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Almost Bedtime Theater
A podcast by a dad, daughter, and her cousin, providing family-friendly actual plays of role-playing games, plus advice and game reviews.
Almost Bedtime Theater
Sprinkles is Missing! Review, Actual Play (Ep 20)
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A transcript of this episode is available via the episode page on Buzzsprout.
In this episode, we review and play the RPG Sprinkles is Missing!
- 05:19– Actual play
Sprinkles is Missing! was created by M. Allen Hall. You can purchase the game at the sites below and a variety of other online shops. You can find the creator on Instagram and Threads as @m_allen_hall.
How to reach us:
- Email: AlmostBedtimeTheater@gmail.com
- Social Media Links: bio.link/AlmostBedtimeTheater
Other TTRPG content referenced in this episode include:
- Stories RPG - a family-friendly RPG actual play podcast
Our intro and outro theme music are by McRoMusic, who can be found on Patreon at patreon.com/mcromusic.
How to reach us:
- Email: AlmostBedtimeTheater@gmail.com
- Social Media Links: bio.link/AlmostBedtimeTheater
Hi, I'm Rachael.
FinnI'm Finn.
DanAnd I'm Dan, Rachael's dad.
RachaelAnd this is Almost Bedtime Theater, a podcast about playing roleplaying games with kids. In this episode, we are reviewing and playing Sprinkles is Missing!, an RPG about students of a magical elementary school venturing into a forbidding enchanted forest in search of their beloved school mascot, Sprinkles, the unicorn.
DanBefore we get to the review, though, I want to let you know about another family friendly podcast you might enjoy. Stories RPG isn't just a great all ages role playing game for telling all kinds of stories together. It's also an actual play podcast using that game. They've got episodes with superheroes and goblins and sci fi students, as well as some excellent episodes with advice about writing stories and interviews with the creators of other RPGs. You can find them on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and StoriesRPG.com. And now for the review!
Review
FinnSprinkles is Missing! was created by M. Allen Hall and comes as a 72 page book. If you prefer short, easy to run games, don't let the length of the book deter you. Most of those pages are scenes that you only need to read if you end up playing them in the game. The tone is fun and conversational, and it's written for both new and experienced gamers so that it's easy to understand.
RachaelIn addition to the rules, you'll need some six sided dice, ideally four per player, copies of the character sheet, a way to take notes, and someone to run the game. Each player is a student of Arbor Haven Magical Elementary School. They start out with a name, a magic spell based on their favorite class at school, and an item, like a jump rope or a sack of marbles. And that's all you need to get going.
FinnThe core game mechanic is to roll two to four six sided dice and add the two highest results. If that total is eight or higher, you succeed. If it's less than eight, you fail. But you have several options that allow you to re-roll, like asking for help or using an item. Just how many dice you get to roll depends on how challenging the obstacle is, or if you are using a spell, how good you are at casting that spell. If you succeed at casting a spell, you get better at it, so that's cool.
DanSprinkles is Missing is available digitally for $10 at Itch.io or through DriveThruRPG. Printed copies are $25, and those can be found at MAllenHall.com, Indie Press Revolution, and a variety of other shops online. We'll include some links in our show notes if you'd like to check it out. So, let's talk a bit about what we thought about the game. On a scale of simple, moderate, or complex, I'd say that this is a simple game to run. For my part, I spent less than 30 minutes reading the book and getting things ready. Thanks to all the scenes that were included, it's possible to run this game with very little prep. A lot of that is because the scenes are presented so nicely. Each one is a single page that provides a bit of description that you can read to the players when they're deciding what scene to pick, a paragraph you can read to set the scene when they arrive, a handful of useful details, what counts as completing the scene, and a suggested reward for getting through it. How would you, how would you rate playing the game?
FinnI would say playing it was pretty simple, because there was no complex spell mechanic or anything like that. You can just roll to cast it whenever you'd like.
RachaelI think it's pretty simple because you don't need a lot, and you don't have to be like super experienced role players to enjoy the game.
DanExcellent.
RachaelWhat do you like about the game?
FinnI like how creative all the different spells are and how there's different ones for like your favorite subject in school. Like there's the math spells and the art spells. I think it's pretty interesting.
DanI'll add that it's very easy to just pick up and play. We played it with Rachael's grandmother who basically did not have experience playing role playing games. It worked out great, so it's something that's very available to people at all levels of experience. I like that game emphasizes giving players hints about what lies down each path of the forest, so that they have something to base their decision on when they're trying to pick which scene to go for. I also enjoyed that some of the scenes have these little connections with each other that are fun to discover. So, like, you found the bone and then later on you found its owner.
FinnMhm.
DanThat kind of thing occurs a few times in those scenes. When it comes to playing the game, I mean, we've already said you don't need a lot of experience, you don't need any experience in order to enjoy playing it, but do you have any suggestions for someone who's about to play it for the first time?
