Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The group finds Hector, but the Diabolist’s cultists have used his blood to open a hellhole in Santa Cora. The group battles to save their friend from cultists and demons!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Combat Drums – Platemail Games

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The group finds Hector, but the Diabolist’s cultists have used his blood to open a hellhole in Santa Cora. The group battles to save their friend from cultists and demons!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Combat Drums – Platemail Games

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

As the group flees onto the streets of Santa Cora, the Priestess’ city is rocked by earthquakes and a hellhole?

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The group stumble into inns, inquisitors, and inquistative teifling!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The group levels and heads to Santa Cora, where they discover signs of the Diabolist’s interest… hellholes in Santa Cora!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Here the group has the denouement of the Library and prepare to embark out into the Dragon Empire once again!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

This is it! The finale of the first adventure and of level 1. Continuing to move backwards through time, the party attempts to vanquish the Diabolist’s agents and recover the lost prophecies.

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Combat Drums – Platemail Games

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The final battle continues as the group moves backwards through time! Round Three – Fight!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Combat Drums – Platemail Games

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

We are back! After months of scheduling issues, the cast was back in the studio and the adventure continues!

The final battle continues as the group moves backwards through time!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Combat Drums – Platemail Games

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

We are back! After months of scheduling issues, the cast was back in the studio and the adventure continues!

The final battle begins. But wait… the Escalation Die is at 5? What sort of time travel shenanigans happend with those Icon Releationships last time? Find out!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Combat Drums – Platemail Games

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

We are back! After months of scheduling issues, the cast was back in the studio and the adventure continues!

The group, with two kobold allies, attempt to breach the Halls of Prophecy and stop the Diabolist from acquiring the 7th prophecy of Tatian the Apostate!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The battle with the kobolds in the Tower of Bu concludes in a shocking way! The group gains new allies and insights into the attack on the Library.

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Combat Drums – Platemail Games
Kobold Angry & Hurt – Wes Otis
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Round 3 – Fight! The battle with the kobolds in the Tower of Bu continues!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Battleaxe Hits Chainmail – Ilicevici Serban
Combat Drums – Platemail Games
Weapon Sounds – Ilicevici Serban & Pablo Betancourt
Holy Sword – Mark Stothard
Mudman Attack – Wes Otis
Kobold Angry & Hurt – Wes Otis
Burning Hands – Marc Cholette
Arrow Barrage Trap – SidnSound

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Round 2 – Fight! The battle with the kobolds in the Tower of Bu continues!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Battleaxe Hits Chainmail – Ilicevici Serban
Combat Drums – Platemail Games
Weapon Sounds – Ilicevici Serban & Pablo Betancourt
Holy Sword – Mark Stothard
Mudman Attack – Wes Otis
Kobold Angry & Hurt – Wes Otis
Burning Hands – Marc Cholette
Arrow Barrage Trap – SidnSound

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The group encounters kobolds in the Library of Bu. What horrors await them in this fight? And what secrets will Rob reveal?

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Battleaxe Hits Chainmail – Ilicevici Serban
Combat Drums – Platemail Games
Weapon Sounds – Ilicevici Serban & Pablo Betancourt
Holy Sword – Mark Stothard
Mudman Attack – Wes Otis
Kobold Angry & Hurt – Wes Otis
Burning Hands – Marc Cholette
Arrow Barrage Trap – SidnSound

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Technical difficulties have plagued Iconic Studios for the last couple of months, but they seem to have been solved! Welcome back to our campaign!

Welcome to the Library of Bu! In this episode, the group begins their exploration of the Library of Bu. Also, Rob gives updates on the 2e Bard!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Technical difficulties have plagued Iconic Studios for the last couple of months, but they seem to have been solved! Welcome back to our campaign!

The group explores the library, meets the librarian, and discovers where they are….

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Technical difficulties have plagued Iconic Studios for the last couple of months, but they seem to have been solved! We will be back in the studio in the upcoming weeks to record our next sessions, but until then, here are the first of two usable recordings from our last session: a recap of the campaign so far. 

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The group ends the fight in the strange Library. Rob reveals some design thoughts on the 13th Age Barbarian.

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:

Battleaxe Hits Chainmail – Ilicevici Serban
Combat Drums – Platemail Games
Weapon Sounds – Ilicevici Serban & Pablo Betancourt
Holy Sword – Mark Stothard
Mudman Attack – Wes Otis

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The group begins a fight in the strange Library. Rob reveals some design thoughts on the 13th Age Bard and Fighter, and things get weird with Scrolems!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:

Battleaxe Hits Chainmail – Ilicevici Serban
Combat Drums – Platemail Games
Weapon Sounds – Ilicevici Serban & Pablo Betancourt
Holy Sword – Mark Stothard
Mudman Attack – Wes Otis

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The group conludes their investigation of the cave and its statues. Harrier discovers a link between the caves and a dark prophect. Tava comes to terms with her axe.

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada
Battleaxe Hits Chainmail – Ilicevici Serban
Rolling Boulders – Ravi Nidamarthy
Teleport Long Range – Pablo Betancourt

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

The group investigates the cave, and discovers there is more going on then they anticipated!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Rob joins the game! The group finds a bard and the bard finds a group. What lies beyond the cavern entrance? Find out now!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Jokull (Orchestral Version) & Explorer – Alexander Nakarada

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Note – We know that Becca’s microphone was rough this session and are working to clean it up.

The battle continues! Will the heroes defeat the orcs and discover what they were up to? Find out now!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Lush Forest, Day – Rafael Hofstadter
Combat Drums – Platemail Games
Orc 1 – Platemail Games
Orc 2 – Platemail Games
Punch Sounds – Marco Imperatori
Weapon Sounds – Ilicevici Serban & Pablo Betancourt
Holy Sword – Mark Stothard
Bow Shot – Wes Otis

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Note – We know that Becca’s microphone was rough this session and are working to clean it up.

The heroes, head out into the woods, hot on the trail of orcs. Twist – they found them!

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Lush Forest, Day – Rafael Hofstadter
Combat Drums – Platemail Games
Orc 1 – Platemail Games
Orc 2 – Platemail Games
Punch Sounds – Marco Imperatori
Weapon Sounds – Ilicevici Serban & Pablo Betancourt
Holy Sword – Mark Stothard

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Note – We know that Becca’s microphone was rough this session and are working to clean it up.

The heroes, gathered in the Gearbox inn, meet one another and uncover the possibility of adventure.

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Traders of Silk and bread by Diego Guillen
Town Marketplace, Day by Andrii Mardanov
The Backhouse Tavern, Fantasy by Alexander Buttsynov

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the Seventh Season of the Iconic Podcast and our first season long actual play. Join our heroes: Mark, Becca, Evan, and Ben as we playtest 13th Age Second Edition.

Note – We know that Becca’s microphone was rough this session and are working to clean it up.

All music used in the show was provided by Battlebards, including:
Traders of Silk and bread by Diego Guillen
Town Marketplace, Day by Andrii Mardanov

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we continue our look at Swords of the Serpentine, a sword and sorcery RPG using the Gumshoe system by Pelgrane Press. This is the second part of our interivew with Emily and Kevin, the designers of Swords of the Serpentine.

You can buy the Swords of the Serpentine PDF here!

or the physical book here!

Emily’s Dugeonomics Column

Swords of the Serpentine Free Resources

Swords of the Serpentine Page XX Articles

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we continue our look at Swords of the Serpentine, a sword and sorcery RPG using the Gumshoe system by Pelgrane Press. Emily and Kevin, the designers of Swords of the Serpentine, join us to discuss their journey in creating the game.

You can buy the Swords of the Serpentine PDF here!

or the physical book here!

Emily’s Dugeonomics Column

Swords of the Serpentine Free Resources

Swords of the Serpentine Page XX Articles

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we continue our look at Swords of the Serpentine, a sword and sorcery RPG using the Gumshoe system by Pelgrane Press. This week, we look the city of Eversink and the Coprses Abound adventure!.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we continue our look at Swords of the Serpentine, a sword and sorcery RPG using the Gumshoe system by Pelgrane Press. This week, we look the setting’s adversaries and GM Advice!.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we continue our look at Swords of the Serpentine, a sword and sorcery RPG using the Gumshoe system by Pelgrane Press. This week, we look at hazards, sorcery, and wealth.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we continue our look at Swords of the Serpentine, a sword and sorcery RPG using the Gumshoe system by Pelgrane Press. This week, we look at the rules changes to Gumshoe and how Kevin and Emily use them to capture the feel of Eversink.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we start our look at Swords of the Serpentine, a sword and sorcery RPG using the Gumshoe system by Pelgrane Press. This week, we look at the professions and skills, and how Kevin and Emily use them to capture the feel of Eversink.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we present the second half of our NBA actual play of the Van Helsing Letter.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we present the first half of our NBA actual play of the Van Helsing Letter.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we conclude our review of the amazing Dracula Dossier, a campaign for NBA!

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, we discuss the amazing Dracula Dossier, a campaign for NBA! We discuss the framework, the set up, and the far reach of this campaign.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, Becca and Mark continue their look at Double Tap! They discuss what is in it, what its strengths are, and if it is a must have for any NBA Directors!

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week, Becca and Mark look at Double Tap! They discuss what is in it, what its strengths are, and if it is a must have for any NBA Player!

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

We are back to Gumshoe and Night’s Black Agents! This week, Becca and Mark look at the Director’s Screen and Resource Book! They discuss what is in it, what its strengths are, and if it is a must have for any NBA Director.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

We are taking a brief break from our regularly scheduled Gumshoe message for this breaking news! 13th Age Second Edition was announced at Gen Con, and we have an interview with Rob Heinsoo about it!

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

We are taking a brief break from our regularly scheduled Gumshoe message for this breaking news! 13th Age Second Edition was announced at Gen Con, and we have an interview with Rob Heinsoo about it!

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This is the third part of our Gumshoe: Night’s Black Agents Introduction. We delve into Pelgrane’s fantastic spy vs vampires RPG, wrapping up our look of the Core Rules with the GM rules and resources…such as the famed Conspyramid.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This is the second part of our Gumshoe: Night’s Black Agents Introduction. We delve into Pelgrane’s fantastic spy vs vampires RPG, continually with our look at the character mechanics and how thrilling combats and chases work!

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This is the first part of our Gumshoe: Night’s Black Agents Introduction. We delve into Pelgrane’s fantastic spy vs vampires RPG, starting with a look at how it is different from Trail of Cthulhu.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This is the second half of our Gumshoe: Trail of Cthulhu Actual Play – Midnight at the Clock Tower. Join us as Becca runs Rook, Kirk, Mark, Evan, and J-M through a mythos mystery of her own design.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This is the first half of our Gumshoe: Trail of Cthulhu Actual Play – Midnight at the Clock Tower. Join us as Becca runs Rook, Kirk, Mark, Evan, and J-M through a mythos mystery of her own design.

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode we review the outstanding Eternal Lies – a world-spaning campaign for Trail of Cthulhu.

Looking for a copy of Eternal Lies?

Here it is on:
Pelgrane Press Website
Drivethrurpg – Just the Book
Drivethrurpg – The Eternal Lies Suite

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode we review the outstanding Hideous Creatures – the Mythos bestiary for Trail of Cthulhu.

Looking for a copy of Hideous Creatures?

Here it is on:
Pelgrane Press Website
Amazon
Drivethrurpg

*Disclosure: This description may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, may mean I earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode we conclude our discussion on the Trail of Cthulhu core book. We look at the Keeper’s section of the rulebook, the introduction adventure, and give our thoughts on the book!

Here is the Trail of Cthulhu Investigator Creation Cheat Sheet that Becca mentioned:
https://pelgranepress.com/seepagexx/files/CharGen.pdf

And here is the resource page for Trail of Cthulhu on Pelgrane’s Website
https://pelgranepress.com/2014/02/22/free-downloads-and-resources-for-trail-of-cthulhu/

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode we continue our discussion on Trail of Cthulhu. We discuss the Trail of Cthulhu specialized rules and how they handle the gods and monsters of the Cthulhu Mythos

Here is the Trail of Cthulhu Investigator Creation Cheat Sheet that Becca mentioned:
https://pelgranepress.com/seepagexx/files/CharGen.pdf

And here is the resource page for Trail of Cthulhu on Pelgrane’s Website
https://pelgranepress.com/2014/02/22/free-downloads-and-resources-for-trail-of-cthulhu/

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode we begin our discussion on Trail of Cthulhu. Hear J-M give an overview of Lovecraftian Horror and the cast as they delve investigator creation in Trail of Cthulhu!

