Vlog Ep. 323: Talking Schitt's Creek

Today's episode of #BaduyPride is all about the surprisingly popular and award-winning Canadian sitcom, Schitt's Creek. We had a hard getting into this show, but we had heard a lot of good things about it and that helped us to get through the first few (rougher) seasons. But it did have quite the poignant ending with a lot of work put into giving all the main characters pretty solid arcs.

So in this episode, we talk about out Schitt's creek journey, many similar shows that weren't easy to get into but paid off in the end, and of course the different character arcs that ultimately defined the show. And that's where the show really shined - by figuring out how to get the Rose's to evolve from being selfish and out of touch with the world to people finally open to becoming better and making a difference. 

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Vlog Ep. 322: Reflecting on Canvas

Today's episode of #BaduyPride was all about the beautiful and creative card game that is Canvas. This 1-5 player game was designed by Jeff Chin and Andrew Nerger and published by Road to Infamy Games. The base game first went to Kickstarter and was released in 2021 and the expansion, Canvas: Reflections officially came out this year.

The core mechanics of this game are pretty simple to learn (and equally simple to teach). The individual aspects of the game also seem familiar as we've seen a lot of these ideas in different games. But how everything comes together to create a brilliant game experience is the true genius of the game. Just because it's family-friendly doesn't mean you shouldn't underestimate the game's potential for strategic play or at least very interesting game runs. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep. 321: King Arthur Pendragon RPG

This episode of #BaduyPride is all about the brilliant RPG system that is King Arthur Pendragon as currently (and originally) published by Chaosium Inc. This game allows players to play the roles of knights back in the age of chivalry (actually a little before it) and really asks the question of whether they have what it takes to live up to the ideals of the period. And this goes beyond just role-playing, but the very system itself was designed in a way to creatively encourage players to be true knights.

This franchise has lasted over the years because of its ability to tell these stories so well. It celebrates those who love the Arthurian myths but it also enables the less familiar to experience these stories in an entirely new way. A friend on the stream mentioned that the game, especially when you play the longer-term Great Pendragon Campaign. becomes a character study of the players. And I totally agree with this sentiment. If you want a deep role-playing game experience that will test your characters on so many levels, then this is truly a game worth exploring. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep. 320: Wacky Races: The Board Game

Tonight's episode of #BaduyPride is all about a crazy cartoon that got translated into an equally crazy board game. This is Wacky Races: The Board Game, a 2-6 player game based on the 1968 animated TV series of the same name. This game designed by Andrea Chiarvesio and Fabio Tola is a fun little romp that has players racing against the other racers while trying to survive the traps set by Dick Dastardly and Muttley. 

This is a great example that a game designed from the ground up with a focus on trying to capture the essence of the source material, even if it's just a cartoon with only 17 episodes. And this is a great example off what you can achieve with what we term as a franchise game that is still family-friendly but still offers a lot of fun for a lot of different people. And we'll never get over how cute the little cars are.

If only we knew how to pain them to be cartoon-accurate.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep. 319: The Awesome Episode

Today's episode of #BaduyPride was a quick celebration of things we appreciate in line with both International Women's Day and the International Day of Awesomeness. So apart from just talking about many things that we consider to be awesome, we also took some time to show our appreciation towards some awesome women in our lives as well.

And while you could say that it's just another excuse to be grateful for things, we never regret such things. These pandemic times have had more than their share of ups and downs but it's always good to count one's blessings, as it were, instead of just giving in to the darkness. And silly little internet holidays like the Day of Awesomeness have some great thinking at heart that we could all use a bit more of to see us through the challenges of life.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep. 318: 51st State: Master Set

Today's episode of #BaduyPride was all about the brilliant card game 51st State: Master State. This 1-4 card game was created by Ignacy Trzewiczek and published by Portal Games. We figured it was a great time to feature the game given the closing of the Gamefound campaign for the 51st State Ultimate Edition. Plus it's a really solid game and definitely one of the best parts of the Portal Games family.

I love the setting. Tobie enjoys the gameplay challenge. We both wish we could play the original Neuroshima RPG that this and other Portal Games are set in. And we love how the core engine that drives this game resulted in other amazing games including our much-loved Imperial Settlers, Alien Artifacts, and more recently Imperial Settlers: Empires of the North. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep. 317: Celebrating Game Masters

Today's #BaduyPride episode is our contribution to celebrating International GM's Day, which is celebrated on 04 March every year. Game Masters are the brave souls who have helped many players (old and new) discover new game worlds and craft some amazing stories together. And given all the work that running tabletop RPGs involve, it's only right that we invested some time in celebrating this essential aspect of the gaming hobby.

Tobie got me into the hobby by including me in his ongoing campaign and has run so many, many games for me since then, so this episode had a bit more of a focus on his experience as a GM and all the adventures in running games. But he has also inspired me to try to run games as well and I was glad to be able to contribute something to the discussion as well. 

Happy International GM's Day!

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep. 316: Adventures Above and Below

We wanted to feature a more narrative tabletop game for #BaduyPride tonight and we decided to talk about Above and Below created by Ryan Laukat and published by Red Raven Games. This 2-4 player game has players put in charge of different sets of villages who have an opportunity to explore underground caverns, find unique resources, build out the village and find more villages to aid in future explorations.

The exploration action as tied to the book of encounters is a central part of the game as a lot of resources can only be found through such explorations and you won't be able to build underground outposts without earning empty caverns. And this is really where the game shines and most of the fun is to be found. The other systems around it can feel a little complex in the beginning, but they call come together in the end to make for quite the unique game experience. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!