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The Fixer, Maeve, & Calamity are off for a night of champagne, high fashion, and culture aboard the Abundance. It’s a night for star-crossed lovers, dazzling artwork, and a nasty surprise lurking up the corridor!

With tabletop gaming as a storytelling tool, the show features the Doctor Who roleplaying game from Cubicle 7, powered by the Vortex System, designed by David F. Chapman.

Enjoy thrills, chills, and laughs galore with Brand Osorio, Cate MacCoyne, and Pandora Beatrix, along with GM Casey Jones. Stick around for interviews with the players, including our special guest star, AE Jones! Your ears are in for a treat!

Be sure to subscribe and leave a question or comment! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and BlueSky for more updates! And come say hi on our Discord!

Send your questions and fan art to AnywhereButNowPodcast@gmail.com!

And if you'd like to run a game of Doctor Who of your very own, find Casey on StartPlaying!

Music by Tabletop Audio
Theme by RJ Pirchinello

Addl. Music

Fur Elise - Ludwig van Beethoven
Prelude and Fugue in C major - Johann Sebastian Bach
Waltz of the Flowers - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Piano Sonata No. 14 - Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, Movement 1 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Hebrides Overture, Op 26 (Fingal’s Cave) - Felix Mendelssohn
Gymnopedie No 3 - Wahneta Meixsell
In the Hall of the Mountain King - Edvard Grieg
Night on Bald Mountain - Modest Mussorgsky
Game Originally Created by David F. Chapman

Addl. Game Writing by Will Brooks, Zak Dale-Clutterbuck, Eleanor Hingley, Andrew Peregrine, John Sewell, Chris Spivey

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnywhereButNowPod
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnywhereButNow_
Blusky: https://bsky.app/profile/anywherebutnow.bsky.social
Learn more about Cubicle7!

Website: https://cubicle7games.com/doctor-who-the-roleplaying-game-second-edition
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cubicle7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cubicle7Entertainment

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Transcript

Introduction to the Podcast

00:00:05
Speaker
Time travel, sci-fi adventures, and risky rolls of the dice lie ahead. Hello and welcome to Anywhere But Now, a Doctor Who actual play podcast. I'm your host and GM, Casey Jones.
00:00:19
Speaker
The next hour and a half or so holds a thrilling adventure in time and space. So let's dive in. With me is the daring crew of our time-traveling machine. Playing the Fixer is the ever-resourceful Bran DeSorio.

Character Introductions

00:00:32
Speaker
Hello, Bran. Hello. So nice to see you. And joining him is Maeve Sullivan, played by the ebullient Kate McCoy. Welcome, Kate. Hi there.
00:00:43
Speaker
Finishing the TARDIS team is Pandora Beatrix, as the unpredictable calamity happened. Hi. Cordial salutations. Cordial salutations. And returning to play with us today is special guest star A.E. Jones. Welcome back, Murph. Dali.
00:01:01
Speaker
Are you all excited? Do you feel that energy?

Game Mechanics and Storytelling Approach

00:01:05
Speaker
I hope so, because we play with the second edition of Cubicle 7's Doctor Who rulebooks. That means the dice are magic. Rolling double sixes bring extra bonuses, while rolling snake eyes spells disaster. House rules mean our players begin the game with five, count them five story points each, so they're not empty handed, but don't have an embarrassment of riches either. Get ready for a collaborative
00:01:28
Speaker
Immersive storytelling experience, because that's what I've brought to tables for over 10 years. Stick around after the game for interviews with the players. The name of the game is Doctor Who, but our show is anywhere but now for a reason. Instead of a legendary hero who's defeated the dialects and cybermen hundreds of times, our intrepid fixer is still in his first incarnation, traveling the cosmos as a senior member in the doctoral program.
00:01:55
Speaker
Rolls, brools, and other tantalizing tidbits will be explained as we go. A bigger on the inside thank you to our listeners. Time is truly a gift, or it wouldn't be the present. We thank you for spending yours with us. If you like what you hear, leave a review, rate the show, and follow us on Twitter at anywhere but now with an underscore at the end. And if you'd like me to run a game for you over Zoom, find me on startplaying.games.
00:02:22
Speaker
Links to everything in the doobly-doo. This fine TARDIS crew have no idea what they're heading into. For today's adventure, they have not been told so much as the title of the mod brought to you. Wherever you're listening, in time and space, this is anywhere but now.

Maeve's Investigation

00:03:15
Speaker
We open with mave. You're strolling through the TARDIS library, a voluminous room of endless stacks of books in several directions. TARDIS piloting manuals sit gathering dust, as you've found the subject of your next article.
00:03:31
Speaker
Artemis McCobek. The library has a whole bookshelf dedicated to her, starting with her biography. There's another volume of her work as a painter, another volume cataloging her performance art, for which she won the exclusive Golden Chimera Award. A third heavy tome describes her work in glass, manipulating light.
00:03:51
Speaker
A fourth collects articles on her various triumphant shows over the decades that come to an abrupt halt relative to 10 years ago. Kobek is approaching 80, but her species has a longer, slower lifespan than most bipeds. She's taken sabbaticals before, but no one in the art world has seen her in over a decade. Maeve, how are you feeling today?
00:04:14
Speaker
I'm feeling very excited because if there's anyone who can get an interview with a gifted and talented and yet reclusive artist, like Artemis McCobic, it's Maeve Sullivan. That's outstanding. Your pocket reporter, Deetadeets.
00:04:31
Speaker
The Sigourney has entered mainstream production after the filtration process was perfected. The Gelt are safe and sound, and Brynnen is reaping the benefits. The coronation of Lexi VII is greenlit with sponsorship from... you know who. Details on the event are pending. In breaking news, the Slothden clan of Raxacoric Ophallipatorius have recently disappeared following a botched heist of a casino orbiting Dikdak.
00:04:59
Speaker
Finally, an email from your editor, Pondjerry, really, really wants you to try and get this interview with Artemis McCobec. It would be an incredible scoop. Calamity. You've been exploring the TARDIS between adventures and have made some fun discoveries.
00:05:18
Speaker
For instance, the tiramisu flavored gelato in the desertium pairs really well with the espresso in the in the console room. Squirrels in Arboretum 3 are fondest of the acorn gelato and appreciate the bowls you've been leaving out for them.
00:05:33
Speaker
Finally, the silver in your hair you collected during your hard time on Ruption has not gone away. You thought it might be one of those temporary thingies, but it's still there. How's Calamity feeling? Well, you know, well, so a little confused, little concerned, mostly excited, obviously, because anything new is good. But it's just, it's definitely something that she's still trying to wrap her head around, the whole aging thing and what's going on with that.
00:06:02
Speaker
She's heard some of the side chatter, you know, about people being old and there's a bunch of weird implications of that that she's still grappling with. Okay, yeah. No, I feel you. I feel you and so do my joints. Fixer! The TARDIS is currently parked in deep space at rest. The console hum has returned to its normal tone and all is well.
00:06:30
Speaker
The Fixer spent the last few days around the TARDIS console room fixing.

The Fixer's Reflections

00:06:35
Speaker
Some flights through the vortex have been bumpier than others, and Fixer's been catching up his to-do list of TARDIS maintenance. The dispatch has been silent for days. What's going through the Fixer's head as he fixes? Probably thinking deeply about the fact that we haven't heard anything from the Auditor since the Auditor left, and probably a little bit of worry for the Auditor and how the other Time Lords are dealing with the Auditor after the events on Ruption.
00:07:01
Speaker
Yeah, any kind of friendly chatter that you might have expected from other Time Lords, especially in the program, have fallen silent. You're not entirely sure why, maybe it's just that they don't know what to say, but rumblings of the disciplinary action of the Time Lords.
00:07:19
Speaker
has rumbled through the halls of the doctoral program back home. Then unfortunately I think I will have to make sure as I'm doing repairs around the ship that I also want to put some things in place so that way if either of my companions are ever held responsible for anything that happened on eruption we have a safe way to get them home and out of anybody's clutches who might be
00:07:42
Speaker
seeking a scapegoat. That's really interesting. That might be like a short-term project or a short-term goal to work on between mods. It would require some use of gadgetry and things like that. I really dig that Time Lord thinking at a story point. Bravo, first of the day. So yeah, you are working your way in the console. You might be on your back on one of those rolly things that you finally found.
00:08:10
Speaker
In which case I will have to