RachaelI would say, don't forget to take advantage of your items, they're definitely sure to be useful, and I know I've definitely forgotten that I've had them a couple of times. What suggestions do you have for someone who is going to run this game for the first time?
DanI would say read through the first part of the book, familiarize yourself with how the scenes are presented but don't worry about reading them all because they are, they are really presented well to be something that you can, you can read on the fly if you want and, and take it from there. Anybody have anything else they'd like to add?
FinnI don't think so.
DanIf you'd like to get in touch with us with a question, comment, or suggestion, you can email us at almostbedtimetheater@gmail. com or find our current social media links at bio.link/almostbedtimetheater.
Actual Play
DanOkay. Let's start by having you introduce your elementary student characters that you're going to be playing today. Who would like to go first?
RachaelOkay, so my name is Shenanigans, I'm an art mage, my spell is frame the shot, and my item is a pogo stick. It's a registered lethal weapon in 37 countries.
DanThe pogo stick?!
RachaelYes! It was my fault, every single one. I
FinnYou've done a lot of traveling, huh?
DanWhat? No, I don't need to know. It's better I don't know.
FinnI don't
RachaelOnce you've reached the third grade of school, you know, you've done a lot of things. You've earned a lot of, um, experience points...
FinnMm hmm.
RachaelAnd you've got a lot of, um, learning still to do. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
DanWhat does frame the shot do?
RachaelUm, it... I can hold my hands up in like a camera, you know, with your, the right angles know, like that. And everything in the frame cannot move out of the frame.
DanAll right. Finn, who will you be playing today?
FinnI will be playing Jupiter, the music sorcerer, and so the spell that I have is called Airhorn, which makes an airhorn.
DanBeautiful. Uh, and what item, hopefully less lethal, are you carrying today?
FinnTwenty five foot hose.
DanNice.
RachaelI don't want to know what you could do with that.
DanI'm sure it will be very helpful somewhere along the line. Okay. You are students at Arbor Haven Magical Elementary School, which sits at the edge of the Enchanted Forest. Aside from learning magic, you also get to learn all the normal school things that children learn, that they also then, promptly forget, during summer vacation. Except for the magic. Everybody remembers their magic lessons. And like most schools, uh, yours has a mascot, but this mascot is not somebody in a silly costume. This mascot is a unicorn. Sprinkles the unicorn. And everybody loves Sprinkles and he loves everybody there. He, um, is always showing up for birthday parties and going to the track meets and just being everywhere and helpful. And it's awesome and wondrous and there's sparkles and everything. But last weekend, he did not show up to any birthday parties. And on Monday,
FinnHe didn't... He didn't go to my clarinet concert.
DanOn Monday, he didn't show up for your clarinet concert. Uh, on Tuesday what did he not show up for, Rachael?
RachaelA big prank on Principal Tootietr uck.
DanPrincipal Elwood.
RachaelYeah, that guy, sure.
DanSo, he
RachaelOh wait, teacher?
DanYes?
RachaelI think you mean prin I think you I think you mean
DanDo you perhaps have a humorous term for Principal Elwood that you would like to share with the
RachaelWho is Principal Elwood? It's Principal It's
DanI think you do! I think you're laughing so hard you can't get it out!
RachaelIt's Principal Elkfood. Excuse you.
FinnI don't even think that's funny.
RachaelI need to write down some good, like, names. Hold on.
DanFor the principal?
RachaelYes! Who else?
DanSo, yes, apparently Sprinkles did not even show up for the big prank on Principal Elwood.
RachaelHow offensive.
DanAnd then on Thursday, the student council brought their concerns up to Principal Elwood, who said that he could not help. And now it's Friday. School is out for the weekend, and no one has seen Sprinkles for a week.
FinnThat's suspicious. What's up with the principal, man?
RachaelI think he's our main suspect.
FinnYeah, write that down, write that down.
RachaelI I am, I am, I am, I am. Yep, yep, yep. Got it. Feeling very official for a third grader right now.
DanSo you have made a decision. If Sprinkles isn't around, there's only one place he could be. You gather your supplies, your 25 feet of hose, and you head for where the school playground meets the forest. Sprinkles is missing, and if Principal Elwood won't help, you'll have to do it on your own.
FinnI think I've got my hair in some, like, braided pigtails. I'm down to business.
DanHa ha ha ha ha!
RachaelYeah, I, I decided to like shave half my hair bald the last summer and the other half is like unbrushed. Who needs to brush their hair? I'm perfect as always, ready for business.
DanThat's got shenanigans written all over it!
RachaelI'm bringing my pogo stick.
FinnOh Boing? You traveling on the pogo stick?
RachaelYeah, totally.
FinnYeah.
RachaelBut it's mostly for like whacking and poking reasons. Yeah.
