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Richard and Karl venture into the dangerous world of Daggerheart, playing through the official quickstart adventure in a special one-on-one session to test the new game by Darrington Press.

• Comprehensive overview of Daggerheart's core mechanics, including the hope/fear duality dice system, character experiences, and streamlined combat
• Exploration of the Sablewood Forest and its unique hybrid animals like lemur toads and strix wolves
• Encounter with bandit Thistlefolk who attempt to ambush and steal from our hero
• Visit to the peaceful village of Hush with its magical protective barrier and unusual customs
• Meeting with the eccentric Whitefire Arcanist, a fairy-like being with mysterious powers
• Epic final battle to protect a magical ritual that maintains the village's protective wards
• Demonstration of Daggerheart's death and sacrifice mechanics when our hero falls in battle
• Side-by-side comparison of how this system differs from D&D and other traditional TTRPGs

If you're interested in trying Daggerheart, the quickstart adventure we played is available for free on the Darrington Press website!

P.S, I got the crit mechanic wrong!

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Richard and Karl critique anime's problematic tropes while exploring the ethics of charity, business responsibilities, and graduation ceremonies.

• Discover how the Titanic board game works with passengers, lifeboats, and flooding mechanics
• Debate the ethical complexity of giving away free food versus supporting systemic change
• Explore the ethics of performing welfare checks on elderly customers showing signs of memory issues
• Experience Richard's graduation ceremony, complete with academic traditions and awkward encounters as he Han Solo's the president
• Analyze problematic anime tropes including exploding clothes, mid-season character dumps, and hypersexualization
• Consider how certain anime concepts fail in execution despite having interesting premises
• Discuss examples of anime that stumble at the ending like "Kaido: The Right Answer"

If you're writing a story, you don't need to explode clothes. You could write an entire series where everyone stays appropriately clothed the entire time. You have our permission.

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We dive deep into the world of brand loyalty and how it affects our gaming choices, from trading card games to tabletop RPGs, questioning why we remain loyal to companies with questionable ethics.

• The ethics of emergency pizza delivery for wildfire evacuees and the problems with tip-based compensation
• Richard's unexpected capybara encounter at High Park and celebrating post-graduation achievements
• Why Magic: The Gathering's "Universes Beyond" sets represent corporate greed over gameplay design
• How Flesh and Blood cards offer a more ethically-produced alternative to Magic but struggle against established IP
• The challenge of convincing D&D players to try Daggerheart despite its improved game mechanics
• Discussion of why Monster Sanctuary can't compete with Pokémon despite offering better gameplay
• Random questions about being isekai'd into magical worlds and using Pokémon as lease negotiators

Support indie game developers and try games like Sea of Stars, Expedition 33, and Monster Sanctuary. Check out Daggerheart's free YouTube videos and starter kit to experience a more ethically-designed TTRPG.

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Richard and Karl take a deep dive into the current Shonen Jump landscape, analyzing what makes certain manga stand out while others falter. The hosts examine more than twenty ongoing series, from popular heavyweights to newcomers, evaluating their storytelling quality, character development, and creative elements. Also Karl could fie to the slightest cut and people are paying Richard to put words on paper.

• Chainsaw Man represents peak storytelling with authentic character relationships and thoughtful exploration of teenage development
• Boruto struggles with antagonist development and character agency compared to its predecessor
• Kagurabachi stands out for exceptional pacing and creative action sequences
• RuriDragon provides refreshing simplicity with genuine character growth
• World Trigger suffers from pacing issues despite strong worldbuilding
• Kaiju No. 8 impresses with consistent quality and focused storytelling
• The Martial King's visual style outshines its narrative substance
• One Piece has lost focus on its main characters' dreams and motivations
• Spy Family's slow pacing undermines its interesting premise
• Dandadan and Sakamoto Days show promise but struggle with growing character rosters
• Anyone remember Psyren or Doron Dororon

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Richard and Karl explore the philosophical implications of time travel narratives in fiction while weaving through personal anecdotes about funeral invitations and professional boundaries.

• Karl shares a story about receiving a funeral invitation for an ex-employee from the employee's grandmother
• Richard discusses his recent academic adventures and collecting promotional swag from campus events
• The hosts break down five frameworks of time travel in fiction: fixed timeline, dynamic timeline, multiverse, time loop, and non-linear time
• Analysis of time travel execution in various media including Steins Gate, Back to the Future, Dragon Ball, and Marvel's Avengers
• Discussion of why some approaches to time travel storytelling succeed while others inevitably create plot holes
• Exploration of philosophical questions including whether decisions made under emotional manipulation are truly free choices
• Hypothetical scenarios including which animals would be most sarcastic if they could talk and societal impacts if the moon became a mirror
• Debate about whether to accept a job as a lottery-winning friend's personal chauffeur

Make your funeral interesting enough for us to attend - perhaps with a Super Smash Bros tournament where the winner gets your belongings.

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We explore the curious absence of actual teachers in anime school settings and discuss what makes a genuine teacher versus just a "sensei" character.

• Karl shares his vampire blood test conspiracy theory after a mix-up at the clinic(yes he is dying).
• Richard recounts his wild gala experience where he surprised former classmates with unexpected dance moves
• We analyze why so many anime series set in schools completely lack faculty supervision
• Popular anime like "The Irregular at Magic Academy" feature student-led responses to terrorism with no adult intervention
• We critique ranking lists that conflate "sensei" characters with actual classroom teachers
• Koro-sensei from Assassination Classroom represents the gold standard for anime teachers
• Many series like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen quickly abandon their school settings
• The problem with turning every protagonist's background into something special rather than letting them be ordinary
• Our picks for which characters would make excellent teachers in series lacking faculty

If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe to Deep Space and Dragons wherever you get your podcasts!

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Richard and Karl explore the emerging phenomenon of "reboot-quills" - sequels that remake the original story with new characters. They discuss how these productions allow studios to secure funding by pitching familiar IPs while attempting to capture new audiences.

• Richard shares updates about attending a student gala and his transition between academic programs
• Karl discusses watching "The Bondsman" starring Kevin Bacon, prompting a conversation about media recycling
• The hosts coin the term "reboot-quill" to describe sequels that essentially remake the original story
• They analyze successful examples like Top Gun: Maverick and Tron Legacy alongside failures like Matrix 4
• The financial motivations behind reboot-quills are examined, highlighting how studios secure investor funding
• Various franchises across movies, TV shows, and anime are analyzed for their reboot-quill approaches
• The episode concludes with random questions about outsourcing experiences and renaming Earth

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Richard and Karl dive into the ethical complexities of AI-generated content, workplace dynamics, and character creation in tabletop RPGs while sharing personal updates and anime observations.

• Richard balances multiple jobs while helping students with their emotional wellbeing
• Karl works on his rock-paper-scissors card game using light table technology
• The legal implications of AI-generated art mean no one truly owns the copyright
• Using AI in creative processes raises ethical questions about supporting actual artists
• Character creation in Vampire the Masquerade requires thoughtful consideration of motivations
• Anime characters sometimes feel like they belong in completely different shows
• Chi-Chi from Dragon Ball would dominate Iron Chef competition due to her experience feeding Saiyans
• Impractical weapons in anime like returning boomerangs defy real-world physics

Support the show

Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
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