Auditor's Report

00:08:12
Speaker
announce out loud, I'm so happy and thankful that Calamity got us these. It really has made work around the Antarctic a lot easier. What do you think? Put my hand on the console and just gently rub it?
00:08:26
Speaker
The gentle resting hum of the TARDIS gives you an extra boom because it likes that it's even that much more useful and accessible now. It's not quite like, look at these roller skates I can wear now, but it's not that bad either.
00:08:43
Speaker
You hear the telltale rumbling of a canister rumbling down the tube of the dispatch. Out comes a canister with your name on it. Ooh, news. Head on over, pop open the canister. The instructions in the dispatch are pretty simple. It just says, expand the oxygen envelope outside of the TARDIS, please. Definitely gathering them up before I do.
00:09:10
Speaker
In the work of just a handful of minutes, like the three of you, I'm picturing an overhead shot, because if everything in Time Lord architecture is divided by six, because it's all clockwise and has six hexagonal facets, I see an overhead shot of three bisecting tunnels, one adjacent to the library, one adjacent to the desertium, where gelato and various flavors can be found,
00:09:38
Speaker
and one off-shooting from the wardrobe that the fixer bypasses to get from here to the console room. And you all just ding, run into each other.
00:09:49
Speaker
Hey, what's up? Just, we got something interesting in the mail. Hand the paper to Maeve, say, I believe the auditor is returning to us. Let's see if we can give him a good welcome. I'm not quite sure what he may have seen or heard while he was away. Let's do an ingenuity and technology role at the console to adjust the extra spatial settings outside the TARDIS to expand the oxygen environment to outside the TARDIS doors.
00:10:19
Speaker
This is fairly simple, and given that you are a Time Lord trainee, you can add 2 to this, it's going to be a difficulty of 12. Okay, so we got a 1 and a 6 on the dice for a total of 18. So not only is the air pocket around the TARDIS extended, it is air conditioned.
00:10:38
Speaker
empty space, and the auditor grabs onto the outer door of the TARDIS, unlocks it, and lets himself in. Shakes off the almost cold of outside and lets himself into the TARDIS console room proper.
00:10:59
Speaker
run over, open the door, grab him to the biggest hug ever, and then realize maybe that's not quite appropriate to do to your teacher and then step back with like a slightly apologetic look. It's too late because Maeve considered this a group hug and ran over to join. Aw, heck yeah. Maeve, happy to see you. If it seems like no one is falling over, then she will also join the group hug, you know, athletically.
00:11:25
Speaker
We don't need to do coordination roles for group hugs. I think that's an acceptable house rule. It's so nice to have you back. It's nice to be back. Did I miss anything? Why don't you just sit for a moment? It's okay. Just come, please. Bless you. The auditor explains that from his perspective, I've been gone for months. I understand that relative to you, it's only been a matter of days. It took quite some time, literally, to deliberate on your actions.
00:11:53
Speaker
the disciplinary hearing of a Time Lord, went about as well as it could have. Rassilon blessed the exceptional, mitigating circumstances. So he goes on to explain.
00:12:05
Speaker
that while the Fixer directly contributed to the destruction of Ruption, you also helped save every life you could, on a broken foot no less. That said, you have been present for the destruction of two planets in one semester, which is deemed a tad excessive. They do ask if you could please refrain from adding a third to that list. One is unfortunate, two seems like carelessness.
00:12:32
Speaker
I'd like to quote Calamity in this moment and say, yes, but things happened for a reason. That's very true. And they were interesting experiences, very valuable. It's funny you should mention interesting experiences with Calamity's friends because the second charge against you, depositing a shrine of serendipity on Zabah, transplanting a religious order across time and space is forbidden. Why?
00:12:58
Speaker
Why is it a crime to transplant entire religious orders across time and space to a new environment? Because the reactions may not be entirely benign in most cases. That said, it was the Shrine of Serendipity which don't actually do anything but go with the existing five. So you may as well have given a Hare Krishna a ride to the airport. I don't know what that means but okay. I don't either but it sounds fun. Can we try that?
00:13:28
Speaker
And then he looks at the fixer. As to Tripshine, for the willing disobedience of the program, please hold out your wrist. Very serious face, hold out the wrist. The auditor rubs his fingers together and
00:13:44
Speaker
smacks your wrist. Contact. Contact. The Fixer experiences the memories and experience in compressed time of an hour of being shouted at by members of the council. You don't actually see their faces because they're standing on an adjudical plinth, you know, being cast of light from behind to be as intimidating as possible and like, what do you think you were doing and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:14:10
Speaker
Give me a role, an awareness role, and throw intuition to this, please. The difficulty will be 12, and you are at an advantage because you are a student of this school. Oh, squeaked on by with a 4 and a 4 and a dice and a total of 13. Beautiful. With no magic numbers on the dice, you've stood in the hallway before while the Dodger has gotten one of these earfuls that went on for several minutes.
00:14:38
Speaker
You've never been through one yourself, but the general impression is they don't really know how to punish young Time Lords for stuff like this since they're trying to teach you to do this stuff. Being control freaks of the unteenth factor need to have the satisfaction of knowing they gave you a solid talking to. Well, then I'm going to look very ashamed. Very, very ashamed. Looking ashamed actually brings it to that much faster of a conclusion.
00:15:08
Speaker
Did you just get a slap on the wrist? In a way, Maeve. But the truth of the matter is, they're very right. My bad actions, my not listening to basic information I'm being handed by people who are trying to research this stuff for us, went sideways. And it could have harmed a lot of people. And honestly, if it weren't for you and Calamity, it would have hurt a lot. So they're absolutely right for reprimanding me in this moment. And hopefully I can make it up.
00:15:36
Speaker
The auditor silently gets up from his chair, takes off his jacket, now that he's set down his rucksack and everything, and as you're talking, quietly over to the console and drapes his jacket over the actual dispatch device on the console. Right, now we can talk. And he looks at Maeve. Your articles on the destruction of Ruption have had
00:16:00
Speaker
ripple effects with the general public of the universe, which was part of the point. The program has not been so fortunate. All of this saving of time and space. The Doctor has made it look easy. You have made it seem fun. The Dodger
00:16:18
Speaker
didn't make it at all. Several students have ended their semester abroad prematurely to finish out their program on theoretical application of time travel. Aside from the hexed, those wonder students, half the class has returned to Gallifrey. Auditor, I think I know why that is. The fundamental flaw in the doctoral program
00:16:43
Speaker
is that we're still separating ourselves from other species. We're still looking at ourselves as better than and more than and able to achieve more than every other species we're running into. And yet time and time again, our travels have at least shown me that that is the exact opposite of what goes on in this universe. If we want the doctoral program to succeed, we need to include people who are in the time boards.

Mission on the Abundance

00:17:10
Speaker
which brings me to your official first assignment now that your review has concluded, and he pulls out a scroll and there's a little
00:17:22
Speaker
as it connects Wi-Fi-wise to the TARDIS and uploads quantum coordinates. And on the screen goes Deet, a spaceship that looks incredibly fancy. This is the abundance. It is a Guggenheim-class museum luxury liner. Someone of great importance is about to have grand return to the public cultural eye.
00:17:49
Speaker
Gallifrey wants you to make sure it goes as slowly as possible. Oh, good. Party security. I think we got that. Who is it? She's some sort of genius of the art world. I don't know if you've heard of her. Her name is Art and Lumi Smokovic. She's done wonderful things across performance art and so forth, but she's been
00:18:14
Speaker
Well, it turns out that my editors asked me to get an interview. I was actually just trying to find the fixer to see if we could get tickets to this event.
00:18:24
Speaker
Well, I think, based on how Calamity might look at this, I think, again, this is the universe coming to our aid, and everything's gonna work out perfectly. If we can do this, if we're supposed to handle security for this event, then why not simply get you a job there, Maeve, where you are literally the person in charge of taking this famed artist from place to place within the facility? I mean, Calamity has a job, so it makes sense that I would also have a job.
00:18:52
Speaker
The auditor just pinches the bridge of his nose and says, nowhere on the actual release does it say security. It just says, see it goes smoothly. Let's try to avoid putting words in the council's mouth that's gotten us in some trouble before. If the idea is to make it go smoothly, where am I going to be doing this?
00:19:14
Speaker
Well Calamity, actually I was hoping you would be our main guest liaison. You know, just making sure everybody has a good time and if, you know, things seem to others like they might be going south, you know, presenting your unique view might help, you know, get them back on board with the fun. So smoothly from my perspective and not from anyone else's. As long as they end the event feeling like they had a great event, I personally consider you being a great success at what you're going to do. Alright, that seems challenging, but we'll give that a shot.
00:19:43
Speaker
Some of life's best things are challenges. You got this. So now, in reference to what the auditor was saying about the paperwork not saying anything about security,
00:20:06
Speaker
reach into the pocket, pull out the psychic paper, flip it towards him, and say, what do you mean we're not security? Very good. I think we should show up in our finest clothes. I like this plan. Maeve says we should show up in our finest clothes and a light from the hall just...
00:20:29
Speaker
on like a spotlight and it shows the path past the ordinary wardrobe to the fancy wardrobe to the fancy wardrobe cut to the fancy wardrobe as a montage of the companions trying on fancy clothes
00:20:45
Speaker
Clary's doing a lot of separates, you know, mixing and matching things. Actually, just mixing things. There's no actual matching going on. But in the end, she actually comes down to just a sort of like, sort of flowing white jumpsuit that's, you know, just, it's just featureless and stunning. And then she asks the TARDIS if it can just sort of randomly spray paint at it. There's a booth for that. How fast do you want to spin while it's traced?
00:21:15
Speaker
She's just gonna do it, you know, manually spinning, just at varying rates. What colors? All of them, I see. Oh, nice. So you're starting with white and being painted all over. Okay, is there a certain artistic style you're going for? Impressionism? Cubism?
00:21:30
Speaker
I don't actually know. It's just sort of, you know, is there a randomism? There is. There's a randomizer. No, ism. I mean, as a style of art. I'm sure there is by the 30th century or so. There has to be a randomism. But it's got to be, you know, it's got to be just like speckles because we don't want to take away all the way. It's just got to be, you know, it's just got to be evenly distributed except not. Beautiful. Yes. Maeve, walk us through your fashion show.
00:22:00
Speaker
Maeve at first looks at things that would be appropriate to wear to a fancy party in her era, but she quickly discards these because they don't suit her current sensibility anymore. She's grown beyond that. What she ends up finding is a power suit made in the late 80s or early 90s.
00:22:19
Speaker
The one I found as reference was made by Armani. It is a double-breasted pinstripe suit, a bit loose-fitting, with very kind of like wide-legged pants and high heels. And the collar of the blouse beneath kind of ties into a very neat knot, a bit like a cravat. And the minute she tries it on, she has clearly decided that she may never take it off. Tell us about the shoulder pants! The shoulder pants!
00:22:46
Speaker
Oh, there are definitely shoulder pads, and they make her look very powerful. This is a powerful power suit. Odds or evens, Maeve? Um, odds.
00:22:59
Speaker
That's an 11. You are gonna be at a plus two to any social challenges involving confidence while you are wearing that suit today. Brava, that's wonderful. The auditor just tries on a couple of minimalist, very, very, very, very dark purple tuxedos with tails and find something with walnut buttons to go with a black shirt, dark purple tie with, as usual, paisley with planets.
00:23:26
Speaker
and a tuxedo black piss helmet with a ribbon of purple around it because it's space and space is dangerous. Thanks, sir.
00:23:35
Speaker
So after the auditor and the companions are fully dressed and on set as it were in the way they're going to be dressed, I will definitely step out from having gotten dressed into a beautiful ankle length blue dress with two slits up the side. Blue corset with gold boning going up and down it. Definitely a synthetic, not a real well-boned. The heels are hand-carved wood.
00:24:00
Speaker
with white silk strapping that goes up in a traditional Greek style bows on the back of the legs. Stockings which have the pinstripe going up the back of the legs as well. Full eyeliner and eyeshadow in varying shades of blue to match the shades of blue of the fixture's usual outfit. Blue nails that go from one color of blue into the other color of blue with the accent nail on each hand done up with a galaxy. The auditor gasps.
00:24:31
Speaker
You look smashing, just smashing. How does it move? First, I just blush very deeply. Oh, thank you. Thank you very much. It's actually pretty mobile. Cut to the TARDIS console room and main, followed by a calamity.
00:24:51
Speaker
followed by the auditor, followed by the Fixer strut into the console room. Fixer, please give me an ingenuity and transportation role. Plus two for Time Lord to get to the ship on time and in space.
00:25:08
Speaker
with a difficulty of 15 to beat. A difficulty of 15? I think we got this one. Plus, I don't want to mess up my makeup, so better if we land in a way where we're not all awake. Jumbled. Oh, there we go. Exactly. We have a three and a one on the dice for a total of 15. So with that one on the dice, your TARDIS materializes fashionably late. You are 15 minutes past the time that the last, quote unquote, cool person thought they were being the cool person.
00:25:38
Speaker
edging their way into the ship. The TARDIS materializes inside of a hangar bay, similar in size to the one of the Sigourney, its luxury small craft from one wall to the other. A vast parking bay surrounded by opulent cruisers, platinum plated personal transports of all kinds, including one that is practically neon pink, parked pristinely.
00:26:05
Speaker
The space parking lot of the society event of the season, if not the decade. Even the maintenance crew is neatly dressed. They spared no expense. There is a valet cabinet with keys to the ships standing before a grandiose portal to the museum lobby. How's everybody feeling? Excellent. Yes, amazing. Everybody looks fabulous. I think, I think we're gonna be the best dressed at the party.
00:26:30
Speaker
Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be? Beautiful. So Ned, you guys step out into the parking bay.

