Daffy Duck Shows You How To Be An EPIC Wizard!

Fantasy roleplaying games have steadily wormed their way into common culture over several decades. From movies and novels to television shows and video games fantasy RPGs have left indelible marks everywhere, and on practically everything.

If you needed further proof of this fact, here is Daffy Duck as an epic level wizard.

This clip is taken from the 17th episode of this particular run on Merrie Melodies, a show which has never been shy about paying homage to pop culture. If you are from a younger generation you might not remember the starts of the silver screen like Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre showing up in every other cartoon, but you might remember similar celebrity cameos in Tiny Tunes.

We've come that far. Daffy being an epic wizard on a mind quest is something that the writers and animators never even considered the audience wouldn't get. In short my fellow culture warriors, we have won.

Mostly with the aid of a Daffy wizard.

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The Ballad of Baldric Brimstone Chapter Three: Big Gay Half-Orcs and Utterly Destroying Plot

Because this particular gaming story saga is now complete, I thought I'd list all three chapters here for easy navigation. Yes, I know you're on chapter three, but it's an easier list to mass-produce so that every chapter has its very own links.

- Chapter One: Don't Ever Field a One-Eyed Dragon
- Chapter Two: Why You Never Give Your Party The One Ring
- Chapter Three: Big Gay Half-Orcs and Utterly Destroying Plot

Caught up? Great, because today we're finishing this adventure off with the grand finale!

Chapter Three: Of Cohorts and Kings!

Time Travel and Leadership

When last we left our intrepid adventuring party they'd rescued one plot-relevant NPC and one non-plot relevant NPC from a floating city in the sky run by insane magical college deans. Our heroes return to their headquarters by a long and circuitous route, during which they are thanked for their service. When the NPCs tell the guild master and the royal family about what they heard while captives, our heroes are tasked with trekking into the center of a cursed city on the coast (which is conveniently a half-day's ride away) and investigating rumors of a potential legendary sword that could save the world.

Of course no one's been here in a thousand years... this place is creepy!

 

So, seeing where these rails are going, we saddle up and decide to go investigating. We ride up to the ruins of a once-great city, and find it mostly filled with rubble and poisonous smoke. We follow the open paths, very specifically staying away from the vapors while picking up a few odd coins here and there. We find a wishing well, Baldric throws one of the strange coins in, makes a wish, kills the water-double that comes out, and is gifted with a second gun. Overall pleased with my shenanigans we find the throne room. Seated in the throne room, to the surprise of no one, is a skeleton in the throne with a greatsword through its chest.

Nothing to see here, folks.

 

We walk the throne room a couple of times, and we have the central question of "do we pull it out, or do we leave it in?" Baldric is all for leaving it where it is, but our half-construct fighter pulls the sword. Right on cue the corpse re-forms into the ancient and powerful figure known as the Chaos Emperor, who immediately imprisons us all in huge shells of crystal.

Fast forward fifteen years or so...

We Slept Through The Apocalypse?

We wake up in a ruined city with no idea of what's happened. We make our way back to the capital, only to find that a decade and a half has gone by. The world's at war, the Chaos Emperor has taken over the Citadel, and roving tribes of raiders are everywhere.

Oh, and we gained a level.

So there's that.

 

It's at this point I decide to put something in play for another party member. Her character was a gay, male elf alchemist, and it had become a running gag that the only bi-curious NPCs he could find were half-orcs. I ask the DM if I can take Leadership and he okays it (for those DMs who don't know, that's a foolish thing to do). He lets me design my cohort, and I tell him that he was Baldric's apprentice back when he was still a fire bomber for an orc tribe. I trust our DM to work him in somewhere.

So what does the crumbling command faced with impossible odds ask us to do less than a day out of crio-stasis? Oh nothing big; just go and kill the Chaos Emperor.

Back to The Floating City in The Sky...

We truck back across the map with no idea of what the hell we're going to do or how the hell we're going to do it. We find a city-sized encampment at the base of the tower, along with the villain's three lieutenants.

One of whom looks strangely familiar...

 

Baldric recognizes his old apprentice, grown huge and having forced his way up the chain of command. That night he goes to meet him, and the two catch up on old times. They also get drunk... with alchemist fortitude saves. It isn't a pretty sight.

