Solar works the crime scene. Zephyra WORKS the crime scene. Percy makes the crime scene work. An Actual Play D&D Podcast! Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2 , @dlytle21 , @Evlinten...
Aug 25, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Aelos, Nym & Paul the Banker journey to a pawn shop in the Underneath to settle some business. An Actual Play D&D Podcast! Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2 , @dlytle21 , @Evl...
Aug 18, 2019•32 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Back at the crime scene, our players encounter a band of youngsters with a carriage in their sights. An Actual Play D&D Podcast! Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2 , @dlytle21 , @E...
Aug 11, 2019•34 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Our players face off with the Ruby Rats and a lie begins to compound. An Actual Play D&D Podcast! Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2 , @dlytle21 , @Evlintentions...
Aug 04, 2019•38 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Aelos & Nym devise a plan to relocate their new friend. An Actual Play D&D Podcast! Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2 , @dlytle21 , @Evlintentions...
Jul 28, 2019•34 min•Season 1Ep. 23
We enter the Underneath! Aelos & Nym find themselves in the midst of a brawl which leads to them coming together to make a new friend. An Actual Play D&D Podcast! Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @Sne...
Jul 21, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Introducing two new members to the underworld of Backfire: Aelos & Nym! Also, the origin of Fishy McFish is told. Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2 , @dlytle21 , @Evlintentions...
Jul 14, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 21
We return to the scene of the crime for our first interrogation! An Actual Play D&D Podcast! Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2...
Jul 07, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 20
There's been a murder and our first group of players begin to form their party. An Actual Play D&D Podcast! Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2...
Jun 30, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Return to Backfire! We continue learning about our first set of players and the circumstances under which they meet are introduced. Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2...
Jun 23, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Welcome to Backfire! An introduction to our first set of players. Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck Follow our cast: @heydrwil , @griffmoy , @SneakAttack29 , @conmyt2...
Jun 17, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 17
We couldn't quit you, Strength Check! A preview of what's coming up in season 2! Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck...
Jun 10, 2019•7 min•Season 1Ep. 16
The first season of Strength Check concludes this week with a talk about our on demand culture and what it's doing to us and how that influences how we consume art. Also, a preview of what's to come in the future of the show. Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @Stre...
Jun 02, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 15
This week we talk about Giuseppe Petrosino and the label of Sherlock Holmes. Why aren't there more of them today? We also talk about mental health and dealing with the sense that we aren't doing enough when we very much (probably) are. Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Mentors on Discord! https://discord.gg/sDrP9gD Play for Progress GoFundMe - gofundme.com/play-for-progress E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twit...
May 26, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 14
This week, we introduce the Black Hand Society, an organization that terrorized the U.S. in the early 20th century and talk about the development of gangs in America. We also talk about nostalgia and why we feel nostalgic about things and what it means, especially when those things are bad. It's important to tell these stories and we talk about why that is -- and what your story could mean to someone else. Play for Progress on Discord! https://discord.gg/nNNZUHS Strength Check @ Mages & Ment...
May 19, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 13
What kind of world can we envision if not this one? Following up on our discussion of the assassination of President McKinley, we talk about what anarchy actually stands for and why it is that people think it is nothing but chaos. We also talk about the work of Natalie Goldberg and Dorothea Brande and what our obsessions and our dreams can do for us, that it's OK to have them, that they're valid, and that they're worth working towards even if they're not something that's going to make us rich. P...
May 12, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 12
We're recording on Star Wars Day, so this week's episode is a love letter to one of the most important stories in modern American mythology. The comic I mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Imperial-Machine/dp/1302907441/ Star Wars: Always https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdoWJywrOuw E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck...
May 05, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The Assassination of President McKinley seems like it should be an event that every American child is taught about, and that McKinley should be someone who is memorialized and maybe even deified in American culture. So why isn't he? What could possibly be lost by teaching people about his administration and his assassination? We discuss this and put out a call for participants this summer for a criminal justice themed D&D project. E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the sh...
Apr 21, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Gaming can teach us a lot about failure, and it's a lot more than just learning that you can't win all the time. Games can also show us that sometimes the system is rigged against us and that we're going to fail no matter how hard we try. And that's OK! Because failure is inevitable, we should feel free to take more chances. Failure isn't oppressing, it's liberating. We also take a few minutes this week to talk about the assassination of President William McKinley and the anarchy movement in the...
Apr 14, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 9
What is it that makes some people rise up in the moment? This week, we talk about how superhero stories are modern American mythologies and what these characters represent to us in the 21st century. Spoilers: it's more than just a throwaway popcorn movie for kids. There's a lot of hope that we're going to be able to take out of Avengers: Endgame no matter how the story ends. Plus, we introduce next week's talk on President William McKinley and talk about a future Play for Progress podcast. E-mai...
Apr 07, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 8
It's really common for people to feel constrained by the choices they've made and limited in the choices they can make in the future. In reality, we have a lot more options than we tend to realize we do. This is especially important for people who are suffering from mental health problems, past or current victimization, or substance use disorders -- and think their suffering is going to last forever -- to hear. Plus, we hear from a Play for Progress volunteer about why she thinks mental health a...
Mar 31, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 7
It's ok to admit you're stressed and under a lot of pressure, and so this week we're going to talk about the power of taking inventory of your work and why it matters. Talking about our mental health publicly before the pressure gets too great can be helpful, especially when it gives us an opportunity to think about what we're actually trying to accomplish. Plus, we talk about the murder of Stanford White in 1906 and what we can learn from cases over a century old. Find The Girl on the Velvet Sw...
Mar 25, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 6
It's been a rough week because of the unrelenting weather and baffling and horrible violence around the world. Just like it's important to be mindful of your emotions and ask why you're responding to things the way you are, it's also important to think about how things outside your control are dragging you down, and how best to respond to this negativity: Love your people and fight forever. Plus, an update on the Play for Progress project and a quick introduction to a few of our first characters...
Mar 17, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In light of the sentencing of Paul Manafort and the public reaction to that, this week's episode discusses how important it is to understand our anger when we hear about criminal justice issues and to question why it is we're reacting the way we are - beyond just looking for revenge. This idea is talked about with regard to Al Capone, Kip Kinkel, and Jerry Sandusky, and how sad these stories are and how important it is to be hopeful in the face of such darkness. E-mail the show: strengthcheckpod...
Mar 10, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 4
The opioid epidemic has claimed so many lives, but we don't get to hear the stories of people who've been lost nearly enough. This week, Andy talks about a personal loss and tries to understand the loss of a dear friend, and talks about how the opioid epidemic fits into other public health crises in the U.S. today. Plus, a brief update on Play for Progress and how Dungeons & Dragons can be used to help young people dealing with mental health problems. E-mail the show: strengthcheckpodcast@gm...
Mar 04, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3
The official launch of Strength Check! How much do we care about people? Are we concerned about people, or just their bodies? The cases of Elizabeth Short (the Black Dahlia) and Marty Bergen are discussed with this question in mind. What can we do better for each other? E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck
Feb 26, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 2
The unofficial introduction to Strength Check and a discussion of how Dungeons & Dragons might be used to help young people recovering from violence or living with mental health problems and a recap of introducing D&D to the Play for Progress volunteers and what happened during their very first campaign. E-mail the show: [email protected] Follow the show on Twitter: @StrengthCheck...
Feb 19, 2019•21 min•Season 1Ep. 1
