Big Gay Nerds

Big Gay Nerds has been recording actual-play episodes for almost four years(!), and because we jump between systems so often, it can be hard to know where to start or where to go next. So, we've put together a short guide to summarize our whole deal and point you towards some of our biggest and most popular campaigns! Also, here are a few links to places where you can support us, chat with us, and generally see what we're up to: Patreon: https://patreon.com/biggaynerds Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/biggaynerds Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/2UQfrRH Twitter: https://twitter.com/biggaynerdscast Tumblr: https://biggaynerds.tumblr.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/biggaynerdspodcast/

Despite a technical error that silenced one of our players, I have done my best to bring you this annotated conclusion to our first Masks block. The young heroes, deciding that there are fates worse than death, set out to ask the Fringe Fighters for sponsorship... but their commute is cut short by subterranean villainy! Luke makes good use of teamwork, Pipa lends a hand or two, Pate tries to use her muscles peacefully, and Juno does some helpful new tricks! Music by Perennial Sounds LLC

While hunting for someone to sponsor their team, Juno and Pipa find some more experienced heroes who want to give the next generation a leg up. But when this sweet deal proves laden with awkwardness, could that outweigh all the upsides? Also: Pate learns about hot dogs, Luke wants to meet some dads, Pipa calls the shots, Juno makes a call, and my cultural references get increasingly niche. Music by Perennial Sounds LLC

After a big day of mall brawls and super-finger-wagging, our young heroes must focus on other matters. For Pate and Luke, that means mandatory counseling sessions for the temporally displaced; for Juno and Pipa, it means hemming and hawing over their job search. Featuring: a tour of two very different Halcyon City neighborhoods, anglophobia, a moment of vulnerability, a brief architecture lesson, and creepin'. Music by Perennial Sounds LLC

After busting some criminals, our young heroes have themselves been busted for busting up an otherwise thriving and profitable shopping mall! When faced with judgement by the Exemplars--the biggest-deal heroes in Halcyon--will they make good impressions or just make the situation worse? Music by Perennial Sounds LLC

Our Masks campaign kicks off in the most bustling, vibrant part of any American city: the shopping mall! When our young heroes are witness to a crime, of course they'll spring into action... but could a simple robbery by some punks prove to be more of a challenge than they expect? Music by Perennial Sounds LLC

Here we go! It's a campaign years in the making with Masks: a New Generation! Join Owen, Levi, Saturn, Sara, and Jo as they dive into a world of superheroics and young-adult drama! Meet a brash Celtic warrior, a super-charged corporate orphan, an antihero's past self, and a genius robot catboy. Together, can they become Halycon City's new champions, or at least well-adjusted adults? Featuring new music by Perennial Sounds LLC: http://perennialsounds.com/

Out of all the competitors in the long and sometimes messy history of Giant Robot Derby League, Princess Catamount of the Royal Standard and Alpha of the Chrome Crushers may not have the most impressive statistics... but the story those numbers tell is one worth hearing. Join Owen and Sara in this GM-less, non-linear, conversation-based game about athletes, relationships, and numbers! Sports are Just Numerology is written by Ben Roswell and can be found here: https://roswellian.itch.io/sports-are-just-numerology

It all comes down to this. The Resurrectionists have one of the two things they came for, but can they find closure and still escape the Heavensent? It's time to say goodbye. Visual aid: https://imgur.com/a/ZdxGDGP Our intro and outro music is sampled from Aesop Rock's The Blob: https://soundcloud.com/rhymesayers/aesop-rock-the-blob

As we hurtle towards the climax of the Resurrectionists' final, sea-train-based heist, the situation escalates rapidly and our antiheroes have to think fast! But even when their goals are tantalizingly in reach, changes and revelations--both internal and external--threaten to shift priorities! What happens when you become something else to get what you want?

Having uncovered a secret that only raises more questions, the Resurrectionists get to work, grilling suspects and consolidating allies. I can't really say much more for fear of spoilers, except that at one point I make what may be the inverse of a Freudian slip.

After their first day on the Heavensent ended in a shocking revelation, the Resurrectionists stop to get their bearings and finally grill the Azure Rose for everything it knows about the Sun Shard and the man who so desperately wants it. After that, things quickly escalate as this train mystery is graced by the one element it was missing: MURDER! Ira steals valor, Blondie steals a full-grown man, Flint reconnects with an acquaintance, and Thalia just goes from one shocking revelation to the next!

Wooee, it's one of those LONG episodes! There's a little too much to sum up here, but for the sake of tantalizing: Blondie lives out the true tourist experience, Ira has a date, Flint snoops his way into a surprise, and Thalia sticks her spectral nose where it doesn't belong. Visual aid: https://imgur.com/a/ZdxGDGP

As we settle into the train heist's unique system of time management, the gang starts sinking their teeth into the mission. With two targets, likely disguised and/or hidden, what's the best way to find them (let alone secure them) in three days? Ira and Thalia chat up NPCs while Blondie and Flint get up to some sneaky business. Visual aid: https://imgur.com/a/ZdxGDGP

All aboard the Resurrectionists' last score! Once a month, the double-decked locomotive known as the Heavensent takes a three-day journey from Doskvol to Grand Tycheria, crossing over the inky sea. This month, Adelaide Phroaig hopes to clandestinely flee the city, escaping both Imperial assassins and her double-crossed allies, the Resurrectionists. Presumably, she is taking the mysterious Sun Shard--the source of so much infamy--with her. Our antiheroes must use the next three days to find the noblewoman and her treasure if they want any hope of retiring with peace of mind, but will they throw away their lives in the process? It's the beginning of the end, and it starts with a goodbye. The referenced visual aid can be seen here: https://imgur.com/YyIbxTA

With their last big score--infiltrating an sea train in search of revenge and some kind of magic stone--looming in front of them, the Resurrectionists consolidate what resources they have in preparation. Blondie sticks to what he knows, Flint makes some prosperous gambles, Ira seeks creature comforts, and Thalia looks after her husband. At the back of everyone's minds: will it be enough?

With the action of their rescue mission having rapidly escalated, the Resurrectionists have to act fast to get their man and get out before this becomes another fight to the death. Can Blondie use his brawn smarter, not harder? Can Shade resist using her scary ghost power? Can Silver really talk their way out of anything? And can Flint use all of this to find out what's up with Sweet Winter?

Amidst everything else, Thalia's husband has gone missing under (cough cough) mysterious circumstances, and only the demonic Blue Rose knows where he is. Of course, its knowledge isn't free. Paying off the Resurrectionists' supernatural informant means saving an unexpected figure from Flint's past, and THAT means the crew has a whole lot of scheming to do. (Apologies for some brief audio trouble near the start; Fern has had to switch his recording equipment.)

With one of their most harrowing scores behind them, the Resurrectionists have some time to breathe. However, none of them can afford to take their eyes off of their next big goal: revenge and, if they're very lucky, getting an Imperial enemy off of their backs. When the stakes are this high, can they resist the Blue Rose's offers? Blondie has a heart-to-heart while getting stitched up, Ira keeps making new friends, Flint struggles to find class solidarity, and Arden has a reunion.

No time for introductions; this episode starts with the coldest open in the podcast so far! Our scrappy antiheroes have always punched above their weight, but now that they know just who wants them dead and who's on their payroll, their chances of survival seem lower than ever! Will they escape this death trap, and if so, at what cost? Find out in this thrilling and chilling episode of Big Gay Nerds! Content warning for gore.