and-changeling/ Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:42:46 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=563 Changeling: the Dreaming's tagline is as a "game of modern fantasy", and it deals with folklore, epics, and magic... so when you talk to most people about it, they rarely bring up science fiction as a genre that the game ties into. We beg to differ. Dreams of technology, visions of futures utopian and dystopian alike, the consequences of humankind's hubris, and alien anxiety all fit very neatly into the setting. We're taking the opportunity to discuss how you might incorporate some of sci-fi's themes and ideas into your game, both generally and specifically. As with most such discussions, the topic is waaayyyy bigger than we could cover in a single episode, but we hope that this tip of the asteroid—along with the many media we name-drop throughout—will serve as inspiration for you to make your game as bombastically SCIENCE!-y as can be.

One of those name-dropped texts is the noteworthy homebrew Countless Dreams, available on the Storytellers' Vault at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/314491?affiliate_id=3063731. Do consider giving it a flip-through and seeing if it's your kinda thing! And while you're clicking around on the intertubes, you might as well scope out some of our online presence as well:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps appointments in stardates to three decimal places. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) built an ansible but couldn't connect it to 5G, so the superluminal calls keep dropping.

It is said that science fiction and fantasy are two different things. Science fiction is the improbable made possible, and fantasy is the impossible made probable. —Rod Serling

]]> full 93 3 Changeling: the Dreaming's tagline is as a "game of modern fantasy", and it deals with folklore, epics, and magic... so when you talk to most people about it, they rarely bring up science fiction as a genre that the game ties into. We beg to differ. Dreams of technology, visions of futures utopian and dystopian alike, the consequences of humankind's hubris, and alien anxiety all fit very neatly into the setting. We're taking the opportunity to discuss how you might incorporate some of sci-fi's themes and ideas into your game, both generally and specifically. As with most such discussions, the topic is waaayyyy bigger than we could cover in a single episode, but we hope that this tip of the asteroid—along with the many media we name-drop throughout—will serve as inspiration for you to make your game as bombastically SCIENCE!-y as can be.

One of those name-dropped texts is the noteworthy homebrew Countless Dreams, available on the Storytellers' Vault at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/314491?affiliate_id=3063731. Do consider giving it a flip-through and seeing if it's your kinda thing! And while you're clicking around on the intertubes, you might as well scope out some of our online presence as well:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps appointments in stardates to three decimal places. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) built an ansible but couldn't connect it to 5G, so the superluminal calls keep dropping.

It is said that science fiction and fantasy are two different things. Science fiction is the improbable made possible, and fantasy is the impossible made probable. —Rod Serling

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Episode-93-icon-alt.png episode 93 — science fiction and changeling false no 52:44 No no episode 92 — c20 player’s guide, part one https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-92-c20-players-guide-part-one/ Mon, 23 Sep 2024 14:01:58 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=560 It begins...! We couldn't bring ourselves to go through Changeling 20th Anniversary Edition Player's Guide (quite a mouthful, but we have to distinguish it from the original) in one go, both because it's an incredibly dense text and because it's the Last Book. So, we're splitting it up into a trilogy of episodes. This first one covers Chapters 1 and 2, with an overarching theme of "politics and society among the Kithain." One of our episode ideas was to talk about politicking in the context of Changeling, so this kind of gets at that. Yet there are also numerous setting pieces to cover here which are somewhat tangential to that topic: Banner Houses, "secret" societies, opinions about anarchy. We do our best to give everything a fair shake, even for the stuff that may not deserve one.

The tome itself is available on the Storytellers' Vault at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/274520?affiliate_id=3063731. And naturally, if you'd like to drop us a comment, you have a surfeit of options for doing so...!

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) remembers when the Acadian sidhe had not a Resurgence, but a tintamarre. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders whether there are any foodie Banner Houses who get to just lounge around eating Dreamer-made desserts (and if so, are they taking applications).

POLITICS, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. —Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

]]> full 92 3 It begins...! We couldn't bring ourselves to go through Changeling 20th Anniversary Edition Player's Guide (quite a mouthful, but we have to distinguish it from the original) in one go, both because it's an incredibly dense text and because it's the Last Book. So, we're splitting it up into a trilogy of episodes. This first one covers Chapters 1 and 2, with an overarching theme of "politics and society among the Kithain." One of our episode ideas was to talk about politicking in the context of Changeling, so this kind of gets at that. Yet there are also numerous setting pieces to cover here which are somewhat tangential to that topic: Banner Houses, "secret" societies, opinions about anarchy. We do our best to give everything a fair shake, even for the stuff that may not deserve one.

The tome itself is available on the Storytellers' Vault at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/274520?affiliate_id=3063731. And naturally, if you'd like to drop us a comment, you have a surfeit of options for doing so...!

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) remembers when the Acadian sidhe had not a Resurgence, but a tintamarre. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders whether there are any foodie Banner Houses who get to just lounge around eating Dreamer-made desserts (and if so, are they taking applications).

POLITICS, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. —Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Episode-92-icon.png episode 92 — c20 player’s guide, part one true no 1:27:22 Yes no episode 91 — ten video game inspirations https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-91-ten-video-game-inspirations/ Mon, 16 Sep 2024 12:31:00 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=557 It's been a while since we've done a dive into media, so—here goes! Friend of the show Charles Siegel joins for Pooka for a discussion of how video games and tabletop games inform and resemble each other. We go through a shortlist of ten titles for inspiration to round out this series of episodes (for now) (the other big one is music, and no way are we getting the rights to do that one). In our opinion, each of these games features a variety of elements that tie into those of Changeling: the Dreaming. Obviously, there are a lot more out there, but a shortlist seems sufficient for our purposes. We're of the opinion that video and tabletop games inform each other If you'd like to acquaint yourself with the titles in question, behold some videos:

Meanwhile, Charles can be found around the following parts of the interwebsphere:

As for ourselves, drop us a line at any of the following:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) used to tear it up at Dance Dance Revolution and is still proud of that A+ on "So Deep".

You have no chance to survive make your time. HA HA HA HA. —Cats, Zero Wing

]]> full 91 3 It's been a while since we've done a dive into media, so—here goes! Friend of the show Charles Siegel joins for Pooka for a discussion of how video games and tabletop games inform and resemble each other. We go through a shortlist of ten titles for inspiration to round out this series of episodes (for now) (the other big one is music, and no way are we getting the rights to do that one). In our opinion, each of these games features a variety of elements that tie into those of Changeling: the Dreaming. Obviously, there are a lot more out there, but a shortlist seems sufficient for our purposes. We're of the opinion that video and tabletop games inform each other If you'd like to acquaint yourself with the titles in question, behold some videos:

Meanwhile, Charles can be found around the following parts of the interwebsphere:

As for ourselves, drop us a line at any of the following:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) used to tear it up at Dance Dance Revolution and is still proud of that A+ on "So Deep".

You have no chance to survive make your time. HA HA HA HA. —Cats, Zero Wing

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Episode-91-icon.png episode 91 — ten video game inspirations true no 1:10:54 Yes no episode 90 — in the realm of gods and dreams https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-90-in-the-realm-of-gods-and-dreams/ Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:08:17 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=553 For many years, the Changeling community has longed for a better take on the hsien of East Asia. In our previous episode on their introductory 2e supplement, Land of Eight Million Dreams, we discussed at length how these fae were portrayed in... not the greatest fashion, and it's a characterization that the 20th Anniversary didn't really fix. But! The latest release from Hsienfan on the Storytellers' Vault, In the Realm of Gods and Dreams, breathes new life into what was a sometimes confusing, often cringey group of changelings, and manages to re-write many of the assumptions about the game along the way, both systems and setting. We had the opportunity to sit down with the author and walk through the book in its entirety. The open dev process used for its creation means that you may have seen glimmers and drafts along the way; now we have a 300+ page chomker in all its glory to digest. lf you've been eagerly looking for some thorough information about its contents, well, here goes...

(Hsienfan's appearance on our show is also dedicated to his wife, Coco Vanille, without whose publishing prep and prowess this book would not exist. Forgetting to mention this in the outro is purely on Pooka, who is terrible at reading everything in emails, and missed this request. Many thanks from us as well to Coco for helping make this tome a reality!)

You can pick up the book at the Storytellers' Vault by visiting https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/492660?affiliate_id=3063731, and here are some other internet places to check out on the side:

And as usual, you can bother us via:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has waiting been waiting too many years already for the film Moderate Trouble in Sensible Canada. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) journeyed into the West and all they got was this lousy T-shirt.

Half of the poetry of life would be gone, if we did not feel that life was either a dream, or a voyage with transient travelers. —Lin Yutang, The Importance of Living

]]> full 90 3 For many years, the Changeling community has longed for a better take on the hsien of East Asia. In our previous episode on their introductory 2e supplement, Land of Eight Million Dreams, we discussed at length how these fae were portrayed in... not the greatest fashion, and it's a characterization that the 20th Anniversary didn't really fix. But! The latest release from Hsienfan on the Storytellers' Vault, In the Realm of Gods and Dreams, breathes new life into what was a sometimes confusing, often cringey group of changelings, and manages to re-write many of the assumptions about the game along the way, both systems and setting. We had the opportunity to sit down with the author and walk through the book in its entirety. The open dev process used for its creation means that you may have seen glimmers and drafts along the way; now we have a 300+ page chomker in all its glory to digest. lf you've been eagerly looking for some thorough information about its contents, well, here goes...

(Hsienfan's appearance on our show is also dedicated to his wife, Coco Vanille, without whose publishing prep and prowess this book would not exist. Forgetting to mention this in the outro is purely on Pooka, who is terrible at reading everything in emails, and missed this request. Many thanks from us as well to Coco for helping make this tome a reality!)

You can pick up the book at the Storytellers' Vault by visiting https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/492660?affiliate_id=3063731, and here are some other internet places to check out on the side:

And as usual, you can bother us via:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has waiting been waiting too many years already for the film Moderate Trouble in Sensible Canada. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) journeyed into the West and all they got was this lousy T-shirt.

Half of the poetry of life would be gone, if we did not feel that life was either a dream, or a voyage with transient travelers. —Lin Yutang, The Importance of Living

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Episode-90-icon.png episode 90 — in the realm of gods and dreams true no 1:59:50 Yes no episode 89 — graceful wicked masques https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-89-graceful-wicked-masques/ Mon, 02 Sep 2024 14:52:18 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=551 And so we return! We're coming back from hiatus a little bit later than anticipated, both because it was a busy summer, and because we realized there aren't really that many episodes to get through before the end of the year. So, now that it feels more like autumn in this bit of the world, it's time to get through the rest of C20 and ancillary things on our list. One of the latter is Graceful Wicked Masques, the 2nd edition Exalted book that covers the Fair Folk. While this text is solidly outside the era of "Exalted is the prehistory of the World of Darkness kinda maybe", there's still a lot of connective tissue we see between this text and Changeling: the Dreaming. (If you need ideas for Deep Dreaming games or True Fae, for example, this is absolutely a good resource.) So we are once again diving into the library and seeing what gems we can unearth...!

The book PDF can be purchased at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/58880?affiliate_id=3063731, and our previous episode on the 1st edition Fair Folk book can be listened to at https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-79-exalted-the-fair-folk/. For all other social media and communication needs, see if you can surprise us at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has commissioned a study on what happens when a Fair Folk gets re-un-shaped, but the PIs keep disappearing. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) applies Fair Folk charm names to baking; today is an Oats Enfolding Butter Berry-Surmounting Technique day.

Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness. —Laozi, Tao Te Ching ch. 1, translated by Stephen Mitchell

]]> full 89 3 And so we return! We're coming back from hiatus a little bit later than anticipated, both because it was a busy summer, and because we realized there aren't really that many episodes to get through before the end of the year. So, now that it feels more like autumn in this bit of the world, it's time to get through the rest of C20 and ancillary things on our list. One of the latter is Graceful Wicked Masques, the 2nd edition Exalted book that covers the Fair Folk. While this text is solidly outside the era of "Exalted is the prehistory of the World of Darkness kinda maybe", there's still a lot of connective tissue we see between this text and Changeling: the Dreaming. (If you need ideas for Deep Dreaming games or True Fae, for example, this is absolutely a good resource.) So we are once again diving into the library and seeing what gems we can unearth...!

The book PDF can be purchased at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/58880?affiliate_id=3063731, and our previous episode on the 1st edition Fair Folk book can be listened to at https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-79-exalted-the-fair-folk/. For all other social media and communication needs, see if you can surprise us at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has commissioned a study on what happens when a Fair Folk gets re-un-shaped, but the PIs keep disappearing. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) applies Fair Folk charm names to baking; today is an Oats Enfolding Butter Berry-Surmounting Technique day.

Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness. —Laozi, Tao Te Ching ch. 1, translated by Stephen Mitchell

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Episode-89-icon.png episode 89 — graceful wicked masques false no 1:14:49 No no episode 88.4 — storycomic interview https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-88-4-storycomic-interview/ Mon, 19 Aug 2024 11:19:18 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=547 One more minisode for the summer! We'll be back to our usual schedule of full episodes in September, but we thought we'd share a cross-production that we participated in a couple weeks ago. Barney Smith from Storycomic reached out to do an interview with us about Changeling: the Dreaming, our podcast, and associated thoughts. So we have shamelessly appropriated the audio from that interview and are sharing it here, which we hope will tide you over for a bit longer...

Over at Barney's site, there are a dizzying number (nearly 400! how does one even) of chats with authors of all stripes. Go have a scroll through and find a few that interest you, why don'tcha?

And as usual, if you'd like to get in touch with us, our socials are below:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has been spotted at anywhere that's anywhere in the best parts of Ottawa. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has scuttled away from detection behind the finest trash cans in Philadelphia.

Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence. —O. Henry

]]> bonus 88.4 3 One more minisode for the summer! We'll be back to our usual schedule of full episodes in September, but we thought we'd share a cross-production that we participated in a couple weeks ago. Barney Smith from Storycomic reached out to do an interview with us about Changeling: the Dreaming, our podcast, and associated thoughts. So we have shamelessly appropriated the audio from that interview and are sharing it here, which we hope will tide you over for a bit longer...

Over at Barney's site, there are a dizzying number (nearly 400! how does one even) of chats with authors of all stripes. Go have a scroll through and find a few that interest you, why don'tcha?

And as usual, if you'd like to get in touch with us, our socials are below:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has been spotted at anywhere that's anywhere in the best parts of Ottawa. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has scuttled away from detection behind the finest trash cans in Philadelphia.

Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence. —O. Henry

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Episode-88-4-icon.png episode 88.4 — storycomic interview false no 33:29 No no episode 88.3 — the rest of 90s changeling fiction https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-88-3-the-rest-of-90s-changeling-fiction/ Mon, 15 Jul 2024 18:31:45 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=538 A surprise minisode, just in time for Highsummer week! We've talked about the Immortal Eyes novels, we've talked about the Anthology of Dreams, and we've even mentioned Pomegranates Full & Fine... but what about the rest of the Changeling fiction from the 90s? This includes The Splendour Falls, a short story collection released in tandem with 1st edition; "Playing with Fire", part of the Essential World of Darkness omnibus; and "The Muse", a story in the following Quintessential World of Darkness omnibus. Pooka managed to get their hands on physical copies of each—since they are not available in PDF form, and long out-of-print—to read and expound upon their contents. It's a bit of filler until we get into the second half of Season 3 (soon!), but hopefully will whet your appetite for more.

For our previous episodes on TTRPG tie-in fiction and its relevance to the game, check out:

Per the announcement at the start of the episode, please also check out friend of the show Fetch's new game, The Necromancer, at: https://ameliafetch.itch.io/the-necromancer! This was written for the QUEER WRATH game writing jam (https://itch.io/jam/queerwrath) and has been simultaneously submitted to the Trans FURY jam (https://itch.io/jam/trans-fury-jam).

And while we are lazing our way through the days of summer, you can find us as always at:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) believes that life is indeed stranger than fiction, but pretty mundane when compared to sea shanty.

I am always at a loss to know how much to believe of my own stories. —Washington Irving, "To the Reader"

]]> bonus 88.3 3 A surprise minisode, just in time for Highsummer week! We've talked about the Immortal Eyes novels, we've talked about the Anthology of Dreams, and we've even mentioned Pomegranates Full & Fine... but what about the rest of the Changeling fiction from the 90s? This includes The Splendour Falls, a short story collection released in tandem with 1st edition; "Playing with Fire", part of the Essential World of Darkness omnibus; and "The Muse", a story in the following Quintessential World of Darkness omnibus. Pooka managed to get their hands on physical copies of each—since they are not available in PDF form, and long out-of-print—to read and expound upon their contents. It's a bit of filler until we get into the second half of Season 3 (soon!), but hopefully will whet your appetite for more.

For our previous episodes on TTRPG tie-in fiction and its relevance to the game, check out:

Per the announcement at the start of the episode, please also check out friend of the show Fetch's new game, The Necromancer, at: https://ameliafetch.itch.io/the-necromancer! This was written for the QUEER WRATH game writing jam (https://itch.io/jam/queerwrath) and has been simultaneously submitted to the Trans FURY jam (https://itch.io/jam/trans-fury-jam).

And while we are lazing our way through the days of summer, you can find us as always at:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) believes that life is indeed stranger than fiction, but pretty mundane when compared to sea shanty.

I am always at a loss to know how much to believe of my own stories. —Washington Irving, "To the Reader"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Episode-88-3-icon.jpg episode 88.3 — the rest of 90s changeling fiction false no 29:10 No no episode 88.2 — state of the podcast, midseason 3 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-88-2-state-of-the-podcast-midseason-3/ Thu, 20 Jun 2024 23:09:36 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=528 And so we come once again to a bit of downtime, as we wind up the first half of Season 3. It's just another minisode on the eve of the solstice, to let you know where things stand and what we've been up to, plus some of our plans when we return in six weeks, give or take. We're getting our schedule of recordings together and making plans for getting through some books we want to read, and thinking ahead to our Changeling 30th Anniversary celebration next year... but mostly we're looking forward to a bit of rest and relaxation. Thanks for your continued support, and keep an eye out for our return!

In the meantime, stay up to date with our summery goings-on at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) will be spending the break perfecting that flan recipe. Flan for everyone! Flan for ever. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is typing this from the other side of the planet, due to Secret Piskey Tendencies.

Vacation is what you take when you can't take what you've been taking any longer. —The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz

]]> bonus 88.2 3 And so we come once again to a bit of downtime, as we wind up the first half of Season 3. It's just another minisode on the eve of the solstice, to let you know where things stand and what we've been up to, plus some of our plans when we return in six weeks, give or take. We're getting our schedule of recordings together and making plans for getting through some books we want to read, and thinking ahead to our Changeling 30th Anniversary celebration next year... but mostly we're looking forward to a bit of rest and relaxation. Thanks for your continued support, and keep an eye out for our return!

In the meantime, stay up to date with our summery goings-on at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) will be spending the break perfecting that flan recipe. Flan for everyone! Flan for ever. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is typing this from the other side of the planet, due to Secret Piskey Tendencies.

Vacation is what you take when you can't take what you've been taking any longer. —The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Episode-88-5-icon.png episode 88.2 — state of the podcast, midseason 3 false no 10:54 No no episode 88.1 — storyteller’s screens https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-88-1-storytellers-screens/ Mon, 17 Jun 2024 21:34:52 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=532 We were going to just release this bit of content as Patreon content because it's our shortest yet, but by popular demand, here it is as a minisode...! For all of you Storytellers who feel the need to hide yourselves away from your players, or maybe just shield your dice from revealing too much, the Storyteller's screen is a time-honored tool of the trade. Changeling has had three over the years, one for each edition: some flimsy cardboard, some slightly sturdier cardboard, and most recently for C20, a glossy masterpiece of solidity. For the next eight and a half minutes, we give some comparative notes on what one finds there. May it be helpful to anyone in the market for a physical piece of obfuscation!

Ourselves, we hide behind the following:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a screen that just keeps unfolding until it fully encloses the Storyteller in an geodesic cardboard fort. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers to Storytell from a raised dais, concealing dice rolls and notes from the plebs with lights and smoke.

I have, as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself. —Henry David Thoreau, Walden

]]> bonus 88.1 3 We were going to just release this bit of content as Patreon content because it's our shortest yet, but by popular demand, here it is as a minisode...! For all of you Storytellers who feel the need to hide yourselves away from your players, or maybe just shield your dice from revealing too much, the Storyteller's screen is a time-honored tool of the trade. Changeling has had three over the years, one for each edition: some flimsy cardboard, some slightly sturdier cardboard, and most recently for C20, a glossy masterpiece of solidity. For the next eight and a half minutes, we give some comparative notes on what one finds there. May it be helpful to anyone in the market for a physical piece of obfuscation!

Ourselves, we hide behind the following:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a screen that just keeps unfolding until it fully encloses the Storyteller in an geodesic cardboard fort. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers to Storytell from a raised dais, concealing dice rolls and notes from the plebs with lights and smoke.

I have, as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself. —Henry David Thoreau, Walden

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Episode-88-1-icon.jpeg episode 88.1 — storyteller’s screens false no 8:48 No no episode 88 — kithbook: boggans https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-88-kithbook-boggans/ Mon, 10 Jun 2024 12:03:32 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=526 Yes, we already did an episode on those long-suffering boggans, but don't you think they deserve another? Having dealt with the fanmade "old" Kithbook: Boggans previously (check out https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-77-old-kithbook-boggans/), we are now moving on to the new Kithbook: Boggans, released as a Kickstarter goal for C20. In the spirit of the older editions' kithbooks, the text deals with boggan history and society, some famous examples of their kith, and tidbits of lore for the discerning crafty-fae. This rounds out at last the full set of kithbooks from the original commoners (because the sidhe had plenty of their own books already), and also our slate of Lost in the Library episodes before our summer hiatus...! So we hope this will tide you over for book content, for the time being.

You can purchase the book at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/242685?affiliate_id=3063731

Feel free to stop by our other spaces online, as long as you wipe your feet first:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) judged the Craftlympics this year and doesn't regret giving a "3" to that one wilder; they know who they are. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders if the Wife of Bath would be on Tinder.

It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to. —Bilbo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

]]> full 88 3 Yes, we already did an episode on those long-suffering boggans, but don't you think they deserve another? Having dealt with the fanmade "old" Kithbook: Boggans previously (check out https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-77-old-kithbook-boggans/), we are now moving on to the new Kithbook: Boggans, released as a Kickstarter goal for C20. In the spirit of the older editions' kithbooks, the text deals with boggan history and society, some famous examples of their kith, and tidbits of lore for the discerning crafty-fae. This rounds out at last the full set of kithbooks from the original commoners (because the sidhe had plenty of their own books already), and also our slate of Lost in the Library episodes before our summer hiatus...! So we hope this will tide you over for book content, for the time being.

You can purchase the book at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/242685?affiliate_id=3063731

Feel free to stop by our other spaces online, as long as you wipe your feet first:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) judged the Craftlympics this year and doesn't regret giving a "3" to that one wilder; they know who they are. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders if the Wife of Bath would be on Tinder.

It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to. —Bilbo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Episode-88-icon.png episode 88 — kithbook: boggans false no 1:09:25 No no episode 87 — book of freeholds https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-87-book-of-freeholds/ Mon, 03 Jun 2024 17:05:12 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=524 The freehold is the center of changeling life, providing safety, community, and a connection to the Dreaming for wayward Kithain. But what makes each of them unique? We get some extensive systems and suggestions to answer this question in Book of Freeholds, a C20 supplement that greatly expands previous editions' take on building them. It's a short but dense book, and in this episode, we scour it for the double handful of drossy tidbits that players and STs alike will find useful.

You can purchase the book at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/239407?affiliate_id=3063731

And follow the trod to find us at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is well known hither and yon for keeping a tidy, ship-shape thorpe. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) tried to start a freehold, but bought too many decorative soaps and accidentally made a B&B instead.

My house— 't's out of the ordinary! That's right— Don't wanna hurt nobody...! —Talking Heads, "Burning Down the House"

]]> full 87 3 The freehold is the center of changeling life, providing safety, community, and a connection to the Dreaming for wayward Kithain. But what makes each of them unique? We get some extensive systems and suggestions to answer this question in Book of Freeholds, a C20 supplement that greatly expands previous editions' take on building them. It's a short but dense book, and in this episode, we scour it for the double handful of drossy tidbits that players and STs alike will find useful.

You can purchase the book at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/239407?affiliate_id=3063731

And follow the trod to find us at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is well known hither and yon for keeping a tidy, ship-shape thorpe. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) tried to start a freehold, but bought too many decorative soaps and accidentally made a B&B instead.

My house— 't's out of the ordinary! That's right— Don't wanna hurt nobody...! —Talking Heads, "Burning Down the House"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Episode-87-icon.png episode 87 — book of freeholds false no 1:01:11 No no episode 86 — gimme shelter with bram clark https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-86-gimme-shelter-with-bram-clark/ Mon, 27 May 2024 12:58:39 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=519 Alternate and/or historical settings for Changeling is always something that piques our interest. So we were keen to read the Gimme Shelter Player's Guide supplement (released April 2) that presents the fae of Swinging Sixties London. We're joined this week by the book's author, Bram Clark, who talks with us about his take on this slice of pre-Resurgence life. Clocking in at over 300 pages, the Guide is one of the longest homebrews on the entire Storytellers' Vault. Our conversation goes through the development, art, design... Bram's associated Player's Kit presaged something intriguing, but this was beyond what we expected. Hopefully this episode will give you some ideas about how to use it at your table!

Many a link below!

And the links for our own stuff:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) asks that you not bend, spike, fold or mutilate. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) zhooshes their riah before a bona cackle with the omi-palones, and nanti scharda.

If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliché that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal. —John Lennon

]]> full 86 3 Alternate and/or historical settings for Changeling is always something that piques our interest. So we were keen to read the Gimme Shelter Player's Guide supplement (released April 2) that presents the fae of Swinging Sixties London. We're joined this week by the book's author, Bram Clark, who talks with us about his take on this slice of pre-Resurgence life. Clocking in at over 300 pages, the Guide is one of the longest homebrews on the entire Storytellers' Vault. Our conversation goes through the development, art, design... Bram's associated Player's Kit presaged something intriguing, but this was beyond what we expected. Hopefully this episode will give you some ideas about how to use it at your table!

Many a link below!

And the links for our own stuff:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) asks that you not bend, spike, fold or mutilate. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) zhooshes their riah before a bona cackle with the omi-palones, and nanti scharda.

If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliché that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal. —John Lennon

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Episode-86-icon.png episode 86 — gimme shelter with bram clark false no 1:26:17 No no episode 85 — yours to keep and ready-made characters https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-85-yours-to-keep-and-ready-made-characters/ Mon, 20 May 2024 10:58:44 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=515 Now that we're through the corebook for C20, other supplements seem like small (but no less nourishing) potatoes. This time around is a double feature: we're flipping through Yours to Keep, the jumpstart and intro adventure for the edition, and Ready-Made Characters, a set of 13 write-ups (one for each core kith) and sample motleys to use in your game. Joining us is author of the first book, Christine Beard!, who talks about some of the process for reading, running, and writing jumpstart modules like this one. The two supplements feature some solid material to get you into the game beyond the corebook proper, so we encourage you to have a listen and hear what's what...!

Links and things:

And our panoply of social media as per usual:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) runs games with ready-mades, but they are not Changeling characters; they are Duchamp sculptures. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) assumes that a horror RPG jump-start would be called a jump-scare, yes?

End, begin, all the same. Big change. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. —Aughra in The Dark Crystal

]]> full 85 3 Now that we're through the corebook for C20, other supplements seem like small (but no less nourishing) potatoes. This time around is a double feature: we're flipping through Yours to Keep, the jumpstart and intro adventure for the edition, and Ready-Made Characters, a set of 13 write-ups (one for each core kith) and sample motleys to use in your game. Joining us is author of the first book, Christine Beard!, who talks about some of the process for reading, running, and writing jumpstart modules like this one. The two supplements feature some solid material to get you into the game beyond the corebook proper, so we encourage you to have a listen and hear what's what...!

Links and things:

And our panoply of social media as per usual:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) runs games with ready-mades, but they are not Changeling characters; they are Duchamp sculptures. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) assumes that a horror RPG jump-start would be called a jump-scare, yes?

End, begin, all the same. Big change. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. —Aughra in The Dark Crystal

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Episode-85-icon.png episode 85 — yours to keep and ready-made characters false no 1:05:07 No no episode 84 — changeling 20: the changes https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-84-changeling-20-the-changes/ Mon, 13 May 2024 11:15:47 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=513 And so we come to the third part of this trilogy, wherein we talk about changes to this edition. There are hundreds of little tweaks and adjustments to be found in the Changeling 20th Anniversary corebook, but we're focusing on a dozen of the most significant that stand out to us. (Slight spoiler: there's another big one that we realized after the fact we didn't talk about it... but luckily, it will apply in an upcoming episode as well.) We're looking at retconned metaplot, restructured magic systems, alternative ways of thinking about different groups of fae, and more. It's not that these three episodes have been the most comprehensive look possible at this edition and what it represents—it's just the most comprehensive we could bring ourselves to get through.

If you need the first two episodes in the series, or to purchase the corebook itself:

Some other bits that found passing or heavy mention in this episode include:

Lastly, the places you can bother us gently and politely:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) would have liked to see the Concordia map re-drawn with lines that made sense. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) could have gotten on board with the pages of each chapter having their own musky aroma.

And so the days float through my eyes But still the days seem the same And these children that you spit on As they try to change their worlds Are immune to your consultations They're quite aware of what they're goin' through. —David Bowie, "Changes"

]]> full 84 3 And so we come to the third part of this trilogy, wherein we talk about changes to this edition. There are hundreds of little tweaks and adjustments to be found in the Changeling 20th Anniversary corebook, but we're focusing on a dozen of the most significant that stand out to us. (Slight spoiler: there's another big one that we realized after the fact we didn't talk about it... but luckily, it will apply in an upcoming episode as well.) We're looking at retconned metaplot, restructured magic systems, alternative ways of thinking about different groups of fae, and more. It's not that these three episodes have been the most comprehensive look possible at this edition and what it represents—it's just the most comprehensive we could bring ourselves to get through.

If you need the first two episodes in the series, or to purchase the corebook itself:

Some other bits that found passing or heavy mention in this episode include:

Lastly, the places you can bother us gently and politely:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) would have liked to see the Concordia map re-drawn with lines that made sense. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) could have gotten on board with the pages of each chapter having their own musky aroma.

And so the days float through my eyes But still the days seem the same And these children that you spit on As they try to change their worlds Are immune to your consultations They're quite aware of what they're goin' through. —David Bowie, "Changes"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Episode-84-icon.png episode 84 — changeling 20: the changes false no 1:22:56 No no episode 83 — changeling 20: the new stuff https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-83-changeling-20-the-new-stuff/ Mon, 06 May 2024 11:50:14 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=506 Whew. Doing a walkthrough of the corebook was kind of a marathon, but treating it as a text in isolation is only part of the story. In this (thankfully shorter, because we recorded it the same day as the first) installment, we're drawing on our grump knowledge of the previous editions to talk about the new material in this one. There's a lot that we could have covered in that description, but we're sticking with some of the big items overall: the kith creation system, Revelry, new Thallain. Everything that builds on previous editions' systems will be covered in the third and final episode of this set, on the changes in the edition. For now, these are just some ruminations and opinions on the unexpected elements that stand out to us.

Some links to bits that we mentioned in this go-through include:

And if you want to reach out to weigh in on what you think we should be doing next:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) wanted edible Treasure creation rules to roll up some nocker-crafted cheese puffs. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) demands mechanics for why so many changelings incarnate into human hosts with names nearly the same as their fae ones.

Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos. —Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

]]> full 83 3 Whew. Doing a walkthrough of the corebook was kind of a marathon, but treating it as a text in isolation is only part of the story. In this (thankfully shorter, because we recorded it the same day as the first) installment, we're drawing on our grump knowledge of the previous editions to talk about the new material in this one. There's a lot that we could have covered in that description, but we're sticking with some of the big items overall: the kith creation system, Revelry, new Thallain. Everything that builds on previous editions' systems will be covered in the third and final episode of this set, on the changes in the edition. For now, these are just some ruminations and opinions on the unexpected elements that stand out to us.

Some links to bits that we mentioned in this go-through include:

And if you want to reach out to weigh in on what you think we should be doing next:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) wanted edible Treasure creation rules to roll up some nocker-crafted cheese puffs. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) demands mechanics for why so many changelings incarnate into human hosts with names nearly the same as their fae ones.

Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos. —Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Episode-83-icon.png episode 83 — changeling 20: the new stuff false no 42:37 No no episode 82 — changeling 20: walkthrough https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-82-changeling-20-walkthrough/ Wed, 01 May 2024 13:32:48 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=503 Well, here we are at last...! After dozens of episodes covering the earlier days of the line, we are beginning our read of Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition, the corebook proper. This first in a trilogy of episodes will be a walkthrough of the book, giving some concise information and commentary about each chapter. It's primarily geared towards new players, but if you are a veteran at this point, we hope you'll still enjoy the refresher. Next up are an episode about the new features of this, and then some of the changes (and our feelings on them).

We reference a whole bunch of past installments in this recording, including:

And if you want to reach out to weigh in on what you think we should be doing next:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) only needs eight more signatures for the petition to move the border of the Kingdom of Northern Ice. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) keeps accepting tokens of enchantment, and would you believe it, they're all caramel shortbread.

The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. 'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked. 'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.' —Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

]]> full 82 3 Well, here we are at last...! After dozens of episodes covering the earlier days of the line, we are beginning our read of Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition, the corebook proper. This first in a trilogy of episodes will be a walkthrough of the book, giving some concise information and commentary about each chapter. It's primarily geared towards new players, but if you are a veteran at this point, we hope you'll still enjoy the refresher. Next up are an episode about the new features of this, and then some of the changes (and our feelings on them).

We reference a whole bunch of past installments in this recording, including:

And if you want to reach out to weigh in on what you think we should be doing next:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) only needs eight more signatures for the petition to move the border of the Kingdom of Northern Ice. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) keeps accepting tokens of enchantment, and would you believe it, they're all caramel shortbread.

The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. 'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked. 'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.' —Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Episode-82-icon.png episode 82 — changeling 20: walkthrough false no 2:00:00 No no episode 81.5 — PAX unplugged roundtable https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-81-5-pax-unplugged-roundtable/ Mon, 29 Apr 2024 11:28:21 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=499 Behold, the bonus episode! Back in December, Pooka had a chit-chat at PAX Unplugged with Terry of Mage: the Podcast and Mike of Darker Days Radio. This was released on Mage: the Podcast a couple weeks ago, but we're cross-posting it here as some random content to tide you over until everything is ready for the C20 corebook dive in a couple days. It's just a meandering conversation about TTRPGs at conventions, the state of the hobby, and our random thoughts while sitting at a table in a room that (partway through) we were informed we really weren't supposed to be in. We're rebels like that.

Go check out:

And the usual get-in-touch-with-us biz:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) tried the Dallas RPG, and it was astonishingly good, but then it turned out it was all a dream.

Consider that everything is opinion, and opinion is in thy power. —Marcus Aurelius

]]> bonus 81.5 3 Behold, the bonus episode! Back in December, Pooka had a chit-chat at PAX Unplugged with Terry of Mage: the Podcast and Mike of Darker Days Radio. This was released on Mage: the Podcast a couple weeks ago, but we're cross-posting it here as some random content to tide you over until everything is ready for the C20 corebook dive in a couple days. It's just a meandering conversation about TTRPGs at conventions, the state of the hobby, and our random thoughts while sitting at a table in a room that (partway through) we were informed we really weren't supposed to be in. We're rebels like that.

Go check out:

And the usual get-in-touch-with-us biz:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) tried the Dallas RPG, and it was astonishingly good, but then it turned out it was all a dream.

Consider that everything is opinion, and opinion is in thy power. —Marcus Aurelius

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Episode-81-5-icon.jpeg episode 81.5 — PAX unplugged roundtable false no 1:02:12 No no episode 81 — anthology of dreams & cup of dreams https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-81-anthology-of-dreams-cup-of-dreams/ Mon, 22 Apr 2024 12:18:14 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=494 We've spoken before about what novels and short stories bring to the World of Darkness. At best, they can provide a naturalistic feel for a lived-in world that players and Storytellers can explore; at worst, they confuse the reader and muddle the rules of the setting. There aren't nearly as many items in the data set as for other World of Darkness games (looking at you, Vampire, with your multiple clan novel series), but we received two for the 20th Anniversary Edition that bookended the line. C20 Anthology of Dreams is a collection of ten short stories that appeared before the corebook, and Immortal Eyes 4: Cup of Dreams is the fourth novel in the Immortal Eyes saga, as well as the final text released for the edition. It may be a little weird for us to combine (technically) the first and last books in the C20 run, but we decided that tackling the role of fiction like this all at once made the most sense. So we came, we read, we opined, and herein our thoughts on what these two books add to the line.

Our previous episode on the Immortal Eyes trilogy is at https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-33-the-immortal-eyes-novels/, if you'd like to do a comparative listen. You can also buy these two books at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/209390?affiliate_id=3063731 and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/292748?affiliate_id=3063731 for a pittance!

We'd also like to highlight the Changeling Cookbook project mentioned in the intro to this episode. This is a project for our Changeling 30 initiative, to be launched next year: a dozen books released over the course of 2025, in collaboration with members of the CtP community. For this one in particular, we welcome tasty recipe submissions from our audience, which you can send in at https://forms.gle/PJspJTuMsuj4tjmr7. More information about the particulars can be found on that form; we hope you'll consider sending something in!

The usual haunts for otherwise contacting us:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) drank from the Cup of Dreams and only got this lousy T-shirt. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) used the Anthology's pages to press flower chimera, and now they're pressing back.

"Go and tell your master that we have been charged by God with a sacred quest. If he will give us food and shelter for the night, he can join us in our quest for the Holy Grail. "Well, I'll ask him, but I don't think he will be very keen. He's already got one, you see." —King Arthur and the French soldier in Monty Python and the Holy Grail

]]> full 81 3 We've spoken before about what novels and short stories bring to the World of Darkness. At best, they can provide a naturalistic feel for a lived-in world that players and Storytellers can explore; at worst, they confuse the reader and muddle the rules of the setting. There aren't nearly as many items in the data set as for other World of Darkness games (looking at you, Vampire, with your multiple clan novel series), but we received two for the 20th Anniversary Edition that bookended the line. C20 Anthology of Dreams is a collection of ten short stories that appeared before the corebook, and Immortal Eyes 4: Cup of Dreams is the fourth novel in the Immortal Eyes saga, as well as the final text released for the edition. It may be a little weird for us to combine (technically) the first and last books in the C20 run, but we decided that tackling the role of fiction like this all at once made the most sense. So we came, we read, we opined, and herein our thoughts on what these two books add to the line.

Our previous episode on the Immortal Eyes trilogy is at https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-33-the-immortal-eyes-novels/, if you'd like to do a comparative listen. You can also buy these two books at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/209390?affiliate_id=3063731 and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/292748?affiliate_id=3063731 for a pittance!

We'd also like to highlight the Changeling Cookbook project mentioned in the intro to this episode. This is a project for our Changeling 30 initiative, to be launched next year: a dozen books released over the course of 2025, in collaboration with members of the CtP community. For this one in particular, we welcome tasty recipe submissions from our audience, which you can send in at https://forms.gle/PJspJTuMsuj4tjmr7. More information about the particulars can be found on that form; we hope you'll consider sending something in!

The usual haunts for otherwise contacting us:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) drank from the Cup of Dreams and only got this lousy T-shirt. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) used the Anthology's pages to press flower chimera, and now they're pressing back.

"Go and tell your master that we have been charged by God with a sacred quest. If he will give us food and shelter for the night, he can join us in our quest for the Holy Grail. "Well, I'll ask him, but I don't think he will be very keen. He's already got one, you see." —King Arthur and the French soldier in Monty Python and the Holy Grail

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Episode-81-icon.png episode 81 — anthology of dreams & cup of dreams false no 1:00:04 No no episode 80 — c20 writer/dev roundtable https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-80-c20-writer-dev-roundtable/ Mon, 15 Apr 2024 12:19:46 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=490 As much as we enjoy flipping through pages and making sweeping claims about Changeling, we have never (alas) been directly involved in the production of the official game line. So for this roundtable, we invited some guests with insider knowledge: four of the writers and developers involved with the 20th Anniversary Edition. We obviously couldn't pull the curtain back too far, but these Bears With Balloons told anecdotes, shared insights, and gave us an idea of what it's like to work on a game line like this. Much laughter ensued, and we hope you'll enjoy listening as much we enjoyed chit-chatting.

We've got a whole smörgåsbord of links this time, to point you towards everyone's various web presences and projects:

And for our own, should you wish to get in touch with us...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) should have realized that attending a Round Table would be followed by a quest for the Cup of Dreams. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) would have preferred an Oblong Dolmen, but you work with what you've got.

You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it. —Neil Gaiman

]]> full 80 3 As much as we enjoy flipping through pages and making sweeping claims about Changeling, we have never (alas) been directly involved in the production of the official game line. So for this roundtable, we invited some guests with insider knowledge: four of the writers and developers involved with the 20th Anniversary Edition. We obviously couldn't pull the curtain back too far, but these Bears With Balloons told anecdotes, shared insights, and gave us an idea of what it's like to work on a game line like this. Much laughter ensued, and we hope you'll enjoy listening as much we enjoyed chit-chatting.

We've got a whole smörgåsbord of links this time, to point you towards everyone's various web presences and projects:

And for our own, should you wish to get in touch with us...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) should have realized that attending a Round Table would be followed by a quest for the Cup of Dreams. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) would have preferred an Oblong Dolmen, but you work with what you've got.

You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it. —Neil Gaiman

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Episode-80-icon.png episode 80 — c20 writer/dev roundtable false no 1:15:00 No no episode 79 — exalted: the fair folk https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-79-exalted-the-fair-folk/ Mon, 08 Apr 2024 12:17:55 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=488 When we covered Dark Ages: Fae, we mentioned that it was the one canonical historical setting kind of for Changeling. That's not entirely true, because in the earliest days of the Exalted line, its world was lightly framed as the "prehistory" of the World of Darkness. While that aspect fell out of the setting pretty quickly, the first edition still echoes many of the modern World of Darkness games, recycling terms and ideas in novel ways. The counterpart to Changeling is Exalted: the Fair Folk, wherein we learn about the mysterious patterns of chaos pretending to be people that live in the Wyld outside the borders of Creation. That's close enough for our liking—join us as we read through this chomker of a tome and see what we can extract to inform a Changeling: the Dreaming game experience. Maybe what we find will be unexpected...! Or, you know, it might not. We can neither claim nor dismiss any kind of surprise.

If you've a hankering for old-school Exalted fatsplat corebooks, you can snag this one at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1602?affiliate_id=3063731 for your collection. Otherwise, our own Middlemarch Demesnes are as follows:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) practices Unexpected Magical Protagonist Style, the martial art that recounts a mass market paperback fantasy main character arc. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) searches for a Charm that reshapes those pesky human dreams and emotions into tasty baklava.

HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools. —Ambrose Bierce, The Cynic's Word Book

]]> full 79 3 When we covered Dark Ages: Fae, we mentioned that it was the one canonical historical setting kind of for Changeling. That's not entirely true, because in the earliest days of the Exalted line, its world was lightly framed as the "prehistory" of the World of Darkness. While that aspect fell out of the setting pretty quickly, the first edition still echoes many of the modern World of Darkness games, recycling terms and ideas in novel ways. The counterpart to Changeling is Exalted: the Fair Folk, wherein we learn about the mysterious patterns of chaos pretending to be people that live in the Wyld outside the borders of Creation. That's close enough for our liking—join us as we read through this chomker of a tome and see what we can extract to inform a Changeling: the Dreaming game experience. Maybe what we find will be unexpected...! Or, you know, it might not. We can neither claim nor dismiss any kind of surprise.

If you've a hankering for old-school Exalted fatsplat corebooks, you can snag this one at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1602?affiliate_id=3063731 for your collection. Otherwise, our own Middlemarch Demesnes are as follows:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) practices Unexpected Magical Protagonist Style, the martial art that recounts a mass market paperback fantasy main character arc. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) searches for a Charm that reshapes those pesky human dreams and emotions into tasty baklava.

HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools. —Ambrose Bierce, The Cynic's Word Book

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Episode-79-icon.png episode 79 — exalted: the fair folk false no 1:51:46 No no episode 78 — changeling: the lost discussion https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-78-changeling-the-lost-discussion/ Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:19:11 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=485 Don't worry, we're not totally casting off our roots quite yet. While Changeling: the Dreaming was in deep freeze, the mantle of "modern personal horror fae game" was taken up by Changeling: the Lost, a rather different entry in the (new) World/Chronicles of Darkness. At a glance, Lost shares a lot of terms and concepts with Dreaming, but digging into it, the game diverges significantly from its predecessor. This doesn't mean it's a bad game! We're giving it a fair shake this week and talking generally about some of its setting, the unique position it carves out among the lines, and how we feel it relates to Dreaming—especially since this was maybe the primary replacement we had to work with until C20.

Navigate the Hedge to leave us some goblin fruit at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a Contract that runs maple syrup in the veins of enemies. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers goblin viennoiseries.

And in his brain, Which is as dry as the remainder biscuit After a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd With observation, the which he vents In mangled forms. —William Shakespeare, As You Like It, II.7

]]> full 78 3 Don't worry, we're not totally casting off our roots quite yet. While Changeling: the Dreaming was in deep freeze, the mantle of "modern personal horror fae game" was taken up by Changeling: the Lost, a rather different entry in the (new) World/Chronicles of Darkness. At a glance, Lost shares a lot of terms and concepts with Dreaming, but digging into it, the game diverges significantly from its predecessor. This doesn't mean it's a bad game! We're giving it a fair shake this week and talking generally about some of its setting, the unique position it carves out among the lines, and how we feel it relates to Dreaming—especially since this was maybe the primary replacement we had to work with until C20.

Navigate the Hedge to leave us some goblin fruit at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a Contract that runs maple syrup in the veins of enemies. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers goblin viennoiseries.

And in his brain, Which is as dry as the remainder biscuit After a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd With observation, the which he vents In mangled forms. —William Shakespeare, As You Like It, II.7

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Episode-78-icon.jpeg episode 78 — changeling: the lost discussion false no 1:05:59 No no episode 77 — old kithbook: boggans https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-77-old-kithbook-boggans/ Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:08:56 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=482 As we alluded to in our minisode about the unreleased Book of Glamour and Keys to the Kingdom, there was one more title done dirty by the unceremonious end of Changeling's 2nd edition. The long-lamented Kithbook: Boggans was on the putative release schedule (and available for pre-order) until long after the line's conclusion. When it became clear that the book would not be materializing, [cue dramatic music] an intrepid band of netizens and boggan devotees, led by Thad Papke, took it upon themselves to assemble their own Kithbook. And this kithbook would be a beacon unto the community! For it would shine a light on the kith in all their misunderstood glory, completing the cycle and inspiring players and STs alike to rise up and say, our game! our kithbook! our Concordia!

(OK, maybe the last part didn't quite happen like that.)

Nevertheless, it's a solid piece of text from an era when the culture of homebrew was a lot more scattered (a historical context we discuss in this episode). Eventually, the boggans did get their own official kithbook—to be covered in a future episode—but for over a decade, this was what was on offer, setting an impressive bar for future fan efforts. Have a listen to our discussion at:

You can also craft us a message via:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) proudly owns the boggan Treasure shoebox that untangles all the random wires and cables you store within it. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) absconded with the boggan Treasure toaster oven that perfectly reheats any kind of leftovers.

Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere. —Elrond, of Frodo, in J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring

]]> full 77 3 As we alluded to in our minisode about the unreleased Book of Glamour and Keys to the Kingdom, there was one more title done dirty by the unceremonious end of Changeling's 2nd edition. The long-lamented Kithbook: Boggans was on the putative release schedule (and available for pre-order) until long after the line's conclusion. When it became clear that the book would not be materializing, [cue dramatic music] an intrepid band of netizens and boggan devotees, led by Thad Papke, took it upon themselves to assemble their own Kithbook. And this kithbook would be a beacon unto the community! For it would shine a light on the kith in all their misunderstood glory, completing the cycle and inspiring players and STs alike to rise up and say, our game! our kithbook! our Concordia!

(OK, maybe the last part didn't quite happen like that.)

Nevertheless, it's a solid piece of text from an era when the culture of homebrew was a lot more scattered (a historical context we discuss in this episode). Eventually, the boggans did get their own official kithbook—to be covered in a future episode—but for over a decade, this was what was on offer, setting an impressive bar for future fan efforts. Have a listen to our discussion at:

You can also craft us a message via:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) proudly owns the boggan Treasure shoebox that untangles all the random wires and cables you store within it. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) absconded with the boggan Treasure toaster oven that perfectly reheats any kind of leftovers.

Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere. —Elrond, of Frodo, in J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Episode-77-icon.png episode 77 — old kithbook: boggans false no 59:31 No no episode 76 — neurodiversity and ableism https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-76-neurodiversity-and-ableism/ Mon, 18 Mar 2024 12:20:12 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=478 We're tackling a slightly heavy subject today, talking about neurodiversity and ableism in the context of Changeling: the Dreaming. There are numerous ways in which these arise allegorically and literally in the pages of the game. We cover a few broad topics, but really we're just scratching the surface here, framing our interpretations of the themes with our particular perspectives and experiences. Regardless of what your own may be, we hope this episode encourages you to pause and think, and maybe do some exploring outside the realm of the game itself. (And if it's not your cup of tea, we won't be offended if you skip—but we look forward to seeing you next time!)

To get in touch with us:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) reserves Unleashings for dealing swiftly with the prejudiced and ignorant. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) swoons into phonological pleasure from the double dactylic rhythm of the word "neurodiversity".

Difference is that raw and powerful connection from which our personal power is forged. —Audre Lorde

]]> full 76 3 We're tackling a slightly heavy subject today, talking about neurodiversity and ableism in the context of Changeling: the Dreaming. There are numerous ways in which these arise allegorically and literally in the pages of the game. We cover a few broad topics, but really we're just scratching the surface here, framing our interpretations of the themes with our particular perspectives and experiences. Regardless of what your own may be, we hope this episode encourages you to pause and think, and maybe do some exploring outside the realm of the game itself. (And if it's not your cup of tea, we won't be offended if you skip—but we look forward to seeing you next time!)

To get in touch with us:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) reserves Unleashings for dealing swiftly with the prejudiced and ignorant. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) swoons into phonological pleasure from the double dactylic rhythm of the word "neurodiversity".

Difference is that raw and powerful connection from which our personal power is forged. —Audre Lorde

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Episode-76-icon.png episode 76 — neurodiversity and ableism false no 49:42 No no episode 75.5 — darkening sky https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-75-5-darkening-sky/ Thu, 14 Mar 2024 12:16:16 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=475 We're informed in Dark Ages: Fae that "the Oath-Truce falls with the darkening sky"... but it took another decade for the creators of the line to fulfill that promise. In this solo minisode, Pooka talks a bit about the eponymous supplement, Darkening Sky, released at last in 2014. This coda to the Revised line provides five stories centered around the eclipse of 1230 AD, whereby we get the only canon material for the Fae outside of the corebook. It's a quaint little adventure that draws on a few disparate threads, but also attempts to tie the Dark Ages setting more directly to Changeling: the Dreaming, with... a measure of success? Anyway, it's not very much content, and we're not in the business of spoiling adventures people might want to run—especially since this is the meatier of two total that the line received—so this is just a minisode for your midweek listening pleasure.

For your purchasing pleasure, here's the link to the book on the Storytellers' Vault: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/125594?affiliate_id=3063731

And from there, do darken (or better yet, brighten!) our own skies with your presence at:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) would like to encourage Tam Lin to keep his fiddle in its case for once, when a young mortal Janet wanders by.

The reappearance of the light is the same as the survival of the soul. —Victor Hugo

]]> bonus 75.5 3 We're informed in Dark Ages: Fae that "the Oath-Truce falls with the darkening sky"... but it took another decade for the creators of the line to fulfill that promise. In this solo minisode, Pooka talks a bit about the eponymous supplement, Darkening Sky, released at last in 2014. This coda to the Revised line provides five stories centered around the eclipse of 1230 AD, whereby we get the only canon material for the Fae outside of the corebook. It's a quaint little adventure that draws on a few disparate threads, but also attempts to tie the Dark Ages setting more directly to Changeling: the Dreaming, with... a measure of success? Anyway, it's not very much content, and we're not in the business of spoiling adventures people might want to run—especially since this is the meatier of two total that the line received—so this is just a minisode for your midweek listening pleasure.

For your purchasing pleasure, here's the link to the book on the Storytellers' Vault: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/125594?affiliate_id=3063731

And from there, do darken (or better yet, brighten!) our own skies with your presence at:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) would like to encourage Tam Lin to keep his fiddle in its case for once, when a young mortal Janet wanders by.

The reappearance of the light is the same as the survival of the soul. —Victor Hugo

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Episode-75-5-icon.png episode 75.5 — darkening sky false no 10:54 No no episode 75 — dark ages: fae https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-75-dark-ages-fae/ Tue, 12 Mar 2024 02:15:49 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=473 And now for something completely different...! We're diving into one of the last books for the old World of Darkness this week—and we do mean OLD, for the book in question is Dark Ages: Fae. Technically a spin-off of Dark Ages: Vampire, and one of the standalone corebooks in the Dark Ages line, this is both the only full Revised book and historical setting that we got for Changeling: the Dreaming. Whether it's actually the latter is debatable, and we will indeed be keeping its suitability in mind as we flip through the pages. But there are also some hints of bridging the gap between the original run of the game and what came after, notably Changeling: the Lost and C20. We'll be talking Weavings and Echoes, Oaths and Origins, Firstborn and Fading Realms... whether it works well or not, there's plenty of material here to consider.

