Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry - The Rule of Cool w/ Ify Nwadiwe | Quests N’ Answers

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

Welcome back to Quests N’ Answers! This week, Dan Casey sits down with the hilarious Ify Nwadiwe (Um Actually, Dimension 20, Apex Legends) to break down his philosophies on character creation, the unexpected similarities between writing for TTRPGs and video games, stumping the internet with delightfully nerdy trivia on Dropout’s Um, Actually, and much more.    New episodes of Quests N’ Answers air every Wednesdays on Geek & Sundry or wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnk.to/goblinmodepod   Learn more and sign up for the Geek & Sundry newsletter at https://www.geekandsundry.com/!   Subscribe to Geek and Sundry: http://goo.gl/B62jl Twitter: http://twitter.com/geekandsundry Facebook: http://facebook.com/geekandsundry Instagram: http://instagram.com/geekandsundry TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@geekandsundry   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Greetings, adventurers, and welcome back to Quest and Answers, the show where we talk to all manner of awesome people from around the gaming world. I'm Dan Casey, and today we're having a very special guest joining me here in the Conversation Dungeon. Now, you may have seen him gracing your screens as the host of dropouts um actually. You may have laughed your entire ass off at one of his many live comedy shows, and you may have even seen him right here on Geekinsin, during everything from Critical Role to Goblin Mode and beyond, just to name a few of his many credits. Folks, it's the

man, the myth, the legend, Ifie Wadiway. Ifie, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. How you doing? I'm good. man, I'm good. Always a good day when I get to hang out with you on or off camera, but today it happens to be on. So, iffy, last time you were on the channel, you were joining us for an episode or three of Sages of Sundry Goblin mode as the high-flying, uh, polycular sky pirate Ray Talg. What's, that was a blast. I've gotten to play with you a handful of times over the years, dating back to a very special episode of critical role we did. Way back in the very early days. Oh, yeah. Yeah, we were like one of the first early guests of critical role. And, yeah, we were just doing the critical reject stream that, you know, was, yeah, Ulfgar Fireforge. And then we came back for another charity stream. And yeah, that was good stuff. Yeah. But I'm curious, like, we've been playing together on and off over the years. But when did you first get into the world of pen and paper RPGs? When was the first time you got?

sucked into this world you know for a long time i've always said like oh it was in uh it was in the uh when i was 18 when i played my first d and d game but like when i think about it kind of even before that because i used to do a lot of r ping online so like on go guya i was doing like rps i was doing a uh r p form for a cowboy bebop so uh but i think like for a traditional fool system yeah it was started with D&D and it was, uh, it was when I was 18. But as far as like role playing and storytelling, you know, with someone else, that started, you know, as soon as I found other nerds online, it seems like. Dude, it's so, I'm so, uh, happy you mentioned stuff like Go Gaia and like old. Yes. Or cowboy bebop forums like we had a DBZ forum back in the day. I remember people doing

all sorts of cool RP and live journal. I was even like in the ancient texts back when they gave out CD-ROMs with hundreds of free hours of AOL discovering RP like chat rooms there. It was a strange time to be alive. But I'm curious about that game of D&D you mentioned the first one. Do you remember your earliest character? Oh, yeah. My first character was a paladin that was a dragonborn and he had lightning breath. And it was only for one session because, and it was a classic, I immediately ran up into the

classic d and D trope of not opening the door and just trying to break it down and taking forever to break it down until someone else walked up and opened it it so yeah nothing like nothing like discovering all your effort was for an unlocked door but yeah then again when we when we played together I feel like a door nearly killed our entire party

way back in the day in critical role but you know they can be an enduring perhaps the most evil character the most evil monster you can face in any DTRPG is just a locked door or unlocked. Yes. Oh, yeah. I know. It's truly because I think that's like a great intro, especially into early like D&D culture of like, I think people get caught up in the fact like, oh, you can do anything and they don't think to do like the basic things. Like, okay, I'm going and open the door first, like going through this like system. And I think it is. is like it just kind of goes for each d and d because if for me like if you when you play with me

it's like if you're trying to walk through a door and it's unlocked you walk through the door you know i i'm not going to say that it's closed you know um or i will say like there's a door there but yeah i think i think i don't want to sit there and see you try to break down a door that's closed because i'd rather just continue telling the story yeah it's the sort of the opposite of railroading in that respect where it's just like, all right, I could let you figure out how to open this any other way apart from simply turning the knob. Or we could just proceed with the story so we can all tell a nice story together. Yeah. Yeah, which, you know, like I think it's a perfect hazing ritual.

If you know it's someone's first time and you do that, totally fine. But I feel like now, I'm just like, no, I spent too much time on this story. Let's go. It does feel like an interesting litmus test for players in terms of how their gameplay brain grafts onto something like this. Because it is, you know, a game like you mentioned, sandbox potential. You can do anything. Why would you just simply turn the knob when you could try to, you know, use a 10-foot pole to check for traps or like case the window or burn the building down so only the door is left? The possibilities are endless sometimes to the player's detriment.