Arrival at the Abundance and Social Dynamics

00:26:37
Speaker
The valet looks at you and just gives you a Kirk wave. Walk right up to the valet, flip open the psychic paper and say, uh, hi, we're here as part of executive security and just give a knowing look. Presence and convince, plus two for the psychic paper. I would also like to use a story point if needed.
00:26:57
Speaker
Well, if you spend a story point now, you can either bump up your success or spend it as rolling with advantage. Oh, let's go with bumping up the success. We already got a four and a six on the dice for a total of 17. Let's get it as high as possible.
00:27:10
Speaker
I mean, a 17 with a 6 on the dice is solid. You don't need to spend a story point here. He's like, oh, oh, I see. They've changed the uniforms very well. The minute he says that I'll lean in and whisper, it's so we appear like normal attendees. It makes it a lot easier to handle situations so that the rest of the guests don't know anything's happened.
00:27:34
Speaker
That's very smart. That makes a lot of sense. That makes a lot of sense. The hatch opens behind you, opening into the lobby of the abundance. Well, we are going to have to stride in, looking like we own the place. Beautiful. So the four of us enter a wide open space with curved blank walls, with good lighting, great acoustics, and a lot of people.
00:28:00
Speaker
Security and catering staff use speed evaders off to the side, stepping in and disappearing. Well-dressed guests of every color mingle and keep an eye on who's here, who's late, and who's seeing them. Classical music pipes through the audio system. This is merely the entrance suite. The main gallery is directly ahead, while to the right and the left
00:28:24
Speaker
Long hauls wait with sculptures and art hanging in the walls. Everyone please give me an awareness roll. Intuition please. Calamity's smiling. What did you get Calamity? I have an 18 with two sixes. You have an 18 with two sixes. That is absolutely incredible.
00:28:44
Speaker
The hoity of the potoidy are at this party, and you immediately spot Kitsy Fansington, your pink cat kind associate from your time on Joyblend, not that far away, talking with a woman that barely clears five feet wearing gold-lamet parachute pants under a neon pink power sweater. Maeve, what did you get with your awareness roll?
00:29:13
Speaker
I got a 4 and a 5 for a 16. Okay. Maeve, with your 16, you see that this place is quite busy. There are a lot of wealthy people walking around. You do not see anyone matching the pictures you've seen of Artemis McCobec from the biography and the various art books you've been studying.
00:29:37
Speaker
I don't see her anywhere here. Yeah, the only thing you see of her is on one of those banners that shifts digitally every 30 seconds or so from, welcome to the galactic gallery, gala, to a picture of Artemisma looking off and inspirational and a little bit twin-swell. Fixer, what did you roll with your awareness?
00:30:03
Speaker
Well, apparently I must have tightened this course at a little too tight since I was tightening it on my own. And I am a little out of breath because I got a one and a three on the dice for only a total of nine. Only a total of nine. Man, it is fancy in here. There are some fancy things in here. Yeah, it's plenty fancy. Kitzy. I rolled a three and a four and I have an awareness of fours for an 11. 11. Okay.
00:30:31
Speaker
You've been loitering around the lobby and talking with these people who, you know, they're not on your level, obviously, but they're okay. They never are. They never are. You can't see who just walked in through the doors, but you did just hear them open, so you know someone new has just arrived. I'll take the Fixer's Arm, offer them an arm, and say, uh, would you care to escort me around the area? I think I need to take a look around for Artemy as sad.
00:30:59
Speaker
But of course, extend an arm out and begin escorting Maeve through the party, making sure to meet everybody's gaze as they gaze at us. Oh yeah, we're making eye contact with anyone who stares. Beautiful. A calamity will definitely be lying to Kitsy.
00:31:19
Speaker
Oh, wonderful. The help! Oh, the help! Will it come big? Did I hire you for this event? No, no. I mean, I don't know. Possibly you did. Did you? I mean, I usually think of everything, so probably. It just, um...
00:31:38
Speaker
Uh, uh, no, just, uh, right, um, yes, uh, uh, the fixer said something about security. Uh, a few times he said that. So, yes, just things being smooth. Whoopsie! Clearly, I, Mooksy forgot to tell me that she hired a few things, so you know, come on in. It's great to see you.
00:32:00
Speaker
From a foot lower to the ground, you hear smacking sounds as someone with a sparkly sequined black clutch purse smacks people out of the way like, is that calamity hip? Darling, dear, it's been ages and ages. Why, you haven't changed it a bit since the last time I laid eyes on you. And this old woman,
00:32:20
Speaker
just riddled with age. She is 90 if she's a day, cut like more wrinkles than skin, frost white hair that she has not bothered to brush, which kind of just looks cool on its own. But wearing a neon pink power sweater over gold LeMay parachute pants, pushes glasses up on her face and says, I'm so glad you made it. This is just wonderful.
00:32:49
Speaker
You don't remember me, do you? I don't! Not at all! I've been looking forward to this! Oh, how I wish I was in your position. This is Alia Pence. That's right! And how do you do? And she just...
00:33:07
Speaker
snaps, and you hear the arthritic cracks of her knuckles, and she points to the ceiling from which there is a chandelier about which are spinning the holographic words, um, Pence Arts Foundation. Like what I've done with the place? Yes, it's great! That's magical! That's just fantastic! Where are your friends? You didn't come here alone! Oh, I mean, they should be extremely visible, I look around.
00:33:39
Speaker
Fixer! Fixer! Where's that babe girl? Oh, died. I know you're out here somewhere.
00:33:51
Speaker
The minute I hear the yelling, I will start leading Maeve in that direction, as if that's where we always intended to go all along. It's intentional. As we get closer and I realize that Kitsy is standing next to this person. Fixie darling!
00:34:07
Speaker
I am going to step one leg slightly back, one leg slightly forward, so that I can do a full deep bow using the slits in the dress to allow it to happen. And say, Kitsi, oh, it is such a joy to see you. Radiant as always. Darling, you got that dress before I did. You little scamp, it looks amazing on you. Oh, thank you. Well, I always try to emulate the styles of those I respect. And as you know, I have great respect for you.
00:34:36
Speaker
You know if I was going to lose that dress to anyone, I'm glad it's you, darling.
00:34:42
Speaker
Thank you, that is the highest compliment. Oh, you're my security. Whoopsie, did you hire the fixer? Whoopsie, whoopsie. So glad to see you. She doesn't remember a thing, but come on in. Thank you. It's so good to see you, Kitsy. It's been too long. You brought Maeve. It's so lovely to see the whole team again. We're not going to run for our lives this time, right? Right. Of course not. Why would we do that? I got enough exercise. Only for exercise.
00:35:10
Speaker
The shriveled old woman hands her black sequined clutch purse off to a very tall, very wide brick of muscle next to her, completely bald, catches it, and one hand's like, no, but we're been doing some running. When you all aren't a chore, it's a wonderful ship. I paid for everything, so everyone has to do what I see. Miss Vanishing took care of the underwriting. Bravo, it's wonderful.
00:35:38
Speaker
We all know why she's really here. She couldn't resist the chance to be a collector and show it all off.
00:35:44
Speaker
Well, if you have it, you have to flaunt it. See, this is why I like you so much, Fixie. You understand me in a deep and powerful way. A passing caterer walks by with a silver tray, strunging just eye-wateringly of salty, vinegar, pickled things. The little old lady just does grabby fingers for them.
00:36:09
Speaker
And like gold rings are like clattering on her fingers as she just reaches into onto the tray, grabs a bowl of pickled eggs and just slashes them in. My last doctor told me I had too high cholesterol and had to cut out salty food, but he's dead now and I'm still kicking, so who's the real winner here? You? It is your first bowl of the day, darling.
00:36:32
Speaker
Don't tell me how to live! And Kitsy's just gonna, like, give the, like, give the side-eye to the three of them and just go back to stroking, whoopsie, and just shut up. She reaches out one of those gold ring-covered hands to calamity and is like, it has been so long! That's what you wore the last time! That's just wonderful! You're so creative! So, so you! Always, pretty much. How long has it been?
00:37:01
Speaker
Oh, Mae, well, how long has it been since I've seen you, dearie? It's been, er-er-er-er-er, never cut off my fingers. It was just a fourteenth of it. No, I think it might have been a seventeenth of Ultra Mae, but that was... I'm not entirely sure, but I have met you before. I'm certain of that match.
00:37:19
Speaker
Oh, of course, I would never doubt your memory. Not at Arlington. Please, who wants to see the ship? You really should go. It's very, very chic, darling. Oh, then this will be a truly entertaining and enjoyable tour. Okay, you are here. You can go straight ahead, you can veer off to the left, you can veer off to the right. The little old lady, Alia, she stops, she like spins around. Right, where was I going to take you for?
00:37:49
Speaker
I believe it was security. After all, we're here to help make sure everything goes smoothly. I mean, I'm pretty sure I hired you to do that. Whoopsie said so. Whoopsie! You can trust that cat. I believe we were meant to ensure the personal safety of Miss Kovac. I'm sure she'll appreciate that. She's very, she's very secretive and elusive. That's, that's just what artists are like these days, I understand. But we got her. We got her.
00:38:18
Speaker
If there's anyone who could do it, it's you, Kitsy. Damn queer. She puts two knuckle knobby fingers in her mouth and just whistles. Even the classical music overhead just pauses and everybody looks and like they just part to make way for her because she's just gonna push through them anyway. And you guys now have a direct beeline to the nearest speed evader that will take you wherever you want to go on the ship.
00:38:46
Speaker
As we walk there, I would like to lag behind with the fixer and lean over and just whisper, do we know her?

