WORLDBUILDING: Background on The Jeweled Champions (and Friends)

[LightningTopaz]

Some background on the gang's tabletop roleplaying, as featured in "Munchkins and Mythology", some longer campaign stories, and a miniseries based on the one shot.

Once a week (or sometimes more), Ash, Misty, Brock and Serena get together to play "Chambers and Charizards". Sometimes they play at home (usually in the spacious rec room) in the Ketchum house, and sometimes their own custom made filming room, where they livestream the proceedings on Digitop (a streaming service in the Pokeworld designed for tabletop roleplaying and board game playing.

While Ash, Misty, and Serena are the three regular players (and Brock the dungeon master), whenever their stream appends "and Friends" to the stream title of "The Jeweled Champions", fans know the group has some guest players playing with them, be this one of the group's other friends, or their family.

Since it is always a surprise as to who is joining the group (or if anyone joins them at all), the group mainly sticks to doing episodic adventures, but they have played a few full campaigns, and a few mini-campaigns that feature a specific Chambers and Charizards setting.

Their most memorable campaign is the Journey of the Rainbow Priestess adventure path, so they have ran the campaign with various setups (fans will also request seeing someone specific in the campaign). The group doesn't mind rerunning that campaign again and again--as every setup brings a new surprise to a well worn and well loved campaign.

Fans also love how Brock immerses the group and the audience into the settings with sound effects, music (sometimes recorded, and sometimes live), and his expert mimicry and storytelling skills. On rare occasions, someone else will be in the dungeon master's chair, and Brock will play a character.

As the dungeon master, Brock is creative and yet fair to his players. He will challenge the group, but never send them up against an encounter they can't beat. He will offer the players choices as often as possible, so players don't have to fight if they don't want to. He likes having names that are easy to say and appropriate for the setting, so any groan-worthy names or hard to pronounce names in the adventure books will be replaced with appropriate names--even for the monsters.

As the three regulars, Ash, Misty, and Serena re-use the same characters to provide a kind of consistency, but semi-regular guests (and Brock, when he gets to play) tend to do this as well.

Another tradition is for the group to dress up in costume as their characters to add to the immersion. Even the guests join in the fun. Brock will usually stay in his normal clothes, but on the rare times he plays, he too will dress up.

 

[LightningTopaz]

The lineup, by the numbers:

The regulars:

Ash (wizard, Aldaron the Red; has played a minstrel before and has taken a turn as the DM)
Misty (magic knight, Meri of the Blue Dragons; has played a minstrel before and taken a turn as the DM)
Serena (runeblade, Christine Belmont; has played a minstrel before)
Brock (DM regularly; minstrel, Larkin Admore on the occasions he has played)

The semi-regular guests:

Gary (usually plays a Lightsworn paladin)
May (prefers to play a minstrel, but is open to trying a runeblade)
Dawn (usually plays a cleric, but has played a wizard and a minstrel before)
Ethan (typically plays a fighter, but has played a warrior before)
Lyra (usually plays a minstrel, cleric, or animist)
Chance (Let's Go hero) (usually plays a rogue, but is open to trying a warrior or ranger)
Elena (Let's Go heroine) (usually plays a ranger, but is open to trying the other magic based classes or a minstrel)
Forest (usually plays a warrior, but is open to playing a paladin)
Terra (usually plays a ranger, but has tried a valkyrie)
Victor (usually plays a paladin)
Gloria (usually plays a ranger)
Gou/Chris (usually plays a rogue)
Chloe (usually plays a fighter, but is open to trying a runeblade or battlemage wizard)

Other guests:

Whitlea (played a valkyrie)
Nate (played a paladin)
Rosa (played a wizard)
Callum (has taken a turn as the DM)
Kiana (US/UM heroine) (played a cleric, wants to try DMing)
Midori (played a ranger, has taken a turn as the DM)
Lilly (played a minstrel)
Violet (played a cleric)
Daisy (played a ranger)

 

[LightningTopaz]

Chambers and Charizards vs. the real Dungeons and Dragons/Pathfinder

--Combat is a LOT easier--you only have to determine damage and any status conditions.
--Magic is limited by an MP bar (one of the pioneers of doing so, and would make its way into video games)--you are not limited in how many times you can cast per in game day, nor do you have to prepare it
--There are different classes and races in this Pokemonized version
--Traveling is relatively uneventful. Some adventures have scripted encounters the players must fight, but for the most part, players can avoid combat altogether if they play well.

The current core classes in Chambers and Charizards 5e:

Warrior
Ranger
Wizard
Cleric
Rogue
Minstrel
Magic Knight
Runeblade
Animist
Paladin
Fighter
Valkyrie

There are many 3rd party class and race options, but accepting them is up to the Dungeon Master.