In the middle of the night the elf comes looking for Baldric, and finds him and his companion. Looks are exchanged, and Davor decides right then and there that he's going to switch sides to whoever that elf is fighting for. Lovely, not only do I have my cohort (who incidentally is how I field-tested my Incredible Hulk character build found here), but he happens to have information about the enemy. Wins all around!

All three of these characters are fetched to the base of the tower, and through a series of unfortunate events find themselves being magically transported up into the sky city itself.

Great Revelations

As I mentioned in the last chapter, Baldric's got a wishing ring up his sleeve. With that ring, and some clever shenanigans, we smash through the encounters our ST had meant to make challenging, leave the tower, and go on the lam back to the destroyed capital we'd come from.

While the 7-foot half-orc and the normally-reserved elf are making sheep's eyes at each other the rest of the party wants to know how the hell Baldric knows this guy. So he reveals his history as Brazen Red-Eye, a wanted war criminal responsible for the deaths of countless villages and all their inhabitants. There's some hemming and hawing from the other party members about this revelation, but ultimately Brazen decides he doesn't have time for it and informs the group what he's doing. The other two alchemists join him, and he marches up to the keep to demand a way to solve this whole convoluted problem.

And make it snappy, I'm sick of your bullshit!

 

The party is then given a series of combats, challenges, and fetch quests, the details of which blended together after a bit. The brute squad, with the support of the rest of the party, powered through whatever challenges were laid in front of them. They were eventually brought to a location that held a time machine. The goal of course is to send them back in time to stop this from happening. Because of course it is, why else would you slingshot a party into the future?

Most of the party is thrilled by this. They can go back, save their friends and families, and make the world how it was. For Brazen, he's finally found his friends and followers. He's in a world that makes sense, and he has a chance to rebuild it into something better and different than it was before. Here he's a man with a small army of followers, a strong right hand, and is a force to be reckoned with. Back there he's just another killer on the run from the rope.

A King By His Own Hand

The campaign was far from over, but it was very clear out of character that if this machine was going to render this future, horrible as it was, non-existent then Brazen, Davor, and probably Tirnel the elf would waste no time in blowing it straight to hell along with anyone who got in their way. Without this deus ex machina the game was over, and the epic final chapter would be impossible to reach without a lot of hand-waving and NPC magical bullshit.

As if we had any shortage of that in this game...

 

So our storyteller and the NPCs alike were quick to assure us that it wasn't linear time travel, but rather that this machine would punch a hole into a parallel timeline. A timeline that could still be saved. Brazen holstered his gun, folded his arms, and told them if they were getting they'd better go. He had shit to do.

Slightly confused, most of the rest of the party went. The players and ST alike were wondering what he was going to do, and so they ended the session by asking the $24 question.

Brazen Red-Eye purchased the cursed city and all of its properties from the Crown for a gold piece and a blot of ink. He took his cohort and followers (mostly alchemists, gunslingers, druids, and witches with a few barbarians and fighters for flavor), and rebuilt the city. He took in refugees of all stripes, and put them to work training for war, manning the walls, growing crops and assembling new structures. In time Lost Home became known as a place where anyone could find a a seat at the table if they were willing to work hard and follow orders. It established a college of alchemy and wizardry, as well as a gunworks where firearms and more dangerous weapons were built. In less than ten years it could field an army of warriors in construct armor, and an air force of dirigibles powered by alchemy and loaded down with smooth-bore cannons. Brazen Red-Eye ruled on the brass throne till the day he died, and he was burned with the honors of a great chieftain. His widow maker was placed in his hand, because wherever he was going he was going to need it.

And that, my friends, is quite possibly the most epic middle finger I have ever had a character give to a plot he was expected to keep following.

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's the end of this tale, but what would you like to see next time on Table Talk? Suggestions are always welcome!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I help out from time to time. Or, to check out books like my hard-boiled cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

"Slaughter Your World," A Hilarious Video From "Looking For Group"

"Looking For Group," is both a phrase for gamers looking for a table to join, and the title of an extremely popular comic. If any of that was new information to you then please take a minute and make sure that you're in the right place, and that you weren't looking for another blog.

Still with me? Lovely.