Technological Observations and Family Secrets

00:38:57
Speaker
I have no idea. And that worries me a little. All right, you get on the speed evader. Where was it nearing? Security? Yes, please. Security.
00:39:12
Speaker
And the door opens to a bank of television screens, closed circuits that have small screens surrounding three walls of the bank with security people wearing very fancy things. And there's a gentleman in a tuxedo who's rather obese standing off to one side talking to the head of security.
00:39:39
Speaker
walk right over behind them as if waiting in line to be spoken to next. Also, I have a strong feeling that Moopsie absolutely loves security, so she's probably dancing on her pillow right now. Why does Moopsie love security?
00:39:57
Speaker
Because Moopsie has the heart of a lion, damn it. So yeah, there's a rather large man in a stretching to bursting tuxedo standing next to the rather stone-faced, not literally, stone-faced security captain. And he looks your way, the security guard. Help you? Yes, I'm hoping that you can.
00:40:23
Speaker
I was hoping to long pause him and then just give a long look over to Kitsy as if how do you not know why we're here? Oh, darling, darling, Gerald, was it? Sure, that's your name today, Gerald. They're supposed to be part of security. I'm pretty sure I hired them, or Moobsie hired them. Oh, uh, Miss, Miss Fancington. As you remember, what Moobsie wants for security, Moobsie gets.
00:40:45
Speaker
I would trust Moopsie with my life. The little old lady just stares up at him and like, you wouldn't disagree with a small cat, would you? And the security guard is immediately just cowed into submission. Calamity, Maeve, give me an awareness rule as you take in the sparkling screens and all the interesting sci-fi stuff around you. This will be awareness and intuition, please. Maeve, you can add your reportery instincts if you would be so inclined.
00:41:15
Speaker
That is a 6 and a 1 for a total of 16 for me. I have a 14 with nothing special in the dice. With the 14 on the dice, Calamity, you are able to tell the cameras cover pretty much every different portion of the ship outside of the restrooms. But you can see catering from here. You can see the engineering room from here. Everything is running according to ship shape.
00:41:44
Speaker
the ship has actually taken off from its stationary position. From here on the screens, you can see everybody goes, eh, the slightest brush as the ship gets underway. Maeve, with the 16, as you're glancing around, the cameras shift from time to time just so that people aren't staring at the exact same image every minute of their shift. You do not see Artemis McCobec in any of the rooms.
00:42:11
Speaker
You see people talking, you see people talking in front of banners of her, but you do not see her herself. Okay.
00:42:17
Speaker
Fixer. So now that you have the security captain's undivided attention and obeisance, what would you like to talk about? First question is I look around at the ambient technology in this period. Does it look like they have some equivalent to a portable tablet or anything like that? Oh, sure. Point at one of those and say, sir, we're going to need at least three of those with feeds to all of your cameras being projected to each one of those. Just so me and my team have access to them while we're working today.
00:42:43
Speaker
As you're talking, you're hearing the clinky snap-snap beneath you of Alia telling this guy to hustle.
00:42:50
Speaker
You, you, you, tablets. Hand over their tablets and they pull open a drawer and they deeply deep up their backups so they keep the backups. You now have little mini screens of the security feeds. You are going to need to give me an ingenuity and a technology role to get the immediate gist. Given your technology aptitudes, I'd say Calamity and Fixer both have
00:43:14
Speaker
good chances of immediately cottoning to it while Maeve will be at a disadvantage because this looks nothing like her pocket reporter. So yeah, picking up new tech and like just going, oh, okay. This is gonna be ingenuity plus technology if you have it. Give me a roll of 12 and Maeve, you are at disadvantage. Nope. That checks. That's a one and a three for an eight.
00:43:41
Speaker
You look at it, you touch the screen and the whole thing goes blank. Goes to sleep. I turn on my heel and begin to stride away. Calamity! Fixer, what did you get trying to beat 12? I got a 14 with a 6 on one of the dice.
00:44:02
Speaker
so yeah calamity has definitely seen slash pawned one of these before oh fun we can randomize and we can see different screams you're the one to figure out that it is also voice activatable we can see the gallery and it shows and says show gallery fixer what did you roll
00:44:19
Speaker
I've got a six and a five on the dice for a total of 20. You immediately sync your Sonic to this thing. So now you've got this conduit to the security. You will be at a plus two to interacting with the security system with your Sonic involved. Yeah, like you have immediately cottoned and picked this up. I'm like, okay, cool. So once we have that in place and we all have one, and Maeve is definitely understands this technology. I'm going to look back at the security, the head of security and say,
00:44:49
Speaker
Sir, what are the things that you are most personally worried about for today's event? He looks at you, he looks at the tablets in your hands, and he says, you're looking at them. Guests aboard this ship are some of the wealthiest, most vulnerable people in the galaxy, and they've all shown up in the same place. We are, our hackles are up. And next to him, the large man
00:45:15
Speaker
He's like, everything's been taken care of. We've made sure of it. We've made absolutely sure that their capabilities are at their absolute utmost.
00:45:26
Speaker
I'm gonna tap him on the shoulder and be like, eh, take what he says with the grain of salt. I mean, I did the underwriting, so I know. I thought of everything that I could, but... Well, I'll let him tell you what his story is, but it's... He's changed. Changed? Tell a family secret. That's rather rude of you. Can't say that we talk about your hairballs in mixed company.
00:45:52
Speaker
Excuse me? That was quite rude. Mr. Losgeldt, how very dare you? Mooobs. A hush falls over the security room as like from every station, the security people just like turn forward. And Mooobsie is glaring right at him. Apologies.
00:46:20
Speaker
I admit no offense. No, sir. I believe you absolutely did. You know what, Fixie? Why don't you take over for Mr. Low's guilt? It would be an honor and a pleasure. Wonderful. Since we're the ones paying for security, that means you worked for me. Why don't you do something useful and get back on the gallery floor? I'm only going to agree, because that's what I wanted you to do anyway.
00:46:49
Speaker
I hold my nose as high as I can as I turn away from him and follow him as Kitsy out the door. Come with me darling. That gentleman was, uh, interesting. I didn't like him very much. The Lowes girls can be a real handful. That was Augustus. He's one of the sour ones of the lot.
00:47:12
Speaker
I mean, let's be honest. Low scales have always been a bit of pricky. I mean, to use a low class word. They are a little bit pricky, but lately they've changed. Don't take this the wrong way, please. I am not body shaving anyone. But they're quite large, and it happened in a very short amount of time.
00:47:38
Speaker
Well, didn't they say they were taking that eating tour of Space Milan? That would account for it as far as I know. Alia, you have gone. I have gone. Mupsi has gone on that vacation. Did we come back looking quite literally twice the size? Mupsal. Well, that's true.
00:47:57
Speaker
The speed evader opens up back at a corner in Gallery Hall B. The quick question I'd like to ask is, is there a view on our security feed of the security room?
00:48:10
Speaker
Oh, that's an excellent question. That's an absolutely brilliant question. Add a story point to your current total. What does that bring you to, by the way? Does that bring you to six, to seven? That would bring me back up to six. Back up to six, okay. Updating our sheet. It's not a high res shot, but there is a closed circuit camera in the corner that can actually just see into security itself. Excellent question.
00:48:34
Speaker
So how agitated does Augustus' it look? His body language says he forgot about you the minute you were out of the room. And right now he's just folding his arms across his massive barrel chest and watches the shindig. So this gent right here has doubled in size since his last vacation? Like I said, I don't want to body shame him and it is an eating tour. But it's a lot in a short amount of time. I wonder if he's eating for two.
00:49:04
Speaker
Who else has been suffering from this condition? That's the whole family. They all went and they all ballooned right up. Never seen anything like it. I don't know how a whole family does this. Look at Maeve. Say, I wonder if they picked up some sort of parasite. I hear this can happen when you go to foreign places and eat food sometimes. Maybe they drank the water? Isn't that backwards?
00:49:28
Speaker
In my experience, when you go to foreign places and try the food, as long as you eat the food as it's prepared with the spices, the spices kill the parasites. And I feel like Space Milan would not be such a great destination if people were picking up whatever's causing that. I mean, Space Milan's space spaghetti is inexperience. I guess we'll have to check that out then.
00:49:51
Speaker
What is even more curious is I haven't seen Miss Coback anywhere. That's because she's in seclusion. She's being on mysterious before the big show. Bruno, where's the thing? The large man that has been behind her and largely invisible reaches into a pocket and pulls out a pamphlet. It has the museum layout, the itinerary for the evening's show.
