This episode takes listeners deep into our very first full Daggerheart adventure, where character backstories collide with corrupted beasts, mysterious crystals, and the deadliest foe of all: stairs.

We start with introductions and dive into what makes each hero tick — from the albino wizard who fled the Dominion’s forced spellcaster army, to the hyper-positive gym-bro faun named Flex Forigno, to the chill turtle warrior Kombu. The party dynamic quickly proves hilarious and chaotic: front-liners with the most relaxed vibes, a paranoid wizard trying to stay unnoticed, and rogues who might not survive the local jail.

The session itself unfolds in three big beats:

• The Crystal Boar Encounter: A mutated beast straight out of Princess Mononoke, shedding shards that punish anyone reckless enough to fight up close.
• The Hollowed Ones: Crystal-infested zombies aboard a wrecked skyship, showcasing Daggerheart’s flexibility in combat and narrative flavor.
• The Countdown Clock: A clever GM mechanic where glass beads tick away toward the arrival of the dreaded pirate ship The Soggy Biscuit — ratcheting up tension as the crew scrambles to repair and claim the downed vessel.

Highlights include debates over the difference between wizards and sorcerers, illusions as Marvel-style Mysterio tricks, the joy of carving scrimshaw runes into spell-staves, and the ongoing party joke about failing the simplest rolls. (The great enemy of this campaign? Not monsters, not pirates — stairs.)

By the end, the crew is laughing, learning the ropes of the system, and laying the groundwork for bigger battles ahead. It’s part session recap, part system breakdown, and part comedy of errors — exactly what you’d expect when Funkatronic Rex takes on a brand-new RPG.

Takeaway: Daggerheart encourages collaboration, description, and shared world-building — and sometimes reminds you that rolling dice can make stairs scarier than dragons.

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This week we cover a little bit of everything — summer travel, baseball heartbreak, cabin cooking, board games, and the excitement of launching a brand-new RPG campaign.

Chris kicks things off with a blow-by-blow of his son’s baseball trip to Cooperstown — equal parts magical and miserable. From rain delays that pushed games into the early hours of the morning, to “Hunger Games” jokes about single elimination, to facing powerhouse Georgia teams that put up scores like 37–0, it was an unforgettable (and humbling) experience. Still, the kids walked away with a win, a pile of team pins, and memories that will last a lifetime.

Paul counters with his annual cabin gaming trip, where he and his longtime friend Q packed the days with board games and nights with home cooking. The highlight was lots of Marvel Champions (finishing the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. campaign with Magneto and Black Widow), a test run of the massive Dark Souls board game, and racing through Heat, complete with the new Tunnel Vision expansion. The talk turns to food as Paul explains his role as cabin cook — burgers, wings, tacos, and breakfast spreads — while Q washed dishes. Naturally, this spirals into a whole discussion of cooking styles, breakfast-for-dinner rituals, chicken vs. turkey burgers, and family wing recipes passed down from Buffalo.

As if that weren’t enough, the back half of the episode dives into role-playing. With a new Daggerheart campaign on the horizon, the hosts discuss what they’re excited about: hope and fear dice mechanics, player agency, and how the system compares to D&D 5E. There’s talk of improvisation, GM styles, and what makes narrative-heavy systems rewarding for both newcomers and veterans.

It’s a long, winding conversation, but that’s the beauty of it — baseball road trips, cooking adventures, and tabletop games all share the same theme: community, creativity, and finding joy in the chaos.

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This week’s episode takes a lively detour through the chaos of parenting, baseball season, and family dinners before landing squarely in the galaxy far, far away.

We kick things off with stories about kids dodging showers, sneaking bubblegum onto the ballfield, and testing their parents’ OCD triggers with sticky popsicle faces. From sunscreen battles to late-night snack raids, it’s all the highs and lows of raising kids — equal parts exhausting, hilarious, and heartwarming.

That family talk flows into gaming, with reflections on siblings, only-child dynamics, and how growing up with brothers, sisters, or solo shaped the way we play. Food quirks take center stage too: picky eaters versus adventurous ones, kids putting ranch on salmon, and the joys (and horrors) of seafood.

Then it’s time for the stars. We dive into Star Trek movie trivia tangents (yes, the whale one was IV), before shifting to the main event: a thoughtful look at Star Wars Destiny and how it paved the way for Star Wars Unlimited. We dig into what Destiny got right, what made it unsustainable, and how Unlimited refines the formula — making the most of the IP while avoiding past pitfalls.

It’s part parenting confessional, part geek culture roundtable, and part TCG deep-dive — all wrapped in the usual Funkatronic Rex mix of snark, laughter, and community vibes.

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We’re back after a short break (and a false alarm mishap at the shop), shaking off the dust and diving straight into the nitty-gritty of hobbying. This time, it’s all about the often-overlooked secret sauce of miniature painting: basing.

We start with the basics: why the ground your minis stand on can make or break the final look. From there, we share plenty of budget-friendly tricks, like raiding the aquarium aisle at the pet store for alien plants and funky colored rocks, grabbing bulk sand or gravel from craft stores, or ordering larger scenic mixes from places like Scenic Express or Geek Gaming Scenics. If you’ve ever wanted to make your Star Wars: Legion troopers feel like they actually came from different planets—or if you’re looking to elevate your Marvel Crisis Protocol heroes beyond their default “tactical rocks”—this episode is packed with easy wins.

We swap stories about painting styles, from simple mud and rubble textures to glowing LED centerpiece models, and even laugh about our mistakes (yes, putting Doctor Strange on the wrong base size really happened). We cover methods for priming and texturing, why you should add tufts last, and how to keep an army looking cohesive without sucking the fun out of personal creativity.

And because it wouldn’t be a Funkatronic Rex podcast without a tangent, the episode spirals into one of our favorite debates: what sodas would the X-Men drink? Expect fiery opinions (Cyclops is definitely a Diet Coke guy, Jubilee is locked on grape soda, Cable raids the timeline for Jolt, Wolverine doesn’t bother with soda at all), a little chaos, and plenty of laughter.

By the end, you’ll not only have a toolbox of ideas for your next basing project, but also a new appreciation for soda-fueled mutant headcanon.

Takeaway: Don’t overlook your bases—whether it’s rubble, tufts, lava, or tactical rocks, they’re an easy way to make your minis truly yours. And remember: have fun, share ideas, and let your creativity spill over onto the tabletop.

Bonus: Patreon updates are coming soon, so keep an eye out!

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Funkatronic Rex Podcast – Season 2, Episode 8: Spirit Island

This week, Paul and Chris take a deep dive into Spirit Island, the critically acclaimed cooperative board game where you play as powerful spirits defending your island from colonizing invaders. We’re talking favorite spirits, combos, expansions, and what makes this game such a standout in the co-op genre. If you love strategy, synergy, and flipping the script on typical board game tropes, this one’s for you. Time to push back the blight and reclaim the land!

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