Welcome to the Tales from the Crypt podcast. We are an actual play podcast featuring a
revolving cast of players making our way through micro RPGs, highly narrative tabletop games,
and the more popular and less known RPG systems from a wide variety of genres. Content may
not be suitable for children and content warnings can be found in the description. I'm Riley
Grubbs and I'll be your host, your guide, your GM on this episode of Tales from the Crypt.
Welcome everyone to a special bonus episode of Tales from the Crit. In this shorter episode,
we're going to go over character building and world building and some of the background stuff
that went into our playthrough of Kids on Bikes that we named Crits on Bikes. Full disclaimer,
we didn't set out to make this bonus episode when we first started playing, but we really enjoyed
the character creation and world building system that this RPG puts out. So we wanted to share
some of that background information with you guys, give you guys a little sneak peek on what
we're planning to put out on our Patreon in 2023. We have a couple different types of bonus episodes
that we're going to be releasing. This is just one of them. So sit back, relax, enjoy this little
sneak preview of what we got coming in 2023. Going to run down a couple things that I think
you all should know about the town first. Yeah, that's great. What we're going to do,
I'm going to tell you these, then we're going to go over your character creation stuff,
talk about your characters, roll some question die, and then we'll officially officially start.
Okay, so setting 1991. It is October 30th, day before Halloween. We're in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
So it's a nice fall. Pennsylvania's got nice weather, still in the fall. The industry the
location is known for is its steel mills. They are all closed now, so they're not known for
that shit anymore. They're not known for any kind of industrial shit. The town is famous for being
the Christmas city, and the town is infamous for its Revolutionary War era ghost sightings.
Economically, the town is stagnant. The notable local organizations are the downtown ghost tours,
which is put on by the Moravian Cafe and Bookshop, and the brothers and sisters of the local future
Greek life organization. It's more of a educational fraternity and sorority at this time,
because you're all in high school. So notable landmark is the abandoned steel mill, the Hotel
B, and the Moravian Cafe and Bookstore, as well as the Moravian Graveyard. And the sports scene
is the Greyhounds. Greyhounds. Greyhounds. They'll get you there. Okay, first we should go around and
say who everybody is. Mikey, we will start with you. Who are you? My guy's name is Jack. He's 11,
and his fear is flying. Motivation is helping his parents. His flaw is that he's insecure.
Description, I'm just thinking average kid in Pennsylvania is probably just running around
rocking some blue jeans, a little t-shirt and plaid. It's fall time. Whatever his parents gave
him. Is it a rich town? It's probably not super rich. The economy is stagnant. Not a super affluent
town. Yeah, just your regular Kmart clothes. He's a Kmart kid. There we go. Good callback.
Connor? Okay, I'm Danny. I'm 15. I'm motivated by being a good person and good friend. I fear
becoming my father, and my flaws are sometimes I am stubborn, hot-tempered, and insecure.
I usually can be seen in black short-sleeved shirt and jeans, a pack of cigarettes rolled up in sleeve,
and my strengths are that I'm loyal and easygoing. All right, Derek, who are you playing today?
I am playing Josh. I am 10 years old. My motivation is basically the finishing or
completing of tasks, that sense of accomplishment. My fear is adult disappointment, letting down
my elders. I am just basic 10-year-old jeans, that fall camo t-shirt, a little Boy Scout,
woodsy kind of lower middle class kid. Just not much supervision. Just let off on my own.
And my strengths are that I'm prepared and intuitive. Okay, and Rebecca? My name is Andrea,
but I go by Andy, and I'm 17. My motivation is getting into good college far away from here.
Um, I don't have a fear, but my strengths are protective and treasure hunter. Awesome. So,
let's talk about how you guys all know each other. I'm lucky and cool under pressure.
We get quick healing while you guys get... We get quick healing and they get rebellious.
Okay. We are rebellious. But they are rebellious. We are Wolverine. No, Greyhound. Yes, we are the
Greyhounds. So you're 10 and you're 11. Yep. Okay. What we have to decide is which one of you guys
know each other and which one of you guys don't know each other so well. I'm going to say Jack
and Josh definitely know each other pretty well. Yeah. As you're 10 and 11. So it's up to you two
if you want to know each other or not know each other. Well, we go to the same school. Yeah, I
mean, I've seen her in the hall a few times. But we don't like know each other. Yeah. We had gym
class together once a couple of years ago. Nice. Okay. Cool. And then what about you guys, the older
ones in the room versus these two here? Should we have a sibling set? Yeah, do you want to be?
I will say one of the teenagers is already going to have a little sibling. Just forced upon them
by me. So just keep that in mind too. Not that that should dissuade you on how you feel. It's me.
I'm not sure. Weren't you guys in like the same scouting troop? I was thinking neighbors maybe.
Yeah, I was thinking like maybe in the same class. Being an age difference of maybe a couple months.
Connor, do you want to know these young people? Do you want to be an older cousin or something
than one of us? Flip a coin. Sure. Yeah, we can be cousins. I don't know them.