DanAlright, as you step between the first trees of the forest, without a warning, a voice speaks behind you. It's a familiar adult voice. The principal's voice.
FinnRun.
DanYou spin and see him standing at the edge of the playground with his arms crossed. He says, "What, uh, do you think you're doing?"
RachaelSo, yeah, I'm just gonna be like, "NOTHING!" and waltz into the trees.
FinnThis is how we always walk home. From school, we walk home through the woods. To my house. We're gonna go hang out, have some, have some snacks. I've got a tree house. You could be invited if you really wanted to be, but it's kind of like
RachaelWait, we're inviting Principal Sparkletoot?
DanDid you say Sparkletoot? The little thumbs up as she falls off the chair.
FinnYou're right, he can't come because it's like, it's kind of like a third graders only kind of event, so You little invite the.
RachaelIt's one of those non-spoken rules: you don't invite the principal.
FinnYeah.
DanWell, fun fact, if you're going to try to lie to the principal, you get to roll dice. Let's see how this goes down.
RachaelI am so great at lying. Like I should have a spell for like, instinct convincing.
DanI believe there is one, but you didn't take it. You get to roll two dice. This is a challenging thing.
RachaelIt is so not challenging.
DanIt's the principal of an elementary school. I suspect they have a clue.
RachaelI got a six and a three.
DanOkay. So the way-
RachaelIs he falling over screaming? Is he running back to the school?
FinnHe's probably sad because he's not invited to our treehouse where we're gonna hang out and play games and eat
RachaelThat's a good point.
DanYeah Yeah, yeah, Um, so the way the game works is, uh, you roll the number of dice, the number of six sided dice. You add the two highest values. So if you end up rolling four dice, you pick out the two highest. If you're only rolling two dice, obviously you're just picking the two you've got. If that number is 8 or higher, then you succeed. If it's less than 8, not so much. So, you rolled a 9 there, Rachael. Uh, that is a success. Inexplicably, Principal Elwood believes you.
RachaelI did that well.
DanI think he might be more willing to believe that you two are going to go hang out at the tree house. Jupiter's got a tree house. Okay. Maybe that's not entirely outside of the, uh, the realm of possibility. So he says, "Oh, that sounds like a grand time, grand time. Do watch your step in the forest, then. It can be dangerous. Toodles!
FinnI want to honk my air horn, but I don't want to jeopardize our passage here, so I'm refraining.
DanYou have successfully, managed to-
RachaelAvoided Principal Wrinkleturtle?
DanYes, let's go with that. You are in the forest. Now, the way this will work is, um, in order to reach Sprinkles, you need to successfully complete six scenes in the forest. Each time you, you move past one, you have two paths in the forest that you can take. You have completed your interaction with the principal, and you have moved into the forest. Now you can hear off in one direction, there is a rustle of activity, uh, an old woman's voice and the clucking of chickens. Off the other direction, you can see that the trees thin out a bit, and the sunlight shines on the floor of the forest ahead. Which direction would you like to go?
RachaelOld woman, I want to steal a chicken.
FinnI'm down for chickens.
DanAlright, chicken theft!
RachaelTotally not for nefarious purposes.
DanSays the person whose pogo stick is illegal in 37 countries.
FinnDoes that include this country?
RachaelNo, I think I'd rather not be hunted down by the authorities. Uh, for owning a pogo stick.
FinnSounds good.
DanYou enter a clearing. A hut with a thatched roof stands between two tall dead trees. An old woman is chasing a few chickens around the clearing. They appear to have escaped from the chicken coop next to the hut.
RachaelCan I steal one?
DanAnd just so you're aware, the goal of this scene is to get all of the chickens back in the chicken coop.
RachaelFor how long.
DanUh, just once, I guess.
RachaelHehehehe.
DanSo old woman is there and she's like, "Hey, come back here, you chickens. What are you, chicken?"
RachaelCan I use my frame the shot, and like
FinnOh, and then I could, like, herd them up.
DanThat sounds like a perfect use of your spell to make all the chickens stop so that that way someone could go pick them up and go stick them in the coop.
RachaelAnd then steal them. I honestly don't need a chicken, but I want one.
DanWell, there are, there are two chickens running around that need to be dealt with.
RachaelSo she'd probably notice if one went missing.
FinnWe could ask for a chicken.
RachaelBut where's the fun in truthfulness and honesty?
FinnFair. Good point.
RachaelThank you.
DanWould you, uh, like to use your spell, Shenanigans?
RachaelYes.
DanSo the thing with spells, they always start out where you roll 2 dice. But if you succeed, you get to start adding dice for future attempts. So the more you succeed with your spell, the better you are at it. We're starting then with just 2 dice for shenanigans. You need to roll that 8 or higher on your spell. What you got?
RachaelA four and a five?
DanWould you like to add those together for the younger members of our listening audience?
RachaelA nine. I got a nine in total. Do you want me to say that with more enthusiasm?