Yes. Truly. You mentioned your first character. now that you've been playing for a number of years, how do you feel like your approach to character creation has changed at all? Oh, man, I think now, I think before when I'm new to the game and I was super, like, excited, I definitely, it starts with, okay, what is, like, fun, what is exciting? What's a cool character to make?

I think when I first started playing, I was more so treating D&D like any other game. like what is the game to play what is what do i think is the most uh the perfect build for what we need and i think that in nowadays and i think part of it does in fact come from the like aspect of what we do which is doing it of you know as our jobs for display storytelling now it really leans into, okay, what is the story I want to tell, you know? Do you find that when you are making a character, you have a different approach when it comes to something for a home game versus, like, an actual play, something intended for an audience? Oh, man, yeah.

I think for a home game, I think you can, like, min-max a bit. I think you can, you know, do things where you're trying to, like, play the game more. Whereas, like, for an actual play, it's storytelling. You're doing it's a piece of media. It is just another narrative story told using D&D as another kind of storyteller, another writer. And I, and yeah, that's what's fun. You were getting ready to say something. No, no, no.

I was just thinking about that min-max. I feel like there's one person in every group where they're just, their mission in life is to figure out how to take any given rule set and completely shatter it and just bend it to their will. And that's not always fun to experience for the audience on camera. It can be fun when you thwart a DM's plans in some capacity. But in a home game, there's a time and a place, I would say. Definitely. And I feel like, you know, all of the different tables I've played at for actual plays have been different, right? Where you have sometimes it's someone who's like, you know, throw what you want at me.

I'm going to be able to dodge it each way. And of course, I think a lot of people don't see the like off camera discussions that might be popping up, you know, when when that goes down. But yeah, I think there's the element of what is the character that's going to be the best, you know, storyteller in this event, the best, what is, I think that when you play home games, you get to look at it like a load out. And then when you do actual play, you look at it as a cast of characters. and you kind of start with the character first and almost work your way back sometimes, where I'm already thinking about who that person is, what they're into, and then I pick the class that fits the better. There is some like, okay, what is everyone? Let's make sure we don't like do like five bards. But beyond that, it's like, okay, what's open? Cool, cool. Okay, I'm going to find the character and then attach the class to them. Yeah, I definitely, I definitely appreciate that perspective, especially when you are, you know, especially when you're making something that is intended for a wider audience. You want to make sure that characters coming first, you know, I think about Goblin Mode where I had this exact same conversation with Amy where I was like, well, we need a tank.

We need someone who's beefy. And she's like, no, just beat three glass cannons. Like, what's the worst that could happen? You die almost every episode? And the answer is yes, that probably was the worst thing that almost happened. Yes. At the same time, it was more narratively satisfying to play these. sort of three people that at the beginning, like a slight breeze could probably kill them.

Yeah. But by the end, you know, you get to go on that journey alongside them. And it's just, it's a rewarding experience, especially when you're starting from that place of character. But I know that you're someone who I know you primarily as a player, because that's how I've gotten to play these games with you. But I know you're also someone who's frequently behind the screen as well. When did you make that shift from player to DM?

And what was that, what was that experience like? Oh, I think the first time I really, like DM'd something was when I did a home brew, um, Black Panther RPG for a different AP. And that was like the first time I kind of went behind the DM screen. I'm trying to like think deep because I think when I'm now doing it for my home game, I think this is the first time I've DMed a home game. And that's been very fun. Just kind of having the story be told and kind of put,

players do it and there's like a couple forever DMs that are at the table and it's always fun to see in what ways you can kind of catch them off guard right and and and make them excited where it's like oh yeah yeah they check this out like this is some fun stuff that you now get to uh experience on that side of the table i i hear you there's nothing like seeing the joy on a forever dm's face when they finally get to be a player for a change oh yeah just this like huge sense of burden being lifted off their shoulders. I'm curious for you, though, what is your preparation like for a typical session? You're someone who needs to prep a lot in advance?

I, you know, I do a lot of improv, but it is like a lot of prep in. The way I like to describe how I build out my games is I like to create a sandbox. So instead of making like a linear story that has train tracks, I build out, I think of like the place they're going to visit, who are going to be the characters there, what's the story behind it? And that way, no matter what thread they pull on, since they're all interconnected in some way with that baseline story, then we can venture down that rabbit hole versus, you know, doing it. And I'm like, okay, in this session, I want them to enter the town. They're going to be captured and then they have to like, you know, make their case to this person and they have to

hit, but I feel like the moment you try and like put people to hit on your list, it just spirals out of control. I remember it with the same group, I kind of broke away from it because I was like, oh, I want to do a murder mystery thing. And I laid out all the people they need to talk to to kind of get to the bottom of this. And it has morphed and transformed because they went and talked to, there was four different people. They went to talk to the three people. And then right before they went to talk to the fourth person, I just offhandedly was like, oh yeah. And then there's like a dungeon down there. And they're

like, oh, okay, well, we definitely want to check the dungeon because maybe somebody heard something. And it was like, damn, that is true. I was just fleshing out this castle, but I didn't like, definitely didn't like build or render this dungeon in my head at all. That was just stuff. And And they're like, we're going down there. And so like now I'm just building on the fly all these people who exist in the dungeon, which has led me to get to the point now where I am like, yeah, I want to build the playground and just expect them to play with any piece of it. Yeah.

