Plugs

We've got a lot of fingers in a lot of pies. Lots of plates spinning. Irons in the fire. Mixed metaphors.

If you love us and want to support us financially, hit us up at ko-fi.com/improvtabletop.

Things we're working on:

• I Cast Fireball: A D&D 5e actual-play podcast hosted by Thomas B, and featuring Ned as a player.
• Caleb's Audiobooks:
  • Shipwreck Tales and Disasters at Sea by Thomas Bingley
  • No King, No Country by Wayne Grant
  • The Long Rifles by Wayne Grant
• Wild Pages Soap Co: Caleb's wife Rachel is making handmade soaps inspired by great literature. (Formerly Book Lovers Soaps)
• Second Star Studio Arts: JP's wife Emma is making geeky jewelry and cosplay props.
• @ACatNamedStrahd: Ned has an Instagram account for his cat, Count Strahd Von Zarovich (who might be a reincarnated vampire lord).
• We Liked You First: McKenna, JP, and Connor have all been guest stars on this podcast that puts the spotlight on emerging writers and actors.
• BWiredJewelry: Heather is making bespoke, hand-wound wire jewelry.
• The Good, The Rad, and The Spooky: Connor and his cohost Vale Prosper discuss the obscure, the obscene, and everything in between™ (it's a horror podcast).
• Tonic Water Enlightenment Day: August 31st, the anniversary of the day Ned publicly proclaimed his love of tonic water through Facebook.
• You Meet in a Tavern: An RPG-themed board game currently being developed by Christian! "Coming to a game store near you within the next 10-20 years."

Taco Christmas (May 17th):

Taco Christmas is a holiday about eating tacos with cool people. It was invented in 2013 by a group of Ned's high school friends, constituting the Taco Council. As Taco Chancellor, it is Ned's duty to spread the word about Taco Christmas, so here we go!

Taco Christmas occurs every year on May 17th. Traditional observances include:

• Eating tacos with cool people.
• Wishing a “Merry Taco Christmas” to the person who gives you your tacos (if this person responds unfavorably, they are deemed a Taco Scrooge).
• Listening to tacos carols, most especially Raining Tacos by Parry Gripp.
• Everybody is entitled to one Taco Christmas Wish, which is not guaranteed to come true (although the first time Connor celebrated Taco Christmas, he wished for a taco emoji, and now we have a taco emoji, so I’m JUST SAYIN). This wish is made by whispering the wish into your taco before taking your first bite.
• Especially orthodox observers state that the tacos must be crunchy tacos from a Taco Bell, and must be consumed after dark.

In the spirit of celebrating all amazing tacos, the Taco Chancellor has declared that traditional observances are optional, especially in places without a Taco Bell, though their power to add to the vibe is undeniable.

Things we think are neat:

• Brian David Gilbert (bdg): Video creator with a penchant for geekery, video games, and occasional surreal horror.
  • Unraveled: Watch bdg go crazy as he tries to make sense of video game logic and lore.
  • The Perfect Pokérap: A special live episode of Unraveled in which bdg uses principles of rhyme, meter, and modern hip-hop to "make the Pokérap listenable".
  • Dances Moving: A surprisingly cathartic miniseries about the pains of growing up and moving on, disguised as an educational dance program. (The song "See the Day" from the finale was Ned's favorite song of 2021.)
• Monster of the Week: A thematic TTRPG produced by Evil Hat Productions using the Powered by the Apocalypse rule system.
• The Last Blockbuster: A Netflix documentary about the last Blockbuster store still in operation.
• LEGO®: Especially Bionicles and X-Pods (neither of which are still being produced 😢).
• Big Bopper: An ice cream sandwich made of chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream.
• Fever-Tree Tonic Water: Ned's favorite flavor is Elderflower. (Also, regular water is pretty cool too.)
• Adopt, Don't Shop: Your local shelter could have the perfect pet already waiting for you.
• The Empty Bowl: A meditative podcast about cereal, produced by Justin McElroy and Dan Goubert.
• Books About Improv:
  • Truth in Comedy
  • Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre
  • The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual
  • Improv for Gamers
• A Hat Tip for Hands: Caleb's friend John Tanasse highlights the stories of people making a difference in his community.
• Rat Movie: Mystery of the Mayan Treasure: Episode 2 of The Office Space will make a LOT more sense if you watch this.
• Hearthstone: If you wanna play against Connor, hit him up on social @Cdwinga.
• Your Servant, Mephistopheles: A modern adaptation of the play Doctor Faustus, co-written by Ned's nemesis Vale Prosper.
• Animal Crossing: A video game so nice, we centered an entire campaign around it!
• Bards of New York: A D&D 5e actual play produced by McKenna's friend Woody Minshew.
• The Pikmin Flower: Nintendo created a cultivar of the flower Chaenostoma cordatum to promote the game Pikmin.
• Effortless by Greg McKeown: A book about how to "Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most".
• Ring Fit Adventure: A full RPG for Nintendo Switch that you play by exercising!
• Old Gods of Appalachia: A horror anthology podcast that Connor really likes.
• Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B Rosenberg: Communicate better by learning to how to understand and express hidden needs.
• The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis: There's more to love than just romance, it turns out!
• Brandon Sanderson: Fantasy author extraordinaire! The cast's favorite Sanderson series are Mistborn and The Stormlight Archives.
• Scott Villanueva: Friend of the show who wrote our theme song, Melodic Marauder! Check out more of his music on Instagram @j.scottv
• Dave Heatwave: Cosmic crooner/Solar native. He looks like a luchador, but he sings like a man with a heart made of synthwave.
• Over the Garden Wall: A delightful Halloween miniseries packed with wonderful actors, music, animation, and American gothic vibes.
• Other Cereal Actual-Plays: Breakfast Cereal Mascots by Dorkly's TablePop, and Lords of Crunch by The Adventure Zone (only available to Maximum Fun subscribers).
• Apple Pie Toast Crunch: A seasonal variant of General Mills' Cinnamon Toast Crunch that is SUPER tasty (9.5/10 rating on Cerealously.net).
• Olivier Gomis: A very talented woodturner who made an awesome lamp of the One Ring.
• Orienteering: A navigational sport using a map and compass to find your way along a defined route.
• Lord of the Rings: Specifically the Extended Editions.
• @SamiSwanIllustration: Friend of the show who's done TONS of character portrait commissions for our cast. Also find her on Etsy!
• Home Alone: "It's a perfect film." -Evan Peterson
• WoodTactics: An Etsy shop that makes RPG dice (and more) out of wood, including Fate/Fudge dice!
• Til Death Do Us Blart: The McElroys team up with Tim & Guy from The Worst Idea of All Time to watch Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 every American Thanksgiving. Monitor their descent into bitterness.
• Krampus (2015): There aren't many Christmas horror movies, and Evan thinks this one is pretty underrated (as long as you don't watch the last 15-30 seconds).
• #TeamSeas: MrBeast is raising $30,000,000 to remove 30,000,000 pounds of trash from the world's oceans.
• Gio Lasar Designs: Maker of RPG dice, including awesome star-themed Fate dice!
• Taika Waititi: Celebrated NZ film director, beloved for films such as Jojo Rabbit, What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and more!