Here is the Trail of Cthulhu Investigator Creation Cheat Sheet that Becca mentioned:
https://pelgranepress.com/seepagexx/files/CharGen.pdf

And here is the resource page for Trail of Cthulhu on Pelgrane’s Website
https://pelgranepress.com/2014/02/22/free-downloads-and-resources-for-trail-of-cthulhu/

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode we review the Gumshoe 101 docs, give you an overview of the system and the settings we will be looking at in Season 6, and discuss our Gumeshoe Size!

http://pelgranepress.com/gumshoe/files/GUMSHOE-101-for-Players.pdf

http://pelgranepress.com/gumshoe/files/GUMSHOE-101-for-GMs.pdf

http://pelgranepress.com/gumshoe/files/GUMSHOE-102-for-GMs.pdf

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the start of Season 6! In this episode we introduce ourselves, our games, and start our discussion of Gumshoe!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to the end of Season 5! In this episode we discuss the season, our favorite episodes, and preview the changes for Season 6!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

We were able to play in Cody’s 13th Age campaign on the Pelgrane Press Twitch channel. This episode, we discuss what we learned from playing in a game as a team.

You can find Cody’s game on the official Twitch Channel for Pelgrane Pres, every Monday night at – https://www.twitch.tv/pelgranepress

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

We are pleased to bring Cody and most of the cast for the 13th Age Twitch show (on Pelgrane’s Twitch Channel) onto the show! In this episode (Part 2 of 2), we discuss their thoughts on the current campaign and what they have loved about 13th Age.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

We are pleased to bring Cody and most of the cast for the 13th Age Twitch show (on Pelgrane’s Twitch Channel) onto the show! In this episode (Part 1 of 2), we discuss how they got into gaming, 13th Age, and streaming.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

We are pleased to bring Rob Heinsoo back onto the show! In this episode (you can listen to Part 1 here), we discuss what he’s been up to, the various games he’s been creating and playing, and what he’s excited about for the future of 13th Age.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

We are pleased to bring Rob Heinsoo back onto the show! In this episode (Part 1 of 2), we discuss what he’s been up to, the various games he’s been creating and playing, and what he’s excited about for the future of 13th Age.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this Random Encounter, we were asked by one of our patrons to design a Narnian-themed Haunted House adventure, and we were happy to oblige!

We start with a discussion about what makes something ‘Narnian’ then dive into a brainstorming session on what sort of adventure we could come up with.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

For this episode, we were asked to review the book, Gamemasterclass. It’s a book full of great advice for GMs on ways to improve your game. Our discussion of the book grew into a discussion about being a good GM, so we’ve split this review into two parts. You can listen to Part 1 here.

If you are interested in picking up the book (and we certainly recommend doing so), you can find it on DriveThruRPG (link).

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode, we were asked to review the book, Gamemasterclass. It’s a book full of great advice for GMs on ways to improve your game. Our discussion of the book grew into a discussion about being a good GM, so we’ve split this review into two parts.

If you are interested in picking up the book (and we certainly recommend doing so), you can find it on DriveThruRPG (link).

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this Part 3 of our recorded live episode (you can listen to Part 1 and Part 2 here), we dive into a discussion of the genre that comes stock with 13th Age (high fantasy) then talk about ways to adapt that to different fantasy genres. What would need to be done to run 13th Age in a Sword and Sorcery or Low-Fantasy setting? Or what about a Science-Fantasy setting? In addition to talking about what’s defining of those genres, we talk about ways to reskin classes, what mechanics might need to be tweaked, and how the Icons might be played differently.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this Part 2 of our recorded live episode (you can listen to Part 1 here), we dive into a discussion of the genre that comes stock with 13th Age (high fantasy) then talk about ways to adapt that to different fantasy genres. What would need to be done to run 13th Age in a Sword and Sorcery or Low-Fantasy setting? Or what about a Science-Fantasy setting? In addition to talking about what’s defining of those genres, we talk about ways to reskin classes, what mechanics might need to be tweaked, and how the Icons might be played differently.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this Part 1 of our recorded live episode, we dive into a discussion of the genre that comes stock with 13th Age (high fantasy) then talk about ways to adapt that to different fantasy genres. What would need to be done to run 13th Age in a Sword and Sorcery or Low-Fantasy setting? Or what about a Science-Fantasy setting? In addition to talking about what’s defining of those genres, we talk about ways to reskin classes, what mechanics might need to be tweaked, and how the Icons might be played differently.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode, we take a look at a classic F20 monster – the minotaur! We talk a bit about its mythic origins, how they’re portrayed in 13th Age, and how they might make a good antagonist!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode, we discuss one of the role-playing aspects of the GM – handling all the Non-Player Characters, or NPCs for short. We talk about the ways they outnumber the Player Characters, how to leverage 13th Age mechanics with them, converting PCs to NPCs and vice versa, and how to handle it when the PCs become hostile to NPCs.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode, we continue our discussion about ways to make combat encounters more engaging by having the characters interact with more than just the baddie they’re up against. This is a continuation of the discussion started in Part 1 and Part 2. Making use of things like distance, terrain, hazards, and timers can really increase the dynamics of the gameplay!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode, we continue our discussion about ways to make combat encounters more engaging by having the characters interact with more than just the baddie they’re up against. This is a continuation of the discussion started in Part 1. Making use of things like distance, terrain, hazards, and timers can really increase the dynamics of the gameplay!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode, we dive into a discussion about ways to make combat encounters more engaging by having the characters interact with more than just the baddie they’re up against. Making use of things like distance, terrain, hazards, and timers can really increase the dynamics of the gameplay!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode, we take another look at one of the iconic elements of 13th Age – the characters’ One Unique Thing. We had discussed this back in Season 1 Episode 08, but now that we have a few more years of experience, it’s worth revisiting that discussion. In addition to talking about what we’ve learned along the way, we also highlight a few One Unique Things given to us by patrons and talk about how we might leverage them in a campaign.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

In this episode, we take an in-depth look at one of the unique 13th Age monsters – the briar elves! We discuss who (and what) they are, their potential origins in the Dragon Empire, how to use them to create a heightened sense of tension at your table, and even how to make them a key part of a campaign!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

We held another live episode for our patrons (shout out to all who submitted questions!!), discussing the various aspects of the question ‘how do we plan our games?” Listen in to Part 3 (of 3) of that discussion, and let us know what sort of things you do in your game planning!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

We held another live episode for our patrons (shout out to all who submitted questions!!), discussing the various aspects of the question ‘how do we plan our games?” Listen in to Part 2 (of 3) of that discussion, and let us know what sort of things you do in your game planning!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

We held another live episode for our patrons (shout out to all who submitted questions!!), discussing the various aspects of the question ‘how do we plan our games?” Listen in to Part 1 (of 3) of that discussion, and let us know what sort of things you do in your game planning!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

In Season 4 Episode 25, we discussed a Virtual Table Top program called FoundryVTT. That discussion garnered much follow-up interaction with our listeners, and we are pleased to have another discussion on it! Joining us this time are Foundry developer Cody Swendrowski and the creator of the 13th Age module, Matt Smith. We get to hear from them what makes this a unique VTT as well as some exciting 13th Age-specific features in the pipeline!

You can find out more information about this Virtual Table Top and try out a demo of it at foundryvtt.com.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

Our next episode will feature Jennie, whom you might recognize from a couple of the games we air. She’s getting ready to start a 13th Age campaign of her own, so we wanted to have her on the podcast and see what 13th Age looks like through fresh eyes. We hear about what drew her to the system, what she’s most excited about, and a teaser or two about her new campaign.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Join us for the next episode of Iconic Podcast as we talk about a way to bring some fun and immersion to the table – namely using game props! Whether it be a simple picture found on the internet or a handmade puzzle box or elaborate set pieces, props are a great way to connect the players with what’s going on in the story.

Here are some links to some prop resources that we talked about:

Pelgrane Press Resource Site
13th Age Icon Tokens
Invisible UV Markers
Elemental Ink
DungeonCraft YouTube Channel
Play Dirty by John Wick

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

Welcome to Season 5 of Iconic Podcast! To start off this new season, we take a step back and evaluate our highlights of Season 4 then dive into a discussion on what we’re looking forward to in Season 5.

If you have any ideas of things we could include in this next season or have a topic you’d like for us to cover, be sure to leave us a comment!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week we have a special treat in store for you, as our very own JM is interviewed about the RPG he wrote! Join us as we hear his take on the Jackals game, from his own elevator pitch to his inspirations and his favorite mechanics and some fun in-game moments that came up during development.

If you’d like to pick up your own copy, you can do so at Osprey Publishing, Amazon, or DriveThruRPG!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And don’t forget to check out the Iconic Production Twitch Channel, where you can find lots of great gaming content, and pick up some Iconic gear at our Redbubble site!

This week we discuss one of the newer Virtual Table Tops to the market, FoundryVTT. We talk about some of the things that make this a unique VTT, what sort of 13th Age support it has, and some of our likes and dislikes of it. You can find out more information about this Virtual Table Top and try out a demo of it at foundryvtt.com.

It’s worth noting that between the time of our recording and publishing this episode, an update was released for the Foundry 13th Age system that resolves some of our critiques. For more information, visit the module’s website.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

This week we give the Iconic Review on the upcoming Crown of Axis book, which will soon be released as a PDF-only product.

Wade Rockett did a fantastic job on this introductory adventure, and it’s a scenario that’ll be unique every time you run it! Keep an eye on Pelgrane’s website for the upcoming release!

We’re excited that Simone was commissioned for some outstanding art pieces for this product. Be sure to check out her Instagram page!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

This week we take an Iconic Look at another one of the 13 Icons of the Dragon Empire: the Emperor. We talk about how he is portrayed in the setting material, what sort of interest the other Icons might have in upsetting his hold on civilization, and how we might use him as a primary Icon in a campaign.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

This week we conclude our series on Chaos in Glorantha – unpacking more 13th Age Gloranthan monsters and their unique mechanics which really portray the horribleness that is Chaos!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

This week we continue the discussion about Chaos started in our last episode, and we examine a number of the 13th Age Glorantha Chaos creatures.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

Join us for Part 1 of 2 episodes, where Evan (co-host of Exploring Glorantha) joins us as we discuss the concept of Chaos and the different ways it’s portrayed in F20 games. We also examine Chaos in Glorantha and take an in-depth look at how it’s used in 13th Age Glorantha and the different ways it ‘breaks the rules.’

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

This week we give the Iconic Review on the upcoming Elven Towers book, which is a champion-tiered adventure set deep in the lore of the elves. While we try to keep it spoiler-free, we do cover each section of the book, so listen at your own peril!

Cal Moore did a fantastic job on this book, and it’s chock-full of 13th Age gaming goodness! If you want to pick up the PDF or pre-order the physical (and get the PDF too!), you can do so over at Pelgrane’s website.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

We did a live (video) show with our patrons on the topic of Giants! We talk through some of the history through F20 games and how they’re portrayed in 13th Age and 13th Age Glorantha. You can go back and listen to Part 1 and Part 2 here.

If you would like to participate in future live shows like this, please consider becoming a patron!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

The Escalation! Fanzine team is putting together a special issue entitled, “Red Moon and Warring Kingdoms” as a sourcebook for the Lunar Way of Glorantha. They are doing a tribal edit of this and could use your help!

If you’re interested in learning more or helping out, please send an email to escalationfanzine (at) gmail (dot) com.

We did a live (video) show with our patrons on the topic of Giants! We talk through some of the history through F20 games and how they’re portrayed in 13th Age and 13th Age Glorantha. You can go back and listen to Part 1 here.

If you would like to participate in future live shows like this, please consider becoming a patron!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

As the characters fight in a battle, they build up momentum and tactical advantages that help them defeat their opponents. This bonus to attacks that increases as the fight goes on is represented by the escalation die. (p 162).

Essentially, it represents the PCs growing to understand the creatures they are facing and the gradual shift in battles to their favor. Now the escalation die has a lot of integration in 13th Age already. Many powers—for both PCs and monsters—trigger off it. And there is a bit of advice on setting the die to different starting values in the Gamemaster’s Resource Book (see page 58 of that book).

We at Iconic have talked about the escalation die in episode 9 of Season 1 (check it out here). Since then, J-M has used the escalation die in new ways, and is sharing them now:

Chaotic Escalation – 13th Age Glorantha introduced two new ways to employ the escalation die revolving around how different categories of monsters—the Lunars and Chaos—interact with it. When fighting Lunars the escalation die advances by two (1,3,5 or 0,2,4,6) and then ebbs back down in a similar manner. Chaos has a 25% chance of stealing the escalation die each round. This gives each of these monsters a unique feel to them and makes them a bit more unpredictable to fight. It also throws the default assumptions out the window for players. That first time the escalation die does not do what it’s supposed to, you can see the players sit up!

