History Podcast / CRITICALHIT

** Trelle: Uses two types of weapons; either [[CoolSword longswords]], or [[ArcherArchetype bows]].

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's Randus. Not Randice, Randis, or Randace. Also, it's The Thing That Shatters the Sky, not He Who Shatters the Sky.
** Halston Thorqelson's nickname is spelled T-O-R-Q.
** Notably it's not just the fans who mess these up. Stephen's descriptions have contained both of these errors.

** Ket: A [[WhipItGood Whip]], fitting his status as a swashbuckling rogue.

* FiveManBand:
** TheLeader: Orem
** TheLancer: Ket
** TheSmartGuy: Randus
** TheBigGuy: Torq
** TheChick: Trelle
** TeamPet: Randus' assistant and Ket's imp.

* FiveManBand:
** TheLeader: Orem
** TheLancer: Ket
** TheSmartGuy: Randus
** TheBigGuy: Sekhar
** TheChick: Little Sparkle
** TeamPet: Randus' assistant and Ket's imp.
*** Called out in episode 372, when they just reached 11 party members with all the [=NPCs=] that suddenly joined. Matthew declared Ket the SixthRanger, and challenged us to work out the rest.

[[folder:Season 6: Devilish Research]]
* FiveManBand:
** TheLeader: Orem
** TheLancer: Ket
** TheSmartGuy: Randus
** TheBigGuy: Sekhar
** TheChick: Little Sparkle
** TeamPet: Randus' assistant and Ket's imp.
*** Discussed in episode 465, they agree Ket is always the SixthRanger, Randus is TheSmartGuy, Little Sparkle isn't TheChick, and they don't have a leader.
[[/folder]]

* BadassFamily: The Rivendorn/Grayborn family from which Orem hails. Both of his parents and his sister are extremely competent spellcasters, and that is to be the case for the generations before him. This is the [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority reason]] why the family name carries some weight.

** Torq: A [[AnAxeToGrind Great Axe]], fitting his status as TheBigGuy.

* AnAxeToGrind: Torq's WeaponOfChoice is a Great Axe.

* WeaponOfChoice: Each of the player characters has at least one.

The Major Spoilers crew sits down to play [[{{TabletopGame/FUDGE}} FATE Accelerated]] for a couple sessions (Episodes 289-305). They come up with "Modern City", a planned community full of [[{{Superhero}} superheros]].

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Professor Disaster King.

* HealingFactor: One of the side effects of Smith's... [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent issues]] is that he regenerates while bloodied in battle. A misreading of the rules in an early fight caused it to go UpToEleven for that fight, rendering him nigh-unkillable. Various monsters the party encounters also have regenerative capabilities

* BodyHorror: Gets turned UpToEleven in this season, [[Squick much to Matthew's chagrin]].

** Smith: [[KnifeNut Daggers]], though he doesn't fit the trope as he uses them to channel his magic rather than cut people.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: This game was experimentally recorded completely in "binural audio", and thus includes none of their usual remote players and all of the table sounds that normally get scrubbed from the audio. Some have said this adds to the errie atmosphere of the game.

*** Discussed in episode 465, they agree Ket is always the SixthRanger, Randus is the SmartGuy, Little Sparkle isn't TheChick, and they don't have a leader.

* AnimatedAdaptation: The party's antics have inspired several of these from fans, most notably the famous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMsUKBqtK9w "Pupkin Incident"]] from Season 4.

This page is for a SpinOff of the Major Spoilers {{Podcast}}, in which the hosts and a couple of their friends play in a 4th Edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign. The team is made up of gamers who are completely new to Dungeons and Dragons, those who have been playing since Third Edition, and even one guy who’s been playing since the AD&D days.

The main campaign is called the "Void Saga", which follows a RagtagBunchOfMisfits as they try to stop a group of [[EldritchAbomination Insane Gods]] from invading their plane of existence. The main campaign started at level 1 and has run for roughly eight years on and off. It will conclude with the end of Season 6 with the party nearing level 30. See below for more info on it specifically.

The podcast will occasionally answer listener questions about D&D or tabletop games in general. Between seasons, they will often run other game systems besides D&D 4e. Stephen and Rodrigo have created a set of podcasts which focus on Game Mastering 101(Episodes 58-62).

The show itself is a delightful pastiche of learn-by-example play, nerd humor and old-time radio serials. It is a great way to introduce people to ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 4th Editions and [[TabletopRPG Role Playing Games]], enjoyable to both old and new players or people just interested in a good fantasy story.

You can find the episodes [[http://www.majorspoilers.com/media/criticalhit.xml here,]] or download them from iTunes.

!!This Series Provides Examples Of:

*** Called out in episode 372, when they just reached 11 party members with all the NPCs that suddenly joined. Matthew declared Ket the SixthRanger, and challenged us to work out the rest.