FinnYippee!
DanAs enthusiastic as you want.
RachaelYay!
DanAll right. A nine is a success. So you have successfully frozen the chickens in place What is Jupiter doing then? The chickens are frozen. Honestly, uh, the old woman is probably frozen in place too, because she was chasing the chickens.
FinnAm I so what am I doing? Am I taking a chicken and running or what am I doing?
RachaelIt's my chicken now! Ha! Ha!
DanIn theory you were putting the chickens in the chicken coop, but who am I to say?
FinnSo I'm, I'm running in there, grabbing a big handful of chicken, taking them to the coop.
DanThe old woman says, "Oh, thank you very much for catching my chickens." That's a totally different accent. I, I don't, I don't-
RachaelI don't know what you are doing.
DanI don't either, but, but you're doing the right thing, because she's like, "Thank you, thank you."
FinnMaybe she would give us an egg, like a chicken egg,
RachaelEgg! We could toss it! We could toss it at Principal Snort Ox's window!
FinnI was thinking it was going to hatch, but I guess, two options.
RachaelWell, I mean, if you want to take care of a baby chicken, then you do that,
Finnyou you wanted to take care of an adult chicken.
DanHa ha, shifty eyes.
RachaelNo, I didn't. I just wanted a chicken, I wasn't planning ahead, okay?
DanSo the chickens then, very easy to catch, maneuver into the coop at this point, um, the old woman says, uh, my, my name is Beulah I am the witch of this part of the woods. And as a thank you, uh, you know, I was thinking maybe I could teach you a new spell if you want. Uh, or-
FinnI wanted a chicken.
DanOh, you want a chicken?
RachaelNo, we don't want a chicken.
FinnNo, we want, oh wait, a spell-
DanNo, it's fine, I can-
FinnA spell, a spell, a spell.
RachaelA spell, a spell, a
Danyou sure?
RachaelYes.
DanOh, okay, well, what spells would you like to know? That wasn't her.
FinnI was to going to say.
DanThat accent slipped hard.
RachaelIt's like, she's smiling one minute, and then the next she's like, what spells do you want?
DanBeulah is multifaceted and could absolutely teach you all kinds of things.
FinnShe also has chickens.
RachaelYeah, I think I actually want to go with, um, Compelling Jig. You dance a little jig, the person or creature targeted by the spell must dance with you. They can do nothing else as long as you are dancing.
DanThat sounds very shenanigannery
FinnI want bar models, where you summon a bar model from the ground which can be up to ten feet tall.
RachaelWe're becoming kinda frightening third graders.
FinnMm hmm.
DanThis means you have successfully completed your first scene, and you get to move further into the forest. For your next scene selection, off in one direction, you hear the sound of running water. On the other direction, you see a large hole in the ground ahead.
RachaelYou think unicorns jump down holes? Well I do, so you know, I think we should go ahead
FinnMaybe there's bugs in it.
DanThere could be bugs in it.
FinnI like bugs.
DanYou reach the hole. The hole is about 10 feet across. When you get close, a monstrous snake emerges. It sees your group and quickly weaves between the trees in a circle, trapping you.
FinnAre there bugs in there?
DanUh, no bugs that you notice just yet.
FinnI want the podcast listeners to know that I was very sad when there were no bugs in the hole.
RachaelHa!
DanThe snake looks down at you and says, "Hello."
FinnAirhorn!
Dan"You can move out of this part of the forest as soon as you solve my riddle, or better yet, pose an interesting riddle for me."
RachaelCan I make the snake dance?
DanYes, Shenanigans, you could totally attempt to jig the snake.
FinnWell okay, I want to hear the riddle first. I want to hear the riddle first. And then we can have a dance party.
Dan"Oh, you want the riddle, or do you want to give the riddle? Pspspspspspsps"
RachaelI want to the riddle.
Dan"I belong to you and though others use me every day. You rarely do. What am I?"
RachaelA name.
Dan"Ah, man."
FinnCan we still make him dance? I think he would enjoy a little bit of a jig.
RachaelWould you like some dancing?
Dan"Yes?"
Rachaelor, or would you like to give me a, would you like me to give you a riddle?
Dan"Oh, yes. I, I like all the riddles."
RachaelAll right, you can use this on the next person that comes here. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?"
Dan"I don't know.
RachaelDo you give up?
Dan"Yes.
RachaelAn echo. I'm not sure how great that one actually was, but yeah.
DanThe snake's pleased, you know.
FinnCan we still do a dance?
DanTotally can do a dance.
FinnI'm gonna do a dance.
DanDo a little dance. What kinda dance does Jupiter do?
FinnMaybe a little bit of disco.
DanStayin alive, stayin alive.
FinnYeah, running man.
RachaelHold on, hold on, I'll do a, I'll do a, I can do some like, uh, opera singing with my beautiful voice.