00:50:15
Speaker
You have started the trip round the stars, and people are mingling, people are listening to little earpieces and taking the guided tour, but Madame Cobek's new piece is slated to start later this evening, and the general gist is that she is preparing mentally until the big show.
00:50:55
Speaker
Okay, that is again an 11. So the auditor standing right next to you is like, Oh, back up. Here you go. And hands went over to Bruno. Quite a stunning gentleman you have here. He's quite the large fellow. I had him cloned.
00:51:00
Speaker
I think we do need to slip Bruno one of the phones just in case.
00:51:09
Speaker
You are standing in a beautiful gallery hall of large framed paintings hung beneath Vinvachi skylights. Alia points to the skylights overhead and talks briefly about how later in the tour the ship is going to be passing under an ultraviolet star for a special experience.
00:51:29
Speaker
guests mingle, see who's seeing them. There are wide landscape paintings taking up a good amount of space in addition to vases, mirrors, and sculptures arranged around the hall with little bowls holding what look like crystal balls. Can I please get an awareness and intuition bowl from everybody versus a difficulty of 12. Got a two and a six on the dice for a total of 13.
00:51:56
Speaker
It's not my day. I got a 3 and a 1 for a total of 11. Okay. A 6 and a 5 for a total of 17. Oh, that's great. Kidsie, what did you get with awareness? 3 and a 6 on the dice for a 15.
00:52:11
Speaker
Starting at the top with the most noticing. Calamity. Your eye is immediately drawn. You catch someone playing with matches. Ooh! Fire! You see glowing. Light plays against the walls on the far side of
00:52:27
Speaker
the hallway. The mirrors are there so that people can have a vantage point of the far side, and there are portraits lining both sides of the walls. All of these, Maeve, are Artemis McCobek originals. Everything in here was painted by Cobek. These particular portraits are rather, they're not her most exotic work. They definitely show her rush work.
00:52:53
Speaker
calamity. You get to the forest I like scooting through and like, hey, and behind you, Alia is like
00:53:02
Speaker
Here's another whistle and the crowd parts for calamity to reach what looks like a Christmas tree of bowls attached to a metal pole out on little limbs. And in these bowls are little crystal balls. In one of the bowls on this tree are matches and one of the guests in a gorgeous dress is like, do it again, do it again.
00:53:26
Speaker
They scratch it, the light flares, and they put it before and after and around the crystal ball and see it play out against the walls on either side. Calamity is very excited about this. She's like, ooh, do them all at once.
00:53:44
Speaker
Okay, yeah. They make a fist and scratch a mole and there's a... And the light really expands and stretches across the crystal ball. Fixer, what did you get with awareness? It was a 2 and a 6 on the dice for a total of 13.
00:54:01
Speaker
So yeah, you follow calamity up the way of the fire and everything. You turn around and recognize the alien species that's been painted into this massive landscape that takes up the entire half of this wing. You are staring at an open grassy field on a sunny day with some clouds, and hanging like a chandelier is one of the attractions.
00:54:27
Speaker
They are glass shards surrounding a single, massive eyeball, and it is staring at an open, empty grass lawn. And on either side behind it are slightly smaller, denoting that they're further back. Atraxxi also staring at the same spot.
00:54:50
Speaker
In my mind, how would Artemisia have ever been exposed to the Eastraxxi? Artemisia has traveled the universe. She has visited other planets. She has done performance art in the far reaches of the galaxy. The painting in question eternal vigilance in the pamphlet reads that it pits the viewer in a staring contest with the atraxxi and asks us, what does it mean to be seen?
00:55:18
Speaker
Mmm, that's good. What else would I know about the Atraxxi in general? What would I have learned in the doctoral program? Give me an ingenuity roll and add two. And Time Lord knowledge. Okay, we got a one and a four on the dice for a total of 13. With a 13, you remember, you recall from your days at the Academy that the Atraxxi are not a major threat by any stretch of the imagination. They usually only leave their own
00:55:47
Speaker
spatial territory pursuing someone they think has wronged them. They have very strong senses, overinflated senses of justice, but they are also unblinking in their pursuit of those they believe have wronged them. Okay, I'm gonna put an arm around the auditor's waist and pull him close, and with my face, point at the painting and say, so the eyes of justice are endlessly searching through this crowd.
00:56:16
Speaker
That is an interesting choice practically follows you across the room. Did you notice the crystal balls? Start looking for the crystal balls. Give me an awareness and technology role with plus two for being a timer. What could you say? You're the PC, so we're going to ask you first. That's fair. I got a six and a three on the dice for a total of 14.
00:56:42
Speaker
It takes you just a second of like, wait a minute, those aren't crystals. This is Gallifreyan technology. Oh no. Some of these crystal balls are just glass, but one of them in the same kind of bowl here with the others is Gallifreyan. This is something on loan with a grant from the Gallifreyan Arts Council. Pull out Sonic and quickly scan it. Okay, give me an intuition and technology with that too for the Sonic, please.
00:57:10
Speaker
Maeve, while the Fixer is rolling on that, you have not seen any more obese people belching their way through the halls. You have also not seen Artemis McCovec. Well, that's unfortunate. But these crystal things don't particularly interest Maeve. I'd like to go take more looks. I'd like to see if I can find any landscapes that Artemis has done.
00:57:39
Speaker
So you've got eternal vigilance there. And that one is the wide of the open grassy lawn with absolutely nothing blocking line of sight. When Alia says, oh, you want to see more landscapes? We can do that a treat. Come right this way.
00:57:56
Speaker
Oh, of course. She turns and stops and is like, nope, not that way, and heads for the televator rather than going into the room and heads for the speed evader next to the entryway. I am loath to split the party. Fixer, what did you roll with technology and intuition and the Sonic? Was it two and a five for a total of 15?
00:58:23
Speaker
So yeah, you are looking at a stasis cube. Like in human hands, in most biped hands, it's just pretty glass. But with a Time Lord holding it, trying to activate it, they could use it to affect the artwork. And the matches and everything are making it quite visually stunning.
00:58:42
Speaker
Lean into the auditor one more time. Really trying to emphasize, so hopefully nobody outside of our group can hear it. What an interesting piece of equipment to leave around in the hands of other people.
00:58:56
Speaker
The auditor scrunches their face in, like, mild concern? Like, that's not dangerous? It couldn't really be used to hurt someone? Oh, same. It is not a toy. They must have extended quite some trust in this Miss Kaevik. And that's when he notices that Alia is starting to tug on Maeve to take her towards these.
00:59:22
Speaker
I did want to ask, while we were walking, what exactly does that do, then? From what I understand, it can affect each one of these paintings, which again worries me considering one of them is the eternal vigilance of justice pointed at all of the guests.
00:59:39
Speaker
If we weren't walking out of the room, I'm so tempted to activate it and see. The honorary says, well, it looks like a Gallifrean tapestry. It's bigger on the inside. You could, in essence, transplant something into the painting, which would be a rather bold art experience. Well, she is a bold artist, darling.
01:00:02
Speaker
And Ollie is like, oh yes, it's wonderful. We've thought of everything. Come along. There's more landscapes this way. Opens up the Speedy Vader and pulls Bruno in behind her.
01:00:16
Speaker
And here's the funny thing, so from your perspective, main, the doors, you get into the speed evader, the doors shut, and they open again immediately, and the room has reversed, because you've literally just crossed the hallway from Gallery B to Gallery A.
01:00:35
Speaker
and you are facing into Gallery A, where there are more portraits done by Ms. Kovac across the hallway. But on the far side here is another. It's actually a really nice, really cozy hearth with a groaning table, laden with just amazing, delicious food from one end to the other.
01:01:01
Speaker
and empty chairs as far as the eye can see. And there is another Christmas tree of crystal balls here. If we just went across the room, couldn't we? Why did we? You know what? Never mind.
01:01:21
Speaker
Just calling an old lady's fancy. I don't want to meet my heroes. I just want to watch them do their thing. It's absolutely beautiful. Would you excuse me? I need to go see about the catering. And she slips away with Bruno back towards a Speedy Vader down towards his end of the elbow.
01:01:41
Speaker
Does the food here appear to be part of the art exhibit, or is this laid out for guests? The food in the painting, it looks mouthwatering. There is a wide variety of cuisine, but the food is in the painting. Oh, okay.
01:02:00
Speaker
Um, caterers are walking around with silver trays of things just swimming in vinegar. Vinegar? Everything's pickled. Everything on service is pickled.