I don't know these people. I don't know these children. That's awesome. Okay. Yeah. Cool. So
just keep that information in mind for one second. Can anyone give me the name of one other child,
preferably male? Stuart. Billy. Awesome. Samson. Okay. So we will start. We're going to go over
a couple of questions. We're going to do the one sided questions, the five minutes per player.
We're each going to answer one question about somebody you do know, one question about somebody
you don't know in the group. We're going to start with Jack. Do you want to answer a question about
somebody you do know, which is these other two at the table or somebody you don't know, which would
be Andy? Do know. Okay. Do you want to answer a positive or a negative question about that person?
Positive. Okay. Roll a d20. 14. Who are you answering about? Danny. Okay. What is the bravest
thing you've ever seen this character do? I saw him ride his skateboard over like a massive ramp
and kittled out of air. And it was pretty, pretty epic. Pretty epic. Okay. Danny, do you want to
answer a question about somebody you know, you don't know? Yeah, sure. I'll answer a question
about somebody I do know. Do you want to answer a positive question or a negative question?
I feel mostly positive about everybody. Okay. You're easy going. So that makes sense. Who are
you going to answer it about? I'll answer about Josh. Okay. 18. When did you first realize that
you loved this character, either platonically or romantically? So, you know, one time I was
enjoying myself out and I saw Jack and Josh actually just playing on the playground or
something nearby where I was, you know, smoking cigarettes in the woods. And I had a realization
I was like, you know what? I love these kids. I love everybody here. I'm just so happy. I think
I was eating some of these mushrooms I found on the ground that day too. So I was just feeling
really in love with everybody. And I saw, especially my cousin and his friend playing. I was like,
I love these guys. And we've been real cool ever since. Well, I didn't tell them, of course.
Something like, maybe I had a lighter and lit your cigarette one time. Well, that's cool.
All right, Josh, your turn. I will answer a question about somebody I don't know. Okay. Yeah,
there's only one person you don't know here. Yeah. And that was Andrea or Andy. Go ahead and roll
your d20. It was a nine. What volunteer work have you heard that this character does?
Feed the homeless at homeless shelters. All right. It's to help get into college. Yeah,
naturally. The soup kitchen and the pantry, the food pantry to help the low and needy and everything
to get credits and stuff for college. Nice. Okay. Andy, are you answering a question about somebody
you do know, don't know? Don't know. Okay. Roll a d20. And who are you going to answer about?
Who's Mikey's character? What's his name? Jack. Jack. I'll pick Jack. I got a 14.
Who does this character have a very public feud with? Jenny Swanson. She's a year younger than him.
Jenny Swanson. And she's a huge pain in the ass. Gotta be a girl. Cause she secretly has a crush on
him. Oh, shit. And he hates her. Jenny loves Jack. She's more brutal with pranks. She takes it too
hard. She takes it too hard. She's better at pranking. All right. Awesome. Let's go around one more
time. She takes locks of my hair. She's like Helga from Hey Arnold. She's got a jack shot.
Definitely Helga. Helga G. Pataki. She just like sets traps for you. Yeah. What was her name?
Jenny Swanson. Jenny Swanson. Buckets of ice water. I have a nemesis. You do. Slash crush. Future wife.
Soul mate really. All right. Back to Jack. Pick another question. About somebody I don't know.
Okay. Roll a d20. There's only one person here that you don't know. Two. Why do some members of
the town seek out this character? Because she's really helpful and smart and just eager to be
there for people that need her even if it's not for her college stuff. Wow. Like she's just a
generally sweet person. She's turning into quite a saintly person. She looks, that's how I, I mean,
I don't really know her that well, but I always see her like when she's- But she's an older girl.
And she's here. She's always helping out. But could this be because they're children and they like,
you know, idealize adults? A hundred percent. Probably. Yeah. She's just like, she's a nice girl.
All right, Danny. Time for another question. All right. I'm going to answer another one about
people I do know. In a positive or negative way? Positive way. What number do you think that is?
Is that a four or a nine? I think it's a four. It's gotta be a four. Is it a four? Yeah, the
six and the nine have dots. It's a four. Okay. And who are you answering about? Um, it's gotta be
one of these two, right? I mean, no, you do know her too. Oh, okay. Well, then I'll answer. You got her.
And you roll the four. What trait about this character that they despise, do you genuinely
appreciate? Oh geez. I don't feel like I know her enough to answer that one. What trait that
you despise? Do I genuinely, what was it the phrasing? Do you genuinely appreciate? Oh,
appreciate. Does Andy have any traits she despises? Do you want to roll a different dot? Yeah, I do.
We don't know each other actually. Let's speed this process up. Mike's gotta get to work in an hour.
Yeah, then Mike, you're not going to make it to work in an hour. Five. Why do you care about this
character more than they care about you? Okay. So because I'm a younger boy and she's an older girl,
you know, again, I, there's a little bit, she's also one of the better looking girls in the school.
So I definitely, you know, ever since that time in gym class, I was like, oh, this is really a person
that I would like to know a little bit more, but I can tell that she's like, oh, I think I've seen
this kid a few times around school once or twice. But like sometimes it's got a little like, you know,
sketches in the corner of my notebook. Adorable. All right. Josh.
