That's right, Maid is back! But it's not the charmingly mundane Maid focused on the world-jumping Hawksmore fortress and its frilly agents of conquest; this is M.A.I,D., a futuristic task force of super-powered peacekeepers! Unfortunately, a recording hiccup prevented us from showing you the random character creation, so: PLEASE believe me when I say that the bondage themes were selected by dice rolls, I didn't--Mom, if you're reading this, it was all the dice, NOT ME. Content Warning: A few dea...
Mar 20, 2019•55 min
With the tournament over and cosmically larger problems heaped onto their collective plate, the knights of Jorl reassemble their blown minds and take stock of the situation. Both King Karl and Queen Kelda agree that the situation is dire, but is life or death enough to make them cooperate? And, now that they're not being flung together by the spirit of competition, will our beloved knights find a reason to hang out together? I hope so, or my job's about to get way harder.
Mar 06, 2019•1 hr 21 min
The tournament comes to a head when all four of our knights--and two that aren't ours so much as mine, being NPCs--wade into an all-out melee! This plays out as what may be the longest single combat scene in Big Gay Nerds history, one full of fleeting alliances and desperate gambits. When the dust settles, who will be the sole victor? Also: there's a twist ending! So you'd better be pretty enticed by all of this.
Feb 27, 2019•1 hr 42 min
It's time to tilt! We've got a real strong bracket for this jousting tournament, folks, with Ser Zeno the handsome foreign heir starting on one side and Ser Geoffery the handsome horse-whisperer on the other! Who will overcome some unexpected opposition and earn the Big Prize? And while that's happening, what will Agrippa and Prim do to prepare for their upcoming competitions? Most importantly, do any of us fully understand the rules yet?
Feb 19, 2019•1 hr 7 min
No occasion bigger than Queen Kelda's 30th birthday could bring the courts of Jorl together for civil competition, making this a fantastic opportunity for knights to win glory... or a political advantage for their kingdoms. Among these gathered tournamenteers are a handsome heir from overseas, a small-but-bold second child, a horse-whispering country boy, a representative of a reclusive house who's definitely who she says, and... a green-clad outsider who no one can make sense of. Hmm.
Feb 13, 2019•57 min
Here we go, with an adventure that I think I've wanted to run since the show's inception, if not earlier! It's the enticingly open-ended Fate system, where the little personality quirks setting your character apart are the most mechanically important things about them. We're using it to play a game of chivalry and conflict, set on a fictional island divided between two kingdoms. With knighthood as a baseline, what kinds of misfits will the party develop to fit into their armor? https://www.evilh...
Feb 06, 2019•53 min
The crew of the Australia is ready to meet with a mysterious contact... and get some shore leave in the meantime! Or station-leave, to be precise. If shores are planets in this metaphor than I guess a space station would be... a bundle of docks in the middle of the water, like in Flapjack. Anyway, X aims to regain some social standing, Eva sings, Craig logs in, and Nat shakes on it.
Jan 16, 2019•1 hr 27 min
A handful of prisoners and backwater settlers are given the chance for a fresh start for themselves and humanity as a whole... once they get their hands on some prohibitively rare fuel for their mining-barge-turned-interstellar-ark. It's also uncertain if a gun-toting revolutionary, a disorganized hacker/pilot, a neon-faced failed guard, and a bodybuilding farmer are even capable of keeping their fellow humans (and one methane-filled companion) focused on the same goal. Includes discussion of po...
Jan 09, 2019•1 hr 18 min
The Big Gay Nerds are boldly going where only playtesters have gone before: the universe of Termination Shock! Join Owen, Saturn, Snapper, and newcomers Nick and Vanessa as they brush up on timelines, get acquainted with multicolored dice, and set their sights on a new home for humanity. Includes discussion of Space Australia, amicable exes, Elan Sleazebaggano, reverse-Les Miserables, and personalized Death Stars.
