Scott and Marty turn their red, unfocused eyes towards Roger Deakins, one of the greatest living cinematographers. Directors of photography? Whatever. Core Connections: 1984 (1984, Dir. Michael Radford) A Serious Man (2009, Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen) 1917 (2019, Dir. Sam Mendes) Connective Cameos: Citizen Kane The Big Lebowski Brazil Pink Floyd’s The Wall Snowpiercer…

After a harrowing escape from Castle Ravenloft, some divine guidance gets the heroes back on track: squatting, sponge baths, and haberdashery.

After noticing the prevalence of train films in the omniverse, Marty and Scott go full steam ahead on three loco-motion pictures. Core Connections: The General (1926, Dir. Clyde Bruckman) Throw Momma From the Train (1987, Dir. Danny DeVito) SnowPiercer (2013, Dir. Bong Joon Ho) Connective Cameos: Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat It’s a…

Scott the DM shares his inspirations and role-playing strategies for Hazlik, the creepy-crawly NPC with all the juiciest secrets!

Seeking to escape the trap-filled cellars of Castle Ravenloft, the heroes strike a wary bargain with Hazlik, the Darklord’s vermiculous vassal.

Scott and Marty hopscotch through the variegated career of American actor William Hurt (1950-2022). Core Connections: The Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985, Dir. Hector Babenco) Broadcast News (1987, Dir. James L. Brooks) Dark City (1998, Dir. Alex Proyas) Connective Cameos: Body Heat The Big Chill The Panic in Needle Park Addams Family Values Austin…

The heroes have found their way into the Larders of Ill Omen under Castle Ravenloft. Here in the Darklord’s domicile, the shadows spring to life and gravity does whatever if feels like. How long can the heroes endure?

Cinephile conspiracy fabulists Marty and Scott take a cross-Pacific holiday to inaugurate three classic Japanese films into the omniverse. Core Connections: The Bad Sleep Well (1960, Dir. Akira Kurosawa) Ran (1985, Dir. Akira Kurosawa) Late Spring (1949, Dir. Yasujirô Ozu)

An unusual episode. We follow our heroes deeper into the Gloaming, and even catch a glimpse of Baba Lysaga. But then… Scott loses some audio and has to improvise.

Cinephiles Scott and Marty welcome fellow Fab Four fanatic A.J. Richardson for a super-sized tour through the Beatles’ solo film careers.  Core Connections: How I Won the War (1967, Dir. Richard Lester) The Magic Christian (1969, Dir. Joseph McGrath) Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979, Dir. Terry Jones) Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984,…

The heroes enter the phantasmagoric, fey-haunted world of the Gloaming, and swiftly find themselves in too deep. Join the Slack and Slash Discord server and let us know what you think of our saga!

Enter a vertiginous labyrinth of interconnected films, as Scott and Marty pay tribute to Dame Maggie Smith and Margaret Nolan in a devilishly fun fashion. Core Connections: Evil Under the Sun (1982, Dir. Guy Hamilton) Last Night in Soho (2021, Dir. Edgar Wright) A Hard Day’s Night (1963, Dir. Richard Lester) Connective Cameos: North by…

Andrej has a stoner moment; Ralston explains abominations to the kiddies; and Dragomir provides a pep talk that characteristically employs a bird analogy.

Join Marty and Scott in a wacky universe of symmetry and kitsch, where all the movies tell one story, and that story is… elaborate. Core Connections: The Darjeeling Limited (2007, Dir. Wes Anderson) Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989, Dir. Woody Allen) North by Northwest (1959, Dir. Alfred Hitchcock) Connective Cameos: Scott Pilgrim vs The World The…

Join Marty Schwartz (a great examination of a collapsing psyche) and Scott Sharplin (his milkshake brings all the boys to the yard) as they upend cinema history… Canadian style! Core Connections: Mean Girls (2004, Dir. Mark Waters) Waydowntown (2000, Dir. Gary Burns) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010, Dir. Edgar Wright) Connective Cameos: Run Lola…

Follow cinephiles Marty and Scott as they scamper irreligiously through 125 years of movie history.

Join Scott and Marty as they careen quixotically through more than a century of cinema!

