5.5K
Downloads
96
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
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
Near the edge of the rainforest, Lucanus spots a weird kapok tree, and the group spends some time trying to diagnose this plant disease. However, they're rudely interrupted and must fight for their lives before they can reach an answer. We talk about ecotones or the transition zones between ecosystems, and then the group makes their way through the ecotone between the rainforest and a hilly grassland. One of the hillsides in this new environment holds some rocky surprises.
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae
Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey
Ryan/Fletcher: @Entemnein
Nancy/Kae: @Scibugs
Cindy/Nautia: @unboundpage
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.
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
Donate to The Bail Project: https://tiltify.com/@naturecheckdnd/nature-check-bail-project
The group camps at the base of the fossil hill, but when they wake in the morning, they're surrounded by strange company. After some trial-and-error with communication, our heroes set off to help Gary investigate the theft of their food stores. The trail leads them back to the base of the sick kapok tree from the previous morning, but will the group be able to withstand combat with the fungal thieves?
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Brian/Gary: @lovettbr
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae
Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey
Ryan/Fletcher: @Entemnein
Nancy/Kae: @Scibugs
Cindy/Nautia: @unboundpage
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.
Thursday Jun 18, 2020
Thursday Jun 18, 2020
Welcome to Burn, a post-apocalyptic game of danger, intrigue, and exploration! The PCs escape from the ice floe and an albino orca, helping to gain territory for The Ripples. Then the PCs head back to the catacombs full of failed genetic experiments and gain that territory for The Shepherds of the Cave, but not before making some new invertebrate acquaintances and re-meeting some old "friends."
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Jareth/GM: @maeamian
Sheryl/The Ripples/Islae: @RvingNaturalist
Peter/Shepherds of the Cave/Charon: @petercoffey
Jordan/The Institute/Lissa: @JordanBHarrod
Xander/The Bowerbirds/Ganymede: @ARTexplains
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist
Friday Jun 26, 2020
Friday Jun 26, 2020
Donate to The Bail Project: https://tiltify.com/@naturecheckdnd/nature-check-bail-project
Our heroes finish their combat with the insectoid adversaries, but at what cost? Gary is able to recover some bits of their food fungus and return to their circle to replant the farm. We also have a long aside about fungi and the science that inspired this particular story arch.
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Brian/Gary: @lovettbr
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae
Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey
Ryan/Fletcher: @Entemnein
Nancy/Kae: @Scibugs
Cindy/Nautia: @unboundpage
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 30, 2020
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Welcome to Burn, a post-apocalyptic game of danger, intrigue, and exploration! The group spends the first half of this session working through a Turn of the Ages, a fun mechanic of Legacy that allows us to shift the clock forward in time. Some of the Families fared better than others, and all tell interesting and dramatic stories about how the world changed in the 5 years after the Sun returned. In the second half, the PCs discuss a mutual problem: Insane Jane and her Raiders. The group settles on a complicated honeypot/reverse raid scheme and sets up all the moving parts. Next time, they'll get to put their plan in action.
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Jareth/GM: @maeamian
Sheryl/The Ripples/Islae: @RvingNaturalist
Peter/Shepherds of the Cave/Charon: @petercoffey
Jordan/The Institute/Lissa: @JordanBHarrod
Xander/The Bowerbirds/Ganymede: @ARTexplains
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist
Sunday Jul 05, 2020
Sunday Jul 05, 2020
Joe and Sheryl do a recap of Episodes 22 and 23 of Nature Check, then speak with special guest Brian Lovett (@lovettbr on Twitter) about his experience playing D&D for the first time, the science behind the Myconid character Gary, fungal mating strategies and Gary's pronouns, and Brian's research.
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!
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Welcome to Burn, a post-apocalyptic game of danger, intrigue, and exploration! Lissa and Charon use weird grenades and attack wasps to create a distraction while Ganymede and Islae sneak up to the Raiders' crawling fortress to sabotage it. But will everyone emerge from the meleé safely? Later, Ganymede is kidnapped by the Raiders, so the group makes a daring rescue attempt.
REFERENCE SECTION Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Jareth/GM: @maeamian
Sheryl/The Ripples/Islae: @RvingNaturalist
Peter/Shepherds of the Cave/Charon: @petercoffey
Jordan/The Institute/Lissa: @JordanBHarrod
Xander/The Bowerbirds/Ganymede: @ARTexplains
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist #Legacy #Science #NatureCheck
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
DISCLAIMER: None of the Nature Check cast are medical professionals, so any information in this episode is purely for educational and entertainment purposes. Please speak to a certified physician if you have questions regarding your own medical health.
Peter and Sheryl do a recap of Episodes 22 and 23 of Nature Check, then speak with long-term guest/party member Cindy Page (@unboundpage on Twitter) about her experience with role-playing games, theater and improv, her character Nautia, and the personal research she's been doing on narcolepsy.
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!
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
Donate to The Bail Project: https://tiltify.com/@naturecheckdnd/nature-check-bail-project
The PCs have made it Level 4! But as they continue their journey east following the river, they meet a strange loner at the edge of the hill country. This person tells them of a sinister usurpation in a nearby clan camp, and the groups initiates combat with some truly frightening foes.
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Emily/Barika: @BushBiologist
Sheryl/DM: @RvingNaturalist
Joe/Lucanus: @Stylopidae
Peter/Cedric: @petercoffey
Ryan/Fletcher: @Entemnein
Nancy/Kae: @Scibugs
Cindy/Nautia: @unboundpage
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 28, 2020
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
Welcome to Burn, a post-apocalyptic game of danger, intrigue, and exploration! The group builds Quick Characters to help Charon rescue his lost riding dung beetle. After that, we explore the Needs of each of the Families at the beginning of this New Age. Lissa gains a new pet and The Ripples expand their territory.
REFERENCE SECTION
Follow us on Twitter:
Nature Check: @CheckNature
Jareth/GM: @maeamian
Sheryl/The Ripples/Islae: @RvingNaturalist
Peter/Shepherds of the Cave/Charon: @petercoffey
Jordan/The Institute/Lissa: @JordanBHarrod
Xander/The Bowerbirds/Ganymede: @ARTexplains
Channel art by Sheryl/The Roving Naturalist