There's a whole passel of links for things mentioned in the show this week:

And then our usual social media whatnots:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) prefers the term "Slightly Overcast Ages". Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can't say the word "Hohenzollern" without breaking into giggles.

Sumer is icumen in Lhude sing cuccu! Groweþ sed and bloweþ med and springþ þe wde nu— Sing cuccu! —Traditional round

]]> full 75 3 And now for something completely different...! We're diving into one of the last books for the old World of Darkness this week—and we do mean OLD, for the book in question is Dark Ages: Fae. Technically a spin-off of Dark Ages: Vampire, and one of the standalone corebooks in the Dark Ages line, this is both the only full Revised book and historical setting that we got for Changeling: the Dreaming. Whether it's actually the latter is debatable, and we will indeed be keeping its suitability in mind as we flip through the pages. But there are also some hints of bridging the gap between the original run of the game and what came after, notably Changeling: the Lost and C20. We'll be talking Weavings and Echoes, Oaths and Origins, Firstborn and Fading Realms... whether it works well or not, there's plenty of material here to consider.

There's a whole passel of links for things mentioned in the show this week:

And then our usual social media whatnots:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) prefers the term "Slightly Overcast Ages". Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can't say the word "Hohenzollern" without breaking into giggles.

Sumer is icumen in Lhude sing cuccu! Groweþ sed and bloweþ med and springþ þe wde nu— Sing cuccu! —Traditional round

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Episode-75-icon.jpeg episode 75 — dark ages: fae false no 1:44:32 No no episode 74.5 — lost texts: book of glamour and keys to the kingdom https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-74-5-lost-texts-book-of-glamour-and-keys-to-the-kingdom/ Thu, 07 Mar 2024 14:21:39 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=470 Behold the minisode! Today we're diving into the Library of What Could Have Been, as we talk about two books that we never actually got for Changeling: Book of Glamour and Keys to the Kingdom. Long-promised, partly written, and much desired, the complete guide to fae magic and the globetrotting metaplot adventures lingered in the dreams of 2e players even after the old World of Darkness had been detonated. Presumably some of the material made it into the 20th anniversary edition; the signs remain unclear. Nevertheless, we managed to scrape together some tidbits and information to talk about, so for those of you who didn't live through the slowly suffocated hopes of these books, we're here to give you the story.

(And yes, Kithbook: Boggans was the third of the cancelled triad, but at least we got an unofficial, and much later an official, version of it. To be addressed in future episodes!)

As always, share your own thoughts via:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) dreams bittersweetly about the lost Art of Érablesse, the maple-themed magic of Canadian changelings. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) found a piece of the Triumph Casque's Key in a Dumpster behind the local Denny's.

"It’s the hope that’s important. Big part of belief, hope. Give people jam today and they’ll just sit and eat it. Jam tomorrow, now—that’ll keep them going forever." —Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

]]> bonus 74.5 3 Behold the minisode! Today we're diving into the Library of What Could Have Been, as we talk about two books that we never actually got for Changeling: Book of Glamour and Keys to the Kingdom. Long-promised, partly written, and much desired, the complete guide to fae magic and the globetrotting metaplot adventures lingered in the dreams of 2e players even after the old World of Darkness had been detonated. Presumably some of the material made it into the 20th anniversary edition; the signs remain unclear. Nevertheless, we managed to scrape together some tidbits and information to talk about, so for those of you who didn't live through the slowly suffocated hopes of these books, we're here to give you the story.

(And yes, Kithbook: Boggans was the third of the cancelled triad, but at least we got an unofficial, and much later an official, version of it. To be addressed in future episodes!)

As always, share your own thoughts via:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) dreams bittersweetly about the lost Art of Érablesse, the maple-themed magic of Canadian changelings. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) found a piece of the Triumph Casque's Key in a Dumpster behind the local Denny's.

"It’s the hope that’s important. Big part of belief, hope. Give people jam today and they’ll just sit and eat it. Jam tomorrow, now—that’ll keep them going forever." —Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Episode-74-5-icon.jpeg episode 74.5 — lost texts: book of glamour and keys to the kingdom false no 17:22 No no episode 74 — fae and morality https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-74-fae-and-morality/ Mon, 04 Mar 2024 14:15:15 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=466 Another week, another theme episode...! This time around, we're considering the role of morality in Changeling: the Dreaming, and the World of Darkness at large. Folklorically, the fae have always tended to dance to their own tune (and often drag hapless mortals along with them) when it comes to questions of right and wrong, good and evil, awesome and dastardly. And yet the changelings are half-human, caught between the memories of their inner nature and the modern values with which they were raised. We talk about this tension and how it is explored—or not explored—within the setting and mechanics, as well as some options for Storytellers and players to do so.

It's just kind of a wide-ranging discussion this episode, which easily spawns all kinds of follow-ups that we didn't have recording time to fully pursue. So if you have Thoughts and Feelings about this aspect of the game, reach out and tell us about it, whydontcha:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) received a Title for wiping the floor with the competition during the Spelling Bee of Honor. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) went into hiding for nine counts of disorderly knowledge at the Geography Bee of Sleaze.

"Everything's got a moral if only you can find it." —The Duchess in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland

]]> full 74 3 Another week, another theme episode...! This time around, we're considering the role of morality in Changeling: the Dreaming, and the World of Darkness at large. Folklorically, the fae have always tended to dance to their own tune (and often drag hapless mortals along with them) when it comes to questions of right and wrong, good and evil, awesome and dastardly. And yet the changelings are half-human, caught between the memories of their inner nature and the modern values with which they were raised. We talk about this tension and how it is explored—or not explored—within the setting and mechanics, as well as some options for Storytellers and players to do so.

It's just kind of a wide-ranging discussion this episode, which easily spawns all kinds of follow-ups that we didn't have recording time to fully pursue. So if you have Thoughts and Feelings about this aspect of the game, reach out and tell us about it, whydontcha:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) received a Title for wiping the floor with the competition during the Spelling Bee of Honor. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) went into hiding for nine counts of disorderly knowledge at the Geography Bee of Sleaze.

"Everything's got a moral if only you can find it." —The Duchess in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Episode-74-icon.jpeg episode 74 — fae and morality false no 1:00:51 No no episode 73 — hunter, mummy, demon https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-73-hunter-mummy-demon/ Mon, 26 Feb 2024 14:52:46 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=463 We're baaaack...!

It's the start of Season Three here at the Podcast, and we're excited to once again be bringing you some weekly-ish discourse on Changeling: the Dreaming. As we proceed chronologically through the game's history, we're now in that wilderness between the end of 2nd edition and the launch of the 20th Anniversary edition. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to say about Changeling and it's place in the World of Darkness. We're talking today about Hunter: the Reckoning, Mummy: the Resurrection, and Demon: the Fallen, three WoD games that were concurrent with the sunset and slumber of the Dreaming. There's limited information with which to suss out how these three splats view and interact with the fae, but we never said we didn't like a challenge.

If you're interested in purchasing any of the corebooks for those lines:

In the realm of shameless promotion, there's also the Bog Bodies book for Mummy "20th" that Pooka created here: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/395251?affiliate_id=3063731, and if you'd like to hear Mage: the Podcast's dive into the 1st and 2nd edition Mummy books, check out https://magethepodcast.com/tomes-of-magick-a-world-of-darkness-mummy/ and https://magethepodcast.com/tomes-of-magick-mummy-second-edition/ respectively and respectfully.

And of course, you can contact us through the following channels for all of your questions and musings on dank monstrosities and those who pursue them:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) suggests that sysops are prime candidates for Imbuing. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) swoons for the linguistically superb Hekau of Nomenclature.

"If the apocalypse comes— beep me." —Buffy Summers

]]> full 73 3 We're baaaack...!

It's the start of Season Three here at the Podcast, and we're excited to once again be bringing you some weekly-ish discourse on Changeling: the Dreaming. As we proceed chronologically through the game's history, we're now in that wilderness between the end of 2nd edition and the launch of the 20th Anniversary edition. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to say about Changeling and it's place in the World of Darkness. We're talking today about Hunter: the Reckoning, Mummy: the Resurrection, and Demon: the Fallen, three WoD games that were concurrent with the sunset and slumber of the Dreaming. There's limited information with which to suss out how these three splats view and interact with the fae, but we never said we didn't like a challenge.

If you're interested in purchasing any of the corebooks for those lines:

In the realm of shameless promotion, there's also the Bog Bodies book for Mummy "20th" that Pooka created here: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/395251?affiliate_id=3063731, and if you'd like to hear Mage: the Podcast's dive into the 1st and 2nd edition Mummy books, check out https://magethepodcast.com/tomes-of-magick-a-world-of-darkness-mummy/ and https://magethepodcast.com/tomes-of-magick-mummy-second-edition/ respectively and respectfully.

And of course, you can contact us through the following channels for all of your questions and musings on dank monstrosities and those who pursue them:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) suggests that sysops are prime candidates for Imbuing. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) swoons for the linguistically superb Hekau of Nomenclature.

"If the apocalypse comes— beep me." —Buffy Summers

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Episode-73-icon.png episode 73 — hunter, mummy, demon false no 1:12:54 No no episode 72.5 — state of the podcast, winterregnum 23-24 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-72-5-state-of-the-podcast-winterregnum-23-24/ Thu, 21 Dec 2023 13:50:42 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=454 ...and that's a wrap! For this year, at least; we intend to be back in a couple of months, after taking our usual winter constitutional. A happy solstice be upon you, and thanks again to everyone for sticking with us through the second half of the Season. We hope you'll help us make Season 3 one to remember as well.

As reminded in the episode, we are putting together a passel of homebrew books over the course of 2024, for release on a monthly basis in 2025, in celebration of Changeling's 30th Anniversary. To that end, we are still open to knowledgeable people joining the crew for this project! Please see our public Patreon post at https://www.patreon.com/posts/changeling-30th-92652480 for more information. You're welcome to toss your name into the hat to help with any of the books listed, or to send us a pitch for another of your own. If you've been curious about getting involved in independently-created content for Changeling (or other TTRPGs), maybe this is the time?

For more news and updates, click your way to any of our usual haunts, where we'd be happy to welcome you in:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is waiting out the Winterregnum in a fort made of marshmallows. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) will sacrifice whatever to whomever for a proper snow day this year.

"Never say goodbye, because goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting." —J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

]]> bonus 72.5 2 ...and that's a wrap! For this year, at least; we intend to be back in a couple of months, after taking our usual winter constitutional. A happy solstice be upon you, and thanks again to everyone for sticking with us through the second half of the Season. We hope you'll help us make Season 3 one to remember as well.

As reminded in the episode, we are putting together a passel of homebrew books over the course of 2024, for release on a monthly basis in 2025, in celebration of Changeling's 30th Anniversary. To that end, we are still open to knowledgeable people joining the crew for this project! Please see our public Patreon post at https://www.patreon.com/posts/changeling-30th-92652480 for more information. You're welcome to toss your name into the hat to help with any of the books listed, or to send us a pitch for another of your own. If you've been curious about getting involved in independently-created content for Changeling (or other TTRPGs), maybe this is the time?

For more news and updates, click your way to any of our usual haunts, where we'd be happy to welcome you in:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is waiting out the Winterregnum in a fort made of marshmallows. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) will sacrifice whatever to whomever for a proper snow day this year.

"Never say goodbye, because goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting." —J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Episode-72-5-icon.png episode 72.5 — state of the podcast, winterregnum 23-24 false no 13:22 No no episode 72 — time of judgment https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-72-time-of-judgment/ Mon, 18 Dec 2023 14:51:43 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=451 It's strange to go back to the end of an era, but that's the feel of things this week as we pick up Time of Judgment, finale to the old World of Darkness. After the "Big Three" each got their own book of the end times, the remaining (lower-selling) games got one chapter each in this catchall supplement. And those were the last pages of Changeling for over a decade—so it's seems fitting to cover this as our last full episode of the season. There's some Storytelling guidance and five scenarios (about which we have thoughts), and a note of bittersweetness about it all. How else could it have (for then) ended?

The book is available to add to your collection at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/699?affiliate_id=3063731, and you'll get the chapters on Demon, Hunter, Kindred of the East, and Mummy to boot! We pointed to Harbingers of Winter as well, for incorporating the Tithed Ones but also other big baddies of Changeling. That one is at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/388455?affiliate_id=3063731, and you can listen to our interview with Charlie here: https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-12-harbingers-of-winter-with-charlie-cantrell/. Finally, if you're into Mage and want to hear about that game's finale book Ascension, Mage: the Podcast has an informative episode on just that very topic: https://magethepodcast.com/tomes-of-magick-ascension/. Ask ye and the digisphere shall provide.

As for ourselves...!

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) favors the apocalypse scenario where the nockers just try turning the Dreaming off and then on again. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) immanentized the eschaton and all they got was this lousy T-shirt.

That's how it goes, you think you're on top of the world, and suddenly they spring Armageddon on you. —Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens

]]> full 72 2 It's strange to go back to the end of an era, but that's the feel of things this week as we pick up Time of Judgment, finale to the old World of Darkness. After the "Big Three" each got their own book of the end times, the remaining (lower-selling) games got one chapter each in this catchall supplement. And those were the last pages of Changeling for over a decade—so it's seems fitting to cover this as our last full episode of the season. There's some Storytelling guidance and five scenarios (about which we have thoughts), and a note of bittersweetness about it all. How else could it have (for then) ended?

The book is available to add to your collection at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/699?affiliate_id=3063731, and you'll get the chapters on Demon, Hunter, Kindred of the East, and Mummy to boot! We pointed to Harbingers of Winter as well, for incorporating the Tithed Ones but also other big baddies of Changeling. That one is at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/388455?affiliate_id=3063731, and you can listen to our interview with Charlie here: https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-12-harbingers-of-winter-with-charlie-cantrell/. Finally, if you're into Mage and want to hear about that game's finale book Ascension, Mage: the Podcast has an informative episode on just that very topic: https://magethepodcast.com/tomes-of-magick-ascension/. Ask ye and the digisphere shall provide.

As for ourselves...!

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) favors the apocalypse scenario where the nockers just try turning the Dreaming off and then on again. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) immanentized the eschaton and all they got was this lousy T-shirt.

That's how it goes, you think you're on top of the world, and suddenly they spring Armageddon on you. —Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Episode-72-icon.png episode 72 — time of judgment false no 1:05:56 No no episode 71.5 — trolle, träumer, tiefe wälder https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-71-5-trolle-traumer-tiefe-walder/ Thu, 14 Dec 2023 13:58:33 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=448 Another trip across the ocean...! Pooka put their linguistic skills to use in order to skim/translate (read: stumble through with a dictionary in one hand and a fervent prayer to the word-gods in the other) the long-lost book Trolle, Träumer, Tiefe Wälder. This German-only supplement was released near the end of 2nd Edition, and describes Germany from a Kithain perspective. (It's also the original source for the Wichtel and Wolpertinger kiths from C20, although they are rather different here...) The book is basically impossible to find for fewer than several hundred dollars at this point, so this minisode is an attempt to summarize the text and provide some information for the curious. Consider this a bonus listen before we get to—deep breath—the end of the original line...

If you've got some feedback, in German or otherwise, drop us a line:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) insists that there are very few problems of the body or soul that can't be solved with a bowl of Kürbissuppe.

Denn das Schöne ist nichts als des Schrecklichen Anfang, den wir noch grade ertragen, und wir bewundern es so, weil es gelassen verschmäht, uns zu zerstören. [For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror, which we still are just able to endure, and we are so awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.] —Rainer Maria Rilke, first Duino Elegy (tr. Stephen Mitchell)

]]> bonus 71.5 2 Another trip across the ocean...! Pooka put their linguistic skills to use in order to skim/translate (read: stumble through with a dictionary in one hand and a fervent prayer to the word-gods in the other) the long-lost book Trolle, Träumer, Tiefe Wälder. This German-only supplement was released near the end of 2nd Edition, and describes Germany from a Kithain perspective. (It's also the original source for the Wichtel and Wolpertinger kiths from C20, although they are rather different here...) The book is basically impossible to find for fewer than several hundred dollars at this point, so this minisode is an attempt to summarize the text and provide some information for the curious. Consider this a bonus listen before we get to—deep breath—the end of the original line...

If you've got some feedback, in German or otherwise, drop us a line:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) insists that there are very few problems of the body or soul that can't be solved with a bowl of Kürbissuppe.

Denn das Schöne ist nichts als des Schrecklichen Anfang, den wir noch grade ertragen, und wir bewundern es so, weil es gelassen verschmäht, uns zu zerstören. [For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror, which we still are just able to endure, and we are so awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.] —Rainer Maria Rilke, first Duino Elegy (tr. Stephen Mitchell)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Episode-71-5-icon.png episode 71.5 — trolle, träumer, tiefe wälder false no 29:43 No no episode 71 — changeling: the celtic cycle https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-71-changeling-the-celtic-cycle/ Mon, 11 Dec 2023 13:21:03 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=445 And now for something rather different... we're stepping out of the Changeling canon and into the wonderful world of late 90s/early 00s homebrew with Changeling: the Celtic Cycle. Written by three World of Darkness authors, CtCC radically re-imagines the world of Changeling: no Glamour and Banality, no Dreamers to cultivate, no Dreaming separate from the Umbra. Instead, the fae in this version of the game are directly inspired by Celtic mythology and epic. The supplement was released in three installments as part of a zine, in all its early-days-of-desktop-publishing glory, and is as much an interesting historical artifact for that context as for its contents. But the authors also went on to be involved in Book of Lost of Houses, Dark Ages: Fae, and Changeling: the Lost, with all of which we see a few subtle connections...

The text is findable online, but we'll also have it available in our Discord (link below!). Some other links include:

As always, our own passel of social media links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) went looking for Changeling: the Danish Cycle, but only found a kith that could shapechange into flaky pastries. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) favors the Branch of Rhiannon, for which one sympathy is to wear a full-on Stevie Nicks ensemble.

High on the mountain stands a boat But are they gods or real folk? We can't see the fire but we smell the smoke Who'll take the plough? Who'll be the yoke? –Horslips, "Trouble with a Capital T"

]]> full 71 71 And now for something rather different... we're stepping out of the Changeling canon and into the wonderful world of late 90s/early 00s homebrew with Changeling: the Celtic Cycle. Written by three World of Darkness authors, CtCC radically re-imagines the world of Changeling: no Glamour and Banality, no Dreamers to cultivate, no Dreaming separate from the Umbra. Instead, the fae in this version of the game are directly inspired by Celtic mythology and epic. The supplement was released in three installments as part of a zine, in all its early-days-of-desktop-publishing glory, and is as much an interesting historical artifact for that context as for its contents. But the authors also went on to be involved in Book of Lost of Houses, Dark Ages: Fae, and Changeling: the Lost, with all of which we see a few subtle connections...

The text is findable online, but we'll also have it available in our Discord (link below!). Some other links include:

As always, our own passel of social media links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) went looking for Changeling: the Danish Cycle, but only found a kith that could shapechange into flaky pastries. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) favors the Branch of Rhiannon, for which one sympathy is to wear a full-on Stevie Nicks ensemble.

High on the mountain stands a boat But are they gods or real folk? We can't see the fire but we smell the smoke Who'll take the plough? Who'll be the yoke? –Horslips, "Trouble with a Capital T"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Episode-71-icon.png episode 71 — changeling: the celtic cycle false no 55:22 No no episode 70 — kithbook: eshu https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-70-kithbook-eshu/ Mon, 04 Dec 2023 13:50:46 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=441 Wanderers and storytellers, tricksters and rapscallions... we're diving this week into Kithbook: Eshu and all that it has to teach about this most wonderfully wayward of Kithain. This was the last full-length Changeling: the Dreaming supplement for something like fifteen years, and as presumed final entries go, it was an intriguing one. (The last page of the original print edition, though, with the ad for a book that would never materialize... that was kind of heartbreaking.) We discuss levels of appropriateness for incorporating Yorùbá religion as this book does, get into the weeds about Birthrights, and ask important questions, such as "Talecraft: why?" It's a bittersweet sunset to 2nd Edition, all things told. And what could be more Changeling than that?

Wend your way over to https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/174?affiliate_id=3063731 if you'd like to purchase the PDF. And why stop there? Let your path continue to any of the following places to find out more about the show and connect with us:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) travels by a compass that points in nonexistent directions, like "south–north-up" and "otherwards". Pooka G (any pronoun/they) will put a girdle round about the Earth in forty minutes.

千里之行始於足下。 Qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià. [A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.] —Laozi, loosely translated

]]> full 70 2 Wanderers and storytellers, tricksters and rapscallions... we're diving this week into Kithbook: Eshu and all that it has to teach about this most wonderfully wayward of Kithain. This was the last full-length Changeling: the Dreaming supplement for something like fifteen years, and as presumed final entries go, it was an intriguing one. (The last page of the original print edition, though, with the ad for a book that would never materialize... that was kind of heartbreaking.) We discuss levels of appropriateness for incorporating Yorùbá religion as this book does, get into the weeds about Birthrights, and ask important questions, such as "Talecraft: why?" It's a bittersweet sunset to 2nd Edition, all things told. And what could be more Changeling than that?

Wend your way over to https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/174?affiliate_id=3063731 if you'd like to purchase the PDF. And why stop there? Let your path continue to any of the following places to find out more about the show and connect with us:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) travels by a compass that points in nonexistent directions, like "south–north-up" and "otherwards". Pooka G (any pronoun/they) will put a girdle round about the Earth in forty minutes.

千里之行始於足下。 Qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià. [A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.] —Laozi, loosely translated

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Episode-70-icon.png episode 70 — kithbook: eshu false no 1:12:06 No no episode 69.5 — dispatches from PAX unplugged https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-69-5-dispatches-from-pax-unplugged/ Sun, 03 Dec 2023 13:26:03 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=439 It's the weekend of PAX Unplugged, a three-day convention for all forms of non-digital gaming in Philadelphia, and Pooka got themself a media badge. So, in an effort to justify that, they went around doing on-the-spot quick interviews with a number of RPG creators whose work is Changeling-adjacent (mostly fairytale and mythology themed). Please forgive the sound quality; the interviews were conducted using a tiny microphone in a crowded and busy expo hall, and voices don't always travel well through N95 masks. Nevertheless, here's hoping these broaden your horizons, and if you're at PAX today, here are four booths you might want to check out...

The interviews are presented in the order in which they were conducted, as are the information about the creators below:

And as usual, for CtP's own points of contact:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) never met a fae-themed TTRPG they didn't like. Except for THAT one!

]]> bonus 69.5 2 It's the weekend of PAX Unplugged, a three-day convention for all forms of non-digital gaming in Philadelphia, and Pooka got themself a media badge. So, in an effort to justify that, they went around doing on-the-spot quick interviews with a number of RPG creators whose work is Changeling-adjacent (mostly fairytale and mythology themed). Please forgive the sound quality; the interviews were conducted using a tiny microphone in a crowded and busy expo hall, and voices don't always travel well through N95 masks. Nevertheless, here's hoping these broaden your horizons, and if you're at PAX today, here are four booths you might want to check out...

The interviews are presented in the order in which they were conducted, as are the information about the creators below:

And as usual, for CtP's own points of contact:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) never met a fae-themed TTRPG they didn't like. Except for THAT one!

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PAX-icon.png episode 69.5 — dispatches from PAX unplugged false no 32:51 No no episode 69 — shining host player’s guide with pete woodworth https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-69-shining-host-players-guide-with-pete-woodworth/ Mon, 27 Nov 2023 14:10:14 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=435 We're returning to the world of Live-Action RolePlaying this week, as we flip through the second and final of the Mind's Eye Theatre books produced for Changeling. Author and developer Peter Woodworth returns to talk about the creation of the Shining Host Player's Guide. Even if you prefer throwing dice around the table to dressing up and cantripping through the woods, there's plenty in this volume that enriches the setting. Mannikins with stories, Shadow Court slice of life, secret society emblems, elaborate court politics... as we draw ever closer to the end of the 2nd edition line, it's nice to be reminded that there was quality content even in the jaws of Judgment. (It's also nice to be reminded of the community's passion for keeping the game alive.)

The book is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1490?affiliate_id=3063731, and you can find/contact Pete at his website, Positively Woodworthian: https://peterwoodworth.com/! For our part, behold a mishmash of social media:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) leads a secret society of Canadian nockers whose emblem is a maple leaf soaked in engine grease. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) hasn't tried to wear prosthetic ears since the Spirit Gum Incident of 2008.

The thing about performance, even if it’s only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities. —Daniel Day-Lewis

]]> full 69 2 We're returning to the world of Live-Action RolePlaying this week, as we flip through the second and final of the Mind's Eye Theatre books produced for Changeling. Author and developer Peter Woodworth returns to talk about the creation of the Shining Host Player's Guide. Even if you prefer throwing dice around the table to dressing up and cantripping through the woods, there's plenty in this volume that enriches the setting. Mannikins with stories, Shadow Court slice of life, secret society emblems, elaborate court politics... as we draw ever closer to the end of the 2nd edition line, it's nice to be reminded that there was quality content even in the jaws of Judgment. (It's also nice to be reminded of the community's passion for keeping the game alive.)

The book is available for purchase at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1490?affiliate_id=3063731, and you can find/contact Pete at his website, Positively Woodworthian: https://peterwoodworth.com/! For our part, behold a mishmash of social media:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) leads a secret society of Canadian nockers whose emblem is a maple leaf soaked in engine grease. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) hasn't tried to wear prosthetic ears since the Spirit Gum Incident of 2008.

The thing about performance, even if it’s only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities. —Daniel Day-Lewis

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Episode-69-icon.png episode 69 — shining host player’s guide with pete woodworth true no 1:57:07 Yes no episode 68 — book of lost houses https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-68-book-of-lost-houses/ Tue, 21 Nov 2023 02:55:38 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=432 Sometimes a House isn't so much lost as misplaced, but sometimes you misplace four and a half of them. This was how the sidhe did back at the turn of the millennium, but good news! Those waywards are coming back through the gates in Book of Lost Houses: The Second Coming, the tome that gave us Houses Aesin, Beaumayn, Daireann, Arcadian Scathach, and Varich to round out the complement of noble branches to thirteen. (Because if there's one thing Changeling needed, it was more nobles.) Even though they all differ slightly from their updated versions in the 20th Anniversary edition, the history and background in BoLH is helpful for any player who wants to run a character from one of these five. This is the first and basically last place they appeared, so listen in as we read through for the choicest tidbits.

If you'd like to snag the book for yourself, pick it up at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/44?affiliate_id=3063731. And as mentioned in the episode, we snagged the errata, which you can get from us on the Discord! How do you reach the Discord, you ask, and perhaps other social media platforms you hadn't intended to find? WELL—

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) supports the expansion of Aesin industriousness into other occupations, like "numismatist" and "confiseur". Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers the Daireann meritocracy, where you get ahead by way of bear hugs and punches in equal measure.

Все счастливые семьи похожи друг на друга, каждая несчастливая семья несчастлива по-своему. Vse schastlivyye sem'i pokhozhi drug na druga, kazhdaya neschastlivaya sem'ya neschastliva po-svoyemu. [Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.] —Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

]]> full 68 2 Sometimes a House isn't so much lost as misplaced, but sometimes you misplace four and a half of them. This was how the sidhe did back at the turn of the millennium, but good news! Those waywards are coming back through the gates in Book of Lost Houses: The Second Coming, the tome that gave us Houses Aesin, Beaumayn, Daireann, Arcadian Scathach, and Varich to round out the complement of noble branches to thirteen. (Because if there's one thing Changeling needed, it was more nobles.) Even though they all differ slightly from their updated versions in the 20th Anniversary edition, the history and background in BoLH is helpful for any player who wants to run a character from one of these five. This is the first and basically last place they appeared, so listen in as we read through for the choicest tidbits.

If you'd like to snag the book for yourself, pick it up at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/44?affiliate_id=3063731. And as mentioned in the episode, we snagged the errata, which you can get from us on the Discord! How do you reach the Discord, you ask, and perhaps other social media platforms you hadn't intended to find? WELL—

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) supports the expansion of Aesin industriousness into other occupations, like "numismatist" and "confiseur". Pooka G (any pronoun/they) prefers the Daireann meritocracy, where you get ahead by way of bear hugs and punches in equal measure.

Все счастливые семьи похожи друг на друга, каждая несчастливая семья несчастлива по-своему. Vse schastlivyye sem'i pokhozhi drug na druga, kazhdaya neschastlivaya sem'ya neschastliva po-svoyemu. [Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.] —Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Episode-68-icon.jpeg episode 68 — book of lost houses false no 1:43:22 No no episode 67 — kith-building workshop https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-67-kith-building-workshop/ Mon, 13 Nov 2023 15:32:28 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=428 It's a time-honored tradition among Changeling groups to construct their own kiths, but the process has always been idiosyncratic. Doing justice to folklore and balanced game mechanics don't always go hand in hand. Luckily, the 20th Anniversary Edition has provided a basic template for creating them, so we're taking the opportunity to do a short kith-building workshop, wherein the nymphs finally get their due. (Yes, yes, Inanimae: the Secret Way tried to definitively re-cast them as Sessile Ones, but we defy that idea.) Join us as we scrape together the bits of precedent for the kith, and talk through the questions-and-answers process in C20 as applied to them. Perhaps it will give you some grist for the mill to create your own...!

We mentioned two homebrew products by members of our community that informed the approach here. Check out Aaron Siddall and Andrew Goodman's Roots of Legend on the Storytellers' Vault here: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/354523?affiliate_id=3063731, and Charlie Cantrell's 5th edition hack for Changeling here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XCSfDfJUNFm6d9f0omHzQ-rt7U0kkR7b/view.

As for our own presence in various places online, you might have some luck with the following platforms. It's worth mentioning that subscribers to our Patreon are getting a peek at some bonus content related to this episode today...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) once slung syrup with the nymph grump keeper of a much-storied, well-loved sugar shack. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) hunts for faults in the game mechanics that will produce the MISSINGNO. kith.

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. —Thomas Edison (like he would know...)

]]> full 67 2 It's a time-honored tradition among Changeling groups to construct their own kiths, but the process has always been idiosyncratic. Doing justice to folklore and balanced game mechanics don't always go hand in hand. Luckily, the 20th Anniversary Edition has provided a basic template for creating them, so we're taking the opportunity to do a short kith-building workshop, wherein the nymphs finally get their due. (Yes, yes, Inanimae: the Secret Way tried to definitively re-cast them as Sessile Ones, but we defy that idea.) Join us as we scrape together the bits of precedent for the kith, and talk through the questions-and-answers process in C20 as applied to them. Perhaps it will give you some grist for the mill to create your own...!

We mentioned two homebrew products by members of our community that informed the approach here. Check out Aaron Siddall and Andrew Goodman's Roots of Legend on the Storytellers' Vault here: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/354523?affiliate_id=3063731, and Charlie Cantrell's 5th edition hack for Changeling here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XCSfDfJUNFm6d9f0omHzQ-rt7U0kkR7b/view.

As for our own presence in various places online, you might have some luck with the following platforms. It's worth mentioning that subscribers to our Patreon are getting a peek at some bonus content related to this episode today...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) once slung syrup with the nymph grump keeper of a much-storied, well-loved sugar shack. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) hunts for faults in the game mechanics that will produce the MISSINGNO. kith.

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. —Thomas Edison (like he would know...)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Episode-67-icon.jpeg episode 67 — kith-building workshop false no 0:00 No no episode 66 — war in concordia https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-66-war-in-concordia/ Sun, 05 Nov 2023 21:42:06 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=424 Just in time for Guy Fawkes Night (and a bit on the early side of our usual release day), we're looking at the breakdown of social order in fae realms... kiiiind of? Despite its title, we've uncovered in our reading that War in Concordia: The Shattered Dream is more about widespread political tensions, the occasional skirmish or violent incident, and a whole bunch of metaplot updates that, er, have all been retconned in the 20th Anniversary Edition. But! There is still plenty here to examine and appreciate, from the multifaceted accounts of then-current events to a gaggle of new and interesting NPCs. And then, there's plenty for which we wish they had done more, from the Kingdom of Apples overview (at last!) to Chapter 4's mass combat mathematical headaches. As we close in on the end of the game's original run, the chill of Autumn is in the air, but we hope the fires of revolution will warm you...

The PDF of the book can be found at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/333?affiliate_id=3063731. Our own spaces for commoner liberation are scattered around the interwebs at places like:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps a cabinet full of crackers for all the elements, from water to bug to sleaze to rubidium. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders how many signal-lights to hang in the church if the attackers come by BALLOON.

You tell me of degrees of perfection to which human nature is capable of arriving, and I believe it, but at the same time lament that our admiration should arise from the scarcity of the instances. —Abigail Adams, in a letter to her husband

]]> full 66 2 Just in time for Guy Fawkes Night (and a bit on the early side of our usual release day), we're looking at the breakdown of social order in fae realms... kiiiind of? Despite its title, we've uncovered in our reading that War in Concordia: The Shattered Dream is more about widespread political tensions, the occasional skirmish or violent incident, and a whole bunch of metaplot updates that, er, have all been retconned in the 20th Anniversary Edition. But! There is still plenty here to examine and appreciate, from the multifaceted accounts of then-current events to a gaggle of new and interesting NPCs. And then, there's plenty for which we wish they had done more, from the Kingdom of Apples overview (at last!) to Chapter 4's mass combat mathematical headaches. As we close in on the end of the game's original run, the chill of Autumn is in the air, but we hope the fires of revolution will warm you...

The PDF of the book can be found at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/333?affiliate_id=3063731. Our own spaces for commoner liberation are scattered around the interwebs at places like:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps a cabinet full of crackers for all the elements, from water to bug to sleaze to rubidium. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders how many signal-lights to hang in the church if the attackers come by BALLOON.

You tell me of degrees of perfection to which human nature is capable of arriving, and I believe it, but at the same time lament that our admiration should arise from the scarcity of the instances. —Abigail Adams, in a letter to her husband

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Episode-66-icon.png episode 66 — war in concordia false no 1:14:09 No no episode 65 — kithbook: redcaps https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-65-kithbook-redcaps/ Mon, 30 Oct 2023 14:03:48 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=420 They eat what they want—when they want—who they want. And what more do you need to know? Quite a bit, actually, if our readthrough of Kithbook: Redcaps is any indication. This is maybe the first book where we had serious differences of opinion about its utility: Josh says it's the best kithbook, Pooka thinks it's not worth much more than the nutritional value of the paper it's printed on. (OK, maybe that's too harsh.) But nevertheless, there are some tasty morsels in here for all kinds of would-be redcap player: connections to the primal history of mankind, details about eating habits, the usual battery of Treasures, and the wonderful bogginess of the River Hags. Join us as we make our way through this antepenultimate kithbook; whether the text nourishes you or not, we hope at least that our discussion will.

For your culinary pleasure, the book is available at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/176?affiliate_id=3063731. And herewith the menu of social media courses filled with only the cuisine of good conversation:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) knows firsthand the bitter winds of the frozen North, and how they'd drive anyone to all-consuming hangriness. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can't believe they ate the whole thing.

Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es. [Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.] —Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

]]> full 65 2 They eat what they want—when they want—who they want. And what more do you need to know? Quite a bit, actually, if our readthrough of Kithbook: Redcaps is any indication. This is maybe the first book where we had serious differences of opinion about its utility: Josh says it's the best kithbook, Pooka thinks it's not worth much more than the nutritional value of the paper it's printed on. (OK, maybe that's too harsh.) But nevertheless, there are some tasty morsels in here for all kinds of would-be redcap player: connections to the primal history of mankind, details about eating habits, the usual battery of Treasures, and the wonderful bogginess of the River Hags. Join us as we make our way through this antepenultimate kithbook; whether the text nourishes you or not, we hope at least that our discussion will.

For your culinary pleasure, the book is available at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/176?affiliate_id=3063731. And herewith the menu of social media courses filled with only the cuisine of good conversation:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) knows firsthand the bitter winds of the frozen North, and how they'd drive anyone to all-consuming hangriness. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can't believe they ate the whole thing.

Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es. [Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.] —Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Episode-65-icon.png episode 65 — kithbook: redcaps true no 1:01:23 Yes no episode 64 – time, memory, cyclicality https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-64-time-memory-cyclicality/ Mon, 23 Oct 2023 16:18:50 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=417 Pardon us while we get a bit esoteric, but it's time to talk about time (and memory, and cyclicality). The way the fae experience it is rather different from your garden-variety fleshly linear human types—and yet at the same time, not so different at all. We're talking about the chaotic progression of time in the Dreaming and the magic that changelings use to harness it, but also their life stages and cycles of reincarnation, and how those inform the calendar they live by. As is usual for our theme episodes, we ramble our way through these and associated topics. As is unusual, we had So Many Issues with recording, which seemed appropriate. Nevertheless, we have persevered to bring you a few of our takes, so we hope you'll enjoy.

This isn't a library dive, but we mention The Enchanted as a solid sourcebook for handling seemings and transitions, so if you'd care to pick it up, stop by https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/288?affiliate_id=3063731 for the PDF. And then, because Pooka is a shameless self-promoter, if you'd like to check out some of their homebrew Changeling work that deals with time and a kith largely defined by it, respectively, Book of Days (https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/412055?affiliate_id=3063731) and Kithbook: Ghille Dhu (https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/381967?affiliate_id=3063731) are both available on the STV as well!

And in news from the temporal realm of Deadlines, we are still accepting submissions for our Build-a-Sluagh contest! As a reminder: email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com with a sluagh character sheet and backstory, following the C20 character creation rules. (You have the option to spend up to 100 XP to make an advanced character.) Please include everything in the body of the email, else attach a DOC or PDF. We're hoping to pick a winner by the end of this week—get your skulkers in while the shadows are still squirming.

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) never felt that the song "Turn! Turn! Turn!" needed that many exclamation points in its title. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) enjoys nonstandard temporal adverbs like "betweenhand" and "hitherforth".

And they all pretend they're orphans, and their memory's like a train— You can see it getting smaller as it pulls away And the things you can't remember tell the things you can't forget That history puts a saint in every dream... —Tom Waits, "Time"

]]> full 64 2 Pardon us while we get a bit esoteric, but it's time to talk about time (and memory, and cyclicality). The way the fae experience it is rather different from your garden-variety fleshly linear human types—and yet at the same time, not so different at all. We're talking about the chaotic progression of time in the Dreaming and the magic that changelings use to harness it, but also their life stages and cycles of reincarnation, and how those inform the calendar they live by. As is usual for our theme episodes, we ramble our way through these and associated topics. As is unusual, we had So Many Issues with recording, which seemed appropriate. Nevertheless, we have persevered to bring you a few of our takes, so we hope you'll enjoy.

This isn't a library dive, but we mention The Enchanted as a solid sourcebook for handling seemings and transitions, so if you'd care to pick it up, stop by https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/288?affiliate_id=3063731 for the PDF. And then, because Pooka is a shameless self-promoter, if you'd like to check out some of their homebrew Changeling work that deals with time and a kith largely defined by it, respectively, Book of Days (https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/412055?affiliate_id=3063731) and Kithbook: Ghille Dhu (https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/381967?affiliate_id=3063731) are both available on the STV as well!

And in news from the temporal realm of Deadlines, we are still accepting submissions for our Build-a-Sluagh contest! As a reminder: email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com with a sluagh character sheet and backstory, following the C20 character creation rules. (You have the option to spend up to 100 XP to make an advanced character.) Please include everything in the body of the email, else attach a DOC or PDF. We're hoping to pick a winner by the end of this week—get your skulkers in while the shadows are still squirming.

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) never felt that the song "Turn! Turn! Turn!" needed that many exclamation points in its title. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) enjoys nonstandard temporal adverbs like "betweenhand" and "hitherforth".

And they all pretend they're orphans, and their memory's like a train— You can see it getting smaller as it pulls away And the things you can't remember tell the things you can't forget That history puts a saint in every dream... —Tom Waits, "Time"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Episode-64-icon.png episode 64 – time, memory, cyclicality false no 1:05:05 No no episode 63.5 — le monde des ténèbres : france https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-63-5-le-monde-des-tenebres-france/ Thu, 19 Oct 2023 20:02:01 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=413 Salut, gentlefae! It's time for a solo minisode to fill in the Banal void of the working week. In this installment, Pooka discusses Le Monde des Ténèbres : France, one of the few 90s World of Darkness books not developed by White Wolf. Published by Ludis International at the start of 1997, the book only exists in French, and was the start of a series of books (which would have eventually been translated into English) that... never materialized. Each of the five major WoD lines gets a chapter, with Changeling receiving a solid 40 pages or so of material, deeply informed by French folklore, politics, and probably the home games of its authors. Pooka puts their French degree to good use in order to summarize of what's therein (including the first appearance of the morganed and korred!), so that you don't have to seek it out and translate it yourselves.

Ordinarily there would be a link here to purchase the book, but such a thing does not exist for this text. It's not too difficult to knock the PDF off the back of a truck, so to speak, if you want to find your own copy. Meanwhile, for the show's own social media, it's even less difficult to find us, because we provide the links like so:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is, if we are what we eat, an actual sentient viennoiserie.

La bonne grâce est le vrai don des fées ; sans elles on ne peut rien, avec elles on peut tout. (Gracefulness is the true gift of the fae; without them we can do nothing, with them we can do everything.) —Charles Perrault, Cendrillon

]]> bonus 63.5 2 Salut, gentlefae! It's time for a solo minisode to fill in the Banal void of the working week. In this installment, Pooka discusses Le Monde des Ténèbres : France, one of the few 90s World of Darkness books not developed by White Wolf. Published by Ludis International at the start of 1997, the book only exists in French, and was the start of a series of books (which would have eventually been translated into English) that... never materialized. Each of the five major WoD lines gets a chapter, with Changeling receiving a solid 40 pages or so of material, deeply informed by French folklore, politics, and probably the home games of its authors. Pooka puts their French degree to good use in order to summarize of what's therein (including the first appearance of the morganed and korred!), so that you don't have to seek it out and translate it yourselves.

Ordinarily there would be a link here to purchase the book, but such a thing does not exist for this text. It's not too difficult to knock the PDF off the back of a truck, so to speak, if you want to find your own copy. Meanwhile, for the show's own social media, it's even less difficult to find us, because we provide the links like so:

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is, if we are what we eat, an actual sentient viennoiserie.

La bonne grâce est le vrai don des fées ; sans elles on ne peut rien, avec elles on peut tout. (Gracefulness is the true gift of the fae; without them we can do nothing, with them we can do everything.) —Charles Perrault, Cendrillon

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Episode-63-5-icon.png episode 63.5 — le monde des ténèbres : france false no 20:51 No no episode 63 — denizens of the dreaming https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-63-denizens-of-the-dreaming/ Mon, 16 Oct 2023 12:30:38 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=410 In they crawled through the long-shuttered gates, slowly they slithered into the world—the Dark-kin have arrived at last! And as we go on our flipthrough of Denizens of the Dreaming, we realized... well, not all of them are all that Dark. And they don't much act like kin. And are they even really all "of the Dreaming" any more than the Kithain? (OK, mechanically, maybe so.) We deal with these questions, and many more than we thought we'd have before we opened the thing, in this mid-Spooptober installment. The last major tranche of kiths introduced to the game, the adhene are a hodgepodge of ideas drawn from myths worldwide and tied heavily into the original game's sunset metaplot. Sworn to the Fomorians, they are the vanguard of Winter, and therefore Bad News...

Check out the book at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/111?affiliate_id=3063731. We also mention material from Charlie Cantrell's excellent supplement, Harbingers of Winter, which expands on the Dark-kin and gives a write-up (finally!) for the aslynthi: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/388455?affiliate_id=3063731.

And the usual mishmash of social things from our side:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps a jar of ground Tarrarom in the cupboard for chicken, fish, and egg dishes. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) greatly admires the films of Kureksarra.

The darkness drops again; but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? —W.B. Yeats, "The Second Coming"

]]> full 63 2 In they crawled through the long-shuttered gates, slowly they slithered into the world—the Dark-kin have arrived at last! And as we go on our flipthrough of Denizens of the Dreaming, we realized... well, not all of them are all that Dark. And they don't much act like kin. And are they even really all "of the Dreaming" any more than the Kithain? (OK, mechanically, maybe so.) We deal with these questions, and many more than we thought we'd have before we opened the thing, in this mid-Spooptober installment. The last major tranche of kiths introduced to the game, the adhene are a hodgepodge of ideas drawn from myths worldwide and tied heavily into the original game's sunset metaplot. Sworn to the Fomorians, they are the vanguard of Winter, and therefore Bad News...

Check out the book at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/111?affiliate_id=3063731. We also mention material from Charlie Cantrell's excellent supplement, Harbingers of Winter, which expands on the Dark-kin and gives a write-up (finally!) for the aslynthi: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/388455?affiliate_id=3063731.

And the usual mishmash of social things from our side:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps a jar of ground Tarrarom in the cupboard for chicken, fish, and egg dishes. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) greatly admires the films of Kureksarra.

The darkness drops again; but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? —W.B. Yeats, "The Second Coming"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Episode-63-icon.png episode 63 — denizens of the dreaming false no 1:13:08 No no episode 62 — changeling metaphysics 101 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-62-changeling-metaphysics-101/ Mon, 09 Oct 2023 15:02:38 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=406 Settle down, class! If you didn't mean to attend this first lecture for the Faelosophy major, then we suggest you exit gracefully now... but if you'd just like to stay and audit, that's fine too. We're talking about Changeling metaphysics today, hashing out some of the Deeper Questions about the nature of being, the relationship between dream and reality, and what really happens when a troll walks through a doorway. Joining us again is special guest and resident metaphysicist Terry Robinson of Mage: the Podcast, to help triangulate some opinions and lay down some knowledge. Do take notes, for there will be a pop quiz down the line.

A few good places to find Terry around the interwebs include:

And our usual arrangement of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) believes that whatever the dream of perfection might be, nockers are proof against its attainability, except when it comes to fashion. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) only exists as a concept in relation to pastries and coffees already/yet to be consumed.

The subconscious is ceaselessly murmuring, and it is by listening to these murmurs that one hears the truth. —Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Reverie

]]> full 62 2 Settle down, class! If you didn't mean to attend this first lecture for the Faelosophy major, then we suggest you exit gracefully now... but if you'd just like to stay and audit, that's fine too. We're talking about Changeling metaphysics today, hashing out some of the Deeper Questions about the nature of being, the relationship between dream and reality, and what really happens when a troll walks through a doorway. Joining us again is special guest and resident metaphysicist Terry Robinson of Mage: the Podcast, to help triangulate some opinions and lay down some knowledge. Do take notes, for there will be a pop quiz down the line.

A few good places to find Terry around the interwebs include:

And our usual arrangement of links:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) believes that whatever the dream of perfection might be, nockers are proof against its attainability, except when it comes to fashion. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) only exists as a concept in relation to pastries and coffees already/yet to be consumed.

The subconscious is ceaselessly murmuring, and it is by listening to these murmurs that one hears the truth. —Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Reverie

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Episode-62-icon.png episode 62 — changeling metaphysics 101 false no 1:40:06 No no episode 61 — midnight circus https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-61-midnight-circus/ Mon, 02 Oct 2023 12:32:57 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=403 Egads! a crossover!

We're joining forces with Josh Heath of the inestimable Werewolf: the Podcast and Terry Robinson of the redoubtable Mage: the Podcast to talk about Midnight Circus, an all-line World of Darkness book from the glory days of the mid-90s. This is back in time for all of us, relative to our respective readthroughs of each game's books, but the concept of "diabolical circus" never really goes out of fashion. So, we're doing a round robin discussion that touches on the various bits of lore, magic, mystery, and story that permeate the pages—and quite a bit there is of all of the above. You may recall that in our television episode, we mentioned Carnivàle as an inspiration for Changeling; this book taps into that same source of ideas.

Now for the links!

And the usual mishmash of social things from our side:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) lurks behind the Tilt-a-Whirl and messes with the gravity. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) lives in the rigging where everything and everyone is a potential trapeze.

The procession moves on, the shouting is over, The fabulous freaks are leaving town. They are driven by a strange desire Unseen by the human eye... —Dead Can Dance, "The Carnival is Over"

]]> full 61 2 Egads! a crossover!

We're joining forces with Josh Heath of the inestimable Werewolf: the Podcast and Terry Robinson of the redoubtable Mage: the Podcast to talk about Midnight Circus, an all-line World of Darkness book from the glory days of the mid-90s. This is back in time for all of us, relative to our respective readthroughs of each game's books, but the concept of "diabolical circus" never really goes out of fashion. So, we're doing a round robin discussion that touches on the various bits of lore, magic, mystery, and story that permeate the pages—and quite a bit there is of all of the above. You may recall that in our television episode, we mentioned Carnivàle as an inspiration for Changeling; this book taps into that same source of ideas.

Now for the links!

And the usual mishmash of social things from our side:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) lurks behind the Tilt-a-Whirl and messes with the gravity. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) lives in the rigging where everything and everyone is a potential trapeze.

The procession moves on, the shouting is over, The fabulous freaks are leaving town. They are driven by a strange desire Unseen by the human eye... —Dead Can Dance, "The Carnival is Over"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Episode-61-icon.png episode 61 — midnight circus true no 1:28:30 Yes no episode 60 — kithbook: pooka https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-60-kithbook-pooka/ Sat, 30 Sep 2023 15:02:12 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=401 What makes a kithbook, really? And what makes a kithbook great? Is Kithbook: Pooka, the fourth and fuzziest of the splatbooks for Changeling, a noteworthy representative of this category, or simply so much curiously stained paper to arrange on a shelf? Can these questions really be answered? Is this a rhetorical question? When you think of the pooka in all of their circumlocutory glory, do you think of fables and furries and curious mechanics for hashing out their animal forms? Or are you a Werewolf player seeking a less fraught outlet for your character's white-hot, misanthropic, environmentalist Rage? Can an entire podcast post in the interrogative mood be a type of Pooka-ese? Could we have decided to organize this post, if not this episode, any other way? Will you listen on and find out? Will you lift our spirits with your kind attention?

Also, did you know that you can give feedback on our show in a bunch of places on the internet?

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) achieves an impressively low rate of cuss-language on the show for a nocker, wouldn't you say? Pooka G (any pronoun/they) isn't much of a pooka at all, are they?

"Tell all the truth but tell it slant —" —Emily Dickinson

]]> full 60 60 What makes a kithbook, really? And what makes a kithbook great? Is Kithbook: Pooka, the fourth and fuzziest of the splatbooks for Changeling, a noteworthy representative of this category, or simply so much curiously stained paper to arrange on a shelf? Can these questions really be answered? Is this a rhetorical question? When you think of the pooka in all of their circumlocutory glory, do you think of fables and furries and curious mechanics for hashing out their animal forms? Or are you a Werewolf player seeking a less fraught outlet for your character's white-hot, misanthropic, environmentalist Rage? Can an entire podcast post in the interrogative mood be a type of Pooka-ese? Could we have decided to organize this post, if not this episode, any other way? Will you listen on and find out? Will you lift our spirits with your kind attention?

Also, did you know that you can give feedback on our show in a bunch of places on the internet?

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) achieves an impressively low rate of cuss-language on the show for a nocker, wouldn't you say? Pooka G (any pronoun/they) isn't much of a pooka at all, are they?

"Tell all the truth but tell it slant —" —Emily Dickinson

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Episode-60-icon.png episode 60 — kithbook: pooka false no 1:11:11 No no episode 59 – book of houses 2 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-59-book-of-houses-2/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 17:40:34 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=397 As refreshing as it was to get a taste of commoner life last week, we're not displeased to be back with the deliciously wicked warlords and courtiers of the Unseelie this time around. The lengthily-titled Pour L'Amour et Liberté: The Book of Houses 2 covers the three (at the time) Houses of the Parliament of Dreams' loyal opposition: Ailil, Balor, and Leanhaun, wyvern, serpent, and rose. (Yeah, yeah, the Ailil crest gets presented as a dragon, but in the original drawing the thing has no legs, so it's a wyvern.) It's about as long as three kithbooks if you strip out the templates and padding, so we probably get more in-depth and specific treatment of these Houses than any others in the game. Since we'd already had The Shadow Court, did we need this book? As much as we needed the first Book of Houses even though we had Nobles: the Shining Host. Does this book live up to the hype? We report, you decide.

If you're into purchasing this one, check it out at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/3511?affiliate_id=3063731. We also referenced The Book of Invasions and The Ulster Cycle (specifically, the Táin Bó Cúailnge) of Irish lore, because all three Houses make use of it, having explicit ties to Ireland as they do. If you'd like to skim through these source texts yourself, there are multiple places you can do that online. Have a gander, for example, at https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/leborgabala.html for the former and http://adminstaff.vassar.edu/sttaylor/Cooley/ for the latter.

And as always, if you'd like to get in touch with us, you have a number of options:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) steals cattle and takes names. Or is that steals names and takes cattle? Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wouldn't mind a Chronos Cage in their apartment, just to have a space to get some work done.

"When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad, I'm better." —Mae West as Tira in I'm No Angel

]]> full 59 2 As refreshing as it was to get a taste of commoner life last week, we're not displeased to be back with the deliciously wicked warlords and courtiers of the Unseelie this time around. The lengthily-titled Pour L'Amour et Liberté: The Book of Houses 2 covers the three (at the time) Houses of the Parliament of Dreams' loyal opposition: Ailil, Balor, and Leanhaun, wyvern, serpent, and rose. (Yeah, yeah, the Ailil crest gets presented as a dragon, but in the original drawing the thing has no legs, so it's a wyvern.) It's about as long as three kithbooks if you strip out the templates and padding, so we probably get more in-depth and specific treatment of these Houses than any others in the game. Since we'd already had The Shadow Court, did we need this book? As much as we needed the first Book of Houses even though we had Nobles: the Shining Host. Does this book live up to the hype? We report, you decide.