I mean, look, players are always kind of like raptors testing the fences. It's of natural, like you said, naturally, if you mention a dungeon, they're going to want to go explore that dungeon. Oh, yeah. I like to mention an example of I was playing in a game with a friend of mine, and he mentioned, oh, all of these, like, fancy-looking nobles are getting on a train. Oh, obviously, we want to get on this train as well and do a root-and-toot and train heist. Like, why wouldn't that be the next thing that we do?

Yes. And he was like, huh, I really didn't think that was what you were going to do. I thought you would explore the town first. Well, chew-choo, buddy, we're getting, it's all aboard time. Yes. But I think that's where something like your improv experience comes in super handy because, you know, it makes you feel probably less just sort of bold over when you get hit with the Uno reverse card. And people are like, oh, you know those carefully laid plans that you had? We're just going to upend them entirely.

Yes. Oh, yeah, definitely. It's like, oh, yeah, no, we're, you didn't upend anything. I've planned for this. Prepare yourself. Yeah. And that's like, I feel like that being able to play that off is where. most of the time I feel like players probably won't know.

As long as you proceed confidently and act like you have a plan, I think they'll believe that a plan was in fact in place. And sometimes maybe just say, hey, I need to take a minute. I wasn't expecting you to do this, but we're going to make it happen. So just give me a second. Yes.

I'm curious for you, though. You mentioned sort of home brewing a Black Panther RPG. Do you have any favorite home brew rules or sort of things that you employ in your home game? games. Oh, man. I think you've encountered. Yeah, I think I'm just kind of like,

because I am a rule of cool DM. So that means if you introduce something that is cool and is progressing the story, even if it's out of the world of the game or out of the rules, we will make it work.

So I always tell my players, just figure out what you want to do. We'll focus on if it works after. And I think one of the kind of home brew systems, that I kind of really liked recently was, so the world of my home game is a reverse Isakai. It is a world, it's a realm where people keep blipping in, and they're blipping into this realm, and they've been called the marooned. No one knows where they come from. They don't know how to

send them back. And the players are part of this group that's trying to figure out what's happening, what's going on. And one of the players that's marooned is just a totally wild like warlock skeleton person named deadwood and um and he like is like a like a outlaw cowboy warlock in this world and he was on the run from the god of uh debts and fell right into kind of her master plan which was to use him to hunt down someone who the person who killed the God of gambling and and has left all this extra responsibility because

they come from a world that has multiple gods, almost too many gods. Like I said, there's a God of depth, there's a god of gambling. There's every thing that exists, there's a god of it. And it's slowly causing this overwhelming nature where people are killing them and then other gods have to take over the role of that. And they were tracking down

someone for a just one-off mission and the person owed someone money. And my player, E, she was like, well, since, you know, I'm working for the god of debts, isn't there some kind of way I can track them down since they owe money? And that was like such a cool idea that I let it fly. And I basically made it an ability where, they kind of tap in to the debts owed to that person and they show up almost like a spiritual line to the person that they owe money to. And they were able to get, they didn't roll high enough to get all four names, but they were able to get three names based on this connection to the god of debts who exist now in this world with him. And that was like really cool. I think it was such a interesting way to utilize an interesting,

type of deity and how it helped, you know, find what they, what they needed in the moment. Yeah, I love that because it's such a great push and pull between player and, like, DM, Game Master, because they're, you know, they're using the narrative structure, the scaffolding that you've provided to do something really innovative and expand that world in fun and interesting ways. Like that's what I love about tabletop RPGs because it is a version of, it's a type of communal, collaborative storytelling that you don't really get to do in a lot of other mediums. I feel like, you know, if you're playing a game, that's like being something, if you're playing like a video game, that's something that's been a curated experience by a specific team of people. If you're watching a movie, that's another curated experience. This is a story that you're telling and evolving together.