Scott & Marty welcome retro-futurist fashionista Christine Sokaymoh Frederick to discuss a seminal sci-fi classic, plus its secret prequels & sequels! This Podcast Begins Where Imagination Ends!

Join Marty Schwartz (“He Was a Bashful Bride!”) and Scott Sharplin (“He Walks in his sleep!”) as they presumptuously pioneer new ways of looking at cinema.

Holy hemoglobin! It’s a supersized season finale featuring the heroes’ long-deferred dinner with Strahd von Zarovich!

Back by absolutely no demand whatsoever, it’s the drunken conversation that follows the game! We initially chat about Canadian politics, briefly dump upon Walt Disney and Florida, and then settle in for an extended chinwag about Star Trek and vampire flicks. We get back to D&D talk around the 50-minute mark.

Marty Schwartz and Scott Sharplin: Who are they? What are they? Who moved the rock?!? Core Connections: Addams Family Values (1993, Dir. Barry Sonnenfeld) Idle Hands (1999, Dir. Rodman Flender) Silver Streak (1976, Dir. Arthur Hiller) Connective Cameos: Intolerance (1916, Dir. D.W. Griffith) The Panic in Needle Park (1970, Dir. Jerry Schatzberg) The Addams Family…

Clan Hemlock is on the defensive, but one of the Belladonna werewolves has a bone to pick with Andrej. He’s got ninety-nine problems… will lycanthropy be one? JOIN OUR DISCORD SERVER at https://discord.gg/WFdP7ReS

Join Marty Schwartz (classic MacGuffin) and Scott Sharplin (overcooked drug cliché) as they ponder the interconnectivity of all movies great and small. Core Connections: The Spanish Prisoner (1997, Dir. David Mamet) Goodfellas (1990, Dir. Martin Scorsese) The Panic in Needle Park (1971, Dir. Jerry Schatzburg) Connective Cameos: Anatomy of a Murder (1959, Dir. Otto Premnger)…

The gin flows at the table and the blood flows in the story as the heroes clear out the werewolf- lousy caves of Clan Hemlock.

Join prurient puppeteer Marty Schwartz and merciful dinosaur Scott Sharplin as they BS their way through 500,000 interconnected films. Core Connections: The Tree of Life (2011, Dir. Terence Malick) Being John Malkovich (1999, Dir. Spike Jonze) Anatomy of a Murder (1959, Dir. Otto Premnger) Connective Cameos: Super Mario Bros (1993, Dir. Annabel Jankel and Rocky…

The heroes repair to the Wizard of Wines to plan a raid on the local werewolf den. Andrej finally calls Ralston a “little b*tch.”

Join Marty “Nursed on a Witch’s Venom” Schwartz and Scott “Twisted by Endless Orgies” Sharplin as they brazenly pioneer new ways of looking at cinema. Core Connections: Go West (1940, dir. Edward Buzzell) The Story of Mankind (1957, dir. Irwin Allen) Super Mario Brothers (1993, dir. Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton) Connective Cameos: Intolerance (1916,…

The aftermath of Yester Hill finds the partly split, and meandering horseless through the (vampiric) mists. Plus: the werewolves of Barovia are preening for a throwdown!

Join Marty Schwartz, interstellar mew-tant, and Scott Sharplin, a Sun-Play for the Ages, as they BS their way through 125 years of cinema history. Core Connections: The Visitor AKA Stridulum (1979, dir. Michael J. Paradise) The Night of the Hunter (1955, dir. Charles Laughton) Intolerance (1916, dir. D.W. Griffith)  Connective Cameos: Edison Kinetoscopic Record of…

Scott the DM offers a post-mortem of the Strahd-tastic encounters at Yester Hill, providing fellow Dungeon Masters with tips for maximizing the environment’s potential for role-playing, combat, and story.

Nadja is missing! Ez is in the Darklord’s thrall! Dragomir is on fire! And Ralston is so, so tired.

In this special episode, Marty & Scott are joined by Jorden Dupe, spaghetti Maritimer and professional musketeer, to integrate a bona fide film masterpiece into the omniverse. Core Connections: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966, Dir. Sergio Leone) Winter Kills (1979, Dir. William Richert) Shaft in Africa (1973, Dir. John Guillermin) 

As lightning blasts the ring of stones, a battle rages against a cult of druids and their berserker zealots. And the Darklord himself has a front-row saddle!