Adapting these rules for the Dragon Empire is simple. The Lunar progression easily adapts to fighting lycanthropes or places where magic is out of whack. The Archmage’s wards are failing? Deep in a Hellhole? Traveling to the Overworld but the Djinn are working to stop you? The die advances by two and then retreats, it fits for places where the normal rules of the world don’t work. As for the theft of the escalation die, J-M now uses it whenever the Prince of Shadows is involved. After all, the Prince can steal anything right?

Horrific DE-escalation – The escalation die gives the players a sense that they are in control. Eventually that die will start triggering all of the cool powers and that +3 in the fourth round is super nice. It represents the heroic fantasy nature of the game. But, what if you want a fight to be a bit more scary. Try starting with a double strength (or because J-M is evil, a triple strength) battle, and starting the escalation die at 5 or 6. The PCs will feel like Big Damn Heroes, until at the start of round two, the escalation die drops by one…and continues to drop. In this case, the die is a timer. The heroes will grow weaker as they face the magic/life draining forces of the BBEG, or just succumb to the horror of what they are facing.

Escalation Timers – We touched on this one in the episode, but J-M loves using this. Using the escalation die as a fight timer for when events in the battle trigger. Use the different values to see when things happen. For example:

• Every time the escalation die reaches an odd number, more reinforcements arrive on the scene, giving the battle the sense of unstoppable waves of minions flooding into the fight.
• The area of the battle is unstable, and if the escalation die gets to 6, before the heroes defeat the monsters and get out, the ceiling collapses causing major damage.
• Events—traps, magical rites, healing, summoning, etc—which trigger on certain numbers.
• Villainous soliloquies spaced out throughout the round!
• The classic ‘stop the ritual’ quest becomes more interesting if it goes off when the escalation die reaches 2 and gets worse the longer the heroes take.

Escalation Trade Off – J-M is a big fan of consequences in his games. He will often negotiate with players or plan in scene effects which will grant the players a boon at the cost of the escalation die. In exchange for what the players want—or as a consequence of them calling in a ‘5’—the escalation die may freeze for several rounds at a specific number—usually 0. This represents the fact that the monsters had a plan or more time to prepare. In one case, the cost was that the die started at 1, but the monsters got it the first round! Then it dropped to 0, and then increased as normal. Escalation die trade offs are the perfect consequence for a 5 on an icon relationship.

Those are just some of the new ways Iconic are using the escalation die. What are some unique ways you have used it? Let us know!

Written by J-M

We did a live (video) show with our patrons on the topic of Giants! We talk through some of the history through F20 games and how they’re portrayed in 13th Age and 13th Age Glorantha.

If you would like to participate in future live shows like this, please consider becoming a patron!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

This week we bring Tim back onto the show to talk about the 13th Age fanzine, Escalation! It’s a wonderful publication that is well worth picking up and reading!

(Be aware that we experienced some intermittent, technical difficulties while recording the discussion; please forgive the sections of poor audio quality.)

You can access the eight Escalation! volumes, the two 13th Age Glorantha adventures, as well as send in your own submission, by going to https://escalationfanzine.blogspot.com

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron or by using our Amazon referral link to do your online shopping.

It’s always bandits. Does this sound familiar? Your group encounters the same things every game session. Your players solve the encounters with little difficulty and it’s all rather boring. No one knows the cool things that one character can do because the encounters fall flat. 

If that is familiar, it is time to have a sit down with your players. Whoa! Not to chide or berate them, but to brainstorm together things everyone can have on their montage cheatsheet. 

Sometimes players have a hard time thinking up something to add to the montage. Most people aren’t used to thinking up problems for others to solve on the spot. That’s a GM skill many people have to develop. It is better to encourage the players to co-create lists and options for montages outside of the game. Here are several lists to get your party started. I highly recommend that you create your own lists with your players. They will have a lot of bright ideas, but probably need time to think up the montage. 

13 things to encounter in…

City

1. Two people are arguing loudly in the street, blocking traffic. 
2.  Overturned cart of cabbages with the owner bemoaning his loss of profit.
3.  A gang of street thieves threaten the group. 
4.  Urchins steal a magical item causing mayhem in the streets.
5.  A building is burning along your route.
6.  A child is in a locked cellar.
7.  Giant rat is chasing villagers.
8.  Cultists surround the group and demand they sacrifice to the gods.
9.  A freak wind storm blows over a tall building trapping the group.
10.  A circus group has set up camp on the entrance to the sewers.
11.  [Insert your favorite monster here] is following the group.
12.  The only way through the village is over the rooftops.
13.  The roads are too confusing to figure out the correct direction and the group continues in circles.

Forest

1. The sun seems to disappear in the middle of the day.
2. Howling sounds in the distance as wolves chase the party.
3. Overgrown bushes create an inescapable maze. 
4. Thorns scratch the group and poison seeps in.
5. Stepping on mushrooms on the forest floor releases toxins that cause hallucinations. 
6. Rainstorms cause flash floods.
7. Giant mosquitos attack, attempting to drain the group of their blood. 
8. A magical pond lures the group in and the possibility of drowning is real.
9. Flying monkeys appear, chattering about the Icons.
10. Voices echo through the forest, insulting the PCs, causing the group to turn on each other.
11. A group of bandits hiding in an outcropping ambush the group.
12. An empty clearing ringed with stones shoots darts at anyone trying to cross the clearing.
13. Ruins rise up from the ground and most of the group feels a sense of misgiving about it.

Desert

1. The party runs out of water.
2. Sand worms! Run!
3. Raiders appear on the horizon, chasing down the group.
4. Deep canyons criss-cross the land, blocking the path.
5. Sandstorm sweeps over the land.
6. Giant beetles swarm the party.
7. An oasis mirage causes the group to waste time chasing the fantasy.
8. Giant dried bones rise up out of the sand, calling out to the group.
9. A tomb of an undead lord is releasing mummies to chase the group.
10. Quicksand! It’s everywhere.
11. Fire sprouts out of the ground.
12. Sand collapses beneath the party, dropping them into a deep cavern.
13. Lightning strikes from a clear sky, striking the ground around the party. 

Dungeon/Sewer

1. Poisonous gas fills the tunnel.
2. Bioluminescent mushrooms give the party hallucinations.
3. Deep canyons cut off the path of the party.
4. Any torches are magically put out and the party is left in darkness.
5. A sudden earthquake causes a cave-in.
6. An underground river blocks the party.
7. A group of dark trolls ambush the party.
8. Flying bats harass the group.
9. The tunnels turn into a maze making the group completely lost.
10. Quicksand tugs at the feet of the party, beginning to drag them down. 
11. Monstrous rats surround the group.
12. A dead end blocks the obvious route for the party. 
13. A pit filled with spikes opens before the group in the path.

We hope this helps! Encourage your party to come up with their own montage ideas, but give help when they need it! If they want to make it random, they can roll on the tables you create. As a GM, it is important that you give your players creative license for their choices. If your players don’t want to roll random numbers, then allow them to choose. Reward their creativity, in problem creation and solving. We believe in giving players rewards in the narrative, allowing them to solve the problems in a way that benefits them more because of their creativity. With any luck, your players will be able to figure out how to best showcase their character’s cool traits, abilities, and one unique thing.

Written by Becca

In this episode, we give an indepth look at the 13th Age Glorantha class, the Zorak Zorani Berserker! A special thank you to Bryan for the suggestion and to Evan for joining us! Evan was a great asset as he was able to give some of the Gloranthan lore behind the class and revealed the myriad of ways that lore shines forth through the talents, features, and powers of the class.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

In our last episode we interviewed Ben and Becca, two contributing authors of the up-and-coming Mosaic books, one being Drakkenhall: City of Monsters, and the other a yet-to-be-named book on the Koru behemoths! This episode we bring two other contributing authors, Liz Argall and AnnMarie Boeve, onto the show and get their perspective!

If you want to find Liz online, her websites are lizargall.com and thingswithout.com. You can also follow her on Twitter and Patreon.

AnnMarie can be found on Twitter and WorldAnvil.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This week we interviewed two contributing authors of the up-and-coming Mosaic books, one being Drakkenhall: City of Monsters, and the other a yet-to-be-named book on the Koru behemoths! We get to hear from Ben Feehan and our very own Becca on what sort of perspective they brought and a few teasers of the things they are including!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This episode we take a closer look at one of the 13th Age Glorantha classes, the Earth Priestess! We talk about the key features of the class and how it ties so well into the lore of Glorantha. We also discuss some of our favorite Features, Talents, and Spells are, and how we might port it into a more traditional F20 world.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

We did a live (video) show with our patrons talking through some of our most memorable campaigns and answering the questions our patrons had submitted. We had a great time, and we will be releasing the recording of that as our next few episodes. You can go back and listen to Part 1 and Part 2.

If you would like to participate in future live shows like this, please consider becoming a patron!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

Alternatively, you could fully embrace the thought that ‘the dice tell a story,’ and fate may create a sub-par character for you, if, after choosing your race/class, you let the dice reveal what your stats are. Start at the top of the list and roll your 4d6 (dropping the lowest), and what you get is what it is….no shuffling the numbers around to make things work optimally for you. Of course, you still get the +2 bonuses from your race/class, but sometimes even that won’t be enough to bring it up to where it’s ‘supposed’ to be.

13th Age makes it easier to run with this sort of idea, because of the narrative flexibility it has in the use of Backgrounds, the fact that even when you miss your attacks, you’re usually dealing some damage, and the Escalation Die gives you a bonus as well. Other things like magic items and other players’ (depending on their class choice) ability to provide bonuses makes it possible to play a sub-par character without being completely ‘worthless.’

Creating a character like this can be a lot of fun as it lets you color a bit outside the lines and forces you to lean more heavily into the role-play than the roll-play. But I must caution you, it can also be quite frustrating, not just for you, but for those you’re playing with….especially if your group is relying on your Fighter to be able to land a hit on that owlbear! When your attack modifier is a +1 instead of a +5, it makes a big difference, and not in a good way! Your attacks are going to be less effective, both to hit and in the amount of damage dealt. The combat system in 13th Age is dialed in pretty tightly, so if you do bring a sub-par character to a fight, the others at your table are going to notice!

Your skill checks will be affected by reduced bonuses too, though this is more likely to resolve itself in narrative form and may not present as much difficulty as combat will. For example, if your Fighter has an STR of 9 but a CHA of 16, chances are you’re going to have her try to coerce the guards to open the portcullis instead of just attempting to lift it by herself. Any skill check that requires STR will certainly be done with a disadvantage, but there is rarely a single path forward. Player creativity will oftentimes balance this limitation on skill checks.

And yet it’s these sorts of skill checks that serve to highlight the underlying idea you have for this sub-par character. Having your Wizard be asked to make an INT check to determine which vial is poison only serves to emphasize that he’s no longer the sharpest knife in the block.

13th Age sets the expectation that the characters players create are heroes who know how to get the job done and who are experienced enough to do just that. Creating sub-par characters messes with this expectation, because your character may not be the hero that everyone thinks they are. While this makes for interesting storytelling and requires creative problem-solving, it does fiddle with many of the underlying assumptions in a 13th Age game. If this is something you want to try, definitely discuss it with your GM and the rest of your group first; doing so will minimize the frustration when it becomes apparent that this washed-up Fighter really can’t hit the broad side of an ogre!

If your GM and gaming group is on board with it, give it a go and lean into the role-play required of having a sub-par character and see what sort of great story comes out of it! But if they’d rather not adjust for such a ‘weak’ party member, remember, you can always roll the idea up into your character’s backstory; perhaps the Fighter in this example used to deftly wield a sword, but in retirement learned how to strum a lute, and now shines as a Bard!

Written by Nick

We did a live (video) show with our patrons talking through some of our most memorable campaigns and answering the questions our patrons had submitted. We had a great time, and we will be releasing the recording of that as our next few episodes. You can listen to Part 1 here.

If you would like to participate in future live shows like this, please consider becoming a patron!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

Pelgrane Press has graciously demonstrated their support of the 13th Age community by commissioning icon symbols for to be used with the Open Gaming Content Icons. Please take the time to place your vote for which community Icons you’d like to see joined to these new symbols.

Vote Here!

We did a live (video) show with our patrons talking through some of our most memorable campaigns and answering the questions our patrons had submitted. We had a great time, and we will be releasing the recording of that as our next few episodes.