For those of you who haven't read the comic check out the Looking For Group homepage right here. If you have been there before, and if you're a fan, then chances are good you saw the 2007 video "Slaughter Your World" parodying the Little Mermaid. In case you didn't see it (or in case you'd forgotten about it till this very moment and now really want to see it) check out the official Blind Ferret clip here.

As always thanks for stopping in. As you know Improved Initiative is always in need of help, so if you'd like to become one of our valued patrons then stop by my Patreon page today! If you'd prefer to just leave a tip, then click the "Bribe the DM" button on the top right. As always if you want to keep up on Improved Initiative's updates just enter your email address into the box on the top right, or follow me on Tumblr and/or Facebook, whichever you prefer.

"Truth Is In The Eye of the Beholder" or "Why You Should Always Have a Ranged Weapon"

I was a late bloomer when it came to roleplaying games; I had never even seen a 20-sided die until the second half of my freshman year of college. I joined several games, but nothing seemed to last more than a few sessions before someone got sick, drama tore the group up, or people just collectively shrugged and didn't feel like playing. As such I had gotten really good at playing characters from level 1-3, but had never really had much experience beyond that. Then a guy in the group I frequented issued a challenge to all of us; anything we wanted to play, level 15. All rules were allowed, and the goal was to see how far we would make it on the dungeon crawl of death.

Challenge accepted.

How Things Started Off

I had access to every Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 text there was, and there were no limits on anything from class, to alignment, to race. We were kids in a candy store, no question about it. But once the initial surge of excitement left I got down to business to put together something that would be able to survive anything the DM threw at him.

What I got was Captain Egil Skinner, a tiefling in her Majesty's service. A Monk/Spellthief Gestalt, he had enough magic items to emulate James Bond, and his trusty raven familiar Croaker meant that he always had a partner in the event he needed it. Fast, silent, able to leap tall buildings and disable nearly any trap, he was no slouch in any one field. I figured he'd be a great scout, supporting fighter, or sneak thief in the event one was required.

That word... does it mean what I think it means?

Yes you read that right, the infamous Gestalt rules were not taken off the table. For those who have never played DND 3.5, a Gestalt is when you take two classes and squish them together to give a player all of their benefits, but none of their negatives. All special abilities, all proficiencies, the highest BAB, the best saves, etc. It's stupid, and we pointed out that it was stupid, but our DM stuck to his guns and dared us to make something that could survive what he'd created.

So all of us were Gestalt characters.

The Party

In addition to my infernal secret agent and his loud-mouthed companion we boasted a Drow cleric/fighter, a wizard/War Blade (from the Book of Nine Swords, since nothing was illegal), a druid/scout/Daggerspell Shaper, and a wizard/fighter. In short, we were not a group to be fooled with.

Our DM found this out much to his chagrin when the first two or three encounters which were meant to wear us down, and possibly kill one or two of our squishier party members were completely annihilated. Spells thrown at us got deflected or absorbed, melee brutes were torn to pieces, and overwhelming numbers were reduced to piles of greasy cinders. At least until the Beholder.

The Tables Seem to Have Turned

We're riding high after going through a few encounters, disarming a couple of traps and generally feeling like we've built ourselves a solid party. Then we see that thing every party lives in fear of.

Save versus delicious.

The Beholder, one of Wizards of the Coast's big-name enforcers, floats into the room like it owns the place. The anti-magic field kicks in, and suddenly there is a dearth of power in the group. None of us have a natural fly speed, none of us have access to our favorite bags of tricks thanks to magic not working in a room specifically designed to the dimensions of the beholder's abilities, and to my astonishment there is not a single person who has thought to bring a ranged weapon. There was not a single bow, crossbow, javelin, or so much as a sling in evidence.

Then I Had a Stupid Idea...

Every DM has heard this question a thousand times. It always seems innocent, and typically the DM answers with a wave of his hand and a, "yeah, sure, there are rocks on the ground here big enough to throw."

On my turn Egil picks up a rock, cocks back his arm, and I say in a clear voice, "I declare a called shot to the beholder's main eye. The one causing the anti-magic field."

Egil isn't a full BAB progression character. He's using an improvised weapon, and the target is several range increments out of his reach. Plus the negatives from a called shot. He lets fly, and the die spins across the table.

Here's crit in your eye!

It comes up a natural 20.