Join jive-lingual translator Marty Schwartz and raccoon truther Scott Sharplin as they BS their way through 500,000 interconnected films. Core Connections: Wakefield (2016, dir. Robin Swicord) Big Trouble (1986, dir. John Cassavetes) Airplane! (1980, dir. Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker) Connective Cameos: American Beauty (1999, dir. Sam Mendes) Rear Window (1954, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) Falling Down…

The heroes ride to Yester Hill. Nadja ad Ezmerelda make for two increasingly unreliable sidekicks. Promises of druidicide are frustrated when the cult declares Andrej their “Big Bear,” and things get awkward fast.

Join Marty Schwartz, “Black Don’t Crack” proselytizer, and Scott Sharplin, unconfirmed Billthazar, as they BS their way through 500,000 interconnected films. Core Connections: Lost Highway (1997, Dir. David Lynch) Pork Chop Hill (1959, Dir. Lewis Milestone) Repo Man (1984, Dir. Alex Cox) Connective Cameos: Brewster’s Millions (1985, Dir. Walter Hill) Mannequin (1987, Dir. Michael Gottlieb)…

Join Marty Schwartz, human organ grinder/gatling gun, and Scott Sharplin, Scatman phat stan, as they BS their way through 500,000 interconnected films. Core Connections: Batman Returns (1992, Dir. Tim Burton) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975, Dir. Milos Forman) Lady Sings the Blues (1972, Dir. Sidney J. Furie) Connective Cameos: The Dark Knight (2008,…

Join sagacious cinema meshugganah Marty Schwartz and uber-groovy movie goober Scott Sharplin as they BS their way through 500,000 interconnected films. Core Connections: Dracula (1931, Dir. Todd Browning) Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957, Dir. Edward J. Wood, Jr.) Scarface (1983, Dir. Brian De Palma) Connective Cameos: Frankenstein (1931, Dir. James Whale) The Mummy (1932,…

Come in! Sit down! Have a cup of wine with the wereravens and listen in as the heroes form a plan to defeat Strahd von Zarovich. The drunker they get, the more awesome their plan becomes!

Film fans rejoice! Enjoy this sneak preview of Slack and Slash Production’s new movie-centric podcast, officially launching December 25 at slackandslashpod.com!

A full-flavoured victory at the winery, with some notes of mystery and an aftertaste of menace. That’s wine talk!

The heroes assist a family of were-raven vintners with their druid infestation. Why? Because it might be their only chance to get completely s**t-faced!

The lowest level of the Abbey yields new insights, powerful artifacts, and an inevitable confrontation with the abomination that wears Tatyana’s face.

A donnybrook with Ezmerelda keeps things hopping while the party awaits the Abbot’s return. Also, were-ravens!

For DMs’ ears only! Scott offers suggestions for punching up two of Curse of Strahd’s most challenging NPCs.

The morally ambiguous Abbot flies off to rescue Nadja from the Gloaming. Left in charge of the abbey, our heroes open a prison cell and get hit square in the face with the force of nature that is Ezmerelda D’Avenir!

Our heroes’ favourite NPC has been forcibly conveyed into the Abbot’s dubious care. Will Nadja get Dr. Moreau-ed? Or will Snakeflame befall a far more shocking fate?

The Abbot offers our heroes some monkey’s paw-sounding boons if they agree to carry out a madman’s errand. Also: research montage!

Spoilers! Scott the DM takes you on a tour through the hamlet of Krezk, pointing out dungeon mastering challenges, suggesting modifications, and reporting on what worked best for his party.

It’s time for our heroes to meet the monks and monkettes of St. Markovia. They hope to find sanctuary, and maybe information that will help them confront the Darklord. They weren’t expecting it to be so… Dr. Moreau-y.

Creatures from an odious children’s rhyme stalk Krezk. David responds by rolling four natural ones in a row. There’s only a 6.25e to the -6 chance of that!

The heroes arrive at the remote town of Krezk, but Ralston still languishes in a magical fever, and a scary, wormy, masked mage is haunting his dreams.