DanIs that the trigger for your dance spell? Don't think opera is known for dancing. Think you have a monkey stuck in your throat."
FinnThat made me want to dance.
Dan"I sometimes get monkeys stuck in my throat."
FinnCan we go, like, we solved the riddle, so we, we-
RachaelThat's true, can we go?
DanOh, yes. Yes.
FinnOh, can I ask the snake, can I ask the snake if there are any bugs that would like to be my friend?
DanOh, there's, there's tons of bugs in the hole, deeper in the hole. Yes.
FinnDo you want to go deeper in the hole? I want to go deeper in the hole.
RachaelOkay, okay, okay, okay, okay.
FinnThe hole is basically... it looks like a big snake tunnel,
RachaelAnd we're going in?
DanAs you make your way in, it gets darker and darker and there are bugs. What kind of bug would you like to find?
FinnI want a little green beetle.
DanYou do your best to find a green beetle in the dark. You've definitely got a beetle.
FinnMaybe there's glowing bugs!
DanYou want a glowing bug? Because then you could see where you were going. You find, yes, green glowing beetles, and then you continue on through the tunnel and you come out further in the forest. Off to one side, you hear a distant popping sound and then all is quiet. To the other side, you catch a glimpse of an animal with yellow fur dodging between the trees.
RachaelThat's a unicorn, right? Yellow fur. Unicorns. Always happens. Yep. To the yellow fur! Yay!
FinnLet's go!
RachaelNo objections were made. So, you know.
DanAll right, let me find that scene. You head into the forest, uh, and following the, the flashes of yellow fur. And as you get closer, you realize it's a golden retriever. A couple of you, which is to say, you, realize that the dog is one that belongs to a neighbor and you know the dog's name is Charlie. Charlie is carrying a rather large bone in his mouth. It's, it's like a bone over a foot long. That's what Charlie's got. And Charlie is dodging around in the forest.
RachaelWhat did he...? What, what sort of dark arts is he getting into these days?
FinnNecromancy?
DanThe goal of this scene is to get Charlie to trust you enough that he stays with you. He's apparently a little lost in the forest.
FinnHmm.
RachaelCan I play Tug of War with him with my pogo stick?
DanI'm thinking Charlie's fairly playful. That sounds like a pretty easy thing to do. So you'll be rolling four dice, taking the two highest to see if you can break an eight, to see if you can convince Charlie to play with your pogo stick.
RachaelI got 4 and 4, so that's an 8.
DanSo you kind of lure Charlie in, uh, playing around with the pogo stick. He comes in, he's yapping happily. He drops the bone and he starts like tugging at the end of the pogo stick and yanking around. And he's very happy.
FinnCan I, can I grab the bone? I want to see what's going on with the bone.
DanAbsolutely. It looks like it's a bone from a human. If something had a slight magical tinge to it, how, how would Jupiter notice?
FinnI think when I touched it, it would like tingle my fingertips a little bit.
DanThere you go then, yes, the bone makes your fingertips tingle.
FinnHmm.
DanWhat would you like to do with the bone?
FinnI'm going to put it in there with my, with my 25 feet of hose. I'm going to keep it for later.
DanExcellent. Go ahead and mark that down in your inventory. All right, so you've got Charlie hanging out with you now. He's happy to, to run along with you as you go deeper into the forest. Your next decision you've got, uh, one direction, the forest looks darker than you've seen elsewhere. The other direction you notice someone crouching behind a fallen tree. What would you like to investigate?
RachaelI bet it's the principal. Can we, like, surprise him with Airhorn?
DanSo you'd like to sneak up and air horn whoever's behind this tree?
RachaelI don't care if it's the principal. I don't know why we don't like the principal so much, but maybe he's just assigned us a bunch of detentions.
DanI wonder why.
FinnShenanigans, is a bad influence on me, I'll just say that.
DanShenanigans is a terrible influence!
RachaelI mean, totally, like, the entire goal. Isn't that why we're playing this game?
FinnBut he didn't, he didn't want to investigate for Sprinkles.
RachaelYeah. He's so sus!
DanSo question: are you going to make your way up and figure out who's behind the tree? Or are you just going to jump out in an air horn first?
RachaelGonna air horn. Air horn.
DanYep. Okay.
FinnAirhorn first, questions later!
RachaelThat's how you win somebody's trust, quick.
FinnYeah.
DanIt is. It is. You know what? I'm just going to let this happen. Okay Jupiter. Can you please describe for us what it is you do?
FinnSo I come leaping over the log, land, arm up, finger in the air, very important, hand on the hip, and just, Airhorn.
DanAnd the, uh, the person behind the log who is not in fact Principal Elwood flies into the air, all arms and legs going every direction. And you recognize them as Jules. She is, uh, one of the high school students.
FinnHave they lost any bones recently? Because I've got one.
