Chris and Jeremy tackle five different ways to establish party cohesion. Plus, Steve Jackson Games announces Toon 2e, MCDM's Draw Steel: Crack the Sun Backerkit campaign surges past its crowdfunding goal, and Orphaned Bookworm Productions is funding the Warmage, a new class for Pathfinder 1e.

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• 00:00 Open
• 01:07 Toon 2e
• 03:25 Draw Steel Crack the Sun
• 04:35 The Warmage
• 07:03 Five Ways to Bring the Party Together
• 23:01 Capers Update
• 23:43 Wrap

Links:

• Toon https://www.sjgames.com/ https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/a5976d11-0069-4119-acf2-4d16a54cf8db/landing
• Bell of Lost Souls https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/12/dd-five-ways-to-start-your-next-adventure.html
• Draw Steel Crack the Sun
• https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mcdm-productions/draw-steel-crack-the-sun?ref=bk-discover-hero-feature
• Breath of Life–The Warmage https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1868610612/breath-of-life-the-warmage-pathfinder-1st-edition/
• Night’s Black Agents https://pelgranepress.com/nights-black-agents/
• Call of Cthulhu https://www.chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-rpg/
• Thousand Year Old Vampire https://thousandyearoldvampire.com/
• Mutant: Year Zero https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/mutant-year-zero/

Help us choose which game to feature in our next season of Thieves’ Cant: Capers. We’ve narrowed the list to four finalists.

Plus, ENWorld’s list of most anticipated games of 2026, WizKids’ Kong, Crisis Protocol’s new starter sets, and Draw Steel’s upcoming crowdfunder.

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• 00:00 Open
• 01:35 Listener Feedback
• 03:21 ENWorld Most Anticipated Games
• 05:03 Kong Mini
• 06:22 Marvel: Crisis Protocol
• 07:19 Draw Steel
• 10:55 Capers Finalists
• 16:23 Wrap

Links:

• ENWorld Most Anticipated https://www.enworld.org/threads/nominate-your-most-anticipated-rpg-of-2026.716454/
• WizKids Kong https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/61159/next-wave-wizkids-deep-cuts-miniatures-features-kong
• Marvel Crisis Protocol https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/12/marvel-crisis-protocol-new-x-men-spider-foes-starter-sets-arrive-this-week.html
• Draw Steel https://www.mcdmproductions.com/
• Night’s Black Agents https://pelgranepress.com/nights-black-agents/
• Call of Cthulhu https://www.chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-rpg/
• Thousand Year Old Vampire https://thousandyearoldvampire.com/
• Mutant: Year Zero https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/mutant-year-zero/

This week, we’ve got big news for the show: starting January 5, Thieves’ Cant will drop episodes Monday through Friday, with bonus Saturday episodes when Capers is in season.

Plus, we dig into the HPLHS’s prop-packed Call of Cthulhu release The Spark Devil, new Draw Steel content from MCDM—including the Summoner class and The Fall of Blackbottom—and the DarkSpace Kickstarter bringing Shadowdark into space. And in Unearthed Obscura, we explore Centralia, Pennsylvania—the ghost town still burning from the mine fire that started in 1962.

@thievescantcast

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• 00:00 Open
• 02:00 Thieves’ Cant Schedule Change
• 03:33 The Spark Devil
• 06:43 Draw Steel
• 07:53 DarkSpace
• 10:54 Everburning Fire of Centralia
• 22:52 Listener Feedback
• 26:15 Wrap

Links:

• The Spark Devil:https://store.hplhs.org/products/the-spark-devil
• Draw Steel: https://shop.mcdmproductions.com/collections/draw-steel

• DarkSpace: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dmingtheworld/darkspace-sci-fi-rules-for-shadowdark

• The Centralia Fire: https://www.businessinsider.com/centralia-pennsylvania-underground-fire-town-photos?utm_source=chatgpt.com#centralia-is-a-borough-in-the-northeastern-mountains-of-pennsylvania-1

This week, we ask: digital or analog—what’s your preferred way to game? We debate VTTs vs. physical mats, digital character builders vs. pen and paper, and what tools actually make RPGs better. Plus, we cover new Draw Steel content, upcoming Forgotten Realms releases, and M.T. Black’s Temple of the Lightbringers Kickstarter.