* TropesAreTools: Referenced by name several times (especially by Matthew) in the question and answer sessions.

Dr. Brad is the GM for a TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu game (Episodes 382-390), set in Hollywood during TheRoaringTwenties. The PCs recieve a telegram from their Uncle Greyson asking them to meet him in Hollywood, but when they arrive, they're met by police asking if they can identify a body...

Dr. Brad is the GM for a TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu game.
* BedlamHouse: Set in TheRoaringTwenties, this was the best they had for psychiatric treatment.
* CircusBrat: Rob and Amanda's characters.

* ShowWithinAShow: Stephan produced several clips of radio news programs and advertisements set in the Modern City setting, and put these at the start of almost every episode of this miniseries.

[[folder:Off Season: Modern City]]
The Major Spoilers crew sits down to play [[{{TabletopGame/FUDGE}} FATE Accelerated]] for a couple sessions. They come up with "Modern City", a planned community full of [[{{Superhero}} superheros]].

* RunningGag: Torq jumping out windows.
** "Uhhhhh, funnelcake?"
** "Listen to these pods I have cast!"

* BadassNormal: Torq definitely counts, being nothing more than incredibly tough and strong in a party of magic users. [[spoiler: At least initially, until he multiclasses into a cleric and becomes a magic user in his own right]]. Trelle also qualifies.

* GoodWithNumbers: Rob (and by extension Ket) definitely is, and correcting the math of the other players is what he does.

* HurricaneOfPuns: Orem.

* InnocentBystanders: Sometimes present during the fights, and add an additional complication. If they are present, expect at least a couple to get eaten.

--> Innkeeper: "Sorry, that was my lampshade going off...."
* LargeHam: Matthew, Torq's player, is this 9/10ths of the time. Stephen also qualifies when playing Orem, and ESPECIALLY as a DM. GM Rodrigo has been known to ham it up a bit with some [=NPCs=].
* NeverLiveItDown: Even over 200 episodes later they keep bringing up trying to diplomacise the horses during an early skill challenge.
* PreviouslyOn: "Last time on Critical Hit."
* RulesLawyer: Rob is a LawfulNeutral example, pointing out all the rules that apply, all of them, whether it is to the benefit of the party or not.

* [[PromotedFanboy Promoted Fangirl]]: Adriana listened to Critical Hit a lot before she was invited onto the show by Rodrigo in season 4. The guys often joke about the extensive notes that she has on previous episodes, and she usually recalls details the other players have long forgotten.

The plot of the main campaign (called the "Void Saga") follows a RagtagBunchOfMisfits as they try to stop The Void, a group of [[EldritchAbomination Insane Gods]], from invading their plane of existence. The first and second seasons had them racing to keep the [[ColonyDrop Moon from smashing into the Earth]], and in the third season, they've been recruited by a [[CelestialBureaucracy Higher Power]] to help cleanse a part of the Astral Sea of the remaining Lunar Monsters. For the fourth season, the party heads to the Feywild, Orem's home plane, in order to restore the balance that was upset by the unnatural lunar activity of previous seasons. The fifth season has them take a detour to the Southern Continent after they discover there's more to their world than just their batch of planes.

The group includes [[SquishyWizard Orem Rivendorn]] of the Eladrin, [[BigGuy Halston Thorkelson aka "Torq"]], [[GadgeteerGenius Randus du Thane]], and [[MysteriousPast Smith the Sorcerer]], [[spoiler:who has since been replaced by]] [[LoveableRogue Ket H'zard]] the Half-Elf Warlock. In Season Four, they're joined by an elf ranger, [[ForestRanger Trelle]]. Season five sees them joined by [[BirdPeople Little Sparkle]] and Sekhar Obleea [[spoiler:replacing Torq and Trelle.]]

The podcast will occasionally answer listener questions. Between seasons, they will often run other game systems. Stephen and Rodrigo have created a set of podcasts which focus on Game Mastering 101, with its own set of characters (Episodes 58-62).

[[hardline]]

[[folder:General]]
* AchievementInIgnorance: The only thing Torq is trained to do is fight. However, Matthew often rolls incredibly high on skill checks, so this is the result.
* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: The game master put the party through it several times in How The Other Half Lives and How The Other Third Lives segments, each time providing them with the characters that differed from their main ones in key aspects.