DanShe is still trying to catch her breath enough to reply, but she seems to have all her limbs.
FinnObvious limbs.
DanObvious limbs. Uh, eventually she is able to talk and she says, "I got scared by a bear and ran away, but forgot my backpack, and when I came back to look for it, it was gone. I think the bear took it because it was full of snacks."
RachaelOoh, I like snacks.
FinnWhy are you here?
DanOh, I was practicing magic.
RachaelI thought it was a forbidden forest.
DanUh, less forbidden and more foreboding, I guess.
RachaelLike, I'm just gonna stage whisper, they're sus.
DanAnd she says, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to get my backpack from the bear's cave?"
FinnWhat do we get in return, though?
RachaelYeah, are we getting paid for this?
FinnSnacks? Do we get, do we get some snacks?
DanI, I suppose I could give you a snack.
RachaelDo you have nachos?
DanOh, yeah. There's like a whole can of nachos in there.
FinnHmm.
RachaelHey, Let's go find this bear before they eat my nachos.
FinnYeah, let's go.
DanJules points the way to the bear cave and you make your way there. You hear some deep gravelly snores coming from within. What's your plan?
FinnPogo stick?
RachaelAnd poke the bear?
FinnYeah. It doesn't seem great, does it?
RachaelLet's just go in without a plan and see what happens.
DanOkay, no plan it is. Uh, you enter the cave. It's dark and humid and the air smells of popcorn breath. And there at the back of the cave is a great big bear. It's a sleep. It has one paw curled around what appears to be a slightly mauled backpack.
RachaelCan I do a Compelling Jig and make them dance while we steal the backpack?
FinnYou, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, you dance, I go running in there, grab the backpack and take off. Then you can, uh, deal with, uh.
RachaelWhat kind of bear is this and could we climb a tree to escape it? Because I'm fairly certain there's a type of bear that doesn't climb trees. I don't remember what kind it was.
FinnRed next to black, you're in danger, Jack. What? I don't know, that's snakes.
RachaelThere's a rhyme.
FinnRed sky in morning, sailors take warning.
DanBecause there's a bear on your ship?!
RachaelIf it's brown, lay down. If it's black, fight back. Oh gosh, if it's white, goodnight.
FinnGood night!
RachaelYeah.
DanI am so glad that we get to have a science question to answer every time we play. Um, from what I'm seeing black, brown, and grizzly bears are good climbers.
FinnBut maybe this one isn't. Maybe this one has a bit of a skill issue.
RachaelIs it a polar bear because they don't climb trees?
FinnPolar bear. Polar bear. Cannot climb trees.
DanThat's that's a solid point. Uh, but I'm thinking it's unlikely a polar bear is what's living in the depths of the forest.
FinnThat's fair. If I was a bear, what would I do, hypothetically, when confronted with bar models?
DanThat sounds like a, uh, a scientifically testable hypothesis to me.
FinnAnd If that and if that doesn't work, we're close enough to the entrance to tell if it's brown or black, and then we can either lay down or fight back.
DanAll right. So what kind of jig is Shenanigans going to make the bear do?
RachaelI'm gonna do the tango, I think.
FinnWe're going to have a boogie.
RachaelThat's a partner dance, right?
DanIt's uh, it's rather famously a dance that takes two, yes. Which means you and the bear...
RachaelNo, I think, you know, okay,
DanIs there a dance that you'd like to use that doesn't require holding hands with a bear?
RachaelSure, I'll do the Macarena.
FinnHey, Macarena!
DanSince this is the first time that you have used Compelling Jig, you're going to be rolling just two dice.
FinnUh oh.
RachaelOkay, I got a 5 and a 1...
DanA six. Well, the good news is that this game offers some options if you don't succeed.
RachaelA, getting eaten by a bear. D, wait, B, uh, getting eaten by a bear. C, getting eaten by a bear.
FinnWe only get eaten if it's white.
RachaelOh, right. Is it brown, or, what, what kind of bear is this?
DanThis is a healthy-looking brown bear.
RachaelAlright, we gotta play dead.
FinnGo ahead. Wait, is it awake? Did your spell wake it up? Your spell
RachaelIs it awake?
FinnI don't know if it is awake.
DanIt's not fully awake, but it's definitely starting to wake up. That said, if you decide to retry this and, and this time use an item or get help from a friend, you can roll again.
RachaelSure, I'll do a pogo stick and dancing.
FinnDo you want me to start beatboxing?
RachaelBeatboxing, yes.
DanLike. Cats in boots and cats and boots and cats.
RachaelNo, it's bears and cats and bears and cats and bears Totally elevated it. I got a five and a six!
FinnI'm picturing the pogo stick like a cane, and you're like,
RachaelI mean I was kind of thinking I was bouncing up and down with the beat, while doing the Macarena. Note my skills.