I rolled a nine and I'll answer your question about these two. Okay. You pick one. Danny. Danny.
I don't think there's a lot for Danny yet. What is the kindest thing this character has ever done
for you? I'm sure he's bought me food before. Where? I don't know. Let's talk about it.
That's the kindest thing he's ever done for you was he bought you food at some point. I mean,
I'm talking about like a sense of like his cousin and I are hanging out and it's like, hey guys,
I'll bring you like, let's go down to the burger shop and get a burger and ice cream and go to a
movie or something. You know, I'm a 10 year old kid. Okay. So he's kind. He didn't save me from
drowning. He's just been nice and polite, you know, nice, polite, genuine and generous to me.
Just one time he came out of the woods saying how much he loved me and he was like, oh, I'm
going to go to the woods saying how much he loved me. And he was like, do you want to come to Burger
King and see a movie? All of a sudden he started bringing us to get like burgers and shakes and
movie tickets. Let's go to the arcade. Judgment day's out. Yeah. Let's go watch Judgment Day.
And Andy, Roll a d20. Well, actually, well, first, well, it doesn't matter. Whatever,
reporter, tell me what kind of question you want to answer. I'm going to answer a question about
me. Okay. I got an 11. A positive or negative question. Oh, let's go negative. What does this
character do that makes you immediately lose your temper? Oh, I don't know. Smokes. Finds doodles of
you in his notebook. He just stares at me. It's not that he smokes cigarettes. It's that he hides it.
Just be yourself, man. This is my grandmother gave me a Marlboro sleeping bag. You get those with the
points. Yeah. So it's the warmest one that I've ever had. Okay. So that's getting to know each other a
little bit better. Let's now go through some rumors about the town. They can be not true. Well, I'm
going to determine if they're true or not true. So you just, you know, give me your best rumor.
So there's a revolutionary war ghosts and just in the town. Yeah. So Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a
very old town. So there's a lot of old structures. Still. There's a lot of it is a historical town.
So yeah, there's been sightings of revolutionary war era ghosts for time in Memorial rumors about
the town. Now I think this would be a rumor that a 10 year old kid might know. I heard there's a
cult that gathers at the abandoned steel mill. Okay. Very creepy. It's almost Halloween. It is
almost Halloween. Perfect. And Danny, what about you? What's a rumor you heard? I heard that sometimes
people still say they can hear like screams coming from the graveyard, but it's really because the
mayor lives on the other side. He beats his wife. Oh shit. You can hear her whales carry across
the cemetery. Creepy. Okay. Josh? That back in the revolutionary war that a general was assassinated
here and his ghost still lingers and roams the streets, just like surveying the camp that he
used to be a part of. Okay. Andy? The art teachers selling drugs to students. Nothing crazy. Just like
pot and mushrooms. Ah, okay. Fun stuff. Fun drugs. So we know where Danny gets it from. Okay. Um,
Greg's his aunt. Art is the only class he's going well in. It's directly proportional to the amount
of money he is given, teacher. All right, Jack, second rumor. The guy who fronts the Moravian Cafe
is a grave robber. Oh, okay. Awesome. And Danny? In the Cafe and Bookstore, there's one of the
books on the shelf that if you pull it out, it's actually a secret passage opens up that leads to
the special back room where they do occult practices. Shit. Okay. Or something like that.
I thought you were going to say gambling or something. I mean, it could be that. Depends who you ask.
Depends on the time of year. Nope, not how I heard it. All right. Josh, second rumor. That the, uh,
Boy Scout leader is having an affair with at least two of the mothers in the group, but not ours.
That you know of. That we know of. At least two. Do the two of you look eerily similar?
No, it's not that recent. Okay. It's not that long. It's more of a recent. Okay. More of a,
it's the new Scout leader. But that milkman. No, no, no. I mean, as the kids get older,
they move up to, they leave. So then the new kids come in, new parents, you know. Yeah. All right.
Andy, second rumor. The principal is rigging the grades of her son. Okay. What's the principal's
name? Cornwall. Perfect. Yeah. Principal Cornwall. Patty. Patty. Okay. So that's going to conclude
setup.
And that concludes our special bonus episode. Really hope you guys enjoyed. If you haven't
listened to our Kids on Bikes playthrough titled Crits on Bikes, that's okay. This is actually a
perfect place to start. You can go back and listen to those first three episodes and you'll actually
have a little bit more information on the characters in the world before you listen to it.
We didn't set out to make this episode when we first started, so I apologize that it's a little
raw, but we do hope that you enjoyed it. And if you did, please leave us a review on whatever
platform you're listening to. Go follow us on Instagram at talesfromthecrippodcast and tune in
next week for our regularly scheduled episode. Thank you all and we'll see you next Tuesday.
The Tales from the Crit Podcast is recorded in the Wolfbeard Games Studio in upstate New York.
If you've enjoyed hanging out with us, please subscribe on whichever platform you listen to.
If you really like us, also leave us a review. It's very helpful. If you want to follow us more,
you can find us on Instagram at Tales from the Crit Podcast. We've enjoyed our time with you
today and we look forward to seeing you next time at Tales from the Crit.