• Professional Wrestling: Take Evan's word for it, there's more to it than just tights and fights!
• The Hobbit: It's a good book, maybe someday they'll make it into a good movie, who knows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• Mass Effect: Celebrated sci-fi video game series! "It holds up." -Justin "JP" Porter
• Fruit Juice by Snoop Lion: It's a reggae song about juice that is made from fruit.
• Local Libraries: Not just books! They might have audiobooks, learning subscriptions, D&D clubs, and more!
• Dimension 20: Dropout's D&D 5e actual play show. Their first campaign, Fantasy High, is free to watch!
• Deckbuilding Games: Especially Slay the Spire, Monster Train, and Clank!
• Metroid: Classic video game series that's classic for a reason! (Ned especially loves Metroid Fusion.)
• Painting Miniatures: "Paint a little guy, it'll make you feel good!" -Connor Wood
• Metroidvania Games: Aside from Metroid itself, top recommendations are Hollow Knight and Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights.
• Pokemon Legends: Arceus: Nintendo's first take on an open-world Pokémon game!
• Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion: One of McKenna's favorite indie video games.
• TheManlyJones: Friend of the podcast who streams video games on Twitch. Has done some streaming collaborations with Evan!
• Isekai: Anime genre that places the protagonist in a strange, new world. Recommendations are The Rising of the Shield Hero, Wise Man's Grandchild, and The Devil is a Part-Timer!.
• Elden Ring: An open-world RPG video game that's like a combination between Dark Souls and Breath of the Wild.
• Nerd Books: A few cast favorites are The Licanius Trilogy, Saga of the Forgotten Warrior, He Who Fights with Monsters, Discworld, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and The Wheel of Time.
• Insane Pokémon Rap: What it says on the tin! By The Kevin Bennett.
• Batman: The Audio Adventures: A comedic radio drama podcast featuring a star-studded cast of comedians, created by longtime SNL writer Dennis McNichols.
• Pokémon Trading Card Game: Sure, we've all collected the cards, but it turns out the game is actually really fun to play!
• Pokemon Theme Saxy Style: A wonderful arrangement of the Pokémon theme song by The 8-Bit Big Band featuring saxophone from 2SAXY (Grace Kelly and Leo P).
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: Love Borderlands but just wish it was more like D&D? Then this is the game for you!
• Mistborn Games: Mistborn Adventure Game (TTRPG) & Mistborn: House War (Board Game)
• Redwall-Themed RPGs: Humblewood for D&D 5e, Mausritter, Mouseguard (based on the comic series of the same name), & Root(based on the board game of the same name).
• Nobody Saves the World: An action-RPG dungeon crawler by the vegetable Drinkbox Studios!
• Michael Kramer & Kate Reading: A power couple of audiobook narration! Well known for their work narrating many of Brandon Sanderson's books.
• David Lynch's Weather Report: Every day on YouTube, avant-garde film director David Lynch reads the weather for Los Angeles, CA. Why does he do it? You could ask the same thing about anything David Lynch does.
• Relaxing SNES Music Compilation: One of Ned’s favorite working soundtracks. Three whole hours of awesome Super Nintendo music, courtesy of the wonderful retro gaming critic SNES drunk.
• Franken: One of Connor’s favorite little indie RPGs, completely free to play!
• Transformers Lore: It's a surprisingly deep rabbit hole.
• The Touch: A legitimately very good song written by Stan Bush for The Transformers: The Movie (1986).
• Bug-A-Salt: A plastic gun that fires grains of salt at high speed to kill bugs.
• The Lazy Dungeon Master: By the venerable Sly Flourish, a guide to help GMs focus their energy on preparing what matters most for their campaigns. (You may want to consider starting with the updated version, Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master)
• Ambulance for Ukraine: Our old college friend Harrison is raising funds to load an ambulance with supplies and drive it to Ukraine!
• Open-Source GM Tools: See a few of our favorites below.
  • Kobold+ Fight Club: Combat encounter builder for D&D 5e.
  • Savaged.us: Digital character builder for Savage Worlds.
  • Pathbuilder 2: Digital character builder for Pathfinder 2e.
• Deadlands: The original Weird West RPG setting, using the wonderful Savage Worlds game system!
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: A classic philosophy book that provided a lot of core inspiration for the character of Amar Ookami.

Goofs

Sorry, folks. If it's not in one of the lists above, it's probably not real. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe? Maybe. There's a lot of stuff to keep track of here.