If you're into purchasing this one, check it out at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/3511?affiliate_id=3063731. We also referenced The Book of Invasions and The Ulster Cycle (specifically, the Táin Bó Cúailnge) of Irish lore, because all three Houses make use of it, having explicit ties to Ireland as they do. If you'd like to skim through these source texts yourself, there are multiple places you can do that online. Have a gander, for example, at https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/leborgabala.html for the former and http://adminstaff.vassar.edu/sttaylor/Cooley/ for the latter.

And as always, if you'd like to get in touch with us, you have a number of options:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) steals cattle and takes names. Or is that steals names and takes cattle? Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wouldn't mind a Chronos Cage in their apartment, just to have a space to get some work done.

"When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad, I'm better." —Mae West as Tira in I'm No Angel

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Episode-59-icon.png episode 59 – book of houses 2 false no 1:38:57 No no episode 58 – fool’s luck: way of the commoner https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-58-fools-luck-way-of-the-commoner/ Mon, 18 Sep 2023 13:22:16 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=394 We've heard plenty about the noble sidhe, and we'll hear plenty more. But spare a moment to think of the plights and pleasures of the common folk! Kicking off the World of Darkness' "Year of the Reckoning" in 1999 is this week's offering, Fool's Luck: Way of the Commoner. It focuses on the history of the other eight (at the time) core kiths in Concordia—and elsewhere in the world!—along with their societies, traditions, and lifeways. This is the book that gave us the tricksy pixies, the Art of Metamorphosis, and more grump war stories than have been seen before or since. And as we meander towards the conclusion of the game's 2nd Edition, the disappearance of King David continues to hang over the metaplot, as noble and commoner alike prepare for war...

We're of the opinion that this is one of the more solid books in the line, so if you're in the mood to snag a copy, herewith the link: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/131?affiliate_id=3063731. Herewith also the various social media constellations in which you can contact us!

build-a-sluagh contest

As mentioned in the episode's intro, we are currently holding a contest into the month of October in honor of the spoopiest of kiths, the sluagh. The winner will receive a physical copy of Kithbook: Sluagh, and their character will be showcased on our Discord along with two runners-up. All you have to do is send the following to podcast@changelingthepodcast.com in the body of an email, or as attachment (DOC or PDF only):

  • A sluagh character sheet following standard C20 starting character creation rules; you may add up to 100 experience points' worth of additional dots if you wish
  • A backstory that describes your sluagh as thoroughly as you'd like—but please try to keep it to five pages maximum!
  • Optional: artwork, a short piece of fiction, a music playlist, or anything else that you think would enrich our understanding of your character

We'll be taking entries until 10 October and announcing the winners by the end of the month. Send in your skulkiest slinking creepster today!

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) moonlights as vice-president of the Nockers' Local #621. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) plants anarchist pamphlets in every Little Free Library they can find.

Sing along with the common people Sing along and it might just get you through Laugh along with the common people Laugh along even though they're really laughing at you. —Pulp, "Common People"

]]> full 58 2 We've heard plenty about the noble sidhe, and we'll hear plenty more. But spare a moment to think of the plights and pleasures of the common folk! Kicking off the World of Darkness' "Year of the Reckoning" in 1999 is this week's offering, Fool's Luck: Way of the Commoner. It focuses on the history of the other eight (at the time) core kiths in Concordia—and elsewhere in the world!—along with their societies, traditions, and lifeways. This is the book that gave us the tricksy pixies, the Art of Metamorphosis, and more grump war stories than have been seen before or since. And as we meander towards the conclusion of the game's 2nd Edition, the disappearance of King David continues to hang over the metaplot, as noble and commoner alike prepare for war...

We're of the opinion that this is one of the more solid books in the line, so if you're in the mood to snag a copy, herewith the link: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/131?affiliate_id=3063731. Herewith also the various social media constellations in which you can contact us!

build-a-sluagh contest

As mentioned in the episode's intro, we are currently holding a contest into the month of October in honor of the spoopiest of kiths, the sluagh. The winner will receive a physical copy of Kithbook: Sluagh, and their character will be showcased on our Discord along with two runners-up. All you have to do is send the following to podcast@changelingthepodcast.com in the body of an email, or as attachment (DOC or PDF only):

  • A sluagh character sheet following standard C20 starting character creation rules; you may add up to 100 experience points' worth of additional dots if you wish
  • A backstory that describes your sluagh as thoroughly as you'd like—but please try to keep it to five pages maximum!
  • Optional: artwork, a short piece of fiction, a music playlist, or anything else that you think would enrich our understanding of your character

We'll be taking entries until 10 October and announcing the winners by the end of the month. Send in your skulkiest slinking creepster today!

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) moonlights as vice-president of the Nockers' Local #621. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) plants anarchist pamphlets in every Little Free Library they can find.

Sing along with the common people Sing along and it might just get you through Laugh along with the common people Laugh along even though they're really laughing at you. —Pulp, "Common People"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Episode-58-icon.png episode 58 – fool’s luck: way of the commoner false no 1:37:08 No no episode 57 – ten television inspirations https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-57-ten-television-inspirations/ Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:02:27 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=389 Television, it turns out, is massive. When we set out to choose ten television shows that we found inspiring for Changeling, we had no idea that there were so many options we'd end up with, even considering the criteria we set for ourselves. (We looked at shows we had seen ourselves, and ideally ones that weren't already called out as inspiration in the books.) And that was before listeners started suggesting a bunch more. Nevertheless, we feel pretty happy with our picks; these are entries which we are fond of on their own, but also find well-suited for consideration through the lens of the game. Herewith some of their trailers/theme songs/selected scenes in chronological order:

We hope that if you're in the market for some inspirational material of this variety, one or more of these will help up churn up the Glamour of game planning. And if you've got Thoughts about what we've chosen—or have other ones to suggest which we haven't seen!—feel free to get in touch via the links below...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) built a chimerical companion out of vacuum tubes and SMPTE color bars. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) enjoys the sound of the phrase "sweeps week" much more than its meaning.

Television: An advanced technical method of stopping people from making their own entertainment. —Leonard Rossiter, The Devil's Bedside Book

]]> full 57 2 Television, it turns out, is massive. When we set out to choose ten television shows that we found inspiring for Changeling, we had no idea that there were so many options we'd end up with, even considering the criteria we set for ourselves. (We looked at shows we had seen ourselves, and ideally ones that weren't already called out as inspiration in the books.) And that was before listeners started suggesting a bunch more. Nevertheless, we feel pretty happy with our picks; these are entries which we are fond of on their own, but also find well-suited for consideration through the lens of the game. Herewith some of their trailers/theme songs/selected scenes in chronological order:

We hope that if you're in the market for some inspirational material of this variety, one or more of these will help up churn up the Glamour of game planning. And if you've got Thoughts about what we've chosen—or have other ones to suggest which we haven't seen!—feel free to get in touch via the links below...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) built a chimerical companion out of vacuum tubes and SMPTE color bars. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) enjoys the sound of the phrase "sweeps week" much more than its meaning.

Television: An advanced technical method of stopping people from making their own entertainment. —Leonard Rossiter, The Devil's Bedside Book

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Episode-57-icon.png episode 57 – ten television inspirations false no 53:48 No no episode 56 – blood-dimmed tides https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-56-blood-dimmed-tides/ Mon, 04 Sep 2023 08:54:24 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=385 Something fishy is going on this week, as we plunge into the murky waters of Blood-Dimmed Tides. Technically, this is a general World of Darkness sourcebook rather than a Changeling sourcebook, with material for the "Big Five" game lines of mostly 2nd Edition. (Coming at the start of 1999, this includes both notes about Vampire's recent Revised rules, and helpful instructions for how to party like it's.) But Changeling has the lionfish's share of material, with practically an entire mini-Kithbook in its chapter, dedicated to those mysterious and beguiling merfolk of the deep. Combined with things like aquatic story hooks, underwater combat rules, and ample crossover opportunities, we believe that it's still a worthy edition to the canon. In fact, it left us thirsty for more!

(But listen, if you're thirsty, don't drink seawater, because there are probably mechanics in the Appendix about how quickly it will kill you. And don't drink fishmilk unless you're into that kind of thing.)

Have a purchase of the book at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/342?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined! You can also put messages in bottles and drop them in various bodies of dank water:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a vial of tetrodotoxin ready for the next person who mocks Aquaman. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) informs you that a shark on whiskey is mighty risky. (A shark on beer... is a, uh... a beer engineer.)

The very deep did rot: O Christ! That ever this should be! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy sea. —Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

]]> full 56 2 Something fishy is going on this week, as we plunge into the murky waters of Blood-Dimmed Tides. Technically, this is a general World of Darkness sourcebook rather than a Changeling sourcebook, with material for the "Big Five" game lines of mostly 2nd Edition. (Coming at the start of 1999, this includes both notes about Vampire's recent Revised rules, and helpful instructions for how to party like it's.) But Changeling has the lionfish's share of material, with practically an entire mini-Kithbook in its chapter, dedicated to those mysterious and beguiling merfolk of the deep. Combined with things like aquatic story hooks, underwater combat rules, and ample crossover opportunities, we believe that it's still a worthy edition to the canon. In fact, it left us thirsty for more!

(But listen, if you're thirsty, don't drink seawater, because there are probably mechanics in the Appendix about how quickly it will kill you. And don't drink fishmilk unless you're into that kind of thing.)

Have a purchase of the book at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/342?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined! You can also put messages in bottles and drop them in various bodies of dank water:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a vial of tetrodotoxin ready for the next person who mocks Aquaman. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) informs you that a shark on whiskey is mighty risky. (A shark on beer... is a, uh... a beer engineer.)

The very deep did rot: O Christ! That ever this should be! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy sea. —Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Episode-56-icon.png episode 56 – blood-dimmed tides true no 53:56 Yes no episode 55 — advanced storytelling techniques https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-55-advanced-storytelling-techniques/ Mon, 28 Aug 2023 15:45:41 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=382 There are at least as many styles of Storytelling (or DMing, or Gamemastering, or whatever) as there are Storytellers, most of whom have Strong Opinions about the best way to do things. We've had a bit of discussion here and there over our two seasons, but this week we—along with special guest and veteran Storyteller, Fetch—are having a roundtable on advanced Storytelling techniques we favor. This is especially geared towards Storytellers who have run a few Changeling games and gotten the hang of things, but are looking to try some new and more complex methods at their table. Have a listen, and perhaps you'll get some ideas to deploy for your next session...!

We also have a whole mess of links this time around. First, two other episodes that are centered on the ins and outs of the Storytelling role:

Three other media outlets whose work we appreciate and recommend for game-running guidance:

A book of Pooka's that got mentioned for story hook ideas, and a link to Fetch's Discord for many gaming opportunities:

And our usual battery of social media posts:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is a Síocháin who bears the Mantle of the Flowchart Maker. Pooka G (any pronoun/they)'s chimerical companion is a Star Wars-style opening crawl at the start of each game session.

Our audience must experience not only the ways to free Prometheus, but be schooled in the very desire to free him. —Bertolt Brecht

]]> full 55 2 There are at least as many styles of Storytelling (or DMing, or Gamemastering, or whatever) as there are Storytellers, most of whom have Strong Opinions about the best way to do things. We've had a bit of discussion here and there over our two seasons, but this week we—along with special guest and veteran Storyteller, Fetch—are having a roundtable on advanced Storytelling techniques we favor. This is especially geared towards Storytellers who have run a few Changeling games and gotten the hang of things, but are looking to try some new and more complex methods at their table. Have a listen, and perhaps you'll get some ideas to deploy for your next session...!

We also have a whole mess of links this time around. First, two other episodes that are centered on the ins and outs of the Storytelling role:

Three other media outlets whose work we appreciate and recommend for game-running guidance:

A book of Pooka's that got mentioned for story hook ideas, and a link to Fetch's Discord for many gaming opportunities:

And our usual battery of social media posts:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is a Síocháin who bears the Mantle of the Flowchart Maker. Pooka G (any pronoun/they)'s chimerical companion is a Star Wars-style opening crawl at the start of each game session.

Our audience must experience not only the ways to free Prometheus, but be schooled in the very desire to free him. —Bertolt Brecht

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Episode-55-icon.jpg episode 55 — advanced storytelling techniques true no 1:50:32 Yes no episode 54 — land of eight million dreams https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-54-land-of-eight-million-dreams/ Tue, 22 Aug 2023 12:54:17 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=379 White Wolf's "Year of the Lotus" initiative was an attempt to explore the World of Darkness' various game lines through the context of "the East" with... uneven results. Changeling was not spared, and the last book of the Year was Land of Eight Million Dreams, covering the hsien of China, Japan, and environs. There's a lot of interesting material in this book; there is also a lot of cringey, baffling, and/or confusing stuff. We're joined by special guest LewCid for a wide-ranging discussion on Orientalism in Changeling, the ways in which the fae of Asia are presented, and whether we can redeem anything from this book. The hsien in C20 core are handled quite differently, but much more shallowly, so for anyone who wants a deeper game involving them, we do our best to tease out the helpful options here.

(It is also the case that our podcast gets marked "Explicit" by default because of one error way back in the day. But we certainly have a few swears in this episode, because this book can be, to put it as mildly as possible, the occasional exercise in frustration.)

You can purchase the book at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/180?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined. Furthermore, as of this writing, it and all other Changeling books are 25% off on the Storytellers' Vault! As mentioned at the start of the episode, if you do stop by the STV to round out your collection, please consider supporting our show by adding our affiliate code (?affiliate_id=3063731) to the end of any URL on the site.

We welcome discussion and feedback on this and other sundry Changeling topics at any of the several points of social contact we espouse:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) gathers strength from the prayers of functionaries sobbing over their virus-ridden machines. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) folds paper charms and writes haiku for the elemental alchemy of Camp.

不知周之梦为蝴蝶与, 蝴蝶之梦为周与? Bùzhī zhōuzhīmèng wèi húdié yǔ, húdié zhī mèng wèi zhōu yǔ? [Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.] —Zhuangzi, tr. Lin Yutang

]]> full 54 2 White Wolf's "Year of the Lotus" initiative was an attempt to explore the World of Darkness' various game lines through the context of "the East" with... uneven results. Changeling was not spared, and the last book of the Year was Land of Eight Million Dreams, covering the hsien of China, Japan, and environs. There's a lot of interesting material in this book; there is also a lot of cringey, baffling, and/or confusing stuff. We're joined by special guest LewCid for a wide-ranging discussion on Orientalism in Changeling, the ways in which the fae of Asia are presented, and whether we can redeem anything from this book. The hsien in C20 core are handled quite differently, but much more shallowly, so for anyone who wants a deeper game involving them, we do our best to tease out the helpful options here.

(It is also the case that our podcast gets marked "Explicit" by default because of one error way back in the day. But we certainly have a few swears in this episode, because this book can be, to put it as mildly as possible, the occasional exercise in frustration.)

You can purchase the book at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/180?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined. Furthermore, as of this writing, it and all other Changeling books are 25% off on the Storytellers' Vault! As mentioned at the start of the episode, if you do stop by the STV to round out your collection, please consider supporting our show by adding our affiliate code (?affiliate_id=3063731) to the end of any URL on the site.

We welcome discussion and feedback on this and other sundry Changeling topics at any of the several points of social contact we espouse:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) gathers strength from the prayers of functionaries sobbing over their virus-ridden machines. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) folds paper charms and writes haiku for the elemental alchemy of Camp.

不知周之梦为蝴蝶与, 蝴蝶之梦为周与? Bùzhī zhōuzhīmèng wèi húdié yǔ, húdié zhī mèng wèi zhōu yǔ? [Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.] —Zhuangzi, tr. Lin Yutang

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Episode-54-icon.png episode 54 — land of eight million dreams true no 1:58:07 Yes no episode 53 – inanimae: the secret way https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-53-inanimae-the-secret-way/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 15:20:48 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=376 After teasing the nymphs in various shapes for nearly four years, Changeling's 2nd edition finally got around to giving us a supplement dedicated to the fae of nature. In this book's fullest presentation of who they are, Inanimae (and their Secret Way) are elemental dreams, the product of human imagination interacting with noteworthy hunks of rock, majestic trees, pools of water, etc. They sidestep a lot of the cultural issues and relativity of Banality that complicate the other kiths, providing another way to explore the world of Changeling. Flipping through these pages reveals much about their society, history, ecology, and magic, especially given the dearth of information that they get in C20. Read along with us as we learn who they are and what they're about...

The book in question can be purchased at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/62211?affiliate_id=3063731. (Pooka's homebrew publications, Kithbook: Ghille Dhu and The Emperor's New Coat, are also mentioned in the episode; they can be acquired at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/381967?affiliate_id=3063731 and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/375875?affiliate_id=3063731, respectively.)

some inspirations

Given how squicked the Inanimae are by the meatiness of humans (and changelings!), reading through this book gave some vibes of Terry Bisson's short story "They're Made Out of Meat." Various fun adaptations are out there, of which Stephen O'Regan's is maybe the best known? Embed below, link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6JFTmQCFHg

And then, when it comes to films, books, etc., the classic sources for Changeling stories don't quite do justice to the Inanimae experience. Some possible alternatives:

  • Treebeard and his Entish kin from Lord of the Rings, in any version, are great inspiration for wizened kubera
  • Toy Story and Dr. Who provide examples of mannikins that range from cute to terrifying
  • It's debatable whether the spirits of Hayao Miyazaki's films are metaphysically more like Werewolf/Mage-aligned Naturae, or Changeling-aligned Inanimae, but either way, they make good fodder for whimsical and powerful characters
  • The systems don't exactly line up, but the elemental magic of Avatar: the Last Airbender, directly controlling the elements of its framework but expanding out into more metaphorical uses, is helpful to think about the working of Slivers

If you have more to share, please consider doing so on our Discord! And where's the link to our Discord? Why, it's listed first here, with the rest of our social contact-points:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) cautions anyone against crossing the Inanimae spawned from the Para-Elemental Planes. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has reached the third dot of Mirrorball, the Sliver that deals with the element of Disco.

"Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy." —Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

]]> full 53 2 After teasing the nymphs in various shapes for nearly four years, Changeling's 2nd edition finally got around to giving us a supplement dedicated to the fae of nature. In this book's fullest presentation of who they are, Inanimae (and their Secret Way) are elemental dreams, the product of human imagination interacting with noteworthy hunks of rock, majestic trees, pools of water, etc. They sidestep a lot of the cultural issues and relativity of Banality that complicate the other kiths, providing another way to explore the world of Changeling. Flipping through these pages reveals much about their society, history, ecology, and magic, especially given the dearth of information that they get in C20. Read along with us as we learn who they are and what they're about...

The book in question can be purchased at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/62211?affiliate_id=3063731. (Pooka's homebrew publications, Kithbook: Ghille Dhu and The Emperor's New Coat, are also mentioned in the episode; they can be acquired at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/381967?affiliate_id=3063731 and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/375875?affiliate_id=3063731, respectively.)

some inspirations

Given how squicked the Inanimae are by the meatiness of humans (and changelings!), reading through this book gave some vibes of Terry Bisson's short story "They're Made Out of Meat." Various fun adaptations are out there, of which Stephen O'Regan's is maybe the best known? Embed below, link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6JFTmQCFHg

And then, when it comes to films, books, etc., the classic sources for Changeling stories don't quite do justice to the Inanimae experience. Some possible alternatives:

  • Treebeard and his Entish kin from Lord of the Rings, in any version, are great inspiration for wizened kubera
  • Toy Story and Dr. Who provide examples of mannikins that range from cute to terrifying
  • It's debatable whether the spirits of Hayao Miyazaki's films are metaphysically more like Werewolf/Mage-aligned Naturae, or Changeling-aligned Inanimae, but either way, they make good fodder for whimsical and powerful characters
  • The systems don't exactly line up, but the elemental magic of Avatar: the Last Airbender, directly controlling the elements of its framework but expanding out into more metaphorical uses, is helpful to think about the working of Slivers

If you have more to share, please consider doing so on our Discord! And where's the link to our Discord? Why, it's listed first here, with the rest of our social contact-points:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) cautions anyone against crossing the Inanimae spawned from the Para-Elemental Planes. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has reached the third dot of Mirrorball, the Sliver that deals with the element of Disco.

"Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy." —Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Episode-53-icon.png episode 53 – inanimae: the secret way false no 1:29:59 No no episode 52 – mists and enchantment https://changelingthepodcast.com/2023/08/07/episode-52-mists-and-enchantment/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 13:26:44 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?p=371 Senses and memories and fae (oh my!) mix in very particular ways. Enchantment brings mortals into the chimerical world; the Mists blur the details of that world even for changelings. While the mechanics in are solidly established in Changeling: the Dreaming, more or less, it can be tough to incorporate those two aspects into a game. This week, we're exploring how to handle that from a Storyteller and player perspective, across editions of the game. We talk about the role of enchanted mortals, the particulars of memory loss, mechanics we think would enliven the systems a bit, and more...! Have a listen, and you'll be forgiven if you can't recall any of it afterward.

A couple shout-outs from this week:

If you want to remain around sufficient Glamour to keep your knowledge of the podcast from fading in your mind, we've got a few different balefires you can sit around:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) proposes that the Mists are at their most irritating when you can't find those keys you were just holding. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) believes that eggs and paper airplanes are in the top 5 most appropriate Glamour vehicles for enchanting mortals.

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each prayer accepted, and each wish resigned." —Alexander Pope, "Eloisa to Ableard"

]]> full 52 2 Senses and memories and fae (oh my!) mix in very particular ways. Enchantment brings mortals into the chimerical world; the Mists blur the details of that world even for changelings. While the mechanics in are solidly established in Changeling: the Dreaming, more or less, it can be tough to incorporate those two aspects into a game. This week, we're exploring how to handle that from a Storyteller and player perspective, across editions of the game. We talk about the role of enchanted mortals, the particulars of memory loss, mechanics we think would enliven the systems a bit, and more...! Have a listen, and you'll be forgiven if you can't recall any of it afterward.

A couple shout-outs from this week:

If you want to remain around sufficient Glamour to keep your knowledge of the podcast from fading in your mind, we've got a few different balefires you can sit around:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) proposes that the Mists are at their most irritating when you can't find those keys you were just holding. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) believes that eggs and paper airplanes are in the top 5 most appropriate Glamour vehicles for enchanting mortals.

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each prayer accepted, and each wish resigned." —Alexander Pope, "Eloisa to Ableard"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Episode-52-icon.png episode 52 – mists and enchantment false no 1:13:23 No no episode 51 – storytellers guide https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-51-storytellers-guide/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:43:50 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=369 We're jumping over the Lughnasa bonfires to bring you our first full-on episode in six weeks...! Herewith our dive into the Changeling Storytellers' Guide. This is the only proper ST-focused volume the line ever got, and while it's uneven, there's still plenty to enjoy within. Advice on planning the story and managing the table, reprinted crossover rules and thoughts on alternate settings, art that baffles as much as it inspires and an attempt at what the charitable would call a game-wide index—it's all here. Join us as we flip through its pages and get back into the groove of the podcast. We missed you all!

For the completionists, the book in question can be purchased at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/55?affiliate_id=3063731

Our merry selves can be found and contacted via:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps adding more Storytellers' screens to the table despite the players' pleas. Just keeps on adding 'em. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) runs games where everything's made up but the points do matter.

"To hell with facts! We need stories!" —Ken Kesey

]]> full 51 2 We're jumping over the Lughnasa bonfires to bring you our first full-on episode in six weeks...! Herewith our dive into the Changeling Storytellers' Guide. This is the only proper ST-focused volume the line ever got, and while it's uneven, there's still plenty to enjoy within. Advice on planning the story and managing the table, reprinted crossover rules and thoughts on alternate settings, art that baffles as much as it inspires and an attempt at what the charitable would call a game-wide index—it's all here. Join us as we flip through its pages and get back into the groove of the podcast. We missed you all!

For the completionists, the book in question can be purchased at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/55?affiliate_id=3063731

Our merry selves can be found and contacted via:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps adding more Storytellers' screens to the table despite the players' pleas. Just keeps on adding 'em. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) runs games where everything's made up but the points do matter.

"To hell with facts! We need stories!" —Ken Kesey

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Episode-51-icon.png episode 51 – storytellers guide false no 1:42:33 No no episode 50.75 – the bygone bestiary https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-50-75-the-bygone-bestiary/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 16:23:48 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=365 Surely you didn't think we were going to leave you all completely hanging during our summer hiatus...? Granted, this is only a mini-sode, but we hope it still serves a pleasant tidbit in between are larger installments. On this occasion, we are exploring the (general) World of Darkness supplement, The Bygone Bestiary, full of all your folklore-steeped medieval-and-Renaissance creature needs. The book claims that it can be fairly easily integrated with Werewolf, Mage, or Changeling, but in practice, it's more of a Mage: the Sorcerer's Crusade book. We are nevertheless giving our best effort to talk about how you could use this for Changeling. A system for building chimera, examples of interesting lore for common creatures, ideas for bringing actual mythic beasts into the Autumn World... the possibilities, if not endless, are at the very least intriguing.

The book is available on the Storytellers Vault at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50?affiliate_id=3063731

Herewith also a shout-out to our sister podcast, Mage: the Podcast, whose episode on the book can be heard at: https://magethepodcast.com/tomes-of-magick-bygone-bestiary/.

And then, share your questions, comments, or screams of terror about your favorite beasts with us at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a permanent observership among the College of Sea Cardinals. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) created three perytons yesterday while trying to reheat a Lebanese rice bowl.

"O to be a dragon, a symbol of the power of Heaven — of silkworm size or immense; at times invisible. Felicitous phenomenon!" —Marianne Moore, "O To Be a Dragon"

]]> bonus 50.75 2 Surely you didn't think we were going to leave you all completely hanging during our summer hiatus...? Granted, this is only a mini-sode, but we hope it still serves a pleasant tidbit in between are larger installments. On this occasion, we are exploring the (general) World of Darkness supplement, The Bygone Bestiary, full of all your folklore-steeped medieval-and-Renaissance creature needs. The book claims that it can be fairly easily integrated with Werewolf, Mage, or Changeling, but in practice, it's more of a Mage: the Sorcerer's Crusade book. We are nevertheless giving our best effort to talk about how you could use this for Changeling. A system for building chimera, examples of interesting lore for common creatures, ideas for bringing actual mythic beasts into the Autumn World... the possibilities, if not endless, are at the very least intriguing.

The book is available on the Storytellers Vault at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50?affiliate_id=3063731

Herewith also a shout-out to our sister podcast, Mage: the Podcast, whose episode on the book can be heard at: https://magethepodcast.com/tomes-of-magick-bygone-bestiary/.

And then, share your questions, comments, or screams of terror about your favorite beasts with us at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a permanent observership among the College of Sea Cardinals. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) created three perytons yesterday while trying to reheat a Lebanese rice bowl.

"O to be a dragon, a symbol of the power of Heaven — of silkworm size or immense; at times invisible. Felicitous phenomenon!" —Marianne Moore, "O To Be a Dragon"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Bygone-icon.png episode 50.75 – the bygone bestiary true no 36:36 Yes no episode 50.5 – state of the podcast, season 2 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-50-5-state-of-the-podcast-season-2/ Thu, 22 Jun 2023 02:24:30 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=362 A merry solstice to all! Keep an eye peeled for any fae wheelings and dealings in your neighborhood today, and be sure not to stray into any mysterious mushroom rings... In the meantime, you can also have a listen to this state of the podcast for the first half of Season 2, where we do an assessment of how things are going so far and our plans for the rest of the year. (Just a short audio morsel to tide you over.) The biggest news herein is that we are finally converting episodes to video format for upload to YouTube. A link to the podcast channel will be included in our social media bundle moving forward, and the individual episodes uploaded so far—in case you want to go back to the beginning—are as follows:

The rest of the usual links:

Thanks for your listens and supports! And we are steadily working away for our own late-summer Resurgence...

]]> bonus 50.5 2 A merry solstice to all! Keep an eye peeled for any fae wheelings and dealings in your neighborhood today, and be sure not to stray into any mysterious mushroom rings... In the meantime, you can also have a listen to this state of the podcast for the first half of Season 2, where we do an assessment of how things are going so far and our plans for the rest of the year. (Just a short audio morsel to tide you over.) The biggest news herein is that we are finally converting episodes to video format for upload to YouTube. A link to the podcast channel will be included in our social media bundle moving forward, and the individual episodes uploaded so far—in case you want to go back to the beginning—are as follows:

The rest of the usual links:

Thanks for your listens and supports! And we are steadily working away for our own late-summer Resurgence...

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Episode-50-5-icon.png episode 50.5 – state of the podcast, season 2 false no 10:41 No no episode 50 – thirteen films for inspiration https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-50-thirteen-films-for-inspiration/ Mon, 19 Jun 2023 13:34:14 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=360 Our fiftieth (full-length) installment! Thanks to all who have been listening, especially those with us from the start, and we hope the next fifty are enjoyable. It seemed right to close out that milestone, and the first half of Season 2, with something a bit more relaxed. So here we are with another inspirations episode, this time on thirteen films that we think are particularly suited for Changeling: the Dreaming. (It would've been ten like the other inspirations episodes, but there was no way we could have kept it to that few.) This is a mix of movies officially recommended in the books and some of our own picks, a balance between overtly fae-themed films and others that more generally reflect the themes of the game. In order of discussion, here are the trailers. Some of them are excessively Hollywood, for which you have our apologies:

We also mention like thirty others at different points, including those suggested by our listeners. And where can you get in touch with us if you have comments or contributions to share? Well:

Our freehold is always welcome to you, so do stop by.

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) moonlights as a nocker projectionist at the local cinema.. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) daylights as a sluagh handing out sentient bags of popcorn.

"Un film est une source pétrifiante de la pensée. (A film is a petrified fountain of thought.)" —Jean Cocteau, Le testament d'Orphée

]]> full 50 2 Our fiftieth (full-length) installment! Thanks to all who have been listening, especially those with us from the start, and we hope the next fifty are enjoyable. It seemed right to close out that milestone, and the first half of Season 2, with something a bit more relaxed. So here we are with another inspirations episode, this time on thirteen films that we think are particularly suited for Changeling: the Dreaming. (It would've been ten like the other inspirations episodes, but there was no way we could have kept it to that few.) This is a mix of movies officially recommended in the books and some of our own picks, a balance between overtly fae-themed films and others that more generally reflect the themes of the game. In order of discussion, here are the trailers. Some of them are excessively Hollywood, for which you have our apologies:

We also mention like thirty others at different points, including those suggested by our listeners. And where can you get in touch with us if you have comments or contributions to share? Well:

Our freehold is always welcome to you, so do stop by.

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) moonlights as a nocker projectionist at the local cinema.. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) daylights as a sluagh handing out sentient bags of popcorn.

"Un film est une source pétrifiante de la pensée. (A film is a petrified fountain of thought.)" —Jean Cocteau, Le testament d'Orphée

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Episode-50-icon.png episode 50 – thirteen films for inspiration false no 57:04 No no episode 49 – kingdom of willows https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-49-kingdom-of-willows/ Mon, 12 Jun 2023 13:16:05 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=356 We'll be the first to admit that the Southern US is not our primary field of expertise, and to point out that TTRPG books—especially some of the 90s White Wolf ones—are not the greatest resource for learning more. That being said, the Kingdom of Willows supplement on the Kithain realm of the same name, covering that part of the world, is one of the more robust entries in the canon. It has its curiosities, and it has its cringes, but few Changeling books can match it for density. This week, we're talking about its usefulness for running games set in that part of the world and its approach to detailing the setting, as well as its crucial role in advancing the metaplot for 2nd edition. (We also fly through the seventy pages or so of NPC biographies at breakneck speed, because those things were lengthy.)

The book is available on the Storytellers Vault at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/173?affiliate_id=3063731

As per usual, reach out and touch Glamour at:

And we also threw references to a couple STV supplements, plus a bonus item from the outro:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is moss-covered, moonlit, and eerie as the Devil waiting by a crossroads at midnight. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is sweat-soaked, magnolia-scented, and peculiar as that swarm of bees in the wisteria.

"I agreed to spend the afternoon, if only to understand the mystery of how a place could feel so strange, and yet so familiar." —Edward Bloom, Big Fish

]]> full 49 2 We'll be the first to admit that the Southern US is not our primary field of expertise, and to point out that TTRPG books—especially some of the 90s White Wolf ones—are not the greatest resource for learning more. That being said, the Kingdom of Willows supplement on the Kithain realm of the same name, covering that part of the world, is one of the more robust entries in the canon. It has its curiosities, and it has its cringes, but few Changeling books can match it for density. This week, we're talking about its usefulness for running games set in that part of the world and its approach to detailing the setting, as well as its crucial role in advancing the metaplot for 2nd edition. (We also fly through the seventy pages or so of NPC biographies at breakneck speed, because those things were lengthy.)

The book is available on the Storytellers Vault at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/173?affiliate_id=3063731

As per usual, reach out and touch Glamour at:

And we also threw references to a couple STV supplements, plus a bonus item from the outro:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is moss-covered, moonlit, and eerie as the Devil waiting by a crossroads at midnight. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is sweat-soaked, magnolia-scented, and peculiar as that swarm of bees in the wisteria.

"I agreed to spend the afternoon, if only to understand the mystery of how a place could feel so strange, and yet so familiar." —Edward Bloom, Big Fish

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Episode-49-icon.png episode 49 – kingdom of willows true no 1:42:07 Yes no episode 48 – larp roundtable with ash and will https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-48-larp-roundtable-with-ash-and-will/ Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:27:55 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=352 This week, we're headed back to the [dramatic music] theatre... of the MIND's EYE! [thunder, etc.] as we have a small LARP roundtable with Ash and Will. They are two of the movers and shakers for One World by Night (OWbN), a group that organizes live-action games worldwide! The conversation covers a lot of material following on the heels of Episode 44, where we talked with Pete Woodworth about the genesis of Changeling LARP with his book, The Shining Host. But this one is more about putting the rules and recommendations of that book into action, and how groups have evolved and adapted in the 25 years since it was released.

Relevant links for our guests and their work include...

And you'd like to find us around the digital realm, here are some of your options:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) spices up the weekly supermarket run by adding in boffer shopping cart jousts. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) tried LARPing as a mandragora, but mostly that just involved standing in a corner being putredinous.

"Imagination is one of the forces of nature." —Wallace Stevens

]]> full 48 2 This week, we're headed back to the [dramatic music] theatre... of the MIND's EYE! [thunder, etc.] as we have a small LARP roundtable with Ash and Will. They are two of the movers and shakers for One World by Night (OWbN), a group that organizes live-action games worldwide! The conversation covers a lot of material following on the heels of Episode 44, where we talked with Pete Woodworth about the genesis of Changeling LARP with his book, The Shining Host. But this one is more about putting the rules and recommendations of that book into action, and how groups have evolved and adapted in the 25 years since it was released.

Relevant links for our guests and their work include...

And you'd like to find us around the digital realm, here are some of your options:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) spices up the weekly supermarket run by adding in boffer shopping cart jousts. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) tried LARPing as a mandragora, but mostly that just involved standing in a corner being putredinous.

"Imagination is one of the forces of nature." —Wallace Stevens

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Episode-48-icon-1.png episode 48 – larp roundtable with ash and will true no 1:05:09 Yes no episode 47 – changeling/vampire crossover https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-47-changeling-vampire-crossover/ Thu, 01 Jun 2023 01:15:10 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=350 Well, we managed to get to Episode 47 without covering it, but it's time at last for our final(?) WoD gameline crossover episode. This time, we're talking about Vampire: the Masquerade and its points of connection, mechanical and thematic, with Changeling: the Dreaming. We're joined for the discussion by CtP Patron, fellow podcaster, and resident vampire expert (Bryce/)(Sand)Chigg(er), as we meander through clans and bloodlines, Camarilla and Sabbat, Disciplines and other sundries. If you're interested in getting the blood parasites and the dream/emotion/creativity parasites together, we encourage you to listen. (And yes, we acknowledge that an hour and a half is not sufficient time to plumb all the possible depths here, but there's only so much VtM you can talk about before the ennui just floors you.)

Some of the usual places where you can find us online include:

And despite what the final bits of the episode might say—no, we have no plans to start up a TikTok in the immediate future. Sorry, #faemily!

Meanwhile, some places you can find Chigg around the interwebs (besides our own Discord) include:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) put all five Background dots into Generation, because that's the way to do it. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) opines that if Aaron the Malkavian can have a feeding razor, David Ardry should get a mustache spoon.

"People always ask me if I think vampires really exist, and I always say yes, because if I say no, and they do exist, they'd be like... "*tsk* Oh, right!" —Alyson Hannigan

]]> full 47 2 Well, we managed to get to Episode 47 without covering it, but it's time at last for our final(?) WoD gameline crossover episode. This time, we're talking about Vampire: the Masquerade and its points of connection, mechanical and thematic, with Changeling: the Dreaming. We're joined for the discussion by CtP Patron, fellow podcaster, and resident vampire expert (Bryce/)(Sand)Chigg(er), as we meander through clans and bloodlines, Camarilla and Sabbat, Disciplines and other sundries. If you're interested in getting the blood parasites and the dream/emotion/creativity parasites together, we encourage you to listen. (And yes, we acknowledge that an hour and a half is not sufficient time to plumb all the possible depths here, but there's only so much VtM you can talk about before the ennui just floors you.)

Some of the usual places where you can find us online include:

And despite what the final bits of the episode might say—no, we have no plans to start up a TikTok in the immediate future. Sorry, #faemily!

Meanwhile, some places you can find Chigg around the interwebs (besides our own Discord) include:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) put all five Background dots into Generation, because that's the way to do it. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) opines that if Aaron the Malkavian can have a feeding razor, David Ardry should get a mustache spoon.

"People always ask me if I think vampires really exist, and I always say yes, because if I say no, and they do exist, they'd be like... "*tsk* Oh, right!" —Alyson Hannigan

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Episode-47-icon.png episode 47 – changeling/vampire crossover false no 1:28:34 No no episode 46 – kithbook: satyrs https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-46-kithbook-satyrs/ Tue, 23 May 2023 03:22:33 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=344 There was a bit of a delay for this episode—sorry! When you party with the satyrs for the sake of episode data, you party hardy. But in the end, we have some thoughts about the kith and their presentation in Kithbook: Satyrs. To overcome the fairly one-dimensional sex maniac trope, the kithbook situates them within an extensive fae history of Greece, argues that passion can go in many directions, gives some insights into how satyrs age... not all bad stuff. That said, it's middle of the road for a splatbookl, introducing some interesting ideas without pushing the kith in any exciting new directions—which they could have benefited from. If they're your favorite kith, it's certainly worth the read.

If you'd like to take a look at the book (perhaps to consider purchasing it), here's the link: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/3468/Kithbook-Satyrs?affiliate_id=3063731

And if you want to drop us a line, you can find us at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a Passion for pudding, but only the instant kind. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) insists that the "G" is not for "Goat," but nobody seems to believe that.

"Passion persuades me one way, reason another. I see the better and approve it, but I follow the worse." —Ovid, Metamorphoses VII.19-21

]]> full 46 2 There was a bit of a delay for this episode—sorry! When you party with the satyrs for the sake of episode data, you party hardy. But in the end, we have some thoughts about the kith and their presentation in Kithbook: Satyrs. To overcome the fairly one-dimensional sex maniac trope, the kithbook situates them within an extensive fae history of Greece, argues that passion can go in many directions, gives some insights into how satyrs age... not all bad stuff. That said, it's middle of the road for a splatbookl, introducing some interesting ideas without pushing the kith in any exciting new directions—which they could have benefited from. If they're your favorite kith, it's certainly worth the read.

If you'd like to take a look at the book (perhaps to consider purchasing it), here's the link: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/3468/Kithbook-Satyrs?affiliate_id=3063731

And if you want to drop us a line, you can find us at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a Passion for pudding, but only the instant kind. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) insists that the "G" is not for "Goat," but nobody seems to believe that.

"Passion persuades me one way, reason another. I see the better and approve it, but I follow the worse." —Ovid, Metamorphoses VII.19-21

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Episode-46-icon-1.png episode 46 – kithbook: satyrs true no 1:15:53 Yes no episode 45 – queerness and kinship in changeling https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-45-queerness-and-kinship-in-changeling/ Tue, 09 May 2023 03:44:56 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=341 When it comes to themes in Changeling, there are plenty of possibilities for discussion: the bittersweetness of time, the necessity of balance, alternative forms of horror (which we talked about back in Episode 24). Two closely aligned ones that interest us are queerness and kinship. The experience of the former is often paralleled by many of the game's core ideas, and the various forms of the latter come to the foreground in the game's setting. This episode is kind of a meditation on those two themes, drawing a lot on our personal experiences. It's a discussion that could take several more hours... for now, though, we kept ourselves to one (more or less) where we muse about some of the more prominent connections we see. Hopefully it will provide you with some food for thought!

Feel free to let us know what you think about this themes episode, and these more wide-ranging discussions in general:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) sometimes uses the term "faemily" into conversation just to see what kind of impact it has on others. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) favors incorporating glitter into as many cantrip Bunks as possible.

I've heard it too many times to ignore it. It's something that I'm supposed to be. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me. —Kermit the Frog, "Rainbow Connection"

]]> full 45 2 When it comes to themes in Changeling, there are plenty of possibilities for discussion: the bittersweetness of time, the necessity of balance, alternative forms of horror (which we talked about back in Episode 24). Two closely aligned ones that interest us are queerness and kinship. The experience of the former is often paralleled by many of the game's core ideas, and the various forms of the latter come to the foreground in the game's setting. This episode is kind of a meditation on those two themes, drawing a lot on our personal experiences. It's a discussion that could take several more hours... for now, though, we kept ourselves to one (more or less) where we muse about some of the more prominent connections we see. Hopefully it will provide you with some food for thought!

Feel free to let us know what you think about this themes episode, and these more wide-ranging discussions in general:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) sometimes uses the term "faemily" into conversation just to see what kind of impact it has on others. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) favors incorporating glitter into as many cantrip Bunks as possible.

I've heard it too many times to ignore it. It's something that I'm supposed to be. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me. —Kermit the Frog, "Rainbow Connection"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Episode-45-icon.png episode 45 – queerness and kinship in changeling true no 1:06:29 Yes no episode 44 – the shining host with pete woodworth https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-44-the-shining-host-with-pete-woodworth/ Mon, 01 May 2023 17:17:09 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=338 ...no, not the pseudo-Kithbook: Sidhe. We already covered that book, if you'll remember Episode 11. This time we'll be talking about the similarly named but wholly different The Shining Host, Changeling's entry in the LARP (Live-Action RolePlaying) universe of Mind's Eye Theatre. Given the alignment between the themes and mechanics of Changeling: the Dreaming and, well, make-believe, it's a natural fit for this more performative style of roleplaying. Part book dive and part exploration of the role-playing style, this episode is also one of those situations where Josh has extensive experience and Pooka has basically zero, and the disparity in knowledge is quite apparent. But we have a special guest to help us out this time: the book's author, and eventual MET/C20 developer, Pete Woodworth! With such knowledgeable guides, surely even a pooka can come out of this episode having learned something.

You can purchase the book at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1491?affiliate_id=3063731, for your LARP education and edification (edufication?), and check out Pete's other work at:

And then there's our usual social links in case you need to bother us for Things and Stuff:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has the power to turn invisible with a mere fold of the arms. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) believes in the primacy of rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.

"We're actors — we're the opposite of people!" —The Player, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

]]> full 44 2 ...no, not the pseudo-Kithbook: Sidhe. We already covered that book, if you'll remember Episode 11. This time we'll be talking about the similarly named but wholly different The Shining Host, Changeling's entry in the LARP (Live-Action RolePlaying) universe of Mind's Eye Theatre. Given the alignment between the themes and mechanics of Changeling: the Dreaming and, well, make-believe, it's a natural fit for this more performative style of roleplaying. Part book dive and part exploration of the role-playing style, this episode is also one of those situations where Josh has extensive experience and Pooka has basically zero, and the disparity in knowledge is quite apparent. But we have a special guest to help us out this time: the book's author, and eventual MET/C20 developer, Pete Woodworth! With such knowledgeable guides, surely even a pooka can come out of this episode having learned something.

You can purchase the book at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/1491?affiliate_id=3063731, for your LARP education and edification (edufication?), and check out Pete's other work at:

And then there's our usual social links in case you need to bother us for Things and Stuff:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has the power to turn invisible with a mere fold of the arms. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) believes in the primacy of rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.

"We're actors — we're the opposite of people!" —The Player, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Episode-44-icon.png episode 44 – the shining host with pete woodworth true no 1:50:48 Yes no episode 43 – book of houses https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-43-book-of-houses/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 20:31:22 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=336 In case it wasn't clear, the sidhe are the star kith (some might say "Marys Sue" or "prime donne") of Changeling: the Dreaming. More metaplot space was devoted to their intrigues than any other, players seem drawn to play them (possibly for those sweet House benefits), and while they never got 72 or 96 pages of proper kithbook, they got ~400 pages of House book divided across three supplements. (And that's putting aside Nobles: the Shining Host and The Shadow Court, each of which could also arguably be called "Kithbooks: Sidhe"...) It is to the first of that trilogy that we turn this week, as we discuss Noblesse Oblige: The Book of Houses, covering the five "core" Seelie Houses from 1st edition. It's a weighty tome with a lot of information about the history and culture of these groups, but we do our best to get through them at a brisk clip...!

Granted, you might not have time to listen to in-depth descriptions of the Houses and their role in the broader landscape of Kithain society. We thought it might be best to reduce each one to a phrase or two that summarizes their ethos, but we wanted to jazz it up a bit, so here they are as flavor profile descriptions, complete with cheese pairings:

  • House Dougal: robust with little variation, notes of stone fruit, smoky finish; pairs nicely with a sharp Cheddar
  • House Eiluned: complex and (actually) acidic, a succession of flavors, velvety mouthfeel; goes well with an aged Gruyère
  • House Fiona: effervescent and bright, with a balance between vanilla and citrus; even out with a mild goat cheese
  • House Gwydion: intensely flavorful with cedar notes, but a slight metallic aftertaste; only Roquefort can match its power
  • House Liam: simple and bittersweet, with occasional tartness and a nutty finish; best with a smear of honey-coated Brie

Feel free to agree or disagree with these picks on our social media, where you can also share and discuss other Changeling-flavored whatnot:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) grew up in the suburbs of Arcadia, where light rail is affordable and organic co-ops abound. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) isn't keen on adjectives gone wild, but syntax gone wild is something up with which they will gladly put.

"I had been too long away from the nobility; I had forgotten how silly even the best of them could be." —Laurell K. Hamilton, "Geese"

]]> full 43 2 In case it wasn't clear, the sidhe are the star kith (some might say "Marys Sue" or "prime donne") of Changeling: the Dreaming. More metaplot space was devoted to their intrigues than any other, players seem drawn to play them (possibly for those sweet House benefits), and while they never got 72 or 96 pages of proper kithbook, they got ~400 pages of House book divided across three supplements. (And that's putting aside Nobles: the Shining Host and The Shadow Court, each of which could also arguably be called "Kithbooks: Sidhe"...) It is to the first of that trilogy that we turn this week, as we discuss Noblesse Oblige: The Book of Houses, covering the five "core" Seelie Houses from 1st edition. It's a weighty tome with a lot of information about the history and culture of these groups, but we do our best to get through them at a brisk clip...!

Granted, you might not have time to listen to in-depth descriptions of the Houses and their role in the broader landscape of Kithain society. We thought it might be best to reduce each one to a phrase or two that summarizes their ethos, but we wanted to jazz it up a bit, so here they are as flavor profile descriptions, complete with cheese pairings:

  • House Dougal: robust with little variation, notes of stone fruit, smoky finish; pairs nicely with a sharp Cheddar
  • House Eiluned: complex and (actually) acidic, a succession of flavors, velvety mouthfeel; goes well with an aged Gruyère
  • House Fiona: effervescent and bright, with a balance between vanilla and citrus; even out with a mild goat cheese
  • House Gwydion: intensely flavorful with cedar notes, but a slight metallic aftertaste; only Roquefort can match its power
  • House Liam: simple and bittersweet, with occasional tartness and a nutty finish; best with a smear of honey-coated Brie

Feel free to agree or disagree with these picks on our social media, where you can also share and discuss other Changeling-flavored whatnot:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) grew up in the suburbs of Arcadia, where light rail is affordable and organic co-ops abound. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) isn't keen on adjectives gone wild, but syntax gone wild is something up with which they will gladly put.

"I had been too long away from the nobility; I had forgotten how silly even the best of them could be." —Laurell K. Hamilton, "Geese"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Episode-43-icon.png episode 43 – book of houses true no 1:37:09 Yes no episode 42 – ten comics and graphic novels for inspiration https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-42-ten-comics-and-graphic-novels-for-inspiration/ Mon, 17 Apr 2023 15:03:17 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=333 It's been a while since we had one of our inspiration episodes, where we take a look at material outside of the CtD canon that we find helpful for grokking the themes of the game. We've had novels and spoopy novels, but in this episode (#THE ANSWER) we're turning to graphic novels and other visual narratives of the comic form. A professor might say, pairing text with image creates its own kind of media experience for the reader, tickling a particular set of imaginative centers in the brain that are good for conceptualizing the intricate mytho-fictive narratives of the game. But more simply put, MOAR COMIX BETTER GAME. (And even if you don't think of yourself as a "comics reader," these are worth a look.)

The full list:

  • Neil Gaiman with various artists, Sandman (and assorted spinoffs) — the original fan annotations website is archived here, but there is also an official Annotated Sandman out from DC
  • Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, DIE — and see the tie-in roleplaying game here!
  • Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and so many others, X-Men
  • Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, Monstress
  • Winsor McCay, Little Nemo in Slumberland (and variations on the title) — in the public domain, so you can see many of the old strips (along with the excellent Krazy Kat) at the Comic Strip Library
  • [bonus! Jamie McKelvie, Suburban Glamour]
  • Alan Moore, Watchmen — there was a film adaptation and everything, but here's the 80s cartoon the world deserved
  • Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Saga — we're not going to link to merchandise websites, but you can get resin statues of plushies of the Lying Cat, if you so desire (and really, why wouldn't you?)
  • Chris Ware, Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth
  • Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
  • Bill Willingham and (mostly) Mark Buckingham, Fables

And then as usual, another list, where you can rail about how right or wrong we were about this list (although take note—limiting ourselves to eleven was tough, and we acknowledge there's a lot more out there):

If you join our Discord, feel free to send us your suggested stats for Hobbes the Lycian, or vote on which sidhe Houses you think Xavier and Magneto would fall into, or just talk about the episode to your hearts' contentments.

our hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) often trips over speech balloons and tumbles through the fourth wall. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) defies the square panel as a convention of story-binding, favoring instead the trapezoid.

"Let's see if we can call time on this trend by demanding and creating big, wild comics which stretch our imaginations. Let's make living breathing, sprawling adventures filled with mind-blowing images of things unseen on Earth. Let's make artefacts that are not faux-games or movies but something other, something so rare and strange it might as well be a window into another universe because that's what it is." —Grant Morrison

]]> full 42 2 It's been a while since we had one of our inspiration episodes, where we take a look at material outside of the CtD canon that we find helpful for grokking the themes of the game. We've had novels and spoopy novels, but in this episode (#THE ANSWER) we're turning to graphic novels and other visual narratives of the comic form. A professor might say, pairing text with image creates its own kind of media experience for the reader, tickling a particular set of imaginative centers in the brain that are good for conceptualizing the intricate mytho-fictive narratives of the game. But more simply put, MOAR COMIX BETTER GAME. (And even if you don't think of yourself as a "comics reader," these are worth a look.)

The full list:

  • Neil Gaiman with various artists, Sandman (and assorted spinoffs) — the original fan annotations website is archived here, but there is also an official Annotated Sandman out from DC
  • Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, DIE — and see the tie-in roleplaying game here!
  • Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and so many others, X-Men
  • Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, Monstress
  • Winsor McCay, Little Nemo in Slumberland (and variations on the title) — in the public domain, so you can see many of the old strips (along with the excellent Krazy Kat) at the Comic Strip Library
  • [bonus! Jamie McKelvie, Suburban Glamour]
  • Alan Moore, Watchmen — there was a film adaptation and everything, but here's the 80s cartoon the world deserved
  • Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Saga — we're not going to link to merchandise websites, but you can get resin statues of plushies of the Lying Cat, if you so desire (and really, why wouldn't you?)
  • Chris Ware, Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth
  • Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
  • Bill Willingham and (mostly) Mark Buckingham, Fables

And then as usual, another list, where you can rail about how right or wrong we were about this list (although take note—limiting ourselves to eleven was tough, and we acknowledge there's a lot more out there):

If you join our Discord, feel free to send us your suggested stats for Hobbes the Lycian, or vote on which sidhe Houses you think Xavier and Magneto would fall into, or just talk about the episode to your hearts' contentments.

our hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) often trips over speech balloons and tumbles through the fourth wall. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) defies the square panel as a convention of story-binding, favoring instead the trapezoid.