Art Technology and Unexpected Twists

01:02:13
Speaker
Kitsi, are you following a new diet plan? Let's be honest here. I keep my own stash of snackums wherever I go. I wouldn't have made those choices.
01:02:25
Speaker
If possible, what I'd like to do is walk over to the nearest crystal sculpture, pull off the equivalent device, and reach into the painting and grab a plate of something succulent and offer it to the companions. So to use one of the stasis cubes,
01:02:44
Speaker
we are going to need a role of ingenuity plus technology plus being a time lord so two points for that versus 21 like a lot of gallifreyan tech there are psychic instructions you read the instructions and like basically you just have to
01:03:03
Speaker
hold it between your perspective and the painting. And if you want to get the food out of it, you'd have to put your hand on the far side of the ball and reach in and try to pull food out. And that's going to be an ingenuity and technology role versus 21, plus two for Time Lord.
01:03:20
Speaker
That's fair. I would like to use two story points for this. Spending two story points is enough of an expenditure to just do something this small. So I'll take it. So yeah, you hold it up. It's like, oh, it's, I think it's like should be right about here.
01:03:38
Speaker
And you pull out a plate of steaming hot food of whatever you managed to grab. And there's a little ripple of, whoo, whoo, from the other people around. They grab one of the crystal balls like, because there's a force field separating actual people from touching the painting with their vinegary hands. So yeah, you're causing quite a little stir here. Fixie, you rogue. Would you care for something a little less vinegary and hopefully more scrumptious?
01:04:09
Speaker
Kitzy always does scrumptious over vinegar, darling, thank you. Maeve looks like she is about to, and then she remembers Joy Bolent, and I think I'm good, thank you.
01:04:22
Speaker
Yes, Calamity also remembers Joyblant and immediately takes some. It's like you've reached into a painting and pulled out the food and in real life, it satisfies your senses as you imagined it would. Over your shoulder, you hear a light little chuckle. Someone got it, someone figured it out. That is just wonderful.
01:04:46
Speaker
Everyone, give me an awareness roll. You are at an advantage. That is a total of 15 with a 6 on one of the dice. I got a 6 and a 6 for a total of 15. Because people are parting and crowding closer to the painting, it's like...
01:05:05
Speaker
None of them get it because number one, they're just using crystal balls and number two, they're humans. But this woman in an elegant little black suit with a name tag on it emblazoned that reads Magda. She's like maybe 5'2 at best. She's got very short, very dark hair. She's dressed like you would expect an artist's assistant to dress. The cracker that makes the caviar pop, basically.
01:05:33
Speaker
chuckling to herself like, you figured it out. You're the first ones to do that. How'd you do that? Oh, she's gonna be so impressed. She's gonna be so happy. Someone did it. We aim to please. Maeve, you have been poring over Artemisma's work for at least a couple of days in advent of hoping that you would be getting an interview. Magda, you wrote the foreword of one of the books I read on Artemisma.
01:05:59
Speaker
Oh, that's incredible. I didn't know it was out of proofs yet. That's wonderful. I'm sorry, have we met? I don't recognize you. We haven't met yet, but I'm sure we're going to be great friends. My name is Maeve Sullivan. Oh, how do you do? And she reaches out and shakes her hand. And she's a small person, like she's not extravagant at all. She shakes her hand and it's warm and sincere. And it's like, and who are your friends?
01:06:26
Speaker
How did you do that? No one else has come close. The Fixer is very, very talented. And this is my companion as well, Calamity Hap. Hello. Hello. I love what you're wearing. That is so, that is so creative with all the colors. Thank you. Artemis was going to love that, by the way. She's going to. She's going to absolutely love it. It's slightly sticky, but it looks great. Do you happen to know Artemis? Well, she blushes.
01:06:53
Speaker
and says, we're married. Oh, that's wonderful. How are you, darling? Is Artemisma doing okay in the suite? Oh yes, no, she's doing fine. She's just doing last preparation. She's gonna do a little speech in a few minutes and then the show, it's gonna be wonderful. She shakes hands with the fixer and the otter. Nice to meet you. Make the point of transferring the device into the opposite hand and shake her hand.
01:07:22
Speaker
Uh, hello, that's so nice to- Ooh, Spark, hi. Hi. We are all incredible fans of your spouse. I'm not surprised. The work she's done for this, the people she's pulled together to make it all happen, it was a climb. Getting her to come out of her shell and leave research mode and inspiration mode to come back out and
01:07:48
Speaker
But what did I tell you? I told you everyone was going to love it. Everyone was going to come out because, you know, no expense there. She looks at Kitsy and gives her a patient look of like, what can you do? They're the ones paying for everything. Like, you got her here. You achieved your miracle. As I am quite proud. You just wanted to add her to your collection. You can't.
01:08:15
Speaker
Oh darling, why would you say that? No, I am a great, great fan, and being able to meet the artiste after 10 years is quite a coup. I won't deny it, but don't you have everything you need, darling. Magda, Art of Misba is certainly a talented artist, and your writing shows how brilliant her work is.
01:08:41
Speaker
I was wondering if it would be possible to speak with you and Artemis Ma later. I work for the press and I would love to write an article really showing the world how brilliant the both of you are. Give me a presence and convince and use that new boost in your skill that you picked up with those experience points to try and get that interview.
01:09:06
Speaker
Can I also add plus two for the social challenges from my outfit? Yes, you can. You are rocking the confidences of the powered suit and the power of pinstripes compels you. Okay, so I got, I rolled three dice because this is my specialization. So I got a three, a two, and a six for a total of 19.
01:09:30
Speaker
Magda's gonna have to beat that. What is with the 11s today? It's all fives and sixes. So her resolve is actually pretty good. So four plus letters, 15. Yeah, so you've done pretty well with her. Getting to see Misma before the show was a difficulty of 24. The fact that you had a six on the dice and her low roll takes some of that away as well.
01:09:56
Speaker
You know, I think it could be possible. Just make it quick. Of course. You don't want to interrupt what she's going to be preparing yourself for. Let me just check with her real quick. She disappears into the Quebec suite behind you.
01:10:12
Speaker
So yeah, she has disappeared up the hallway back into the Kobek Suite proper. This looks like it might take a minute. And you guys hear more of Rory's laughter and belching from some basso voices in the main ballroom, which is not that far away. Not too long after that, Alia steps out of the speed evader in the elbow crook of this hallway, just is
01:10:40
Speaker
Sorry kids, I had to stop for a refill. And Bruno is holding another tray of pickled things. It's like, who wants to see more of the ship? Isn't this thing a beaut? It's quite nice. It truly is gorgeous. Darling, if you're going to take care of the catering, you're not supposed to eat all of the catering. Careful, I can do whatever I want. I paid for most of the stuff in here. And she just wanders back down the hall, scoots into the ballroom,
01:11:10
Speaker
As we're passing by that next landscape, what does it show? The landscape down here on the lower crook, a wide open vista of Monument Canyon in the west of America. Fixer, give me an awareness roll with intuition, please. And throw Time Lord's senses on there for me. Feel the turn of the universe. I have a 5 and a 2 for a total of 14.
01:11:34
Speaker
Yeah, there's some pretty vases here. The most opulent room by far. The ballroom is an expansive hexagonal space that is filled with artwork galore, mirrors dot the floor, and paintings, big and small, adorn the walls and their own stands on the floor. And there is another really big landscape in here taking up the center space on the floor.
01:12:01
Speaker
Elsewhere, a handful of overweight well-to-dos are shortening and clinking glasses with the guests. Where you see in here, the M is for mirrors. Over here on the southwest side of the wall, there is a portrait up of the Loesgeld family, painted sometime, I want to say, more than six months ago. And the Loesgeld family are significantly slimmer in the painting than they are in the room.
01:12:31
Speaker
Maeve's eye is drawn because she was looking for more landscapes. Across the floor towards the north end are an overhead shot at an angle of an open hedge maze that is completely empty of people trying to poke through. And at various corners inside the labyrinth made of hedge are all these little mirrors, hedge-height mirrors, lines of sight throughout the hedge maze. And this is called the Reflecting Labyrinth, which according to the pamphlet,
01:13:01
Speaker
explores the meaning of insight and what it means to get lost too deeply in introspection. Oh, that's deep. I'm going to go take a closer look at the reflecting labyrinth. Give us an ingenuity intuition roll. That is a 2 and a 1 for a 10. It is a very pretty painting. Fixer, you have to take a look at this. It's gorgeous.
01:13:24
Speaker
That does seem quite beautiful. It really does. While I'm looking at that, I'm able to keep my eyes on the same imagery of the Lozgeld family. So I can see its reflection in this. The mirrors are made of paint in the painting. They're not reflecting anything. And they're at an angle so that they're not... You're getting an overhead view of a flat labyrinth. There are literal mirrors in the room, but while you're in the heart of the room, there aren't any mirrors.
01:13:52
Speaker
facing each other because that would be, you know, calamity. I find something odd and I'd love to get your take on it. All right. I like odd things. So we have food on one side and when reaching into that portrait, there's food. And then there's a family that's supposed to be at this party who's over in that portrait over there. And I'm so very tempted to just reach in and pluck whoever seems the most resilient to trauma out of there and ask them some questions. Good idea, bad idea.
01:14:20
Speaker
Well, I mean, it's what's, so I'm not really clear because I ate some of the food, you know. Is what's in the paintings real? To clarify, not all of the portraits and paintings are Gallifreyan canvas. A select handful have used Gallifreyan canvas, like Waiting Feast and Reflecting Labyrinth and Eternal Vigilance, but the Lozgeld
01:14:46
Speaker
Family Portrait is not a Gallifreyan piece of artwork. It is just a traditional flat portrait. Oh, okay. I misunderstood that. If a misunderstanding happened, that's my fault as the GM for not being more clear. Is it just the ones that are next to the crystal things on the map? Typically, or at least the crystal things are nearby, yeah. Yeah, but Calamity, give me an awareness and intuition role.
01:15:15
Speaker
I have a fort cane with nothing special. You're looking around and you're seeing the the Lowesgalds chatting it up loudly in the center of the room, but you don't see any of them eating anything. They're toasting their champagne and everything, but none of them have touched the food.
01:15:33
Speaker
Maybe they're full. I'm going to go directly up to one and ask. So yeah, you reach a group of well-dressed, mostly Teutonic blonde, very pale people of a certain girth. They are well-dressed. They are dripping with gold and things like that. You've got Werner, you've got Heidi, and you've got Harcourt-Losegild down here presently, shutting it up and like, this is going to be an absolutely smashing occasion. Just smashing occasion.
01:16:02
Speaker
We're all so delighted to be here." And he's like, oh, yes, love the jumped suit you're wearing. That's just marvelous. Oh, thank you. I actually wanted to ask, were you making some sort of statement about bigness or...? He looks at you, bursts out laughing with a big, plosive B, like, statements about...
01:16:23
Speaker
Yes, no, no, no, we just packed on a little bit too much in Milan as it goes. And he ribs you with an elbow. He's not gonna, we're not gonna do a physical challenge for it, but he's not trying to be soft about it either when he elbow checks you in return for kind of calling him fat. Oh, absolutely, yes. Heidi Loesgeld turns to you like, aren't you naughty thing? Yes.
01:16:52
Speaker
I was actually curious how the whole tour thing was. It's like space food from Space Milan. Does that last a lot longer so you're just not hungry afterwards? Or does it just taste better?
01:17:11
Speaker
with consternation and frustration of like, I have no idea what to say to this person in front of me. Actually, no, I've been starving every evening, but we don't touch this dreck, all this vinegar. Oh, the pickling. Yes, I'm sorry about that. Surrendous, we want them caviar.
01:17:32
Speaker
Lean in at that moment and interrupt and say, if you'd like, I can grab you some from the painting. The tallest, oldest of the group with the frosts of white in his hair, his eyes narrow on you. It's like, what was that? You rumbled them. Time.
01:17:51
Speaker
As he says that, I'm gonna start backing away so I can angle him or his group of people between me and the eternal vigilance and then open the way. The minute he says Time Lord at me with that tone, I'm opening the painting behind him so that way as he is standing in that perspective, he is now in perspective with the attraction.
01:18:13
Speaker
The eternal vigilance is out here. Oh, okay. Fair enough. They are standing over Chien, and the reflecting labyrinth is up Chien. However, that is an inspired idea. And if you can get them into a line of sight like that, that is absolutely something you can do. The largest of them, Parkour, says, Time Lord. And you back up. What I am going to give you, and please make a note on your sheet,
01:18:40
Speaker
When and if the opportunity presents itself for you to try that kind of maneuver with the Lowes Gelds, you will be at an advantage because it's now something that you're just like, okay, I'll be ready when the time presents. I will take that advantage. Are we all hearing this happen, the weird Time Lord thing?
01:18:59
Speaker
oh my yes yeah like you guys are just you're in the middle of the room and like people are talking and whatever but like the fact that you're holding and people are looking from other little groups like did he reach into a painting i didn't know they could do that i am gonna look at the fixer you've met them before
01:19:16
Speaker
Harcourt narrows his eyes at the Fixer and says, we know the type. He's going to do a challenge. He's going to shove Maeve back since you are the closest to them. And this is going to be a strength roll. 14 with conflict added on is three, four, 17. Can you beat a 17 with strength and conflict?
01:19:45
Speaker
I got a 6 and a 4 for a 15. So no, but I got a 6. You got a 6 and he got a 1. So there's a yes butt here. So yes, you are shoved back, but you are not injured at all. This was more just a get back and give us room. Harcourt raises his wrist and shoves the jigs up.
01:20:10
Speaker
the trio of obese people in front of you reach up and dramatically pinch the side of their temple and trace a zipper line across their scalp as me as sickly yellow-green light emerges from underneath of alien power underneath this thing. And in the tradition of dramatic Whovian reveals,
01:20:40
Speaker
Everyone is in stun frozen exactly where they are as they pull slowly down the masks they've been wearing of latex perfection as this dumpy green crabapple face with huge black eyes and a wide pouty mouth.
01:21:01
Speaker
plops out of the forehead hole until they're shaking off, peeling off not only the costumes they're wearing, but the skin underneath all in one go. And people around the room are screaming like, whoa, whoa!
01:21:19
Speaker
As a trio of Raxacoracophallipatorians, easily seven feet tall, shed these bodies down to the hands. They pull the flesh off their hands and reveal claws that are easily a foot long. They are bigger, taller, and wider than the people they were inside. These mostly nude, obese, crabapple-green
01:21:47
Speaker
The creature stomps forward and raises a side-sharp claw and shoves. Right, you horny joints! This is a robbery!
01:22:18
Speaker
And that's where we're going to cut things on Galleria of Fear, part one. I'm feeling really good about us having maneuvered our way into taking responsibility for security. It's gonna reflect great on us. The Gallifreyan Council is gonna love this. They're only gonna have good things to say about this. This is gonna be fine.
01:22:47
Speaker
I think we did great. I mean, we're here in charge of security. We purposely found the infiltrators who had already infiltrated security. And they literally said, the jig is up. So we actually, from a security standpoint, now's when we would just call it in to local authorities and be like, hey, we're dealing with this type of criminal and that's kind of above our pay grade. Unfortunately, this is our pay grade. Exactly. Folks, that was gallery of fear. I would love to go around the table
01:23:17
Speaker
Really introduce our team, welcome them all back, and deal out those precious, tasty experience points. Kate, how would Maeve report on today's event, do you think? Oh, she would be reporting on the genius of Artemisima still. I mean, yeah, there are some aliens here. This could end up being an event. But really, this should be a show that reflects the genius of an artist who spent 10 years in isolation.

