This week’s guest is James D’Amato of the One Shot Podcast Network and we talk about Campaign: Skyjacks and where the the crew of the Uhuru is headed next, his home game Campaign Starwhal: Odyssey and how this is helping him build the game mechanics that will be the Skyjacks roleplaying game system, and his The Ultimate RPG series including his upcoming Game Master’s Guide: Advice and Tools to Run the Best Game Ever.
MD 232 Paper Pirates of the Renegade Heart
All sides of this room are a sepia-toned parchment treasure map that hides an expansive ocean beneath, causing some of the drawings to sag and become smeared. The floor is primarily ocean with an island, and the ceiling is an antediluvian dome star map. Years of abuse have distorted the typesetting: kerning, tracking and letting. Once you enter the room, the door becomes a drawing as well, trapping you inside. Bones of the people who starved to death before they solved the puzzle or joined the crew line the floor. Only living 3D people can solve the puzzle.
Puzzle: There’s no escape unless you can fix the jumbled elements hidden within the map: Pirates is misspelled as Piarets. The treasure chest lid has the wrong perspective. One pirate’s eyes, nose, ears and beard are scattered around the map and need to be moved back to their face. A monkey and a parrot have swapped faces. The pirate ship’s sail is on its keel. And finally, one wall is too long. You must fold in either side to correct the image and discover the “X” that the treasure will come out of once all six items are solved. Folding this wall in the wrong direction creates a 2D kraken that you set loose.
Treasure: Formed from the map, the Crown of the Pirate King is a document giving you the legal title of Pirate King that’s folded into a wearable crown. The crew of the Renegade Heart will follow you for a while, and you can brandish this document in any pirate-based situation where pirates will consider you in charge.
Crew of the Renegade Heart: These 2D pirates living in the walls of the map are in need of a king. They can only escape the map when someone is crowned the Pirate King. These pirates belong to a massive polycule. They can save you from starvation by bringing you into the world of the map, but you have to woo them to invite you into their polyamorous network. They vote to bring you into the relationship like they vote for a captain. Then you must wait for someone else to come by and save you.
Inside the map is a Wax Cylinder Player. Most wax cylinders are podcasts recorded by the pirates: The Seven Seas Cast, Billy Bones’ Walk the Podcast, etc… There’s also music of varying genres that’ll give you a bonus to woo the pirates if you can get the vibe right. Roll a D100: 1-80 podcast, 81-99 music, 100 a cursed cylinder that summons a 2D elder god sea beast on the map.
Art: Tiger Wizard Words: Steve Albertson
Story by: Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, James D’Amato
Appendix N: The War of 1812, One Piece (anime), Infinity Train, Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Flight of the Navigator, Jorge Luis Borges’ “The Library of Babel,” Mad Magazine, Burger King crown, Photoshop, Looney Tunes “Duck Amuck,” Highlights Magazine.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Check out all the amazing dwarves from our Best Dwarf Drawing Contest with judges David Hoskins, Erol Otus, and our own Tiger Wizard. Congrats to winner Lukasz Piwinski and thanks to all the artists who participated! Keep your eyes open for another contest next year!
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Dungeon Cats is a rules-light, casual TTRPG by our own Tiger Wizard. The pre-launch page is now live on the Epic Level’s Kickstarter! Click the “notify me on launch” button to make sure you don’t miss out!
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We’ll be podcasting live at Gamehole Con in Madison on Oct. 19th- 24th. Dragon Warrior will be running games. Sign ups are now available. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10:00 AM CST – Old School Essentials: Mad Dungeon Rooms
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We’ll be be at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia from Dec. 1st-3rd. Dragon Warrior will be running games. Signups TBD.
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Two new poster adventure maps are now available for purchase at Exalted Funeral.
The Worm that Glows based off of season one, episode 11 with Jenna Marie of Chaotic Click Clacks with amazing artwork from Oh! Oozi.
Oh! Oozi is also the artist and co-creator with Steve for their Image comic book Ghost Spy.
Headkicker! The Musical based off of season one, episode 19 with Brian Shutter of Neon Lords of the Toxic Wastes with front side artwork from Mustafa Bekir.
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Thanks for listening to Season Two of the Epic Levels Mad Dungeon podcast, where D&D hip hop group Epic Levels and a guest create a system-neutral, playable dungeon room using improv, comedy, and lifetimes wasted on roleplaying games.
You can support us via Patreon for early episode releases, bonus map content, extra art, access to our discord server, and lots of other exclusive goodies.
Get nerd merch and stay up to date with socials: HERE
Mad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, and produced by Zach Cowan.
Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Inner Resting.
© 2023 Epic Levels. All characters in this adventure–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.