The current core races in Chambers and Charizards 5e:

Human
Elf
Dwarf
Halfling
Tiefling
Sylvan
Sirena (female exclusive; they are basically Swanna-ladies)
Lightsworn (basically angel-like humanoids with divine powers)

Brock is okay with any non-monstrous fantastic race in sessions. He will also enforce the "no evil characters" rule used in Chambers and Charizards organized play.

 

[Rainfall]

I see that there's a good amount of background to The Jeweled Champions and Friends!
Seems they have nice locations set up and enjoy different campaigns with wildcard or more fellow travelers. The primary DM sounds very experienced.

I don't play D&D myself; I do have plenty of friends who enjoy a variety of boardgames, with a smaller set who do engage in roleplaying.

This is neat worldbuilding that you've shown here so far for the characters that engage in their own activity of worldbuilding.

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Rainfall

Most of the adventures are inspired by (or parodies of) real D&D and Pathfinder adventures and campaigns (and some infusion of video games), but there are some original stories, including their best loved and oft requested campaign.

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Rainfall

Meals Around the Table

Any good tabletop session usually has food involved, and the gang is no exception. Usually someone will order out food (pizza, tacos, Chinese food, etc.) but every once in a while (particularly when the weather turns cold), Brock will cook something for the others to enjoy (he will typically make the food before coming, but he has commandeered the Ketchum kitchen to cook on site before. Ash and the others know that when Brock arrives with the familiar hunter green Travelin' Pot (a kind of large portable crock pot in the Pokeworld meant for travelers), there's something delicious inside!

Usually, Brock's campfire chili is inside the Travelin' Pot, but he is also known to bring over materials for a barbecue spread, homemade enchiladas or the ultimate nachos (with chips, mild and hot salsa, queso, and guacamole for dipping), or baked potato soup. Whatever Brock decides to bring over, he will happily give out the recipe if anyone asks for it (complete with notes, suggestions, adaptations to make it allergy or sensitivity friendly, and must have ingredients.

Besides Campfire Chili (so named because it can be made over a campfire as well as in a kitchen), barbecue, enchiladas or nachos, and various soups, Brock's Travelin' Pot has also held:

--Smoked Cheddar Meatballs
--Lasagna in a Pot
--Sesame Chicken (which Misty raves is "better than a restaurant")
--Mini Cheeseburger Silders
--Kalosian Onion Soup (which has Serena's seal of approval)
--and many more!

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Rainfall

Brock's Dungeon Master Setup

As the main dungeon master for the group, Brock is an immersive dungeon master--bringing the campaign world to life with music (mostly recorded, but he has performed live music before), sound effects, ambience, and even voices, thanks to his expert mimicry ability. Most of the magic is done with a powerful laptop, speakers, and a pocket projector, but Brock also has other things in his nook:

--copies of important adventure info (that is backed up on the laptop)
--copies of the group's character sheets (both paper and digital--he keeps the digital ones updated in real time with the laptop, and can generate a sheet for any of the regular and recurring players at any level he sees fit)
--the player's and character's names and current skills (on paper, backed up digitally)
--his core Chambers and Charizards books (just in case looking up a rule is needed)
--enemy and NPC stats (backed up digitally)
--a timer app (which is projected on the screen for all to see if part of an adventure is timed)
--the DungeonNav app on his PokeNav (which has a dice roller, fantasy name generators of every stripe, and other things)
--his guitar (to provide live music by standing in for a minstrel's lute, or to pass the time in between adventures or long breaks. During livestreams, chatters will often request songs for him to play. Many times, Ash, Misty, and Serena will add in their own instruments to the live music if necessary--especially if they are doing an all-minstrel campaign.)
--a paper notebook to write down session logs as things happen
--a rainbow of neon sticky notes (to remind everyone about rules and sticky situations that have come up before)

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Rainfall

The Enclave

When the group wishes to film their gaming, they do it in a dedicated studio complex (which fans and the group affectionately call "the enclave") that has places for storage, a food serving area, a sleep room for longer campaigns (such as their annual running of "Journey of the Rainbow Priestess"), a wing for the tech crew and the care team, a changing area for the group to get into costume, and anything else the group and their gear might need.

The gaming room is the largest room in the complex, with a large round table (so Brock can see all the players from behind the dungeon master's screen) In addition to the screen, he has a state of the art PC to control the cameras, put things up on the screen (such as maps, timers, standby images, the various technical difficulties screens, or the humorous themed campaign images when the group is playing campaigns), cue music and ambiance to immerse the players, and more.

