Tony Spengler/March 2023
I have been told there is this Australian actual play podcast that is an absolute banger, and that I have to try them out. I have seen their social media presence and saw how active they were and knew they had the steam to keep producing. I came to find their content was of fine quality, and quite humorous. Glad I was turned in their direction, and I now have another podcast to listen to on my commutes. I reached out for an interview, and instead of interviewing one person I got the whole crew! A welcome surprise, and enjoyable insight on what it takes to have a successful Reflex Save.
Origin: Australia, mate!
Handle: @reflex_save on Twitter.
Experience: Our DM Callan has been playing for 13 years, Zimma is an old soul with 20 years, Jen has been playing for 9 years, and Tim and Andrew both are batting for 3 years. All of us have been DMing during those years. We like to share the load.
Age: We're all in our 30s, let's leave it at that.
Q) I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to your podcast, but it's on my list! Could you give an elevator pitch for your podcast for our readers to know what you’re about?
A) 5 mates traverse through Icewind Dale, offering a narrative driven story alongside Aussie humour, fun roleplay mixed in with light horror elements.
Q) What are your favorite races, archetypes and/or classes?
A) We have definite soft spots for Warlocks, Druids, Paladins and Monks. Half casters and melee are a lot of fun! Race wise Zimma noted his was definitely Kobold, while Jen loves Yuan-ti and Callan does enjoy the Genasi.
Q) What inspired you to start podcasting your adventures?
A) For a lot of us it was a mix between being a good opportunity to play more regular D&D with friends, a curiosity of how the process/being a part of a podcast is, and also stepping out of our comfort zones. Callan also was inspired by the bigger podcasts out there and felt that we had something to offer with story and characters as well.
Q) You are all playing in Icewind Dale, are you just using the location or are you using a module?
A) We’re using the official module Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Callan can attest to the fact it is a very well written and detailed module; probably one of the best officially produced. We do have quite a number of homebrew details and story threads that veer away from the module, so even if listeners have played, there will definitely be new content for them to listen to!
Q) Are you all experienced in other ttrpgs? If so, which?
A) Zimma is pretty well versed with TTRPGs and has played Pathfinder, Exalted, Dark Heresy, World of Darkness to name a few. Callan and Jen have both dabbled with Pathfinder, Cyberpunk and Call of Cthulhu as well, whilst Tim and Andrew have also enjoyed Edge of the Empire, which is a Star Wars TTRPG.
Q) How long have you all been working together on this AP?
A) Oh goodness! Well, we organized getting together pre-pandemic, and then when lockdowns eased up closer to the end of 2020, we were able to meet and use what we had to test out our voices and locations. It was a bit off and on after that as restrictions in Australia made things difficult to record together (we didn’t want to use discord or anything). I think we had recorded 9 episodes in 6 months with all the shenanigans before we even went live. It was hectic!
Q) Do you have an episode that you would suggest to get a good taste of your podcast?
A) The consensus with the cast is definitely Episode 27 - Cocktails on a Goodmead Budget! The sound quality, pacing, and our humour are really showcased in that episode. Plus, we showcased a local Aussie creator's homebrew drinking rules which were really fun. It’s not a spoilery episode and it’s just our characters celebrating a victory and having a good time.
Q) Behind the scenes, what kind of equipment and/or software do you use for recording?
A) Andrew and Callan uses a Yeti Nano, Tim and Jen both use Yeti Blue, and Zimma is on AudioTechnica AT2020USB+.
Q) Do you rotate DMs as you progress in the adventure in the podcast, or is Callan the dedicated DM for the show?
A) For the main show, Callan is the dedicated DM and he does a marvelous job at it. He sets the tone and mood every time we go into the studio and we have a great time with him in that seat.
In our Swift Action series, it’s been mostly Jen testing the waters in the DM hotseat (and doing an amazing job), but that show will have a continuous rotation of different DMs.
Q) Have you done collaborations with other actual plays?
A) We sure have, however it's not been released yet so it's a secret ;)
Q) Have you had guests on your show?
A) Not on our main show but our bonus content, called Swift Action, features some local guests, but we've got some collabs coming up!
Q) Those collaborations sound exciting! Can readers find your bonus content mixed in with your normal broadcasting, or do you post bonus content elsewhere (like on Patreon)?
A) Right now Swift Action comes out at special times throughout the year and freely available, but with our future collabs we hope to release more content side by side with our main series as we now have a secondary editor.
Q) Are any of you interested in being guests in other APs? If so, how should readers reach out to you?
A) We're definitely open to collaborations. It can be tough because of the time zones with our international mates, but anyone can reach out to us via reflexsave.podcast@gmail.com
Q)How about accepting guests, are you looking for players for one-shots or guest appearances?
A) We're stepping into that kind of thing with our Swift Action series, but definitely keep an eye on our Twitter @reflex_save for whenever we post about this in the future.
Q)Time to wrap it up, any parting thoughts for our readers?
A) We want to say a big thank you to everyone that listens to our little show and follows the Icewind Dale adventure. And we hope our podcast might inspire people out there to take up a TTRPG as a hobby and as something to enjoy since we love introducing people to the community.
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