* [[PromotedFanboy Promoted Fangirl]]: Adriana listened to Critical Hit a lot before she was invited onto the show by Rodrigo in season 4. The guys often joke about the extensive notes that she has on previous episodes, and she usually recalls details the other players have long forgotten.
* AdventureFriendlyWorld: The world is being attacked by insane extraterrestrial gods, who send their monstrous creations to attack, as well as having built towers on the Earth and the moon to draw them together. And even after ''that's'' been dealt with, there are plenty of quests they're needed for.
* AllThereInTheManual: Rodrigo was kind enough to do exit interviews after each arc. ( [[http://www.majorspoilers.com/critical-hit-first-arc-exit-interview Season 1&2]], [[http://majorspoilers.com/2012/02/03/critical-hit-season-3-exit-interview/ Season 3]], [[http://majorspoilers.com/2014/10/31/critical-hit-lords-feywild-exit-interview/ Season 4]], [[http://majorspoilers.com/2018/03/07/critical-hit-legacy-of-ghosts-exit-interview/ Season 5]]) He also answers questions about Critical Hit in the same forum, and has a series of world building articles posted [[http://majorspoilers.com/critical-hit/critical-hit-world-building/]]

* AnAxeToGrind: Torq's WeaponOfChoice is a Great Axe.
* BadassNormal: Torq definitely counts, being nothing more than incredibly tough and strong in a party of magic users. [[spoiler: At least initially, until he multiclasses into a cleric and becomes a magic user in his own right]]. Trelle also qualifies.
* BagOfHolding: Technically, the gang has a Handy Haversack, but it's basically a bag of holding in backpack form.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Torq is a half orc fighter with almost no skills... except killin' things. In this he excels.

* CampStraight: Orem often falls into this, with him paying close attention to his appearance, and the softness of his hair.
* CantArgueWithElves: Stephen constantly plays Orem as disdainful of Elves and condescending towards all non-Eladrin. No one seems to be disturbed by this. This is explained early in the show as a hypertrophied version of the trope when Rodrigo describes the Eladrin to Stephen for the first time: "Eladrin are to regular elves as elves are to humans."

* CombatMedic: Randus, who has a Magitek crossbow and some offensive spells.

* CutscenePowerToTheMax: Whenever the party successfully deals with the monsters as a part of skill challenge

* DumbMuscle: Torq.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The party is tasked with averting this on at least 2 separate (though related) occasions.
* ForScience: Evoked by Randus occasionally, and The Queen's Rebellious Daughter.
* FriendlyFireproof: Averted viciously, as per TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons rules. Torq in particular has lost count of how many times he was set on fire by his allies, but he is far from the only one to be on the receiving end of an ally's area of effect spell.
** Interestingly, Sekhar joined the Critical Hit crew with a hefty [[GenreSavvy fire immunity]].
* GameMaster: Rodrigo.
** In the off seasons: Stephen, Brian, Sam, and Rob.

* GadgeteerGenius: Randus and Thony.

* GunboatDiplomacy: Ket employs Torq as his support in this from time to time when trying to get information from others.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Ket is a Half-Elf, and Torq is a 3/4 Orc (his mother was a full Orc and his father a Half-Orc).
* HealingPotion: It is a Dungeons and Dragons game, after all. Potions seem less potent than the characters' own healing abilities, though

* InSeriesNickname: Introducing the Torqletones!
* IndyPloy: The Torqletones are really just making it up as they go along.

* LastNameBasis: Ket usually addresses the characters by their last name while giving orders in battle, in a marked contrast with everybody referring to the party by their first names in other situations.
-->Ket: "Thorkelson, hit it with a axe!" (too many times to count)

* LeeroyJenkins: Torq has pulled this once or twice.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Orem, in spades.
* MagicKnight: Orem is steadily moving in this direction, even though he remains relatively squishy.
* {{Magitek}}: While not ubiquitous throughout the setting, there is definitely some of this stuff, from Randus' crossbow and familiar to The Exilarchy of Cogs.
* {{Malaproper}}: Torq malaprops multisyllabic words at LEAST once an episode.
* MrFixit: Randus has to retool a lot of stuff, including himself which crosses over with his role as CombatMedic - just with spanners as well as syringes.

* OurMonstersAreDifferent: GM Rodrigo loves taking monsters from the books and changing what they look like in order to give them an EldritchAbomination feel.
* OverlyLongName: "Sekhar Avata-Sokichi of Obleea, Lord Baron in absentia of The Shores..."
* PowerFist: Randus early on loses an arm and replaces it with a metal one, it becomes his melee weapon.

* ProfessionalGambler: Ket, [[spoiler:who gets his powers by gambling for souls]]. Aside of the magical applications, gambling is his favourite pastime, but he is not addicted to it and is exceptionally good at it.
* ProudScholarRace: The Eladrin of the Feywild, or downright snotty in the case of young graduate Orem Rivendorn.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Many [=NPCs=] qualify, especially Bao Bel Bina, who functions as a helpful and competent handler for the player characters through the majority of the 3rd season.
* RobotBuddy: Randus's assistant and Thony's raven.

* TalkingWeapon: One of Orem's swords, that he never uses ([[spoiler:well, until he has to]]). Because all it does is tell him to kill his friends.