If you would like to participate in future live shows like this, please consider becoming a patron!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

After you decide on what kind of character you want to play, next it’s time to decide on the class. Don’t overwhelm yourself with the most complicated class to play. Both you and the GM will get frustrated.  If you really want to go that route make sure you know the challenge and be prepared to ask for help with rules.  It helps if you have an experienced player who is willing to help you with rules and choices for the character.

Along with class, you need to choose a race. Human, dwarf, and elf have been a standard in F20 games for years. 13th Age allows for a wide variety of humanoid races to play. Again, if it is from a third party supplement, check with your GM to see if they will allow it.

Now that you have decided on class and race, it’s time to generate your abilities.  Some people like to randomly roll, some use a point buy; either works just fine.  Remember what your character concept is and assign your abilities to what you want your character to do. Now this does not mean that you cannot have a smart fighter or a strong wizard.  And there is even the concept of purposely designing a weak character, but that will be covered in another article.  For this, let us put the abilities in the corresponding slots to make our character effective as a fighter/rogue/wizard/cleric. Remember your racial/class bonus to abilities and the limits to what you can add to those bonuses.

Once that is done, or even before, you should come up with backgrounds and your One Unique Thing (OUT). These aspects of 13th Age really set it apart from other F20 games.  You might even come up with these during your discussion about the character concept. In 13th Age, you start with eight points to assign to your backgrounds, no more than five in any one background. These backgrounds replace the traditional set of skills in other games.  Instead of this skill list you have life experiences that have taught you how to climb that wall or disarm the trap or even build a bridge to escape the rampaging horde.  The earlier you work with your GM about those the better.  If you both understand the concept in your head, then when it comes up during play, everyone is happy and entertained. OUTs are unique to 13th Age. Your OUT is what sets you apart from other characters. It should not be a power booster but rather a story booster.  In our campaigns at Iconic, OUTs have driven whole campaigns.  It would take a whole article to cover all the ideas and use, but luckily the core rules have a great section explaining OUTs with some fine examples for players who get stuck coming up with one.

Along with backgrounds and OUT, Icon relationships are unique to 13th Age.  Characters start with three points to spend on relationships.  You not only have to decide which Icons, but also if your relationship is positive, negative, or conflicted.  Again these should be specific to your character and not a way to game the system.  Make the relationships fit with who your character is and you will be surprised how it moves and shapes the story.

Once these choices are made then all there is to do is to select feats/talents/powers particular to your class, determine defenses, and equip your character.  These are found under each class description.

The more you create/play 13th Age characters, the quicker this process becomes.  Oh, I almost forgot.  Select your character’s name and go have fun.

Written by Mark

This week’s episode is our review of Savage Mojo’s 13th Age product, “Nocturne.” In addition to fleshing out a gothic horror-themed setting and campaign, there are additional races, classes, and monsters. In our spoiler-free discussion, we talk about the things we liked about this book as well as a couple things we didn’t like.

You can pick up your copy of this product at DriveThruRPG. And there’s a Players’ Guide too!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This week we are back with another brainstorming session as we look at how to start a campaign that’s focused on the Undead as a core threat. We talk about how to introduce the campaign, what sort of restrictions we may want to have, what sort of threat we’d want to leverage, and how to culminate it into something worthy of transitioning into the Champion Tier.

As part of our discussion, we referenced the Mass Combat article that was posted by Wade Rockett a few years back. You can find that article here.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

You may not know this, there are a ton of great resources out there for GMs. We are in a golden age of meta-reflection on the art of GMing. People have been running games for decades and are sharing their wisdom and techniques. If you want to hone your craft, you have the resources. And in this article, I want to highlight some of them. (Note: These are all J-M’s recommendations from experience. None of these recommendations are sponsored).

Play Dirty

There are two of these books (Here Here). Play Dirty, written by John Wick of L5R & 7th Sea fame, are perhaps the two most influential books on GMing for me. He walks through how to be a dirty GM, not a killer one. Basically, a dirty GM uses every trick in the game and outside it to ramp up the intensity of the game for the players. Your players will crawl over broken glass barefoot to win, but when they do, the payoff is sweet. If you want nastier options that are narrative and not mechanically based, check these out.

Running the Game

Matt Coville has been taking the RPG sphere by storm. With two great novels, two great F20 supplements, and the Chain actual play, Matt has a lot of content. His ‘Running the Game’ series on YouTube is a fantastic way to learn more about the craft of GMing. His initial goal for the channel was to get people running D&D RIGHT NOW. I think those early videos are a great introduction to how to GM, and the series continues to evolve and grow deeper. If you are just starting out, and video is your medium of choice, check him out.

Robin’s Laws of Good Gamemastery

This is an oldie but a goodie. Found here, this small book looks at why players play RPGs. It defines several categories of players and what their motivations are for playing. As the GM your job is to hit those motivations, and Robin gives you some great advice on how to do so. It is only about 30 pages and well worth the cost.

Engine Publishing

Engine Publishing (found here) has a great series of books on being a GM. Their books spun out of the Gnome Stew blog (also a great resource). Their books cover topics like: running sessions, improvisation, and campaign prep. Each of these books cover one topic from a variety of angles and include articles by industry veterans. I have all of them and they are fantastic. If you want to learn new techniques and ways to hone specific aspects of your games, these are a great route.

Kobold’s Guides

The Kobold’s guides are dense. Found Here, the topics are deep. They are a series of articles by big name industry professionals. I have the Gamemastering, the Plots and Campaigns, and the Combat one. They also cover worldbuilding, game design, and magic. These are dense–I mentioned that earlier–they delve deep into their topics and often attempt to explain the abstract components of gaming in concrete terms. But, if you want a course in a class on GMing, these books would be on the syllabus.

Arbiter of Worlds

Arbiter of Worlds is a gamemastery guide for a specific type of game. Found Here, it gives advice on world building, adjudicating rules, and using abductive reasoning. (Yes, it is a real thing!) It does focus less on the narrative aspect of GMing and more of the creation of a world where narratives can form and develop. It may seem like a strange distinction, but it is essentially the difference between a story focused GM and a sandbox GM. 

So there they are, my list of GMing resources. If you have used any of these resources or have any I missed, please let us know!

Written by JM

This week we take a look at the now-available-for-pre-order Book of the Underworld! We give our usual Iconic Review, giving a fly-by of what’s in the book that we especially liked, while trying to spoil as little as possible.

And remember, if you pre-order the book now, you can get the PDF of it immediately!

And as a thank you to all our listeners, you can use this code to get a 10% discount off your pre-order of Book of the Underworld! This code is good through June 1, 2020.

Voucher code: POD#ICONUNDERW

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

Somewhat related to our last episode on the Necromancer, this week we focus our discussion on the Undead. What are they, why would you want to use them in a session or campaign, and which of the many 13th Age Undead monsters catch our attention?

And as a thank you to all our listeners, you can use this code to get a 10% discount off your pre-order of Book of the Underworld! This code is good through June 1, 2020.

Voucher code: POD#ICONUNDERW

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

The easiest way to get back into gaming with social distancing is with a conference call and at home supplies. Simply being able to see everyone at the “table” can go a long way to feeling like an adventuring party again. Zoom, Discord, Google Hangouts, and Go-to-Meetings are all platforms I have used to game with friends outside of my home. With each of these, you can have your dice and character sheets on your desk or computer and inform the GM of successes or failures rolled. Many games have basic gameplay and books available for free for the players who don’t own the books. 

What if you want to get a little more fancy? Discord has virtual dice-rollers you can install in your server. Then there are no more fudging dice rolls and an overabundance of natural critical hits. Although I haven’t actually seen that happen in the groups I play with, I understand some GMs want to see their players’ rolls. Go-to-Meeting, Discord, and Zoom allow your GM to share their computer screen. The GM could pull up a map, edit it with a photography program and voila! No more simple theater of the mind. The downside is the cost to use some of these programs, Zoom and Go-to Meeting in particular, if you have more than two people or want to go longer than 40 minutes. Someone has to pay for it. If the group joins together, the cost is reduced, so encourage sharing the financial burden.  Discord, Hangouts, and Jitsi are free for video conferencing. Gimp and Krita are great programs for photo editing or drawing on pictures. 

If that is still not enough for your group, consider Fantasy Grounds or Roll20. You will still need a separate video conferencing platform for Fantasy Grounds, but having character sheets, dice rolls, and maps available to share across the group is often worth the cost. Last month, Nick wrote an article discussing the various virtual tables you can use to enhance player experience. These are great. Using the Fantasy Grounds platform to create encounters and share them with your players is super helpful when theater of the mind is distracting or even difficult. My primary experience is with Fantasy Grounds. The GM has to shoulder the burden of the cost here unless everyone in the group wants to buy a mid-tier version to play together. The full GM version will allow them access to the full program, the ability to create encounters, and the players can get the free version to piggyback off…if they purchase the various games as well. In my personal opinion, unless you are running weekly games and planning to continue to run them through FG, the cost is exorbitant. However, I am always supremely grateful to the GMs who run a game on this platform for me.

In this time of forced isolation, you can still play the games you love. At Iconic, we have turned to the computer and internet to help us run and play games with people a few houses down and across the country. Now is a great time to try something new. If you are interested, the 13th  Age Discord channel has a virtual tabletop channel for options and help. Let us know your favorite ways to still get the gaming goodness. Stay safe, everyone. 

Written by Becca

We’re back for another Class Acts, this time taking an in-depth look at the Necromancer class from 13 True Ways. (also available in the SRD). We discuss the history of the class as well as the Features, Talents, and Spells that we really like!

And as a thank you to all our listeners, you can use this code to get a 10% discount off your pre-order of Book of the Underworld! This code is good through June 1, 2020.

Voucher code: POD#ICONUNDERW

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

And as a thank you to all our listeners, you can use this code to get a 10% discount off your pre-order of Book of the Underworld! This code is good through June 1, 2020.

Voucher code: POD#ICONUNDERW

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

But before we dive into this, I think it’s helpful to define what it is that’s at risk with using technology, and that’s namely player immersion. How I understand player immersion is that it’s the degree to which the player’s imagination is easily evoked. The higher the degree of immersion, the more easily the players can get into character and mentally ‘see’ what’s being described and respond accordingly. But immersion can be like walking on ice, once it’s broken, the whole charade crashes down into the icy waters below, and it can be hard to climb back out.

You can bolster immersion by bringing technology to the table in the form of playing thematic music, displaying evocative imagery on a screen, messaging secretly with players about character-specific things, having a digital space for notes to be stored and shared, sharing a virtual tabletop with remote players, automating things like dice rolls, modifier adjustments, and HP tracking, and more! Any one of these benefits helps keep the players’ (and your) focus more on the game than on your surroundings, which will lend to deeper immersion, progressing farther in each session, and crafting a more compelling story together.

But as beneficial as any of these things are, each comes with the risk of the technology failing and breaking immersion completely. For example, let’s say you have a music track all queued up to play a musical score to ratchet up the tension as the players step foot into that long-deserted temple. The moment comes, and as you describe the scene, you hit play. But the only thing coming out of the speakers is silence! What usually happens next is that the game gets put on pause while you figure out what’s going on with the music player. When you finally do get it all working, the immersion the players had is now mostly gone and you have to work to everyone back into the flow of the game.

Virtual tabletops typically come with a digital dice roller, and many times it has direct, automated tie-ins into your character sheet. This allows players to look at their sheets less, spend less time crunching numbers, and gives them the mental space to stay focused on the game. But what happens when the player can’t find the right button to click? Or it throws error messages? Or their computer crashes completely? You may end up spending more time working to get the software to work than it would have taken to do things by hand, and by the time you do get it working, you might have forgotten what you were even rolling for!

Technology is a great asset to the gaming experience, but it’s best used when you are very familiar with it and you are prepared for what to do when it fails. As part of your campaign prep, go through the various pieces of how your technology works and get a good understanding of what might go wrong with it. If you’re playing online or using a virtual tabletop, it might be good to use part of your Session 0 or even dedicate an entire session to training everyone on how to use the different pieces of the software, that way everyone knows how to trigger their powers or roll their dice. And before you start each session, test the technology you’re about to use. For example, if you’re going to use some thematic music, be sure to hook it all up and hit play to make sure it works right. And if you’re doing anything over the internet, double check all your camera and microphone connections and your internet stability before getting started.