We’re back! Curse of Strahd’s Season 2 premiere brings new terrors, including a living nightmare named Greedyguts and a psychic inquisitor with a thing for creepy-crawlies.

In a double-length season finale, the heroes finally reach Argynvostholt, where they learn the truth about the spell that brought them into Strahd’s terror-filled Barovia… and where they come face to face with the most dreadful terrors yet!

The heroes bid farewell to their Vistani friends (and lovers!) and ride up Mt. Ghakis to find the legendary… Silverhold. Silver Dragonhold? Silver Dragon Tower? The Tower of Silver? The Dragon Temple of Vost-Gosh-Vosh-Hold??? Whatever. On the road again!

Scott the DM describes the planning, prep, and execution of the D&D session that resulted in Strahdcast Ch. 28: Escape From Vallaki.

All EpisodesDeleteEdit #047: Strahdcast Ch.28: Escape From Vallaki August 25, 2021 Scott Sharplin Season: 1 Episode: 47 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1655731/9087741-047-strahdcast-ch-28-escape-from-vallaki?client_source=admin&iframe=true Description Immediately following their battle against Izek Strazni, the Baron’s right-hand man, our heroes and their Vistani allies race to escape from Vallaki before the gates are shut. It’s a non-stop thrill ride featuring mounted combat, vampire…

It’s the claw-biting climax of the Vallaki storyline! After the heroes split up (always a smart move) for shopping trips, a bribe goes awry and the Baron’s lieutenant throws down the gauntlet. Which of our heroes will claim the title of Most Aggressive Bleeder? NOTE: Due to cloud gremlins and pandemic fatigue, this episode’s audio…

The six-vampire pileup at the coffinmaker’s shop continues. Ireena pops in to help; Dragomir struggles to interpret a dream message from his wolf mama; and the vamps find reason to question the wisdom of choosing a hideout surrounded by piles of sharp, broken wood.

A routine search for some saint’s missing bones goes horribly, horribly wrong as the heroes pick the wrong door at Henrik van der Voort’s coffin shop.

LUNA: Mistress left with three-legged man! DRAGOMIR: Someone with a cane, presumably. ANDREJ: Or maybe a really blessed man? Come for the dick jokes, stay for the… sabretooth tiger?!?

Things get hairy and boozy as Scott, David, and Laird reel from the stunning revelation that ended Episode 040. Then they reel through several glasses of gin, rant about bags of (chicken) holding, and pluralize “medusa.” Then things REALLY go off the rails.

We’re back at last, with the fallout from our heroes’ disastrous night at the Vistani carnival. Burning wagons! Vanishing vampires! An escape artist escapade! Don’t miss this action-packed installment! Exclamation point!

It may be our drunkest episode yet! Rictavio (the archaeopteryx?) spins a yarn over dinner; Ralston breaks up with the Vistani (and gets deeply offended!); the second time is not the charm for the party’s foray into acting; and Andrei’s audience with Ringmaster Blink leads to a jaw-dropping double reveal!

No Strahdcast this week. Instead, in recognition of the recent discoveries at former Canadian residential schools, Scott talks about colonialism, cultural genocide, and the pitfalls of indigenous stereotypes – both within the game of D&D and in real life.

Scott the DM does a run-down of the busy town of Vallaki, pointing out design flaws and making suggestions so that other Dungeon Masters can make the most of the chapter in their own Curse of Strahd campaigns. WARNING: Spoilers abound!

It’s the kind of fun you can only have in town: exchanging coins, hunting down holy bones, and bumping into random creepy aristocrats. “Do I notice any puncture wounds in his necky-holes?” Asks Ralston, and the answer may shock you!

In which Andrej, Dragomir, and Ralston experience the most heart-stopping, blood-curdling terror yet in the horror-fraught realm of Barovia: stage fright.

In a break between games, the lads sip “naughty and spiced” beer, and their diatribes grow accordingly naughty and spicy. It’s our shortest, most pointless episode yet!

“Everything is cursed!” Ralston, Dragomir, and Andrej meet some of the colourful characters who inhabit Vallaki, and learn that by far the most frequent colours are blood red and pitch black.