The regular players and Brock also have stands to put instruments (which has led to a running gag--Ash playing one of the many whistle tunes he knows while the group works out technical difficulties has spurred fans to call his whistle "The Flute of Power" since the problem often fixes itself when he starts playing. Misty's fiddle has been named "The Fiddle of Dancing Swords", Serena's mandolin has been named "The Mandolin of Purest Light", and Brock's guitar has been named "The Lute of the Traveler".

Some of the series' inside jokes and running gags include:

"Okay, we're rolling camera."--said to signal the start of the stream.

"The clock starts now."--said whenever Brock poses a timed challenge to the group. Even if Brock doesn't explicitly say this, the chat often will.

"Really?"--a running gag when Brock picks a name he believes fits the setting, but the group or the audience finds it cheesy. Also said when a cliche scenario comes up.

"A new challenger appears!"--said when a boss or important fight comes out of nowhere.

"Blame the book, not me."--said when Brock acknowledges a cheesy moment or sequence in an adventure.

"Adventure on!"--The standard farewell when Brock ends a stream or another video relating to the show. Fans also use this if they are leaving the chat for a while.

 

[Rainfall]

Vittles! Informational implements! Environs!

The Travelin' Pot sounds like quite the versatile cooker. I request that the gang add more veggie&meat combo main dishes! That Kalosian onion soup sounds promising.

Sounds like Brock has some a nice sound system installed.

I really like this well prepared list of all the notes, papers, (and guitar) needed for a proper Chambers and Charizards adventure!

--copies of important adventure info (that is backed up on the laptop)
--copies of the group's character sheets (both paper and digital--he keeps the digital ones updated in real time with the laptop, and can generate a sheet for any of the regular and recurring players at any level he sees fit)
--the player's and character's names and current skills (on paper, backed up digitally)
--his core Chambers and Charizards books (just in case looking up a rule is needed)
--enemy and NPC stats (backed up digitally)
--a timer app (which is projected on the screen for all to see if part of an adventure is timed)
--the DungeonNav app on his PokeNav (which has a dice roller, fantasy name generators of every stripe, and other things)
--his guitar (to provide live music by standing in for a minstrel's lute, or to pass the time in between adventures or long breaks. During livestreams, chatters will often request songs for him to play. Many times, Ash, Misty, and Serena will add in their own instruments to the live music if necessary--especially if they are doing an all-minstrel campaign.)
--a paper notebook to write down session logs as things happen
--a rainbow of neon sticky notes (to remind everyone about rules and sticky situations that have come up before)

Brock is rich! Fans are raving about The Enclave. I imagine good roleplay can be enacted in the middle of no where, as long as you're safe, you have the game pieces/papers at hand, and you're in the spirit for the story. But having a particular setup sounds like quite the nice thing to have, and probably necessary, as they're playing for an audience, too.

That must be a nice kick, after the workday and tasks are done, to kick back and catch up on an episode or more of The Jeweled Champions (and Friends), and be welcomed by dear old running gags. Any new friends who may become fans would quickly be primed to enjoy them, too, adding to the mirth of a group watching party.

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Rainfall

In the Pokeworld, the gang's show is just this, and has a loyal following for these reasons, and more.

 

[LightningTopaz]

@Rainfall

The Jeweled Champions (and Friends) Live

Every once in a while the group will play a campaign live on stage--usually the Fireside Theater in Pewter City. So far, they have done three live shows--a performance of their iconic campaign, "Journey of the Rainbow Priestess", a Legends of Ransei crossover campaign called "Secret of the Ruby Phoenix", and their most recent live show, a campaign called "Theater of the Aeons".

All three live shows were a smash success, with the critics raving that the show was "not to be missed" (it helps that the central premise of "Theater of the Aeons" presumes the characters are actors in a theater troupe called to dust off their adventurer hats) Many raved that the group put on actual plays (or parts of plays) to represent the performances in the campaign, costume changes and all.

For the first two live shows, Brock served as dungeon master like a normal session. But for "Theater of the Aeons", he played his preferred minstrel character Larkin Admore while Midori took over the dungeon master's chair as the dungeon mistress.

Tickets for a live show usually sell out within hours--so the group simulcasts the live show as a stream for those that couldn't get tickets or could not come for whatever reason.

When the group has plans for a live show, Brock will announce it on the show's social media channels (a Pokebook page, a Memogram page, a Chitter feed, and a MyTube channel), complete with dates, ticket costs, and other information. Watching the livestream of the live show is free--the code to access the stream is posted on the show's social media channels the day before the show