Jan 02, 2019•56 min
The holiday celebration is winding down, but many questions are left unanswered. Will Simone's entirely nonmagical charms work on a professional mindbender? Will Liam's dedicated campaign of kissing up protect him from repercussions? Will Corvina have any reason to regret making a pact with a known cultist? Will Albert be able to ditch his new friend before he becomes part of the main cast? And will anyone learn what nondenominational winter gatherings are really all about?
Dec 25, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Now that this celebration is properly underway, it's time to get into the holiday spirit with some shady political maneuvering! Good will toward man is all well and good, but when everyone either wants you pushed out of their way or dragged into their schemes, you need to take precautions. Albert learns a lot about a pesky subject, Liam tries to buddy up to an eldritch being, Simone stands up for her friend, and Corvina makes the worst possible decision.
Dec 19, 2018•1 hr 4 min
December is a month full of celebration for many different faiths and cultures, but there's one event that everyone can appreciate: the end of the fall semester! But for the faculty of America's #1 magical college, there's still one last test. It's the Dean's holiday retreat, where nog-fueled hobnobbing is more powerful--and risky--than any spell. Can our untenured heroes come out on top of a social free-for-all?
Dec 12, 2018•1 hr 8 min
We're doing another Kickstarter tie-in! But this time, our episodes are being hosted on the designer's channel. You can listen to me, Saturn, Snapper, and two new Big Gay Nerds here https://soundcloud.com/greg-stolze/big-gay-nerds-presents-termination-shock-part-1 and help get the full game published here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gregstolze/termination-shock-the-print-version . Hope you enjoy!
Dec 10, 2018•54 sec
The Resurrectionists have found a skilled (and gilled) smuggler who can help them move ill-gotten goods, but there's one problem: she's already contracted to another gang. Our scoundrels have stolen, killed, and sabotaged their way to victory before, but how will they fare when the simplest solution is asking nicely? Especially since their smoothest talker is also their least trustworthy member?
Dec 05, 2018•52 min
It's another planning-focused episode as the Resurrectionists consider their options in the wake of a city-shaking disaster that they, for once, are not directly linked to. Is it time to seek profit in tragedy like the opportunistic scavengers they are, or hole up and look out for number one like the opportunistic scavengers they are? Also featured: matters of political praxis, the dangers of promotion, Thalia's hazing, and Victorian jazz.
Nov 28, 2018•51 min
In the aftermath of their daring and damaging scavenger hunt, the Resurrectionists still aren't out of the woods, as the consequences for their actions are nipping at their heels. Blondie takes one for the team, Arden tries to patch things up, Crowle runs interference, Flint does his thing, and a mysterious new figure extends a greeting! Also appearing: three different pets, and some brief awkwardness due to software problems.
Nov 21, 2018•1 hr 5 min
After searching desperately through the Lost District, the Resurrectionists finally close in on their priceless target... at the same time as their heavily-armed competition! They say that no plan survives contact with the enemy, but hopefully the planners do.
Nov 07, 2018•1 hr 20 min
It's Halloween, so it's time to roll out some scares! But how can we top our regular content, which is already chock-full of ghosts and ghouls? The answer is to get EXISTENTIAL with it! Owen and Pixie play Thousand Year Old Vampire, a game currently on Kickstarter, to watch a noble Norman squire descend into an eternity of alienation, loss, and bad decisions. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timh/thousand-year-old-vampire-a-roleplaying-game
Oct 31, 2018•1 hr 7 min
It's the 2nd anniversary of Big Gay Nerds' first episode, and to celebrate I make everyone really mad. Then we move on to the matter at hand: sneaking the Resurrectionists into a walled-off city district that's brimming with ghosts so we can find a demonic artifact before our opposition can use it to pin us for a crime we sorta committed. Luckily, Crowle/"The Club" is back to help us with his steel-trap mind and waaacky disguises!
Oct 24, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Blondie, Flint, and Pebble kick off their latest heist: extracting a cadaver from the Spirit Wardens' morgue. Their plan to get in: disguise Flint as a dead person. Their plan to get out: doesn't exist yet. Oh man, what if they prop the body up between them and put some dark glasses on it and pretend it's just really drunk or something? That would be hilarious. Hey, you could make a movie out of that idea. I gotta find a producer!