For my home game, I have four players who are physically present and one who joins us virtually. Over the years, we have tried a number of different technology options trying to find the combination that fits our group the best. And we’ve discovered that using the bare minimum of technology works really well! So even though we use Fantasy Grounds (FG) for a virtual tabletop where we can see scene-setting imagery and the battlemap to tokens around in combat, we still use paper character sheets and roll physical dice. As the GM, I like seeing the entire monster stats, so I’ll usually run the monsters by referencing a PDF or a physical book and rely on FG just to track the monsters’ health. Other than that, we leverage Discord for our text conversations and Zoom for our audio/video connection. Every group is different, but we found that if we use much more technology than that, we start losing that immersion factor.

One of the benefits of our hybrid setup that we have discovered is that we can now be very flexible in accounting for players who can’t physically make it to the game. And we can even switch to playing entirely online for a session or two with very little advance notice. Subsequently, this has allowed us to miss fewer sessions due to player absence than we would otherwise. It adds a bit of extra work for me as the GM to set up and run all of that in addition to the game, but despite the hiccups along the way, it’s been worth it.

It took us a while to settle in on what works, so if you’re wanting to introduce some technology into your gaming group, be patient, and have an open dialogue with your group. There are countless options out there, and I’d love hearing what you’ve found works for you!

Written by Nick

It’s hard to believe we’ve completed 3 seasons of the Iconic Podcast, and we’re now headed into Season 4! In this season opener, we review what we had covered last season, as well as what we’re looking forward to in Season 4!

And as a thank you to all our listeners, you can use this code to get a 10% discount off your pre-order of Book of the Underworld! This code is good through June 1, 2020.

Voucher code: POD#ICONUNDERW

In the mines below Gatemark, the heroes have followed a dwharven hero from a previous Age to a portal to the Plane of Ash and Dust, which is where we pick things up with our next Random Encounter. In this Epic Tier scene, we brainstorm what players may encounter as they stride through this plane of death on their way to a showdown with the ‘big bad.’

If you want to string all these scenes together, you can listen to the past episodes here:

Episode 12: Monster Fight
Episode 18: Into the Desolates
Episode 19: Into the Tombs
Episode 21: The Mines

The setting we’re using is Ta’nar (which you can hear about in Episode 9, but this could be ported into the Dragon Empire or your own campaign world without too much difficulty.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

In this next episode, 13th Age game designer, Rob Heinsoo comes back on the show! We talk a bit about what he’s currently up to gaming-wise, talk about some 3rd party Archmage Engine stuff, then pick his brain about a number of upcoming 13th Age products! Specifically, we talk about the Book of the Underworld, Elven Towers, Crown of Axis, Icon Followers, and Further Adventurers.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

Demoloth (evil) – Demoloth is an old name, but one still feared in Sentali. The daemon lord of plague from a previous age, its touch was never truly scrubbed clean from the surface of Ta’nar, and its presence lingers in the dead places of the world and within the bodies of the Pale elves. Dig deep enough into the earth, and Demoloth is there. Summon enough skeletons, and he’s bound to show up, if only to show off. 

Empress (good)- Reayne of Kardane is the ruler of the largest empire on Sentali. Ensconced to the north of the Desolates in Mo’zanbaal – Kardane’s capital – her eyes and agents are focused southward seeking to ensure the stability of her Empire.

First Born (evil)- The First Born is a presence that forms demonic cults in the wake of its revelation. None know who or what the First Born is, but daemons answer the call of its faithful, prophesy about its birth, and seek to ease its passage into the world. The cult of the First Born existed for many Ages, but only recently came to light. This icon is found in realms and areas of deep despair and desperation. There are enclaves scattered throughout the Desolates where mothers sell their children to the cult and siblings betray each other for the smallest scrap of favor with the enigmatic First Born.

Guild of Falling Leaves (neutral) – The Guild of Falling Leaves is ostentatiously a trading guild with routes that spread like a web through Sentali. However, most harbor the belief that the Guild also trades in contraband products and deeds. There are always people interested in acquiring unique goods and there are always people willing to find those goods for coin. It is only recently that the Guild gathered the power and ability to be an iconic organization, and it will fight to keep this status.

Host (pantheon)(good) – The Pantheons of Sentali contain a myriad of Immortals, Celestials, and Empyreans. Many worship the whole of a pantheon or focus their efforts towards the cult of a single god.

Hystal (evil) – Known as the Grasp of Vengeance, Hystal is more than just first among equals in the hierarchy of the cults of Shadow’s Reach. The high priest is rabid in his devotion to the goddess Ganagal, and will use whatever power, born within this world and without, to assure his mistress’ dominion of Ta’nar. 

Keeper of the Sands (good) – Ullia Stonehoof, is the high druid of the Desolates. The Auxeness seeks to preserve its identity in the face of those who would claim its lands as their own.

Perversions (evil) – Long ago, the High Father, patron God of the city of the Reach, was slain by six of his children. Though they thought they were up to the task of ruling as gods, they were found lacking. Consuming the flesh of their father, the six became Celestial beings, but at a cost. That act of cannibalism perverted their very natures. The six Perversions, full of power, began to gather worshippers to themselves in Shadow’s Reach. The High Father’s other children, the six Panaceas hide themselves aways, afraid to gather too many worshippers for fear of being the main course in yet another family feast. 

• Ganagal ‐ Perversion of Vengeance 
• Pat’sum ‐ Perversion of Bondage 
• Bak’ith ‐ Perversion of Envy 
• Bak’oth ‐ Perversion of Greed 
• Oba’sansh ‐ Perversion of Cannibalism 
• Dren ‐ Perversion of Madness 

Possessed King (neutral) – Bound within Crandoc Hold, the Possessed King can be found within the Capital of Firanolg. KurNokThal is blessed or cursed by the near constant presence of the Dwharven god, Mogondral. The heir to the lost throne of Draggnaul, the Dwharven god‐prince serves as banner and warning to his kin in the Desolates.

Red Alchemist (evil) – The Red Alchemist is a new Icon to Sentali. She is known throughout Ta’nar for creating aberrations and abominations in her labs, and then auctioning them off to the highest bidder as organic weapons. But no one knows where her lab can be found. Her name comes from both the red arrow head she uses as her symbol and the bloody experiments attributed to her. If strange creatures are found in the wastes, then you can be sure that the Red Alchemist had something to do with it.

Rivener (neutral) – The Rivener is a mystery from a previous age. The wight travels about Sentali, seeking out the gnarls of fate that would cause global upheaval and ends all involved with amoral brutality. He has been given undeath as a second chance at redemption and will carve his way through rather than discuss options. None know what the undead warrior seeks, but his bloodstained trail crisscrosses the continent.

Spellqueen (good) – The Spellqueen rules Estalin, the hidden refuge of the Ala-Senti. Aware of all that occurs within her demesne, the Spellqueen senses the encroachment of ancient powers that seek to consume her people in chaos and fire, and plots to end them. As one of the Wild Elves, or Ala-Senti, she has sheltered and led her people in the new lands they sought refuge in.

Wanderer (good)- This Icon crops up in the myths and legends of Sentali. Some say it is his lawful guidance that keeps the world from falling into darkness. He often appears as an old man guiding the hero onto their next path. The Wanderer has been around since the beginning of the world, standing against the darkness and chaos of the world.

The “good” Icons are the Empress, the Host (pantheon), the Keeper of the Sands, the Spellqueen of Estalin, and the Wanderer.

The “neutral” Icons are the Guild of Falling Leaves, the Possessed King, and the Rivener.

The “evil” Icons are the First Born, the Grasp of Vengeance, the Lord of Undeath, the Perversions, and the Red Alchemist.

These thirteen Icons can inspire or cause nightmares for your characters. Hopefully you will enjoy interacting with and thwarting the schemes of the movers and shakers of Sentali. 

Written by Mark

Last episode we had Martin Killmann on to talk about his 13th Age books, and this week we give our Iconic Review of his latest book, “Dark Alleys & Twisted Paths.” Spoiler – it’s a great book, and you should check it out!

Be sure to pick up the book using the link above, and join in the 13th Age Discord server Martin hosts!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

We finally got our schedules aligned to get Martin Killmann onto the show to talk general gaming stuff (he’s a fan of The Dark Eye! Who knew?!?) as well his 13th Age books “Dark Pacts & Ancient Secrets” (reviewed in Episode S2-E25) and “Dark Alleys & Twisted Paths.”

Be sure to check out his great books using the links above, and join in the 13th Age Discord server he hosts!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

But easy monster design is one of the great things about 13th Age. The advice the designers give in the books (13th Age Core (C) and Bestiary 1 (B1)) make it simple, but if you are new to running the game, you might not think so. We at Iconic chatted about it for a bit and I decided for this month to look at my process for monster creation, in hopes that it will help you. 

Concept

Like much of 13th Age, I start monster design with the narrative. What place does the creature serve in the world or the story? To help Mark out, I am writing up one of the Var (a spider-like race from Ta’nar) for this example. Looking at the Var which are unstatted (all of them), I decided on writing up the Var-Nul. My concept at this phase is:

The Var-nul are upper echelon members of the Var society. These Var have dedicated themselves to the study of dark magics which they rain down in corescating waves on valiant heroes.

Simple and to the point. For me, the concept feels like a One Unique Thing for my monster. It should give me or other GMs just enough to figure out what to do with the monster. In this case, they are Var nobility with magic. 

Search

The simplest thing to do here is to just find a monster that is close enough and reflavor their abilities. However, when you are looking to design a monster, you can also keep an eye out for abilities to steal for your creatures. I start looking through the Bestiary for powers which feel magical and refined. In this case, I really like the feel of the Ogre Mage’s Prismatic Blast (B1 p. 153) and the Lich’s Shadow Ray (B1 p. 135). They give the GM choices and add some depth to the creatures. Keeping those in mind, I head to the build section.

Build

When building, the first thing to consider is the tier of the monster. To me, looking back at my concept, the Var-Nul do not feel like an adventurer or an epic tier monster. They are the nobility of the Var, so they should be more than an adventurer can handle, but in the world of Ta’nar, the Var are not the epic threats of the world. So, these guys are solidly in Champion Tier. 

Looking at the champion tier stats (C p. 254), level 5 feels right. Low enough that the Var-Nul will appear at the end of adventurer tier and a solid choice continuing through the levels. Just picking our level gives us most of what we need, and in a pinch, you can just run with the base stats and still have a great encounter with flavorful descriptions.

But…. I like tweaking. The first thing I do is lower the Var-Nul’s HP from 72 to 65. They are frailer on average than a standard 5th level monster, but they will make up for it with powerful attacks. I keep the AC where it should be, seeing in my mind the Val-Nul wrapped in robes invested with powerful magics, and assign their better defense to MD but drop it by one to increase their PD by one. They are spidery after all. They are also slightly faster than the average monster, so I give their initiative a bit of a bump, setting it to +7.

Right, now to powers. Like all var, the Var-Nul have multiple limbs, so I think they should have two attacks. But as they are casters, I drop their to-hit and damage a bit, to represent that these are not their primary attacks.

The Var-Nul’s primary attack is a venom spell, which lances out to envenom their targets. Again, the spell can target two targets, but in the interest of spreading the damage, they cannot target the same two targets. This means that instead of halving the damage they can do in a round, we can afford to up it a bit, as they have to make two attack rolls. Some added ongoing poison damage based off the die roll is always needed, so you can check that out below.

When should you add d20 mechanics to a power? I tend to want to use it when it is the monster’s showcase power. For these venom bolts, it makes sense that they should do ongoing damage, but I want to limit that trigger. Looking at B1 p. 230, the designers give us great guidelines on when and how to use the d20. Looking there, I settled on two effects. One being ongoing damage if the Var-Nul rolls a natural 16+ as a strong hit gets the venom into your system. But I decide to add a miss effect, so that even if some of the venom gets on you, you still take a bit of damage. I don’t want a lot of this type of miss damage, so it only triggers on an even miss (50% of the time) and because it was a miss, I feel like making the save easy makes sense.

I wanted one more attack. These guys are sorcerers, so they should have something else in their repertoire. I want that classic area effect spell but one they can only do once or twice. Looking at the Ogre Mage’s Prismatic Blast power, I like the idea of a chaotic invocation. It works with the Var-Nul and their place in Ta’nar. But I do not want just extra or different damage and decide this power should represent all the myriad ways a spider or spellcaster can incapacitate a foe. This power applies conditions instead of a lot of damage. You can see below which conditions I chose for the power. In my mind, the Var-Nul lets out the chaotic nature of its magic and essence and a lot of strange stuff happens on the battlefield. I limited its use to once per battle. I thought about letting it do it twice, but concluded it downplays what I feel is the main role of the Var-Nul, the envenomed ray. Plus, if you were to field 2 or 3 of these at a time, each with two uses of the power… it would get crazy very quickly.