You know, obviously it's in the playground of the DM who's presenting it. But at the same time, I love that as an example of how. player and DM create something that becomes more than the sum of its parts. Oh yeah, definitely. You are someone who is a nexus of very cool, interesting people. You're someone who I always run into someone. They happen to know you and both of our faces light up when we realize that we both know you. And what I love about tabletop role-playing games is it is something where you have to come together

and you bring a group of people together. Like I mentioned, you tell a story. and, you know, we were sort of chatting before we started recording about the sort of ambient psychic damage that we take just from existing in the world nowadays. Things seem, headlines seem bad out there. It can just be a challenge to get through the day sometimes. To me, it feels more important than ever to make time and sit down to enjoy something like the simple act of play. So I'm curious for you, is that something that is important for you? And how do you feel like the value you place on something like that has changed over?

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Yeah, I would say yeah. I would say, you know, the value, I think, changes in many ways just because like I said it's what we do it's our every day and it's something that we love doing before people paid us to do it but it's still a part of it so I think it makes you value the off camera moments just as much as you like have the on camera ones and you kind of try and connect and you have this bond with people you know I feel like you will go like you know sometimes years without seeing each other and then as soon as we do, it's like time has never passed. I definitely want to be better about making sure it isn't years and find time to actually

connect outside of pods and work. But yeah, I think it really is. There's just like a fun connection with the thing that we do and the people that we do it with and also just making sure we keep it fun for ourselves. And it doesn't become just something we look at and just like shudder because we're like, that's work. No, I 100% appreciate that because it, when you monetize your hobbies, it becomes difficult to derive joy from them if it does just feel like another sort of checkmark that you're taking off. And being able to create that separation of church and state to still find joy in the things you do for work, even if they happen to be things you do for fun, I think is a very important balance to strike. So it's always one that I'm trying to keep up. You know,

it's, you know, it's nice when I can do different things outside of work, cultivate different hobbies or explore even different sides of a hobby that I am able, that I do professionally. But it's always, it's always a bit of a push and pull. Thinking about people that I, maybe don't do this professionally or want to just up their game a little bit, is there a piece of advice you would give to someone who's maybe prepping to run or play their first game or maybe wants to shake things up with their existing home game. Oh, yeah. I think just no need to overthink it.

You know, I think some people, they're watching a lot of, like, the critical roles, the dimension 20s, the adventure zones, and all these shows that have all this support outside of the people who are just sitting at the table, and they're trying to compare the game that they're presenting with their friends to that. And at the end of the day, you sitting at the table, telling you. that story with your friends, that's it. That's the stuff. You know, it isn't about if you're telling the best story, if you're, if you're the most compelling, like, that'll happen on its own. It's a collaborative storytelling experience. If you're listening to your players,

you'll know what they want to do. You know what they want to tie in on. I think my other point of advice is that, that line. It's a collaborative storytelling experience. Don't, like, it's very easy to get into the position of trying to like craft the perfect story for your players to play through but i think the best story is the one that everyone is invested and involved in and i it even happens to me uh if if i get too locked in if i get too much dip on my chip and i want to tell a very specific story i will see the difference in this like crafted story which they do appreciate they do like and yet the moment you add connective tissue to the characters they're playing, to their backstory,

there's just another level of commitment and excitement. And I think that's why it's totally worth making sure you're asking your players to submit their backstories and you're reading that, and you are adding it to the story because that's when you're going to create something so good. That's when you get those stakes that are larger than life. No, 100%.

I have a very vivid memory of, I was playing in a Curse of Strade campaign, and our DM had us just send back stories at the very beginning. And then it was almost like a year later, this detail that I'd honestly forgotten about with this character backstory came back to be a major plot point. And it was such a holy shit moment to me where it just made so many things feel so much more resonant, click into place.

And at that point, it felt like, oh, cool, we're really building something together. Like, I already felt this way, but now I feel it in a whole different dimension where you feel a different level of agency beyond, you know, just trying to see what I can do in initiative order. So I love that as a piece of advice. Oh, yeah. It really is kind of funny how how different it is for folks the moment they feel a connection, you know? And I don't think there's anything against, you know, DMs and like what they're saying. I think it's just kind of like, like it's just people just feel more tapped in because it's the story that they told and it feels more personal and i think that you like it's not that like people aren't interested in the stories their dm are telling like they are they definitely are but the moment that it is that it is connected to them i feel like that just adds like it it is it's it makes it more personal and they are now trying to, trying to get on top of it.

Yeah, it just, it brings people into this world in a way that I think they otherwise might not be drawn in. Because I think about the sort of time commitment needed for playing an RPG. It's not really something you play like, no one sits down to play like, I'm just do a couple quick rounds of D&D. There's no like 30 minute session typically. You're there for several hours. And it's a long time to keep people invested because, you know, the spotlight's not always on your character. You want people to feel actively engaged and like they have a meaningful stake in this world and that what's happening matters even when it's not happening directly to them. And I think what you described there is definitely a great way of creating that sense of group investment, making sure that everyone feels like they have a tangible stake and that they're really interested in what's going to happen as things move on.