And Shit Got Real

Even though the attack didn't confirm (or this story would have gotten a lot more epic a lot more quickly), the beholder shut its main eye for a single round. The field vanished, and that gave the rest of the party a single round to make it rain.

I have never seen that many spells, magic items, or obscure abilities pulled out in such short order. To add insult to injury two members of the party scored critical hits against the thing, bringing it squelching down to earth in a single round. Egil strides across the dirt, picks up the gore-encrusted rock, wipes a smear off of it, and writes the word truth across the thing.

Then he feeds its eyes to his familiar.

All Downhill From There

It seemed that the beholder was out DM's big bang. He'd expected us to be run-down, out of spells, out of healing, and at the end of our ropes. Instead we lost a single character to disintegration (the wizard/fighter), and everyone else kept walking along their merry way. The rest of the dungeon was filled with slip-shod traps, easily bypassed ambushes, and creatures half a dozen challenge levels higher than we were but who were meant for taking out melee fighters and not a party where everyone had caster levels and spells left to burn.

At the end of the day what was meant to be a blood bath was more like a walk in the park. A dark park where hobos snored in the bushes and drugs were sold near the drinking fountains, but a park nonetheless. Most of the party survived, and even after more than eight hours of straight slogging we remained triumphant.

There are two lessons to be learned from this story. The first is that Gestalt rules are ridiculous, and should never be allowed under any circumstances whatsoever. Secondly, there is always a way around how badass you think you are. That's why you should always have a back up option in the event your main schtick just won't work. A bow, a crossbow, a tanglefoot bag, some alchemist fire, a flask of acid... really, make sure you check out this page of useful alchemical items so you're never without an option when it's your turn.

And always carry a bit of truth in your pocket.


As always, thanks for stopping by Table Talk on Improved Initiative. If you want to keep up to date with everything we've got going just put your email in the box on the top right, or follow us on Facebook and Tumblr. If you'd like to keep us going then feel free to leave your spare change by clicking the "Bribe the DM" button, or by going to our Patreon page and becoming a donor today!

Medieval Land Fun-Time World- A Bad Lip Reading of Game of Thrones

For those of you who don't live on the Internet it's possible you haven't heard about the idea of a bad lip reading. These videos, produced by an anonymous individual who has experience in the music and recording industry, do pretty much what the title suggests. While this mysterious individual has spoofed everything from pop music to professional sports on his channel right here, this week's Moon Pope Monday would like to draw your attention to Medieval Land Fun-Time World.

Game of Thrones, for those who don't want to get silly with the rest of us.

That's all for our Monday edition, but stay tuned for Table Talk where we finish up the Ballad of Baldric Brimstone (the first two chapters are here and here). If you'd like to help Improved Initiative stay up and running feel free to click the "Bribe the DM" button in the upper right hand corner, or check out our Patreon page to become a patron. Lastly if you want to keep up to date on our latest and greatest then put your email in the box in the upper right, or follow us on Facebook and Tumblr to get updates when we post them.

Rage of Thrones (I Read The Fucking Book!)

We've all heard about the man ruining all of the new fans' experiences with HBO's classic show by publishing a novel series full of spoilers. A no-name, relatively unknown author by the name of George R. R. Martin, the story was first broken by Underground Magazine here.

We all know why this is funny, but there is something to be mad about in every joke. This week's Improved Initiative pays homage to all the geeks out there who, rather than becoming hipsters now that their genre is popular, react instead with the proper amount of rage that no one cares about their favorite stories until there's a special effects budget. We present to you the video for Rage of Thrones from the Axis of Awesome, whose Youtube channel may be found here.

If you enjoy what we offer here at Improved Initiative then spread the word, and put your email in the upper right hand corner so you'll always get updates when we make them. You can also follow us on Facebook or Tumblr. If you want to take a more direct hand in keeping us running then stop by our Patreon page, or click the "Bribe the DM" button and make a donation. As always, thanks for dropping by!

The Dead Alewives "Dungeons and Dragons"

As we all know (or should know if you tuned in for last week's update which was all about the upcoming "Dark Dungeons" movie) the reason that so many tabletop games continue to walk around with a bad rep is because of a massive panic engineered in the 1980s called the Satanic Panic. It was no laughing matter; this witch hunt destroyed families, locked people up for decades on false, trumped-up charges and left a lingering pall over American culture that still leads to bullying, suspicion, and outright lies about people who enjoy certain forms of entertainment (more on all of that here).