DanSo you start bouncing and dancing and beatboxing and you see the bear's shoulders start to go up and down with the beat, and then its hips start bouncing with the beat, and it wakes all the way up and stands up on its back legs and starts doing the Macarena!
FinnMar mar carina.
RachaelThat's really cute. Steal the backpack.
FinnOkay, I'm grabbing the bag.
RachaelStill beatboxing the whole time?
FinnWell, yeah. Ha ha.
RachaelBears and cats
FinnHa
RachaelEveryone who is a great beatboxer listening going like, "Oh my goodness."
DanOkay. You have the bag of snacks and a dancing bear. What's the plan?
FinnShall I throw up my, um, my bar models?
RachaelYeah, do the bar model.
FinnThis is my first roll. Oh, that one's on the floor. Got a six and a one. By the way, by the way, this makes seven.
RachaelCan you incorporate the bone into, Incorporate the bone into it?
FinnWould a bear chew on a bone?
DanI'm going to say yes, the bear would be interested in the bone. Do you want to roll to distract it that way instead of using the, the bar models?
FinnYeah.
DanLet's call that a standard difficulty. So you get three dice plus one more for using the bone.
FinnOoh, four and four, that's eight.
DanThe bear's eyes lock on the bone as it sails past. Shenanigans lets the dancing spell drop, the bear heads right over to check out its new snack, and you book it out of the cave where you find Jules nervously waiting for you.
RachaelI've already taken the nachos out and I'm eating them.
DanJules is very happy to get what remains of her backpack. And she's like, "So, what are you two doing all the way out here in, you know, the forest?"
RachaelThat's not for you to know
Finnyeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's funny that this high schooler just had two third graders, like, save her stuff.
DanIs there anything else that you'd like to do before you continue on your way?
FinnYeah. I wanna do a creepy little laugh and then walk away backwards, like, staring at her. Can we do that?
DanSure you can do that.
FinnYeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
DanAnd so it is you leave behind a slightly disturbed Jules. And with Charlie in tow, head deeper into the forest. One, uh, option you have is that you can head toward a clearing where there appears to be something low and wide filling the center of the clearing. In the other direction, you can see a man in the distance pulling on what looks like a very large rock.
RachaelIt's a unicorn.
DanIt's a unicorn, which one?
RachaelThe low and wide thing.
DanAnd you want to investigate this low, wide unicorn.
FinnThat's, that's, that's okay with me. I think, um, Jupiter will listen to what you say and just be like, okay. That makes sense to me. Unicorn. All right.
DanWhat you find when you reach the edge of the clearing is a ring of oversized white mushrooms. Each mushroom is about knee-high and there are 16 of them making up this ring that's like 20 feet in diameter. In the center of the ring is a wooden box that's a big enough that one of you could stand on it. And just so you know, the goal of this scene is to get what's in that box.
RachaelSo is it like...
FinnThis seems deceptive.
Rachaelum,
FinnI'm thinking like a fairy circle.
RachaelCould we like take a stick and toss it in there?
DanCertainly.
RachaelAll right, I wanna do that.
DanYou find a nice stick and you toss it in. It lies there.
FinnLike, what is the thing about fairy circles where they like, they make you dance or something, like you can't stop dancing?
DanTell you what, if you would like to try and recall that lesson from your Forest Safety class, that will be a role with three dice.
FinnOh, I got a five and a five.
DanGreat. Uh, you remember that stepping on the ground inside of fairy circle will make you fall asleep.
RachaelWhat if, what if you run inside the fairy circle? Instead of just stepping inside it?
DanThen you get to fall asleep at speed. Uh, probably face first.
FinnDo you think I could lasso, the box with my 25 foot hose?
DanI think you could do that.
FinnOkay.
DanI'm going to say that, uh, that you get two dice for this, but because you're using your item, that's an extra die.
FinnOoh, six and a five. Eleven. Yee haw!
DanAnd with a big yank, you drag the box all the way to the edge of the ring.
FinnDo I Get to keep my hose? I get to have my hose back, right?
DanYep. And inside the box are two more items, so go ahead and roll on the items table to see what you found.
Rachael6 5
FinnI got a kite. 6 5, first aid kit. Do you want a kite? We can trade.
RachaelWhat was a 5 6?
FinnMm, a bar of soap. You're not big on bath time?
RachaelI'll take a bar of soap. Could make somebody trip on that.
DanNow you only need to get through one more scene, to complete one more scene to reach Sprinkles. Do you want to head for the sound of someone crying loudly, or towards the distant howl of a wolf?
RachaelLet's go make the person having a bad day have a better day.
DanYou got it. Uh, you follow the sound and what you discover is a skeleton sitting on a log and crying.
RachaelHave they lost a bone?
DanThey have indeed. You can clearly see that it is missing its left femur. That's its, its thigh bone.
FinnHere's the issue. So, so, there was a bear, and, and, the bone,
RachaelThe bone!