And look, I get it. Sometimes a four-hour session, especially if two and a half hours of that is like three rounds of combat, 18 seconds of real world's time occurring in game, it can feel like, okay, I'm just kind of waiting for my turn to come around. But during those other narrative moments, you really want, you know, you want them to hit just as much as the players want them to hit. So why not create that synthesis like you were saying? Something else I want to talk about, something I find very fascinating and cool about your multi-hyphenate career is, in addition to, you know, screenwriting, you've also done a fair amount of writing for. games. You've worked on projects like Apex Legends and also through Vesper with lanterns of nightfall. So can you tell us a little bit about how you approach creating a narrative gameplay experience for a medium like video games and how that maybe compares to prepping a gameplay

experience for a tabletop setting? Ooh, yeah. It's actually kind of similar in some ways. Like I, you know, I worked on, you know, I created Newcastle for Apex Legend and I worked on some stuff for Borderlands 4 and more on that's going to come out, you know, very soon. But in that, like, I find that when you are creating characters for the game, before you even can get to, like, writing any dialogue or, like, doing any of that stuff, you kind of define who the character is. is you kind of do um like a side for that character which is usually their name age range some background a little bio you know about them and i i think that that is just like making a character in d and d you know you are you are sitting down you are kind of finding the history you know beyond that and and making making these characters and lock it and just like don't developing them. And then you, as you play the game, the D&D game, you learn more about their

story and you let them flesh out. And I feel like when you're writing for video games, you're kind of planning that out. You know, that you know that's coming down in the future. So you're just allowing yourself to kind of determine how this is going to play out. So it's really very similar to making an MPC or making a, um, you know, boss or villain in a tabletop game in a lot of ways. And I think that that is what has prepped it, you know,

for me a lot where now I'm just writing down the lines that they'll say based on the instances on the, you know, spreadsheet in front of me. But I kind of approach it the exact same way. That's very cool to hear, though, that there's a more of a one-to-one translation there than I think people might expect.

And this, you know, in D&D, you're waiting for that hypothetical situation to come up here. A lot of them have been presupposed because there's so many instances of gameplay or scenarios that are theoretically possible that you need to work with through the pipeline there. What would you say has been like one of the bigger learning curves you may be encountered in the world of game dev? Oh man, I think just staying on top of deadlines, you know, those Jira's you sit down, you plan it out. and I think also just how in the nitty-gritty it can be.

And I'll explain myself because I know I'm just saying words at that point. But for a game like Apex Legend is a arena shooter, you know, battle royale game. And a lot of the story is told in these kind of regular interaction that happen. And then at the same time, this is a game that you drop in, you try and win, you die, you repeat. a lot of these actions, a lot of these moments are going to happen a lot. So you're going to have to write down a lot of the same thing in different ways.

So if it's like, hey, we need to get to the point because they know people are going to play this a bunch and they don't want it to get old, you're writing, hey, let's get to the point almost like 15, 20, 25, different ways to say the same thing. When you are selecting, you know, the character select lines, that is also another one that you're writing 15, 20 different versions of so that it isn't a thing that just gets old after you're like fifth game of the day. And so because of that, you're able to inject kind of like little Easter eggs about who they are, but also it does become pretty, you start kind of like grasping at straws

when you get to, you know, I'm landing here number 14. Yeah, dude, I can imagine that. I imagine it's a double-edged sword because it can be mind-numbing after a certain point, but it's also a very interesting muscle to develop being able to take this like very utilitarian line

of saying like, all right, we're dropping here, but saying that in like 16 different ways, But managing that expectation with something like a hero shooter, I've played a lot of Apex, a lot of Overwatch, both games that have a lot of, it's like environmental storytelling almost where you have to imply certain things about the character. Yes. Because you're given so few, like you get the occasional dialogue interaction like when you're waiting to spawn or when you're landing. But it's, you know, you're not able to accomplish as much as you would in some of the cinematics they offer. But at the same time, it's a unique story. storytelling challenge I feel.

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dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us in the dark. Oh yeah, definitely. because it truly is like you're telling this story in a in a very almost secretive way. You know, you're like, oh, I got to inject the story in here, but I can't, you know, sit here and have the characters say all these lines. And of course, we have like the episodes that you can like check out and the other things like that. But in general, you know, yeah, you're kind of sneaking it in front of everyone's face. like this is this is the story that is in between the matches and updates because I think

for a game like apex it's very interesting having this like different user base where you have some of the users who just cannot give a shit about the story they are like I'm here to play the game I want to be a you know MLG you know gamer I want to be the best the very best there ever was and then you have people who are like lore hounds and they're like, no, I want every piece of lore. I want to know all the stories. I want to know behind what's happening. I need it all. And I, and I, and I, and I will look through every nook and cranny to give it, to get that information. And yeah, those, those ones are the ones who I'd be excited to see kind of unraveling or like calling something that I know is going to

happen way early. And I'm like, yeah, you got it. You don't even know, but you got it. I'm definitely in the camp that I want to know more about these characters, but not in the camp where I'm like, okay, well, I'm going to choose an off meta character just so I can hear this unique voice connection, which I imagine is the push and the pole where it's like, okay, we have to write some sort of interaction between these characters, even if this one gets picked maybe one out of every 100 games. Yes. But for that hundredth time, we got to reward people with that little nugget of story because otherwise what's going to happen? Yeah, exactly. I know that's why it's so funny because there was an effect that happened in our and in my character, he was Bangalore's brother who was believed to be dead. And so we put a special animation elimination for Bangalore and Newcastle.