There is only one response to this kind of baseless, groundless sensationalism; ridicule the holy shit out of it! And that is just what the Dead Alewives, a comedy troupe popular in the 1980s and 1990s, did in their famous skit "Dungeons and Dragons." Both parts of said skit are featured below, so if you've only heard the first half why not give both halves a listen?

Now that's comedy! As always thanks for dropping by Improved Initiative's Moon Pope Monday feature. If you'd like to support us feel free to click the "Bribe the DM" button, or if you'd rather go to our Patreon page and become a donor today! Lastly keep up to date with all of our latest and greatest by checking out Facebook or Tumblr, whatever suits your fancy.

The Ballad of Baldric Brimstone Part Two: Why You Never Give Your Party The One Ring

So, this epic trilogy has been all wrapped up. If you want all three chapters for easy reading, here they are!

- Chapter One: Don't Ever Field a One-Eyed Dragon
- Chapter Two: Why You Never Give Your Party The One Ring
- Chapter Three: Big Gay Half-Orcs and Utterly Destroying Plot

All caught up? Great!

Chapter Two: Why You Should Sometimes Trust Your Players To Do The Right Thing

So after Baldric's introduction to the party, where he promptly blinds and nearly kills a red dragon at level 8, we're left with a big cave, a hoard that fell into a hole in the ground, and a mysterious young boy who doesn't remember who he is. The party has barely wiped the soot off their faces when a mysterious NPC who looks like Frankenstein's graduate project and reeks of necromancy comes and steals our young boy. The hint is dropped that we're going to a place called the Citadel. Baldric, cavalier and brazen as always, shrugs and sets off to the Northeast to follow the trail.

Some background on this home brew world. There are three major countries; a northern nation that looks suspiciously like Russia, a southern nation that's China in all but name, and the middle, smaller nation which is a traditional, Western Europe sort of place. The Citadel is a massive city in the sky run by mysterious wizards and sorcerers, and it is a place of in-depth arcane study. It's like Oz, if it was run by mystical madmen, and is generally accorded neutral ground.

Nothing could possibly go wrong with this plan!

Plot Hook!

As a party we return to base and report the dragon is taken care of, along with the discovery of a strange boy. His equally strange and mysterious sister seeks us out, and drops hints that if he's allowed to remain captive then fell deeds performed by shadowy magic users will befall us and the world at large. Our group's psionic warrior, a woman from the nation of Not-Russia, had to leave her own brother behind. Between her feels for the separated siblings, and a letter she receives from her own brother that tells her he'd been taken to the Citadel and that she should stay away, we've got enough hints. Conveniently we're given the task of guarding a diplomat on his way to the floating city in the sky. Inconveniently he's assassinated, and our bard takes over diplomat duties long enough to get us all into the city and poke around and see what's happening.

The Plot Thickens...

We manage to get in past the gates, and at that point the party scatters to the four winds. The bard is filching papers and stealing secrets, the psionic is wandering the streets and putting out the word that she's looking for her brother or our mysterious boy, Baldric is kicking around back alleys and side streets, and the rest of the party is pretty much sitting at the pub awaiting developments. After some sundry arrests and generally annoying the powers-that-be in the city, our psionic is granted a meeting with her brother. He's escorted secretly to the house the party is staying at, and in the midst of telling his sister she shouldn't have come he's shot in the head by a sniper at long range.

Chekhov's D20 doesn't fuck about.

The party scrambles. Baldric is up on the rooftops chasing the gunman, our healers are looking at the dead boy, his sister is weeping, and the others are fortifying the doors. The chase ends with the killer getting away, and the party regroups for a tense, nervous night of looking over their shoulders and staying away from windows.

We Find a Plot Device...

The next morning officials are investigating what happened. The party is poking around looking for clues, when they find an insignificant-looking black ring. The bard doesn't roll high enough on a knowledge check, so he assumes it's just a magical trinket. Without being able to identify it, he hands it off to Baldric. After a high roll he can ascertain that it's quite magical, but the DM says he can't be entirely sure what it does or doesn't-

So, what happens when I slip this bad boy on?