"Let's see if we can call time on this trend by demanding and creating big, wild comics which stretch our imaginations. Let's make living breathing, sprawling adventures filled with mind-blowing images of things unseen on Earth. Let's make artefacts that are not faux-games or movies but something other, something so rare and strange it might as well be a window into another universe because that's what it is." —Grant Morrison

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Episode-42-icon.png episode 42 – ten comics and graphic novels for inspiration true no 50:08 Yes no episode 41 – Dreams & Nightmares 3 — Deep Dreaming https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-41-dreams-nightmares-3-deep-dreaming/ Wed, 12 Apr 2023 23:32:38 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=331 At long last, we come to the end of the road... well, not the end, because that would (presumably) be Arcadia. But we are deeper into the Dreaming than we've yet been, as we deal this week with the final part of our dive into Dreams and Nightmares! Joining us is C20 author and longtime community bastion Charlie Cantrell, for a discussion of the Realms in the farthest reaches of dream, and the stories one might tell on the way there. While we are talking about the Deep Dreaming write-ups in particular, the conversation ranges across the entirety of the book and what it has to offer. Our conclusion: it's an indispensable one for players and Storytellers alike, even those who have never played 2nd Edition, but it's a springboard more than a proper guide. There are hundreds (thousands?) of ideas floating around its pages, with little to no guidance on how to use them. But for a representation of the infinite space that is the collective subconscious, it's hard to see how the book could have been anything else...

If you missed the first two installments of this trilogy, check them out: Episode 39 (Near Dreaming): https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-39-dreams-nightmares-1-near-dreaming/ Episode 40 (Far Dreaming): https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-40-dreams-nightmares-2-far-dreaming/

The book continues to be available at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/2173/Dreams-and-Nightmares?affiliate_id=3063731, and we continue to be available for your social contact needs (within reason) throughout the following constellation of sites:

Charlie can sometimes be spotted on our Discord, or else you might try your luck at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) reminds the listener that we're each forever story-battling the subtle yet sinister extra-planar Fair Folk, each of us wielding the weapon that is An Entire Life. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has one word for you, just one word: BALLOON.

From star to star the mental optics rove, Measure the skies, and range the realms above. There in one view we grasp the mighty whole, Or with new worlds amaze th' unbounded soul. —Phillis Wheatley, "On Imagination"

]]> full 41 2 At long last, we come to the end of the road... well, not the end, because that would (presumably) be Arcadia. But we are deeper into the Dreaming than we've yet been, as we deal this week with the final part of our dive into Dreams and Nightmares! Joining us is C20 author and longtime community bastion Charlie Cantrell, for a discussion of the Realms in the farthest reaches of dream, and the stories one might tell on the way there. While we are talking about the Deep Dreaming write-ups in particular, the conversation ranges across the entirety of the book and what it has to offer. Our conclusion: it's an indispensable one for players and Storytellers alike, even those who have never played 2nd Edition, but it's a springboard more than a proper guide. There are hundreds (thousands?) of ideas floating around its pages, with little to no guidance on how to use them. But for a representation of the infinite space that is the collective subconscious, it's hard to see how the book could have been anything else...

If you missed the first two installments of this trilogy, check them out: Episode 39 (Near Dreaming): https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-39-dreams-nightmares-1-near-dreaming/ Episode 40 (Far Dreaming): https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-40-dreams-nightmares-2-far-dreaming/

The book continues to be available at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/2173/Dreams-and-Nightmares?affiliate_id=3063731, and we continue to be available for your social contact needs (within reason) throughout the following constellation of sites:

Charlie can sometimes be spotted on our Discord, or else you might try your luck at:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) reminds the listener that we're each forever story-battling the subtle yet sinister extra-planar Fair Folk, each of us wielding the weapon that is An Entire Life. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has one word for you, just one word: BALLOON.

From star to star the mental optics rove, Measure the skies, and range the realms above. There in one view we grasp the mighty whole, Or with new worlds amaze th' unbounded soul. —Phillis Wheatley, "On Imagination"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Episode-41-icon.png episode 41 – Dreams & Nightmares 3 — Deep Dreaming true no 1:31:18 Yes no episode 40 – Dreams & Nightmares 2 — Far Dreaming https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-40-dreams-nightmares-2-far-dreaming/ Mon, 03 Apr 2023 15:12:45 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=328 We're continuing down the path into the Firchlis-warped wilderness as we dip into Chapters 2, the first half of 4, 6, and the Appendix of Dreams and Nightmares. Why the scattered approach? While we focused on the Near Dreaming along with general Dreaming cosmology and (meta)physics last time, in this installment we're talking specifically about the Far Dreaming, its Realms, and more of the mechanical side of things. If you want to know more about the specific rules you'll need to run a Dreaming-heavy game, or notes about the beasts and denizens one may find there, we've got a few treats (and headaches) in store for you... but if it's not entirely to your liking, don't worry. We've still got another episode in this trilogy to get through.

Our own Dreaming Realms:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is part shareholder of an artisanal butter outfit in the Fields Behind, because everyone needs a retirement plan. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) was awarded the key to the city of Quoxburg, but it turned out to be a miserably sentient three-day-old croissant with the word "KEY" written on it in royal icing.

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. —William Blake, third proverb of Hell

]]> full 40 2 We're continuing down the path into the Firchlis-warped wilderness as we dip into Chapters 2, the first half of 4, 6, and the Appendix of Dreams and Nightmares. Why the scattered approach? While we focused on the Near Dreaming along with general Dreaming cosmology and (meta)physics last time, in this installment we're talking specifically about the Far Dreaming, its Realms, and more of the mechanical side of things. If you want to know more about the specific rules you'll need to run a Dreaming-heavy game, or notes about the beasts and denizens one may find there, we've got a few treats (and headaches) in store for you... but if it's not entirely to your liking, don't worry. We've still got another episode in this trilogy to get through.

Our own Dreaming Realms:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is part shareholder of an artisanal butter outfit in the Fields Behind, because everyone needs a retirement plan. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) was awarded the key to the city of Quoxburg, but it turned out to be a miserably sentient three-day-old croissant with the word "KEY" written on it in royal icing.

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. —William Blake, third proverb of Hell

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Episode-40-icon.png episode 40 – Dreams & Nightmares 2 — Far Dreaming false no 1:02:01 No no episode 39 – Dreams & Nightmares 1 — Near Dreaming https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-39-dreams-nightmares-1-near-dreaming/ Mon, 27 Mar 2023 23:47:01 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=326 Brace yourselves—it's time for another trilogy of episodes as we dive into the library for a book of exquisite density. While Isle of the Mighty (our previous three-fer) was long in addition to dense, Dreams and Nightmares is a trim 128 pages with standard-sized font. So why the excessive episodage for it? Because this is the first, last, and thus far only entry in the Changeling canon to give us a thorough look at the Dreaming, whose impact on the world of the game cannot be overemphasized. This week, as we enter the Near Dreaming, we're joined by (friend of the show, Patron, and host of Mage: the Podcast) Terry Robinson to talk about the overall cosmology and metaphysics of this plane, its connections to broader Mage and WoD cosmology, and specifically the Nearer side of things. Much mayhem ensued!

The book can be purchased from https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/2173/Dreams-and-Nightmares?affiliate_id=3063731, and if the interwebs are a kind of Dreaming, then here are some of our Realms:

Meanwhile, Terry can be found in places that include:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) takes a trod to work because the bridge traffic is just unacceptable since the new troll started working under there. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) | discreetly laughs | at those who scorn | the Silver Paths. | BURMA SHAVE

One backward look by any of us Can cost what it cost Orpheus. —Kay Ryan, "Doubt"

]]> full 39 2 Brace yourselves—it's time for another trilogy of episodes as we dive into the library for a book of exquisite density. While Isle of the Mighty (our previous three-fer) was long in addition to dense, Dreams and Nightmares is a trim 128 pages with standard-sized font. So why the excessive episodage for it? Because this is the first, last, and thus far only entry in the Changeling canon to give us a thorough look at the Dreaming, whose impact on the world of the game cannot be overemphasized. This week, as we enter the Near Dreaming, we're joined by (friend of the show, Patron, and host of Mage: the Podcast) Terry Robinson to talk about the overall cosmology and metaphysics of this plane, its connections to broader Mage and WoD cosmology, and specifically the Nearer side of things. Much mayhem ensued!

The book can be purchased from https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/2173/Dreams-and-Nightmares?affiliate_id=3063731, and if the interwebs are a kind of Dreaming, then here are some of our Realms:

Meanwhile, Terry can be found in places that include:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) takes a trod to work because the bridge traffic is just unacceptable since the new troll started working under there. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) | discreetly laughs | at those who scorn | the Silver Paths. | BURMA SHAVE

One backward look by any of us Can cost what it cost Orpheus. —Kay Ryan, "Doubt"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Episode-39-icon.png episode 39 – Dreams & Nightmares 1 — Near Dreaming true no 1:23:54 Yes no episode 38 – session zero https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-38-session-zero/ Mon, 20 Mar 2023 14:08:49 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=322 Even when you're equipped with quickstart materials (as we discussed a few episode ago...!), it can be daunting to prepare your/your players' first Changeling game. Many of the potential speed bumps can be smoothed over with a solid Session Zero, where everyone gets together, talks about the characters they want to play, the particular game and story they expect to craft, and the questions they need answered before diving into the roleplaying "proper". In this episode, we draw on our experiences both great and abysmal, to inform our takes on some important things to think about in general and for Changeling in particular. This is by no means a tutorial on "how to Storytell," but we hope that it will helpfully enrich your own playing style.

Our social media links, if you'd care to leave some feedback, show your appreciation, or just scream like an opossum in the night:

consent documents

In this episode, we make reference to these documents, which some Storytellers like to circulate before starting to supplement the "lines" and "veils" deployed in-game. They're usually checklists of topics which might be triggering for players, giving them the opportunity to highlight specific items they don't want in a game. There are a variety of these out in the world, but here are three (free) examples:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) requires players to handwrite their sheets with calligraphy on parchment if they take Title greater than 2. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) awards starting XP based on how many crullers each player brings to the table in tribute.

"Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again." —Andre Gide, Le Traité de Narcisse

]]> full 38 2 Even when you're equipped with quickstart materials (as we discussed a few episode ago...!), it can be daunting to prepare your/your players' first Changeling game. Many of the potential speed bumps can be smoothed over with a solid Session Zero, where everyone gets together, talks about the characters they want to play, the particular game and story they expect to craft, and the questions they need answered before diving into the roleplaying "proper". In this episode, we draw on our experiences both great and abysmal, to inform our takes on some important things to think about in general and for Changeling in particular. This is by no means a tutorial on "how to Storytell," but we hope that it will helpfully enrich your own playing style.

Our social media links, if you'd care to leave some feedback, show your appreciation, or just scream like an opossum in the night:

consent documents

In this episode, we make reference to these documents, which some Storytellers like to circulate before starting to supplement the "lines" and "veils" deployed in-game. They're usually checklists of topics which might be triggering for players, giving them the opportunity to highlight specific items they don't want in a game. There are a variety of these out in the world, but here are three (free) examples:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) requires players to handwrite their sheets with calligraphy on parchment if they take Title greater than 2. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) awards starting XP based on how many crullers each player brings to the table in tribute.

"Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again." —Andre Gide, Le Traité de Narcisse

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Episode-38-icon.png episode 38 – session zero false no 1:09:21 No no episode 37 – kithbook: Nockers https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-37-kithbook-nockers/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:59:02 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=319 Another dive into the library...! This week, we're taking a closer look at the ill-tempered genius of the nockers as we flip through the pages of their Kithbook, the third in the lineup. There are certainly some interesting tidbits in this one: the origins of nockers' foul mouths, some fast-and-loose chimerical "science", a panoply of devices and vehicles from their workshops. And then there are... choices that were made about their heritage and presentation that we examine with more critical eyes. Friend of the show Charles Siegel joins us on this episode to help hash out who the nockers are, who they could be, and how to (better) fold them into your Changeling chronicle.

Some places you can find us around the intersphere:

And some places where you can find Charles and his work:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is one step closer to discovering the elusive Higgs monad. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) knows that many nockers can tune a piano, but not a one can tuna fish.

"Everything was normal and then suddenly, it's like the laws of physics went right out the window." "And why shouldn't they? They're so inconvenient." —Geordi and Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation, "True Q"

]]> full 37 2 Another dive into the library...! This week, we're taking a closer look at the ill-tempered genius of the nockers as we flip through the pages of their Kithbook, the third in the lineup. There are certainly some interesting tidbits in this one: the origins of nockers' foul mouths, some fast-and-loose chimerical "science", a panoply of devices and vehicles from their workshops. And then there are... choices that were made about their heritage and presentation that we examine with more critical eyes. Friend of the show Charles Siegel joins us on this episode to help hash out who the nockers are, who they could be, and how to (better) fold them into your Changeling chronicle.

Some places you can find us around the intersphere:

And some places where you can find Charles and his work:

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is one step closer to discovering the elusive Higgs monad. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) knows that many nockers can tune a piano, but not a one can tuna fish.

"Everything was normal and then suddenly, it's like the laws of physics went right out the window." "And why shouldn't they? They're so inconvenient." —Geordi and Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation, "True Q"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Nockers-icon.png episode 37 – kithbook: Nockers false no 1:34:18 No no episode 36 – glamour and banality https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-36-glamour-and-banality/ Mon, 06 Mar 2023 15:51:15 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=317 There are a few different ways to summarize Changeling: the Dreaming and its themes. "You're a faerie in a human body" and its variations are a common starting point; "it's about the struggle to keep imagination alive" might be another. The conflict (or is it, really?) between Glamour and Banality is our topic for this week, as we try to take a holistic view of them as metaphysical forces, game systems, descriptive elements, and things in need of complication for a more nuanced game. We're trying to be pretty broad in our strokes here, but remember that this is our own take on the subject. Use as much or as little of it as like—su mesa es su mesa.

And of course, if you have a different take on Glamour and Banality, you're welcome to share your thoughts with us via the following media:

None of what we say is gospel, after all. Maybe Changeling doesn't get quite the same level of philosophical debate as Mage, but there's still plenty to chew over, as the fan community has done for the last few decades. For our part, we're throwing ideas out there like spaghetti, to see what sticks to the wall of discourse. (Because that's what podcasting is all about!)

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) carries a never-ending hip-flask Treasure that continually refills with maple syrup dross. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) faces a Banality trigger whenever someone uses the words "untranslatable" or "thusly".

The opposite of beauty is not ugliness, it's indifference. —Elie Wiesel

]]> full 36 2 There are a few different ways to summarize Changeling: the Dreaming and its themes. "You're a faerie in a human body" and its variations are a common starting point; "it's about the struggle to keep imagination alive" might be another. The conflict (or is it, really?) between Glamour and Banality is our topic for this week, as we try to take a holistic view of them as metaphysical forces, game systems, descriptive elements, and things in need of complication for a more nuanced game. We're trying to be pretty broad in our strokes here, but remember that this is our own take on the subject. Use as much or as little of it as like—su mesa es su mesa.

And of course, if you have a different take on Glamour and Banality, you're welcome to share your thoughts with us via the following media:

None of what we say is gospel, after all. Maybe Changeling doesn't get quite the same level of philosophical debate as Mage, but there's still plenty to chew over, as the fan community has done for the last few decades. For our part, we're throwing ideas out there like spaghetti, to see what sticks to the wall of discourse. (Because that's what podcasting is all about!)

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) carries a never-ending hip-flask Treasure that continually refills with maple syrup dross. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) faces a Banality trigger whenever someone uses the words "untranslatable" or "thusly".

The opposite of beauty is not ugliness, it's indifference. —Elie Wiesel

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Episode-36-icon.jpg episode 36 – glamour and banality false no 1:15:04 No no episode 35 – book of lost Dreams https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-35-book-of-lost-dreams/ Mon, 27 Feb 2023 14:35:05 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=313 It is a truth universally acknowledged that a tabletop RPG with a rich setting is in want of an overflow book for all the material unceremoniously cut from the corebook. Changeling's 2nd edition was no exception, and so we have the Book of Lost Dreams, a slim volume that touches on crossover rules with other WoD games, resources for Storytellers, Unseelie Houses, an introductory adventure... all of it packaged with a seemly Storytellers' Screen, behind which you can roll dice with secrecy and aplomb. In this episode, we riffle through its pages, as well as two of the associated products from the early days: the Introductory Kit and the updated Toys will be Toys adventure. These are echoes of the earliest internet days for White Wolf and Changeling as well, so naturally, we wax nostalgic more than we probably need to.

If you're into buying the BoLD, here's a link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/43?affiliate_id=3063731. It's kind of intriguing how this was apparently the 43rd product ever added to DriveThruRPG; it seems that many of the early ones consisted of the White Wolf back catalog, uploaded in alphabetical order. (Aberrant is #3, Adventure! is #5, Alien Hunger is #8...) And then, the Intro Kit is free!-ly available at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/89894?affiliate_id=3063731 for your perusal. As for the Storyteller's screen illustrated by Rebecca Guay, well, check it out:

A lovely pastoral scene behind which to decide the fate of your players, no? Note how it moves through the seasons as you proceed from left to right, because that's the kind of cool stuff one should do with art. Lastly, as always, here are our social media links:

We hope you'll get in touch! And stay tuned for our next installment... heck, follow our show on whatever platform you're reading this, why don'tcha?

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) ran the "Capture the Flag" adventure as a freeform LARP. The government of Ontario has yet to set a court date. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) lost some dreams once, but it turns out they were just buried under several sarongs and tapestries.

The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster. —Elizabeth Bishop, "One Art"

]]> full 35 2 It is a truth universally acknowledged that a tabletop RPG with a rich setting is in want of an overflow book for all the material unceremoniously cut from the corebook. Changeling's 2nd edition was no exception, and so we have the Book of Lost Dreams, a slim volume that touches on crossover rules with other WoD games, resources for Storytellers, Unseelie Houses, an introductory adventure... all of it packaged with a seemly Storytellers' Screen, behind which you can roll dice with secrecy and aplomb. In this episode, we riffle through its pages, as well as two of the associated products from the early days: the Introductory Kit and the updated Toys will be Toys adventure. These are echoes of the earliest internet days for White Wolf and Changeling as well, so naturally, we wax nostalgic more than we probably need to.

If you're into buying the BoLD, here's a link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/43?affiliate_id=3063731. It's kind of intriguing how this was apparently the 43rd product ever added to DriveThruRPG; it seems that many of the early ones consisted of the White Wolf back catalog, uploaded in alphabetical order. (Aberrant is #3, Adventure! is #5, Alien Hunger is #8...) And then, the Intro Kit is free!-ly available at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/89894?affiliate_id=3063731 for your perusal. As for the Storyteller's screen illustrated by Rebecca Guay, well, check it out:

A lovely pastoral scene behind which to decide the fate of your players, no? Note how it moves through the seasons as you proceed from left to right, because that's the kind of cool stuff one should do with art. Lastly, as always, here are our social media links:

We hope you'll get in touch! And stay tuned for our next installment... heck, follow our show on whatever platform you're reading this, why don'tcha?

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) ran the "Capture the Flag" adventure as a freeform LARP. The government of Ontario has yet to set a court date. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) lost some dreams once, but it turns out they were just buried under several sarongs and tapestries.

The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster. —Elizabeth Bishop, "One Art"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Episode-35-icon.png episode 35 – book of lost Dreams false no 1:02:47 No no episode 34 – 2e corebook https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-34-2e-corebook/ Tue, 21 Feb 2023 17:43:39 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=311 Greetings, Dreamers! After a couple months' hibernation, we have returned to start bringing you content once again, as we enter the enchanted realm of 2nd edition... so of course, we must begin with the corebook, a tome near and dear to both our hearts. We really tried to rein it in, and this still ended up being our longest episode yet (by the merest of hairs). This is still a legacy edition, but nearer to the most recent incarnation of the game, and still chock-full of useful material for any player or Storyteller. And frankly, the book is just beautiful, in an era when beautiful TTRPG books were by no means a given like they (kind of) are today.

First, let us dust off our social media profiles so that you can reach out to us if you desire...

...and then, if you're inclined to purchase the PDF online, behold the link to do so: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/1624?affiliate_id=3063731

We have most of this shiny new Season 2 planned out, with book dives and interviews and inspirational tidbits and more, so if you haven't subscribed, we hope that you'll consider doing so! Stay tuned for (mostly) weekly episodes and see what dreams they muster...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) once invoked the Dragon's Ire at a coffeeshop when the barista accidentally used hemp milk. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) only commits Rhapsody on affluenzic "influencers" who need to be put in their place.

"Dreaming is...a game of the imagination, a game that is a value in itself." —Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

]]> full 34 2 Greetings, Dreamers! After a couple months' hibernation, we have returned to start bringing you content once again, as we enter the enchanted realm of 2nd edition... so of course, we must begin with the corebook, a tome near and dear to both our hearts. We really tried to rein it in, and this still ended up being our longest episode yet (by the merest of hairs). This is still a legacy edition, but nearer to the most recent incarnation of the game, and still chock-full of useful material for any player or Storyteller. And frankly, the book is just beautiful, in an era when beautiful TTRPG books were by no means a given like they (kind of) are today.

First, let us dust off our social media profiles so that you can reach out to us if you desire...

...and then, if you're inclined to purchase the PDF online, behold the link to do so: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/1624?affiliate_id=3063731

We have most of this shiny new Season 2 planned out, with book dives and interviews and inspirational tidbits and more, so if you haven't subscribed, we hope that you'll consider doing so! Stay tuned for (mostly) weekly episodes and see what dreams they muster...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) once invoked the Dragon's Ire at a coffeeshop when the barista accidentally used hemp milk. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) only commits Rhapsody on affluenzic "influencers" who need to be put in their place.

"Dreaming is...a game of the imagination, a game that is a value in itself." —Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Episode-34-icon.jpeg episode 34 – 2e corebook true no 1:59:59 Yes no episode 33.5 – minisode: season 1 wrap-up https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-33-5-minisode-season-1-wrap-up/ Wed, 21 Dec 2022 17:03:29 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=307 Hey all! This is just our quick wrap-up for the end of our first season (which we've sort of stumbled into properly calling a season now). It's a handful of thoughts on what we've accomplished, and what we'd like to do in the coming year. Thanks again for listening and supporting our podcast so far, and we hope you'll stick with us when we come back after our hiatus. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to us via our usual passel of social media spots:

See you in 2023!

]]> bonus 33.5 Hey all! This is just our quick wrap-up for the end of our first season (which we've sort of stumbled into properly calling a season now). It's a handful of thoughts on what we've accomplished, and what we'd like to do in the coming year. Thanks again for listening and supporting our podcast so far, and we hope you'll stick with us when we come back after our hiatus. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to us via our usual passel of social media spots:

See you in 2023!

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Episode-34-icon.png episode 33.5 – minisode: season 1 wrap-up true no 11:15 Yes no episode 33 – the immortal eyes novels https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-33-the-immortal-eyes-novels/ Mon, 19 Dec 2022 22:06:43 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=304 For our last long-form episode of 2022, we're diving into the library again, but this time we're headed to the fiction section, and the Immortal Eyes novel trilogy. These books tie in to the three Immortal Eyes setting/chronicle books from 1st edition, fleshing out the story and giving some more options for incorporating the plot (and metaplot) into one's own chronicle. It was a grand experiment that, while not unsuccessful, is difficult to define in terms of its actual impact on the game line. Nevertheless, they weren't a chore to read, and we wanted to take some time to discuss them—as well as the overall role of RPG-associated fiction in the game space.

If you want to get in touch with us to comment, inquire, or just croon wordlessly about this (or another) episode:

...

links in the chain

You can pick up the novels on DriveThruRPG for $0.99 each. As Josh points out, they're PDFs rather than EPUBs, which makes them tough for some e-readers, but the price is actually significantly lower than what Pooka said on the show (bad research!), so there's that. Follow the links below:

Additionally, if you want to hear our episodes where we give deep dives into the setting/chronicle books proper and their usefulness for a chronicle, behold even more links...!:

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is building a chimerical monstrosity from stripped book covers as retribution for 90s publishers' excess. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) often turns enemies to stone and pries loose their gem eyes, and so now has more Eyestones than they know what to do with.

"It's not that pookas never tell the truth. It's just that our version of the truth does not always correspond with majority opinion." —Rasputin, noted street performer, decorated war hero, and Grand Nabob of the Tenderloin

]]> full 33 For our last long-form episode of 2022, we're diving into the library again, but this time we're headed to the fiction section, and the Immortal Eyes novel trilogy. These books tie in to the three Immortal Eyes setting/chronicle books from 1st edition, fleshing out the story and giving some more options for incorporating the plot (and metaplot) into one's own chronicle. It was a grand experiment that, while not unsuccessful, is difficult to define in terms of its actual impact on the game line. Nevertheless, they weren't a chore to read, and we wanted to take some time to discuss them—as well as the overall role of RPG-associated fiction in the game space.

If you want to get in touch with us to comment, inquire, or just croon wordlessly about this (or another) episode:

...

links in the chain

You can pick up the novels on DriveThruRPG for $0.99 each. As Josh points out, they're PDFs rather than EPUBs, which makes them tough for some e-readers, but the price is actually significantly lower than what Pooka said on the show (bad research!), so there's that. Follow the links below:

Additionally, if you want to hear our episodes where we give deep dives into the setting/chronicle books proper and their usefulness for a chronicle, behold even more links...!:

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is building a chimerical monstrosity from stripped book covers as retribution for 90s publishers' excess. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) often turns enemies to stone and pries loose their gem eyes, and so now has more Eyestones than they know what to do with.

"It's not that pookas never tell the truth. It's just that our version of the truth does not always correspond with majority opinion." —Rasputin, noted street performer, decorated war hero, and Grand Nabob of the Tenderloin

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Episode-33-icon.png episode 33 – the immortal eyes novels false no 57:32 No no episode 32 – the enchanted https://changelingthepodcast.com/2022/12/12/episode-32-the-enchanted/ Mon, 12 Dec 2022 05:03:18 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?p=300 Changelings are part fae, part human. But what about their fellows who are even humaner, or humans who are entirely so, with nothing inherently fae about them? This episode, we return to the library to talk about The Enchanted, Changeling's supplement for "Year of the Ally" and the final(!) book of the 1st edition. While we've seen mortal antagonists throughout the line, here we get a look at the enchanted and the fae-blooded-but-otherwise-ordinary Kinain. They've changed dramatically in the latest edition of the game, so it's a bit of nostalgia to flip through the pages of this book and see how they were presented before.

If you'd like to ally with us yourself, you can do so via the social media connection point of your choosing:

It also occurs to us that we haven't been including the actual links to the books in the show notes, in case people want to get PDFs of their own, which is... an oversight, to say the least. So here you go! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/288?affiliate_id=3063731. (We might have to go back and edit some of the older Lost in the Library posts...)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) possesses the Fae Gift of always finding a discount on candy beans at the local shops. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) undergoes a warp-spasm whenever yet another crackpot makes an unsubstantiated claim about the Voynich Manuscript.

"Faeries lead us astray to show us the way." —Brian Froud

]]> full 32 Changelings are part fae, part human. But what about their fellows who are even humaner, or humans who are entirely so, with nothing inherently fae about them? This episode, we return to the library to talk about The Enchanted, Changeling's supplement for "Year of the Ally" and the final(!) book of the 1st edition. While we've seen mortal antagonists throughout the line, here we get a look at the enchanted and the fae-blooded-but-otherwise-ordinary Kinain. They've changed dramatically in the latest edition of the game, so it's a bit of nostalgia to flip through the pages of this book and see how they were presented before.

If you'd like to ally with us yourself, you can do so via the social media connection point of your choosing:

It also occurs to us that we haven't been including the actual links to the books in the show notes, in case people want to get PDFs of their own, which is... an oversight, to say the least. So here you go! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/288?affiliate_id=3063731. (We might have to go back and edit some of the older Lost in the Library posts...)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) possesses the Fae Gift of always finding a discount on candy beans at the local shops. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) undergoes a warp-spasm whenever yet another crackpot makes an unsubstantiated claim about the Voynich Manuscript.

"Faeries lead us astray to show us the way." —Brian Froud

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Episode-32-icon.png episode 32 – the enchanted false no 1:12:13 No no episode 31 – nunnehi roundtable https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-31-nunnehi-roundtable/ Thu, 08 Dec 2022 23:34:25 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=298 Greetings, all! This episode is dropping a bit later than anticipated, because it's our longest yet, but also one of our most important. Today we're talking about Changeling's version of the Nunnehi, the Indigenous fae of Concordia whose presentation has been a mixed bag over the editions. We're not focused on a particular book, since they appear throughout the line, but the 1st edition Player's Guide, the Werewolf supplement Rage Across Appalachia, and the 20th Anniversary Edition corebook all get some attention. We have three guest hosts for this installment, and technology was as much a bugbear as ever, so we ask that you bear with us through the remaining unresolved audio issues for an excellent discussion.

Our usual candy-box of social media links:

The intermission track used in this episode is "Please Calm My Mind", by Oleksii Kaplunskyi.

this episode's guests

Wahde ᏩᏕ Galiswegi is an Indigenous gamer, Cherokee Language revitalizationist and traditionalist, with a background in Cherokee ceremonial Ian and spirituality.

Liam ᎬᎮ McAlpin and Ia ᎪᎳᏄ Bull are both Cherokee language revitalizationists from the Cherokee Nation in Eastern Oklahoma. Liam is going for a BA in Cherokee Language Education and Creative Writing while Ia just started a PhD in Information Studies, with a background in archives. They are from Tahlequah, their family is from Adair County, and they are members of ᏌᎶᎵ ᎤᎾᏓᏢ ᏂᎦᏘᏲ, ᎦᏚᏩᎩ/Cherokee ceremonial community.

...

media and other resources

Some works that might be inspirational and/or educational for you:

  • Fiction and poetry: This Wound is a World (Billy-Ray Belcourt); Love Medicine, The Round House, and Tracks (Louise Erdrich); all of the work of Joy Harjo; The Way to Rainy Mountain (N. Scott Momaday); Almanac of the Dead and Ceremony (Leslie Marmon Silko), Winter in the Blood (James Welch)
  • Non-fiction: Portrait of the Whiteman (Keith Basso); Custer Died for Your Sins (Vine Deloria Jr.); Braiding Sweetgrass (Robin Wall Kimmerer); The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee and Myths of the Cherokee (James Mooney); Reclaiming Two-Spirits (Gregory D. Smithers)
  • TV and film: Dance Me Outside, Reservation Dogs, Rutherford Falls, Smoke Signals, This May Be the Last Time, Winter in the Blood
  • Music: Anvdvnelisisgi (Performers), DJ Shub, The Halluci Nation, Maniac: the Siouxpernatural, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Tanya Tagaq
  • RPG Podcasts: Nunnehi episode from Walking Away from Arcadia, Creating Indigenous Stories episode from Werewolf: the Podcast
  • Visual arts: Roy Boney Jr., Keli Gonzales

This is just a quick handful of sources that came up in our discussions, both on-mic and off. But there is a wealth of media out there by Native American and First Nations creators to explore, and we strongly encourage you to go out looking for more (with the caveat to always be mindful about what you find, the context in which it was created, and how you engage with it).

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) was recording this episode from unceded territory in Anishinaabewaki. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) was recording this episode from unceded territory in Lenapehoking.

That first cry opens the earth door. We join the ancestor road. With our pack of memories Slung slack on our backs We venture into the circle Of destruction, Which is the circle Of creation And make more— —Joy Harjo, "Memory Sack"

]]> full 31 Greetings, all! This episode is dropping a bit later than anticipated, because it's our longest yet, but also one of our most important. Today we're talking about Changeling's version of the Nunnehi, the Indigenous fae of Concordia whose presentation has been a mixed bag over the editions. We're not focused on a particular book, since they appear throughout the line, but the 1st edition Player's Guide, the Werewolf supplement Rage Across Appalachia, and the 20th Anniversary Edition corebook all get some attention. We have three guest hosts for this installment, and technology was as much a bugbear as ever, so we ask that you bear with us through the remaining unresolved audio issues for an excellent discussion.

Our usual candy-box of social media links:

The intermission track used in this episode is "Please Calm My Mind", by Oleksii Kaplunskyi.

this episode's guests

Wahde ᏩᏕ Galiswegi is an Indigenous gamer, Cherokee Language revitalizationist and traditionalist, with a background in Cherokee ceremonial Ian and spirituality.

Liam ᎬᎮ McAlpin and Ia ᎪᎳᏄ Bull are both Cherokee language revitalizationists from the Cherokee Nation in Eastern Oklahoma. Liam is going for a BA in Cherokee Language Education and Creative Writing while Ia just started a PhD in Information Studies, with a background in archives. They are from Tahlequah, their family is from Adair County, and they are members of ᏌᎶᎵ ᎤᎾᏓᏢ ᏂᎦᏘᏲ, ᎦᏚᏩᎩ/Cherokee ceremonial community.

...

media and other resources

Some works that might be inspirational and/or educational for you:

  • Fiction and poetry: This Wound is a World (Billy-Ray Belcourt); Love Medicine, The Round House, and Tracks (Louise Erdrich); all of the work of Joy Harjo; The Way to Rainy Mountain (N. Scott Momaday); Almanac of the Dead and Ceremony (Leslie Marmon Silko), Winter in the Blood (James Welch)
  • Non-fiction: Portrait of the Whiteman (Keith Basso); Custer Died for Your Sins (Vine Deloria Jr.); Braiding Sweetgrass (Robin Wall Kimmerer); The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee and Myths of the Cherokee (James Mooney); Reclaiming Two-Spirits (Gregory D. Smithers)
  • TV and film: Dance Me Outside, Reservation Dogs, Rutherford Falls, Smoke Signals, This May Be the Last Time, Winter in the Blood
  • Music: Anvdvnelisisgi (Performers), DJ Shub, The Halluci Nation, Maniac: the Siouxpernatural, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Tanya Tagaq
  • RPG Podcasts: Nunnehi episode from Walking Away from Arcadia, Creating Indigenous Stories episode from Werewolf: the Podcast
  • Visual arts: Roy Boney Jr., Keli Gonzales

This is just a quick handful of sources that came up in our discussions, both on-mic and off. But there is a wealth of media out there by Native American and First Nations creators to explore, and we strongly encourage you to go out looking for more (with the caveat to always be mindful about what you find, the context in which it was created, and how you engage with it).

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) was recording this episode from unceded territory in Anishinaabewaki. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) was recording this episode from unceded territory in Lenapehoking.

That first cry opens the earth door. We join the ancestor road. With our pack of memories Slung slack on our backs We venture into the circle Of destruction, Which is the circle Of creation And make more— —Joy Harjo, "Memory Sack"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Episode-31-icon.png episode 31 – nunnehi roundtable true no 1:59:52 Yes no episode 30 – isle of the mighty: wales https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-30-isle-of-the-mighty-wales/ Mon, 28 Nov 2022 20:33:05 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=294 Croeso! We are wrapping up our trilogy of episodes on Isle of the Mighty with an exploration into Wales/Cymru and the fae/Tylwyth Teg that dwell there. The unfortunate news is that Book 3 of this weighty tome has a lot of the same issues we called out previously: clunky choices for the history section, uneven distribution of information in the geography section, several NPCs whose defining adjective is "meh". But the better news is that we are taking the opportunity to do a more thorough chat about the elements of crossover with Mage: the Ascension in this section, and from there, the book as a whole. Joining us for that discussion is Terry Robinson, host of Mage: the Podcast, and a genuinely wonderful person to talk to about such things. Lend us your ears, and we'll do our best to dazzle and enlighten you. (And stick around to the end for some *super secret* Mage 5th Edition-related stuff...)

where to find us (and where to no longer find us)

Most of our social media links are the same as ever...

...buuut we have elected to put our Twitter on ice for the time being, given a lot of the drama circulating around it these days. Instead, you can find us at our shiny new Mastodon account: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod. Check it out for the latest updates!

And in the meantime, some places to find Terry include:

...

welsh media

Once again, some media items that might help you with getting in a Cymric mood for your Welsh-set game:

  • Films: How Green Was My Valley, Just Jim, Patagonia, Pride, The Black Cauldron, The Corn is Green, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain...
  • TV: David Macaulay's Castle (available on YouTube!), The Crown (season 3, "Aberfan" and "Tywysog Cymru"), Dr. Who (post-2005), Pobol y Cwm, Torchwood...
  • Literature: the Mabinogion, y Gododdin, and then a bunch of other stuff: the more esoteric corners of Arthuriana, the poems of Mab Jones and Dylan Thomas (as well as his play Under Milkwood), A Swiftly Tilting Planet (partially), Chronicles of Prydain, the Excalibur comics series by Marvel...
  • Music: Ffynnon, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals, Tom Jones...

There are plenty of Welsh language-learning resources out there as well! Besides the usual suspects like Duolingo, the BBC has also run Welsh lessons through a variety of programs for decades. (Pooka used to listen to Catchphrase and its affiliated programs, which you can still find at https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/catchphrase/, but they're no longer updated.)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) added three castles to their Timecube this week. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has yet to come across a Welsh word that isn't beautiful, no matter how many L's it has.

                                   Though absent long, These forms of beauty have not been to me, As is a landscape to a blind man's eye: But oft, in lonely rooms, and mid the din Of towns and cities, I have owed to them, In hours of weariness, sensations sweet. —William Wordsworth, "Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey"

]]> full 30 Croeso! We are wrapping up our trilogy of episodes on Isle of the Mighty with an exploration into Wales/Cymru and the fae/Tylwyth Teg that dwell there. The unfortunate news is that Book 3 of this weighty tome has a lot of the same issues we called out previously: clunky choices for the history section, uneven distribution of information in the geography section, several NPCs whose defining adjective is "meh". But the better news is that we are taking the opportunity to do a more thorough chat about the elements of crossover with Mage: the Ascension in this section, and from there, the book as a whole. Joining us for that discussion is Terry Robinson, host of Mage: the Podcast, and a genuinely wonderful person to talk to about such things. Lend us your ears, and we'll do our best to dazzle and enlighten you. (And stick around to the end for some *super secret* Mage 5th Edition-related stuff...)

where to find us (and where to no longer find us)

Most of our social media links are the same as ever...

...buuut we have elected to put our Twitter on ice for the time being, given a lot of the drama circulating around it these days. Instead, you can find us at our shiny new Mastodon account: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod. Check it out for the latest updates!

And in the meantime, some places to find Terry include:

...

welsh media

Once again, some media items that might help you with getting in a Cymric mood for your Welsh-set game:

  • Films: How Green Was My Valley, Just Jim, Patagonia, Pride, The Black Cauldron, The Corn is Green, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain...
  • TV: David Macaulay's Castle (available on YouTube!), The Crown (season 3, "Aberfan" and "Tywysog Cymru"), Dr. Who (post-2005), Pobol y Cwm, Torchwood...
  • Literature: the Mabinogion, y Gododdin, and then a bunch of other stuff: the more esoteric corners of Arthuriana, the poems of Mab Jones and Dylan Thomas (as well as his play Under Milkwood), A Swiftly Tilting Planet (partially), Chronicles of Prydain, the Excalibur comics series by Marvel...
  • Music: Ffynnon, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals, Tom Jones...

There are plenty of Welsh language-learning resources out there as well! Besides the usual suspects like Duolingo, the BBC has also run Welsh lessons through a variety of programs for decades. (Pooka used to listen to Catchphrase and its affiliated programs, which you can still find at https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/catchphrase/, but they're no longer updated.)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) added three castles to their Timecube this week. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has yet to come across a Welsh word that isn't beautiful, no matter how many L's it has.

                                   Though absent long, These forms of beauty have not been to me, As is a landscape to a blind man's eye: But oft, in lonely rooms, and mid the din Of towns and cities, I have owed to them, In hours of weariness, sensations sweet. —William Wordsworth, "Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Episode-30-icon.png episode 30 – isle of the mighty: wales true no 1:45:00 Yes no episode 29 – isle of the mighty: scotland https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-29-isle-of-the-mighty-scotland/ Mon, 21 Nov 2022 16:51:30 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=289 The legend continues... this week, we're proceeding north to Scotland for Book 2 of Isle of the Mighty. There's more of the same in terms of bizarre history section content management, NPCs who are intriguing and forgettable in equal measure, and a geography chapter that is surprisingly good! Even though in the balance, this section probably leaves more questions unanswered than we had when we started, there are some moments of true enjoyment scattered through. (Lookin' at you, Loch Lads.) It's heavier on the vignettes and side fiction than England was—but we'll take it in exchange for how the book completely skips over some of the country's more important centuries, in favor of talking about random changeling feuds that have no bearing on the game. A little of this, a little of that.

the usual suspects

Herewith our social media links for the podcast:

This might be the last time we include Twitter on the list, at least for a while. Stay tuned for more information about that...

And since we also talk about the Appendix and the ghille dhu in this episode, here's a link to Pooka's STV supplement on that very kith: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/381967?affiliate_id=3063731

...

scottish media

Again, here are some media items from north of the border to help you get a feel for the environment and ethos, if you're planning to run a Scotland game. Some are listed and discussed at the end of the recording, and others fall into the "damn, should've mentioned that one too" category. We trust once more that you've enough

  • Films: Brave, Braveheart, Highlander (but not the sequel, eesh), Loch Ness, Macbeth (several versions), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Rob Roy, Trainspotting (and okay, why not the sequel), The Wicker Man...
  • TV: Gargoyles (partially), Monarch of the Glen, Outlander...
  • Literature: the poems of Robert Burns and Carol Ann Duffy, Knots and Crosses, Lanark, Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels (on which the TV show is based), Trainspotting (the novel), The Wasp Factory (content warning!), Witch Wood...
  • Music: Albannach, Bannal, Capercaillie, Clann an Drumma, Mouth Music, The Proclaimers (although "I'm Gonna Be" was likely a Banality trigger for a while back in the day), Silly Wizard, Tannahill Weavers, The Waterboys, Wolfstone...

One exception to the "go find it yourself" rule is this album of waulking songs by Bannal, who are decidedly un-Banal. It's a group of ladies making cloth in the traditional Highland way, accompanied by the old melodies and versifications that have a distinctive and beautiful sound. Give it a listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9qsGKWZ6HU:

...

caption this

Just one image to share this time, and it's hardly a pin-up. We're still trying to figure out who these characters are, what kith they're supposed to be, and what their story is. A green-tinted hornless troll and his ghoul redcap friend? Two mortals under a mysterious curse? What even is going on with the sun in this picture? We're at a loss, so feel free to send your suggestions.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun)'s tartan is a crisscross of every color you've never heard of, and then a few more. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) defeated Mangar, but is still trying to find the way out of Skara Brae.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot And auld lang syne? —Traditional song, adapted by Robert Burns

]]> full 29 The legend continues... this week, we're proceeding north to Scotland for Book 2 of Isle of the Mighty. There's more of the same in terms of bizarre history section content management, NPCs who are intriguing and forgettable in equal measure, and a geography chapter that is surprisingly good! Even though in the balance, this section probably leaves more questions unanswered than we had when we started, there are some moments of true enjoyment scattered through. (Lookin' at you, Loch Lads.) It's heavier on the vignettes and side fiction than England was—but we'll take it in exchange for how the book completely skips over some of the country's more important centuries, in favor of talking about random changeling feuds that have no bearing on the game. A little of this, a little of that.

the usual suspects

Herewith our social media links for the podcast:

This might be the last time we include Twitter on the list, at least for a while. Stay tuned for more information about that...

And since we also talk about the Appendix and the ghille dhu in this episode, here's a link to Pooka's STV supplement on that very kith: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/381967?affiliate_id=3063731

...

scottish media

Again, here are some media items from north of the border to help you get a feel for the environment and ethos, if you're planning to run a Scotland game. Some are listed and discussed at the end of the recording, and others fall into the "damn, should've mentioned that one too" category. We trust once more that you've enough

  • Films: Brave, Braveheart, Highlander (but not the sequel, eesh), Loch Ness, Macbeth (several versions), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Rob Roy, Trainspotting (and okay, why not the sequel), The Wicker Man...
  • TV: Gargoyles (partially), Monarch of the Glen, Outlander...
  • Literature: the poems of Robert Burns and Carol Ann Duffy, Knots and Crosses, Lanark, Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels (on which the TV show is based), Trainspotting (the novel), The Wasp Factory (content warning!), Witch Wood...
  • Music: Albannach, Bannal, Capercaillie, Clann an Drumma, Mouth Music, The Proclaimers (although "I'm Gonna Be" was likely a Banality trigger for a while back in the day), Silly Wizard, Tannahill Weavers, The Waterboys, Wolfstone...

One exception to the "go find it yourself" rule is this album of waulking songs by Bannal, who are decidedly un-Banal. It's a group of ladies making cloth in the traditional Highland way, accompanied by the old melodies and versifications that have a distinctive and beautiful sound. Give it a listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9qsGKWZ6HU:

...

caption this

Just one image to share this time, and it's hardly a pin-up. We're still trying to figure out who these characters are, what kith they're supposed to be, and what their story is. A green-tinted hornless troll and his ghoul redcap friend? Two mortals under a mysterious curse? What even is going on with the sun in this picture? We're at a loss, so feel free to send your suggestions.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun)'s tartan is a crisscross of every color you've never heard of, and then a few more. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) defeated Mangar, but is still trying to find the way out of Skara Brae.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot And auld lang syne? —Traditional song, adapted by Robert Burns

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Episode-29-icon.png episode 29 – isle of the mighty: scotland false no 1:21:31 No no episode 28 – isle of the mighty: england https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-28-isle-of-the-mighty-england/ Tue, 15 Nov 2022 03:12:09 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=282 So begins our trilogy of episodes on British setting supplement Isle of the Mighty, with a look at the first three chapters on England. It may seem a bit strange to dedicate so much recording time to this episode, but at just under 200 pages of text that is dense (both in terms of content and in terms of layout), we need the space. Even with the setting so richly described, the authors had to leave a lot out by necessity—so we talk about some of that in detail with special guest host, Andrew Goodman. This episode has been edited and massaged and compressed in order to get it to the point where it wouldn't be our longest episode... and we managed to get it a few seconds shorter than the corebook episode. Victory! (But we still have Scotland and Wales to do, so...)

linky business

Herewith our social media links for the podcast:

And a couple places to find Andrew online:

...

a brief list of media

Near the end of the episode, we briefly go through a bunch of media items that might help you get an "English feel" to your game. The original plan was to link to videos and publishers' pages and whatnot, but the hour is late and our listeners' Google fu is strong, so here's the list of names, and we'll trust you to search them out successfully without our help:

  • Films: Gosford Park, Howards End (and other Merchant Ivory films), Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Secret Garden...
  • TV:The Animals of Farthing Wood, Are You Being Served?, Blackadder, Downton Abbey, (some of) Dr. Who, EastEnders, Keeping Up Appearances, Midsomer Murders, Monty Python's Flying Circus, panel shows like QI and Would I Lie To You?, The Crown, Waiting for God...
  • Novels: The Dark is Rising, The Hobbit, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Watership Down...
  • Music: The Beatles, Fairport Convention, The Fishermen's Friends, Jethro Tull, The Sex Pistols, Steeleye Span, The Cure...

These are just the ones that we happened to mention directly, barely scratching the surface of the surface of the vast amount of media out there. Go have a look, and see what inspirations strike you for your Very English Chronicle...!

...

a pair of pinups

Well, maybe just one pin-up. They spared no expense on this beefcakey image of folkloric figure Wayland the Smith to open Chapter 3:

On the other hand, while it was nice of them to provide a map of Great Britain and the fae kingdoms thereon, they seem to have spared a bit of expense generating it.

Aside from the slightly vague borders and the fact that the map highlights several places which aren't even talked about in the book, this is best paired with another map that doesn't have quite so many misspellings. ("Glasglow", indeed...)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) dares not dream, for fear of dwelling on the dark and arcane knowledge of Other London and Other Hull... Pooka G (any pronoun/they) ny vynn kewsel Sowsnek!

"You English really don't have a sense of humor, do you?" "We do if something's funny, sir." —Gosford Park

]]> full 28 So begins our trilogy of episodes on British setting supplement Isle of the Mighty, with a look at the first three chapters on England. It may seem a bit strange to dedicate so much recording time to this episode, but at just under 200 pages of text that is dense (both in terms of content and in terms of layout), we need the space. Even with the setting so richly described, the authors had to leave a lot out by necessity—so we talk about some of that in detail with special guest host, Andrew Goodman. This episode has been edited and massaged and compressed in order to get it to the point where it wouldn't be our longest episode... and we managed to get it a few seconds shorter than the corebook episode. Victory! (But we still have Scotland and Wales to do, so...)

linky business

Herewith our social media links for the podcast:

And a couple places to find Andrew online:

...

a brief list of media

Near the end of the episode, we briefly go through a bunch of media items that might help you get an "English feel" to your game. The original plan was to link to videos and publishers' pages and whatnot, but the hour is late and our listeners' Google fu is strong, so here's the list of names, and we'll trust you to search them out successfully without our help:

  • Films: Gosford Park, Howards End (and other Merchant Ivory films), Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Secret Garden...
  • TV:The Animals of Farthing Wood, Are You Being Served?, Blackadder, Downton Abbey, (some of) Dr. Who, EastEnders, Keeping Up Appearances, Midsomer Murders, Monty Python's Flying Circus, panel shows like QI and Would I Lie To You?, The Crown, Waiting for God...
  • Novels: The Dark is Rising, The Hobbit, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Watership Down...
  • Music: The Beatles, Fairport Convention, The Fishermen's Friends, Jethro Tull, The Sex Pistols, Steeleye Span, The Cure...

These are just the ones that we happened to mention directly, barely scratching the surface of the surface of the vast amount of media out there. Go have a look, and see what inspirations strike you for your Very English Chronicle...!

...

a pair of pinups

Well, maybe just one pin-up. They spared no expense on this beefcakey image of folkloric figure Wayland the Smith to open Chapter 3:

On the other hand, while it was nice of them to provide a map of Great Britain and the fae kingdoms thereon, they seem to have spared a bit of expense generating it.

Aside from the slightly vague borders and the fact that the map highlights several places which aren't even talked about in the book, this is best paired with another map that doesn't have quite so many misspellings. ("Glasglow", indeed...)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) dares not dream, for fear of dwelling on the dark and arcane knowledge of Other London and Other Hull... Pooka G (any pronoun/they) ny vynn kewsel Sowsnek!

"You English really don't have a sense of humor, do you?" "We do if something's funny, sir." —Gosford Park

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Episode-28-icon.png episode 28 – isle of the mighty: england false no 1:45:24 No no episode 27 – arcadia: the wyld hunt https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-27-arcadia-the-wyld-hunt/ Tue, 08 Nov 2022 02:22:35 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=271 *90s intensifies* as we do an exploration of the brief-lived but fairly-beloved Changeling tie-in CCG, Arcadia: the Wyld Hunt. With a base set released in August 1996, and a single expansion (King Ironheart's Madness) in November of that year, the game was canceled before its third set (The Lion's Den) could follow in 1997. But given the collapse of the market at that time, it's not really something we can hold the company entirely to blame for...

This is technically not a Changeling game, per se. It's set in Arcadia, has its own metaplot, and offers a fairly distinctive kind of experience: one part modular board game, one part competitive treasure hunt, one part deckbuilding, one part exercise in frustration. There's a six-sided die somewhere in there. Overall, it has a similar mood and some shared concepts, and lots of the same artists, but it's really its own thing. To help us navigate the particulars, we've enlisted Charlie Cantrell of Radio Free Arcadia as Grand High Explanator. (Aside from being a credentialed collector and player of the card game, Charlie also adapted some of those unique features from the CCG into Kiths of Arcadia, a supplement available on the Storytellers' Vault.)

So, give a listen as we explore—but do not (yet) attempt to actually play—this semi-forgotten piece of the Changeling universe...

links and things!

The usual assortment of links for the podcast:

And then, some places where you can find Charlie and his work:

Lastly, we can't stress enough the helpfulness of the In Arcadia WordPress site, https://arcadiaccg.wordpress.com/, where there's much information about the rules, the cards, the history of the game, and thoughts from fans. Check it out, why don'tcha?

...

unboxing!

After getting their hands on some packs of cards, Pooka decided to have a small "unboxing" session (which was really an "unboostering," with no actual box involved). This image gallery feature probably won't work anywhere except on the website proper, but... let's give it a whirl and see what happens.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun/Garou) prefers the Rage CCG variant where players have to eat the cards they destroy, also while screaming. Pooka G (any pronoun/Platoon) would truthfully rather be a colony of good-natured tardigrades than something as pedestrian as ants.

And see not ye that bonny road, Which winds about the fernie brae? That is the road to fair Elfland, Where you and I this night maun gae. —Traditional, "Thomas the Rhymer"

]]> full 27 *90s intensifies* as we do an exploration of the brief-lived but fairly-beloved Changeling tie-in CCG, Arcadia: the Wyld Hunt. With a base set released in August 1996, and a single expansion (King Ironheart's Madness) in November of that year, the game was canceled before its third set (The Lion's Den) could follow in 1997. But given the collapse of the market at that time, it's not really something we can hold the company entirely to blame for...

This is technically not a Changeling game, per se. It's set in Arcadia, has its own metaplot, and offers a fairly distinctive kind of experience: one part modular board game, one part competitive treasure hunt, one part deckbuilding, one part exercise in frustration. There's a six-sided die somewhere in there. Overall, it has a similar mood and some shared concepts, and lots of the same artists, but it's really its own thing. To help us navigate the particulars, we've enlisted Charlie Cantrell of Radio Free Arcadia as Grand High Explanator. (Aside from being a credentialed collector and player of the card game, Charlie also adapted some of those unique features from the CCG into Kiths of Arcadia, a supplement available on the Storytellers' Vault.)

So, give a listen as we explore—but do not (yet) attempt to actually play—this semi-forgotten piece of the Changeling universe...

links and things!

The usual assortment of links for the podcast:

And then, some places where you can find Charlie and his work:

Lastly, we can't stress enough the helpfulness of the In Arcadia WordPress site, https://arcadiaccg.wordpress.com/, where there's much information about the rules, the cards, the history of the game, and thoughts from fans. Check it out, why don'tcha?

...

unboxing!