And it was hidden in there. And we were wondering, I was like, there's a world in which, No one finds this because everyone, because you can buy like custom eliminations. And if, and then you also have to go against someone who is playing a Bangalore. But then, of course, there are people who, when a new character comes out, they go and do the elimination on every character, on every, and just to find that stuff. So like by the time that launched, everyone kind of knew what was going on. It was very funny. I was like, oh, yeah, I was worried.

and yet they found out so quick, it wasn't even funny. Yeah, never underestimate the power of a dedicated fan base that wants to discover each of those interactions. Because, you know, that, thank goodness for those fans out there that are the lore hounds, because they will ferret it out for the rest of us that don't have the same amount of time to test every single character elimination reaction. Yeah, and I, yeah, I truly am grateful for them because I'll just watch their video and then I don't have to go play it.

I'm like, yeah, there it is. Oh, that's the narrative experience I wanted. Thank you for curating this for me. Yes, yes. You did what needed to be done, and I thank you for your service. Amazing. So what's a piece of advice that you might give someone to,

who might be looking to get into the world of game development or game design and is maybe coming at this from experience playing tabletop or TTRPGs? I think lean into your instincts as a storyteller. I think write as much as possible. I think that's the best thing you can do when you're trying to break in is just to write as many stories. And it feels so cliche. Everyone, I heard it coming up and I was like, they're like, write every day, write every day.

And you're like, what do you even mean? And that isn't to say every day you need to be writing a script or every day you need to be writing, you know, prose. That can be as simple like when, you know, Twitter wasn't a hell site, I would be like, I'm a write like, you know, three jokes a day on there. I'm a right. Like any way that you're just flexing the muscle of writing daily so that it becomes commonplace, but also you have this beautiful thing where the more you write, the more like backlog of your work you get.

And as you write, you just get better. I remember I wrote my first, I was like, I need a sample, sample pilot for screenwriting. I need to get that out the way. whatever, I'm just going to, I'm just going to go ahead and just write one. I'm just going to write it up. I wrote it for my improv team at the time. And it really didn't go anywhere, but it was a sample that was usable. And then it got me work.

And then I went to write something new. And then I wrote that. And I went back to my old sample before that. And I was like, oh, man, I've gotten so much better. And then I wrote something else. And I was like, oh, I got so much better. And I think that's a thing that can happen. And I'm talking to a lot of you folks out there with these well-fleshed-out,

wonderful, delicious OCs that you've made and you've posted your O.C. On, you know, Twitter or Blue Sky. And you keep talking and you have all these details about it and how cool they are and all the snippets of the lore. And you won't just write the story yet. And I remember I was actually on Joko Cruz with a bunch of... Joko Cruz also has a lot of great sci-fi authors and authors on the boat. I was talking about that phenomena and two of them were actual, like, writing professors. And they go, oh, yeah, because they do that because you can't ruin it yet.

You can, if you write the, if you do the world building, but never write it, you don't ruin it. And there's no way for you to ruin it because it's your thing. And I think you just got to take that swing. You got to just start writing it. And at worse, you quote unquote ruin it. Guess what? You can do another draft. You know, so, and the first draft is always the hardest.

Let me tell you that. And let me repeat that for you one more time. The first draft is always going to be the hardest. It is the longest part of my writing process is always getting that first draft down. And so now what I do is just get whatever I can on the page, just make it. Just make it to start to finish, try and hit the page count. And then after that polishing it, just flies by. So get that first draft down.

And then everything else goes so, so, so much quicker. So I want to transition a little bit and, you know, go from talking about advice to talking about knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge, specifically through pedantic trivia. Now, as I mentioned at the top of the show, you, are the host of a very popular show in Dropout called I'm Actually. You went from the winningest contestant to the host of the show. I'm curious for you, Ifi, you're someone I've known for a very long time. I know you have a deep well of knowledge, but what's that experience been like going from contestant to host? Oh, it's been great.

And for many, many reasons. One, I'm actually as a show that I'm passionate about. Like, I really love. I've loved competing in it. I loved everything about it. and, you know, there was a talk that we were having kind of before all this where, you know, we were talking about like, what would be the show that I host for Dropout? What show would I host for Dropout?