@thievescantcast

thievescantcast@gmail.com

• 00:00 Open
• 01:09 Listener Feedback
• 02:09 Draw Steel
• 04:50 Fantasy Grounds
• 05:26 Forgotten Realms
• 07:56 Temple of the Lightbringers
• 10:48 Digital vs Analog Gaming
• 24:32 Question of the Week
• 25:00 Wrap

Links:

• MCDM/Draw Steel: https://www.patreon.com/c/mcdm/home

• Fantasy Grounds https://www.fantasygrounds.com/

• Ed Greenwood/Forgotten Realms: https://mythmakers.com/realmsbound/

• M.T. Black/Temple of the Lightbringers: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1367769523/temple-of-the-lightbringers?ref=discovery_newest&term=roleplaying%20game&total_hits=61966&category_id=34

Chris and Jeremy return to the Forge of Creation to roll up a brand-new cursed magic item for both Draw Steel and 5e. Plus, a peek at Into the Cess and Citadel, some Listener Feedback, and a Question of the Week about what to do when your dice go cold.

@thievescantcast

thievescantcast@gmail.com

• 00:00 Open
• 02:32 Question of the Week
• 05:24 Listener Feedback
• 09:37 Into the Cess and Citadel
• 12:54 Creating a New Magic Item for Draw Steel and 5e
• 29:57 Wrap

Into the Cess and Citadel: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wetinkgames/into-the-cess-and-citadel?ref=section-homepage-view-more-discovery-p1&category_id=Q2F0ZWdvcnktMzQ=

Tome of Adventure Design: https://www.mythmeregames.com/products/tome-of-adventure-design-hardcover-book?srsltid=AfmBOooMOoBSWrZBvvNu-In_U8OFVC2aIBad1lYP27Zmw2QdG6AENusY

Chris and Jeremy unearth some real-world lore about a deadly 1518 dancing plague, and explore the potential story hooks it offers. Plus, Draw Steel’s Beastheart class hits public playtesting, Free League announces a new One Ring adventure, and WotC files a new trademark claim for Dark Sun.

@thievescantcast

thievescantcast@gmail.com

• 00:00 Open
• 01:51 Question of the Week
• 03:56 Listener Feedback
• 08:43 Beastheart
• 11:42 One Ring
• 14:01 Dark Sun
• 16:32 The Dancing Plague
• 25:50 Wrap

Links:

• Beastheart for Draw Steel: Beastheart Public Playtest.pdf

• Hands of the White Wizard: https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=2dcfb24fb7c8d0fb9c2f52040&id=f2723d747d

• Dark Sun: https://www.enworld.org/threads/wizards-of-the-coast-re-registers-dark-sun-with-uspto.716113/

• The Dancing Plague: https://www.history.com/articles/what-was-the-dancing-plague-of-1518

Chris and Jeremy talk cursed items, and roll up a few of their own using the Tome of Adventure Design. Plus, a look at World Wide Wrestling on Kickstarter, scary gaming moments, and a round of listener feedback.

@thievescantcast

thievescantcast@gmail.com

• 00:00 Open
• 01:26 Listener Feedback
• 07:14 Question of the Week
• 09:21 World Wide Wrestling
• 13:10 Tricks and Treats: Cursed Items
• 30:38 Wrap

Links:

• World Wide Wrestling: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ndpaoletta/world-wide-wrestling-2e-repackaged
• Tome of Adventure Design: https://www.mythmeregames.com/products/tome-of-adventure-design-hardcover-book?srsltid=AfmBOooMOoBSWrZBvvNu-In_U8OFVC2aIBad1lYP27Zmw2QdG6AENusY

Chris and Jeremy wrap up their run through MCDM's Draw Steel with a look at Book 1's "For the Director" chapter as well as Book 2: Monsters. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our sister show, Thieves' Cant: A Tabletop Gaming Podcast.

Email: thievescantcast@gmail.com

Social: @thievescantcast

Links: https://www.mcdmproductions.com/