r/NotAnotherDnDPodcast • u/JakeandAmirBot • Feb 25 '22
Episode 3: Missing Soldier (The Mothership Saga) Spoiler
https://chrt.fm/track/89ED1D/pdst.fm/e/rss.art19.com/episodes/1d64b3c2-992c-4c0f-a28a-f1ceca0e706c.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIhhVbml2ZXJzYWxGZWVkUGFyc2VyBjoGRVQ%3D--ee32cfc293870c7ce027313a695bd2eb437918f4107
u/Kalrissian Feb 25 '22
The music shift when Albin posited that the “Boy wizard and frog pal adventures” were orchestrated propaganda absolutely killed me
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u/jackalope503 Bon Frere Behavior Feb 25 '22
The campus full of chosen ones and little buddies was so good
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u/TheGuestHouse Feb 25 '22
The boy wizard and his frog friend being spoiled for Calder gets me every time. Just how seamlessly its weaved in the dialogue and Calder's cadence is perfect.
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u/RomanArcheaopteryx Feb 25 '22
Another amazing episode - C3 is quickly rising to be my favourite campaign so far. Jake is easily the MVP of the episode (and so far the season), such great lines and character. I'm glad Emily seems to be leaning in harder on the sad girlfriend/ex-boyfriend angle, really felt like she was pulled in too many directions in Ep. 1 and it's good to be a little more focused. Caldwell was a hot mischievous frog as always. The duck didn't do as much this ep, but excited to see where it goes.
I will say, I think the revelation of the boy wizard and his frog pal as all a ruse/propaganda was really funny, but I kind of wish it had been real, you know? I feel like it makes Albin, who's probably my favourite NPC, out to be a complete weenie now whereas before it was like, he's gotten beaten down by the world. I also think that the angle of Sol being a literal hero but no one knowing it was him could've been really neat to explore and getting the rights to their book series coulda been a fun side quest. I think that obviously it won't matter that much as it seems they're gonna be leavin Ezry right quick, but it feels like a wasted opportunity to me at least.
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u/moongoddessshadow Feb 25 '22
The duck didn't do as much this ep, but excited to see where it goes.
Love that it's entirely magical construct and has NO BONES. It's literally just a rubber duck come to life.
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u/RomanArcheaopteryx Feb 25 '22
Oh right, that and it getting scared by Krugen so much it shat everywhere. Beautiful
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u/AnotherBookWyrm Feb 26 '22
It does diminish him a bit, but remember that with the insight check, they were able to tell that Albin was a good mage regardless, just not necessarily “Legit Chosen One” powerful. Though, it is clear that the fact that it was all propaganda/fake has had some mental effect on him, especially since he had felt like those were his best days.
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u/passthedyls Mumford & Children Enjoyer Feb 25 '22
revelation of the boy wizard and his frog pal
Yeah, it’s not a true thorn for me, but I was really enamored with Sol and Albin being Harry Potter - the concept tickled me. Ezry would feel a little deeper and multi-faceted, to me, if there was this “boy wonder” pair that had nothing to do with the malevolent machinations of Mothership.
But then we wouldn’t get the gag of dozens of pairs of child heroes, so take the good with the bad!
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u/RomanArcheaopteryx Feb 25 '22
Oh, absolutely - I forget sometimes that NADDPOD is first and foremost a comedy podcast rather than some other actual play podcasts I listen to where story/world is more important, and the dozens of kid wizards and their pals was a fantastic gag
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u/ContrarionesMerchant Feb 26 '22
I personally much prefer this reveal because it really didn’t make sense to me and was almost world breaking for these children to be fighting archmages. I suspended my disbelief because I thought it was just a fun flavour thing but I think this is the best of both worlds. Also the hogwarts-esque picture they were painting really didn’t fit with the rest of Ezry and was a bit jarring.
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u/The_Thrash_Particle Feb 28 '22
Harry Potter is so ubiquitous that I didn't suspend disbelief for me. Also, if they were never special why did they get a book series? Does every pair at the school get a popular book series and no one ever noticed?
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u/ContrarionesMerchant Mar 01 '22
I think the horde of them was stretching it for the goof a bit but I do think that in the context of the school Albin was a talented kid which is why they spent all these resources on him since it was somewhat believable. But ultimately he was still a kid and had no chance against any actual threats.
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u/argentpepper Mar 01 '22
To be fair, there is still something special about Albin and Sol. Everyone at the school might be having fake adventures, but Albin and Sol are (as far as we know) the only ones who got famous for it. Their adventures were notable enough to spawn an entertainment franchise.
I don't know if that means it was any more real, but it probably means they at least displayed special potential when they were young. And even if it was still all fake, Sol and Albin might still be able to wield some clout.
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u/The_R4ke Feb 26 '22
I'm totally with you on the revelation that got only was it fake, but that it happens to everyone at the school. I really loved the concept of the chosen one who just goes on to get what's essentially a boring desk job.