After getting their hands on some packs of cards, Pooka decided to have a small "unboxing" session (which was really an "unboostering," with no actual box involved). This image gallery feature probably won't work anywhere except on the website proper, but... let's give it a whirl and see what happens.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun/Garou) prefers the Rage CCG variant where players have to eat the cards they destroy, also while screaming. Pooka G (any pronoun/Platoon) would truthfully rather be a colony of good-natured tardigrades than something as pedestrian as ants.

And see not ye that bonny road, Which winds about the fernie brae? That is the road to fair Elfland, Where you and I this night maun gae. —Traditional, "Thomas the Rhymer"

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Episode-27-icon.jpeg episode 27 – arcadia: the wyld hunt false no 54:14 No no episode 26 – book of days https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-26-book-of-days/ Tue, 01 Nov 2022 04:00:05 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=268 In this *bonus!* episode for Samhain—not Halloween—Josh interviews Pooka G about their latest homebrew release for the Storytellers' Vault, Book of Days. This is a compendium of things chronological for your Changeling chronicle: a day-by-day yearlong calendar of events with story hooks attached, essays on seemings, options for including Seasonal Courts or additional temporal weirdness in your games, chimera, Lycians, Treasures... it was a labor of love, then spite, then madness, then love again. And, much like the wheel of the year and reincarnation for the Kithain, if that's not a metaphor for life, what is?

Note: Pooka is terrible at speaking plainly (go figure) or self-promoting, so treat this more as "an informational excursion" rather than "inspired salespersonship."

where to find pooka g online

Well, you're here, aren't you? To that end, here's our usual assortment of media links:

But otherwise, here's the Book of Days product page: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/412055?affiliate_id=3063731. Pooka's other STV projects will be listed under their author page on the Vault; otherwise, you might spot them on their own Twitter (which is pretty meh, honestly) at https://twitter.com/pookagar.

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) -- WATCH THIS SPACE. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) -- SEE ABOVE.

"You see, science has overcome time and space. Well, Harvey has overcome not only time and space — but any objections." —Elwood P. Dowd

]]> full 26 In this *bonus!* episode for Samhain—not Halloween—Josh interviews Pooka G about their latest homebrew release for the Storytellers' Vault, Book of Days. This is a compendium of things chronological for your Changeling chronicle: a day-by-day yearlong calendar of events with story hooks attached, essays on seemings, options for including Seasonal Courts or additional temporal weirdness in your games, chimera, Lycians, Treasures... it was a labor of love, then spite, then madness, then love again. And, much like the wheel of the year and reincarnation for the Kithain, if that's not a metaphor for life, what is?

Note: Pooka is terrible at speaking plainly (go figure) or self-promoting, so treat this more as "an informational excursion" rather than "inspired salespersonship."

where to find pooka g online

Well, you're here, aren't you? To that end, here's our usual assortment of media links:

But otherwise, here's the Book of Days product page: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/412055?affiliate_id=3063731. Pooka's other STV projects will be listed under their author page on the Vault; otherwise, you might spot them on their own Twitter (which is pretty meh, honestly) at https://twitter.com/pookagar.

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) -- WATCH THIS SPACE. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) -- SEE ABOVE.

"You see, science has overcome time and space. Well, Harvey has overcome not only time and space — but any objections." —Elwood P. Dowd

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Episode-26-icon.png episode 26 – book of days false no 41:23 No no episode 25 – changeling and wraith crossover https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-25-changeling-and-wraith-crossover/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 14:17:47 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=266 Happy Halloween! In accordance with the spoopy traditions of the day, we're talking this time about Wraith: the Oblivion, the World of Darkness game that came out just before Changeling in the original lineup (and similarly underappreciated). Although the fae and ghosts might not seem to have too much in common, thematically or metaphysically, in truth... there's a bunch. Since neither of us are experts in the game, we've called in fellow podcaster Victor Kinzer for a wide-ranging discussion about the two games, some detailed history and lore (warning: a couple spoilers about the Wraith metaplot are contained herein!) and their potential for crossover. Whether you want to do Freddy Krueger-style nightmare-infesting evil ghost monster things, or simply give your sluagh PC something to do while everyone else goes around romancing and swashing buckles or whatever, listen on...

If you'd like to get in touch, send us feedback, or join our community, some options include:

...

where to find victor online

Check out Victor's work at:

Victor also mentioned the YouTube channel "Ask A Mortician", which is surely a good spot to check out answers to a variety of death-related questions you may have, either for your game, or just your own edification. Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/c/AskAMortician.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) saw a ghost one time, but it turned out to just be an ill-tempered stork wearing a sheet with holes cut out for eyes. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is in favor of that afterlife where you get infinite pastries and talk about X-Men for eternity.

"I see dead people... Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other; they only see what they want to see. They don't know they're dead..." —Cole Sear, The Sixth Sense

]]> full 25 Happy Halloween! In accordance with the spoopy traditions of the day, we're talking this time about Wraith: the Oblivion, the World of Darkness game that came out just before Changeling in the original lineup (and similarly underappreciated). Although the fae and ghosts might not seem to have too much in common, thematically or metaphysically, in truth... there's a bunch. Since neither of us are experts in the game, we've called in fellow podcaster Victor Kinzer for a wide-ranging discussion about the two games, some detailed history and lore (warning: a couple spoilers about the Wraith metaplot are contained herein!) and their potential for crossover. Whether you want to do Freddy Krueger-style nightmare-infesting evil ghost monster things, or simply give your sluagh PC something to do while everyone else goes around romancing and swashing buckles or whatever, listen on...

If you'd like to get in touch, send us feedback, or join our community, some options include:

...

where to find victor online

Check out Victor's work at:

Victor also mentioned the YouTube channel "Ask A Mortician", which is surely a good spot to check out answers to a variety of death-related questions you may have, either for your game, or just your own edification. Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/c/AskAMortician.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) saw a ghost one time, but it turned out to just be an ill-tempered stork wearing a sheet with holes cut out for eyes. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is in favor of that afterlife where you get infinite pastries and talk about X-Men for eternity.

"I see dead people... Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other; they only see what they want to see. They don't know they're dead..." —Cole Sear, The Sixth Sense

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Episode-25-icon.png episode 25 – changeling and wraith crossover false no 1:31:56 No no episode 24 – horror themes in changeling https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-24-horror-themes-in-changeling/ Mon, 24 Oct 2022 16:56:32 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=263 This week we're talking generally about horror as a genre for tabletop, and in particular how to make it work for Changeling. As a game, it has a reputation for being too light and fluffy for the World of Darkness; we beg to differ. Given that its purview is literally anything imaginable, all manner of horror can be worked into its fabric, even if it's not necessarily "meant" to be all about that. We take the opportunity in this episode to share opinions and ideas on that subject. It's kind of a wide-ranging discussion that we half-improvised, touching on (among other things) the importance of safety tools; differences between film and RPGs when creating a horror atmosphere; body horror vs. Gothic horror vs. psychological and cosmic horror; Bedlam, Banality, and nightmare; some media inspirations; and more! Hopefully it will help you generate some ideas for your chronicle if you're thinking of going in an eerier, more uncanny direction...

Some places where you can send feedback and/or support include:

Otherwise, not much to report! But only one more week until Samhain/Halloween...

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is unsettled by the over-abundance of geese in the neighborhood. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) feels discomfited by the rather limited coffee selection in your kitchen.

"Give [the audience] pleasure—the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare." —Alfred Hitchcock

]]> full 24 This week we're talking generally about horror as a genre for tabletop, and in particular how to make it work for Changeling. As a game, it has a reputation for being too light and fluffy for the World of Darkness; we beg to differ. Given that its purview is literally anything imaginable, all manner of horror can be worked into its fabric, even if it's not necessarily "meant" to be all about that. We take the opportunity in this episode to share opinions and ideas on that subject. It's kind of a wide-ranging discussion that we half-improvised, touching on (among other things) the importance of safety tools; differences between film and RPGs when creating a horror atmosphere; body horror vs. Gothic horror vs. psychological and cosmic horror; Bedlam, Banality, and nightmare; some media inspirations; and more! Hopefully it will help you generate some ideas for your chronicle if you're thinking of going in an eerier, more uncanny direction...

Some places where you can send feedback and/or support include:

Otherwise, not much to report! But only one more week until Samhain/Halloween...

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is unsettled by the over-abundance of geese in the neighborhood. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) feels discomfited by the rather limited coffee selection in your kitchen.

"Give [the audience] pleasure—the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare." —Alfred Hitchcock

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Episode-24-icon.jpeg episode 24 – horror themes in changeling false no 1:05:36 No no episode 23 – kithbook: dullahan with andrew goodman https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-23-kithbook-dullahan-with-andrew-goodman/ Mon, 17 Oct 2022 13:48:34 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=258 We're hopping momentarily into the 20th Anniversary Edition of Changeling: the Dreaming to talk about a hefty new offering on the Storytellers' Vault, Kithbook: Dullahan. Ordinarily, we'd probably wait a bit to discuss a new homebrew release, but since this book covers headless horsemen and their ilk, it was too good a fit for our monthly theme to pass over. This episode, we're fortunate to have the author and illustrator responsible, Andrew Goodman, to chat about his motivations, process, and logic behind the book. You can purchase the book here, and otherwise, here's the usual assortment of links to our podcast's presences elsewhere online:

...

where to find andrew

Andrew, meanwhile, can be found online at:

And possibly also just around Discord, though that might be more rumor than fact...!

...

more on the dullahan

Andrew mentioned the YouTube show Monstrum as a source of inspiration for this project, in particular their episode on those very same dullahan of Irish lore. Herewith is the video of that episode, in case you'd like to watch for yourself, as a prelude to tumbling down the mythological rabbit hole yourself:

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) would like to point out that there's an obvious headless horseman connection we could have drawn to a certain modern fantasy media figure, but since we're contractually forbidden to do so, we'll just call them "Schnozzgül" and let you figure it out. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has only been on a motorcycle (really more of a dirtbike) once, and it (might have) involved some illegal/sketchy border crossing, and let's leave it (along with the whole being-on-a-motorcycle thing) at that.

"Villainy wears many masks, none so dangerous as the mask of virtue." —Ichabod Crane in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow

]]> full 23 We're hopping momentarily into the 20th Anniversary Edition of Changeling: the Dreaming to talk about a hefty new offering on the Storytellers' Vault, Kithbook: Dullahan. Ordinarily, we'd probably wait a bit to discuss a new homebrew release, but since this book covers headless horsemen and their ilk, it was too good a fit for our monthly theme to pass over. This episode, we're fortunate to have the author and illustrator responsible, Andrew Goodman, to chat about his motivations, process, and logic behind the book. You can purchase the book here, and otherwise, here's the usual assortment of links to our podcast's presences elsewhere online:

...

where to find andrew

Andrew, meanwhile, can be found online at:

And possibly also just around Discord, though that might be more rumor than fact...!

...

more on the dullahan

Andrew mentioned the YouTube show Monstrum as a source of inspiration for this project, in particular their episode on those very same dullahan of Irish lore. Herewith is the video of that episode, in case you'd like to watch for yourself, as a prelude to tumbling down the mythological rabbit hole yourself:

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) would like to point out that there's an obvious headless horseman connection we could have drawn to a certain modern fantasy media figure, but since we're contractually forbidden to do so, we'll just call them "Schnozzgül" and let you figure it out. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has only been on a motorcycle (really more of a dirtbike) once, and it (might have) involved some illegal/sketchy border crossing, and let's leave it (along with the whole being-on-a-motorcycle thing) at that.

"Villainy wears many masks, none so dangerous as the mask of virtue." —Ichabod Crane in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Episode-23-post.jpeg episode 23 – kithbook: dullahan with andrew goodman false no 1:13:22 No no episode 22 – ten more books for inspiration: spoopy edition! https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-22-ten-more-books-for-inspiration-spoopy-edition/ Tue, 11 Oct 2022 00:41:16 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=255 Another week, another episode in our series of Octobrish delights... this time, we are returning to our bookshelves to pull some inspirational fiction for the more uncanny, eerie, and unsettling side of Changeling: the Dreaming. We're going through 10(-ish) books and story collections that keep us up at night, and seeing how we can translate that into the themes and moods of the game. (This was also kind of an unexpected topic, so we had very little time to prepare, and it shows—apologies!)

Some links to our presences elsewhere in the digital realm:

Discord: https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j

Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast

Twitter: https://twitter.com/changelingcast

...

the list (this time)

  • Angela Carter, The Bloody Chamber — One of the earlier collections that adapt and modernize fairy tales, Carter's work takes a decidedly feminist approach. Her work was influential on many of the fantasy authors who followed her, and being a literary theorist, she knew what she was about when it came to crafting a darkly fantastic story.
  • Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves — It's a piecemeal text drawing on numerous traditions and formats and histories. It's a retelling of the myth of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur. It's an experiment in surrealist writing. It's a horror story about a house and the family whose children disappear within it. Danielewski's work is always challenging, but the elegant precision of this novel is matched only by the madness lurking under the surface. There is a whole community of die-hard fans who discuss every little connection, hint, and reference (and there are thousands), if you feel like vanishing into an abyss of your own.
  • Neil Gaiman, Coraline — We could have easily gone with The Ocean at the End of the Lane or Mr. Punch or any number of other Gaiman yarns, but this one seemed the Right One to talk about at the intersection of Changeling and creepy-style horror. It's a bit more Lost than Dreaming, maybe, but a pitch-perfect dark faerie tale for modern times. Check out the publisher's page for more information (or go watch the trailer for the film) (or find more about the musical, or the opera, or...)
  • E.T.A. Hoffmann, "The Sandman" and other stories — Hoffmann is a landmark figure in the history of the German Romantic movement, known for his creepy and unsettling literary fairy tales. Freud discussed this tale at length in his essay on the "uncanny," which opens our episode; the text of that essay is freely available here from MIT.
  • Marlon James, Black Leopard, Red Wolf — The most recent entry on this list is also the most epic, perhaps. It's set against the backdrop of African folklore, features a party of misfits in search of a missing boy, and has some of the most nightmarish tableaux ever set to paper in a fantasy novel. It's delightfully queer, shamelessly vulgar, and occasionally shockingly gory... so it fits our brief perfectly for this episode. Read Gautam Bhatia's excellent review in Strange Horizons for more.
  • Stephen King, Misery — This novel fits more into the Autumn People and/or Ravaging and/or Autumn Sidhe Frailty realm of horror, since there are few overt supernatural elements in it. But it's definitely a good example of how even the mundane can become horrific without warning. Again, we could have chosen any number of King writings... except that neither of us has read enough to really make a thorough study of his bibliography, so this one will have to do.
  • China Miéville, King Rat — One part Neverwhere, one part American Gods (though before it was written); one part Changeling, one part Ratkin. Miéville's debut novel explores the gritty underground of London and what one finds there, through the lens of a protagonist that discovers his connection to a pantheon of vermin-gods. It's very 90s with its aesthetics, and centers on solving a murder, and what could be more classic White Wolf than that?
  • Edgar Allen Poe, "The Telltale Heart" and other stories — Not long after Hoffmann's heyday, Poe "invented" the American horror story with his elaborate Gothic treatments of madness, crimes of passion, guilt, and uncertain realities. His work is public domain at this point, so you can read any and all of it through Wikisource, if you've a mind to.
  • William Shakespeare, Macbeth — Who doesn't know a thing or two at this point about the Scottish play? Besides being an epic story that combines political intrigue, high drama, and classical tragedy, the supernatural lurks on the fringes of the narrative as a force of chaos. The tale's mutability is demonstrated by the wide range of adaptations out there—including the recent one starring Denzel Washington—but Pooka would officially like to recommend the clunky madcap offering that is Scotland, PA, where the action is transposed to a suburban fast food joint in the 70s.
  • Patrick Süskind, Perfume — A modern classic that doesn't get much attention on this side of the Atlantic, this "story of a murderer" begins with a simple conceit: a protagonist with a superhuman sense of smell, yet no scent of his own. He becomes a master perfumer, and cultivates an obsession with creating the perfect perfume for himself out of the most beautiful aroma he's encountered—that of teenage virgins. It's a lurid and gruesome work, more clinical than gratuitous, set against the backdrop of pre-revolutionary France. Check out the trailer of the so-so film for an idea of that adaptation; apparently there was a Netflix adaptation recently too? Either way, it's good material for a particularly nasty bogie.

Honorable mentions go to Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft, but we didn't really have the space to get deeply into them. Another time, perhaps...!

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has never danced with the devil in the pale moonlight, but once patty-caked with a psychopomp in the murky dusk, which is almost the same thing? Pooka G (any pronoun/they) doesn't miss nightmares about velociraptors and whatnot, but by the same token could do without these anxiety dreams about being awkward at garden parties.

'I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out. I'm not proud." —Stephen King

]]> full 22 Another week, another episode in our series of Octobrish delights... this time, we are returning to our bookshelves to pull some inspirational fiction for the more uncanny, eerie, and unsettling side of Changeling: the Dreaming. We're going through 10(-ish) books and story collections that keep us up at night, and seeing how we can translate that into the themes and moods of the game. (This was also kind of an unexpected topic, so we had very little time to prepare, and it shows—apologies!)

Some links to our presences elsewhere in the digital realm:

Discord: https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j

Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast

Twitter: https://twitter.com/changelingcast

...

the list (this time)

  • Angela Carter, The Bloody Chamber — One of the earlier collections that adapt and modernize fairy tales, Carter's work takes a decidedly feminist approach. Her work was influential on many of the fantasy authors who followed her, and being a literary theorist, she knew what she was about when it came to crafting a darkly fantastic story.
  • Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves — It's a piecemeal text drawing on numerous traditions and formats and histories. It's a retelling of the myth of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur. It's an experiment in surrealist writing. It's a horror story about a house and the family whose children disappear within it. Danielewski's work is always challenging, but the elegant precision of this novel is matched only by the madness lurking under the surface. There is a whole community of die-hard fans who discuss every little connection, hint, and reference (and there are thousands), if you feel like vanishing into an abyss of your own.
  • Neil Gaiman, Coraline — We could have easily gone with The Ocean at the End of the Lane or Mr. Punch or any number of other Gaiman yarns, but this one seemed the Right One to talk about at the intersection of Changeling and creepy-style horror. It's a bit more Lost than Dreaming, maybe, but a pitch-perfect dark faerie tale for modern times. Check out the publisher's page for more information (or go watch the trailer for the film) (or find more about the musical, or the opera, or...)
  • E.T.A. Hoffmann, "The Sandman" and other stories — Hoffmann is a landmark figure in the history of the German Romantic movement, known for his creepy and unsettling literary fairy tales. Freud discussed this tale at length in his essay on the "uncanny," which opens our episode; the text of that essay is freely available here from MIT.
  • Marlon James, Black Leopard, Red Wolf — The most recent entry on this list is also the most epic, perhaps. It's set against the backdrop of African folklore, features a party of misfits in search of a missing boy, and has some of the most nightmarish tableaux ever set to paper in a fantasy novel. It's delightfully queer, shamelessly vulgar, and occasionally shockingly gory... so it fits our brief perfectly for this episode. Read Gautam Bhatia's excellent review in Strange Horizons for more.
  • Stephen King, Misery — This novel fits more into the Autumn People and/or Ravaging and/or Autumn Sidhe Frailty realm of horror, since there are few overt supernatural elements in it. But it's definitely a good example of how even the mundane can become horrific without warning. Again, we could have chosen any number of King writings... except that neither of us has read enough to really make a thorough study of his bibliography, so this one will have to do.
  • China Miéville, King Rat — One part Neverwhere, one part American Gods (though before it was written); one part Changeling, one part Ratkin. Miéville's debut novel explores the gritty underground of London and what one finds there, through the lens of a protagonist that discovers his connection to a pantheon of vermin-gods. It's very 90s with its aesthetics, and centers on solving a murder, and what could be more classic White Wolf than that?
  • Edgar Allen Poe, "The Telltale Heart" and other stories — Not long after Hoffmann's heyday, Poe "invented" the American horror story with his elaborate Gothic treatments of madness, crimes of passion, guilt, and uncertain realities. His work is public domain at this point, so you can read any and all of it through Wikisource, if you've a mind to.
  • William Shakespeare, Macbeth — Who doesn't know a thing or two at this point about the Scottish play? Besides being an epic story that combines political intrigue, high drama, and classical tragedy, the supernatural lurks on the fringes of the narrative as a force of chaos. The tale's mutability is demonstrated by the wide range of adaptations out there—including the recent one starring Denzel Washington—but Pooka would officially like to recommend the clunky madcap offering that is Scotland, PA, where the action is transposed to a suburban fast food joint in the 70s.
  • Patrick Süskind, Perfume — A modern classic that doesn't get much attention on this side of the Atlantic, this "story of a murderer" begins with a simple conceit: a protagonist with a superhuman sense of smell, yet no scent of his own. He becomes a master perfumer, and cultivates an obsession with creating the perfect perfume for himself out of the most beautiful aroma he's encountered—that of teenage virgins. It's a lurid and gruesome work, more clinical than gratuitous, set against the backdrop of pre-revolutionary France. Check out the trailer of the so-so film for an idea of that adaptation; apparently there was a Netflix adaptation recently too? Either way, it's good material for a particularly nasty bogie.

Honorable mentions go to Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft, but we didn't really have the space to get deeply into them. Another time, perhaps...!

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has never danced with the devil in the pale moonlight, but once patty-caked with a psychopomp in the murky dusk, which is almost the same thing? Pooka G (any pronoun/they) doesn't miss nightmares about velociraptors and whatnot, but by the same token could do without these anxiety dreams about being awkward at garden parties.

'I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out. I'm not proud." —Stephen King

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Episode-22-icon.png episode 22 – ten more books for inspiration: spoopy edition! false no 45:28 No no episode 21 – kithbook: sluagh https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-21-kithbook-sluagh/ Tue, 04 Oct 2022 20:59:45 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=252 As October dawns, it's only fitting that we should get into it with a deep dive into the guide to that creepiest of kiths, Kithbook: Sluagh. We actually... don't really have many notes this time! Both of us agreed that it was probably our favorite kithbook, that there was very little we'd do to change it (except maybe axe that THEORY), and we didn't really have many asides to dump in the show notes. As mentioned last time, the show notes will from now on feature links to our social sites above the fold:

Discord: https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/changelingcast

But in the interest of having something to drop in the main portion, perhaps this little meditation on that THEORY...

end of the cycle

So, even more irksome than their continued positioning as the true baddies in Changeling's 1st edition, certain sluagh have a theory that each time a Kithain reincarnates, they "diminish" a bit, losing some of their fae energy. They start out as sidhe, and then come back in their next life as a commoner, working their way through the kiths until they end as sluagh (after which they might become wraiths, which is supposedly why the sluagh can talk to them). This is presented in an in-character letter from one sluagh researcher to another, but then backed up with a 5(!) point Flaw where you know this "truth" about sluagh existence. It's kind of like Dark Fate, but its in-game effect is to just make you really nihilistic and morose.

To put it politely, we are less than fond of this idea.

For starters, there are holes large enough to pilot a nocker airship through. While sidhe incarnating as commoners has been established elsewhere, what is the "order" of kiths that one moves through otherwise? What about all the kiths that have been introduced in the meantime—are clurichaun and ghille dhu in the mix? There are references to sluagh reincarnating as sluagh, and large swathes of the fae population as a whole have Remembrance as an actual Trait, so you'd think they'd surely have noticed this progression by now. And if the Shattering peaked in the 14th century, necessitating the Changeling Way, that's going to be longer than eight lifetimes, barring some unusual circumstances. So there must be a time delay between incarnations or there must have been large numbers of new fae souls entering the world, else the sluagh would certainly outnumber the rest of the kiths.

But what matters most is that it just changes the fundamental nature of the game. Wraith: the Oblivion is the game for teetering on the edge of nonexistence; it's right there in the name. (And yet even that game has a measure of hope.) Changeling is not about that; it's built instead on epic quests and adventures, sweeping emotion and dastardly villains, intrigue and madness and camaraderie and horror. To fold in an idea that invites characters to... sit around and do nothing because they know this is their last lifetime... doesn't really seem like a good fit for most RPGs, and Changeling among the least of all. It's certainly possible for a character to be a nihilist and have this theory, but we reject the notion that it is somehow the truth of the matter—and thankfully, it seems to have slipped quietly out of the canon.

Anyway, it's a footnote in the history of the game, and you are welcome to use it if you want. (You just won't see us doing so.)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) ain't afraid of no ghost! Pooka G (any pronoun/they) fears no man, no beast, neither prophet nor priest, but trembles and balks at a pinch of fine salt.

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." —Bene Gesserit litany

]]> full 21 As October dawns, it's only fitting that we should get into it with a deep dive into the guide to that creepiest of kiths, Kithbook: Sluagh. We actually... don't really have many notes this time! Both of us agreed that it was probably our favorite kithbook, that there was very little we'd do to change it (except maybe axe that THEORY), and we didn't really have many asides to dump in the show notes. As mentioned last time, the show notes will from now on feature links to our social sites above the fold:

Discord: https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/changelingcast

But in the interest of having something to drop in the main portion, perhaps this little meditation on that THEORY...

end of the cycle

So, even more irksome than their continued positioning as the true baddies in Changeling's 1st edition, certain sluagh have a theory that each time a Kithain reincarnates, they "diminish" a bit, losing some of their fae energy. They start out as sidhe, and then come back in their next life as a commoner, working their way through the kiths until they end as sluagh (after which they might become wraiths, which is supposedly why the sluagh can talk to them). This is presented in an in-character letter from one sluagh researcher to another, but then backed up with a 5(!) point Flaw where you know this "truth" about sluagh existence. It's kind of like Dark Fate, but its in-game effect is to just make you really nihilistic and morose.

To put it politely, we are less than fond of this idea.

For starters, there are holes large enough to pilot a nocker airship through. While sidhe incarnating as commoners has been established elsewhere, what is the "order" of kiths that one moves through otherwise? What about all the kiths that have been introduced in the meantime—are clurichaun and ghille dhu in the mix? There are references to sluagh reincarnating as sluagh, and large swathes of the fae population as a whole have Remembrance as an actual Trait, so you'd think they'd surely have noticed this progression by now. And if the Shattering peaked in the 14th century, necessitating the Changeling Way, that's going to be longer than eight lifetimes, barring some unusual circumstances. So there must be a time delay between incarnations or there must have been large numbers of new fae souls entering the world, else the sluagh would certainly outnumber the rest of the kiths.

But what matters most is that it just changes the fundamental nature of the game. Wraith: the Oblivion is the game for teetering on the edge of nonexistence; it's right there in the name. (And yet even that game has a measure of hope.) Changeling is not about that; it's built instead on epic quests and adventures, sweeping emotion and dastardly villains, intrigue and madness and camaraderie and horror. To fold in an idea that invites characters to... sit around and do nothing because they know this is their last lifetime... doesn't really seem like a good fit for most RPGs, and Changeling among the least of all. It's certainly possible for a character to be a nihilist and have this theory, but we reject the notion that it is somehow the truth of the matter—and thankfully, it seems to have slipped quietly out of the canon.

Anyway, it's a footnote in the history of the game, and you are welcome to use it if you want. (You just won't see us doing so.)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) ain't afraid of no ghost! Pooka G (any pronoun/they) fears no man, no beast, neither prophet nor priest, but trembles and balks at a pinch of fine salt.

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." —Bene Gesserit litany

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Episode-21-icon.jpeg episode 21 – kithbook: sluagh false no 1:02:07 No no episode 20 – court of all kings https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-20-court-of-all-kings/ Tue, 27 Sep 2022 21:25:00 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=248 Episode 20! It's pretty amazing that we've made it this far, given how hectic life has been over the last few months. But as autumn (just regular, lowercase-a autumn) sets in, and we have time to center ourselves a bit, we're trying to get things in order to keep bringing you Changeling content into the coming seasons. To that end, this week we're talking about Court of All Kings, the third supplement in the Immortal Eyes trilogy of setting/chronicle books, which focuses on Ireland and the fae one finds there.

(A note from Pooka: I feel a bit of a fool, because I didn't realize that the lengthier show notes were getting cut off on certain podcasting platforms. Hopefully folks who were interested went on to the website in order to see the rest of what they were after, but in the interest of making everything visible to everyone, we'll try to keep things trim, or at least put the important stuff "above the fold" from now on... so for example, here's the link to our Discord: https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j)

videos in gaeilge

In the episode, we referenced an example of a monolingual Irish speaker interviewed for a documentary a number of years ago... and behold, the video. It's from In Search of the Trojan War, from 1985; the connection they make is that Irish storytelling in the oral tradition has a number of features that link it with other forms of Indo-European epic. The storyteller, Seán Ó hEinrí, passed away in 1998 and is thought to have been (possibly) the last monolingual speaker of the language.

(There are plenty of other videos on YouTube if you're interested in the language and its contemporary usage. Several series of the soap Ros na Rún are on there in their entirety, and the documentary No Béarla is a pretty stark demonstration of how few people in Ireland speak Irish.)

...

salmon of knowledge

The sculpture known as The Big Fish in Belfast is reminiscent of the mythological salmon of knowledge: a fish who ate the hazelnuts of wisdom that fell into its pool, and was then eaten in turn (most myths say by Fionn MacCumhaill/Finn MacCool, first leader of the Fianna). Its tiles are printed with old photographs, children's drawings, snippets of maps and newspapers, and other fragments of Belfast culture:

They say that kissing the fish grants one a bit of wisdom, much as kissing the Blarney Stone gives you the gift of the gab. (We can neither confirm nor deny these rumors, but please do rinse your lips carefully if you try.) In Changeling terms, this does seem like it would be some kind of powerful chimerical entity... a poll shall be posted in the Discord (link below) to decide!

...

ciarán's playlist

In a recent play-by-post game, Pooka had a character who was a Daireann sidhe named Ciarán that kept a "cauldronhouse" (freehold) in trust for the House, disguised as a pub in Dublin. As a character-building exercise, they created a sample playlist of songs to help set the mood. While this barely scratches the surface of the enormous variety of Irish- or Celtic-inflected music out there, it's presented here for your enjoyment, perhaps to listen to while you skim Court of All Kings—just hopefully not while you're also listening to the episode. No idea if a Spotify embed will even work on some platforms, but let's find out...! (Feel free to put this on shuffle as well, the order is pretty flexible.)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) found an eighteen-leaf clover the other day, and it turns out, there is such a thing as too much luck. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) once climbed a statue of the púca goat in Killorglin, and the very earth shook with unbridled delight.

...

Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste, ná Béarla cliste. (Broken Irish is better than clever English.) —Irish proverb

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> full 20 Episode 20! It's pretty amazing that we've made it this far, given how hectic life has been over the last few months. But as autumn (just regular, lowercase-a autumn) sets in, and we have time to center ourselves a bit, we're trying to get things in order to keep bringing you Changeling content into the coming seasons. To that end, this week we're talking about Court of All Kings, the third supplement in the Immortal Eyes trilogy of setting/chronicle books, which focuses on Ireland and the fae one finds there.

(A note from Pooka: I feel a bit of a fool, because I didn't realize that the lengthier show notes were getting cut off on certain podcasting platforms. Hopefully folks who were interested went on to the website in order to see the rest of what they were after, but in the interest of making everything visible to everyone, we'll try to keep things trim, or at least put the important stuff "above the fold" from now on... so for example, here's the link to our Discord: https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j)

videos in gaeilge

In the episode, we referenced an example of a monolingual Irish speaker interviewed for a documentary a number of years ago... and behold, the video. It's from In Search of the Trojan War, from 1985; the connection they make is that Irish storytelling in the oral tradition has a number of features that link it with other forms of Indo-European epic. The storyteller, Seán Ó hEinrí, passed away in 1998 and is thought to have been (possibly) the last monolingual speaker of the language.

(There are plenty of other videos on YouTube if you're interested in the language and its contemporary usage. Several series of the soap Ros na Rún are on there in their entirety, and the documentary No Béarla is a pretty stark demonstration of how few people in Ireland speak Irish.)

...

salmon of knowledge

The sculpture known as The Big Fish in Belfast is reminiscent of the mythological salmon of knowledge: a fish who ate the hazelnuts of wisdom that fell into its pool, and was then eaten in turn (most myths say by Fionn MacCumhaill/Finn MacCool, first leader of the Fianna). Its tiles are printed with old photographs, children's drawings, snippets of maps and newspapers, and other fragments of Belfast culture:

They say that kissing the fish grants one a bit of wisdom, much as kissing the Blarney Stone gives you the gift of the gab. (We can neither confirm nor deny these rumors, but please do rinse your lips carefully if you try.) In Changeling terms, this does seem like it would be some kind of powerful chimerical entity... a poll shall be posted in the Discord (link below) to decide!

...

ciarán's playlist

In a recent play-by-post game, Pooka had a character who was a Daireann sidhe named Ciarán that kept a "cauldronhouse" (freehold) in trust for the House, disguised as a pub in Dublin. As a character-building exercise, they created a sample playlist of songs to help set the mood. While this barely scratches the surface of the enormous variety of Irish- or Celtic-inflected music out there, it's presented here for your enjoyment, perhaps to listen to while you skim Court of All Kings—just hopefully not while you're also listening to the episode. No idea if a Spotify embed will even work on some platforms, but let's find out...! (Feel free to put this on shuffle as well, the order is pretty flexible.)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) found an eighteen-leaf clover the other day, and it turns out, there is such a thing as too much luck. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) once climbed a statue of the púca goat in Killorglin, and the very earth shook with unbridled delight.

...

Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste, ná Béarla cliste. (Broken Irish is better than clever English.) —Irish proverb

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Episode-20-icon.png episode 20 – court of all kings false no 1:21:06 No no episode 19.5 – minisode: poems with pooka https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-19-5-minisode-poems-with-pooka/ Mon, 05 Sep 2022 13:56:56 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=243 Just because we're having a chaotic summer doesn't mean we can't occasionally find time to generate some scraps of content. While we search for time to catch up on chonkier recordings, herewith is a short minisode of something that nobody asked for: a set of poems that are (arguably) Changeling-y in themes. Pooka threw this episode together solo, and recorded it very late at night, so please forgive them for the quality. And if you think you hate poetry, well, hopefully this will at least not make you think you hate it more.

The poems featured in this episode: - Emily Dickinson, "To Make a Prairie" - Peter Campion, "Dandelions" - Dylan Thomas, "Fern Hill" - Natalie Diaz, "My Brother at 3 A.M." - Randall Jarrell, "The Woman at the Washington Zoo" - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Kubla Khan" - Tony Gloeggler, "2B" - Langston Hughes, "Dreams" and "Harlem" - Sandy Gingras, "The Light Factory"

...

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) thinks the ellipsis is the most air-headed of punctuation marks, while the em-dash is the sassiest.

...

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> bonus 19.5 Just because we're having a chaotic summer doesn't mean we can't occasionally find time to generate some scraps of content. While we search for time to catch up on chonkier recordings, herewith is a short minisode of something that nobody asked for: a set of poems that are (arguably) Changeling-y in themes. Pooka threw this episode together solo, and recorded it very late at night, so please forgive them for the quality. And if you think you hate poetry, well, hopefully this will at least not make you think you hate it more.

The poems featured in this episode: - Emily Dickinson, "To Make a Prairie" - Peter Campion, "Dandelions" - Dylan Thomas, "Fern Hill" - Natalie Diaz, "My Brother at 3 A.M." - Randall Jarrell, "The Woman at the Washington Zoo" - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Kubla Khan" - Tony Gloeggler, "2B" - Langston Hughes, "Dreams" and "Harlem" - Sandy Gingras, "The Light Factory"

...

your host

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) thinks the ellipsis is the most air-headed of punctuation marks, while the em-dash is the sassiest.

...

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Poetry-minisode-icon.jpg episode 19.5 – minisode: poems with pooka false no 17:07 No no episode 19 – the shadow court https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-19-the-shadow-court/ Mon, 22 Aug 2022 22:44:38 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=239 Sooner or later, the most sinister of the Unseelie were bound to rear their greasy and/or misshapen heads, no? While Banality is an ever-present threat that changelings must struggle against, and nobles-versus-commoners is an important piece of the metaplot, it's important to remember that the balance of light and darkness is another critical conflict for the Kithain. The Shadow Court is the first supplement in the canon to really go in-depth into the Unseelie ethos, the structure and motivations of their court, and what it means to be a baddie (or a beastie, or a bogie). This week, we're taking a deep look at that tome, which is one of the densest with material in the entire line. Bear with us for the wild ride...

the nature of evil

This is a Big Topic that will probably get its own episode at some point, but a few things need to be said about the relationship of the Unseelie, and the Shadow Court, to eeeeviiilll. The WoD games overall trade in shades of grey, making it difficult to say that the Seelie are overtly "good" and the Unseelie overtly "bad". One could claim that the traits, actions, and outlooks that do fall into the "good" camp tend to crop up more regularly, in sum, among the Seelie, and vice versa among the Unseelie. But there are Seelie who are bloodthirsty, haughty, tyrannical, inflexible, and manipulative, following codes for their own sake and believing that they are Right about everything. And there are Unseelie who are empathetic, joyful, egalitarian, and honest. To draw a parallel with Dungeons and Dragons (yeah, yeah), the better analogy for the Courts might be "Lawful" (with a tendency towards good) for Seelie vs. "Chaotic" (with more wiggle room for evil) for the Unseelie, and where an individual falls within them is on the Good–Evil spectrum is their own thing.

The Shadow Court, as a book, just kind of stirs the already-murky waters. There are Unseelie in the book who, despite their contempt for the Seelie, seem to simply be passionate freedom-lovers with the occasional bad temper. But then there are amoral jerks who engage in human sacrifice and make a career out of emotionally abusing Dreamers to get their Glamour fix. Introducing the Thallain as kiths who can never become Seelie and operate as the right hand of nightmare doesn't exactly help the reputation of the "dark side." Importantly, the Shadow Court is not the Unseelie Court; just as importantly, the former is often pulling the latter's strings. Even among the Shadow Court, though, true evil is not a given, especially because the book seems to highlight the fluidity of Court identity: changelings come and go from its ranks, rising and falling in prestige. (That being said, many Shadow Courtiers certainly seem willing to hang out with some truly twisted types...)

Ultimately, the game is more interesting when the nature of good and evil isn't predetermined, and the movement between the two becomes the focus of a story, with the Court conflict as a metaphor. Why shouldn't a Thallain have a redemption arc? Why shouldn't the most prim and proper Seelie countess have a long slide into decadence? Changelings rebel against stagnation and stasis, so shifting attitudes, identities, and allegiances are perhaps more in line with this game than the others. As we mention in this episode, Changeling has a reputation for being "not dark enough" (for whom? what does that even mean?), but as this book demonstrates, there is a whole buffet of options that range from the purest of the pure to the dankest of the dank. A word of caution, though—the book's wishy-washiness extends to its use of gaming tools to protect the sensibilities of gamers when needed. It doesn't really offer a stance on how to use or not use violence, sexuality, depravity, etc., so remember: talk. to. your. players. and find out everyone's mileage for different dishes at that buffet.

...

responding to hot takes

We solicit comments for recordings on our Discord (and here's the link! woooo), but for this episode, we totally forgot to respond to two hot takes from one of our listeners. So, here's some brief responses:

Hot Take 1: "The Thallain were never meant to interact with the Kithain. They aren't another splat, they're the main characters from a fundamentally darker game." From an in-game point of view, this certainly seems true. The Thallain came into the Autumn World at the behest of the Fomorians (or so the story goes), their goals and wishes are quite different from Kithain's, and in some cases (see: beasties), Kithain actively try to attack them. But what they were meant to be like doesn't negate the possibility of figuring out stories that accommodate both Thallain and Kithain as protagonists. You need a particularly agreeable one or more of the former, and a particularly tolerant one or more of the latter, but somewhere between the feverish kaleidoscope of Changeling: the Dreaming and the blood-soaked pandemonium of... erm, Thallain: the Horrifying?, there is potential for some interesting plotlines. Thallain who incarnate in human flesh have the same tension between their human origins and their fae natures as other kinds of changeling, and putting the two groups together towards a common goal (e.g., a common enemy that neither can stop alone) is the Extreme level of "seeing past our differences" for the sake of teamwork.

Hot Take 2: "House Ailil is the only good house in the entire gameline. Ennobled Boggans of House Ailil will utterly wreck your political machinations." Debatable, and dependent on the kind of game you want to run. For direct political intrigue, Ailil are indeed hard to beat (though depending on the type of intrigue, Leanhaun can give them a run for their money). Having a boggan, or pooka, or other kith with a social benefit in the House can certainly increase the benefit, and it can be great fun to watch an Ailil go toe-to-toe with a Ventrue. But as soon as you get out of the throne room, Elysium, or wherever, how useful are they for slaying a dragon, working great magic, or simply keeping the community happy? All else being equal, Ailil nobles are good at ruling by fear and blackmail, running criminal enterprises (or running their realms as though they were criminal enterprises), and getting themselves ahead. Your mileage may vary on whether you consider that the best, the most well-rounded, the most interesting, etc.

...

shout-out to harbingers of winter

We mentioned this book a couple times this episode, and here we are mentioning it again...! Charlie Cantrell and Radio Free Arcadia put out Harbingers of Winter back in the spring, updating much of the content of this book (and then some) for C20. You can purchase it from the Storyteller's Vault, and you can listen to our episode #12, wherein we discuss the book with Charlie. It's definitely recommended reading for anyone looking to run a Shadow Court (or otherwise deeply Unseelie-flavored) game, so check out and help support other folks in the community.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) thinks that Unseelie tastes like chocolate raspberry ice cream laced with codeine and bits of stained glass. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) thinks that Seelie tastes like a raw egg yolk suspended inside a solid shell of candied violet petals.

...

The Neighbor: "A little boy went out to play. When he opened his door, he saw the world. As he passed through the doorway, he caused a reflection. Evil was born. Evil was born, and followed the boy." Nikki: "...I'm sorry, what is that?" The Neighbor: "An old tale... And, the variation: a little girl went out to play. Lost in the marketplace, as if half-born. Then, not through the marketplace—you see that, don't you?—but through the alley behind the marketplace. This is the way to the palace." —Grace Zabriskie & Laura Dern in David Lynch's Inland Empire

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> full 19 Sooner or later, the most sinister of the Unseelie were bound to rear their greasy and/or misshapen heads, no? While Banality is an ever-present threat that changelings must struggle against, and nobles-versus-commoners is an important piece of the metaplot, it's important to remember that the balance of light and darkness is another critical conflict for the Kithain. The Shadow Court is the first supplement in the canon to really go in-depth into the Unseelie ethos, the structure and motivations of their court, and what it means to be a baddie (or a beastie, or a bogie). This week, we're taking a deep look at that tome, which is one of the densest with material in the entire line. Bear with us for the wild ride...

the nature of evil

This is a Big Topic that will probably get its own episode at some point, but a few things need to be said about the relationship of the Unseelie, and the Shadow Court, to eeeeviiilll. The WoD games overall trade in shades of grey, making it difficult to say that the Seelie are overtly "good" and the Unseelie overtly "bad". One could claim that the traits, actions, and outlooks that do fall into the "good" camp tend to crop up more regularly, in sum, among the Seelie, and vice versa among the Unseelie. But there are Seelie who are bloodthirsty, haughty, tyrannical, inflexible, and manipulative, following codes for their own sake and believing that they are Right about everything. And there are Unseelie who are empathetic, joyful, egalitarian, and honest. To draw a parallel with Dungeons and Dragons (yeah, yeah), the better analogy for the Courts might be "Lawful" (with a tendency towards good) for Seelie vs. "Chaotic" (with more wiggle room for evil) for the Unseelie, and where an individual falls within them is on the Good–Evil spectrum is their own thing.

The Shadow Court, as a book, just kind of stirs the already-murky waters. There are Unseelie in the book who, despite their contempt for the Seelie, seem to simply be passionate freedom-lovers with the occasional bad temper. But then there are amoral jerks who engage in human sacrifice and make a career out of emotionally abusing Dreamers to get their Glamour fix. Introducing the Thallain as kiths who can never become Seelie and operate as the right hand of nightmare doesn't exactly help the reputation of the "dark side." Importantly, the Shadow Court is not the Unseelie Court; just as importantly, the former is often pulling the latter's strings. Even among the Shadow Court, though, true evil is not a given, especially because the book seems to highlight the fluidity of Court identity: changelings come and go from its ranks, rising and falling in prestige. (That being said, many Shadow Courtiers certainly seem willing to hang out with some truly twisted types...)

Ultimately, the game is more interesting when the nature of good and evil isn't predetermined, and the movement between the two becomes the focus of a story, with the Court conflict as a metaphor. Why shouldn't a Thallain have a redemption arc? Why shouldn't the most prim and proper Seelie countess have a long slide into decadence? Changelings rebel against stagnation and stasis, so shifting attitudes, identities, and allegiances are perhaps more in line with this game than the others. As we mention in this episode, Changeling has a reputation for being "not dark enough" (for whom? what does that even mean?), but as this book demonstrates, there is a whole buffet of options that range from the purest of the pure to the dankest of the dank. A word of caution, though—the book's wishy-washiness extends to its use of gaming tools to protect the sensibilities of gamers when needed. It doesn't really offer a stance on how to use or not use violence, sexuality, depravity, etc., so remember: talk. to. your. players. and find out everyone's mileage for different dishes at that buffet.

...

responding to hot takes

We solicit comments for recordings on our Discord (and here's the link! woooo), but for this episode, we totally forgot to respond to two hot takes from one of our listeners. So, here's some brief responses:

Hot Take 1: "The Thallain were never meant to interact with the Kithain. They aren't another splat, they're the main characters from a fundamentally darker game." From an in-game point of view, this certainly seems true. The Thallain came into the Autumn World at the behest of the Fomorians (or so the story goes), their goals and wishes are quite different from Kithain's, and in some cases (see: beasties), Kithain actively try to attack them. But what they were meant to be like doesn't negate the possibility of figuring out stories that accommodate both Thallain and Kithain as protagonists. You need a particularly agreeable one or more of the former, and a particularly tolerant one or more of the latter, but somewhere between the feverish kaleidoscope of Changeling: the Dreaming and the blood-soaked pandemonium of... erm, Thallain: the Horrifying?, there is potential for some interesting plotlines. Thallain who incarnate in human flesh have the same tension between their human origins and their fae natures as other kinds of changeling, and putting the two groups together towards a common goal (e.g., a common enemy that neither can stop alone) is the Extreme level of "seeing past our differences" for the sake of teamwork.

Hot Take 2: "House Ailil is the only good house in the entire gameline. Ennobled Boggans of House Ailil will utterly wreck your political machinations." Debatable, and dependent on the kind of game you want to run. For direct political intrigue, Ailil are indeed hard to beat (though depending on the type of intrigue, Leanhaun can give them a run for their money). Having a boggan, or pooka, or other kith with a social benefit in the House can certainly increase the benefit, and it can be great fun to watch an Ailil go toe-to-toe with a Ventrue. But as soon as you get out of the throne room, Elysium, or wherever, how useful are they for slaying a dragon, working great magic, or simply keeping the community happy? All else being equal, Ailil nobles are good at ruling by fear and blackmail, running criminal enterprises (or running their realms as though they were criminal enterprises), and getting themselves ahead. Your mileage may vary on whether you consider that the best, the most well-rounded, the most interesting, etc.

...

shout-out to harbingers of winter

We mentioned this book a couple times this episode, and here we are mentioning it again...! Charlie Cantrell and Radio Free Arcadia put out Harbingers of Winter back in the spring, updating much of the content of this book (and then some) for C20. You can purchase it from the Storyteller's Vault, and you can listen to our episode #12, wherein we discuss the book with Charlie. It's definitely recommended reading for anyone looking to run a Shadow Court (or otherwise deeply Unseelie-flavored) game, so check out and help support other folks in the community.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) thinks that Unseelie tastes like chocolate raspberry ice cream laced with codeine and bits of stained glass. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) thinks that Seelie tastes like a raw egg yolk suspended inside a solid shell of candied violet petals.

...

The Neighbor: "A little boy went out to play. When he opened his door, he saw the world. As he passed through the doorway, he caused a reflection. Evil was born. Evil was born, and followed the boy." Nikki: "...I'm sorry, what is that?" The Neighbor: "An old tale... And, the variation: a little girl went out to play. Lost in the marketplace, as if half-born. Then, not through the marketplace—you see that, don't you?—but through the alley behind the marketplace. This is the way to the palace." —Grace Zabriskie & Laura Dern in David Lynch's Inland Empire

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Episode-19-icon.png episode 19 – the shadow court true no 1:34:38 Yes no episode 18 – kithbook: trolls https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-18-kithbook-trolls/ Tue, 09 Aug 2022 15:16:23 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=231 So, we took an extra week off due to individual life stuff that needed sorting out. But now we're back to talk about the first of the splatbooks for Changeling, Kithbook: Trolls, in all of its blue-tinted glory. Takeaways from the book include: oaths matter; legend is more important than history; and if it's anything kind of large and fae-ish, it's probably a troll. Something to remember is that the kithbooks spanned a much larger period of time for their complete set (1996 to 2018), cutting not only across editions but also some serious changes in the world and its sensibilities—so, KB: Trolls feels very different from KB: Eshu and waayyy different from KB: Boggans. But we have to start somewhere, so the beginning seemed like a decent place to start.

troll culture

The word troll and the concept overall come from Norse mythology and derived Scandinavian folklore, blended in fantasy literature—and CtD as a whole—with similar concepts from other Germanic lore (including English). So it was a bit of a surprise that there was fairly little overt Norse influence on the book, or Celtic (which tends to be the top coat of paint on the entire game), save for a few names, artifacts, and artistic flourishes. It may be unfair to put too much of the burden on the ST and playgroup to bridge the gap between the text and the kind of game they want, but the text is neutral enough that you can have a troll hail from anywhere in the world that supports the myth of "big thing smash with honor". Because this book came out before Changeling's kith bloat really went into overdrive, it implies that all such folkloric beings are trolls, in some form—your mileage may vary with how much you want to fold all those legends into a single kith that is Northern European in its origin. The game has received a lot of justified criticism for its Eurocentrism; the way that different fae who smash with honor regard each other is something that can have in-game effects and consequences.

Since this is first edition, there is also a strong thread of "changelings hang out with their own kind". But the rest of the game materials don't exactly bear that out; the fiction and setting materials of 1st edition imply mixed populations as common enough, and future editions make it more or less the norm. Kithbook: Trolls presents them as having almost a standalone society whose uniqueness extends back to the legendary days, with their own freeholds and societies and whatnot. There's nothing wrong with this, and it opens up the possibility of a troll-only game. But it's an oddity to read in the light of what comes after. (Pooka's note: kinship is a strong theme in Changeling, but it's different from the tribalism of Werewolf, or Vampire where bloodline is often the only kind of kinship that matters. CtD is much more supportive of the concepts of found family and building new, small-scale culture together. My take is that giving the trolls all of this material without talking about how it's integrated into Kithain society at large kind of runs counter to that theme.)

...

a note on artwork

Apologies if we came off too harsh about the artwork in this book. Some of it is genuinely cool! The Maul of Thunder Treasure (which the text suggests is basically the "backup" Mjölnir) genuinely looks pretty cool!

And then there's like, this chapter opening with a... cop? Maybe he's after this... eco-terrorist?

We're just saying, quality varies.

Speaking of cops: there's a whole society of trolls, the Protectorate, who are basically love cops. Their oaths and dutiful natures are entirely centered on facilitating and protecting true love wherever they find it, because nothing makes a romantic encounter like an eight-foot-tall hulking blue dude with a massive axe standing watch over you and your beloved as you exchange honeyed words under the chimerical moonlight. (Also, he's probably watching. Awkward.) Anyway, that's a Kithain reality show we'd like to see.

...

the other kithbook: trolls

As one of our listeners pointed out, there was at one point another, online "Trolls Revised", from long before social media or Storyteller's Vault or any of that. (The early days of the Web were a wild place, folks!) For those who do want a more Norse-inflected version, here's the archived link: https://web.archive.org/web/20090910043150/http://www.traitorsgate.net/trolls/. We haven't thoroughly read or reviewed this yet, but may do in the future. (Initial impression: the author mentions that the original kithbook presents the trolls as a "pseudo-Celtic tribal group," which we don't think quite hits the mark. However, they are absolutely right that there are vast amounts of cultural background and history that the kithbook left unattended, so we're curious to see how this fan effort approaches these things.)

But that's a saga for another day...!

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) met a troll under a bridge, but it turned out to just be a sentient shopping cart loaded with boxes of evaporated milk and flat packs of discount lunchmeat. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders if trolls turn purple when they blush in fae mien.

...

An eleventh I know, if needs I must lead To the fight my long-loved friends; I sing in the shields, and in strength they go Whole to the field of fight, Whole from the field of fight, And whole they come thence home. —The Poetic Edda, Hávamál 157 (tr. Henry Adams Bellows)

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> full 18 So, we took an extra week off due to individual life stuff that needed sorting out. But now we're back to talk about the first of the splatbooks for Changeling, Kithbook: Trolls, in all of its blue-tinted glory. Takeaways from the book include: oaths matter; legend is more important than history; and if it's anything kind of large and fae-ish, it's probably a troll. Something to remember is that the kithbooks spanned a much larger period of time for their complete set (1996 to 2018), cutting not only across editions but also some serious changes in the world and its sensibilities—so, KB: Trolls feels very different from KB: Eshu and waayyy different from KB: Boggans. But we have to start somewhere, so the beginning seemed like a decent place to start.

troll culture

The word troll and the concept overall come from Norse mythology and derived Scandinavian folklore, blended in fantasy literature—and CtD as a whole—with similar concepts from other Germanic lore (including English). So it was a bit of a surprise that there was fairly little overt Norse influence on the book, or Celtic (which tends to be the top coat of paint on the entire game), save for a few names, artifacts, and artistic flourishes. It may be unfair to put too much of the burden on the ST and playgroup to bridge the gap between the text and the kind of game they want, but the text is neutral enough that you can have a troll hail from anywhere in the world that supports the myth of "big thing smash with honor". Because this book came out before Changeling's kith bloat really went into overdrive, it implies that all such folkloric beings are trolls, in some form—your mileage may vary with how much you want to fold all those legends into a single kith that is Northern European in its origin. The game has received a lot of justified criticism for its Eurocentrism; the way that different fae who smash with honor regard each other is something that can have in-game effects and consequences.