And every version came just was like some, you know, bootleg version of Um Actually, because I'm actually is the type of show that I'd want to make because, you know, Dropout makes like fun panel shows that people can jump on. And if I want to do that and want to do that dirty, what better way is it than a show like? I'm actually. And I was noodling on it and I was trying to find like, yeah, what would that show be? And then I didn't have to think anymore because they asked me to host, I'm actually. And so I went ahead and I said yes, quicker than I've ever said yes in my life.

And it's been a dream. But not only that, but, you know, in my history of being on all the networks that people have seen me on, The last time I hosted my own show was back when I was doing stuff on Geek and Sundry. You know, like up until the, so I was, the big running joke was that, you know, if he's just everywhere on the internet but doesn't have his own channel because I, I just, with my ADHD, I just cannot wrap my brain around trying to have my own YouTube channel, trying to get my, like, I just was like, I would much rather just hop on someone else's channel, say the things that I would say on mine and then call it there.

And now, you know, we come, you know, we do on actually. And I'm like, oh, I have my own show and I can just see the support and everyone is so sweet. And there's so much like love. It's such a treat, you know. So I think that's the biggest jump. I think is the level of like responsibility and ownership that I, that I have now. because now I've just totally, you know, moved into, I kind of like moved into just this new position of...

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Dig into spring garden deals for four days at the Home Depot. Now through May 10th. Exquisition supply, see Home Depot.com slash price match for details. Of just this guy with the show. And I feel like that that sense of passion and joy really comes through in the episodes because, you know, you folks put together incredible panels. It's just a really great environment all in the pursuit of, you know, having having good time, nerdy trivia, all of that fun stuff. But there's this pervasive undertone of fun that I, to me, as someone who, you know, we've been making content online for approximately one million years now, being able to still derive that sense of joy and passion. I think is a special thing, and that really comes through in every episode. Have there been any topics that you have not been able to include in the show yet that you're dying to for future episodes,

like in sort of generalized areas of expertise? No, I think we hit the ground running and we're, you know, did max already, did, you know. So I think what I like that we do and will continue to do is Brian is really good at finding, like, these, like, niche. weird things that he likes to tap it on. So it's always like weird internet. Like that's his, that's his favorite kind of thing. And I hope we just find more things like that.

Or like when we did the girly episode, because someone just tweeted it, I was like, yeah, that is a great idea. Sometimes tweeting your good ideas will get seen. And I'll be like, yeah, let's just do it, you know? That's awesome. I do like the idea that just posting online is not always yelling into a wind tunnel. Most of the time, yes.

but occasionally a good idea we'll get through. Yeah, definitely. Are there any subjects that you get particularly pedantic about in real life? Ooh, I feel like anything when it comes to like polyamory and like dating stuff, I think that's my element where I start to get really pedantic and annoying because I just, I love, you know, it's something I've always loved talking about and, you know, I have the podcast with M, our relationship pod where we talk about these things. And it is like very funny, like someone like referred to us as like educators.

And I was like, huh. Like I know I, I immediately was like, well, you know, first of all and foremost, we are not professionals. But I think there's like an element to it where yeah, there are there's just some very unaccountable things about like dating that I think people get misconstrued. 100%. I imagine there's a billion misconceptions, especially when it's something as charged as anything relating to dating. When you mentioned the word educators, I definitely understand being like, well, I wouldn't say educator. Yeah. I don't want to. I know there's people with degrees out there, but there's a term that Kyle Hill, our mutual friend, uses for what he does, and that is science communicators. So I feel like you both could easily call yourself relationship communicators in a way that is like, you're talking about this.

the end of the day. It's all about communication, important in everything you do. But I think in this capacity, it's like, it removes the pressure of being like, oh man, do I need to go out and get an MA and sexual education now? But I definitely, I can appreciate that. That's awesome. I'm wondering as well, when I think about a show like, I'm actually, it makes me think of people that are champing at the bit to tell you that like Vigo Mortensen broke his toe when Aragorn kicks the helmet and fellowship of the ring. Do you have a factoid or anything like that in real life? that you're like, oh, man, I can't wait till someone brings up this particular special interest or moment so I can chime in with something deeply relevant to the conversation. Oh, I think my, like, fun fact that I always shoehorn in every time is the fact that Diet Coke is the new Coke flavor.

And that's why they had to make Coke zero. So when they made the new Coke flavor that everyone hated, which is the reason why Coca-Cola is called Coca-Cola Classic, they made new Coke. everyone hated it and sales were bad so they went back to the original formula which thus created Coca-Cola classic diet Coke did fine like people actually liked the flavor so when they went back to Coca-Cola classic Diet Coke stayed that changed formula and so if you're ever wondering why Diet Coke tastes different than Coca-Cola and Coke Zero tastes like Coca-Cola that is because Coke Zero is Diet Coke, Coca-Cola, and Diet Coke is Diet New Coke. That is wild.

