Welcome

 Welcome to Stories from the First Watch. 

This is both a solo roleplaying game and an experiment in audio storytelling. The story, and the characters’ actions, will unfold upon the roll of the dice. Once the game starts, nothing is predetermined. The dice are in control.

My name is Robin, and I am the player, writer and game master of Stories from the First Watch. This is a serial audio drama, inspired by my interest in playing table-top roleplaying games, and particularly by my enjoyment of the Tale of the Manticore and Legend of the Bones podcasts, which pit an in-depth knowledge of Old School Dungeons and Dragons game mechanics against rich and immersive storytelling. I can only hope to aspire to their quality levels! That said, I hope you give my show a chance on its own terms. Any feedback will be very gratefully received.

I am running the game using Basic Fantasy Roleplaying by Chris Gonnerman. Basic Fantasy is an open source-retro clone that emulates the Basic and Expert Dungeons and Dragons rules. I wanted a system that was rules-light, quick to learn, and gave me the opportunity to home-brew my own rules when needed, but that also mimicked the experience of playing D&D.

I am also using the Mythic GM Emulator by Tana Pigeon. This is an oracle and series of rules that enable a solo player to go without the knowledge and preparation that a GM provides in a group game. It helps the solo player set up scenarios, throw in curveballs, and add structure to the adventure without sacrificing the feeling of player exploration. This was introduced to me by the amazing Me, Myself and Die! YouTube channel run by Trevor Duvall, which I urge you to check out.

I will use other resources as and when required, and will flag up when they appear.

Most music, ambience and SFX have been sourced from one of the following, or have been created by me:

Tabletop Audio - Ambiences and Music for Tabletop Role Playing Games

Tunetank: Free Music for YouTube, Twitch & Instagram

Freesound - Freesound

I have utilised a number of friends and fellow gamers' voices for NPCs. I will thank each contributor individually during the episodes, but I also want to take the time to thank everyone who has invested their time to add voices to my show!

I am aiming for a new episode every 2-3 weeks, schedule permitting. I'll post the links here and also on my social media (TBC).

Lastly, I would like to give a big thank you to Simon Williams from the Legend of the Bones podcast for his advice and encouragement. I'm not sure I would have taken this leap without him!

I hope you enjoy Stories from the First Watch.

Robin