Var-Nul

The spidery-humanoid grins with its mandibled mouth and begins chittering in arcane tones. A pale green light begins to surround it, and you wish you paid more attention in Varthen as a Second Language. 

5th level Caster
Initiative: +7

Surprisingly nimble striker limbs: +9 vs AC (two attacks) – 8 damage

Eldritch envenomed ray: +11 vs PD (two different nearby targets) – 15 damage

Natural 16+: 5 ongoing poison damage (save end)
Natural even miss: 5 ongoing poison damage (easy save ends)

Chaotic invocation: +10 vs PD (1d3 nearby targets) – Roll 1d4 against each hit target to determine the effect of this spell

1. Darkness of the Deeps! – Target is vulnerable and dazed (save ends both effects)
2. Web – Target is stuck and hampered (save ends both effects)
3. Chaotic Convulsions – Target takes 15 ongoing damage (save ends both effects)
4. The Mark of Unlight – Target is vulnerable and takes 8 ongoing damage (save ends both effects)

Limited use: 2/battle

AC 21
PD 16    HP 65
MD 18

There you go. That is how I create monsters from scratch. It took longer to write up the process than it took to design the Var-Nul.

Now, I am not usually looking to publish my monsters, so I tend to make them a bit tougher than normal. If you are looking to publish monsters, you need to keep an eye on how they will scale. What works for an equal level encounter (where the monsters are the same level as your PCs) at your table may be wildly unbalanced when another GM fields them en masse against higher level parties. Playtesting is key.

Finally, did you know we are streaming games now? You can check out Becca on Twitch running 13th Age in Ta’nar on Monday nights or get caught up on our YouTube channel. And if you liked this article, let us know. We may do a whole episode on this topic!

In this episode, Wade Rockett graces us again with his presence (he was on the show back in S1-B07). He catches us up on what he’s been doing gaming-wise then we dive into a discussion about some of his 13A products, specifically Wreck of Volund’s Glory (which we reviewed in S1-E15) and his upcoming Crown of Axis.

As mentioned in the show, be sure to check out his Soldiers of the Wizard King article, and shortly after we recorded, Kobold Press released its 13th Age Midgard Icons article.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This week we pick up from where things were left off in Episode 19 and head into the Dwarven city of Gatekeep and the mines it connects to. For deep in the mines, a portal to the Planes of Dust and Ash awaits. What will the party encounter along the way? Who will they interact with? What are some unique features of the area? We hash out these questions and more!

The setting we’re using is Ta’nar (which you can hear about in Episode 9, but this could be ported into the Dragon Empire or your own campaign world without too much difficulty.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

Have you ever thought or even uttered those words? You are not alone! But those thoughts are not necessarily true to life. As a GM, one of my players has told me, “I see you as the person to beat whenever we play games.” Ouch. This statement struck me deeply. A friend and fellow GM heard from their player, “You are always out to get me. You ruin everything.”

Between the two of us, we were devastated. Here’s what you, as a player, need to know about your GM.

1. Your GM is human. That means we make mistakes and forget the rules. It also means we get to feel all the feelings. If you cast Zone of Truth on city council leaders, we will feel the frustration those leaders feel. In our frustration, we may retaliate and cast a spell upon you as well. Should that happen? Maybe not. But we are creating a world for you to play in and within that world, when people get frustrated, they will react. 
2. You are a hero, but your PC is not the only hero of the story. Many GMs keep the world moving outside of your group. The Icons can use any of their followers and some of those followers may be better than your PC. NPCs have goals and weaknesses, but they also have strengths. Sometimes your PC is not the smartest person in the room. When that happens, as a player, it is up to you to come up with a creative solution. In some sessions that means a clever bargain and in other sessions, that might mean all you can do is run. 
3. If all NPCs you are meeting are enemies, take a look at your attitudes. The GM should be creating opportunities for players to find allies and story hooks. They should be encouraging you to use your background and one unique things to conjure up you own side characters and friends. As stated above, your GM will feel the feelings of the NPCs. If you are treating each NPC as an enemy, that is what they will become. In a game of mine, a player talked about her estranged relationship with her father. Another player then took it upon themselves to charm and use Suggestion on the father so the party would get what they wanted. The party was furious when they were barred from returning to the fortress ever again. 
4. Problems make better stories. Any story that doesn’t have conflict loses meaning. Life has difficulties, which if you are able to overcome, lead you to feel the sweet taste of victory. We remember the moments inevitable doom was averted. No problems mean no victories. 
5. You need to have a discussion with your GM. This should happen one-on-one and away from the table. Grab a coffee with them and voice your concerns or irritations. Hopefully, your GM will address the concerns you have and together, you will come up with a creative solution. It is important through this process that you keep an open mind. You will need to be able to own up to your own behavior at the table and learn to change.

Role-playing games are great spaces to tell stories with your friends. They are also spaces to discover skills and language of diplomacy and problem-solving. Your GM wants to tell a story with you. They don’t hate you. 

Written by Becca

For this episode, we brought Cal Moore, author of Shadows of Eldolan and the Battle Scenes books, onto the show. We had a great talk with him about the things he’s worked on in the past as well as the new book, Elven Towers, he’s working on now!

• 13th Age: https://www.bundleofholding.com/presents/13thAge2019
• 13th Age Adventures: https://www.bundleofholding.com/presents/13Adventures

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This week we pick up from where things were left off in Episode 18 and explore a newly unearthed temple deep in the Desolates. Why did the temple appear? Who’s interested in what’s inside? What will the party encounter along the way? Listen in to find out!

The setting we’re using is Ta’nar (which you can hear about in Episode 9, but this could be ported into the Dragon Empire or your own campaign world without too much difficulty.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

There are a couple of differences in how 13G handles this narrative mechanic, and I’ll cover them briefly then present a couple of ideas on how to port this into 13A and why you might want to. Here’s a synopsis of how the 13G Rune system works:

You roll for Runes at every heal-up

Instead of rolling for runes at the start of every session the way you do for Icon Relationships in 13A, you roll for Runes at every heal-up. This will always result in you getting a rune you can use, even if it’s one that you weren’t expecting or one that might be very interesting for your character to have a connection to.
(You also get to roll for your Runes at the start of a Heroquest, but we’ll save that topic for another time.)

You roll a d6. If you get a 1-3, you get one of your runes. If it’s a 4-6, roll a d20 for a random rune. If this random rune is one you have, it’s not just attuned, it’s empowered!

During character creation, you will end up with three runes, and those are the ones that you will be attuned to when rolling a 1-3 on the d6. But when you roll a 4-6, you then roll on the random rune table (or this handy die sold by Q-Workshop) and are instead attuned to that rune. But if your random roll comes up with one of your three runes, it’s empowered! An Empowered Rune functions like an Attuned Rune, but you also get the equivalent of a permanent magic item when you narrate it.

Narrating a rune, and rolling for complications (d20. 1-5 a complication is presented)

Narrating a rune affects the story in much the same way that narrating an Icon Relationship does. You are able to find something you were looking for, travel long distances quickly, gather more information, or do something incredible.

In my 13G game, one of my players narrated an Empowered Water Rune to purify a creature they had captured that was infected by Chaos, and was thereby able to gather more information than they would have otherwise. In doing so, they also established a grateful NPC who may make future appearances in the campaign. The player also received a Runic Gift that will, for the rest of the game, give him an extra power and a bonus to one of his stats.

Once a player narrates a rune, the GM rolls a d20 to see if a complication arose. On a 6-20, no complication comes up, but it does on a 1-5! The GM gets to narrate what that is, and it could happen immediately or come into play in a later session.

Narrating a Rune is explicitly prohibited in combat

Narrating runes is only to affect the story, not the game. What I mean by that is that Runes are not to serve as a power, and they cannot be used to affect combat. If your idea for narrating a rune seems to be touching on the game mechanics at all, then it’s best to think of how you might tweak it a bit so it steers away from that.

Those are the basics of how Runes work in 13G, and I’m sure you can see the similarities and differences to how Icon Relationships operate in 13A. There are enough differences though that it’s worth considering porting them into your 13A game.

The main downside I see in porting the new rules over would be the Random Icon and how you’d narrate that. As in 13G, you’d roll a d6, and you’d get one of your Icons on a 1-3, but instead of rolling a d20 for the random rune, you’d roll a d12 (or use the Icon Die from Campaign Coins). But 13A Icon Relationships have two aspects to them – one is the Icon and the other is the Relationship (Positive, Conflicted, and Negative). Rolling a d6 and getting one of you selected Icons is simple enough, but how do you characterize your relationship with the one that comes up randomly on the d12? The two options I see are to randomize the relationship as well through an extra d6 roll (1-2 Negative, 3-4 Conflicted, 5-6 Positive) or chart out your relationship with all the Icons during character creation.

That latter option appeals to me, even if you don’t port the rest of the 13G Rune system over. The points you assign with the Icons is a reflection of how tangibly useful that relationship is, but it makes sense that your character would at least have an opinion on the rest of the Icons too. I can also see everyone giving their entire list to the GM being very helpful in crafting a campaign world! But if tasking your players to define their character’s opinion on all 13 Icons seems like too much, running a 7-Icon campaign would simplify things considerably. If you don’t chart this out in advance and the relationship is determined randomly, then it would create some very interesting story hooks if a particular Icon kept coming up but the relationship changed each time.

Alternatively, you could eliminate the Random Icon entirely and have your roll result in one of the Icons you have selected. For example, at Adventurer Tiers, you’d roll a d6 and have 1-2 be your first Icon, 2-3 be your second, and 3-4 be your third. At higher tiers when you gain additional Icon Relationships, you can simply increase your die size to accommodate the additional Icons; roll a d8 as you’d have 4 Icons and a d10 as you’d have 5.

The Random Icon and its relationship is really the only downside that I see to porting the 13G Rune system into 13A as a replacement for handling Icon Relationships. A couple of advantages to it is that everyone is guaranteed to have a Relationship to leverage each full heal-up, and because it’s determined at a full heal-up, you’ll be less likely to have to come up with something on the fly on how to use them. Guaranteeing that each person has one prevents those sessions where nobody rolls a 5 or a 6 as well as those sessions when everyone is rolling 5s or 6s; it can get wearisome whether you’re having to juggle too many Relationships or too few. The 13G method evens all that out.

You also won’t have to deal with complications nearly as frequently. With the 13A method, whenever a Relationship is available to leverage, there’s a 50/50 chance it’ll bring about a complication, and players frequently hesitate before using a 5 for fear of what the complication will be. The 13G method gives only a 25% chance of a complication, and the determination of whether or not one exists comes after the player has narrated the effect, not before.

There’s a thematic difference between the Dragon Empire and Glorantha, and each system’s unique mechanic does a good job handling that difference. But there is room for bringing the newer 13G method into core 13A. The longer my 13G campaign goes, the more I am liking the way the Runes work. When I pick up my next 13A game, I’ll be trying out some of these porting techniques. If you have any other suggestions or advice on this topic, leave a comment below!

Written by Nick

If you’re just starting out with 13th Age or have any gaps in your 13th Age book collection, then you’ll be sure to want to check out the Bundle of Holdings that are available this month!

13th Age: https://www.bundleofholding.com/presents/13thAge2019
13th Age Adventures: https://www.bundleofholding.com/presents/13Adventures

This week we pick up from where things were left off in Episode 12 and head out into the Desolates to discover what else the Red Alchemist may be up to. In this brainstorming session, we create a town, some NPCs, some hooks and conflicts, and some unique features of the lab that has sprung up here.

The setting we’re using is Ta’nar (which you can hear about in Episode 9, but this could be ported into the Dragon Empire or your own campaign world without too much difficulty.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This week we examine the newest official class to have been published, the Demonologist. It can be found in the pages of the Book of Demons, which we reviewed back in Season 2. In this episode, we talk about the unique aspects of this summoning class, some of our favorite abilities, and discuss some ways to use this at your table.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

Re-skinning a monster or coming up with your own really is not that hard. 13A does a great job of giving guidance for building battles (page 186 core rules) that helps that fight be challenging without becoming too easy or too hard.  Chapter Seven (Monsters) gives great advice on how to spice up monsters by borrowing “bits and pieces” from other monsters. This is a great very quick way to a wrinkle to that same old kobold.  If you want to start from scratch, use the baseline stats on page 254 to get started.

