This episode takes listeners deep into our very first full Daggerheart adventure, where character backstories collide with corrupted beasts, mysterious crystals, and the deadliest foe of all: stairs.

We start with introductions and dive into what makes each hero tick — from the albino wizard who fled the Dominion’s forced spellcaster army, to the hyper-positive gym-bro faun named Flex Forigno, to the chill turtle warrior Kombu. The party dynamic quickly proves hilarious and chaotic: front-liners with the most relaxed vibes, a paranoid wizard trying to stay unnoticed, and rogues who might not survive the local jail.

The session itself unfolds in three big beats:

• The Crystal Boar Encounter: A mutated beast straight out of Princess Mononoke, shedding shards that punish anyone reckless enough to fight up close.
• The Hollowed Ones: Crystal-infested zombies aboard a wrecked skyship, showcasing Daggerheart’s flexibility in combat and narrative flavor.
• The Countdown Clock: A clever GM mechanic where glass beads tick away toward the arrival of the dreaded pirate ship The Soggy Biscuit — ratcheting up tension as the crew scrambles to repair and claim the downed vessel.

Highlights include debates over the difference between wizards and sorcerers, illusions as Marvel-style Mysterio tricks, the joy of carving scrimshaw runes into spell-staves, and the ongoing party joke about failing the simplest rolls. (The great enemy of this campaign? Not monsters, not pirates — stairs.)

By the end, the crew is laughing, learning the ropes of the system, and laying the groundwork for bigger battles ahead. It’s part session recap, part system breakdown, and part comedy of errors — exactly what you’d expect when Funkatronic Rex takes on a brand-new RPG.

Takeaway: Daggerheart encourages collaboration, description, and shared world-building — and sometimes reminds you that rolling dice can make stairs scarier than dragons.

Support the show

This week’s episode takes a big swing at one of tabletop’s most intimidating roles: the Game Master. Chris and Paul kick things off in true Funkatronic fashion with tangents about YouTube terrariums, turtles, and just how weird (and sometimes terrifying) home ecosystems can get. From there, the conversation rolls naturally into the hobbyist mindset—how deep geeks will dive once they’ve found their niche, whether it’s Star Wars, Magic, or keeping an 80-gallon turtle tank clean.

The heart of the episode digs into GMing and storytelling. Mark shares updates from his ongoing Daggerheart “Beast Feast” campaign, including food-themed monsters like chocolate-covered wolves, salt eels, popcorn rats, and spicy ghost scorpions. Those stories set up a bigger conversation about the balance between combat-oriented and narrative-driven systems. The crew compares Daggerheart to D&D across editions, Shadowrun, and other RPGs—breaking down how different games serve different play styles.

From nostalgia for 3.5 crunch to the flexibility of 5E, the group reflects on what each system does best and what it asks of its GMs. They stress that GMing is a muscle—you don’t need to be Matt Mercer to run a table, you just need to start. Notes from Apocalypse World and Dungeon World highlight the importance of leaving blanks for players to fill in, while tips about session zeros and shared world-building show how to build player buy-in from the start.

The episode closes with practical encouragement for new and aspiring GMs: don’t fear doing it “wrong,” lean on your players, take notes, use tools (yes, even AI) to lighten prep, and above all, be a fan of your players. Because whether your dungeon is full of gelatinous ice cream oozes or mimic treasure chests, the best games are the ones where everyone leaves with a story worth retelling.

Support the show

We open this week with classic Funkatronic detours — Mel Brooks nostalgia, Spaceballs sequel rumors, Naked Gun casting debates, and why Blazing Saddles still makes us laugh (and wince) decades later. From Jackie Chan’s The Tuxedo to desert island movie picks, it’s a comedy deep-dive before we even hit the main event.

From there, the conversation shifts to card games and campaigns. We talk about the punishing difficulty of Arkham Horror LCG, what it’s like to run decks across digital platforms, and why some campaigns feel like slow grinds of trauma while others tell brilliant, unforgettable stories. There’s a breakdown of how Arkham compares to Marvel Champions and Lord of the Rings LCG, plus stories about deck-building experiments, support characters, and the thrill of eking out survival against impossible odds.

Finally, we hit the reason for the title: our session zero for Daggerheart. Paul hosted in the garage as we sat down to create characters, build connections, and dip into the narrative-first style that sets this new RPG apart. We dig into background questions, how character bonds form at the table, and why Daggerheart’s emphasis on hope, fear, and storytelling feels so fresh compared to number-crunchy systems. Even Mike (who normally wants to skip straight to the action) came away impressed and excited to see more of it in the store.

It’s part Mel Brooks tribute, part card game clinic, part RPG first date jitters — and all classic Funkatronic Rex chaos.

Support the show