As soon as he puts it on, Baldric realizes he doesn't feel hungry or thirsty. A ring that duplicates the effects of a ring of sustenance but which attunes itself instantly is pretty shiny. It also makes our adventuresome alchemist all the more curious. I'm busy roleplaying, turning the ring left and right, as the DM tells me there's no way I could possibly activate any of the other effects unless I roll a natural-

... And The Plot Gets Flipped the Bird

Baldric rolls a natural 20 on a use magic device check, a skill that he has maxed out. Our DM, flabbergasted, asks the question that every player loves to hear. "Do you want a useful effect, or powerful one?" Having already rolled the dice, I opted for powerful. His next words were, "you are aware you have just cast Wsh." From a magic ring. At 9th level. A ring which seems to be able to re-charge over time to do this ad-infinitum.

That is the sound shit makes when introduced to a fan.

The whole table is goggling, with half of them demanding what the hell the storyteller was thinking giving us an item with that kind of potential, and the other half wishing they'd rolled the dice and taken the risk. I converse with Baldric for 30 seconds or so, take a gander at his motives and his personal desire to be a hero. I look up at the DM, and smile. Baldric says, "I wish that this woman's brother was restored to her, alive and in full possession of his mental and physical abilities." Moments later there's a knock at the door, and a shadowy shape appears bearing the trembling figure of our psionic's sibling. He's scared and confused, but otherwise whole.

Yes, I used an extremely rare, 9th-level spell granted to me on a pure fluke that I could have unbalanced the game with to instead resurrect an NPC which wasn't even part of my character's plot. Because that is how one remains true to the character. Oh, and I forgot to mention that resurrection magic doesn't exist in this little home brew world. Dead, is dead, is dead, or so they all thought.

The Aftermath

Moments after the boy has been restored the party is taking turns demanding to know what I did, and how the hell it's even possible. Then alarm bells ring throughout the whole city. Squads of elite guards are running hither and yon, and madness is everywhere. We're pushed toward an escape hatch by a frazzled NPC, who also gives us the boy we found in the dragon cave as a compensation prize. We manage to escape after only a few days of attending meetings and fruitlessly searching for an answer.

It turns out that our murdered sibling was never actually dead in the first place. A clone had been made of him, and that clone murdered so that his sister and her friends would stop trying to find the boy. The actual baby brother was being kept in a warded, secure room no one would ever be able to find, and which would have been the center piece of a very hard to crack nut that might have lasted weeks, if not months out of game. Then Baldric applied his typical strategy of "fuck it, what's the worst that could happen?" while holding an artifact we weren't supposed to figure out much less attempt to use for several levels to come.

The lesson of chapter two is this: never give your party something you don't expect them to use. Whether it's a mysteriously locked trunk, an unidentifiable magic item, or just a substance they can't make sense of, at least one player is going to mess with it. Also, sooner or later that player is going to roll a 20.



Do you have a story of your own to share? Well let us know! Simply contact Improved Initiative and send us your story and we'll be happy to give you the spotlight. As always, thanks for stopping by Table Talk, and to make sure you get all of our updates be sure to follow Neal F. Litherland on both Tumblr and Facebook.

Natural 20 Soaps: A Confirmed Critical Against Con Funk

The words "Gaming" and "Hygiene" are not often associated in the collective, pop culture consciousness. While gaming has come out of the basement, so to speak, and is experiencing a lot of popularity now that being geeky is considered sexy, there are still some folks who didn't get the memo. Fortunately there is Natural 20 Soaps, a company dedicated to fighting con funk wherever it raises its revolting, protuberant head.

Yes that is soap. Yes you can buy it right now.

Seriously though, take a look at their Etsy store right here and see some of this. We could wipe out the smelly gamer prejudice overnight if word got out a little quicker.

How It All Began

Natural 20 Soap, which is run by Emily Hawk and her business partner Douglas Menke, was inspired by two, separate conversations. The first conversation detailed a sneaky idea of putting a d20 inside a bar of soap, using it as bait to trick those possessed by con funk to wash in order to get the prize inside. The idea might have died there, except that a customer at Emily's knitting store asked if there was a kind of soap that would wash wool without harming it. Finding no affordable options on the market, Emily decided to produce her own in the shape of an adorable sheep. Along the way she and Doug also decided to take up the standard for hygienic geeks everywhere by bringing us Natural 20 Soaps, which sold its first soap in December of 2013.