When I want to reskin a monster, I try and figure out what do I want this “new” monster to be able to do. Fly? Spit acid? Be really tough? After I know what I want it to do I peruse the monster listings and find similar powers.  I figure the guys at Pelgrane have already done the heavy lifting for me and play tested it. In the Bestiary 2 Appendix, there is a list of monsters by level, which is great when you need to scale the monster you are looking for. You might need to look at a higher level monster and tone down the damage or ability so look at lower level monsters with similar abilities and adjust accordingly.  You can also look at higher level monsters and “level up” your 1st level kobold wizard into something truly terrifying! After I have re-skinned my kobold (I love kobolds) I try it out on one of my old PC characters to see if it works like I want. Is it too weak? Too powerful? I run a few combats just to make it’s not the dice. 

Now a word of warning.  It’s Ok to come up with a power/ability to counter something the PCs can do, just don’t do it for every fight.  Otherwise the players will get frustrated. Once in a while it is good to make the group squirm a little as they need to come up with new and interesting ways to slay your beasties when the tried and true is not available.  Just don’t overdo it.

So I want to use some kobolds in a future encounter.  The kobolds in the bestiary are too weak and my group would just mop the floor with them.  Mmmm, what to do? Looking at page 237 and the kobold warrior, I notice just next to the listing, Lizardman Savage.  Oh look it has a special trigger that gives it a nasty bite. Perfect! I will level up my kobold troop to a wrecker and give them that ability.  See! it’s that easy. Give them a better attack, a few more hit points and a new ability and presto chango a new type of kobold that can add just a bit of new flavor to an old “monster” and keep my jaded players on their toes.

Also look in the 13 Age Bestiary 1, page 228. It covers reskinning, tweaking and creating new monsters.

I hope this inspires you to dig out your favorite novel or movie and “create” a new monster for your players to fight.  Or talk to. Or get eaten by. Your choice.

Written by Mark

In our last episode, we had Baz Stevens on the show, and this week we open the covers his The King of Dungeons and share our thoughts and reactions to the book. We talk about the new mechanics that are introduced, the things that were changed, what we liked, and what we didn’t like.

If you’re wanting to pick up a copy of the book, you can do so at DriveThruRPG.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This week we bring Baz Stevens onto the show to talk about his gaming background and experience as well as his recently-released book, The King of Dungeons. This kickstarted game is a simplified version of 13th Age that can be picked up at DriveThruRPG.

If you want to tune into Baz’s podcast, you can find it at  www.whatwouldthesmartpartydo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

Back in Episode 7 of last season, we talked through various ways to use the Diabolist in a campaign, and this episode, we do a similar thing as we take another close look at another Icon of the Dragon Empire: the Archmage!

However you pronounce it, he’s a magical force to be reckoned with, and we discuss how he’s portrayed in the books, some ways to align him differently, and even some campaign ideas with him as a focal point.

If you have used the Archmage in your campaign, we’d love to hear about it! Leave us a comment on who the Archmage really is!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

One of my favorite campaign settings ever is Planescape. A key part of the setting were the diverse and competing factions which could provide the context for numerous stories and adventure hooks.Then, years later, along came 13th Age.   One of the exciting things about 13th Age is that, as a game born of two designers’ homebrew, it provides the building blocks for systems to support interesting and innovative play. Blending the great ideas of the Planescape factions with the mechanical storytelling support from 13th Age seemed like an exciting idea.  

I started my thought process, like a good completist, with an attempt to purchase all the Planescape products with the idea of bringing the factions of Planescape to 13th Age. I also wanted some other mechanic to hang on Icon Relationships, an so I fleshed out a series of ideas to use at the table for how the rolls could influence a character’s status in a faction long term. These rules can be used for really any faction-based game or even just in your core 13th Age game to represent how noticed the characters are by their Icons. The goal here is to provide a framework for GMs to use in their games to represent factions and Iconic organizations. 

Faction Status revolves around the idea that the Icons (whether they are true factions or not) have a power structure that they influence and control.  The Icon Organization paragraph from the 13th Age Core Book shows this to be true for the Icons of the Dragon Empire, “Most of the time that you’re interacting with an icon, you’re actually interacting with his or her lower-level functionaries, acolytes, disciples, bureaucrats, lieutenants, barons, or priests. Functionaries are the GM’s best friends, and they can be your worst enemies (page 38).” 

Characters can interact with these organizations (which for our purposes will be referred to as factions) during the course of play as their Icon dice show 5s and 6s.  This idea asks the question ‘what if these results are moments where the characters stand out and gain status with the Icon’s organization?’

Full disclosure, this requires that someone (probably the GM) keeps track of the total of 5s and 6s the players rolled with their Icons over the course of the game.  The total represents their current status within the faction. As they trigger interactions with their Icon, the character climbs in their Icon’s organization. As they crossed certain thresholds, gain benefits from their status.  This would be in addition to any session bonuses they use these 5s and 6s for.

False Heights & Sudden Crashes

Let’s talk about those pesky 5s for the moment.  5s represent a complication to the interaction with the Icon.  In terms of Faction status, this represents an inflated standing in the organization.  Perhaps it the character’s actions were inflated or secretly the Prince of Shadows used them to hurt the faction in the long run.  The next time a PC takes a campaign loss, the bubble bursts, and they lose all the points they had with the faction that were generated from 5s.  Harsh, but a faction’s love is fickle, and rising stars can come crashing down.

Tiers and Rewards

Rewards are static bonuses as well as additional ways to spend for characters to spend their 5s and 6s. I am going to give some ideas as guidelines. In the end, it is your game, and you can riff of this how you like. 

Tiers

“Who Are You?” Rank 0 – (0-5 Status)

The Adventurer solely known by their Icon dice.  The Icon reaches out to them or they can draw on the connection for knowledge, but no real benefit is gained beyond the basic rules.

“Initiate” Rank 1 – (6-15 Status)

At this level, the Icon’s faction become aware that the adventurer exists.  The faction can be sought out, and basic aid will be rendered.

Faction bonuses can include:

Faction Safe House – The adventurer can access the faction’s base of operations and procure safe lodging or passage for the group.  A 5 could represent that the term ‘safe’ is relative.

Faction Goods – The adventurer has a sure source of replacement or new gear, as well as access to 1d6+1 potions or oils per level.  For a reasonable price, of course. 

Specific Icon bonuses include:

Power of the Icon Rewards (e.g. Emperor, Dwarf King, Orc Lord) – Short term tactical knowledge gives the PC a +1 to hit or damage with weapon attacks (+2 at Champion, +3 at Epic) for a battle. 

Wisdom of the Icon Rewards (e.g. Archmage, Diabolist, Prince of Shadows) – Using the wealth of information available to such Icons, the PC gains a +2 to background rolls on a specific subject for the session.  Like how to pick the locks within the Stone Thief, or riddles in the dark.

“Up and Coming” Rank 2 – (16-25 Status)

By this point the adventurer has established herself with word and deed.  The Faction is willing to take some risks in dealing with them, as they have proven that their relationship with the Icon is not just a passing craze.

Faction bonuses can include:

Faction-Specific Ability – The adventurer is granted an ability that is iconic for the faction.  Taking a page from Planescape’s Dustmen, maybe the Lich King’s Faction provides that the adventurer will be ignored by undead until they take a hostile action. Perhaps Kobolds will default to a positive disposition to an adventurer strongly invested in the Faction of The Three.

Faction Background – The adventurer gains a +2 background that is faction based. 

A Sure Source of Aid – The adventurer at this point counts on the faction to provide aid beyond just shelter.  The resources and manpower of the faction may be put to use for short-term gains.

Specific Icon bonuses include:

Specific Gear Loans – Need a flaming sword to clear out a troll den, the Emperor has you covered.  Or perhaps the crystalized soul of a dead god of light for a ritual, the Santa Cora Choristers have just the one for you.

Power of the Icon Rewards (e.g. Emperor, Dwarf King, Orc Lord) – The adventurer is granted a martial bonus appropriate to the Icon for the rest of the session.  Perhaps the Orc Lord grants Dangerous to his followers or the Emperor provides a buffer of ‘fake’ HP that exists only for the purposes of resisting fear, shoring up the PC’s defenses with righteous fervor.

Wisdom of the Icon Rewards (e.g. Archmage, Diabolist, Prince of Shadows) – The adventurer is granted, through research or interaction with the great minds of his faction, the answer to a question he seeks.  Perhaps a campaign goal is now understood, a riddle is solved, or a word of binding sends the rampaging demon back to the Abyss.

“Face of the Faction” Rank 3 – (26 – 35 Status)

The adventurers are the movers and shakers of the faction.  While there are those higher up in the organization, the adventurers have become powers in their own right within their Icon’s faction. However, 5s may mean that other adventurers are calling on the adventurer to aid them in their problems.

Faction bonuses can include:

Faction Background – The Faction background increases to +4.

Specific Icon bonuses include:

Henchmen – The faction sends out a junior member with the adventurer to accomplish a specific task.  The Henchmen functions as a slot-less magic item. They provide a bonus to hit and damage equal to twice the adventure’s tier (+2 at adventurer, +4 at champion, +6 at epic). It has an appropriate background at +8 (they use the adventurer’s level when rolling for it). The Henchman can be directly attacked if the story warrants it (only has 30 HP per tier) and if they die, the adventurer loses 1d6 faction points (x2 at champion, x3 at epic). 

Faction Assault (1x per tier, subject to GM approval) – The power of the faction is at the adventurer’s disposal.  Rather than deal with an encounter, the adventurer can have his faction handle it.  Narrate how the adventurer is sent this aid, butdo not count this towards the group’s four-battle total needed to earn a full heal-up.  Also, make sure to let the Faction grab what it can for itself in the way of gold or treasure from the encounter. After all, this kind of aid is never cheap.

Resurrection (1x per tier.  Costs 10 status points) – The faction protects its own at this level.  They have invested a lot in the adventurer and don’t want to see all that effort go to waste.  But getting killed is a huge drain on their resources, so expect it to burn some bridges.

Gift of the Icons – Whether a piece of sacred knowledge, magic token, or insightful training, the PC gains the use of a daily power from another class or may cause a power they currently possess to recharge as a save one step easier (hard becomes normal, normal becomes easy).

Note: This list of powers and Ranks is not supposed to be exhaustive.  It is but a sample to be expanded and built upon.

Consequences

In my Ta’nar game, I have a nice web of how the Icons interact with each other.  This is important, because as the adventurers gain status with their faction, opposing factions begin to align against them.  Also, no one rises high in an organization without stepping on some toes. The adventurers’ rise to status can be seen as happening at the expense of others.  This framework provides some interesting interpretations for 5s as well. Are the adventurers’ plans opposed by a rival faction or sabotaged from within by rivals jealous of their status?

Written by JM as an update to an article he originally wrote for his now-defunct blog – Origins of a Dark God.

We are pleased to announce the formation of Iconic Production! Not only will we be continuing to deliver you a great 13th Age podcast, but we’re expanding our repertoire to include live streaming of games and other podcasts too!

In two weeks, keep an ear out for the inaugural launch of Dames & Dice! Led by our Iconic host, Becca, this will be a podcast about women in gaming and gaming with women. All RPGs are on the table as Becca and her friends give their own perspective and stories about the games they’ve played.

And as always, thanks for listening!

This week we do a bit of a follow-up episode to the one we did on Ending a Campaign and talk about various things to keep in mind when starting one. But it’s not just about what to do with the setting or story, but we also dive into what Session 0 might look like.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

For this week’s episode, we get together to brainstorm our first adventure of the season!  It’s an Adventurer-Tier encounter about stumbling into some Monster Fights in the town of Karrax.

Who’s organizing the Fights? To what end? What are the PCs going to do about it? We discuss various options on how to handle these sorts of questions and more!

And while we placed this in our world of Ta’nar, we also provide some insight on how or where you could alternatively use this in the Dragon Empire.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This is not the case any more. Games have expanded many classes to allow for the same class to be played by multiple people, yet still have flavor and make sure each character is unique. 13th Age is no different. In fact, 13th Age has mechanics built in to the system to allow for class repeats and still feel fresh.

Any character you create will be different solely based on background and your One Unique Thing. Collaborate with the other player on your characters. Together, you can decide how dissimilar or similar your characters will be. If you collaborate on your background, perhaps even coming from the same Order, you will be instantly invested in each other’s stories.

Moving beyond that, it’s the Icons, talents, and feats that make a character mechanically different. Let’s take a look at the Paladin Class. The first question you could have for any character that you build is the question about Icons. If you are going to follow a typically good Icon, like the Great Gold Wyrm, you will probably take the Path of Universal Righteous Endeavor, or PURE talent. If you decide to follow the Crusader, an Icon that is dubious at best, you may take the Way of Evil Bastards talent. From this one choice, you have given flavor to your Paladin that can be polar opposite to any other Paladin in your group. In the Paladin class, there are nine talents and you choose three to begin with, presenting the opportunity for two paladins to play mechanically different characters. While there may not be more options within the Paladin’s feats (Paladin is a class that doesn’t have feats beyond Smite Evil) there are still feats to choose from the extensive list of general feats.