I had no idea about that. It's also wild because my fun fact that I like to share is also Coke-related. So that's a very small world. Do you know why, do you know the story of how Fanta came into existence? No, what's the story? So during the lead-up and into World War II, soda was very popular in. in Germany. Specifically, Coca-Cola products were very popular in Germany. Coke was a very popular drink. However, as fascism was on the rise and Nazis took power, the Coca-Cola Corporation

did not want their all-American beverage being associated with, like, the official drink of Hitler Youth. So to create a product they could sell in European markets, specifically in Germany, they came up with Fanta and Fanta Orange. So that is why we have Fanta. today why there's a much bigger population of fanta drinkers across the uh across the sea so yeah it's it's phanta i wouldn't call it nazi cola but they wanted to change things up from uh coca cola so that's why they want a fanta mm that is very funny holy holy crap it's just one of those weird things where you're like okay uh i wish i didn't know this but i guess i'm glad that i do But what can you do?

Well, I want to transition into sort of the final phase of our conversation today because all good things, unfortunately, must come to an end. But I want to leave people with some recommendations, some cool things to do as they go forth into their week or their evening, whatever they're doing. So, you know, we started off talking about TTRPGs. Is there, do you have a favorite TTRPG or just an RPG in general that you think people are maybe sleeping on that you wish got a bit more shine or wish people, would give a try. Yeah, I think I just wouldn't take the moment and talk about my friend

Anika Sela, who is making this dope new TTRP game. It's going to kickstart in May called Sin Eater. So it is, it's like super, super dope. It's like a solo journaling TTRP. The art looks really rad. and I know that they are big, you know, Dark Souls fan. And they are just the way their brain works, the writer that they are, I know that you're in good hands with anything that they make. So I truly think keep your eyes peeled for Sin Eater. Look it up on Kickstarter. Hit that notify me when it launches and take it from there.

That's all I got to say. That's awesome. I am always appreciative of creators that make solo RPGs because, you know, we so often think of it as something that must be played with multiple people. But just even as like a creative exercise alone, like being able to put yourself in that mindset and also just if you're traveling or something, it's just a nice way to pass the time do something rewarding from a narrative perspective. So very excited to check out Sin Eater when it comes out. Yes, indeed. Now, Ifie, I know that you are a fellow anime enjoyer. Is there an anime that you've enjoyed recently or something that you wish more people have seen so you could nerd out with them about it?

Oh, man. I think everyone's kind of on board for this, but, you know, I'm a big Danda-Dan-Dan guy and I'm a big Dand-Dan-Casey guy as well. So, so, yeah, they just announced that. the new season's coming in July. I'm super stoked for it. But as far as the ones that I'm going to try to get on board because I haven't, you know, hopped on it yet, definitely want to check out solo leveling. And I keep calling it and everyone will know what I mean when I could, but the liquor store

anime too. I want to do that one. Are you talking about Sakamoto days? Yes. Yeah. Okay. Fantastic. What do you mean?

Are you talking about? You knew exactly what I meant when I said the liquor store anime. I just have to double check, making sure there was another liquor store anime out there. That is the liquor store. Yeah, that is the liquor store anime, Sakamoto Days. That is incredible. That's amazing. Yeah, and cool news about Dan to Dan as well.

They're also releasing, I think, the first three episodes of the season, they're doing a theatrical release for them. So if you want to see your favorite characters on the big screen like that, then definitely check it out. I just got the chance to see Princess Monanoque, the 4K remaster on IMAX. and I'm just like on cloud nine after that. So a lot of, it's a good, a good time to be an anime fan is what I'm saying. Yes. Last question for you, Ifie. It's game night.

You've been tasked with choosing any game you want. People will read the rules, even watch a video if you send it to them. What game are you bringing and why? Ooh, I have been really into Escape the Dark Dungeon and Escape the Dark Sector. It is, uh, speaking of games you can play by yourself, it is a, flip card, a dungeon crawler, and you get the character cards to play along with with their own character dice to fight against these monsters you're up against. So, yeah, definitely hop into that, for sure.

Escape the dark dungeon, escape the dark sector. Sounds very cool. I'll definitely check him out. Thank you. Yes. All right, iffy, where can people find you on the worldwide web if, in fact, you want to be found? Oh, man.

Iffy Wadiway on, yeah, all the social meets and iffycomedy.com on blue sky, if that's what you're doing. Amazing. Well, Iffy, thank you so much again for joining us. I really appreciate you taking the time. Folks, you can find me online at Dan Casey or at osteoferrocious or just right here each and every week. We'll be back with another question and answers every single week on Geekin's YouTube channel or wherever fine podcast or served. But in the meantime, folks, well, first of all, thank you for listening. But we also want to know what games are you playing this week?

What are you most excited to introduce to your table? Let us know in the comments and we'll see you folks next time. Bye-bye. Expedia, you're here. But are you here here? You go to Hawaii in your head all the time. During meetings, in the car, Hawaii is on the mind. But when you're ready to go, there's Expedia.

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