Since this is first edition, there is also a strong thread of "changelings hang out with their own kind". But the rest of the game materials don't exactly bear that out; the fiction and setting materials of 1st edition imply mixed populations as common enough, and future editions make it more or less the norm. Kithbook: Trolls presents them as having almost a standalone society whose uniqueness extends back to the legendary days, with their own freeholds and societies and whatnot. There's nothing wrong with this, and it opens up the possibility of a troll-only game. But it's an oddity to read in the light of what comes after. (Pooka's note: kinship is a strong theme in Changeling, but it's different from the tribalism of Werewolf, or Vampire where bloodline is often the only kind of kinship that matters. CtD is much more supportive of the concepts of found family and building new, small-scale culture together. My take is that giving the trolls all of this material without talking about how it's integrated into Kithain society at large kind of runs counter to that theme.)

...

a note on artwork

Apologies if we came off too harsh about the artwork in this book. Some of it is genuinely cool! The Maul of Thunder Treasure (which the text suggests is basically the "backup" Mjölnir) genuinely looks pretty cool!

And then there's like, this chapter opening with a... cop? Maybe he's after this... eco-terrorist?

We're just saying, quality varies.

Speaking of cops: there's a whole society of trolls, the Protectorate, who are basically love cops. Their oaths and dutiful natures are entirely centered on facilitating and protecting true love wherever they find it, because nothing makes a romantic encounter like an eight-foot-tall hulking blue dude with a massive axe standing watch over you and your beloved as you exchange honeyed words under the chimerical moonlight. (Also, he's probably watching. Awkward.) Anyway, that's a Kithain reality show we'd like to see.

...

the other kithbook: trolls

As one of our listeners pointed out, there was at one point another, online "Trolls Revised", from long before social media or Storyteller's Vault or any of that. (The early days of the Web were a wild place, folks!) For those who do want a more Norse-inflected version, here's the archived link: https://web.archive.org/web/20090910043150/http://www.traitorsgate.net/trolls/. We haven't thoroughly read or reviewed this yet, but may do in the future. (Initial impression: the author mentions that the original kithbook presents the trolls as a "pseudo-Celtic tribal group," which we don't think quite hits the mark. However, they are absolutely right that there are vast amounts of cultural background and history that the kithbook left unattended, so we're curious to see how this fan effort approaches these things.)

But that's a saga for another day...!

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) met a troll under a bridge, but it turned out to just be a sentient shopping cart loaded with boxes of evaporated milk and flat packs of discount lunchmeat. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) wonders if trolls turn purple when they blush in fae mien.

...

An eleventh I know, if needs I must lead To the fight my long-loved friends; I sing in the shields, and in strength they go Whole to the field of fight, Whole from the field of fight, And whole they come thence home. —The Poetic Edda, Hávamál 157 (tr. Henry Adams Bellows)

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Episode-18-icon.png episode 18 – kithbook: trolls false no 57:14 No no episode 17 – interview with toronto by day https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-17-interview-with-toronto-by-day/ Tue, 26 Jul 2022 02:34:56 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=227 Greetings, all! We've been taking a bit more of a break than we anticipated due to life getting in the way of podcasting, which slowed down our production process more than usual this week. But we're getting back on track, beginning with this episode, a conversation with the cast of Toronto by Day: Tales from the Rookery, a Changeling game that streams regularly on Twitch. They've just wrapped up Season 2 (though it was still nearing its finale at the time of this recording), with Season 3 on the horizon. But in the meantime, join us as we chat with Cliff (the ST), Zev (player of Volodomir the nocker) and Crystal (player of Lilly the korred) about their experiences with CtD in general and this game in particular, with some helpful wisdom to share for anyone who's thinking about running/joining a streaming game.

catching up on the show in question...

Our notes for this episode are rather brief, since the game sort of speaks for itself. (It is worth saying, this is probably the only time we've ever seen someone actually playing a korred.) But to that end, here's the most recent installment with the current cast. Even if you don't follow an actual play regularly to know the ins and outs of the plot, just skimming through any of their videos often gives a good idea of the timbre of the game and its players:

But! If you do want to check out the series from the start, the playlist for Season 1 can be found here, and for Season 2 here. Note that the shows are hosted on YouTube by, and the game is (loosely?) connected to the world of, Vancouver by Night and its family of games; if you enjoy Vampire and other games, check out their channel for additional tidbits.

...

...and keeping up with it in the future

So, if you want to watch the shows (which are pre-recorded, but broadcast live—formerly on Tuesdays, though this may change) as they air, you'll want to check out some pages:

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/Vancouverbynight Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/145770064177049/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vancitybynight Linktree for VbN across other sites: https://linktr.ee/jadelens

(Again, as of this posting, the show is on its season hiatus, but that means this is the time to get yourself caught up for its return...!)

Some of the current cast also have various web presences if you want to follow their work elsewhere: Cliff (the ST): on Instagram Zev (Volodomir the nocker): on Twitter Babe Blade (Rosaleen the sluagh): on Instagram Nahjra (Fagua the eshu): on Twitter Michael (Hunter the troll): on Twitter

Once again, we'd like to say thanks to the cast for chatting with us about the experience of running the game, and encourage you all to think about starting one of your own...!

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) was trying to come up with rhymes for "livestream," but couldn't get past "thrive beam," which is a concentrate ray of good vibes that instills anyone in its path with the energy and willpower to pull themselves out of dire circumstances. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) was trying to come up with rhymes for "actual play," but immediately went to "factual splay" which sounded kind of dirty and uncomfortable, so they decided to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies instead.

...

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely Players... —William Shakespeare, As You Like It

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> full 17 Greetings, all! We've been taking a bit more of a break than we anticipated due to life getting in the way of podcasting, which slowed down our production process more than usual this week. But we're getting back on track, beginning with this episode, a conversation with the cast of Toronto by Day: Tales from the Rookery, a Changeling game that streams regularly on Twitch. They've just wrapped up Season 2 (though it was still nearing its finale at the time of this recording), with Season 3 on the horizon. But in the meantime, join us as we chat with Cliff (the ST), Zev (player of Volodomir the nocker) and Crystal (player of Lilly the korred) about their experiences with CtD in general and this game in particular, with some helpful wisdom to share for anyone who's thinking about running/joining a streaming game.

catching up on the show in question...

Our notes for this episode are rather brief, since the game sort of speaks for itself. (It is worth saying, this is probably the only time we've ever seen someone actually playing a korred.) But to that end, here's the most recent installment with the current cast. Even if you don't follow an actual play regularly to know the ins and outs of the plot, just skimming through any of their videos often gives a good idea of the timbre of the game and its players:

But! If you do want to check out the series from the start, the playlist for Season 1 can be found here, and for Season 2 here. Note that the shows are hosted on YouTube by, and the game is (loosely?) connected to the world of, Vancouver by Night and its family of games; if you enjoy Vampire and other games, check out their channel for additional tidbits.

...

...and keeping up with it in the future

So, if you want to watch the shows (which are pre-recorded, but broadcast live—formerly on Tuesdays, though this may change) as they air, you'll want to check out some pages:

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/Vancouverbynight Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/145770064177049/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vancitybynight Linktree for VbN across other sites: https://linktr.ee/jadelens

(Again, as of this posting, the show is on its season hiatus, but that means this is the time to get yourself caught up for its return...!)

Some of the current cast also have various web presences if you want to follow their work elsewhere: Cliff (the ST): on Instagram Zev (Volodomir the nocker): on Twitter Babe Blade (Rosaleen the sluagh): on Instagram Nahjra (Fagua the eshu): on Twitter Michael (Hunter the troll): on Twitter

Once again, we'd like to say thanks to the cast for chatting with us about the experience of running the game, and encourage you all to think about starting one of your own...!

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) was trying to come up with rhymes for "livestream," but couldn't get past "thrive beam," which is a concentrate ray of good vibes that instills anyone in its path with the energy and willpower to pull themselves out of dire circumstances. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) was trying to come up with rhymes for "actual play," but immediately went to "factual splay" which sounded kind of dirty and uncomfortable, so they decided to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies instead.

...

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely Players... —William Shakespeare, As You Like It

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Episode-17-icon.png episode 17 – interview with toronto by day false no 1:02:30 No no episode 16 – player’s guide https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-16-players-guide/ Mon, 11 Jul 2022 20:21:41 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=219 No, not the C20 one that came out in 2019; we're taking a look at the 1st edition Player's Guide from... year unclear. (We think it's 1997? But there's an ad for Hunter: the Reckoning in the back, so who knows.) As WoD Player's Guides go, the Changeling one has a lot of your standard fare: Merits and Flaws before those became standard in the corebook, additional Traits, new kewl powers. But this book also stands out for its full introduction of the Nunnehi after their brief appearance in Rage Across Appalachia (see episode 10), its thorough treatment of the nine core kiths, and some insightful short essays into the roleplaying experience from a player's perspective. It also feature a full-on errata section of material that got dropped from The Autumn People, because these were the heady days when deadlines were tight and editing was a luxury. In short, this book really packs a lot into its just-shy-of-200 pages. Let's have a look at some tidbits, shall we?

art corner

Changeling: the Dreaming art is often kind of a mixed bag, but especially as we approach the end of 1st Edition and its full-color books, it's nice to see some truly gorgeous examples in these page. The splash pages at the start of each chapter by Mark Jackson are especially fab, as in these examples:

Thematic and evocative! There are also some pretty groovy portraits associated with each kith by Adam Rex, such as this redcap who's charging out of the page, knuckle spikes bared, but who still has some sensible heels and hefty socks for battle:

And then there are these troll ladies. We're not entirely sure what's going on with them, but we include them as a reminder that no book's assortment of art will be perfect, and it is only through contrast that we learn to truly appreciate the pieces we really adore:

We report, you decide!

...

collective nouns

Aside from established terms like a corby of redcaps and a tragos of satyrs, some suggestions for what to call a group of each kith:

  • a nosiness or industry of boggans
  • a rowdiness of clurichaun
  • an intrigue of eshu
  • an agitation or complaint of nockers
  • a suspicion of piskies
  • a veracity or certainty of pooka
  • a nibble of redcaps
  • an excitement of satyrs
  • a sleeking of selkies
  • an insufferability or pomp of sidhe
  • an unsettlement of sluagh
  • a bravado of trolls

Suggestions for others welcome!

...

more nunnehi research

We gave some advice and shared some links last time we discussed the Nunnehi, in the Rage Across Appalachia episode. Following up on that, here are some more links that you might find useful for delving into the mythic background of the Indigenous kiths of Concordia:

As always, it's important to be aware that one's own research might be flawed, and that digging around on the internet can't fully substitute for thorough academic books and/or talking with an actual expert on the topic. It's also worth noting that digging around for information on the folklore behind these kiths turned up, among other things, sites that claimed to give background to the myths that was directly quoted from the Player's Guide (to the point of talking about "fae mien"). Doing background research is not easy! While you might not need to dive all the way down on these legends for the sake of a game session, you should still be ready to spend more time than you think you will need to try and separate what seems authentic from what seems like the random (even if reasonably informed) invention of someone online.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun)'s weapon of choice: frog-venom-tipped lawn darts. Pooka G (any pronoun/they)'s armor of choice: wadded-up back issues of Utne Reader tied with heavy-duty rubberbands.

...

Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep... —John Milton, Paradise Lost, IV.675–676

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> full 16 No, not the C20 one that came out in 2019; we're taking a look at the 1st edition Player's Guide from... year unclear. (We think it's 1997? But there's an ad for Hunter: the Reckoning in the back, so who knows.) As WoD Player's Guides go, the Changeling one has a lot of your standard fare: Merits and Flaws before those became standard in the corebook, additional Traits, new kewl powers. But this book also stands out for its full introduction of the Nunnehi after their brief appearance in Rage Across Appalachia (see episode 10), its thorough treatment of the nine core kiths, and some insightful short essays into the roleplaying experience from a player's perspective. It also feature a full-on errata section of material that got dropped from The Autumn People, because these were the heady days when deadlines were tight and editing was a luxury. In short, this book really packs a lot into its just-shy-of-200 pages. Let's have a look at some tidbits, shall we?

art corner

Changeling: the Dreaming art is often kind of a mixed bag, but especially as we approach the end of 1st Edition and its full-color books, it's nice to see some truly gorgeous examples in these page. The splash pages at the start of each chapter by Mark Jackson are especially fab, as in these examples:

Thematic and evocative! There are also some pretty groovy portraits associated with each kith by Adam Rex, such as this redcap who's charging out of the page, knuckle spikes bared, but who still has some sensible heels and hefty socks for battle:

And then there are these troll ladies. We're not entirely sure what's going on with them, but we include them as a reminder that no book's assortment of art will be perfect, and it is only through contrast that we learn to truly appreciate the pieces we really adore:

We report, you decide!

...

collective nouns

Aside from established terms like a corby of redcaps and a tragos of satyrs, some suggestions for what to call a group of each kith:

  • a nosiness or industry of boggans
  • a rowdiness of clurichaun
  • an intrigue of eshu
  • an agitation or complaint of nockers
  • a suspicion of piskies
  • a veracity or certainty of pooka
  • a nibble of redcaps
  • an excitement of satyrs
  • a sleeking of selkies
  • an insufferability or pomp of sidhe
  • an unsettlement of sluagh
  • a bravado of trolls

Suggestions for others welcome!

...

more nunnehi research

We gave some advice and shared some links last time we discussed the Nunnehi, in the Rage Across Appalachia episode. Following up on that, here are some more links that you might find useful for delving into the mythic background of the Indigenous kiths of Concordia:

As always, it's important to be aware that one's own research might be flawed, and that digging around on the internet can't fully substitute for thorough academic books and/or talking with an actual expert on the topic. It's also worth noting that digging around for information on the folklore behind these kiths turned up, among other things, sites that claimed to give background to the myths that was directly quoted from the Player's Guide (to the point of talking about "fae mien"). Doing background research is not easy! While you might not need to dive all the way down on these legends for the sake of a game session, you should still be ready to spend more time than you think you will need to try and separate what seems authentic from what seems like the random (even if reasonably informed) invention of someone online.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun)'s weapon of choice: frog-venom-tipped lawn darts. Pooka G (any pronoun/they)'s armor of choice: wadded-up back issues of Utne Reader tied with heavy-duty rubberbands.

...

Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep... —John Milton, Paradise Lost, IV.675–676

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Episode-16-icon.png episode 16 – player’s guide false no 1:19:42 No no episode 15 – ten books for inspiration https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-15-ten-books-for-inspiration/ Mon, 04 Jul 2022 12:56:58 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=215 Thanks for joining us! This week is a bit of a breather: we're talking about ten books that inspire us for Changeling: the Dreaming. The show notes are therefore pretty straightforward, as we'll just have the list below with a few notes. (You are encouraged to find, borrow, or purchase these books at a library or bookstore, for we will not be linking to a certain bookselling megacorp on this post.) In a more general sense, we're opening a conversation here about media as inspiration; we anticipate talking about another stack of books in the future, but also graphic novels, television, film, even artwork. Given that the game is to some extent about inspiration and story, it seems fitting to think about more than just "books about faeries." How can players and STs get the most out of the media they encounter for their games? What qualifies as a narrative that has something to do with Glamour and Banality, or the other themes of the game? Things to consider for future iterations of this series of episodes...

(Also, we threw in three honorable mentions at the end, because stopping at ten books just wasn't going to happen.)

the list

  • Emma Bull, War for the Oaks — Blurb: "Eddi McCandry sings rock and roll. But her boyfriend just dumped her, her band just broke up, and life could hardly be worse. Then, walking home through downtown Minneapolis on a dark night, she finds herself drafted into an invisible war between the faerie folk. Now, more than her own survival is at risk—and her own preferences, musical and personal, are very much beside the point." There was some talk long ago about adapting it for film (to the point that a low-budget trailer got made), but alas, it has not yet come to be...
  • John Crowley, Little, Big; or, the Fairies' Parliament — A truly magnificent 25th anniversary edition just came out...which actually makes it a 40th anniversary edition, so how's that for a publishing delay? But anyway, even though that version is frighteningly expensive, you can at least get a sense for the book by reading the first couple chapters here: https://littlebig25.com/.
  • Charles de Lint, The Wild Wood — Blurb: "A young artist returns to her cabin in the deep woods of Canada to concentrate on her illustrations. But somehow, strange and beautiful creatures are slipping into her drawings and sketches. The world of Faerie is reaching out to her for help--and she may be its last chance for survival." See an example of the Brian Froud art paired with this book below (used for the cover, in fact).
  • Cory Doctorow, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town — This one is freely available for download, presumably because Doctorow is a big proponent of Creative Commons and whatnot: https://craphound.com/category/someone/
  • Joanne M. Harris, Honeycomb — Author's website with some Q&A and other information: http://www.joanne-harris.co.uk/honeycomb/
  • Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere — Multimedia moment: Neverwhere was actually a TV series first, some of which you can watch for free because some kind soul has put it online (start with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKlsXquUKdA). So technically the novel is a novelization, and we might cover this again for when we talk about TV... but then, it's also been made into a stage play, and a radio drama, and a graphic novel. Many options for your media-consumer pleasure.
  • Seanan McGuire, the October Daye series — Author's website: https://seananmcguire.com/toby.php; you can check out her other series as well here.
  • Terry Pratchett, Hogfather (and many other Discworld novels besides) — Another one with a TV adaptation, featuring Ian Richardson and Michelle Dockery (of Downton Abbey fame), which you can fairly easily watch online as well (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoWifSyA9NQ).
  • Salman Rushdie, Haroun and the Sea of Stories — A brief excerpt: "So Iff the water genie told Haroun about the Ocean of the Stream of Stories, and even though he was full of a sense of hopelessness and failure the magic of the Ocean began to have an effect on Haroun. He looked into the water and saw that it was made up of a thousand thousand thousand and one different currents, each one a different colour, weaving in and out of one another like a liquid tapestry of breathtaking complexity; and Iff explained that these were the Streams of Story, that each coloured strand represented and contained a single tale. Different parts of the Ocean contained different sorts of stories, and as all the stories that had ever been told and many that were still in the process of being invented could be found here, the Ocean of the Streams of Story was in fact the biggest library in the universe. And because the stories were held here in fluid form, they retained the ability to change, to become new versions of themselves, to join up with other stories and so become yet other stories; so that unlike a library of books, the Ocean of the Streams of Story was much more than a storeroom of yarns. It was not dead, but alive."
  • Bill Watterson, any or all of the Calvin and Hobbes books — It almost seems a travesty to direct you to an internet version of the comic, but if you haven't come across the strip before, allowances must be made... you can read some of the old daily strips at https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps finding library cards between the cushions, in their pockets, on buses, on trains, behind other people's ears... something mysterious is clearly afoot. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) once ate 38 pages of Finnegan's Wake, binding and all, to see what would happen, and woke up two days later drenched with absinthe in the doorway of a downtown Tarrytown taxidermy shop.

...

"Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic." —Carl Sagan

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> full 15 Thanks for joining us! This week is a bit of a breather: we're talking about ten books that inspire us for Changeling: the Dreaming. The show notes are therefore pretty straightforward, as we'll just have the list below with a few notes. (You are encouraged to find, borrow, or purchase these books at a library or bookstore, for we will not be linking to a certain bookselling megacorp on this post.) In a more general sense, we're opening a conversation here about media as inspiration; we anticipate talking about another stack of books in the future, but also graphic novels, television, film, even artwork. Given that the game is to some extent about inspiration and story, it seems fitting to think about more than just "books about faeries." How can players and STs get the most out of the media they encounter for their games? What qualifies as a narrative that has something to do with Glamour and Banality, or the other themes of the game? Things to consider for future iterations of this series of episodes...

(Also, we threw in three honorable mentions at the end, because stopping at ten books just wasn't going to happen.)

the list

  • Emma Bull, War for the Oaks — Blurb: "Eddi McCandry sings rock and roll. But her boyfriend just dumped her, her band just broke up, and life could hardly be worse. Then, walking home through downtown Minneapolis on a dark night, she finds herself drafted into an invisible war between the faerie folk. Now, more than her own survival is at risk—and her own preferences, musical and personal, are very much beside the point." There was some talk long ago about adapting it for film (to the point that a low-budget trailer got made), but alas, it has not yet come to be...
  • John Crowley, Little, Big; or, the Fairies' Parliament — A truly magnificent 25th anniversary edition just came out...which actually makes it a 40th anniversary edition, so how's that for a publishing delay? But anyway, even though that version is frighteningly expensive, you can at least get a sense for the book by reading the first couple chapters here: https://littlebig25.com/.
  • Charles de Lint, The Wild Wood — Blurb: "A young artist returns to her cabin in the deep woods of Canada to concentrate on her illustrations. But somehow, strange and beautiful creatures are slipping into her drawings and sketches. The world of Faerie is reaching out to her for help--and she may be its last chance for survival." See an example of the Brian Froud art paired with this book below (used for the cover, in fact).
  • Cory Doctorow, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town — This one is freely available for download, presumably because Doctorow is a big proponent of Creative Commons and whatnot: https://craphound.com/category/someone/
  • Joanne M. Harris, Honeycomb — Author's website with some Q&A and other information: http://www.joanne-harris.co.uk/honeycomb/
  • Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere — Multimedia moment: Neverwhere was actually a TV series first, some of which you can watch for free because some kind soul has put it online (start with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKlsXquUKdA). So technically the novel is a novelization, and we might cover this again for when we talk about TV... but then, it's also been made into a stage play, and a radio drama, and a graphic novel. Many options for your media-consumer pleasure.
  • Seanan McGuire, the October Daye series — Author's website: https://seananmcguire.com/toby.php; you can check out her other series as well here.
  • Terry Pratchett, Hogfather (and many other Discworld novels besides) — Another one with a TV adaptation, featuring Ian Richardson and Michelle Dockery (of Downton Abbey fame), which you can fairly easily watch online as well (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoWifSyA9NQ).
  • Salman Rushdie, Haroun and the Sea of Stories — A brief excerpt: "So Iff the water genie told Haroun about the Ocean of the Stream of Stories, and even though he was full of a sense of hopelessness and failure the magic of the Ocean began to have an effect on Haroun. He looked into the water and saw that it was made up of a thousand thousand thousand and one different currents, each one a different colour, weaving in and out of one another like a liquid tapestry of breathtaking complexity; and Iff explained that these were the Streams of Story, that each coloured strand represented and contained a single tale. Different parts of the Ocean contained different sorts of stories, and as all the stories that had ever been told and many that were still in the process of being invented could be found here, the Ocean of the Streams of Story was in fact the biggest library in the universe. And because the stories were held here in fluid form, they retained the ability to change, to become new versions of themselves, to join up with other stories and so become yet other stories; so that unlike a library of books, the Ocean of the Streams of Story was much more than a storeroom of yarns. It was not dead, but alive."
  • Bill Watterson, any or all of the Calvin and Hobbes books — It almost seems a travesty to direct you to an internet version of the comic, but if you haven't come across the strip before, allowances must be made... you can read some of the old daily strips at https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps finding library cards between the cushions, in their pockets, on buses, on trains, behind other people's ears... something mysterious is clearly afoot. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) once ate 38 pages of Finnegan's Wake, binding and all, to see what would happen, and woke up two days later drenched with absinthe in the doorway of a downtown Tarrytown taxidermy shop.

...

"Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic." —Carl Sagan

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Episode-15-icon.png episode 15 – ten books for inspiration false no 58:47 No no episode 14 – mage + changeling with terry robinson https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-14-mage-changeling-with-terry-robinson/ Mon, 20 Jun 2022 14:10:37 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=211 Hi, Mage fans! And/or Changeling fans! On this week's episode, we're having a conversation with Terry Robinson, host of Mage: the Podcast, to talk about crossover between Mage and Changeling. If you aren't well versed in Mage: the Ascension, don't worry—we'll give you some of the key terms and concepts to get you going with incorporating mages into your Changeling game. Not only that, but we hash out every crossover issue you could possibly want to deal with! (Well, okay, that was an outright lie, because we could do an entire separate podcast just on those issues.) (Maybe someday...) In any case, have a listen, and as always, feel free to hop in our Discord (link at the bottom of this page) to discuss your thoughts and ask your questions.

wibbly-wobbly themey-wemeys

Probably the most important thing to talk about with any game crossover situation are the themes and moods of the games and how they align. We brought this up with Terry, and discussed three that do, and three that don't:

  • Imagination and hope are incredibly powerful. From the Changeling perspective, this is pretty self-evident and central to the game; their power stat of Glamour that reflects (in part) this theme. With Mage, it's a little more subtle. The paradigms with which the willworkers construct their magic rely on imagination—which in theory can make mages powerful Dreamers, with the right outlook—and they build (some of) their hopes upon the strength of that paradigm and their ability to manifest its power. For mages whose way of magic is danger of going extinct, hope takes on an extra veneer of urgency.
  • Culture is valuable. The ideas of groups of mortals have literally shaped changelings into what they are, in terms of kiths. Culture has also given structure to the magic used by mages, a structure which they must follow (at least, at first). Both groups are invested in preserving their originating cultures, although the need to combine those traditions with growth and modernity presents an interesting element of tension in each game.
  • Everything is temporary. Terry frames this in relation to the desire to keep alive the connections to the past that give both changelings and mages strength. On top of that, mages are mortal, and although changelings reincarnate, Banality often means their time as self-aware fae is limited. But how the character reacts to these facts can also provide compelling story material. Both splats may strive for immortality and struggle against the way of things, creating all kinds of interesting drama (and possibly hurting a lot of people along the way).
  • Mortals and isolationism. In theory, both Mage and Changeling are centered on their protagonists' interactions with mortals. In practice, tables often run both games without mortals making a single appearance. We'd wager that Changeling players are guilty of this more often: many groups do Dreaming-centric games with Glamour drawn from chimera or wherever rather than interacting with Dreamers. With Mage, "Hogwarts games" entirely set in a mages-only space are rarer, and to some extent have to be, because...
  • The shifting of destiny. Mage and Changeling start at opposite ends of a spectrum in terms of how they affect the ultimate fates of mortals. A mage wants their way of handling reality to be the correct one for everyone (because they know it's correct for them). They start with the goal of changing civilization and work their way down. Changelings, on the other hand, cultivate individual artists; it's more the philosophy that pushing a pebble in the stream might eventually change the course of the mighty river. Neither one usually ends up altering all of human destiny that much, but it's important to realize that they're coming from very different places.
  • Balance. Changeling has this theme baked into the Glamour/Banality mechanics, and it drives the entirety of the game. Mage... does not really have this. You can add Resonance and Quiet and everything, but fundamentally, there's very little (e.g, a morality stat) stopping mages from quickly going down Megalomaniac Road.

...

terry's art corner

Terry mentions at one point a lovely anecdote about getting into Mage by reading the 2nd edition of the "Big Purple" and a sharp memory of some John Cobb art. For the viewing pleasure of you, the audience, here's what we believe to be the art in question that stuck in Terry's mind:

And now perhaps it will stick in yours. Whatever this might say about Terry's aesthetic sensibilities, we leave to others to decide! ^~^/

...

demesne and Dreaming

There's a Background introduced in Mage 20th Anniversary Edition called Demesne (pronounced like "da MAIN") which has... something to do with dreams. It's a "semi-permanent Dream Realm," according to that corebook, which doesn't really give much in the way of hard mechanics for interactions between a changeling and a mage who has such self-control over their subconscious. Some suggestions from Terry:

  • Demesne can be a "resistance stat" to some fae shenanigans while the mage is enchanted (or otherwise perceiving the chimerical realm). Potentially this could be a kind of supplement or alternative pool for countering fae magic, and especially any kind of Oneiromancy.
  • Demesne can "slightly tug" at that magic, altering the form of cantrips to things the mage can deal with more easily. In a way, they literally lucid dream at the changeling, using their own strength of subconscious as a shield/weapon. This is just a nudge though—perhaps the mage rolls Demesne and can change one aspect of the magic for each success.
  • Importantly, Demesne does not help with Seekings to raise a mage's Arete, which would be quite overpowered (and not in keeping with the themes of the game). Extending this, one could say that Demesne has no impact on a mage's ability to provide Glamour; a well-developed dream life doesn't necessarily make a mage more creative or freewheeling.

Statistics are not available, but it's unlikely many mages take the Background in the first place, in part because of its limited use. But in a direct crossover game, Storytellers and players may want to come up with some ways like these that Demesne can be used to facilitate interaction. Perhaps the Demesne can function as a safe island for the changelings off the Silver Path when they enter the Dreaming, and in turn they can hang out with the mage without needing to enchant them (or even physically being present). Perhaps a mage can use Demesne as an ability like Crafts or Technology to create chimerical objects for the changelings (like the "guns; lots of guns" scene in The Matrix, except... dream-guns), which they can take out of the realm for a period of time. Or from an antagonist point of view, a Nephandus might use their Demesne as a nocnitsa breeding ground, or a Technocrat's vision of ultimate conformity allows them to manifest powers akin to an Autumn Person's (assuming they don't have these already). The Background may not have been intended as a built-in connection, but... might as well use it?

(And no, in this episode, we are not handling the question of "where is the Dreaming relative to the Umbra?" That will be its own thing at some point, when we each have several hours to kill and the substances of our choosing.)

...

mishearings and malapropisms

Just because, here are a few little verbal swishes that occurred during recording:

  • Terry used the phrase "campaign of tactical frivolity," which needs to be the plot of like half of all Changeling games from now on.
  • Terry also describes Changeling as being like "a cookie dissolving on the tongue": wonderful and great, but we don't get to take it with us. <3
  • While doing sound editing on this episode, Pooka at one point misheard "Cthulhu worshipper" as "Cthulhu greengrocer", and that's an NPC waiting to happen.
  • Rather than "manipulating," Terry used the verb "renippulating" for the "raw bits of reality." Somewhere, there is a mage whose paradigm is indeed to renipple the world around them to great effect.

And importantly, there is a famous quote-drop from Hamlet, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." This is one of those cornerstones of good Storytelling (in Pooka's opinion, at least) that gets overlooked. Mechanics and definitions and explanations are all well and good, but on the altar of a chronicle, everything and anything can (and sometimes should) be sacrificed. If you want a mage antagonist or ally in your Changeling game, unless there's a player with a sheet who needs to know how many dice to roll, you don't have to make that mage correspond to what the books say. Especially for Changeling, story is paramount. And sometimes, the unexpected and inexplicable makes for a more compelling narrative, both inside and outside the game. Hamlet calls out Horatio because the latter has a hard time fitting the ghost they've encountered into his worldview. It's an extension of the Golden Rule, in a way: breaking the rules to make a narrative feel novel and mysterious, to keep the players on their toes.

...

where to find terry robinson

Some places online where you can find Terry:

  • The website for Mage: the Podcast has the episodes of that excellent show (which is how this one got started, basically), for which Terry is a host...
  • ...and the hopping Discord community is a good place to have some conversations about Mage, WoD, and various related sundries.
  • Another podcast produced by Terry and Chazz Kellner is Pain in the Dice, which handles a bunch of gaming-related topics across a variety of lines.
  • Terry's homebrew material on the Storyteller's Vault can be perused here; someday, that 20,000 word writeup of a 8-point Demesne will presumably make an appearance.
  • Via Twitter, @MageThePodcast is the primary one, but also check out @TerryRobinson and @TryItCon, a convention Terry ran last year which we hope comes back someday...

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a Familiar that fits inside a common household breadbox, but you won't guess what it is. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has zero to three points of Arcane; the number depends on moon phase and hat currently being worn.

...

"Perhaps I am too tame, too domestic a magician. But how does one work up a little madness?" —Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> full 14 Hi, Mage fans! And/or Changeling fans! On this week's episode, we're having a conversation with Terry Robinson, host of Mage: the Podcast, to talk about crossover between Mage and Changeling. If you aren't well versed in Mage: the Ascension, don't worry—we'll give you some of the key terms and concepts to get you going with incorporating mages into your Changeling game. Not only that, but we hash out every crossover issue you could possibly want to deal with! (Well, okay, that was an outright lie, because we could do an entire separate podcast just on those issues.) (Maybe someday...) In any case, have a listen, and as always, feel free to hop in our Discord (link at the bottom of this page) to discuss your thoughts and ask your questions.

wibbly-wobbly themey-wemeys

Probably the most important thing to talk about with any game crossover situation are the themes and moods of the games and how they align. We brought this up with Terry, and discussed three that do, and three that don't:

  • Imagination and hope are incredibly powerful. From the Changeling perspective, this is pretty self-evident and central to the game; their power stat of Glamour that reflects (in part) this theme. With Mage, it's a little more subtle. The paradigms with which the willworkers construct their magic rely on imagination—which in theory can make mages powerful Dreamers, with the right outlook—and they build (some of) their hopes upon the strength of that paradigm and their ability to manifest its power. For mages whose way of magic is danger of going extinct, hope takes on an extra veneer of urgency.
  • Culture is valuable. The ideas of groups of mortals have literally shaped changelings into what they are, in terms of kiths. Culture has also given structure to the magic used by mages, a structure which they must follow (at least, at first). Both groups are invested in preserving their originating cultures, although the need to combine those traditions with growth and modernity presents an interesting element of tension in each game.
  • Everything is temporary. Terry frames this in relation to the desire to keep alive the connections to the past that give both changelings and mages strength. On top of that, mages are mortal, and although changelings reincarnate, Banality often means their time as self-aware fae is limited. But how the character reacts to these facts can also provide compelling story material. Both splats may strive for immortality and struggle against the way of things, creating all kinds of interesting drama (and possibly hurting a lot of people along the way).
  • Mortals and isolationism. In theory, both Mage and Changeling are centered on their protagonists' interactions with mortals. In practice, tables often run both games without mortals making a single appearance. We'd wager that Changeling players are guilty of this more often: many groups do Dreaming-centric games with Glamour drawn from chimera or wherever rather than interacting with Dreamers. With Mage, "Hogwarts games" entirely set in a mages-only space are rarer, and to some extent have to be, because...
  • The shifting of destiny. Mage and Changeling start at opposite ends of a spectrum in terms of how they affect the ultimate fates of mortals. A mage wants their way of handling reality to be the correct one for everyone (because they know it's correct for them). They start with the goal of changing civilization and work their way down. Changelings, on the other hand, cultivate individual artists; it's more the philosophy that pushing a pebble in the stream might eventually change the course of the mighty river. Neither one usually ends up altering all of human destiny that much, but it's important to realize that they're coming from very different places.
  • Balance. Changeling has this theme baked into the Glamour/Banality mechanics, and it drives the entirety of the game. Mage... does not really have this. You can add Resonance and Quiet and everything, but fundamentally, there's very little (e.g, a morality stat) stopping mages from quickly going down Megalomaniac Road.

...

terry's art corner

Terry mentions at one point a lovely anecdote about getting into Mage by reading the 2nd edition of the "Big Purple" and a sharp memory of some John Cobb art. For the viewing pleasure of you, the audience, here's what we believe to be the art in question that stuck in Terry's mind:

And now perhaps it will stick in yours. Whatever this might say about Terry's aesthetic sensibilities, we leave to others to decide! ^~^/

...

demesne and Dreaming

There's a Background introduced in Mage 20th Anniversary Edition called Demesne (pronounced like "da MAIN") which has... something to do with dreams. It's a "semi-permanent Dream Realm," according to that corebook, which doesn't really give much in the way of hard mechanics for interactions between a changeling and a mage who has such self-control over their subconscious. Some suggestions from Terry:

  • Demesne can be a "resistance stat" to some fae shenanigans while the mage is enchanted (or otherwise perceiving the chimerical realm). Potentially this could be a kind of supplement or alternative pool for countering fae magic, and especially any kind of Oneiromancy.
  • Demesne can "slightly tug" at that magic, altering the form of cantrips to things the mage can deal with more easily. In a way, they literally lucid dream at the changeling, using their own strength of subconscious as a shield/weapon. This is just a nudge though—perhaps the mage rolls Demesne and can change one aspect of the magic for each success.
  • Importantly, Demesne does not help with Seekings to raise a mage's Arete, which would be quite overpowered (and not in keeping with the themes of the game). Extending this, one could say that Demesne has no impact on a mage's ability to provide Glamour; a well-developed dream life doesn't necessarily make a mage more creative or freewheeling.

Statistics are not available, but it's unlikely many mages take the Background in the first place, in part because of its limited use. But in a direct crossover game, Storytellers and players may want to come up with some ways like these that Demesne can be used to facilitate interaction. Perhaps the Demesne can function as a safe island for the changelings off the Silver Path when they enter the Dreaming, and in turn they can hang out with the mage without needing to enchant them (or even physically being present). Perhaps a mage can use Demesne as an ability like Crafts or Technology to create chimerical objects for the changelings (like the "guns; lots of guns" scene in The Matrix, except... dream-guns), which they can take out of the realm for a period of time. Or from an antagonist point of view, a Nephandus might use their Demesne as a nocnitsa breeding ground, or a Technocrat's vision of ultimate conformity allows them to manifest powers akin to an Autumn Person's (assuming they don't have these already). The Background may not have been intended as a built-in connection, but... might as well use it?

(And no, in this episode, we are not handling the question of "where is the Dreaming relative to the Umbra?" That will be its own thing at some point, when we each have several hours to kill and the substances of our choosing.)

...

mishearings and malapropisms

Just because, here are a few little verbal swishes that occurred during recording:

  • Terry used the phrase "campaign of tactical frivolity," which needs to be the plot of like half of all Changeling games from now on.
  • Terry also describes Changeling as being like "a cookie dissolving on the tongue": wonderful and great, but we don't get to take it with us. <3
  • While doing sound editing on this episode, Pooka at one point misheard "Cthulhu worshipper" as "Cthulhu greengrocer", and that's an NPC waiting to happen.
  • Rather than "manipulating," Terry used the verb "renippulating" for the "raw bits of reality." Somewhere, there is a mage whose paradigm is indeed to renipple the world around them to great effect.

And importantly, there is a famous quote-drop from Hamlet, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." This is one of those cornerstones of good Storytelling (in Pooka's opinion, at least) that gets overlooked. Mechanics and definitions and explanations are all well and good, but on the altar of a chronicle, everything and anything can (and sometimes should) be sacrificed. If you want a mage antagonist or ally in your Changeling game, unless there's a player with a sheet who needs to know how many dice to roll, you don't have to make that mage correspond to what the books say. Especially for Changeling, story is paramount. And sometimes, the unexpected and inexplicable makes for a more compelling narrative, both inside and outside the game. Hamlet calls out Horatio because the latter has a hard time fitting the ghost they've encountered into his worldview. It's an extension of the Golden Rule, in a way: breaking the rules to make a narrative feel novel and mysterious, to keep the players on their toes.

...

where to find terry robinson

Some places online where you can find Terry:

  • The website for Mage: the Podcast has the episodes of that excellent show (which is how this one got started, basically), for which Terry is a host...
  • ...and the hopping Discord community is a good place to have some conversations about Mage, WoD, and various related sundries.
  • Another podcast produced by Terry and Chazz Kellner is Pain in the Dice, which handles a bunch of gaming-related topics across a variety of lines.
  • Terry's homebrew material on the Storyteller's Vault can be perused here; someday, that 20,000 word writeup of a 8-point Demesne will presumably make an appearance.
  • Via Twitter, @MageThePodcast is the primary one, but also check out @TerryRobinson and @TryItCon, a convention Terry ran last year which we hope comes back someday...

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a Familiar that fits inside a common household breadbox, but you won't guess what it is. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has zero to three points of Arcane; the number depends on moon phase and hat currently being worn.

...

"Perhaps I am too tame, too domestic a magician. But how does one work up a little madness?" —Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon for additional treats at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast!)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Episode-14-icon.png episode 14 – mage + changeling with terry robinson false no 1:22:46 No no episode 13 – shadows on the hill https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-13-shadows-on-the-hill/ Wed, 15 Jun 2022 14:43:26 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=204 Lucky thirteen! In this installment, we move forward in the Immortal Eyes chronicle, Shadows on the Hill, following the protagonist oathmates to their next adventure in Hawaiʻi. Like the previous book, The Toybox, the storyline (and included adventures) of the Immortal Eyes is kind of ancillary to the setting details laid out here. We found this one somewhat richer overall, with a lot of material that could be used for games set in the islands, with the caveat that one should always use discretion and do some additional research before taking everything in these pages for granted. (Disclaimer: we're both white folks with limited knowledge of the setting and culture.) But even if you don't use the book as intended, it has many beautiful passages and lots of bits that you might want to incorporate into a chronicle of your own. File under "not strictly necessary to buy, but a nice addition to the collection," if that's a label you're keen to use.

in the beginning...

There's a passage describing the creation of the Hawaiʻian island chain that Pooka mentions reminds them of the intro to the first Civilization computer game. For the sake of a visual aid, and to do a throwback to a game even older than Changeling: the Dreaming, here's the video. It doesn't have quite the same power when the tinny Sound Blaster music isn't piping out of your cheap speakers, but you get the idea. (Pooka will not be taking questions on how many hours they've wasted playing the games in this series, so you'll just have to guess.)

...

sacred sites and science

One of the secondary antagonists in the book's first adventure is an Autumn Person geologist, Jennifer Friedman, whose character is not really developed beyond that description. She's mentioned as part of a group of tourists who are depleting the mana from the land, as part of an ongoing framing of mana as Glamour specifically infused with the notion of being a dream of the land, an idea of the people, and the relationship between the two. While that concept of mana is an intriguing one, the use of this geologist in relation to it just seems too easy—another foray in the anti-science mentality that crops up regularly in 1st edition.

The issue of science intruding on culture is a longstanding one in Hawaiʻi, with the Thirty Meter Telescope protests being the most recent and high-profile conflict. (Note: the protests were erroneously referred to in the episode as taking place on Mauna Loa; they are actually on Mauna Kea.) Changeling has always been a game with the capacity to responsibly explore political issues like this, and if a group wants to engage with heritage and tradition in relation to land use and rights, this is a possible situation to address. On the other hand, the technical knowledge gained about how the planet works can be just as Glamour-inspiring for some, not to mention life-saving for others. That's part of why the character of Dr. Friedman as a throwaway line is so frustrating: she's a one-dimensional foil to the characters. We don't dispute the book's foregrounding of Hawaiʻi as a spiritual landscape first, but if you choose to have a scientist as a villain, at least make them more interesting than being just another Autumn Person. If they're going to disrespect the land to give players a reason to stand against them, they should have some kind of reason for it.

This goes for other similar cases as well. All around the world are places and moments where passionate belief is challenged by thirst for data. You can certainly have unabashedly corrupt foes—Pentex and their local branch, Big Fruit, spring to mind—but we recommend giving you and your group the space to get more complex here, because the game allows you to. The nature of Glamour and Banality is a theme we keep returning to; when the stakes are the well-being of entire groups of people, the question of what each of those forces means to people becomes all the more urgent.

...

hot tub satyr machine

That was a pretty serious topic in the last section. For a bit of whimsy to counterbalance it, here's the hot tub picture from page 124 that Josh found weird and uncomfortable:

It's really the satyr's face that does it. The longer you look at it, the more uncomfortable it gets.

...

a few resources

The book that Pooka mentioned finding at the local bookmonger was the second volume of the Nānā i ke Kumu series. The first two were published in the 1970s as a joint venture between the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa and local community leaders/organizations. They cover all manner of legend, folktale, custom, and religious belief over the course of hundreds of pages; a third volume, published in 2020, covers more modern social problems from a cultural context. You can find more information/purchase the books at the press website, or (if you want) use a certain rapacious corporation's website instead. Such a collection is valuable for creating verisimilitude in your game—there are plenty of stories, practices, and kapu that you can search through to flesh out a Hawaiʻian setting—but also just for self-education.

And if you want some cool information about the mindboggling navigational practices that got the Menehune and their people to Hawaiʻi in the first place, check out this page from the university on techniques (see the sidebar for links to specific traditional tools), and this article from the BBC last year about the Hōkūleʻa, a traditionally-built canoe that was sailed using those techniques across the Pacific in 1976. The canoe's voyage demonstrated that the voyages of the ancient Polynesians were entirely possible, creating a sense of renewed pride and interest in the history of seafaring. Pretty astounding stuff that can make for an interesting sidebar in a chronicle set on the seas. (Some of this also pops up in Mage's Dead Magic II, within a WoD-context.)

...

promo card note

In a misalignment of circumstance, Pooka did not take a picture of the promo card for the Arcadia: the Wyld Hunt CCG they have in the back of their copy of IE2 before departing for overseas voyages. And now, as the episode goes live, they are thousands of miles away from said book. Luckily, the In Arcadia blog has a write-up of the phenomenon, and an image handy as you please:

It's unlikely that this is still valid, right? Still, if we can get our hands on more cards, maybe an episode about the CCG will make an appearance in the future...

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) tasted of the forbidden fruit, and found it resembled persimmon with a hint of cardamom. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is in terrible need of pastries most hours of the day.

...

"Ukuliʻi ka pua, onaona i ka mauʻu." (Tiny is the flower, yet it scents the grasses around it.) —Hawaiʻian proverb cited by Serge Kahili King

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> full 13 Lucky thirteen! In this installment, we move forward in the Immortal Eyes chronicle, Shadows on the Hill, following the protagonist oathmates to their next adventure in Hawaiʻi. Like the previous book, The Toybox, the storyline (and included adventures) of the Immortal Eyes is kind of ancillary to the setting details laid out here. We found this one somewhat richer overall, with a lot of material that could be used for games set in the islands, with the caveat that one should always use discretion and do some additional research before taking everything in these pages for granted. (Disclaimer: we're both white folks with limited knowledge of the setting and culture.) But even if you don't use the book as intended, it has many beautiful passages and lots of bits that you might want to incorporate into a chronicle of your own. File under "not strictly necessary to buy, but a nice addition to the collection," if that's a label you're keen to use.

in the beginning...

There's a passage describing the creation of the Hawaiʻian island chain that Pooka mentions reminds them of the intro to the first Civilization computer game. For the sake of a visual aid, and to do a throwback to a game even older than Changeling: the Dreaming, here's the video. It doesn't have quite the same power when the tinny Sound Blaster music isn't piping out of your cheap speakers, but you get the idea. (Pooka will not be taking questions on how many hours they've wasted playing the games in this series, so you'll just have to guess.)

...

sacred sites and science

One of the secondary antagonists in the book's first adventure is an Autumn Person geologist, Jennifer Friedman, whose character is not really developed beyond that description. She's mentioned as part of a group of tourists who are depleting the mana from the land, as part of an ongoing framing of mana as Glamour specifically infused with the notion of being a dream of the land, an idea of the people, and the relationship between the two. While that concept of mana is an intriguing one, the use of this geologist in relation to it just seems too easy—another foray in the anti-science mentality that crops up regularly in 1st edition.

The issue of science intruding on culture is a longstanding one in Hawaiʻi, with the Thirty Meter Telescope protests being the most recent and high-profile conflict. (Note: the protests were erroneously referred to in the episode as taking place on Mauna Loa; they are actually on Mauna Kea.) Changeling has always been a game with the capacity to responsibly explore political issues like this, and if a group wants to engage with heritage and tradition in relation to land use and rights, this is a possible situation to address. On the other hand, the technical knowledge gained about how the planet works can be just as Glamour-inspiring for some, not to mention life-saving for others. That's part of why the character of Dr. Friedman as a throwaway line is so frustrating: she's a one-dimensional foil to the characters. We don't dispute the book's foregrounding of Hawaiʻi as a spiritual landscape first, but if you choose to have a scientist as a villain, at least make them more interesting than being just another Autumn Person. If they're going to disrespect the land to give players a reason to stand against them, they should have some kind of reason for it.

This goes for other similar cases as well. All around the world are places and moments where passionate belief is challenged by thirst for data. You can certainly have unabashedly corrupt foes—Pentex and their local branch, Big Fruit, spring to mind—but we recommend giving you and your group the space to get more complex here, because the game allows you to. The nature of Glamour and Banality is a theme we keep returning to; when the stakes are the well-being of entire groups of people, the question of what each of those forces means to people becomes all the more urgent.

...

hot tub satyr machine

That was a pretty serious topic in the last section. For a bit of whimsy to counterbalance it, here's the hot tub picture from page 124 that Josh found weird and uncomfortable:

It's really the satyr's face that does it. The longer you look at it, the more uncomfortable it gets.

...

a few resources

The book that Pooka mentioned finding at the local bookmonger was the second volume of the Nānā i ke Kumu series. The first two were published in the 1970s as a joint venture between the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa and local community leaders/organizations. They cover all manner of legend, folktale, custom, and religious belief over the course of hundreds of pages; a third volume, published in 2020, covers more modern social problems from a cultural context. You can find more information/purchase the books at the press website, or (if you want) use a certain rapacious corporation's website instead. Such a collection is valuable for creating verisimilitude in your game—there are plenty of stories, practices, and kapu that you can search through to flesh out a Hawaiʻian setting—but also just for self-education.

And if you want some cool information about the mindboggling navigational practices that got the Menehune and their people to Hawaiʻi in the first place, check out this page from the university on techniques (see the sidebar for links to specific traditional tools), and this article from the BBC last year about the Hōkūleʻa, a traditionally-built canoe that was sailed using those techniques across the Pacific in 1976. The canoe's voyage demonstrated that the voyages of the ancient Polynesians were entirely possible, creating a sense of renewed pride and interest in the history of seafaring. Pretty astounding stuff that can make for an interesting sidebar in a chronicle set on the seas. (Some of this also pops up in Mage's Dead Magic II, within a WoD-context.)

...

promo card note

In a misalignment of circumstance, Pooka did not take a picture of the promo card for the Arcadia: the Wyld Hunt CCG they have in the back of their copy of IE2 before departing for overseas voyages. And now, as the episode goes live, they are thousands of miles away from said book. Luckily, the In Arcadia blog has a write-up of the phenomenon, and an image handy as you please:

It's unlikely that this is still valid, right? Still, if we can get our hands on more cards, maybe an episode about the CCG will make an appearance in the future...

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) tasted of the forbidden fruit, and found it resembled persimmon with a hint of cardamom. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) is in terrible need of pastries most hours of the day.

...

"Ukuliʻi ka pua, onaona i ka mauʻu." (Tiny is the flower, yet it scents the grasses around it.) —Hawaiʻian proverb cited by Serge Kahili King

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Episode-13-icon.png episode 13 – shadows on the hill false no 1:32:30 No no episode 12 – harbingers of winter with charlie cantrell https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-12-harbingers-of-winter-with-charlie-cantrell/ Mon, 06 Jun 2022 22:38:05 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=198 As in certain fantasy series of some repute, Winter has been coming for a very long time in the mythos of Changeling: the Dreaming, but never quite fully arriving. With the release of Harbingers of Winter, we get one take on what it might look like in the 20th Anniversary Edition, in the shape of the various antagonists who populate the world of the game: Autumn People, Thallain, Dauntain, and more. In this episode, we have a conversation with C20 writer, STV contributor, and longtime community fixture Charlie Cantrell about his stewardship of the project under the banner of his group Radio Free Arcadia. Join us as we talk about his history with the game, the genesis of the book, and a chapter-by-chapter exploration of how to deploy these foes—some updated, some brand new—for your chronicle.

notable artworks!

There's much scuttlebutt in the episode about the Brood Mother Fomorian, who churns out chimerical monstrosities from the grist of changelings sacrificed to her maw. (Gross.) Charlie mentions a piece of artwork originally from Denizens of the Dreaming that seems to portend all her squoodly glory twenty years later:

It seems her image was lingering in the pages of canon, just waiting to get a write-up somewhere down the line...

Also, we talk about the excellent art of Alaina Milare, who did the maeghar splat artwork near the end of the book, which is this mopey fae vampire guy here:

Please check out her work at https://www.alainamilareart.com/ ! Much of it is Changeling-focused character work that evokes the spirit of the game and has a very classic splat-portrait feel.

...

poll: who's your favorite fomorian?

Just as a shameless attempt to get some awareness out there about our Discord (the link, as always, is https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j), we'll have a poll there for your favorite Fomorian character (or general Court, if you can't decide). Because there are over twenty options from the named Fomorians given some details and backstory in the Harbingers book, here are the six heavyweights that you can pick from:

  • Balor: the original Big Bad of the Fomorians, with the evil eye to end all evil eyes (as well as anyone who it gazed upon)
  • Z'laad, Storm of Color: a pure tempest of primordial and colorful Dark Glamour, rampaging like a cluster headache oil slick through the Dreaming
  • Enphida, Goblin Queen of Machines: inventor of despicable war machines, whose inspiration took everywhere from the Unseelie nocker freehold of Goblin Town to (apparently) a tryst with an Etherite mage
  • Brood Mother: see above for all you need to know, really
  • Bres: the surprisingly beautiful grandson of Balor who was briefly tapped as ruler of the fae by the Tuatha (until it didn't go so well for all involved)
  • Marena: Queen of Frost and embodiment of all the cruelty of winter

And if you can't decide, you can always just vaguely vote for The Green Court (inscrutable, nigh-Lovecraftian beings), The Red Court (unthinkably powerful and bloodthirsty war-titans), or The White Court (cold and calculating grand-scale manipulators). Whoever wins, we'll do... something. A write-up? A series of story hook ideas? A ritual sacrifice? Only time will tell!