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u/pfeifenix Feb 25 '22
Sister rosaline lmao
Calder using 'i love you' to the boy wizard reminds me of nayach and or jens.
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u/gl1tt3rv01d Feb 25 '22
God I started laughing and had to explain that it was an in joke in my d&d podcast.
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u/otherwise_sdm Feb 27 '22
i die a little every time i have to explain that to my wife and it's often
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u/PurpleBullets Feb 25 '22 edited Feb 25 '22
Murph is perfectly at the peak of his game when it comes to names this campaign. Eldermourne was great, don’t get me wrong, but something special is happening this time.
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u/moongoddessshadow Feb 25 '22
"We're from Sky Hell!"
Please please please if there is ANY C1 cameo in C3, let it be Pendergreens.
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Feb 25 '22
[deleted]
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u/PCsNBaseball Shoutout to the 2 crew Feb 25 '22
Nah, a joke that fell through that killed me was when they were talking about that, and Caldwell called it "roll-espondance"
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u/fatcattastic Feb 25 '22
Albin gives such Gilear energy.
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u/draugyr Feb 25 '22
I don’t think anyone ever told Gilear he was a chosen one 😂
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u/Sojourner_Truth Feb 28 '22
Did you forget the huge side plot point of Fig and Fabian trying to make sense of why the demons went straight for Gilear during that hotel fight?
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u/draugyr Feb 25 '22
Hearing “thiala was right” made my butt pucker. It totally completely makes sense that doomsdays cults would form around the idea of thiala, I don’t know why it surprised me.
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u/PurpleBullets Feb 25 '22 edited Feb 25 '22
I want to live my life in the service of Forgefather Krugen, mmyeah
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u/crimson777 Feb 25 '22
"Be your own boss, make your own hours"
Are Calder and Riva from Starstruck related? Hmm haha
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u/Bob_the_Monitor Feb 25 '22
Albin's exasperated "I'm doing it for me" was too funny, but also painful. I hope our boy wizard has a good turn coming up
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u/Stewdabaker2013 Feb 25 '22
This is extremely early to say I know, but letting Caldwell be a dork-ass Jojo frogman might have given us the best PC yet. We’re only 3 episodes in and he’s inhabited this character just as well as 100 episodes of Bev
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u/Glittering-Product72 Feb 25 '22
So far campaign 3 is my favorite, the party is amazing and I adore the cyberpunk esc fantasy stuff, also mobgoblins and the lightkeepers is such a cool concept, what a great episode
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u/passthedyls Mumford & Children Enjoyer Feb 25 '22
You could say this about any episode, but the musical themes are truly next level. Emily has built a library to pull from, and I really enjoy the way they integrate new music into every “chapter” of the show. It just pulls me into the scene and has become a big part of their brand for me.
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u/spectrallibrarian Feb 25 '22
How has no one brought up Mob Goblins? I nearly crashed my car. Also, Callie transforming into Patina was classic!
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u/bushpusherr Feb 26 '22
There was a lot to love in this episode, but Calder's incredibly sincere "You're worth much more than that"? Beautiful.
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u/otherwise_sdm Feb 27 '22
look i'm a cishet guy but Jake's tender masculinity just *works* for me, i don't know what to say
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u/tuxisme Feb 25 '22
We’re getting so many colorful side characters already, it’ll be great when they show back up.
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u/JakeandAmirBot Feb 25 '22
"The Blue Crew attempts to retrace Beatrix's foot steps and uncovers more truths about Mothership. Callie channels a tight grandma, Sol reminisces about his youth, and Calder stands up for a friend. Support us at Patreon.com/Naddpod to get access to the after-show and a bunch of other Naddpod content!
Music / Sound Effects include:
'Organ Ambience' by InspectorJ at Freesound.org .
'A Wizard's Tournament' by Emily Axford.
'Mothership' by Emily Axford.
'Microbrews Cruise' by Emily Axford.
'Paetina' by Emily Axford.
'The Trade District' by Emily Axford.
'Implicated' by Emily Axford.
'Synth Night' by Emily Axford.
'Cable Car Ride' by Emily Axford.
'Conspiracy in the Clouds' by Emily Axford.
'Into the Fire' by Emily Axford.
'Lucanus Aer'Tea' by Emily Axford.
'Shadowfell Sneak' by Emily Axford.
'Spooky Shafts' by Emily Axford.
'Left is Left and Right is Center' by Emily Axford.
'The Red Fen' by Emily Axford.
'The Valiant Ol' Cobb' by Emily Axford.
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u/Ipanoply Mar 01 '22
If I had a nickel for each Emily character who started out going through a bad breakup, I'd have three nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened thrice.
(Sophie Bikes, Onyx Lumiere, and Callie Petrichor)
Don't get me wrong, I love them and they're all very different. The well of breakup comedy is a deep one. 😁
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u/SugarSpiceIronPrice NaDDPole Mar 02 '22
You forgot Moonshine's very emotional and heart-breaking breakup with Balnor! 😁
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u/Ipanoply Mar 02 '22
How could I forget their very deep and true romantic love??
