Channel 1d4 is the Twitch stream run from the after-hours offices of Local 4, WDIV Detroit. We play a tabletop game called EZ RPG, created by myself, Jake D, also known as the game master.
As of now we have concluded season 1 of the stream. It’s a privilege to run a game for people who are so naturally entertaining, and a challenge to react to their unique problem-solving methods. I’m talking about all aspects of the game: from using good-cop/bad-cop to discover which vial is full of poison, to Kenny sending us Twitch votes via RC helicopter, the game has been as unorthodox as it has been fun.
Recommended Videos
With season 2 beginning next week, I asked the players what their favorite moments from season 1 were for their characters and for the game overall.
Player: Brandon Crawford
Works in: Promotions department.
Character: Ferrit, half-gnome/half-goblin (“gnoblin”) thief.
Notable trait: Compulsive cleaner.
My favorite Ferrit moments were him failing. He'd follow his instincts which weren't his strong suit, and end up in hot water. One of the best was probably jumping on stage in front of the whole Orc Horde and trying to insert himself as their leader. I can't remember if I rolled a 1, but it certainly wasn't enough to persuade the Orcs not to try and kill us all. As usual, his ‘lithiness’ and acrobatics got him out of the trouble his mouth caused.
The best overall moment was Kendall wanting to go to the future instead of the past [in their newly acquired time machine/castle] and briefly sending the keep to an unknown time, then that coming full circle when the keep appeared above and crashed down on the boat carrying the main Orc army, something like 8 episodes later. It was such a collaborative "ah-ha" decisive moment that I'm sure we'll be taking about for years. Time travel is fun.
Player: Michelle Oliver
Works in: Live in the D
Character: Annie, half-elf bounty hunter.
Notable trait: Folksy.
My favorite moment for Annie is when she accidently won the dance competition (due to a nat 20) in Episode 2. It was her first of many sashes and she was very proud of it. Or it was when she was fighting the giant orc Boribus at the end of the river boat chase. I rolled a nat one and accidently flew through the window of our keep, along with Boribus, and then we both blipped out of that timeline into a different one, and I had to briefly fight this high level boss by myself. Luckily, I kicked him out of another window… we did a lot of defenestration that episode.
My favorite moment overall this season is probably the Easter eggs Jake (the GM) left for us. When we first went back in time, in our keep, we briefly went to a time where the keep was on a boat, and then we flashed to the time we were supposed to. In that same sequence, one of the player characters, Kendal, gets visited from his god. The god at some point seems to reference that there are two Kendals in the room, but then quickly goes back to talking to our Kendal. Both of these moments were paid off towards the end of the campaign- when our keep briefly appeared on a river boat full of orcs we were fighting, and when Kendal gets visited by his god a second time and interrupts his earlier self. The moments blew my mind in game.
Player: Paul Snyder
Works in: Graphics department
Character: Kendal, human cleric of Argand.
Notable trait: Finely aged
My favorite moment of the game was the dynasty. [We vote for player of the game every week, and when Paul/Kendal won a few weeks in a row he began calling it “the dynasty”. Every POTG win for Paul after that resulted in proclamations of the greatness of said dynasty.]
For my character my favorite moment was getting to choose a boon. I chose to feel no pain, knowing it would be as much of a curse as it was a blessing. It did not disappoint.
Name: Kenny Elshoff
Works in: Graphics department.
Role: Running the stream.
Yeah, I liked that we were voting on the player of the game, and I sent in the RC helicopter with the winner’s name attached on a piece of paper, and it got crazy out of control and crashed into the camera. Game-wise my favorite moment was when Paul first got his super-epic light-whip, and then it got immediately taken away.
Name: Jake Draugelis
Works in: Promotions department
Role: Astounding the planet earth with handsomeness (also game master)
My favorite moment was every horribly awkward intro we’ve done. Not once has it gone smoothly, and I hope they never do. While they get edited down for the YouTube broadcast, they are always so much fun to stumble through on Twitch. It’s become something of a tradition to try to throw each other off while we stumble through give-away announcements and episode recaps.
The entirety of Channel 1D4 season 1 is available on YouTube. Enjoy the adventures of Annie, Ferrit, Adino, and Kendal this weekend, and tune in Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. for the premiere of season 2!
This season is going into the future, for a cyber-punk campaign set in futuristic Detroit. Put on your sunglasses, pop your collar and get ready to resist the corporate overlords: we will see you Wednesday on Twitch.tv/Channel1d4.