episode 27 – arcadia: the wyld hunt

*90s intensifies* as we do an exploration of the brief-lived but fairly-beloved Changeling tie-in CCG, Arcadia: the Wyld Hunt. With a base set released in August 1996, and a single expansion (King Ironheart's Madness) in November of that year, the game was canceled before its third set (The Lion's Den) could follow in 1997. But given the collapse of the market at that time, it's not really something we can hold the company entirely to blame for...

This is technically not a Changeling game, per se. It's set in Arcadia, has its own metaplot, and offers a fairly distinctive kind of experience: one part modular board game, one part competitive treasure hunt, one part deckbuilding, one part exercise in frustration. There's a six-sided die somewhere in there. Overall, it has a similar mood and some shared concepts, and lots of the same artists, but it's really its own thing. To help us navigate the particulars, we've enlisted Charlie Cantrell of Radio Free Arcadia as Grand High Explanator. (Aside from being a credentialed collector and player of the card game, Charlie also adapted some of those unique features from the CCG into Kiths of Arcadia, a supplement available on the Storytellers' Vault.)

So, give a listen as we explore—but do not (yet) attempt to actually play—this semi-forgotten piece of the Changeling universe...

links and things!

The usual assortment of links for the podcast:

• Discord: https://discord.gg/SAryjXGm5j
• Email: podcast@changelingthepodcast.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/changelingthepodcast
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/changelingcast

And then, some places where you can find Charlie and his work:

• Twitter: @PookaKnight
• Facebook: Radio Free Arcadia for more info about the latest projects from Charlie and his team
• Kiths of Arcadia on the Storytellers' Vault: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/299635?affiliate_id=3063731
• Harbingers of Winter, a supplement on Thallain and Dauntain and Fomorians (oh my!): https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/388455?affiliate_id=3063731
• Charlie's homebrew conversion guide to 5th Edition for Changeling can be found here

Lastly, we can't stress enough the helpfulness of the In Arcadia WordPress site, https://arcadiaccg.wordpress.com/, where there's much information about the rules, the cards, the history of the game, and thoughts from fans. Check it out, why don'tcha?

...

unboxing!

After getting their hands on some packs of cards, Pooka decided to have a small "unboxing" session (which was really an "unboostering," with no actual box involved). This image gallery feature probably won't work anywhere except on the website proper, but... let's give it a whirl and see what happens.

...

your hosts

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun/Garou) prefers the Rage CCG variant where players have to eat the cards they destroy, also while screaming. Pooka G (any pronoun/Platoon) would truthfully rather be a colony of good-natured tardigrades than something as pedestrian as ants.

And see not ye that bonny road, Which winds about the fernie brae? That is the road to fair Elfland, Where you and I this night maun gae. —Traditional, "Thomas the Rhymer"