...

optional shapes of things

It's important to remember that the shape of Winter in this book is just one possibility—as we mention a couple times in this episode's discussion, the Golden Rule of White Wolf games, and Changeling in particular, is that you can and should reshape things to better serve your game. If something doesn't fit with your vision, change it! Not everyone wants to imagine the world of the fae going in a direction quite so dark or horrific (or maybe their brand of horrific just looks different). Harbingers of Winter features antagonists who would go against the Kithain for a variety of reasons, each of which comes with their own baked-in set of themes and narratives, but none of them are set in stone. If you want to include Thallain as part of a redemption arc, new and complicated varieties of Dauntain, or Tithed who have a less antagonistic relationship with their fae "twins," go for it.

Winter is to some extend what you make of it at your table, both in-character and out-of-character. Will it be slow and eternal, or just another passage of a season? Will it be exceptionally brutal, with Kithain cutting each other's throats for the barest hint of Glamour and Fomorians rampaging through the Dreaming, or will it be a much more boring, Banal affair where the fae are slowly smothered into forgetfulness? How aware of it are the characters, if at all? Is their narrative arc one of bleak fatalism, determined questing to bring on a new Spring, or unified survival in the most hidden parts of the world? To some extent, these are the questions that underlie the discussion of what Changeling 5th Edition (in the distant, possibly alternate, future in which that appears) might look like. So far, Vampire is our only point of reference in print, and it's both grittier and more low-level-focused (at least at its base) than the setting was for many years prior. If we assume that all the games that get a 5th edition will go in that direction, certainly Winter could become a central theme of Changeling, displacing petty concerns like courtly intrigue and romps through the Dreaming as the fae struggle to maintain their inner spark in the darkest world they've seen for a long time. But that theme has always been part of the game, as have the permutations of how they deal with it, so a refocus on that aspect isn't totally out of nowhere, just... something to think about, that perhaps more tables should have been thinking about already.

(And we affirm that Harbingers of Winter is a good book for getting some of those thoughts going.)

...

more from charlie cantrell

If you want to see more of what Charlie has been/is up to...

  • You can find him on Twitter, @PookaKnight !
  • On Facebook, Radio Free Arcadia is a place to see the latest news about what he and his team might be up to
  • Harbingers of Winter itself is available now on Storyteller's Vault...
  • ...as is Kiths of Arcadia, another work by Charlie and Radio Free Arcadia that brings into C20 the kiths from the brief-lived but beloved Arcadia: the Wyld Hunt CCG
  • Charlie's homebrew conversion guide to 5th Edition for Changeling is freely available as well (though note that you might need some familiarity with V5 to use it properly) (but that's probably why you're looking it up anyway, isn't it?)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) is uncomfortable with the adjective "phlegmatic."

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) questions all uses of the verb "extrude."

...

The darkness drops again; but now I know   That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,   And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,   Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? —W.B. Yeats, "The Second Coming"

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> full 12 As in certain fantasy series of some repute, Winter has been coming for a very long time in the mythos of Changeling: the Dreaming, but never quite fully arriving. With the release of Harbingers of Winter, we get one take on what it might look like in the 20th Anniversary Edition, in the shape of the various antagonists who populate the world of the game: Autumn People, Thallain, Dauntain, and more. In this episode, we have a conversation with C20 writer, STV contributor, and longtime community fixture Charlie Cantrell about his stewardship of the project under the banner of his group Radio Free Arcadia. Join us as we talk about his history with the game, the genesis of the book, and a chapter-by-chapter exploration of how to deploy these foes—some updated, some brand new—for your chronicle.

notable artworks!

There's much scuttlebutt in the episode about the Brood Mother Fomorian, who churns out chimerical monstrosities from the grist of changelings sacrificed to her maw. (Gross.) Charlie mentions a piece of artwork originally from Denizens of the Dreaming that seems to portend all her squoodly glory twenty years later:

It seems her image was lingering in the pages of canon, just waiting to get a write-up somewhere down the line...

Also, we talk about the excellent art of Alaina Milare, who did the maeghar splat artwork near the end of the book, which is this mopey fae vampire guy here:

Please check out her work at https://www.alainamilareart.com/ ! Much of it is Changeling-focused character work that evokes the spirit of the game and has a very classic splat-portrait feel.

...

poll: who's your favorite fomorian?

Just as a shameless attempt to get some awareness out there about our Discord (the link, as always, is https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j), we'll have a poll there for your favorite Fomorian character (or general Court, if you can't decide). Because there are over twenty options from the named Fomorians given some details and backstory in the Harbingers book, here are the six heavyweights that you can pick from:

  • Balor: the original Big Bad of the Fomorians, with the evil eye to end all evil eyes (as well as anyone who it gazed upon)
  • Z'laad, Storm of Color: a pure tempest of primordial and colorful Dark Glamour, rampaging like a cluster headache oil slick through the Dreaming
  • Enphida, Goblin Queen of Machines: inventor of despicable war machines, whose inspiration took everywhere from the Unseelie nocker freehold of Goblin Town to (apparently) a tryst with an Etherite mage
  • Brood Mother: see above for all you need to know, really
  • Bres: the surprisingly beautiful grandson of Balor who was briefly tapped as ruler of the fae by the Tuatha (until it didn't go so well for all involved)
  • Marena: Queen of Frost and embodiment of all the cruelty of winter

And if you can't decide, you can always just vaguely vote for The Green Court (inscrutable, nigh-Lovecraftian beings), The Red Court (unthinkably powerful and bloodthirsty war-titans), or The White Court (cold and calculating grand-scale manipulators). Whoever wins, we'll do... something. A write-up? A series of story hook ideas? A ritual sacrifice? Only time will tell!

...

optional shapes of things

It's important to remember that the shape of Winter in this book is just one possibility—as we mention a couple times in this episode's discussion, the Golden Rule of White Wolf games, and Changeling in particular, is that you can and should reshape things to better serve your game. If something doesn't fit with your vision, change it! Not everyone wants to imagine the world of the fae going in a direction quite so dark or horrific (or maybe their brand of horrific just looks different). Harbingers of Winter features antagonists who would go against the Kithain for a variety of reasons, each of which comes with their own baked-in set of themes and narratives, but none of them are set in stone. If you want to include Thallain as part of a redemption arc, new and complicated varieties of Dauntain, or Tithed who have a less antagonistic relationship with their fae "twins," go for it.

Winter is to some extend what you make of it at your table, both in-character and out-of-character. Will it be slow and eternal, or just another passage of a season? Will it be exceptionally brutal, with Kithain cutting each other's throats for the barest hint of Glamour and Fomorians rampaging through the Dreaming, or will it be a much more boring, Banal affair where the fae are slowly smothered into forgetfulness? How aware of it are the characters, if at all? Is their narrative arc one of bleak fatalism, determined questing to bring on a new Spring, or unified survival in the most hidden parts of the world? To some extent, these are the questions that underlie the discussion of what Changeling 5th Edition (in the distant, possibly alternate, future in which that appears) might look like. So far, Vampire is our only point of reference in print, and it's both grittier and more low-level-focused (at least at its base) than the setting was for many years prior. If we assume that all the games that get a 5th edition will go in that direction, certainly Winter could become a central theme of Changeling, displacing petty concerns like courtly intrigue and romps through the Dreaming as the fae struggle to maintain their inner spark in the darkest world they've seen for a long time. But that theme has always been part of the game, as have the permutations of how they deal with it, so a refocus on that aspect isn't totally out of nowhere, just... something to think about, that perhaps more tables should have been thinking about already.

(And we affirm that Harbingers of Winter is a good book for getting some of those thoughts going.)

...

more from charlie cantrell

If you want to see more of what Charlie has been/is up to...

  • You can find him on Twitter, @PookaKnight !
  • On Facebook, Radio Free Arcadia is a place to see the latest news about what he and his team might be up to
  • Harbingers of Winter itself is available now on Storyteller's Vault...
  • ...as is Kiths of Arcadia, another work by Charlie and Radio Free Arcadia that brings into C20 the kiths from the brief-lived but beloved Arcadia: the Wyld Hunt CCG
  • Charlie's homebrew conversion guide to 5th Edition for Changeling is freely available as well (though note that you might need some familiarity with V5 to use it properly) (but that's probably why you're looking it up anyway, isn't it?)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) is uncomfortable with the adjective "phlegmatic."

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) questions all uses of the verb "extrude."

...

The darkness drops again; but now I know   That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,   And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,   Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? —W.B. Yeats, "The Second Coming"

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Episode-12-icon.png episode 12 – harbingers of winter with charlie cantrell false no 1:10:24 No no episode 11 – nobles: the shining host https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-11-nobles-the-shining-host/ Wed, 01 Jun 2022 11:06:26 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=193 Settle in, because this is a long one... the raw audio for this recording was the longest we've had by far. But that's because Nobles: the Shining Host, the first Changeling book to delve into Kithain nobility, covers a lot of bases. It's not quite "Kithbook: Sidhe," but there's enough about them in there to satisfy most players and STs who want to know more about the kith; on top of that, you have plenty about the social structure and cultural dynamics of nobles from any background. We get bits of history, an epic tale, political parties and secret societies, information about Concordia's monarchs, some new Traits (including two new Arts), a new House, character templates... the book really packs it in. We cover it in this episode as briskly, yet thoroughly, as possible—but even so, this is almost our longest episode thus far. (This is also the reason why it's going out a bit late this week. Nostra maxima culpa.)

how to play a sidhe

Just kidding—we're not going to tell you the exact answer to that, because there really isn't one. Ultimately, you do what you want to do. But, since the book focuses heavily (not entirely!) on this kith, we are going to point out a couple things about trends and possibilities. See, the traditional roles for sidhe in CtD games have tended towards: 1. pretty Mary Sues who are (or demand to be) able to do anything (especially when people just want to play a sidhe for that extra Boon), 2. uptight patricians who treat egoism and sucking all the oxygen out of a room (or gaming session) as a virtue, 3. as Josh put it, the real-life protagonists of soap operas (for the viewing pleasure of the commoners), or 4. all of the above, which is doable because the first three are stat-, personality-, and narrative-based, respectively. The exact shape of these things has waxed and waned over the years—"mysterious warrior-sorcerer with Appearance 7 and/or an ethereal presence" seems to be a common expression of (1) these days—but the common threads are quite visible.

The unfortunate thing is that the early books, at least, set up a lot of alternatives to these archetypes, even as they also provide examples of them. And yet somehow, the alternatives seem to have faded more and more into the background. Maybe this is due to real-world ideals working their way into the game: commoners are moving front and center with progressive, anti-aristocratic ideas, and the sidhe have flattened more and more into these Tolkien-elf types with little variation. The sidhe are a kith; Title is a Background; nobility is a quality; and while the three may overlap more than most other kith-Trait-characteristic combinations, it is not a necessity. (Remember, those in the back: your sidhe does not have to have a Title/be part of a House.)

We mention this because the sidhe fall into the trap most often, maybe, of becoming one-dimensional characters, with the only variation being the specific Trait build that represents their particular snottiness. It's true that kiths tend to shape characters; it's also true that more and more, especially with C20, there is pushback against such determinism. (Old fogies' note: it was always there, e.g., you could play soft-hearted Seelie redcap who liked macrame, but the game's willingness to foreground that varied.) So why would you not make a sidhe who is more interesting than the typical [insert Title here] [insert elaborate faux-Sindarin name here] [insert House here] [insert optional florid moniker here], knight and/or wizard and/or courtier par excellence? One of the first canon sidhe in fiction is Leigh from the Immortal Eyes trilogy, who is a teenage redhead knight struggling to reconcile her newly-discovered nature, princess memories, and swelling sense of honor with her upbringing as a working-class cop's daughter, as well as her fervent desire to be a chef. She has a soft spot for protecting childlings (though she's also a firm babysitter), she has a crush on the bad-boy Unseelie eshu, and she worries about making ends meet with her line-cook salary in her crummy one-bedroom (but she's also thrilled to be living away from her mortal family for the first time). She is far from perfect, but aspires to be better, and she has the capabilities of a beautiful warrior, but is far from defined by them.

This book gives a lot of material to work with to navigate that level of complexity, as do many of the others—if you're willing to look for it. We encourage you, therefore, to think outside the box and make being a sidhe (or being a noble) not the most important thing about your character. It may not be the least important either, but give your character a little depth before working that piece in. Obviously, this advice can be applied to any kith—it's just that sidhe tend to suffer for it most than the others.

...

the Trod Background

Just because the headache that is this Background deserved to be reproduced in its entirety, here it is in table format. Pick the Background level you want in the first column, then choose one row within that level to determine which destinations the trod has access to across the world/Dreaming, and (in the last column) how often it's available:

Destinations:localregionalnationalNear DreamingFar DreamingDeep DreamingAccessible...At Level 111/4 of the yearLevel 2 (choose one row)1 2-3 11/2 of the year 1/4 of the year all the timeLevel 3 (choose one row)2-3 2-3 2-31 1 00 1 01/2 of the year 1/4 of the year all the timeLevel 4 (choose one row)4-5 4-5 2-3 2-32 2 1 11 1 0 02 1 0 10 1 0 01/2 of the year 1/4 of the year all the time 1/2 of the yearLevel 5 (choose one row)4-5 4-5 2-33-4 4-5 12 4 02 2 10 2 01 1 01/2 of the year 1/4 of the year all the time

Yes, we're aware that the first and third options for Level 2 are directly contradictory. The book also suggests that the accessibility be tied to natural cycles, e.g., a trod that's only open 1/4 of the year might be available during a certain season, and a trod open 1/2 of the year might only be available every other day or only at night. Surely there was some mathematical formula to figure out the balance of all this, but no idea what that might have been; heaven help you if you decide to have a single Background represent multiple trods, e.g., taking four dots in the Background allows you to choose two options from Level 2.

Are we having fun yet?

...

clancy brown

We're not saying the sidhe on page 49 isn't noted actor and voice actor (including, ironically, in Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia) Clancy Brown, but it's totally Clancy Brown. Publicity photo provided for comparison!

...

parliamentary breakdown (but not the fun kind)

In case you needed some statistics for who's in the Parliament circa this book's publication in late 1995/early 1996... all percentages are relative to the entire Parliament, not the specific group being described:

  • Sidhe nobles make up 42% of the Parliament, even though they only make up 5% of the Kithain in Concordia (though that number may have increased a bit as more Houses have returned, and the Autumn Sidhe have become a thing in C20). The Traditionalists make up 20%, Reformers 15%, and Modernists 7%
  • Commoner nobles make up 20% of the Parliament: Traditionalists 8%, Reformers 4%, Modernists 8%. Meanwhile, non-Titled commoners make up the remaining 38%, with Traditionalists 15%, Reformers 7%, and Modernists 16%, suggesting that commoner political affiliation is roughly the same, regardless of whether they're noble or not—and with a surprisingly high number of Traditionalists. Overall, when you see that the nobles have a majority, and the Traditionalists have a plurality, the feudal system sticking around as long as it has begins to make a bit more sense (as does the more reform-minded fae's frustration).
  • Within the Parliament, sidhe make up 42%—therefore, all sidhe in the Parliament are nobles. The remaining breakdown is boggans at 14%, trolls at 9%, nockers at 8%, pooka and satyrs at 6% each, sluagh, redcaps, and eshu at 5% each. We don't have breakdowns by kith for nobles and political inclinations, but presumably the boggans and trolls have higher rates of both nobility and Traditionalism.
  • Similarly, we don't get political inclination breakdown by House, but we're told that Gwydion makes up 12% of Parliament, Eiluned and Fiona 10% each, Dougal 6%, Liam 3%, and Scathach a pitiful 1%. We also have the note that 95% of the Parliament is Seelie—estimated, of course.

Obviously, as new kiths have been made standard in C20, Unseelie power has become more openly displayed, and the Autumn World's political landscape has evolved, all of these are subject to change. But as a baseline for how things work, it's still a useful tool to start with... in the episode, we sort of poke fun at the voting system of Concordia. Nevertheless, there is undeniable nerdy pleasure to be had from a story centered around the electoral campaigns and machinations of the fae, if you want to work that into your chronicle. (Yes, one of us might be a fan of both Borgen on TV night and Die Mächer on board game night.)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) flew into battle on a song and a prayer. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) strolled into Hell with some flowers in the hair.

...

"I had been too long away from the nobility; I had forgotten how silly even the best of them could be." —Laurell K. Hamilton, "Geese"

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> full 11 Settle in, because this is a long one... the raw audio for this recording was the longest we've had by far. But that's because Nobles: the Shining Host, the first Changeling book to delve into Kithain nobility, covers a lot of bases. It's not quite "Kithbook: Sidhe," but there's enough about them in there to satisfy most players and STs who want to know more about the kith; on top of that, you have plenty about the social structure and cultural dynamics of nobles from any background. We get bits of history, an epic tale, political parties and secret societies, information about Concordia's monarchs, some new Traits (including two new Arts), a new House, character templates... the book really packs it in. We cover it in this episode as briskly, yet thoroughly, as possible—but even so, this is almost our longest episode thus far. (This is also the reason why it's going out a bit late this week. Nostra maxima culpa.)

how to play a sidhe

Just kidding—we're not going to tell you the exact answer to that, because there really isn't one. Ultimately, you do what you want to do. But, since the book focuses heavily (not entirely!) on this kith, we are going to point out a couple things about trends and possibilities. See, the traditional roles for sidhe in CtD games have tended towards: 1. pretty Mary Sues who are (or demand to be) able to do anything (especially when people just want to play a sidhe for that extra Boon), 2. uptight patricians who treat egoism and sucking all the oxygen out of a room (or gaming session) as a virtue, 3. as Josh put it, the real-life protagonists of soap operas (for the viewing pleasure of the commoners), or 4. all of the above, which is doable because the first three are stat-, personality-, and narrative-based, respectively. The exact shape of these things has waxed and waned over the years—"mysterious warrior-sorcerer with Appearance 7 and/or an ethereal presence" seems to be a common expression of (1) these days—but the common threads are quite visible.

The unfortunate thing is that the early books, at least, set up a lot of alternatives to these archetypes, even as they also provide examples of them. And yet somehow, the alternatives seem to have faded more and more into the background. Maybe this is due to real-world ideals working their way into the game: commoners are moving front and center with progressive, anti-aristocratic ideas, and the sidhe have flattened more and more into these Tolkien-elf types with little variation. The sidhe are a kith; Title is a Background; nobility is a quality; and while the three may overlap more than most other kith-Trait-characteristic combinations, it is not a necessity. (Remember, those in the back: your sidhe does not have to have a Title/be part of a House.)

We mention this because the sidhe fall into the trap most often, maybe, of becoming one-dimensional characters, with the only variation being the specific Trait build that represents their particular snottiness. It's true that kiths tend to shape characters; it's also true that more and more, especially with C20, there is pushback against such determinism. (Old fogies' note: it was always there, e.g., you could play soft-hearted Seelie redcap who liked macrame, but the game's willingness to foreground that varied.) So why would you not make a sidhe who is more interesting than the typical [insert Title here] [insert elaborate faux-Sindarin name here] [insert House here] [insert optional florid moniker here], knight and/or wizard and/or courtier par excellence? One of the first canon sidhe in fiction is Leigh from the Immortal Eyes trilogy, who is a teenage redhead knight struggling to reconcile her newly-discovered nature, princess memories, and swelling sense of honor with her upbringing as a working-class cop's daughter, as well as her fervent desire to be a chef. She has a soft spot for protecting childlings (though she's also a firm babysitter), she has a crush on the bad-boy Unseelie eshu, and she worries about making ends meet with her line-cook salary in her crummy one-bedroom (but she's also thrilled to be living away from her mortal family for the first time). She is far from perfect, but aspires to be better, and she has the capabilities of a beautiful warrior, but is far from defined by them.

This book gives a lot of material to work with to navigate that level of complexity, as do many of the others—if you're willing to look for it. We encourage you, therefore, to think outside the box and make being a sidhe (or being a noble) not the most important thing about your character. It may not be the least important either, but give your character a little depth before working that piece in. Obviously, this advice can be applied to any kith—it's just that sidhe tend to suffer for it most than the others.

...

the Trod Background

Just because the headache that is this Background deserved to be reproduced in its entirety, here it is in table format. Pick the Background level you want in the first column, then choose one row within that level to determine which destinations the trod has access to across the world/Dreaming, and (in the last column) how often it's available:

Destinations:localregionalnationalNear DreamingFar DreamingDeep DreamingAccessible...At Level 111/4 of the yearLevel 2 (choose one row)1 2-3 11/2 of the year 1/4 of the year all the timeLevel 3 (choose one row)2-3 2-3 2-31 1 00 1 01/2 of the year 1/4 of the year all the timeLevel 4 (choose one row)4-5 4-5 2-3 2-32 2 1 11 1 0 02 1 0 10 1 0 01/2 of the year 1/4 of the year all the time 1/2 of the yearLevel 5 (choose one row)4-5 4-5 2-33-4 4-5 12 4 02 2 10 2 01 1 01/2 of the year 1/4 of the year all the time

Yes, we're aware that the first and third options for Level 2 are directly contradictory. The book also suggests that the accessibility be tied to natural cycles, e.g., a trod that's only open 1/4 of the year might be available during a certain season, and a trod open 1/2 of the year might only be available every other day or only at night. Surely there was some mathematical formula to figure out the balance of all this, but no idea what that might have been; heaven help you if you decide to have a single Background represent multiple trods, e.g., taking four dots in the Background allows you to choose two options from Level 2.

Are we having fun yet?

...

clancy brown

We're not saying the sidhe on page 49 isn't noted actor and voice actor (including, ironically, in Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia) Clancy Brown, but it's totally Clancy Brown. Publicity photo provided for comparison!

...

parliamentary breakdown (but not the fun kind)

In case you needed some statistics for who's in the Parliament circa this book's publication in late 1995/early 1996... all percentages are relative to the entire Parliament, not the specific group being described:

  • Sidhe nobles make up 42% of the Parliament, even though they only make up 5% of the Kithain in Concordia (though that number may have increased a bit as more Houses have returned, and the Autumn Sidhe have become a thing in C20). The Traditionalists make up 20%, Reformers 15%, and Modernists 7%
  • Commoner nobles make up 20% of the Parliament: Traditionalists 8%, Reformers 4%, Modernists 8%. Meanwhile, non-Titled commoners make up the remaining 38%, with Traditionalists 15%, Reformers 7%, and Modernists 16%, suggesting that commoner political affiliation is roughly the same, regardless of whether they're noble or not—and with a surprisingly high number of Traditionalists. Overall, when you see that the nobles have a majority, and the Traditionalists have a plurality, the feudal system sticking around as long as it has begins to make a bit more sense (as does the more reform-minded fae's frustration).
  • Within the Parliament, sidhe make up 42%—therefore, all sidhe in the Parliament are nobles. The remaining breakdown is boggans at 14%, trolls at 9%, nockers at 8%, pooka and satyrs at 6% each, sluagh, redcaps, and eshu at 5% each. We don't have breakdowns by kith for nobles and political inclinations, but presumably the boggans and trolls have higher rates of both nobility and Traditionalism.
  • Similarly, we don't get political inclination breakdown by House, but we're told that Gwydion makes up 12% of Parliament, Eiluned and Fiona 10% each, Dougal 6%, Liam 3%, and Scathach a pitiful 1%. We also have the note that 95% of the Parliament is Seelie—estimated, of course.

Obviously, as new kiths have been made standard in C20, Unseelie power has become more openly displayed, and the Autumn World's political landscape has evolved, all of these are subject to change. But as a baseline for how things work, it's still a useful tool to start with... in the episode, we sort of poke fun at the voting system of Concordia. Nevertheless, there is undeniable nerdy pleasure to be had from a story centered around the electoral campaigns and machinations of the fae, if you want to work that into your chronicle. (Yes, one of us might be a fan of both Borgen on TV night and Die Mächer on board game night.)

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) flew into battle on a song and a prayer. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) strolled into Hell with some flowers in the hair.

...

"I had been too long away from the nobility; I had forgotten how silly even the best of them could be." —Laurell K. Hamilton, "Geese"

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Episode-11-icon.png episode 11 – nobles: the shining host true no 1:32:51 Yes no episode 10 – rage across appalachia https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-10-rage-across-appalachia/ Mon, 23 May 2022 18:56:37 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=187 Finally, we enter the double digits of episodes (well, unless you count our introductory one) as we discuss Rage Across Appalachia. Despite the cover art, the font and border styles, and the overwhelming majority of the content all suggesting this is a supplement for Werewolf: the Apocalypse, there is in fact the note that says it's also intended for Changeling: the Dreaming. Ergo, we're including it in our Lost in the Library series of book dives—however, this ended up being kind of a mini-sode, because really the entirety of the Changeling content fits into one chapter and some extra pages for the whole book. Still, we get some useful pieces, including the first substantive information on the Nunnehi, the Indigenous fae of the continent.

somewhere in the dreaming... freehold heraldry

Moving forward, the "Somewhere in the Dreaming" tag will be useful for instances where we speculate on alternate directions the Changeling universe might've gone, when we see hints of a decision about the canon briefly showing up in one book, and then disappearing again with little if any trace. In an alternate dimension—or a Dream Realm of some kind—perhaps there is a shape of the game-that-could've-been that contains some of these elements. And in the case of Rage Across Appalachia, there are two freeholds (Roan Mountain and Highcastle Eyrie) that have their own stained-glass style crests, as each of the kiths do. (Pooka was going to attempt to work some Photoshop magic and extract the line drawings to create a mockup of each, but they didn't have time, for even sorcery must give way to temporal logic in the absence of Chronos.)

What this suggests to us is that in some other version of Changeling, there are icons like this for each and every freehold, and an entire system of heraldry based around fae affiliations with them. Boggans with a head for memorizing all this shit could be there at tourneys or pitched battles announcing the representative from this-or-that freehold, the pennons of each minor knight could feature the design, and so on. If you're thinking, "but there would be hundreds to thousands of such icons!" just... just look at how bonkers the system of European heraldry got, historically. However, it might be too much for the artists and designers of the game, so if this was ever a possibility, it's easy to see why it got cut. Still, though...

...

ballads and bluegrass and reelbands (oh my)

When you grow up with folk and traditional music, you learn about how important ballads are for passing along stories, warnings, wisdom, feuds, history, and so on. The oral tradition is alive and well, even if we don't always know its shape when we're living in the middle of it. (Maybe memes and the explanations for why they're funny will be what we pass down in the future.) Rage Across Appalachia has a nice little section in the Appendix where they talk about how to leverage these into a game—not just in the Appalachian setting, but it works quite well there—as sources of information and inspiration. Lots of this stuff is already scattered through the canon, because a nonzero number of the line's authors have been musicians of different sorts, sometimes (we believe?) in these genres. But just for an example, here's a classic about a noble vs. commoner duel:

This kind of stuff makes good background music for a game with the right vibe; it's especially nice when you can get tracks from local acts (which are unfortunately kind of a pain to find online, if you have specific bands that, say, you went to see at the Renaissance Faire every year as a kid). The corpus for this music is vast, and extends far beyond the Celtic-immigrant-inflected flavor that this book in particular goes for. Check out traditional music where you can, and you'll find ways it can be incorporated into your chronicle, as both plot hook and atmosphere.

...

nunnehi research

As we mention in the episode: we're both white folks, with little personal connection to Indigenous groups or issues, so we're doing our best to handle them delicately as they come up in our read of these books. While we're glad to see the Nunnehi evolve in this book beyond the mentions they had in earlier ones (i.e., raiding war parties and nothing else), they're still a way off from really being three-dimensional to the degree that other changelings in the game are.

Something important to bear in mind when dealing with the Nunnehi as a player or Storyteller who's not of Indigenous background is to ask yourself, why is it important to play/feature this character? Closely following that question in importance is, what research do I need to do? The answer to the first one should always be something more substantial than just "because they're cool," and the answer to the second one is "probably more than you think." Because citation is so rare on the internet, you can often find the same text over and over again, remixed and repurposed, but you may have no alternative unless you have an informant from the culture you're interested in who's willing to chat with you. (And if you do, be very up front about your reasons for that conversation.) In truth, you may not be able to separate the stuff that's useful and correct from the stuff that's not, and you'll have to decide where the line is that you're comfortable with.

Briefly, for these show notes and related to the kiths introduced in this book: some cursory digging on http://www.native-languages.org (co-organized by a Cherokee retiree, and an excellent group of linguistic resources overall) led to a collection of tidbits on the Nanehi (note that this seems to just be a variant of "Nunnehi") and the Yunwi Tsundsi. For the Yunwi Amai'yine'hi, there are lots of recycled pieces around the internet (including on Wikipedia) from James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee (section 78), the text of which you can find here because it's in the public domain. Given that it was written by a white ethnographer in 1900, take with a grain (or handful) of salt. And a lot of other pieces around the internet are... well, cribbed from Changeling, either overtly or more insidiously.

These are springboards and nothing more; we encourage you to keep digging as deeply and carefully as you can. If that helps you decide whether incorporating Nunnehi into your game is an appropriate thing to do, then good; and if you're left unable to make a decision, at least you've tried to educate yourself further, which is rarely a bad idea. We encourage you to think about cultural appropriation in relation to Indigenous history, and how the act of using Indigenous lore in Changeling will place you in relation to that.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) suggests the burrata with tomato, garlic, and pesto for the appetizer.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has already beaten you to the dessert cart and cleaned it out entirely.

...

"We all have forests on our minds. Forests unexplored, unending. Each one of us gets lost in the forest, every night, alone." —Ursula K. LeGuin, The Wind's Twelve Quarters

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> full 10 Finally, we enter the double digits of episodes (well, unless you count our introductory one) as we discuss Rage Across Appalachia. Despite the cover art, the font and border styles, and the overwhelming majority of the content all suggesting this is a supplement for Werewolf: the Apocalypse, there is in fact the note that says it's also intended for Changeling: the Dreaming. Ergo, we're including it in our Lost in the Library series of book dives—however, this ended up being kind of a mini-sode, because really the entirety of the Changeling content fits into one chapter and some extra pages for the whole book. Still, we get some useful pieces, including the first substantive information on the Nunnehi, the Indigenous fae of the continent.

somewhere in the dreaming... freehold heraldry

Moving forward, the "Somewhere in the Dreaming" tag will be useful for instances where we speculate on alternate directions the Changeling universe might've gone, when we see hints of a decision about the canon briefly showing up in one book, and then disappearing again with little if any trace. In an alternate dimension—or a Dream Realm of some kind—perhaps there is a shape of the game-that-could've-been that contains some of these elements. And in the case of Rage Across Appalachia, there are two freeholds (Roan Mountain and Highcastle Eyrie) that have their own stained-glass style crests, as each of the kiths do. (Pooka was going to attempt to work some Photoshop magic and extract the line drawings to create a mockup of each, but they didn't have time, for even sorcery must give way to temporal logic in the absence of Chronos.)

What this suggests to us is that in some other version of Changeling, there are icons like this for each and every freehold, and an entire system of heraldry based around fae affiliations with them. Boggans with a head for memorizing all this shit could be there at tourneys or pitched battles announcing the representative from this-or-that freehold, the pennons of each minor knight could feature the design, and so on. If you're thinking, "but there would be hundreds to thousands of such icons!" just... just look at how bonkers the system of European heraldry got, historically. However, it might be too much for the artists and designers of the game, so if this was ever a possibility, it's easy to see why it got cut. Still, though...

...

ballads and bluegrass and reelbands (oh my)

When you grow up with folk and traditional music, you learn about how important ballads are for passing along stories, warnings, wisdom, feuds, history, and so on. The oral tradition is alive and well, even if we don't always know its shape when we're living in the middle of it. (Maybe memes and the explanations for why they're funny will be what we pass down in the future.) Rage Across Appalachia has a nice little section in the Appendix where they talk about how to leverage these into a game—not just in the Appalachian setting, but it works quite well there—as sources of information and inspiration. Lots of this stuff is already scattered through the canon, because a nonzero number of the line's authors have been musicians of different sorts, sometimes (we believe?) in these genres. But just for an example, here's a classic about a noble vs. commoner duel:

This kind of stuff makes good background music for a game with the right vibe; it's especially nice when you can get tracks from local acts (which are unfortunately kind of a pain to find online, if you have specific bands that, say, you went to see at the Renaissance Faire every year as a kid). The corpus for this music is vast, and extends far beyond the Celtic-immigrant-inflected flavor that this book in particular goes for. Check out traditional music where you can, and you'll find ways it can be incorporated into your chronicle, as both plot hook and atmosphere.

...

nunnehi research

As we mention in the episode: we're both white folks, with little personal connection to Indigenous groups or issues, so we're doing our best to handle them delicately as they come up in our read of these books. While we're glad to see the Nunnehi evolve in this book beyond the mentions they had in earlier ones (i.e., raiding war parties and nothing else), they're still a way off from really being three-dimensional to the degree that other changelings in the game are.

Something important to bear in mind when dealing with the Nunnehi as a player or Storyteller who's not of Indigenous background is to ask yourself, why is it important to play/feature this character? Closely following that question in importance is, what research do I need to do? The answer to the first one should always be something more substantial than just "because they're cool," and the answer to the second one is "probably more than you think." Because citation is so rare on the internet, you can often find the same text over and over again, remixed and repurposed, but you may have no alternative unless you have an informant from the culture you're interested in who's willing to chat with you. (And if you do, be very up front about your reasons for that conversation.) In truth, you may not be able to separate the stuff that's useful and correct from the stuff that's not, and you'll have to decide where the line is that you're comfortable with.

Briefly, for these show notes and related to the kiths introduced in this book: some cursory digging on http://www.native-languages.org (co-organized by a Cherokee retiree, and an excellent group of linguistic resources overall) led to a collection of tidbits on the Nanehi (note that this seems to just be a variant of "Nunnehi") and the Yunwi Tsundsi. For the Yunwi Amai'yine'hi, there are lots of recycled pieces around the internet (including on Wikipedia) from James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee (section 78), the text of which you can find here because it's in the public domain. Given that it was written by a white ethnographer in 1900, take with a grain (or handful) of salt. And a lot of other pieces around the internet are... well, cribbed from Changeling, either overtly or more insidiously.

These are springboards and nothing more; we encourage you to keep digging as deeply and carefully as you can. If that helps you decide whether incorporating Nunnehi into your game is an appropriate thing to do, then good; and if you're left unable to make a decision, at least you've tried to educate yourself further, which is rarely a bad idea. We encourage you to think about cultural appropriation in relation to Indigenous history, and how the act of using Indigenous lore in Changeling will place you in relation to that.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) suggests the burrata with tomato, garlic, and pesto for the appetizer.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has already beaten you to the dessert cart and cleaned it out entirely.

...

"We all have forests on our minds. Forests unexplored, unending. Each one of us gets lost in the forest, every night, alone." —Ursula K. LeGuin, The Wind's Twelve Quarters

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Episode-10-icon.png episode 10 – rage across appalachia false no 31:40 No no episode 9 – autumn people https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-9-autumn-people/ Tue, 17 May 2022 00:55:41 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=181 This episode we'll be talking about The Autumn People, which gave extensive information and options about Banal antagonists for Changeling as part of White Wolf's first annual event, 1995's "Year of the Hunter." It's a short book, but densely packed with information, as well as some curious layout choices. Overall, it did its job of pushing out the boundaries of the game world, even if some of the text was left out by accident (and errata'd later), and other parts are a bit difficult to parse. Our conversation centers on the various ways that the Autumn People, Dauntain, and other Banal things are presented, and how they might be useful in a game.

categorizations

One of the hallmarks of this book is how there are numerous ways to divide up the Banal antagonists (Bantagonists?): mortal vs. fae, aware vs. unaware of other fae, passive vs. active, etc. Here's a graphic that hopefully will illustrate at least some of the many options the book introduces, which may or may not be diegetic and/or in-character; it's hard to tell at points.

If you're slightly baffled by this, don't worry! We were too. Suffice to say, whatever particular spin you want to put on the Autumn Person in your chronicle, chances are this book gives it at least one label.

...

powers of the autumn people

There are a range of abilities that these antagonists possess. The Banal Chimera have Redes that can inflict Banality; Autumn Fae get Agendas; Dauntain get Stigmas, in addition to their (possible) retention of Arts and Realms. But then, Mundane (human) Autumn People also get little blindsiders like this:

Any time a changeling comes into direct contact with an Autumn Person, the Storyteller may decide to check and see how the character is affected. This is done by rolling the Autumn Person's Banality against a difficulty of the character's Glamour. Each success causes the character to gain a point of temporary Banality. The Storyteller may choose to make this roll at any time in which the character has contact with the Autumn Person; additionally, this roll may be made multiple times if the character remains within the vicinity to the Autumn Person in question, though care should be taken that it is not overdone or the character will soon be lost to Banality.

Given that Autumn People have Banalities of 8 or higher, and changelings tend to have Glamour in the 4 to 6 range, getting four or five successes on this roll is not unlikely. And that means four or five points of Banality just from bumping into (for example) an overprotective mother or restrictive librarian. No wonder changelings were seen as imploding at the slightest whiff of stasis in 1st edition.

...

pooka's poetry corner

On that subject, here's some shameless padding for the show notes in the form of a poem by Mark Strand that is, well, a little bit peculiar, but also has some nice pooka vs. librarian vibes:

Eating Poetry by Mark Strand Ink runs from the corners of my mouth. There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry. The librarian does not believe what she sees. Her eyes are sad and she walks with her hands in her dress. The poems are gone. The light is dim. The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up. Their eyeballs roll, their blond legs burn like brush. The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep. She does not understand. When I get on my knees and lick her hand, she screams. I am a new man. I snarl at her and bark. I romp with joy in the bookish dark.

And just to end this post, here's an art piece from the book that shows an owl pooka becoming Undone, which apparently means his hair gets bleached out, his pupils and mouth go grey, and his brain gets filled up with math. Still, it's a cool picture; there's a lot of surprisingly good art in this book about the folks who would probably prefer to erase all creativity from existence.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) is wanted for the theft of sixteen family-size jars of applesauce from the local commissary.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can neither confirm nor deny their whereabouts during the hour when all of the reptile house cameras were switched off.

...

"Life is intrinsically boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the floor may open up. Of course, it almost never does; that's what makes it so boring." —Edward Gorey

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> full 9 This episode we'll be talking about The Autumn People, which gave extensive information and options about Banal antagonists for Changeling as part of White Wolf's first annual event, 1995's "Year of the Hunter." It's a short book, but densely packed with information, as well as some curious layout choices. Overall, it did its job of pushing out the boundaries of the game world, even if some of the text was left out by accident (and errata'd later), and other parts are a bit difficult to parse. Our conversation centers on the various ways that the Autumn People, Dauntain, and other Banal things are presented, and how they might be useful in a game.

categorizations

One of the hallmarks of this book is how there are numerous ways to divide up the Banal antagonists (Bantagonists?): mortal vs. fae, aware vs. unaware of other fae, passive vs. active, etc. Here's a graphic that hopefully will illustrate at least some of the many options the book introduces, which may or may not be diegetic and/or in-character; it's hard to tell at points.

If you're slightly baffled by this, don't worry! We were too. Suffice to say, whatever particular spin you want to put on the Autumn Person in your chronicle, chances are this book gives it at least one label.

...

powers of the autumn people

There are a range of abilities that these antagonists possess. The Banal Chimera have Redes that can inflict Banality; Autumn Fae get Agendas; Dauntain get Stigmas, in addition to their (possible) retention of Arts and Realms. But then, Mundane (human) Autumn People also get little blindsiders like this:

Any time a changeling comes into direct contact with an Autumn Person, the Storyteller may decide to check and see how the character is affected. This is done by rolling the Autumn Person's Banality against a difficulty of the character's Glamour. Each success causes the character to gain a point of temporary Banality. The Storyteller may choose to make this roll at any time in which the character has contact with the Autumn Person; additionally, this roll may be made multiple times if the character remains within the vicinity to the Autumn Person in question, though care should be taken that it is not overdone or the character will soon be lost to Banality.

Given that Autumn People have Banalities of 8 or higher, and changelings tend to have Glamour in the 4 to 6 range, getting four or five successes on this roll is not unlikely. And that means four or five points of Banality just from bumping into (for example) an overprotective mother or restrictive librarian. No wonder changelings were seen as imploding at the slightest whiff of stasis in 1st edition.

...

pooka's poetry corner

On that subject, here's some shameless padding for the show notes in the form of a poem by Mark Strand that is, well, a little bit peculiar, but also has some nice pooka vs. librarian vibes:

Eating Poetry by Mark Strand Ink runs from the corners of my mouth. There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry. The librarian does not believe what she sees. Her eyes are sad and she walks with her hands in her dress. The poems are gone. The light is dim. The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up. Their eyeballs roll, their blond legs burn like brush. The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep. She does not understand. When I get on my knees and lick her hand, she screams. I am a new man. I snarl at her and bark. I romp with joy in the bookish dark.

And just to end this post, here's an art piece from the book that shows an owl pooka becoming Undone, which apparently means his hair gets bleached out, his pupils and mouth go grey, and his brain gets filled up with math. Still, it's a cool picture; there's a lot of surprisingly good art in this book about the folks who would probably prefer to erase all creativity from existence.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) is wanted for the theft of sixteen family-size jars of applesauce from the local commissary.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can neither confirm nor deny their whereabouts during the hour when all of the reptile house cameras were switched off.

...

"Life is intrinsically boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the floor may open up. Of course, it almost never does; that's what makes it so boring." —Edward Gorey

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !) (support us on Patreon! it's now live at https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Episode-9-icon.png episode 9 – autumn people true no 57:28 Yes no episode 8 – werewolf + changeling with josh heath https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-8-werewolf-changeling-with-josh-heath/ Mon, 09 May 2022 17:04:53 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=102 Another special guest joins us this week! Josh Heath from Werewolf: the Podcast is here to talk about Werewolf: the Apocalypse and its synergies with Changeling: the Dreaming. What are some of the similar themes? Do the Garou and Kithain have shared history to call out? How should one set up a crossover between the two? We tackle these questions and more, and natter for a bit about the Auspice we'd all be (because WtA astrology is a thing).

mirror images

One of the interesting bits of connective tissue between WtA and CtD to bear in mind is that characters in each can often do similar things, but from different perspectives (metaphysically, spiritually, grammatically, etc.) Various kiths have the ability to change shape, as the Garou and other Changing Breeds do, but they're rarely doing it to go into battle or even commune with their nature. Delirium hides the actions of the Garou as a remnant of primal human terror; the Mists hide the actions of the fae as a form of preservation (and maybe also a bit of human terror). Each group has an otherworld they can enter with relative ease—though stepping sideways is usually simpler—and with which they have a deep spiritual connection. But those realms are entirely different in terms of their atmospheres, level of danger, their denizens, and the lessons they teach. Maybe most importantly, both groups lean heavily into the importance of social (Title/motley and Rank/pack) and familial (Kinfolk and Kinain) ties, but have very different structures for dealing with both their fellow supernaturals and mortal Kin.

There are also lots of points of similarity. There are redcaps as bloodthirsty as any Ahroun, raiding a Pentex facility is something many changelings will support just as much as a werewolf, and songs and epic tales are arguably essential to the survival of both. Aside from the mechanics that have to be organized for a crossover game, bearing thematic links like these is important to have the game feel right. Players can explore what it means to their characters to see their comrade doing the not-quite-same thing as they do, and consider whether it's an opportunity for one or both of them to grow a bit.

...

assorted crossover notes

Among the X20 books, there's more about crossovers in C20 than W20 (Werewolf mystics "can apparently travel to Arcadia"?? but changelings who go with them fall into Malfeas??) (these are not recommended as story elements for your game), but more solid material can be found in the older books. Some assorted tidbits that might be helpful:

  • While C20 has walked this back a bit, traditionally the Black Spiral Dancers have had dealings and occasional alliances with the Shadow Court.
  • There are three Fianna Kinfolk families (two of Irish background, one of Breton) called "The Kin" who have high rates of werewolf and fae blood in their lineage. 3 out of 10 of their children are Garou (triple the rate of most Kinfolk families), 1 to 3 out of the remaining 7 will be Kithain, and the rest are likely to be Kinain (in addition to Kinfolk).
  • A Fianna elder apparently lives at Caer Palisades and is Queen Mab's advisor on Prodigal affairs in the Kingdom of Apples.
  • House Balor insists that the fomori are not the Fomorians or their agents, and are only threats to Prodigals; they would know the difference.
  • We talk about why the Get of Fenris despises the fae (especially sidhe) so much in the episode, but trolls and the Nunnehi are specifically exempt from their ire.
  • In addition to the other Changing Breeds mentioned in the episode (Ananasi, Bastet, Corax, Rokea), the Kitsune and the Nuwisha are popular crossover choices, due to their tricksiness.

And on top of that, we do have an upcoming episode about Rage Across Appalachia, the specific Werewolf/Changeling crossover book! (Spoiler: it's mostly Werewolf.)

...

where to find josh heath

Some places online where you can find Josh and his work:

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) asks, "Werewolf?"

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) responds, "There. There, wolf. There, castle," thinking Josh wanted to talk that way.

...

"The dream is not like the world of flesh... Here the same hunt can have many endings." —Hopper in Robert Jordan's The Dragon Reborn

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !)

]]> full 8 Another special guest joins us this week! Josh Heath from Werewolf: the Podcast is here to talk about Werewolf: the Apocalypse and its synergies with Changeling: the Dreaming. What are some of the similar themes? Do the Garou and Kithain have shared history to call out? How should one set up a crossover between the two? We tackle these questions and more, and natter for a bit about the Auspice we'd all be (because WtA astrology is a thing).

mirror images

One of the interesting bits of connective tissue between WtA and CtD to bear in mind is that characters in each can often do similar things, but from different perspectives (metaphysically, spiritually, grammatically, etc.) Various kiths have the ability to change shape, as the Garou and other Changing Breeds do, but they're rarely doing it to go into battle or even commune with their nature. Delirium hides the actions of the Garou as a remnant of primal human terror; the Mists hide the actions of the fae as a form of preservation (and maybe also a bit of human terror). Each group has an otherworld they can enter with relative ease—though stepping sideways is usually simpler—and with which they have a deep spiritual connection. But those realms are entirely different in terms of their atmospheres, level of danger, their denizens, and the lessons they teach. Maybe most importantly, both groups lean heavily into the importance of social (Title/motley and Rank/pack) and familial (Kinfolk and Kinain) ties, but have very different structures for dealing with both their fellow supernaturals and mortal Kin.

There are also lots of points of similarity. There are redcaps as bloodthirsty as any Ahroun, raiding a Pentex facility is something many changelings will support just as much as a werewolf, and songs and epic tales are arguably essential to the survival of both. Aside from the mechanics that have to be organized for a crossover game, bearing thematic links like these is important to have the game feel right. Players can explore what it means to their characters to see their comrade doing the not-quite-same thing as they do, and consider whether it's an opportunity for one or both of them to grow a bit.

...

assorted crossover notes

Among the X20 books, there's more about crossovers in C20 than W20 (Werewolf mystics "can apparently travel to Arcadia"?? but changelings who go with them fall into Malfeas??) (these are not recommended as story elements for your game), but more solid material can be found in the older books. Some assorted tidbits that might be helpful:

  • While C20 has walked this back a bit, traditionally the Black Spiral Dancers have had dealings and occasional alliances with the Shadow Court.
  • There are three Fianna Kinfolk families (two of Irish background, one of Breton) called "The Kin" who have high rates of werewolf and fae blood in their lineage. 3 out of 10 of their children are Garou (triple the rate of most Kinfolk families), 1 to 3 out of the remaining 7 will be Kithain, and the rest are likely to be Kinain (in addition to Kinfolk).
  • A Fianna elder apparently lives at Caer Palisades and is Queen Mab's advisor on Prodigal affairs in the Kingdom of Apples.
  • House Balor insists that the fomori are not the Fomorians or their agents, and are only threats to Prodigals; they would know the difference.
  • We talk about why the Get of Fenris despises the fae (especially sidhe) so much in the episode, but trolls and the Nunnehi are specifically exempt from their ire.
  • In addition to the other Changing Breeds mentioned in the episode (Ananasi, Bastet, Corax, Rokea), the Kitsune and the Nuwisha are popular crossover choices, due to their tricksiness.

And on top of that, we do have an upcoming episode about Rage Across Appalachia, the specific Werewolf/Changeling crossover book! (Spoiler: it's mostly Werewolf.)

...

where to find josh heath

Some places online where you can find Josh and his work:

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) asks, "Werewolf?"

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) responds, "There. There, wolf. There, castle," thinking Josh wanted to talk that way.

...

"The dream is not like the world of flesh... Here the same hunt can have many endings." —Hopper in Robert Jordan's The Dragon Reborn

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/wolfPodSmall.png episode 8 – werewolf + changeling with josh heath false no 57:59 No no episode 7 – freeholds and hidden glens https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-7-freeholds-and-hidden-glens/ Tue, 03 May 2022 00:12:20 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=99 As we enter the Seelie half of the year, it's time to talk about Freeholds and Hidden Glens, which gave us seven thorough descriptions of the spaces where changelings get together for the doing of all manner of sundry things. Each of the freeholds is rather different, offering a range of ideas and story setting possibilities for a game. Each of us were rather partial to one or two of them, but we'll let you be the judge of which ones sound the most interesting...

uncanny places

Something that came up briefly in the discussion (but will not be expanded here to the voluminous amount it could be) is Stephen King as a point of reference for the trope of semi-conscious places, most of which turn out to be creepy. This is slightly different than what you'd usually get with Haunts in Wraith, where the spookiness of a haunted house or wherever gets mostly attributed to the presence of the ghosts. But when the place itself begins to take on an intelligence of its own, that's another matter entirely. Works by King like The Shining and perhaps Rose Red have this thread of a place becoming corrupted by the violence or evil deeds that took place there, which causes it to gather a malevolence of its own, which leads to more such deeds, making the place stronger.

It all seems very darkly Glamourous. But this isn't unique to horror literature, and obviously folklore is thick with mythology and superstition about the relationship between past events and present influences in specific locations. You could easily set a scene in a place that causes people to become joyful, or lustful, or whatever. The Dreaming is brimming with emotion, so it's not unreasonable that places in close contact with it, freeholds or otherwise, would have an outsize influence on the feelings of those who enter them. If the building or glade or skate park or whatever is set up as antagonistic to a motley as well, it presents slightly more of a puzzle for players: how do you fight a landscape? How do you reason with geography? How do you prevent yourself from becoming sucked into its emotional vortex when you enter to rescue the childling/find the Treasure/defeat the nocnitsa?

Ghost stories do not have a monopoly on these topics, and folding them into your chronicle can be a clever way to give changelings something a little more nebulous to deal with. But equally, it's fitting for the themes of the game; that uncertainty and sense of being out of place, what theorists since Freud have called the uncanny, reminds us that sometimes the horror in a faerie-story is from the sense that your surroundings are just somehow, indefinably wrong. Food for thought!

...

just because...

It's always nice to see White Wolf folks poking fun at each other with their writing, and sometimes the artwork...

So, one of the freeholds, Gangster's Hideaway, is situated along a trod where all the abandoned objects in the world eventually end up (supposedly). Here we have some keys, a pen, matchbook advertising a phone sex line, a thumbtack... and a curious book buried underneath that old-school Vampire players may recognize. Because of course, if the Endless Trod is the place where all lost and abandoned junk ends up, VtM books will and should be there.

(J/k, VtM players. <3)

Maybe that sweatstained sock is what you're supposed to use to bookmark the page with the Vicissitude 10 power.

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) can't find the microfilm, and he's meeting his contact at midnight. What to do?

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) couldn't think of much to write for this week's show notes, because Beltaine was off the hook and life is tiring. Next time, Gadget.

...

"The house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace." —Gaston Bachelard

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !)

]]> full 7 As we enter the Seelie half of the year, it's time to talk about Freeholds and Hidden Glens, which gave us seven thorough descriptions of the spaces where changelings get together for the doing of all manner of sundry things. Each of the freeholds is rather different, offering a range of ideas and story setting possibilities for a game. Each of us were rather partial to one or two of them, but we'll let you be the judge of which ones sound the most interesting...

uncanny places

Something that came up briefly in the discussion (but will not be expanded here to the voluminous amount it could be) is Stephen King as a point of reference for the trope of semi-conscious places, most of which turn out to be creepy. This is slightly different than what you'd usually get with Haunts in Wraith, where the spookiness of a haunted house or wherever gets mostly attributed to the presence of the ghosts. But when the place itself begins to take on an intelligence of its own, that's another matter entirely. Works by King like The Shining and perhaps Rose Red have this thread of a place becoming corrupted by the violence or evil deeds that took place there, which causes it to gather a malevolence of its own, which leads to more such deeds, making the place stronger.

It all seems very darkly Glamourous. But this isn't unique to horror literature, and obviously folklore is thick with mythology and superstition about the relationship between past events and present influences in specific locations. You could easily set a scene in a place that causes people to become joyful, or lustful, or whatever. The Dreaming is brimming with emotion, so it's not unreasonable that places in close contact with it, freeholds or otherwise, would have an outsize influence on the feelings of those who enter them. If the building or glade or skate park or whatever is set up as antagonistic to a motley as well, it presents slightly more of a puzzle for players: how do you fight a landscape? How do you reason with geography? How do you prevent yourself from becoming sucked into its emotional vortex when you enter to rescue the childling/find the Treasure/defeat the nocnitsa?

Ghost stories do not have a monopoly on these topics, and folding them into your chronicle can be a clever way to give changelings something a little more nebulous to deal with. But equally, it's fitting for the themes of the game; that uncertainty and sense of being out of place, what theorists since Freud have called the uncanny, reminds us that sometimes the horror in a faerie-story is from the sense that your surroundings are just somehow, indefinably wrong. Food for thought!

...

just because...

It's always nice to see White Wolf folks poking fun at each other with their writing, and sometimes the artwork...

