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Episodes
Nature Check is a show where scientists play TTRPGs. Through our games, we hope to show you that scientists are real people with bawdy senses of humor and creative solutions to problems. We also hope to use our game worlds to talk about real issues in biology, ecology, environmental science, scientific research, and society.
Episodes
Tuesday Jun 04, 2019
Tuesday Jun 04, 2019
The Nature Check crew find themselves in the burgeoning port town of New Sechester on the southwestern coast of the wild continent of Arda. Though there is initially some pursuit of individual needs, all of the adventurers eventually find themselves in the tavern of The Marked Bird. Inside the tavern, events quickly unravel as a pair of ruffians attack the tavern owner over a poor-quality fish dinner. The adventurers are also engaged in conversation by Casper Reid, the head cartographer for the Royal Academy of Explorers from Tainibria. The conversation with Casper sparked a deep out-of-character conversation among the players about the problematic nature of colonization and the colonizer attitude/mindset, especially as it pertains to scientific research. We welcome audience perspectives on this topic, as it's an idea that will be central to our journey through Arda.
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae
Nancy/Kae: @SciBugs
Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey
Rebecca/Artemis: @Phytoseiid
Ryan/Fletcher: @Entemnein
Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Special thanks to our chat mod: Trevor/Hypertesseract
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist
The Arda Campaign is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Tuesday Jun 18, 2019
Tuesday Jun 18, 2019
The PCs decide to send Lucanus into the brothel to talk to the girl Cedric met in Episode 1. After he gathers some information, the group sets off in a quest to meet an apothecary and find a magical herb.
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae
Nancy/Kae: @SciBugs
Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey
Rebecca/Artemis: @Phytoseiid
Ryan/Fletcher: @Entemnein
Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Special thanks to our chat mod: Trevor/Hypertesseract
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist
The Arda Campaign is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Tuesday Jul 16, 2019
Tuesday Jul 16, 2019
WARNING: So sorry about the clipping audio, we're still working out some technical difficulties. But please don't have your volume up too loud when you start the episode!
The adventurers find themselves facing off against a pair of strangely amphibious or fishy-looking humanoids in the seagrass bed. Battle ensues, after which the PCs gather some loot and some gilldeweed in two different species or varieties. They make their way back into New Sechester to show their foraging spoils to Elsa, and after that make their way back to the brothel where Karissa is waiting. Lucanus manages to convince Wurgent to let him take Karissa on a date, which they have no intention of returning from. The group brings Karissa to a section of the beach and tries out the gilldeweed. After doing their good deed, Lucanus and Cedric go to the Market district to sell some extra weapons. Artemis begins to overhear a conversation in The Marked Bird.
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae
Nancy/Kae: @SciBugs
Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey
Rebecca/Artemis: @Phytoseiid
Ryan/Fletcher: @Entemnein
Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Special thanks to our chat mod: Trevor/Hypertesseract
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist
The Arda Campaign is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Tuesday Aug 06, 2019
Tuesday Aug 06, 2019
Joe and Sheryl do a recap of Episode 1 of Nature Check, then speak with cast member Nancy Miorelli (@SciBugs on Twitter) about herself and her experiences working as an entomologist in Ecuador. Joe and Nancy also pay tribute to their amazing mentor, Dr. Marianne Shockley, who was tragically killed less than a month prior to recording.
Have questions for the cast about the Nature Check game, or just science in general? Leave them in the comments, or tweet us at @CheckNature and we'll do our best to answer them!
Tuesday Aug 06, 2019
Tuesday Aug 06, 2019
NSFW warning/Trigger warning: sex work
Joe and Sheryl do a recap of Episode 2 of Nature Check, then speak with cast member Peter Coffey (@petercoffey on Twitter) his character Cedric and his feelings about campaign events so far. The group also talks about the idea of fair employment and the issues surrounding sex work (as it relates to events in the campaign). Peter also shares a little about his job as an entomologist working in agricultural extension.
Have questions for the cast about the Nature Check game, or just science in general? Leave them in the comments, or tweet us at @CheckNature and we'll do our best to answer them!
Tuesday Aug 06, 2019
Tuesday Aug 06, 2019
Joe and Sheryl do a recap of Episode 3 of Nature Check, then speak with cast member Ryan Gott (@Entemnein on Twitter) his character Fletcher and his feelings about campaign events so far. The group also talks about Ryan's job in IPM at a botanical garden, what IPM even is, and why endemic plants are cool.
Have questions for the cast about the Nature Check game, or just science in general? Leave them in the comments, or tweet us at @CheckNature and we'll do our best to answer them!
Tuesday Aug 06, 2019
Tuesday Aug 06, 2019
Cedric and Lucanus share several meals and awkward male bonding moments together while Kae goes around on pins and needles waiting for Azzie to tell her a secret. The group forms a plan to investigate the fish problem and venture back into the slums of New Sechester looking for information.
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae
Nancy/Kae: @SciBugs
Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey
Ryan/Fletcher: @Entemnein
Special thanks to our chat mod: Trevor/Hypertesseract
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist
The Arda Campaign is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Monday Sep 09, 2019
Monday Sep 09, 2019
In this episode, we wind the hands of the clock back, long ago to a time when the world of Lasudes was still being ravaged by the wars of The Loss (so, like, 20 years prior to the opening scenes of the core game story). Our PCs are on board a Tainibrian naval vessel, the "Drake's Crest," but they have been separated from the rest of the fleet by a terrible storm. Will they be able to repair their ship? Will they be able to navigate toward a safe harbor and home? And what sorts of dangers does the sea have in store for them?
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Emily/Lt. Carter Dawson-Clark: @embododd
Joe/Master Peter Mathers: @Stylopidae
Eric/Radiant Marshall Brown: @EricJEarley
Peter/Dr. Percy Quilton: @petercoffey
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist
#DnD #Science #NatureCheck
"From the Annals of History" is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Saturday Sep 14, 2019
Saturday Sep 14, 2019
Peter and Sheryl do a recap of the first Annals of History episode of Nature Check, then speak with special guest player Eric Earley (@EricJEarley on Twitter) about his experience with this particular game and with D&D more generally. The group swaps stories about their experiences as DMs, and also gets into deeper discussions about culture within the game, intersectionality, and what we can do to play D&D responsibly.
Have questions for the cast about the Nature Check game, or just science in general? Leave them in the comments, or tweet us at @CheckNature and we'll do our best to answer them!
Tuesday Sep 17, 2019
Tuesday Sep 17, 2019
The group goes to the docks and the Luck's Rum searching for information about the murder of Timothy Prendergast and who might be blackmailing Hudson Green. Afterwards, they venture to the scene of the crime itself, where they find pieces of evidence that may help to clear the name of Jay Prowell. But who is the mysterious woman in Green's office?
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae
Nancy/Kae: @SciBugs
Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey
Ryan/Fletcher: @Entemnein
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist
The Arda Campaign is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.