The heroes and their Vistani friends ride into Vallaki, the largest town in the Darklord’s cursed domain. “It’s worse than Barovia. How can it be worse than Barovia?” Hey, at least the wolf steak is fresh. This episode features some of Scott’s worst accents, a lot of gratuitous flavour text, and a group of gamers…

RALSTON: So, you wanna go to the bone-grinding windmill, and… smell the air? DRAGOMIR: Yes. RALSTON: I’m pretty confident I got a good idea of what you’re gonna smell. It’s not gonna be awesome. The heroes of Barovia make it through the mountain pass, but before they reach the Town of Vallaki, an accident on…

It’s an action-packed, hair-wraithing episode of suspense and stabbing, as the Vistani camp is besieged by phantom warriors whose hearts are all aglow with murder.

Ralston and Dragomir help the Vistani lay a companion to rest in a clammy catacomb. They soon find themselves in a pinch. Will Andrej arrive in time to save them from a primordial crustacean menace? Chuul never guess!

Exhaustion battles nostalgia as brothers-from-other-mothers Scott & Jason go back in time to that golden moment when they first discovered D&D. And Scott is shattered to learn that Jason’s “first time” happened long before they met. But he gets over it pretty quickly.

A new journey – and story arc! – begins! On the road up to the mist-choked mountain pass, Ralston and Andrej whip up a circus act to secure their place amongst the Vistani, casting Dragomir as the whipping boy. When it appears the Vistani might be taking them down the river, the heroes must decide…

Things get a bit bitey, as our heroes face off against Ingrid the vampiress and a pair of elephantine wolves inside the Vistani’s circle of salt. Expect a quantity of near-death experiences, garnished with horrifying transformations, and topped off with a hand-delivered missive from someone very Dark and Lordly…

DM Scott welcomes a guest expert on all things Gothic: Dr. Sam Hirst, of Manchester Metropolitan University. Scott and Sam chat about the tangled origins of Gothic fiction; some of Sam’s favourite Gothic tropes and subversions; and how Gothic is Ravenloft, anyway?? Dr. Hirst is on Twitter as @RomGothSam, and runs the Gothic resource hub,…

The Darklord’s gaze has fallen upon the heroes, which means it’s time to make tracks! But since their best chance to hide from Strahd involves joining a cabal of sinister circus freaks, is the cure worse than the disease?

The sinister Vistani have appeared in every iteration of Ravenloft since the beginning… but are they an essential staple of Gothic fiction, or a culturally offensive stereotype? Scott and Gayle discuss the problematic legacy of the Vistani, and Scott describes how he has adapted them to suit his campaign.

A new story arc begins! The heroes agree it’s time to get out of town, so they introduce themselves to the Vistani, a band of traveling performers who can either help to protect them on the road… or pose a whole new set of threats!

“Well, let’s just roll for initiative, shall we?” The Burgomaster’s mansion is under siege! As the unholy servants of Strahd seek to draw our heroes out, like lambs to the slaughter, Dragomir proves that he has the spirit of the wolf within him. Also in this episode: the mystery of the heroes’ centuries-long sleep is…

In a tête-à-tête with any dungeon masters who might be listening, Scott the DM explains what changes he made to The Curse of Strahd campaign prior to its debut, plus what narrative details he has tweaked over the course of the first 10 episodes or so. SPOILER ALERT: Gamers beware! This episode contains spoilers for…

After much deliberation on who gets to sleep in which spooky bedroom, the heroes of Barovia snuggle down at the Burgomaster’s house for a much-needed long rest. But it’s hard to sleep when you’re surrounded by murmuring phantoms, zealous avengers, and hysterical priests. Also: what’s that rule about vampires in your house? “Always invite them…

Join the gang for a relaxed (read: inebriated) comparison between 5th Ed D&D and previous editions. Laird expresses his desire to come back as a lich; Scott applauds the ethics of Hades; and David takes a nostalgic rampage down Barbarian Lane.

DM Scott grabs the mic to expound upon one of tabletop RPGS’ perennial challenges: how can your game transcend from a collection of stats and experience points into a spine-chilling terror-fest? Scott shares tips for generating both in-character fear and meta-fear, while Gayle pauses to ask, “Why make anyone scared in the first place?”