And are we ever glad they did.

What Makes This Soap So Special?

Well, aside from the fact that it comes in a huge variety of patterns, shapes, and colors, from sheep-shaped soap and D20s to the stripes of Jayne Cobb's hat (seriously, check out the store!), these soaps are made using natural ingredients. They're nourishing for the skin, they get you cleaned up quickly, and best of all they can be made to one's specifications. Whether someone's looking for a vegan soap, a soap in the shape of a Templar shield, or just a soap that's so geeky only the gifter and the receiver will get the reference, Natural 20 Soaps can make that happen.

This cake is a lye.

With sleek, plastic cases that keep soap protected before it's used, and with new designs always coming out, Natural 20 Soaps has great presents for those who just don't know what to give the gamer in their lives. As of right now they're planning a superhero line up, and there's been talk of making soap with secret messages inside them using water soluble paper. For updates on what's going on with the company, and more importantly what conventions you'll be able to find them at, check out the Natural 20 Soap blog right here!

As always, thanks for dropping by Moon Pope Monday. Know something interesting, weird, or hilarious that your fellow geeks will find too cool not to share? Tell us! Also, if you want to keep up to date with everything Improved Initiative has to offer then enter your email in the upper right hand box, or follow us on Facebook and Tumblr. For those who'd like to help keep the site going feel free to leave a donation in the "Bribe the DM" button, or become one of our monthly patrons by checking out our Patreon Page!

Out of Context D&D Quotes: Submit Yours Today!

This week on Moon Pope Monday we'd like to direct your attention to something that is both hilarious and user-friendly! For those of you with a Tumblr page (we're all very grateful you made it over here, by the way), or who just like the idea of Tumblr then check out Out of Context D&D Quotes! It's great fun, you can submit quotes from any game you're currently playing, and peruse the list for a few that make you really wonder what the hell was going on in that other game.

Yeah... so... ummm... I know folks are used to an image set or a video with these updates. All I had this week was a link. So have this instead!

This car runs on nightmare fuel.

This is the latest anthology to feature one of my stories ("Double Feature" is the title and it's a fantastic romp through the freaky 50s for those who love period pieces). If you think it looks cool, or you just want to know why the hell there's a giant tentacle reaching for a Cadillac on a rainy road, just go here and pre-order your copy for less than $5.

That's all for me, but stay tuned for another piece later this week! As always feel free to click "Bribe the DM" in the upper right hand corner, become a patron at our Patreon page, and as always to follow us on Facebook and Tumblr.

The Starbarians!

Up until this point Moon Pope Monday has been a relatively clean, and pretty family friendly feature. This week we're pushing that line with episode 1 of The Starbarians! Created by Harry Partridge (whom you might want to follow on Youtube here if you enjoy this particular clip), this is just the beginning. Unfortunately it also tends to be what an adventuring party will become, if you give them too much free rein.

Also, while we're all here, Moon Pope Monday might be expanding its scope the in the near future. We're still focusing on the amusing and the awesome, but we might also throw in the occasional feature about amazingly geeky places that you really need to know about. So stay tuned, and if you have something you think should be shared with the rest of the geek world feel free to submit it! Finally, feel free to follow us on Facebook and Tumblr if you'd like to keep up to date on what we're doing here at Improved Initiative.

Roll a D6

Yes I did almost forget it was Monday. Fortunately I remembered with about 15 minutes to go, and I remembered just the thing. While you might not be seeing it until Tuesday, this great song parody is sure to have you head-bobbing along.

How do you roll? If you'd like to support Improved Initiative then follow us on Facebook or Tumblr, and don't forget to click either the "Bribe the DM" button in your upper right hand corner, or check our Patreon page. Merry gaming to all!

Is Moon Pope the Best Dungeon Master, or the Worst?

The great and glorious Moon Pope returns on this, his day of days. Is there anything he won't allow? Well... no, not really.

