Talks Machina 84: O Captain, Who's Captain?

is the eighty-fourth episode of Talks Machina. Travis Willingham and Matthew Mercer discuss with host Brian Wayne Foster.

Synopsis

 * Ransus32: Travis: Stonejaw Strongjaw and now Captain Tusktooth. I'm guessing Laura came up with Ronin's name?
 * @ChewEDanvers: for Matt: how exactly do you go about dming on the open ocean? Does it make it harder to plan encounters? What goes into dming a open ocean session?
 * Sprawlsprawl: To both: How much research did/are you doing on boats, sailing, etc. to help prepare for the game now that the gang is on the ocean?
 * Imbtyler: Matt: How do you feel about the Mighty Nein picking up Orly, especially being a fan-sourced NPC? Did you intentionally leave the navigator spot hard-to-fill because you hoped they would try to recruit everyone's new favorite tortle?
 * WhaleWorldPeace: Travis: When Fjord dipped his falchion in the sea, was he trying to reach out to his patron? Is Fjord expecting more visions, dreams, or other forms of contact now that he's in and around the ocean?

GIF of the Week

 * Jacob Hunnicutt @JacobHunni's gif of a Caduceus "hello darkness my old friend" moment.


 * Cuddlefish333: Matt: The scene with the jellyfish was very beautiful and atmospheric. Did you have that planned for that night no matter who took watch or for when it was the right moment?
 * DannySpud2: Travis: You reeled off an impressive amount of info about the sea and islands around this area. Was all this just things you knew anyway from Matt or did you memorise it ready for this week's episode?
 * ClockworkJack: Matt: as a DM, how does it feel to have a character with such godlike perception as Caduceus in the party? Does it ever change the way you plan the story, or it just makes things more interesting for the audience?
 * ProfNesbitt: Travis: Was the discomfort in leading the group this week a Fjord things or a Travis thing or both?

Fan Art of the Week

 * Scott King aka @peabuggy's "Nott a mom".


 * Tmande2nd: To Both: Who's having a bigger panic attack in your mind? The Players having to deal with nautical nonsense or the DM having to deal the sheer off the rails hilarity this small errand has mutated into?
 * @FereldanPride: Travis: It was mentioned before that Fjord has some confidence issues. Now that he's the Captain of the "Mystake", is he feelilng an enormous amount of unwanted pressure or an opportunity to prove himself?
 * MoosNuckleSandwich: Matt: Had you decided whether Marion had heard about the 'suicide' before Jester sent her message?
 * @bananatitz: For Travis: What did Fjord think of his discussion with Jester after seeing the jellyfish and her follow-up statement that "Sometimes the things that are the most beautiful are the things that can hurt you the most"?
 * Charlie Boychuk: Both: There seems to be a common theme of redemption and change sprouting in recent episodes as the M9 look at their respective pasts and grow a desire to be better people. Was this something you'd planned on, as you've mentioned that you had wanted to play with different themes this campaign?

Quotations

 * Dani: "I have theories."
 * Travis: "And then Beau's like 'FJORD HOW DO I SAIL?!'"
 * Brian: "This is such a weird metaphor for your guys' friendship."
 * Brian: "That wasn't a dad joke, that was an 'I never had a dad' joke."
 * Travis: "I was a fucking fool. I knew nothing of the world."