So, one of the freeholds, Gangster's Hideaway, is situated along a trod where all the abandoned objects in the world eventually end up (supposedly). Here we have some keys, a pen, matchbook advertising a phone sex line, a thumbtack... and a curious book buried underneath that old-school Vampire players may recognize. Because of course, if the Endless Trod is the place where all lost and abandoned junk ends up, VtM books will and should be there.

(J/k, VtM players. <3)

Maybe that sweatstained sock is what you're supposed to use to bookmark the page with the Vicissitude 10 power.

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) can't find the microfilm, and he's meeting his contact at midnight. What to do?

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) couldn't think of much to write for this week's show notes, because Beltaine was off the hook and life is tiring. Next time, Gadget.

...

"The house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace." —Gaston Bachelard

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Episode-7-icon-e1651536559926.png episode 7 – freeholds and hidden glens false no 1:02:15 No no episode 6 – immortal eyes: the toybox https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-6-immortal-eyes-the-toybox/ Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:50:20 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=84 This week, we're taking a look at the (debatable) "first chronicle book for the World of Darkness", Immortal Eyes: The Toybox (not to be confused with its tie-in novel, The Toybox) (things gets complicated sometimes). The first in a trilogy of game supplements that follows the oathmates of the Immortal Eyes storyline, this is primarily a Kithain's guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area, with a few stories baked in that STs can run for their group. Although a lot of the setting information has been superseded in the last 25 years—and much of it is freely available online—there is enough depth of detail and hooks to grab onto for current groups to find some use. We highlight some of the bits we find most useful in this episode, so... give a listen!

...

tourism

One topic that came up early on in our discussion is tourism with relation to Glamour and Banality. Could a visitor to San Francisco seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time generate Glamour, or does it simply add to Banality, flattening the rich tapestry of the city into icons to be checked off a list? Is it both, or neither? Does it depend entirely on the tourist, or possibly the landmark? There aren't any hard and fast answers in the books (that we can think of at the moment), but it's an interesting avenue of thought to wander down. As always, it raises the question of the relativity of Glamour and Banality, and might demonstrate that while Glamour is volatile, ephemeral, localized, and situational, Banality is more numbing, creeping, spreading, and generalized. We'll keep an eye out for other bits in the books that give more substance to this discussion, since it would be significant for groups running their game in a major city with lots of visitors. (Lookin' at you, NYC.)

...

shameless self-promotion

Late last year, Pooka published this homebrew Changeling book! It was simultaneously written to be an homage to this supplement, an update to some of the setting, a clunky pun, and an excuse for coming up with selkie business (since they make their first appearance in this book). It's available on Storyteller's Vault here: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/375875/. Proceeds go to the medical fund for Nicky Rea, Changeling author emerita, so please consider having a browse and a purchase for a good cause. <3

...

moar boox!

Josh is a fan of the October Daye series of novels by Seanan McGuire, as surely some of our listeners also are. (They are on Pooka's ever-lengthening to-read-someday list.) He muses that the author might have been directly inspired by CtD and/or this book, because they are set in a fae-inflected San Francisco with a changeling protagonist. There's a bunch of great inspirational reading material for the city as a whole, but this might be a particularly useful series to pair with The Toybox supplement, for a more contemporary urban fantasy feel for the place. If you like them, there are currently sixteen novels in the series—the most recent just came out!—and numerous stories, novellas, etc. McGuire has scored a few Hugo nominations for the series as well, which is a good sign.

The official publisher's page is: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/BK8/october-daye.

...

san fran travelogue

The recording of this episode took place less than 24 hours after Pooka had returned from San Francisco for their first proper voyage in years. While we might be past the era of your parents renting a slide projector to inflict photos from the family vacation on everyone using a sheet hung over the living room windows (#Banality), here are a few hastily-snapped moments for your perusal and edification:

The Japanese Tea Garden—a freehold, according to the Toybox supplement!—is one of my favorite spots in the city. I like to sit and meditate there; it's astonishing how much passers-by shut up when they see someone sitting with their eyes closed in that space.

There's something indescribably powerful and mournful about being in the AIDS Memorial Garden, and seeing all the names etched into the stone. On this visit, my attention was especially captured by this particular note about Douglas Watson and Larry Silva, "who met the day humans walked on the Moon," given that event's connections to Changeling's story.

For the Easter season, this one house had some kind of ostrich made of forged metal scraps on which they had placed bunny ears and a basket. Typical décor for the area. And along Macondray Lane, there are these disembodied trousers hanging out with plants growing out of them, which feels like a chimerical representation of something, or possibly some really messed-up Inanimae.

Haight Street was the epicentre of the hippie movement, they say, and is the first setting we get (in the first corebook sample adventure) for Changeling. It's presented in pretty loving detail, and yet the last few decades have seen the neighborhood gentrify like so many other spots in the city. There are still some old head shops and clothing stores and whatnot, but then you have—for example—banking conglomerates trying to capitalize on the cultural cachet of the area. It's pretty gross.

Less gross—some truly astonishing views after you've climbed some of the holy-Christmas-what-even-is-that-hills. On the right, here's a view of Alcatraz from Russian Hill. No particular vantage point, just some random sidewalk, and you still get that vista.

One of the things I included in my selkie book above are these little faerie doors that are scattered at hidden points throughout the city. I found one my first day down the street from where I was staying and felt, yes. I chose the right place. (In my conception, there's a secret network of trods through the Bay Area that is much less onerous to travel than the local BART system.)

And then, I also talk about this Poet's Chair at City Lights Bookstore, where I've sat for many an hour browsing poetry, as a Treasure that cures writer's block. I think this is kind of how Changeling settings and adventures accrue: you remix the personal experiences and moments you've had with Glamour and situate them in these broader ideas of creativity, passion, activity, etc. Then you set them up against their contrasts, be they hard expressions of Banality or other forms of Glamour or just everyday life, dump the characters in, and you're off and running.

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) is deeply committed to the advancement of the croissant as a fashion accessory.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has all the tight-spot gumption and four-bit moxie of a ragamuffin turning handsprings down Baker Street.

...

"It's an odd thing, but anyone who disappears is said to be seen in San Francisco." —Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Grey

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !)

]]> full 6 This week, we're taking a look at the (debatable) "first chronicle book for the World of Darkness", Immortal Eyes: The Toybox (not to be confused with its tie-in novel, The Toybox) (things gets complicated sometimes). The first in a trilogy of game supplements that follows the oathmates of the Immortal Eyes storyline, this is primarily a Kithain's guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area, with a few stories baked in that STs can run for their group. Although a lot of the setting information has been superseded in the last 25 years—and much of it is freely available online—there is enough depth of detail and hooks to grab onto for current groups to find some use. We highlight some of the bits we find most useful in this episode, so... give a listen!

...

tourism

One topic that came up early on in our discussion is tourism with relation to Glamour and Banality. Could a visitor to San Francisco seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time generate Glamour, or does it simply add to Banality, flattening the rich tapestry of the city into icons to be checked off a list? Is it both, or neither? Does it depend entirely on the tourist, or possibly the landmark? There aren't any hard and fast answers in the books (that we can think of at the moment), but it's an interesting avenue of thought to wander down. As always, it raises the question of the relativity of Glamour and Banality, and might demonstrate that while Glamour is volatile, ephemeral, localized, and situational, Banality is more numbing, creeping, spreading, and generalized. We'll keep an eye out for other bits in the books that give more substance to this discussion, since it would be significant for groups running their game in a major city with lots of visitors. (Lookin' at you, NYC.)

...

shameless self-promotion

Late last year, Pooka published this homebrew Changeling book! It was simultaneously written to be an homage to this supplement, an update to some of the setting, a clunky pun, and an excuse for coming up with selkie business (since they make their first appearance in this book). It's available on Storyteller's Vault here: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/375875/. Proceeds go to the medical fund for Nicky Rea, Changeling author emerita, so please consider having a browse and a purchase for a good cause. <3

...

moar boox!

Josh is a fan of the October Daye series of novels by Seanan McGuire, as surely some of our listeners also are. (They are on Pooka's ever-lengthening to-read-someday list.) He muses that the author might have been directly inspired by CtD and/or this book, because they are set in a fae-inflected San Francisco with a changeling protagonist. There's a bunch of great inspirational reading material for the city as a whole, but this might be a particularly useful series to pair with The Toybox supplement, for a more contemporary urban fantasy feel for the place. If you like them, there are currently sixteen novels in the series—the most recent just came out!—and numerous stories, novellas, etc. McGuire has scored a few Hugo nominations for the series as well, which is a good sign.

The official publisher's page is: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/BK8/october-daye.

...

san fran travelogue

The recording of this episode took place less than 24 hours after Pooka had returned from San Francisco for their first proper voyage in years. While we might be past the era of your parents renting a slide projector to inflict photos from the family vacation on everyone using a sheet hung over the living room windows (#Banality), here are a few hastily-snapped moments for your perusal and edification:

The Japanese Tea Garden—a freehold, according to the Toybox supplement!—is one of my favorite spots in the city. I like to sit and meditate there; it's astonishing how much passers-by shut up when they see someone sitting with their eyes closed in that space.

There's something indescribably powerful and mournful about being in the AIDS Memorial Garden, and seeing all the names etched into the stone. On this visit, my attention was especially captured by this particular note about Douglas Watson and Larry Silva, "who met the day humans walked on the Moon," given that event's connections to Changeling's story.

For the Easter season, this one house had some kind of ostrich made of forged metal scraps on which they had placed bunny ears and a basket. Typical décor for the area. And along Macondray Lane, there are these disembodied trousers hanging out with plants growing out of them, which feels like a chimerical representation of something, or possibly some really messed-up Inanimae.

Haight Street was the epicentre of the hippie movement, they say, and is the first setting we get (in the first corebook sample adventure) for Changeling. It's presented in pretty loving detail, and yet the last few decades have seen the neighborhood gentrify like so many other spots in the city. There are still some old head shops and clothing stores and whatnot, but then you have—for example—banking conglomerates trying to capitalize on the cultural cachet of the area. It's pretty gross.

Less gross—some truly astonishing views after you've climbed some of the holy-Christmas-what-even-is-that-hills. On the right, here's a view of Alcatraz from Russian Hill. No particular vantage point, just some random sidewalk, and you still get that vista.

One of the things I included in my selkie book above are these little faerie doors that are scattered at hidden points throughout the city. I found one my first day down the street from where I was staying and felt, yes. I chose the right place. (In my conception, there's a secret network of trods through the Bay Area that is much less onerous to travel than the local BART system.)

And then, I also talk about this Poet's Chair at City Lights Bookstore, where I've sat for many an hour browsing poetry, as a Treasure that cures writer's block. I think this is kind of how Changeling settings and adventures accrue: you remix the personal experiences and moments you've had with Glamour and situate them in these broader ideas of creativity, passion, activity, etc. Then you set them up against their contrasts, be they hard expressions of Banality or other forms of Glamour or just everyday life, dump the characters in, and you're off and running.

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) is deeply committed to the advancement of the croissant as a fashion accessory.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) has all the tight-spot gumption and four-bit moxie of a ragamuffin turning handsprings down Baker Street.

...

"It's an odd thing, but anyone who disappears is said to be seen in San Francisco." —Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Grey

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Episode-6-icon.png episode 6 – immortal eyes: the toybox false no 1:18:55 No no episode 5 – book of storyteller secrets, player’s kit, cantrip cards https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-5-book-of-storyteller-secrets-players-kit-cantrip-cards/ Tue, 19 Apr 2022 00:26:30 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=79 Herein we talk about the first proper supplement for Changeling: the Dreaming, 1995's Book of Storyteller Secrets (not to be confused with the identically-named supplement for Vampire: Dark Ages the following year). Following hard on the heels of the corebook, Changeling's BSS clocks in at 64 pages, most of which are taken up by a jump-start adventure that's largely separate from both the overall metaplot of the world and the Immortal Eyes chronicle that shaped a lot of the early supplements. There are also a few pages of crossover rules which, as we discuss, are kind of... just there.

The BSS also came with this swanky Storyteller's screen:

Disclaimer: the story in the book is heavily centered around mental health, forced committal to an institution, and similar psychological issues, which may not be for everyone. (For listeners: we discuss these pretty directly starting around the 18 minute mark and 45 minute mark of the episode, if you want to kind of skip over a few minutes at those points.) But it's also worth saying that this is a theme deeply embedded into the game, especially its first edition, and a prime example of how Changeling handles "darkness" as a concept. It's a more subtle, personalized kind of horror than the gore or edgelordiness that people often point to when they talk about WoD games as a whole; arguably, that makes it more insidious, and many people are less practiced in examining it.

Aside from this book, we also briefly discuss the Player's Kit, which is basically a pamphlet of kith-specific Bunks for each level of each Art (all six, at that point). The Kit also comes with a full-color pad of character sheets that are too pretty to use, really, and some additional templates for your cantrip cards. On that note...!

Here are some of the cards Pooka managed to get their hands on, purely for the purposes of this episode. It's more of a historical curiosity than anything else, but we stand by our overall assessment of them as a concept: quirky and pretty as artifacts, clunky and unnecessary for the actual playing of the game. (There is an undeniable twinge of Glamour when riffling through them, though... connecting with the past, etc.)

This is most likely the closest we'll ever get to an unboxing video on this podcast, but never say never, right?

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) rides a friendly tardigrade to work each Thursday.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can tune a piano, but can't tuna fish.

...

"One can't build little white picket fences to keep nightmares out." —Anne Sexton

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !)

]]> full 5 Herein we talk about the first proper supplement for Changeling: the Dreaming, 1995's Book of Storyteller Secrets (not to be confused with the identically-named supplement for Vampire: Dark Ages the following year). Following hard on the heels of the corebook, Changeling's BSS clocks in at 64 pages, most of which are taken up by a jump-start adventure that's largely separate from both the overall metaplot of the world and the Immortal Eyes chronicle that shaped a lot of the early supplements. There are also a few pages of crossover rules which, as we discuss, are kind of... just there.

The BSS also came with this swanky Storyteller's screen:

Disclaimer: the story in the book is heavily centered around mental health, forced committal to an institution, and similar psychological issues, which may not be for everyone. (For listeners: we discuss these pretty directly starting around the 18 minute mark and 45 minute mark of the episode, if you want to kind of skip over a few minutes at those points.) But it's also worth saying that this is a theme deeply embedded into the game, especially its first edition, and a prime example of how Changeling handles "darkness" as a concept. It's a more subtle, personalized kind of horror than the gore or edgelordiness that people often point to when they talk about WoD games as a whole; arguably, that makes it more insidious, and many people are less practiced in examining it.

Aside from this book, we also briefly discuss the Player's Kit, which is basically a pamphlet of kith-specific Bunks for each level of each Art (all six, at that point). The Kit also comes with a full-color pad of character sheets that are too pretty to use, really, and some additional templates for your cantrip cards. On that note...!

Here are some of the cards Pooka managed to get their hands on, purely for the purposes of this episode. It's more of a historical curiosity than anything else, but we stand by our overall assessment of them as a concept: quirky and pretty as artifacts, clunky and unnecessary for the actual playing of the game. (There is an undeniable twinge of Glamour when riffling through them, though... connecting with the past, etc.)

This is most likely the closest we'll ever get to an unboxing video on this podcast, but never say never, right?

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) rides a friendly tardigrade to work each Thursday.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can tune a piano, but can't tuna fish.

...

"One can't build little white picket fences to keep nightmares out." —Anne Sexton

(psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want) (and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j !)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Episode-5-icon.png episode 5 – book of storyteller secrets, player’s kit, cantrip cards false no 1:04:58 No no episode 4 – interview with ian lemke https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-4-interview-with-ian-lemke/ Mon, 11 Apr 2022 05:56:37 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=75 Our first interview episode! This time around, we are chatting with noted White Wolf figure Ian Lemke. After helping to develop the Mind's Eye Theatre LARP system, he was tapped as an author and the first developer of Changeling: the Dreaming, which he steered through its formative years—note that the cantrip cards were not his idea. In this conversation, Josh and Pooka talk with Ian about his early involvement with White Wolf, some of the inspirations and conversations around the creation of Changeling, and what it was like to be involved in those halcyon days...

After parting ways with the company not long before Changeling was wound down prior to the rest of the World of Darkness, Ian worked in a few jobs before coming back to the TTRPG industry a few years ago, just in time to help out with Changeling's 20th Anniversary Edition. Some of his other recent/upcoming projects include developing the Expanse RPG for Green Ronin, the Talisman Adventures RPG*, and Nevermore, an "American Gothic Horror" RPG from his own Nepenthe Games.

* side note from Pooka: if you never played the 80s Talisman game, also known as "no, the other game from Games Workshop," this is the glorious chonky box from the 2nd edition, which sat on the games shelf in my childhood home:

It was one of those ultra-generic 80s fantasy games that you could just keep playing forever, for example if you and your siblings had nothing better to do before you had the internet and you'd run out of money for the game shop, so you just kept adding characters and circling the board, keeping each other from winning. It was like the Monopoly of fantasy board games. Weeks. Months, in one infamous case (well, in my house, anyway). Did we tire of the official game expansions to the point that we made our own? Yes, of course we did.

...

science and banality

This will almost certainly have to be an episode of its own at some point, especially since it's one of the most contentious topics among fans, but it came up in our conversation, so—you heard it here, from the developer himself. Science does not have to be Banal. Ian makes the good point that what's Banal is when people's dreams of science, and technology for that matter, are crushed by the reality of doing the various forms of structural tedium that have been created around it. Grant applications, spreadsheets, and just gruntwork will all very quickly drain the wonder out of creating technological marvels or uncovering mysterious phenomena.

The same is true for many non-scientific pursuits as well, of course. And certainly there is Banal science, and science whose application has caused mostly problems for the world. But it seems like it gets a worse rap in early WoD than most of the other things for which we could raise this debate. Maybe it's because as a set of disciplines, it tends to be seen as more inscrutable or more separated from the everyday public; people don't always get to see the science itself or how it directly (and hopefully positively) impacts their lives, in the immediate, emotional way that the arts very intentionally try to showcase. Part of this is why things like science museums, public demonstrations, and The Magic School Bus are so important. Keep science alive, because science is great! It's the greed and paperwork that has to go.

/soapbox

...

where to find ian

Herewith some links and things!

Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled on the trods for him...

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) was once spied emerging from the sewers under Parliament with a hatbox mysteriously similar to that reported purloined by the then-Premier.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) walks the left-hand path of more pastries than any body should reasonably contain, and if it means damnation, then a sweet damnation it shall be.

...

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." —Edgar Allan Poe, "Eleonora" (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> full 4 Our first interview episode! This time around, we are chatting with noted White Wolf figure Ian Lemke. After helping to develop the Mind's Eye Theatre LARP system, he was tapped as an author and the first developer of Changeling: the Dreaming, which he steered through its formative years—note that the cantrip cards were not his idea. In this conversation, Josh and Pooka talk with Ian about his early involvement with White Wolf, some of the inspirations and conversations around the creation of Changeling, and what it was like to be involved in those halcyon days...

After parting ways with the company not long before Changeling was wound down prior to the rest of the World of Darkness, Ian worked in a few jobs before coming back to the TTRPG industry a few years ago, just in time to help out with Changeling's 20th Anniversary Edition. Some of his other recent/upcoming projects include developing the Expanse RPG for Green Ronin, the Talisman Adventures RPG*, and Nevermore, an "American Gothic Horror" RPG from his own Nepenthe Games.

* side note from Pooka: if you never played the 80s Talisman game, also known as "no, the other game from Games Workshop," this is the glorious chonky box from the 2nd edition, which sat on the games shelf in my childhood home:

It was one of those ultra-generic 80s fantasy games that you could just keep playing forever, for example if you and your siblings had nothing better to do before you had the internet and you'd run out of money for the game shop, so you just kept adding characters and circling the board, keeping each other from winning. It was like the Monopoly of fantasy board games. Weeks. Months, in one infamous case (well, in my house, anyway). Did we tire of the official game expansions to the point that we made our own? Yes, of course we did.

...

science and banality

This will almost certainly have to be an episode of its own at some point, especially since it's one of the most contentious topics among fans, but it came up in our conversation, so—you heard it here, from the developer himself. Science does not have to be Banal. Ian makes the good point that what's Banal is when people's dreams of science, and technology for that matter, are crushed by the reality of doing the various forms of structural tedium that have been created around it. Grant applications, spreadsheets, and just gruntwork will all very quickly drain the wonder out of creating technological marvels or uncovering mysterious phenomena.

The same is true for many non-scientific pursuits as well, of course. And certainly there is Banal science, and science whose application has caused mostly problems for the world. But it seems like it gets a worse rap in early WoD than most of the other things for which we could raise this debate. Maybe it's because as a set of disciplines, it tends to be seen as more inscrutable or more separated from the everyday public; people don't always get to see the science itself or how it directly (and hopefully positively) impacts their lives, in the immediate, emotional way that the arts very intentionally try to showcase. Part of this is why things like science museums, public demonstrations, and The Magic School Bus are so important. Keep science alive, because science is great! It's the greed and paperwork that has to go.

/soapbox

...

where to find ian

Herewith some links and things!

Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled on the trods for him...

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) was once spied emerging from the sewers under Parliament with a hatbox mysteriously similar to that reported purloined by the then-Premier.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) walks the left-hand path of more pastries than any body should reasonably contain, and if it means damnation, then a sweet damnation it shall be.

...

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." —Edgar Allan Poe, "Eleonora" (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Episode-4-icon.png episode 4 – interview with ian lemke false no 47:40 No no episode 3 – 1st edition corebook https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-3-1st-edition-corebook/ Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:12:04 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=69 This is the first of our deep dives into the individual books for Changeling, so naturally, we're starting at the beginning, with the First Edition corebook. Released in July 1995, it was the last of the original lineup of five games for the World of Darkness. We go through each section of the book in detail, discuss it both in the context of its original release and the more recent editions, and talk about various themes and ideas that the text summons up. (Because the book is just short of 300 pages, this is also our longest episode by a wide margin... for now.)

art

Briefly, here are two examples of the full-page spreads that make up the book's prologue:

Given how the World of Darkness books are kind of grim and gritty, printed in black and white, the use of these photographs as both diegetic texts (the pages contain information about the game setting, written by one of the metaplot characters to another) and an aesthetic choice (note the signed photograph of Dr. Julian Bashir, emphasizing the 90s-ness of these pages) creates a marked contrast to the other lines. That's Changeling—starting off with a bang.

As for the other art in the book: some of the most iconic pieces are the diTerlizzi kith portraits used at the start of each chapter, which eventually became the covers for the kithbooks. But then there are things like a somewhat cartoonish satyr and sidhe (possibly) about to have a tryst. Sublime to puzzling and everything in between.

...

star trek

Speaking of Dr. Bashir, some thoughts from Pooka that got cut from the episode...

To me, there are some interesting parallels between the editions of Changeling and the Star Trek franchise. In the same way that the Original Series had its grognards from 20 or so years before the Next Generation came out, 1st edition Changeling is already set against a backdrop of a 20-year-old metaplot: the Resurgence and Accordance War. The characters, as a new generation of Kithain, are still positioned against that inherited history, which defines so much of the setting.

Then you get 2nd edition, which complicates and develops the setting, moving away from the general-backdrop setting to a specific metaplot arc: the disappearance of High King David. Like Deep Space Nine (or Voyager, I suppose), following hard on the heels of TNG, there is a single continuous story arc that structures everything in the game for that era. And after a gap of several years without any active shows, C20 has come back to heavily re-invent the game—as Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks have done, creating an entirely new audience (and potentially a new set of grognards, for those who are now 20+ years out from TNG, DS9, and Voyager).

I don't know that the "edition wars" of Changeling get quite as vicious as the flame wars Trekkies sometimes engage in, but it's interesting to think about. This is going to stick in my brain like a piece of taffy on an August day.

...

cantrip cards

Briefly, here's how the cantrip system worked in 1st edition:

  1. You have bought cantrip cards in packs of 10 and/or photocopied the template at the end of the corebook and filled them in. These are divided into individual levels of Arts and Realms, Bunks, Nightmares, and Treasures. They are also collectible, with over 160 different illustrated cards.
  2. The Art and Realm cards go into your hand, and correspond to the dots in each you've bought and listed on your character sheet. A number of Bunks equal to the total number of dots in Arts you have get shuffled into a deck.
  3. You cast a cantrip by choosing the appropriate Art and Realm from your hand and placing them in front of you, then drawing a Bunk card. (You can spend Glamour to draw additional ones.) Each Bunk involves performing a specific action, and limits the number of successes you can gain on your cantrip roll.
  4. The actual cantrip roll is determined by the Attribute associated with the Art + the Ability associated with the level of the Realm you have, against a difficulty of the target's Banality.
  5. Failing the roll gives you a temporary point of Banality or puts a Nightmare card into your Bunk deck; botching gives you a permanent point of Banality. But, if the Bunk card matches the Art of the cantrip, you get a bonus success.
  6. All the cards except one are returned to where they came from; Arts and Realms go back in your hand, Bunks get shuffled into the deck. You can only regain all your cards after a "deep, satisfying and prolonged rest"—the book specifies that this occurs between stories, i.e., only after several game sessions—or by engaging in Reverie or Rapture (not Ravaging), which refreshes a number equal to the Glamour you gained...

Beyond this, there are additional rules about how oathmates can share and trade cantrip cards, successes being automatically determined by the Bunk card when they're used in a freehold/on an enchanted being or chimera, changelings invoking Banality to resist a cantrip... and remember, you should be out there, buying packs of cards to shore up your deck! If it's not already apparent why this system didn't make it past the corebook (and indeed, the corebook itself has an alternate dice system), we're not sure how much clearer we can make it. But vestiges of it continue to pop up throughout 1st edition books, so we have to deal with it.

As game props, they can be fun. As a necessary part of the already-complicated system of cantrip casting, they are punitive, confusing, and frustrating, so... best left out altogether, probably.

...

There's plenty to love about 1st edition, and the corebook does a nice job of setting up themes and moods, foregrounding storytelling over mechanics, and introducing a number of concepts that are helpful for getting into the spirit of the game (and in a few cases, never appear again). As introductory books go, it's a friendly and colorful one on the surface—but still with plenty of depth and complication underneath.

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) believes in the saving power of disco.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) smells vaguely of fresh caramel and stale dreams.

...

"What else is a story but a dream that has been shared with the world?" —Joanne M. Harris, Honeycomb (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> full 3 This is the first of our deep dives into the individual books for Changeling, so naturally, we're starting at the beginning, with the First Edition corebook. Released in July 1995, it was the last of the original lineup of five games for the World of Darkness. We go through each section of the book in detail, discuss it both in the context of its original release and the more recent editions, and talk about various themes and ideas that the text summons up. (Because the book is just short of 300 pages, this is also our longest episode by a wide margin... for now.)

art

Briefly, here are two examples of the full-page spreads that make up the book's prologue:

Given how the World of Darkness books are kind of grim and gritty, printed in black and white, the use of these photographs as both diegetic texts (the pages contain information about the game setting, written by one of the metaplot characters to another) and an aesthetic choice (note the signed photograph of Dr. Julian Bashir, emphasizing the 90s-ness of these pages) creates a marked contrast to the other lines. That's Changeling—starting off with a bang.

As for the other art in the book: some of the most iconic pieces are the diTerlizzi kith portraits used at the start of each chapter, which eventually became the covers for the kithbooks. But then there are things like a somewhat cartoonish satyr and sidhe (possibly) about to have a tryst. Sublime to puzzling and everything in between.

...

star trek

Speaking of Dr. Bashir, some thoughts from Pooka that got cut from the episode...

To me, there are some interesting parallels between the editions of Changeling and the Star Trek franchise. In the same way that the Original Series had its grognards from 20 or so years before the Next Generation came out, 1st edition Changeling is already set against a backdrop of a 20-year-old metaplot: the Resurgence and Accordance War. The characters, as a new generation of Kithain, are still positioned against that inherited history, which defines so much of the setting.

Then you get 2nd edition, which complicates and develops the setting, moving away from the general-backdrop setting to a specific metaplot arc: the disappearance of High King David. Like Deep Space Nine (or Voyager, I suppose), following hard on the heels of TNG, there is a single continuous story arc that structures everything in the game for that era. And after a gap of several years without any active shows, C20 has come back to heavily re-invent the game—as Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks have done, creating an entirely new audience (and potentially a new set of grognards, for those who are now 20+ years out from TNG, DS9, and Voyager).

I don't know that the "edition wars" of Changeling get quite as vicious as the flame wars Trekkies sometimes engage in, but it's interesting to think about. This is going to stick in my brain like a piece of taffy on an August day.

...

cantrip cards

Briefly, here's how the cantrip system worked in 1st edition:

  1. You have bought cantrip cards in packs of 10 and/or photocopied the template at the end of the corebook and filled them in. These are divided into individual levels of Arts and Realms, Bunks, Nightmares, and Treasures. They are also collectible, with over 160 different illustrated cards.
  2. The Art and Realm cards go into your hand, and correspond to the dots in each you've bought and listed on your character sheet. A number of Bunks equal to the total number of dots in Arts you have get shuffled into a deck.
  3. You cast a cantrip by choosing the appropriate Art and Realm from your hand and placing them in front of you, then drawing a Bunk card. (You can spend Glamour to draw additional ones.) Each Bunk involves performing a specific action, and limits the number of successes you can gain on your cantrip roll.
  4. The actual cantrip roll is determined by the Attribute associated with the Art + the Ability associated with the level of the Realm you have, against a difficulty of the target's Banality.
  5. Failing the roll gives you a temporary point of Banality or puts a Nightmare card into your Bunk deck; botching gives you a permanent point of Banality. But, if the Bunk card matches the Art of the cantrip, you get a bonus success.
  6. All the cards except one are returned to where they came from; Arts and Realms go back in your hand, Bunks get shuffled into the deck. You can only regain all your cards after a "deep, satisfying and prolonged rest"—the book specifies that this occurs between stories, i.e., only after several game sessions—or by engaging in Reverie or Rapture (not Ravaging), which refreshes a number equal to the Glamour you gained...

Beyond this, there are additional rules about how oathmates can share and trade cantrip cards, successes being automatically determined by the Bunk card when they're used in a freehold/on an enchanted being or chimera, changelings invoking Banality to resist a cantrip... and remember, you should be out there, buying packs of cards to shore up your deck! If it's not already apparent why this system didn't make it past the corebook (and indeed, the corebook itself has an alternate dice system), we're not sure how much clearer we can make it. But vestiges of it continue to pop up throughout 1st edition books, so we have to deal with it.

As game props, they can be fun. As a necessary part of the already-complicated system of cantrip casting, they are punitive, confusing, and frustrating, so... best left out altogether, probably.

...

There's plenty to love about 1st edition, and the corebook does a nice job of setting up themes and moods, foregrounding storytelling over mechanics, and introducing a number of concepts that are helpful for getting into the spirit of the game (and in a few cases, never appear again). As introductory books go, it's a friendly and colorful one on the surface—but still with plenty of depth and complication underneath.

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup (he/him) believes in the saving power of disco.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) smells vaguely of fresh caramel and stale dreams.

...

"What else is a story but a dream that has been shared with the world?" —Joanne M. Harris, Honeycomb (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Episode-3-icon.jpg episode 3 – 1st edition corebook false no 1:45:27 No no episode 2 – the fae before changeling https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-2-the-fae-before-changeling/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 04:00:00 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=44 In this episode, we discuss some of the conceptions of the fae in the World of Darkness before Changeling came out (and indeed, before it was even certain that it would). Behold some snippets of faerie lore from eons past, by which we mean the early 90s:

...

From the 1st Edition Vampire Storyteller Handbook (1992):

Older Cainites remember a time when Faeries ran free on this planet, going where they liked, doing whatever they would. Now Faeries are as rare as honest politicians (well, maybe not that rare). Those same Cainites who remember those long ago times speak of a great cataclysm which split our realm from Arcadia, the birthplace of the fey races.

Some Faeries live here permanently, making their homes in out-of-the-way places where humans are unlikely to bother them. Others manage to sneak their way into our realm for their own purposes. Some of these get trapped here and quickly wither away and die. Some come to steal children to take back to Arcadia with them and some have been discovered living for years as humans.

No Kindred claims to understand why Faeries come to steal children. The most popular theories have to do with the nature of Arcadia as a place of magic wholly lacking in reality. Some believe the Faeries need the children to provide an anchor of true creativity for their actions, for otherwise they would be caught in eternal loops of their own actions, unable to break old patterns.

The few Kindred that have ventured into Arcadia have never returned. Most believe them to be deceased, while others think they have joined with the Unseelie court of Arcadia, doing battle with the noble Seelie. Some also believe the Tremere actively support the Unseelie, but then everyone believes the worst of that Clan.

Faerie powers vary widely. Illusions and insight, entropy and energy, levity and levitation all seem to exist side by side. Even the results of drinking Faerie blood are not constant. Sometimes the Kindred will be filled with great power and other times the drinker will become lost in a land of hallucinations. Sometimes it acts as poison and other times as water.

Faerie Kidnapper from the Storyteller's Handbook:

Quote: "Hee hee hee. You mean you really don't know how you got here? Hee hee hee."

Concept: The Faerie Kidnapper has come to our reality in hopes of capturing the characters. Whether he needs them as warriors in a great battle, prizes in a scavenger hunt or attractions at a new zoo, he will hunt them and his other prey down and bring them back to Arcadia with him.

An expert at illusion and deception, the Faerie Kidnapper will bring his targets back with him by hook or by crook. He will use promises, lies, mind control or brute force to accomplish his goals. He has specific requirements regarding anyone he will bring back to Arcadia (they must be bound, willing, laughing or whatever), but once they meet the requirement they will find themselves in a new realm.

Roleplaying Hints: Your type of logic is quite foreign to anyone you are likely to meet on this plane, just as theirs is likely to be alien to you. Laugh at totally inappropriate events, burst into tears for no apparent reasons and completely befuddle your targets.

Nature: Deviant Demeanor: Jester Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4 Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4 Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4

Talents: Acting 4, Alertness 3, Brawl 4, Dodge 5, Subterfuge 3 Skills: Melee 3, Music 5, Security 3, Stealth 5 Knowledges: Linguistics 2, Occult 4, Faerie Lore 4

Disciplines: Auspex 4, Celerity 2, Chimerstry 5, Obfuscate 3, Presence 2, Protean 5 Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 0, Courage 2 Humanity: 0 Willpower: 9

...

...

A few useful bits for Kindred from the Vampire Player's Guide 2nd edition (early 1993):

Faerie Affinity: (2 pt Merit) Your presence does not frighten faeries; indeed, it attracts them, and you are naturally attuned to their ways. You are able, unlike most Kindred, to enter Arcadia, the mystical kingdom of the faeries, provided you find an entrance.

Faerie Lore You possess information pertaining to the Seelie and Unseelie faeries, and know something of their great kingdom: Arcadia. Because Kindred are unable to travel to this realm, most of your knowledge is hearsay, and thus difficult to verify.

* Novice: Your knowledge is largely speculation and hearsay. * * Practiced: You know some relevant facts. * * * Competent: You possess a general knowledge of their ways. * * * * Expert: You possess expansive knowledge. * * * * * Master: You think you know the secrets of these creatures.

Possessed by: Faeries, Lupines, Occultists, Vampires, Magi, Witch-Hunters Specialties: Enchanting Music, Faerie Food, Somniare, Atlantium, Antrum, Caelum, Barathrum, Tartarus

Spirit Thaumaturgy

* * Spirit Eyes ("The Sight"): This power is very similar to Aura Perception, but the character perceives spirits instead of auras. He sees them in the forms they take: i.e. fox spirits, faerie plant spirits, etc. This power enables the Thaumaturgist to see ghosts.

System: The vampire must roll Perception + Occult (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The more successes he scores, the more information is revealed. The character may speak with the spirits once he sees them.

...

The footnote given at the end of the book for this passage states, "Faerie Lore dictates that the Arcadians are "too good for Hell, not good enough for Heaven." This may be Caine's way of expressing this middle state. Kindred who discover the Fey may do well to listen to their Father's words in this matter. Of all the fragments of the Chronicle of Secrets, it was this fragment that I found to be the most elusive, perhaps because it carries a good measure of truth about the Sidhe."

...

The original Clanbook: Malkavian (spring 1993) has the following power:

Visit Faerieland (Level Seven Obfuscate Discipline) The Malkavian can utterly disappear from the area and appear in Faerieland. From Faerieland, she can go anywhere on Earth she wishes to go. But, first, she has to pass the Faerie Keepers, who dislike capricious use of their land. They question the Malkavian about her purpose, and if they don't like her story, they push her back into the world she left, near the time she left it. The keepers are willing to listen to bargains, especially if the Malkavian will Prank the entity of the Keepers' choice.

(who knew it was so easy for them to get there?)

...

...

...

There are more references scattered throughout the early books of these lines, but we discuss these at length in the episode. Let us know if you find some other choice, pre-summer 1995 bits! (Note: all material here is (c) by White Wolf, and is only reproduced for discussion under the terms of Fair Use. Also, all of it is astonishingly out of date and not really useful for your game at this point.)

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup recently petitioned the Canadian government to adopt the Tim Horton's maple-glazed boston cream doughnut as the official door snack for all state functions.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can do a yoga headstand but doesn't really enjoy it.

...

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." —Eleanor Roosevelt (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> full 2 In this episode, we discuss some of the conceptions of the fae in the World of Darkness before Changeling came out (and indeed, before it was even certain that it would). Behold some snippets of faerie lore from eons past, by which we mean the early 90s:

...

From the 1st Edition Vampire Storyteller Handbook (1992):

Older Cainites remember a time when Faeries ran free on this planet, going where they liked, doing whatever they would. Now Faeries are as rare as honest politicians (well, maybe not that rare). Those same Cainites who remember those long ago times speak of a great cataclysm which split our realm from Arcadia, the birthplace of the fey races.

Some Faeries live here permanently, making their homes in out-of-the-way places where humans are unlikely to bother them. Others manage to sneak their way into our realm for their own purposes. Some of these get trapped here and quickly wither away and die. Some come to steal children to take back to Arcadia with them and some have been discovered living for years as humans.

No Kindred claims to understand why Faeries come to steal children. The most popular theories have to do with the nature of Arcadia as a place of magic wholly lacking in reality. Some believe the Faeries need the children to provide an anchor of true creativity for their actions, for otherwise they would be caught in eternal loops of their own actions, unable to break old patterns.

The few Kindred that have ventured into Arcadia have never returned. Most believe them to be deceased, while others think they have joined with the Unseelie court of Arcadia, doing battle with the noble Seelie. Some also believe the Tremere actively support the Unseelie, but then everyone believes the worst of that Clan.

Faerie powers vary widely. Illusions and insight, entropy and energy, levity and levitation all seem to exist side by side. Even the results of drinking Faerie blood are not constant. Sometimes the Kindred will be filled with great power and other times the drinker will become lost in a land of hallucinations. Sometimes it acts as poison and other times as water.

Faerie Kidnapper from the Storyteller's Handbook:

Quote: "Hee hee hee. You mean you really don't know how you got here? Hee hee hee."

Concept: The Faerie Kidnapper has come to our reality in hopes of capturing the characters. Whether he needs them as warriors in a great battle, prizes in a scavenger hunt or attractions at a new zoo, he will hunt them and his other prey down and bring them back to Arcadia with him.

An expert at illusion and deception, the Faerie Kidnapper will bring his targets back with him by hook or by crook. He will use promises, lies, mind control or brute force to accomplish his goals. He has specific requirements regarding anyone he will bring back to Arcadia (they must be bound, willing, laughing or whatever), but once they meet the requirement they will find themselves in a new realm.

Roleplaying Hints: Your type of logic is quite foreign to anyone you are likely to meet on this plane, just as theirs is likely to be alien to you. Laugh at totally inappropriate events, burst into tears for no apparent reasons and completely befuddle your targets.

Nature: Deviant Demeanor: Jester Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4 Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4 Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4

Talents: Acting 4, Alertness 3, Brawl 4, Dodge 5, Subterfuge 3 Skills: Melee 3, Music 5, Security 3, Stealth 5 Knowledges: Linguistics 2, Occult 4, Faerie Lore 4

Disciplines: Auspex 4, Celerity 2, Chimerstry 5, Obfuscate 3, Presence 2, Protean 5 Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 0, Courage 2 Humanity: 0 Willpower: 9

...

...

A few useful bits for Kindred from the Vampire Player's Guide 2nd edition (early 1993):

Faerie Affinity: (2 pt Merit) Your presence does not frighten faeries; indeed, it attracts them, and you are naturally attuned to their ways. You are able, unlike most Kindred, to enter Arcadia, the mystical kingdom of the faeries, provided you find an entrance.

Faerie Lore You possess information pertaining to the Seelie and Unseelie faeries, and know something of their great kingdom: Arcadia. Because Kindred are unable to travel to this realm, most of your knowledge is hearsay, and thus difficult to verify.

* Novice: Your knowledge is largely speculation and hearsay. * * Practiced: You know some relevant facts. * * * Competent: You possess a general knowledge of their ways. * * * * Expert: You possess expansive knowledge. * * * * * Master: You think you know the secrets of these creatures.

Possessed by: Faeries, Lupines, Occultists, Vampires, Magi, Witch-Hunters Specialties: Enchanting Music, Faerie Food, Somniare, Atlantium, Antrum, Caelum, Barathrum, Tartarus

Spirit Thaumaturgy

* * Spirit Eyes ("The Sight"): This power is very similar to Aura Perception, but the character perceives spirits instead of auras. He sees them in the forms they take: i.e. fox spirits, faerie plant spirits, etc. This power enables the Thaumaturgist to see ghosts.

System: The vampire must roll Perception + Occult (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The more successes he scores, the more information is revealed. The character may speak with the spirits once he sees them.

...

The footnote given at the end of the book for this passage states, "Faerie Lore dictates that the Arcadians are "too good for Hell, not good enough for Heaven." This may be Caine's way of expressing this middle state. Kindred who discover the Fey may do well to listen to their Father's words in this matter. Of all the fragments of the Chronicle of Secrets, it was this fragment that I found to be the most elusive, perhaps because it carries a good measure of truth about the Sidhe."

...

The original Clanbook: Malkavian (spring 1993) has the following power:

Visit Faerieland (Level Seven Obfuscate Discipline) The Malkavian can utterly disappear from the area and appear in Faerieland. From Faerieland, she can go anywhere on Earth she wishes to go. But, first, she has to pass the Faerie Keepers, who dislike capricious use of their land. They question the Malkavian about her purpose, and if they don't like her story, they push her back into the world she left, near the time she left it. The keepers are willing to listen to bargains, especially if the Malkavian will Prank the entity of the Keepers' choice.

(who knew it was so easy for them to get there?)

...

...

...

There are more references scattered throughout the early books of these lines, but we discuss these at length in the episode. Let us know if you find some other choice, pre-summer 1995 bits! (Note: all material here is (c) by White Wolf, and is only reproduced for discussion under the terms of Fair Use. Also, all of it is astonishingly out of date and not really useful for your game at this point.)

...

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup recently petitioned the Canadian government to adopt the Tim Horton's maple-glazed boston cream doughnut as the official door snack for all state functions.

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) can do a yoga headstand but doesn't really enjoy it.

...

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." —Eleanor Roosevelt (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Episode-2-icon.png episode 2 – the fae before changeling false no 52:37 No no episode 1 – intro to changeling: the dreaming https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-1-intro-to-changeling-the-dreaming/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:35:58 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=37 If you haven't played Changeling before, we welcome you to listen through our little primer here. We give an overview of the game's history, what we see as the moods and themes, a summary of changelings' in-game origins, and a glossary of useful terms. And just for shiggles, here are those same terms, alphabetized, for your eyeballs' pleasure:

  • Arcadia: mythical homeland paradise of the changelings deep in the Dreaming, from which many of those on Earth were banished or kept away
  • Arts and Realms: groups of related magical effects (Arts) and related targets (Realms) that comprise fae magic
  • The Autumn World: Earth, or its fleshier side at least
  • Banality: the force of sameness, conformity, disbelief, dullness, apathy, and stasis that changelings struggle against
  • Cantrip: a fae "spell", often created by a changeling using Glamour and drawing on the power of the Dreaming
  • Chimera/Chimerical reality: dreams given form, and sometimes a life of their own, populating our world at a level of perception that only the fae and their friends interact with (usually)
  • Concordia: the federation of changeling kingdoms that cover Canada, the United States, and Mexico
  • The Dreaming: the fluid and chaotic realm created from human dreams (and from which human dreams arise), which changelings can enter and explore
  • Freehold: a changeling hang-out where they can be themselves and recover their strength
  • Gallain: catch-all term used by Kithain for all kiths that are unfamiliar to them
  • Glamour: the force of dream/nightmare, creativity, wonderment, emotion/passion, inspiration, and belief that keeps the fae soul vibrant
  • Kith: a "family" of changelings, derived from a particular set of dreams; there are many of these
  • Kithain: catch-all term for the nine (in older editions) or thirteen (in the newest edition) kiths that are most common in Concordia
  • Mien: a changeling's chimerical appearance that shows their fae nature, coterminous with their human body, which other fae can see
  • The Mists: mysterious force that clouds the minds of those moving between the Dreaming and the Autumn World, and hides the fae from mortal memory
  • Nobles and Commoners: a class distinction amongst fae that is reinforced by the power of the Dreaming; source of much political drama
  • Seeming: the life stage of a changeling, who moves between childling (youthful, energetic), wilder (coming of age, passionate), and grump (mature, thoughtful)
  • The Sundering and The Shattering: historical eras when the Dreaming slowly started separating from Earth as humans' belief in the fae eroded, leading to the definitive moment (14th century, in Europe) when the fae were forced to either abandon Earth or take on human flesh (the Changeling Way) to survive
  • Trod: paths lacing the landscape of the Dreaming, occasionally connecting to portals in the Autumn World

(Host note: we totally didn't mention "freehold" in the episode, but it's an important one!)

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup believes that the secret to the universe is [REDACTED].

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) once snorted a blue Pixy Stik, just to see what it was like. (It was unpleasant.)

...

"Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one." —Terry Pratchett (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> full 1 If you haven't played Changeling before, we welcome you to listen through our little primer here. We give an overview of the game's history, what we see as the moods and themes, a summary of changelings' in-game origins, and a glossary of useful terms. And just for shiggles, here are those same terms, alphabetized, for your eyeballs' pleasure:

  • Arcadia: mythical homeland paradise of the changelings deep in the Dreaming, from which many of those on Earth were banished or kept away
  • Arts and Realms: groups of related magical effects (Arts) and related targets (Realms) that comprise fae magic
  • The Autumn World: Earth, or its fleshier side at least
  • Banality: the force of sameness, conformity, disbelief, dullness, apathy, and stasis that changelings struggle against
  • Cantrip: a fae "spell", often created by a changeling using Glamour and drawing on the power of the Dreaming
  • Chimera/Chimerical reality: dreams given form, and sometimes a life of their own, populating our world at a level of perception that only the fae and their friends interact with (usually)
  • Concordia: the federation of changeling kingdoms that cover Canada, the United States, and Mexico
  • The Dreaming: the fluid and chaotic realm created from human dreams (and from which human dreams arise), which changelings can enter and explore
  • Freehold: a changeling hang-out where they can be themselves and recover their strength
  • Gallain: catch-all term used by Kithain for all kiths that are unfamiliar to them
  • Glamour: the force of dream/nightmare, creativity, wonderment, emotion/passion, inspiration, and belief that keeps the fae soul vibrant
  • Kith: a "family" of changelings, derived from a particular set of dreams; there are many of these
  • Kithain: catch-all term for the nine (in older editions) or thirteen (in the newest edition) kiths that are most common in Concordia
  • Mien: a changeling's chimerical appearance that shows their fae nature, coterminous with their human body, which other fae can see
  • The Mists: mysterious force that clouds the minds of those moving between the Dreaming and the Autumn World, and hides the fae from mortal memory
  • Nobles and Commoners: a class distinction amongst fae that is reinforced by the power of the Dreaming; source of much political drama
  • Seeming: the life stage of a changeling, who moves between childling (youthful, energetic), wilder (coming of age, passionate), and grump (mature, thoughtful)
  • The Sundering and The Shattering: historical eras when the Dreaming slowly started separating from Earth as humans' belief in the fae eroded, leading to the definitive moment (14th century, in Europe) when the fae were forced to either abandon Earth or take on human flesh (the Changeling Way) to survive
  • Trod: paths lacing the landscape of the Dreaming, occasionally connecting to portals in the Autumn World

(Host note: we totally didn't mention "freehold" in the episode, but it's an important one!)

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup believes that the secret to the universe is [REDACTED].

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) once snorted a blue Pixy Stik, just to see what it was like. (It was unpleasant.)

...

"Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one." —Terry Pratchett (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Episode-1-splash-1.png episode 1 – intro to changeling: the dreaming false no 28:21 No no episode 0 https://changelingthepodcast.com/podcast/episode-0/ Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:28:00 +0000 https://changelingthepodcast.com/?post_type=podcast&p=32 Greets and welcomes! So, if you're here, you were either looking for Changeling: the Podcast, or you weren't. If it's the former, success! If it's the latter, we hope you'll stick around and peruse for a bit, at least! This is our first podcast and first attempt at show notes (eek); let's see how this goes.

But anyway, this is a podcast about Changeling: the Dreaming, a TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying game) first produced by White Wolf in the 1990s/early 2000s, then Onyx Path in the late 2010s, and currently dormant until its next incarnation. It's about faerie souls in human bodies trying to make it in a bleaker version of our modern world (a.k.a. the World of Darkness), trying to keep wonder, adventure, magic, dreams, and nightmares alive in spite of the slow erosion of belief. We'll be tracing the history of the game from its earliest days to its ever-tenuous present, with deep dives into the sourcebooks, discussions about Topics of Import, interviews with other fans/figures in the Changeling-verse, and whatever else we can come up with. Come for the Glamour, stay for the vibes.

This episode is mostly us talking about ourselves, our love of the game (and other games), and various tidbits to whet your appetite for future episodes. It was as much a mic test as anything else; we'll forgive you if you skip it. But then you might never know mysterious factoids about our origins...!

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup is a long-time gamer, LARPer and Changeling aficionado based out of Canada…

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) started with RPGs by sneaking a look at the D&D red box one afternoon and making a character before anyone could stop them. They discovered Changeling as a young teen, joined some Internet forums on the subject, and it was all downhill from there. When not writing homebrew supplements, turning up for a session now and then, or ranting about games on Discord, they devour anything and everything to do with language like some kind of lexical redcap, and skulk the dimly-lit corners of Northeastern U.S. bookstores and alleyways like some kind of typical sluagh.

Shout-Outs

This podcast was pretty directly inspired by a few others, so credit where credit's due:

  • Mage: the Podcast - conversations about Mage: the Ascension, the other WoD game near and dear to our hearts
  • Werewolf: the Podcast - deep learnings about Werewolf: the Apocalypse; do you see the common title thread here?
  • Walking Away from Arcadia - a much-beloved Changeling podcast of wit and wonder
  • The Story Told - reviews and broad discussions of the ever-widening tabletop universe in general
  • OP Cast - deep dives into the Trinity Continuum, another shared game universe from Onyx Path

...

“The world is full of painful stories. Sometimes it seems as though there aren't any other kind and yet I found myself thinking how beautiful that glint of water was through the trees.“ —Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> full Greets and welcomes! So, if you're here, you were either looking for Changeling: the Podcast, or you weren't. If it's the former, success! If it's the latter, we hope you'll stick around and peruse for a bit, at least! This is our first podcast and first attempt at show notes (eek); let's see how this goes.

But anyway, this is a podcast about Changeling: the Dreaming, a TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying game) first produced by White Wolf in the 1990s/early 2000s, then Onyx Path in the late 2010s, and currently dormant until its next incarnation. It's about faerie souls in human bodies trying to make it in a bleaker version of our modern world (a.k.a. the World of Darkness), trying to keep wonder, adventure, magic, dreams, and nightmares alive in spite of the slow erosion of belief. We'll be tracing the history of the game from its earliest days to its ever-tenuous present, with deep dives into the sourcebooks, discussions about Topics of Import, interviews with other fans/figures in the Changeling-verse, and whatever else we can come up with. Come for the Glamour, stay for the vibes.

This episode is mostly us talking about ourselves, our love of the game (and other games), and various tidbits to whet your appetite for future episodes. It was as much a mic test as anything else; we'll forgive you if you skip it. But then you might never know mysterious factoids about our origins...!

Your Hosts

Josh Hillerup is a long-time gamer, LARPer and Changeling aficionado based out of Canada…

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) started with RPGs by sneaking a look at the D&D red box one afternoon and making a character before anyone could stop them. They discovered Changeling as a young teen, joined some Internet forums on the subject, and it was all downhill from there. When not writing homebrew supplements, turning up for a session now and then, or ranting about games on Discord, they devour anything and everything to do with language like some kind of lexical redcap, and skulk the dimly-lit corners of Northeastern U.S. bookstores and alleyways like some kind of typical sluagh.

Shout-Outs

This podcast was pretty directly inspired by a few others, so credit where credit's due:

  • Mage: the Podcast - conversations about Mage: the Ascension, the other WoD game near and dear to our hearts
  • Werewolf: the Podcast - deep learnings about Werewolf: the Apocalypse; do you see the common title thread here?
  • Walking Away from Arcadia - a much-beloved Changeling podcast of wit and wonder
  • The Story Told - reviews and broad discussions of the ever-widening tabletop universe in general
  • OP Cast - deep dives into the Trinity Continuum, another shared game universe from Onyx Path

...

“The world is full of painful stories. Sometimes it seems as though there aren't any other kind and yet I found myself thinking how beautiful that glint of water was through the trees.“ —Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower (psst! email us at podcast@changelingthepodcast.com if you want)

]]> https://changelingthepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Episode-0-splash-2.png episode 0 false no 24:17 No no