Reflecting on the Story's Chaos

01:23:45
Speaker
And I see no reason to change that.
01:23:48
Speaker
You see no reason to change that. I couldn't agree more. For your doggedness in pursuing the story and the interview, collect two experience points. Wonderful work.
01:24:00
Speaker
Dora, what would you think of today's bizarre twists of fate? You know, calamity has been looking for buttons to push, you know, for threads to pull on. And, you know, the matches were very briefly exciting, but, you know, they're just matches. But the whole painting thing seemed like it had to have a lot of promise. And also the food, because, you know, it devibes a lot with, like, literally being in a pickle.
01:24:23
Speaker
the the aliens inside big people thing she just really didn't see coming and honestly um is not super sure what's going on like she was just gonna feel around on her own head to see if she had one of those things too and just hadn't noticed if this was just a thing that everyone was doing now you have now met the sloughton clan distant cousins of the slaveen new who monsters that were introduced in uh christopher ekelston's season i found them kind of interesting
01:24:52
Speaker
as baddies calamity please take two experience points the jumpsuit looks amazing and just going completely with stride of alia already knows you calamity's used to forgetting things right but she's like she's not quite there about the time thing yet like she's she's she's got her fingertips on it but you know she just doesn't quite have the framework to like make those leaps yet
01:25:18
Speaker
Yeah, talking with Ali is not going to make time any clearer, I'm afraid. But yeah, too experienced to you.