Thanks again for stopping by for more Moon Pope Monday. We hope to catch you next week at the same day, but hopefully a little bit earlier. To keep up with our regular posts feel free to follow us on Tumblr and Facebook. If you'd like to give Improved Initiative your support, then please tell your friends, tell your gaming table, and hit the "Bribe the DM" button in your top right corner.

Moon Pope Monday: Shooter Guy

Before we get started with this week's Moon Pope Monday I'd like to remind all my viewers that we're currently having a giveaway. Simply go to our Patreon page here, and pledge $1 a month (or more, we won't stop you). In exchange you'll receive links to two free stories by Neal F. Litherland, but you'll also receive a free ebook! Just drop a line once you've pledge, and your free book will be in your inbox soon after.

All right? All right. Now for today's funny...

This video was created by Miracle of Sound, and if you're looking for even more great material by them just check out their page and follow here. As always, thanks for tuning into Improved Initiative where we try to make your Mondays just a little more bearable. For more from us and from our sister blog the Literary Mercenary drop in and follow us on Facebook and Tumblr. Hope to see you there!

Moon Pope Monday: The Saga of Bjorn the Viking

This week Moon Pope Monday presents the saga of Bjorn the Viking from the Animation Workshop. Who says age penalties make you any less epic?

If you'd like to help keep Improved Initiative going then please like us, share us, and tell all your friends. If you want to take a more direct hand though, feel free to bribe the DM in the upper right hand corner, or stop by our Patreon page and pledge to us. To stay up to date with our latest updates just stop by and follow us on Facebook or on Tumblr. As always, may the bones roll ever in your favor.

Inspiring DND Demotivators

This week's Moon Pope Monday comes to you courtesy of the magic of Tumblr! We found this demotivator set at Auric-Paper here, so share the love if you want to stop by. For that matter, follow us on Tumblr here if you're of a mind.

Also, remember that you can now support Improved Initiative by becoming a patron! Just go to our Patreon page for all the details. All we're asking for is $1 a month so we can keep bringing you great content.

And Now... the Demotivation!

As always, thanks for stopping by Improved Intiative's Moon Pope Monday feature! Tell your family, tell your friends, follow us on Facebook, and if you're not comfortable with a regular, monthly donation at Patreon.com, remember there is a snazzy little button in the upper right hand corner where you can bribe the DM, and let us know we're doing a good job.

Conan Meets Metal!

This week on Moon Pope Monday we thought we'd give you all some mood music. Eric Calderone, 331Erock on Youtube, has metalized Conan. For all of those in whom beats the heart of a barbarian, I suggest you sit back and take this in.

As always, thanks for stopping by Moon Pope Monday and having a listen. If you'd like more content from Improved Initiative then drop a message or leave a comment. Sharing our pages and leaving a tip in the "Bribe the DM" jar won't hurt either! To plug into everything we have to offer, here's a useful Facebook and Tumblr link for you as well.

This is What Game Day Feels Like

Most people complain about Mondays, but that's the day I have game. Without fail, this is how it feels every, single time.

For those who want to see more from Improved Initiative, drop us an email or a comment telling us what you'd like to see. If you want to contribute as a guest blogger, then tell us what you've got in mind. Lastly, if you want to see us put out even more content than we do already then Like, Share, and most of all drop your two cents into the "Bribe the DM" box on your top right. Feel free to follow us on Facebook or Tumblr.

Sometimes the DM Wins

And How!

Recent screen shot from my group's progress in Curse of the Crimson Throne. This is what happens when you step up to take on a lycanthrope without the proper preparation.
Thanks for stopping by Moon Pope Monday! Have images of your own to share, stories to tell, or something you'd like to see covered on Improved Initiative? Then let us know! If you'd like to keep us going then please share our articles, and if you can afford it drop your two cents in the "Bribe the DM" button in the upper right hand corner. Until next time!

Taste is in the Eye of the Beholder



 

Ever have one of those meals that devolves into a gaming reference? Well, I did. Behold... the Beholder Roll!

 

Save versus delicious.

This week's Moon Pope Monday is brought to you by Steak and Shake, and co-sponsored by two in the morning. Only through the combination of these two things could the Beholder Roll be made possible.

As always, thanks for your support! Just remember to tell your family, tell your friends, and if you want to see more stuff from us at Improved Initiative please remember we run on Google AdSense. That's where we get our money from!