Our heroes have found a secret staircase leading to the catacombs beneath Death House, but nobody wants to go first for some reason. In the climactic chapter of the Death House saga, Andrej gets angrier than ever, Ralston faces his greatest fear, and Dragomir learns all about saves vs. death. NOTE: This episode incorporates material…

A quick aside about 5th Edition’s Channel Divinity feature, featuring a quick aside-within-an-aside about how IPAs are garbage.

Replete with dread secrets, Death House seems to possess a deadly hunger, and the heroes are its next meal! Andrej fights face-to-knob with a killer door; Dragomir finds new uses for his spear; and Ralston foolishly reveals his deepest fear. Also… a letter from the Darklord himself? NOTE: This episode incorporates material from “Fleshing Out…

It’s our title with the most numbers yet!!! The trail of their recently pilfered silver leads Ralston, Andrej,and Dragomir to an abandoned, indestructable, and very haunted house on the edge of town. Tempers flare and teeth are bared as the house begins its sinister work upon the heroes. The first of a three-part story arc,…

Out of character, David and Scott champion genre role-playing; Scott vows to mansplain Gothic horror at a later date; David distinguishes chocolate from fantasy (or something); both guys sound extra-white whilst raving about Lovecraft Country; and other ineffable, uncanny topics of discourse.

Returning to the Burgomaster’s mansion, the heroes pursue sooty thieves and portentous phantoms, with limited success in both. Ireena performs a reading with her Tarokka deck to reveal the heroes’ path through the dark land. Also, this episode introduces Ireena’s familiar and the Slack & Slash mascot, Luna, into the campaign!

This week’s Strahdcast includes a Tarokka reading. What the huh? Gayle and Scott explore the Curse of Strahd’s very own fortune-telling deck. We review the current 5th Edition deck and its function in the game; we expose some of the flaws in Ravenloft’s aleatory design; and Scott reveals his own plans to use the deck…

Claws and fangs abound as the heroes square off against an undead son-of-a-priest and a (were)wolf at the door.

Scott and Gayle review the two special editions of Curse of Strahd, drooling over handouts, finger puppets, and sooooo many maps.

While catching up after a long time living in separate cities, David and Scott swap podcast favourites, daydream about perfect liveplay narratives, and chew the fat about the Golden Ages of Radio and Video Rental Outlets.

As the heroes adjust to the nightmare to which they have awakened, they get to know the son of Barovia’s late Burgomaster, Ismark the Lesser, as well as his sister Ireena, who bears an uncanny resemblance to a familiar face from long ago. An attempt to bury the Burgomaster goes poorly.

In this bonus episode, Scott offers Gayle some context for the Ravenloft experience. The conversation starts with the classic “I6” module from 1st edition, wanders through the 2nd Ed. Demiplane of Dread, and steers clear of the dark times of 4th Edition before arriving at the present campaign.

The heroes cautiously explore the world into which they’ve awoken: a warped, cursed version of their beloved Barovia, bristling with zombies; barkeeps who act like zombies; and a Burgomaster who died trying to protect his children from — you guessed it — zombies. And worse!

After the dice have been put away, Laird and Scott drink Belgian beer and reminisce about early D&D modules and the vampires they’ve loved (and hated). Bonus features include a (very) brief detour into Star Wars fandom, a definition of “epistolary,” and a deep dive into the roots of Gothic horror.

THE SAGA BEGINS! Royal visitors come to the peaceful town of Barovia; Ralston the Novice takes charge of a crisis; Andrej gets outshined by Prince Sergei; and Dragomir sniffs out a hoard that comes with a catch. NOTE: This episode makes a fine jumping-on point, but if you’d like to peek behind the D&D screen…

Meet the story’s three heroes — Ralston the Novice, Andrej the Bear, and Dragomir the Wolfboy — in this short, introductory episode. NOTE: This episode isn’t strictly necessary to get into the story, but it helps.

Old gaming buddies reunite, share their earliest memories of Dungeons & Dragons, and sink their teeth into 5th Edition by rolling up characters. NOTE: You can skip this episode with no risk of narrative discombobulation. Besides, the audio’s not perfect.