FinnThe bear, the bear,
RachaelThe bear.
FinnI'm sure you could go get it.
RachaelDon't we have the bone? I thought you had the bone.
FinnI threw it at the bear.
RachaelOh, and we need to get the bone to pass this?
DanTechnically, you just need to help the skeleton be able to walk again. Uh, if you had the bone, it would be easy peasy since you don't, you're gonna need to get innovative.
RachaelDon't tell me he wants my pogo stick.
FinnWould he like, would he like 25 feet of hose?
RachaelCan we scour the area for a really big sticks?
DanAbsolutely. That sounds like an easy thing to do out here with all these trees, so go ahead and roll four dice for me.
RachaelOkay, cool. I got 4 and 4 so that is an 8
DanOh, you find out very nice stick that's the perfect size and looks quite, uh, aesthetically pleasing as a thighbone. And you get the skeleton all set up with it, and he's like, "Yarrr, that be a most excellent leg. Now, where might I be finding that bear you mentioned?"
RachaelI don't want him to hurt the bear! What are you gonna do to the bear?
DanOh, I'll just be going to, you, you know, hug it out with, with the bear. Very friendly, like, as you do."
RachaelAlright, I'll I'll point it in the direction of the bear.
Dan"Now, I suppose I be owing you, uh, a token of, thanks for this fine new leg here. Uh, what would you say to each of you learning a new spell?"
FinnI want forgery. ha
RachaelOh gosh, I don't know. I probably would have gone with forgery as well. Wireless speaker, that's what I want.
DanVery good. So armed with the new superpowers of forgery and wireless speakers, you March off, once more into the forest. And this time you come to a clearing, at the center of which is a tall gray stone tower with this walled off garden off to one side and coming out of the front door of the tower is a, is a middle-aged man in a dark gray robe with a, a matching pointy hat, and right behind him is Sprinkles.
FinnSo, what's up with this guy? Did he steal he steal our unicorn?
DanWhoever he is, he seems to be on good terms with Sprinkles. He says some parting words to the unicorn who prances over to you and is ever so happy to see you.
RachaelUm, I think we just need to like tell Sprinkles, like, do you realize you've been gone for like a week and everybody's freaking out and Principal Food Truck did nothing?
FinnHe missed my clarinet concert.
RachaelYou missed the clarinet concert. How could you? And you missed the huge prank on Principal What's His Name!
DanSprinkles is so very sorry that he missed the concert and the prank, but he's been here visiting his friend Graham, who has been helping him dye his amazing mane rainbow colors. It is such a big project. It takes like a whole week to get it done.
RachaelYou're telling me I've been lied to my whole life and it hasn't always been a rainbow?!
DanOh, heavens no, unicorn manes are white.
RachaelI will never trust anyone again, Sprinkles. Especially not you. This is a lie, I will trust you again next week, but, yeah, give me time, I'm processing some emotions right here.
FinnSprinkles, would you like a clarinet solo?
DanSprinkles would love a clarinet solo.
FinnAs soon as I get my clarinet, it's in the band room right now, so we have to go back to the school, but, then I can play my clarinet.
DanAnd it's at this point that Graham cheerfully waves his hand and POOF you are all magically teleported back to the school playground where Principal Elwood is waiting. He greets Sprinkles knowingly and says, "Welcome back, welcome back and congratulations on a most impressive, if risky journey through the forest."
RachaelSo, Principal Bald Whisker knew about this the whole time, and didn't say anything to the student council? I will raise this with the authorities. I am angry. He doesn't get any of my nachos. No.
FinnWe got lost on the way to my treehouse.
DanAnd a wonderful, wonderful tree house it is, I am certain" And then with a little smile, he wishes you a nice weekend and vanishes into thin air. "Toodles!" And that's where we're going to call it. Congratulations on making it through Sprinkles is Missing! And that's our show on Sprinkles is Missing! If it sounded like fun, you can find it at Itch.io, DriveThruRPG, MAllenHall.com, and multiple other online shops. You can also find M. Allan Hall on Instagram and Threads as M_Allan_Hall. Our intro and outro themes were created by McRoMusic. Links to their work are available in our show notes. Thanks again for listening and have a good night. Okay, so you are students at Arbor Haven Magical Elementary School, which is the school that sits at the edge of the Enchanted Forest.
RachaelHe he he.
DanAnd, aside from teaching magic, I am so worried about Shenanigans. Not for, about.
FinnI'm like, Jupiter is like, you can't sit him next to the shenanigan child because he starts acting up.
DanYes, Shenanigans?
RachaelI need to go to the bathroom.
DanNo you don't.
RachaelYes, I do! I'm gonna pee my pants!
DanThen you better hurry, you're about to go to the forest. There's no bathrooms in the Forest.
RachaelI'll be right back then, hold on.
DanOkay. Okay.