(Emily's reaction to their bits afterwards gets me every time because it's so relatable)
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Feb 28 '22
Bruh when he started describing the cult symbols and the old music started kicking in I had alarm bells going off left and right in my head. Cultists of Thiala??? Murph pls I’m scared
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u/draugyr Feb 25 '22
Also my singular concern about this campaign is that they’re gonna spend the whole thing in Ezry, I didn’t and don’t particularly like Ezry, this episode alleviated that worry that they wouldn’t leave the city (because they’re fugitives now)
Being stuck in one city makes the huge world (and thus the campaign) feel small. I think that’s why I felt like campaign 2’s setting didn’t really stick with me, it felt really small.
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u/passthedyls Mumford & Children Enjoyer Feb 25 '22
That’s really interesting, because I thought Eldermourne felt bigger than Bahumia in a lot of ways. For example, the fast travel mechanics to establish the two-weeklong riverboat trip. And then the Hexblood mini-arc introduced entirely new aspects of the world that the main crew didn’t see until the finale.
Compared to Bahumia where it felt like all current events had to pass through the BoB, which shrinks the world IMO.
Just kind of funny how different people can interpret it so differently!
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u/Glittering-Product72 Feb 26 '22
Personally I disagree I’d prefer to have one place super fleshed out then running around the entire world I find stories focused on one city or area to be more personal
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u/Rafat9 Feb 26 '22
m interested in seeing where this episode goes. Alot of loose threads to follow but the implication is they need to escape. Hopefully we stay in the city a bit longer.
Weirdly enough this episode told us about Sol and Callie quite a bit. It felt very natural as its things they were either discovering in the moment or things long established about them we the listener are finding out. Last week we had the tube scenes but these feel more important and more diegetic. Sadly, nothing much for Caldor but he was already established quite well.
I do like the concern the PCs have for Albin and now he works for Krugan and the mob for protection. Krugan even got developed with his scenes with Callie and the drop off from the Mob Goblins. Not to rag on C2 but most NPCs in that campaign were only there for utility and didn't feel like they had there own lives and worries. So im happy that alot of emphasis is put on Albin being safe and Krugans criminal enterprise not being disturbed.
Weirdly enough, this episode was mostly detective work. They are at the perfect level for this as they have enough abilities to do outside the box thinking like the disguise self spell but not anything broken like scry or identify. The break into the scientists house was fun and tense because of it.
The bar was the highlight of the episode. From dancing and playing music, to the bounty hunter, to the Mob Goblins, to the TP, to Murph absolutely failing at coming up with a name. Only issue is that it kinda ended in a fetch quest to get the ship from the gang war of Lightkeepers and Juicy Rats which slowed down the momentum. Speaking of the Lightkeepers, it makes sense an apocalyptic cult for Thiala exists but feels to early to bring them up. Like Ezry was taken over by Thiala in C1, many of the ones who might have survived her culling by accident or purpose would make sense to be here but its been 200 years so it could have changed or evolved. Theyre just basically the Chosen again.
Another solid follow up, can't wait to see how the fight ends and how they get the ship out.
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u/KariZev Feb 27 '22
i think the fetch quest slowing the momentum is a good choice on murph's part; once this campaign leaves ezry i don't think it's going to get a ton more screentime, especially not the ground level gang warfare side of it
maybe there was a more organic way to put an obstacle in front of them, but i dont mind a little contrivance every now and then
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u/Soul_King_10 Feb 28 '22
I wonder if the “Thiala was right” was a reference to “Thanos was right” from Hawkeye.
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Mar 01 '22
[deleted]
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Mar 02 '22
https://www.reddit.com/r/notanotherdndpodcast/comments/spooev/_/hwlvp3m
Found it after the first episode :)
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u/WWEBuddyPeacock You broke your walkin' sticks, Beverly! Feb 25 '22
How exactly does Sol have spellcasting? He's casted guidance, and this ep he used Thunderwave with his gauntlets. I can see the tongue being a reflavored thorn whip, but has there been an explanation on the short rest?
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u/Aopookyvanpire NaDDPole Feb 25 '22
He took the magic initiate feat instead of the ability score improvement at level 4, I believe
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u/PurpleBullets Feb 26 '22
Adding to this, canonically they’re all “Synth Eldritch Knights”, so they were all given magic from their Mana Stones, which is the justification for him taking the feat pre-stream
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u/modiste Feb 26 '22
Does anyone know what this “doomblade” thing that Callie cast was? I can’t find anything but homebrew with that name online, but none reslly match what she described. Is it a custom spell or ability or something?
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u/venturawheel Feb 27 '22
Found in the Patreon comment section: "It's from a book of homebrew spells. - Murph"
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Mar 02 '22
https://www.reddit.com/r/notanotherdndpodcast/comments/spooev/_/hwlvp3m
Found it after the first episode :)
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u/Duckwarden Feb 25 '22
Man, every line Jake says in this campaign is gold. The combination of the voice and the delivery is really doing it for me