Oct 17, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Blades in the Dark is back! After their last two heists, the Resurrectionists have started going up in the underworld, which means increased membership! Unfortunately, it also means catching the eye of other criminal organizations, and even positive attention can mean trouble when it comes from the wrong people. Blondie makes some gains, Pebble has relationship troubles, and Flint learns a new game.
Oct 10, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Scientists said it couldn't be done, but the misadventures of the Hawksmore maids continue to escalate! But first, a new face rolls her way into the group, as played by the returning Fern! Watch as the new quartet struggles with breakfast, demonic admirers, unintentional alchemy, romance routes, the challenge of the forest, and each other.
Oct 03, 2018•1 hr 16 min
The maids' adventure continues when everyone discovers mysterious presents left in the night, but none is more mysterious than the one Lord Hawksmore receives! How will these combat-ready custodians deal with giant vermin, demonic doppelgangers, beach episodes, and really hokey naming conventions? With their usual poise and grace.
Sep 19, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Snapper's behind the BGN wheel for the first time, and he's driving us straight into Maid RPG, an INCREDIBLY Japanese game that simulates the world of domestic service with painstaking realism (or so I'm told). This world consists of two Pure Heroines and one Sexy Cool, randomly-generated plot points, the conquest of Heaven, tennis, and an unreasonable number of Metal Gear Solid references. Maid RPG can be found here: http://www.maidrpg.com/index.shtml And our music is, as always, from Aesop Roc...
Sep 12, 2018•1 hr 32 min
Here it is: the biggest episode of Big Gay Nerds yet, the one that we've been building towards since this podcast began! When a murderous gangster and her vampire girlfriend face off against a mind-controlling college dean, Mater Dolorosa becomes the staging ground for a war. Can a conflicted bargain-maker, an opportunistic werewolf, a scheming cult leader, and a confused goth possibly come out alive, let alone on top? Only the dice can tell! Monsterhearts is by Avery Alder: https://buriedwithou...
Aug 25, 2018•2 hr 52 min
You read right: the Season Finale is so big, it won't fit in one episode, even a long one like this! When Cardinal comes back to town with more on her mind than bootleg DVDs, how will the students of Mater Dolorosa react? Charlotte steps into the spotlight, Bishop sets up a meeting with some unexpected guests, Mark discovers the consequences of backtalk, and Pennyworth proposes an alliance.
Aug 15, 2018•1 hr 53 min
The clash at Pennyworth's house comes to a head in the penultimate--yes, you heard that right--episode of Monsterhearts! Jessamine is back and badder than ever, Bishop has to choose between bloodthirstiness and cowardice, Pennyworth gets his leash tugged on, and Mark does his best to make sure things don't get worse. Who or what will push the story over the edge, tumbling towards an explosive finale? Listen and find out!
Aug 08, 2018•48 min
So, this is kind of a weird episode, because it wasn't originally intended to be an episode: it was going to be the second half of the previous episode. It's a little short, but trust me, it's action-packed! How could it not be, when all four player characters wind up in the same place at the same time? That's right folks, we have a real Royal Rumble on our hands, and it's anyone's game!
Aug 01, 2018•54 min
The Master of Ceremonies might have lost his favorite ceremony-mastering seat, but the show must go on! Jessamine comforts Pennyworth, Mark contacts his new ally, and all three confront each other about all the bullshit they've been pulling lately. These kids are awful at keeping secrets, let me tell you. Meanwhile, the shadow that is Bishop looms ever closer.
Jul 24, 2018•1 hr
In this episode you're finally going to find out what happened in the forest, as Pennyworth barges back into the spotlight, leaving a trail of chaos behind him! Meanwhile, Mark gets an unusual assignment from Ol' Nick that he actually wants to do this time, and Bishop prepares for a final confrontation with style. It's all building towards one of the biggest messes in this big messy campaign, so stay tuned!
Jul 12, 2018•1 hr 10 min