Character Depth and Dynamics

01:25:26
Speaker
Brand, what would you say surprised you most about today's mod? The fact that Magda was actually in a wonderful, loving relationship with Artemisia, and I love that. I thought that was such a wonderful surprise. I actually expected the twist to be that Magda was Artemisia in disguise, sort of watching how everybody responded to her artwork in a way that she couldn't
01:25:47
Speaker
experience normal. So I actually really liked instead that this is just somebody who really genuinely loves our museum. I thought that was just so fantastic from a storytelling perspective.
01:25:57
Speaker
Yeah, Magda is an interesting character, and you'll get to know her better in the next part of the mod. I wanted an NPC who could talk about Artemisma while maintaining the mystique of not talking to Artemisma. And having her wife, someone who was devoted to her, who already thinks that, like, she's a genius in the art world, but Magda already thought so.
01:26:22
Speaker
I thought that came across really well. Thank you. Brand, please take two story points. This mod is one of my personal favorites. I've run it for years. You are the first PC to not only cotton what the stasis cubes are, but also to successfully use one and just pull out a plate of food that is so creative.
01:26:44
Speaker
So yeah, as one of the firsts of the game, please take three experience points because we've run this a couple of times and we've never had someone do that quite as quickly or sleekly. Bravo. A.E. That was a whole thing!
01:27:01
Speaker
How do you feel about that, Murph? It's one of those funny things, Murph, because you and I have talked about this a bit, and yet I am still unbelievably surprised by the creativity of this team. Asking to go to security first, I had to quickly ask Kitsy, I'd be like, what she has thought of that?
01:27:19
Speaker
A lot of times, I just like to take the backseat to this and just watch this team go and give them little bits here and there that maybe this helps you, maybe this doesn't. Let's see what happens. You guys are the first ones to have tablets, to have screens to the security rooms, which is going to be very useful later. Kitsy is one of those characters just fits in this mod that is just packed with wall-to-wall rich folks who are basically useless. Kitsy notwithstanding.
01:27:49
Speaker
But yeah, Alia running around and basically just whip cracking them into obedience because next to Kitsy, she's the richest person in the room. Which is why they teamed up. I mean, let's be honest. Which is why they teamed up. Which I just need to posit that if Kitsy's cat betrays us, the Fixer will be so profoundly heartbroken. I meant that genuinely when the Fixer said, you know, I trust my life. No, Moopsie is pretty.
01:28:17
Speaker
Moopsie has facets and layers and things going on that you have not even scratched the surface of yet. That kitty is deep. That's awesome.
01:28:29
Speaker
So we are now seven episodes, seven mods into our first season. We are past the halfway point because we are telling 12 stories, cause and effect, and consequences for actions like blowing up or being near the destruction of two planets, having an opportunity to take the auditor off the table for a mod to give you guys to play the experiment of, okay, you now don't have an MVC safety net in place.
01:28:56
Speaker
I'll be honest, I was really touched by everyone's group hug of greeting when he got back. That felt really nice.

Time Lord Politics and Character Development

01:29:04
Speaker
I worry sometimes about getting overly indulgent with, you know, NPCs, and I hope this distance, yes, it's nice to have like a minute for him.
01:29:13
Speaker
but also the Time Lord politics going on have to at least somewhat vibe with pre-existing Time Lord disapproval of things. And the Sixth Doctor went through a whole trial of the Time Lord, which was a whole season where his adventures were under real scrutiny and being reviewed, and he was defending himself the whole time. Number one, it's not the most fast-moving framing device to go with. It does slow things down.
01:29:43
Speaker
I was going to say, was it a season of clip shows? No, but it was treated like the clips were all new. Oh, okay. Okay. So it's subverted. That's better. That's better. It's like the episode of Star Trek where Kirk and Spock are on trial and then they have to review their mission in front of someone.
01:30:01
Speaker
I do hope to record disciplinary hearing of a Time Lord in the future. It is not critical to the plot because it already covers the things we've already talked about here, namely that the fact that the Dodger did not make it out of eruption has left a dent in Time Lord morale fixer notwithstanding.
01:30:21
Speaker
the fact Time Lords are retreating back home to resume that dusty academia of, well, we know what we're doing. We're not going to risk ourselves out there. Like, there are still students out there doing their thing and doing it impressively, like the Fixer, but that number has been roughly cut in half.
01:30:40
Speaker
But yeah, Maeve writing about things and deciding I'm going to be a reporter for the new Space Toledo Chronicle, entering that into the galaxy of, yeah, she's writing stories and those stories are getting out there.

Maeve's Impact and Backstory Exploration

01:30:56
Speaker
And those stories are making people think about Time Lords more than they weren't before. And it's demonstrated right in this game when fixed by people like, oh, I don't know how it works.
01:31:06
Speaker
And then you're like, oh, oh, I just slip in and pull out a plate of steaming hot food. As of right now in the timeline, does, do the Atraxia and the Timelords have a positive interaction? Is it mostly just sort of like live and let live? The Atraxia are fairly neutral to
01:31:25
Speaker
Gallifreans, they have only appeared once. The auditor mentioned that they were the subject of his senior thesis, like facing off with the atraxy was his graduation project. They're very secluded, like they only come after you if you've escaped them or if they think you have specifically wronged them. And the doctor was able to basically bluster them away with Matt Smith's first appearance.
01:31:49
Speaker
I would love to go around the room if you have shout outs to give to each other because there was some magic this week. Brand the dress. Yes. Thank you. You painted a hell of a picture. I know I was amazed. Love it. I really appreciate that. I love that we get to make these games queer friendly and not just say that it is like we're showing like these characters love what they're wearing.
01:32:18
Speaker
Yeah, no, just like a highlight of the show was that montage of the fashion show. You guys were incredible.
01:32:24
Speaker
I actually did that because I was gonna say for Kate for the whole like the power suit thing just went like as soon as she mentioned it I was just like oh my god that is so perfect. That is exactly what Maeve would take from the entire history of fashion.

Chaos and Humor in Game Dynamics

01:32:45
Speaker
I spent like 30 minutes this afternoon scrolling through old photos to find one that I liked.
01:32:52
Speaker
When you described the power suit, perfectly realized in my head with even that disaffected hands in the front jacket pockets or under like tucked into the pants because you don't care, you look amazing and you know it. These clothes that so much oomph the characters, that's an experience point for me.
01:33:14
Speaker
I actually want to give Pandora mad props for the pushback on the topic of, oh, we'll just be security. And it really allowed me to explain my reasonings for why. And I would not have been able to do that if I hadn't pushed back in that moment. So I really appreciate that. Hey, you can trust on Calamity to not know what's going on and to ask questions.
01:33:36
Speaker
At this point, I think the Fixer really does look at Calamity as like his lens for understanding the chaos of the universe in a positive way. Yeah, no. Calamity's chaos is a welcome, healthy dollop in this show's chemistry, and I'm grateful for it every episode. I've already thought of really broken ways to abuse the Stacey's Cube picture thing. Nice. We'll see if they come up.
01:34:03
Speaker
I really, really loved Bran's idea to line the aliens up with the picture of the Atraxxi. That was just genius. I don't think any of us ever would have gotten there, and you just had it immediately. It was so good.
01:34:21
Speaker
Just line it right up. Aw, thank you. Yeah, I have actually played this game as a... I've played this mod as a PC before, and I never would have thought in a million years to Sonic, first to Sonic the Crystal, and then to actually try to pull food from it so you don't aren't, like, subjected to all the pickled items. Maybe next time, kidsie, you should do the catering.
01:34:50
Speaker
Maybe. Little old ladies are clearly not to be trusted. I have fully left myself a note that when I do write a story that brings Snackums down to give Kitsy some forewarning so she can sell all her shares and maybe become the richest person in the universe. You're smart. I love that. That is so awesome. You know I'm not going to say no. I think that's great. You know I'm not going to say no.
01:35:18
Speaker
Inside a trading, darling, yes, please. There's like a little note on my sheet about you. It's like, I wasn't aware it happened any other way. I mean, how else am I going to get to number two? We're going to get you all the way to number one.

Art Appreciation's Emotional Impact

01:35:35
Speaker
You're going to be the richest. And the Gallifreyan Council will be like, you know, stock manipulation. We watch that. And then they're like, but they didn't actually use time travel to cheat at the stock market. They just did it the old fashioned way.
01:35:47
Speaker
They're just completely confused. We don't have jurisdiction. I love it when we get out of their jurisdiction. It sounds at least that you are all still enjoying yourself, which makes me a happy GM. Oh, for sure. It's appreciated. I know that you really care about the game being fun.
01:36:11
Speaker
Like, I've wanted to be careful about how much I share before a game, because I don't want it to be a crutch to you having your own experience without too much of a filter of, oh, I've already been shown so-and-so. Artemisma Kobek has been inspired by a specific performance artist, and after our next show, when Artemisma has had a chance to make her own first impression with you, that is when we will share
01:36:37
Speaker
the artist that she is inspired by and a TED talk she gave that is nothing short of inspirational. I myself have never had much of a relationship with visual art. I have paid for artistic pages to be drawn for a graphic novel. I like artwork and did the graphic design for Anywhere But Now.
01:36:58
Speaker
But as far as going to a gallery and getting lost in it and experiencing it was something I never felt especially connected to, and writing and building out Gallery of Fear has helped me get closer to, if not the artwork itself, at least the impact it can have, both narratively and emotionally. And Magda really helps make that happen. She really helps sell that.
01:37:19
Speaker
That was me seeing my first Monet at the National Gallery in London. Like, I just sat there for like 45 minutes and I was like, I'm sobbing. I don't know why, but I am.
01:37:33
Speaker
Yeah, no art galleries are a wonderful thing I went to the portrait gallery in Washington DC just before I moved out to LA largely because I was like I'm leaving soon I want to see the Natural History Museum one more time and also see some paintings and there were some truly striking pieces in there and I admit I was struck less by what they were than how old I
01:37:57
Speaker
they were, and that they were pieces of history that had been around for hundreds of years and had been collected and curated. I can appreciate that.

Conclusion and Listener Engagement

01:38:07
Speaker
And finally, to our listeners, another great big thank you for sharing your precious time with us. If you feel it's been well spent, please share anywhere but now with your friends who are looking to enjoy themselves. If you like what you hear, leave a review, rate the show, and follow us on Twitter at anywhere but now with an underscore at the end.
01:38:27
Speaker
and wherever you get your podcasts. And in the meantime, if you'd like me to run a game for you over Zoom, you can reach me on startplaying.games. Links to everything in the doobly-doo. From all of us, I'm Casey Jones. Thanks so much, and have a great day.