We, at Iconic Production, recently talked to Ben Feehan, who presented the campaign idea of Gygaxian Rock Opera. A party of bards setting out to make their name in the Dragon Empire or your own world, encounter monsters and dungeons and towns that just need their help. Ben discussed how his groups have multi-classed as bards as well as found unique ways to distinguish their characters from each other. You can listen to that podcast episode at iconicpodcast.com.

On the surface, it may seem redundant to play a similar class to another person in your party. Yet, as any player digs deeper into the classes, you will find the options and opportunities give you the ability to play wildly different characters. And remember, detecting someone’s alignment is infringement on their privacy.

Written by Becca

This week we discuss antagonists and how they’re different from villains. Antagonists aren’t just the ‘Big Bad Evil Guys;’ they’re the NPCs who are set alongside or against the PCs to add depth to the campaign and bring more out of the characters and your campaign world.

Why you should put effort into creating them? What makes a good antagonist? What are some things to avoid? Listen in as we give our perspective on these questions and more!

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And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This week we welcome Benjamin Feehan onto the show to talk about his experience with the campaign idea of “‘What if there was a party of just bards that put on performances and delved dungeons to pay their bills?”

In addition to covering the ramifications of running an all-bard party, we talk about things like wrapping a campaign around a central idea or theme, necessary mechanics for doing Performances, and how one could best make use of the 13th Age system to further explore this idea.

A few of the other things Ben has worked on are the Grapple Gun Universe books, Jadepunk, and Shadowcraft: The Glamour Wars.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

As you know, mechanically, if you roll a 5 or a 6 on your Icon Relationships, you get an advantage during that session. And generally, you get to decide what that advantage is. It could be receiving a magic item, or auto-succeeding on a skill check, or bypassing a puzzle, or convincing a neutral NPC to swing to your side, or…well, you get the idea. (And to be clear, spending a 5 will also generate a complication, but that’s for your GM to figure out, though if you have something in mind, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it!)

But 13th Age isn’t really about the mechanics; it’s about the story. That’s why there are so many story-generating tools in the hands of the players. So how do you bridge the gap between the mechanics of getting a boon and weaving together a story, especially when it doesn’t make in-story sense for an Agent of the Icon to simply show up and give the boon to you? For example, let’s imagine you and your cohorts have delved deep into a cave and encountered a lake of lava. You want to use your Icon Relationship with the Emperor to get past it, but how would the Emperor provide aid to your character within the story?

The easy answer is to either handwave it aside or force the GM to figure it out. But the better-player answer is to tell the story of how it happens. Take it upon yourself to come up with a reason for how the Emperor’s reach is still felt that deep in the cave. Perhaps you find his seal embedded in a nearby wall that raises a stone pathway (a complication could arise from what also happens when this dormant magic is newly activated). Or perhaps he had previously given you a magic wand that could be used to create a rope-bridge once (a complication could be that the bridge is teleported from another location, causing havoc elsewhere). 

Reaching back in time and placing something into your character’s inventory for an Icon Relationship boon is a perfectly acceptable way to come up with an in-story explanation. And being tasked with providing a brief story for it provides additional benefits of crafting backstory pieces about your character as well as more details about the world. In doing so, you’re leveraging the same concepts that make Backgrounds such an integral part of 13th Age.  

But if you don’t want to always be coming up with the answer on the spot, during Character Creation, jot down a few items that your Icon(s) had given you which reflect the relationship you have with them. Have a positive relationship with the Diabolist? Maybe, for whatever influenced that positive relationship, she (or more likely one of her agents) presented you with a broach. It will sit ‘useless’ on your character sheet until that one time you rolled a 6 and wanted to get a magic item or needed a way to relay a message to/from her. You’d be getting the mechanical boon in that moment, but you’d also be linking it to an in-story reason that shines some spotlight onto your character and their backstory. But if you’re already in a campaign or you’ve run out of those items, you can continue to be proactive in this regard by asking the GM when you search for loot, “What sort of useless or random items do I find?” Those useless items are fodder for future boons!

Pulling items out of your pack or suddenly finding something that had been overlooked aren’t the only ways Icons can exert their influence over distances or in secluded areas. What are some other ways? Again, instead of putting yourself on the spot to explain it, you can make things easier on yourself as a player by proactively thinking of the ways the Icons could exert their influence you, regardless of where you are. To help with this, think about the nature of your Relationships. Why do you have that Relationship with that Icon?

For example, perhaps your conflicted Relationship with the Archmage is because you fear he is abusing his power. That belief could be suddenly reinforced when you use a 5 to get past a guard. When you hear a bodiless voice whisper in your ear precisely what to say to the guard about his family to prompt him to let you by, you’ve received your boon, and now you and everyone else is even more convinced that the Archmage is spying on people Big Brother like (plus, you’ve given the GM a hook to use for that complication if she needs it!)

Icon Relationships are for you, the player, to not only get boons but to influence the story, and while Rules As Written it simply provides a boon, you don’t always have to use them for just that benefit. Many times, the boon you ask for could do nothing but influence the story. I remember one session where several of us players spent our pool of 5s and 6s to simply get word to our various Icons about what was going on. Mechanically, it gave us nothing in the moment, but it was a way for us, as players, to influence the world and story.

When you sit down to play 13th Age, remember that there is a lot of narrative power at your fingertips, and even more so when you roll a 5 or a 6 at the beginning of the session. What are some of the ways you’ve used Icon Relationships to influence your story? And for those GMs reading this, what are your favorite moments when the players leveraged those rolls?

Written by Nick

This week we give you an overview of the world of Ta’nar, which is a Gygaxian fantasy setting that, while being the brainchild of JM, we’ve all had a hand in creating. It’s also the setting we’ll be placing all our Random Encounters that we brainstorm together, as well as any other published materials we may come up with.

We are currently in the process of putting together the past Random Encounters into PDF form in anticipation of reaching our first Patron Goal. We are so close!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

This week we take an in-depth look at Overworld and Beyond: Adventures in the Planes! We give our usual high-level overview of all the content you can find between the covers, and spoilers: there is a LOT in this book!

If you’re interested in picking up a copy, you can get it in Print or PDF at DreadUnicornGames.com

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron!

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

Icon Relationships is one of the things that sets 13th Age apart from other D&D games. It sets it apart from all other F20 games truth be told. So what is an Icon Relationship, and how do you use it your game?

Icons are the movers and shakers of your world; they are not the gods but are actual people who rule or influence those that do rule. Players start the game with three Icon Relationship dice to “spend” on which Icon they would like to have a connection. It could be a positive, negative, or conflicted relationship. Which type of relationship dictates what kind of help or hindrance the Icon will be during the game. On page 35, the 13^th Age Core Rulebook states,

Inventing your character’s relationship to the mighty icons who rule or shape the world is key to engaging your character with the game world. RPGs about vampires have clans, RPGs about pagan highlanders have cults, and 13th Age has icons.

If you haven’t already, scan over the icons in Chapter 1 and read the full entry on any icon that intrigues you. As you decide on the relationship to the icons that suits your player character, remember that it’s the nature of this magical world that even the most powerful figures need a lot of help to accomplish their goals. The icons have risen to power levels where they balance each other in an uneasy equilibrium. To advance their agendas further, the icons need heroes and champions to tip the balance in their favor. You should feel free to make your character central to big plot lines, if that’s what suits you.

The fate of the icons is written in the stars. Your character’s fate, however, is in your own hands.

At the start of each session, players roll a d6 for every Icon Relationship they have, noting if they get a “5” or “6” on the roll. These 5s or 6s represent a meaningful advantage you can expect from your Icon that session. A 6 will get you something good, and a 5, well, you get something good too, but a consequence or complication is attached. In addition to the core book, you can find some great advice on how to interpret Icon Relationship rolls in Gods and Icons produced by Dread Unicorn Games.

But what do you do if a player NEVER rolls a 5 or 6? I know it’s rare, but it does happen. Should that player be “punished” by never getting that extra something that everyone else is getting? 13th Age Glorantha use a different method; they use Runes, aspects of their gods, instead of Icon Relationships. They players still roll a d6, but every result is meaningful. A roll of 1-3 corresponds to one of their personal Runes, and with a 4-6, they roll on a random rune table to see which rune gets attuned to the player. This method could easily be converted to 13th Age core; assign 1-3 to each of your Icon relationships and on a 4-6, roll randomly to see which Icon is influencing your day. Handling Icon Relationship rolls this way ensures that no player gets left out, and it also reminds the players of Icons that are might not be prominent in your game. It also just might influence the choice the player will make later when they get another relationship die.

These are just some of my thoughts on the subject. Please let us know how you use Icon Relationships in your game.

As always, roll perception and initiative!

Written by Mark

This week we welcome 13th Age game designer, Rob Heinsoo, back to the show to discuss a variety of topics: from what’s being played at his game table to reminiscing over the joys and pains of creating 13th Age in the first place.

While there were some technical difficulties with the phone call, we had an excellent time with him and hope you, our listeners, enjoy it too!

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron or by using our Amazon referral link to do your online shopping.

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!

Most times, in F20 games, playing with a cleric is a forgone conclusion. It is one of the most, if not THE most, vital roles in the dungeon delving party. Few things will stress a party out as quickly as the cleric hitting 0 HP. And, as we know, 13th Age provides many great options for the cleric, not the least of which is allowing them to heal as quick actions, allowing them to play more than just a mobile bandaid box. All that being said, here is a secret. Come closer. Are you ready for this?

You don’t need one. That is right, you really do not NEED a cleric in 13th Age. I know what you are thinking. Iconic, I come to you for Epic Tier advice on 13th Age, and this seems like a quick way to turn my game into a 0-level funnel. But wait, hear us out. There are plenty of options for your groups if you want to leave the cleric behind in Santa Cora praying to the Priestess.

Option 1 – Other Choices

Dust off some of those classes from 13 True Ways! 13th Age is rife with alternative choices for healers besides the Cleric. Bards can heal. Commanders can heal. Druids can heal. That is not counting the fact other classes have spot healing (the Necromancer & Paladin come to mind) and that all characters can heal as an action at least once a fight. If you are going to adventure without a cleric, try to plan ahead and include some of these other classes. Additionally, give the group extra potions as a way for them to deal with their healing needs.

Option 2 – Go Mythic

13th Age Glorantha has less available healing classes than core 13th Age. To counter that, they include the Battle Healing rule (page 64). Steal this for your core 13th Age game to help offset the lack of power healing. Let everyone have the ability to trigger someone else’s recovery, possibly even before they hit 0 HP. An encouraging word, a slap upside the head, or a kick in the rear is all it could take to get someone back into the fight. Remember, hit points are an abstraction of luck, endurance, fighting spirit, and toughness. Theme Battle Healing however you like, but this option opens up a lot more flexibility in the party where healing is concerned.

Option 3 – Fudge the Rules

If nothing else feels like it works, you can make a couple of simple rules changes to increase the available healing. Perhaps you make drinking/administering a potion a quick action? You know your players already wish that was the case already. You could make the first use of Rally (each battle, each heal up) a quick action for characters, representing that first rush of adrenaline when the character realizes how dire the straights are. Or perhaps it goes to a quick action after the Escalation Die reaches 4, representing the surge of confidence as the party knows the battle is turning in their favor. Play around with these ideas to find a good feel for your table.

Last Words

Anyway you look at it, 13th Age provides a lot of options for non-standard party make-ups. As a GM, I would caution to you start off a bit friendlier than you normally would with a party like this. Use basic build math and no nastier specials, at least until you get used to the party dynamics. It gives your players time to figure out the ebb and flow of combat sans clerics.

Players, if you are going to play without a cleric remember that you need to be more on top of your own healing; instead of just yelling ‘cleric!!’ when your HP gets low. Keep an eye on the ebb and flow of the fight to figure out when to heal and when to flee. Keep these tips in mind and you should be able to survive without a cleric.

Are you playing in a group without a Cleric? Want to try out some of these ideas? Drop us a line and let us know how it goes.

This week we give our take on the 13th Age adventure, The Crown of Charon. It’s a tournament adventure, which is different from other products we’ve reviewed in the past.

Listen in as we give a high-level overview of it as well as some things worth bearing in mind as you consider picking up this product, which you can do over at DriveThruRPG.

If you enjoy listening to the Iconic Podcast, please consider supporting us by becoming a patron or by using our Amazon referral link to do your online shopping.

And a special thank you to all of our awesome Patrons!