Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 1 – Descent into the Underdark

Once a month we’re releasing an alternate Tavern Tales called Tavern Tales Junior. We’ve replaced all of our regular players with a band of stalwart young adventurers.  They have set off as part of The Lord’s Own, a faction of knight protectors for the city of Fairhaven, an alternative city to Neverwinter.  This is the second game for Tavern Tales Junior, but our first recorded episode. 

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 002

The knights of The Lord’s Own have reclaimed the halfling farmer and his daughter Arabella and have begun the long trek through the Underdark towards the Dark Elf city of Menzoberranzan in the hopes of finding their way out again and getting the Halflings home. They meet old friends along the way and encounter a horrific pair of monsters. The actions of these young heroes will delight and entertain audiences of all kinds.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 003

In this episode our very resourceful Lord’s Own knights have gotten the drop on a trap set by a pair of Umberhulks on the way to Menzoberranzan to ask for aid in the defense of the attack on Fairhaven by the forces of Ashardalon. They have blindly dispatched the first umberhulk and now turn their attention to the second. What else awaits these intrepid adventurers in the Underdark? And will they be able to dispatch this second Umberhulk without injury?

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 004

The Knights of the Lord’s Own have defeated the Umberhulks only to lose half the party to an ambush by driders! While there are riches to be gained in the caves of the umberhulks much of the party has overlooked the disappearance of their friends. If only the road to Menzoberranzan wasn’t so fraught with danger.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 005

They’ve defeated the Driders and finally found their way to Menzoberranzan! But there are drow patrols in the mushroom forest and loyal comrades in arms to rescue. Will they be able to achieve their goals, or will they be captured by Drow and sold off as slaves?

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 006

The group has been captured and get to see a bit of what Menzoberranzan looks like before their final destination. Will it be K’ryc’s childhood home, the T’ufr family residence, or will it be the home of their hated rivals, the Gouldwicks? This session marks a monumental shift in the game for the players as they start to figure out what it means to be at the table and playing a roleplaying game, but be prepared to hear a lot of the DM’s voice again for this episode.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 007

They have their mission and like any organized military intelligence they’re all over the place with what to do and how to do it. But now is the time to ask mom for some extra equipment and maybe a snack before figuring out how to deal with the two guards outside the Gouldwick Manor. Also, watch as Kyle misunderstands what a “portable hole” actually does and creates a wonderfully unique magic item for his junior gamers to play with.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 008

Deep in the heart of Menzoberranzan. Deep inside the Gouldwick manor. Tucked away in the ventilation shafts of this powerful family’s home our little band of Lord’s Own Soldiers are scrabbling around, trying to find the Golden Shroud; the Tuf’r family Torq and symbol of their prominence. Will they even manage to get out of the vents today?

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 009

The DM challenged every player to do some homework and come up with a something sad that happened to their character and share that at the start of this episode. This is also a special episode as it was recorded on the day of one of the player’s birthdays, so he had something special happen at the end of this episode. For the meat of the episode though, our intrepid adventurers killed a mimic and debated the finer points of stealing everything in the Gouldwick Manor.

A point of interest though. The highlight of my gaming and dungeon mastering life happened at the end of this episode. It was one of the most poignant and powerful things to roleplay through. I’m glad I’ll have this forever in recorded form.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 010

The Lord’s Own have defeated a mimic and now make their way through the rest of the Gouldwick Manor in the hopes of finding their missing comrades as well as the Golden Shroud, the symbol of the Tuf’r Family. Strap in for this one as the kids did not want to leave the table for this, Robin’s 10th birthday game.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 011

It’s a fight in the Gouldwick Foyer! Guards and staircases and shattered glass displays as Volpina, the red-furred Tabaxi joins the fray.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 012

Now where is Soren? How is Ch’ari going to react to all of this death and destruction? Will our Lord’s Own knights, and now a Wilderness Explorer, manage to get ALL of their tasks done at the Gouldwick Manor finally?

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 013

Ch’ari has finally confronted K’ryc and the rest of the Lord’s Own. Will it end in bloodshed? Will they rekindle their old love? And will this be the last game in Menzoberranzan? So many questions. So much hilarity, but also honesty in this episode. This was one of the hardest recording sessions for Tavern Tales Junior. These players were put through situations they were very uncomfortable being in, and it took a lot of patience, and podcast editing, to get this finished version for you. Thank you to Alex for sticking with it and when feeling like he had no options taking the time to talk through his feelings and work with me to create a scenario he felt comfortable going forward with.

With roleplaying you get to experience these sorts of difficult dilemmas in a controlled and safe environment. In Tavern Tales Junior we don’t use an x-card. We use a “throw both hands in the air” as our way of stopping the game and asking for a moment (maybe just to use the bathroom or) to get a handle on the situation, ask for help or talk about the challenge we’re facing. I put my hands up in the air almost as often as they do. It’s best to lead by example.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 014

Our Lord’s Own Knights have secured a treaty with Menzoberranzan for aid against the might of Ashardalon. And now they do a bit of shopping in the city before the long climb out of the underdark and back to the sun and the surface. But all is not simple for our intrepid adventurers as they find themselves in a place they little expected to be.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 015

Welcome to Tangieca, a city in the heart of the jungle across a wide and fast flowing river next to a beautiful waterfall. It is a gorgeous and idyllic setting. But our Lord’s Own Knight’s situation is far from great. Trouble, and a dark poison infects Tangieca. Let us hope that our intrepid adventurers can find out who is an ally and who is a foe before it’s too late.

Tavern Tales Junior – Episode 016

Politics galore as the PCs try to determine who is telling the truth, Lucie the ‘on-the-outs’ Tabaxi, or Sergeant Rose of the Lords Own of Tangieca. And while the gang tries to figure all of that out they learn more about The Great Race of Dinosaurs through the streets of Tanjieca that is supposedly happening very soon.