B016 Interview with Celeste Conowitch

> "*If somebody wants to do something cool, and the rules wont allow for it, just let them do the cool thing. Why not? I'm excited that somebody gets to flip off a chandelier. They're excited. The Chandelier's excited.*"
> ― Celeste Conowitch
>
>

**Interview with Celeste Conowitch** is the sixteenth bonus episode of Queens of Adventure.

## Summary

Around the Mic:

* DM Mat
* DM Celeste Conowitch

DM Matt interviews fellow Game master of Dungeons and Dragons podcasts Celeste Conowitch.

Celeste is known for the shows Venture Maidens, DMNastics, Mistress of Mods, and DNDCommuniTea. She has been a player of DnD for 10 years, and the last four years in the podcast world with Venture Maidens. Recently she has started writing modules, after having written fantasy stories since childhood.

Matt asks her about favorite moments in the game. As she has mostly been a DM, and not as much a player, it is when her players get really excited that stand out to her. In one four year long campaign, this massive battle against an evil race was beginning and a player recalled a Wish spell from one of their first sessions and used it to wipe out the evil race. The party went so far as to write out the specific wording of the wish to prevent loopholes, thus upending all of the planning Celeste had done. She had to take a break, figure out how to finish off that session and then she could reinvent her storyline before the next session. Matt recalls the queens adding things to the map, including the bifrost to get them to the main quest.

Celeste finds playing in person with everyone more nerve wracking then her usual streaming with everyone in their own homes. Matt agrees he still feels nervous every day that they are going to play. There is a bit of magic to when the DM says the first words to call up the game. Celeste compares it to theater.

She explains her BA in theater helps her a lot with her life in gaming. The history and mythology she learned from classic theater creates a great base for Dungeons and Dragons. Matt talks about how his public speaking course in film school has helped.

For many years, her campaigns were home brew, and it has only been recently Celeste has begun to learn more about the official world of D&D. She has enjoyed beginning to bring that into her games, but also pulpier aspects like romance, or Shakespearean tragedy elements. Her most recent game adapted the Green Knight, and she loves to do one off monster of the week campaigns against classic monsters. Matt admits to using Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock elements. She also loves complicated villains with understandable motivations.

Matt brings up how were both at D&D's recent "The Descent" event in Los Angeles, and how amazing a hag character introduced there was. They both agree about wanting to use a Neil Gaiman concept in a story some day, before nerding out about Neil Gaiman adaptations. Celeste admits to unintentionally bringing in elements of Dragon Age and Call of Cthulu into games.

Transitioning to Venture Maidens, Celeste explains she knew all of the players before the game, and taught them all how to play D&D. When teaching people to play, she starts with the characters. She has people pick species via asking them to browse the artwork in the player handbook. Then she talks tropes of the classes, and once someone gets excited about a combination she'll go more in depth. Celeste also suggests new players bring someone new to join them and to play with one experienced player to help. When starting, start small with a simple encounter with a few hooks. Then you can cater future adventures based around what the group chooses to do (talk, fight, steal, etc). The first few sessions wont really be the DM's since the new players will be finding their way. And ask players what they like too.

Having loved the Eladdrin fairy race from D&D fourth edition, she has built a continent dominated by them and built up the lore of that world and how their society would work. It showcases the complicated settings she loves.

Matt asks her about her Pinterest boards, full of fantasy imagery. She was inspired by writer Ashley Warren's mood boards. So these pinterest boards are full of things that inspire Celeste, and can help inspire her writing. Celeste does the same with books of mythology and nature scenes.

Talking about characters , Celeste tells about Rem, a character who has shown up in all of Celeste's worlds over the years in some form or fashion. She also recently played a stereotypical charismatic male bard she had been dying to play for years, and Matt brings up Charismo Collins. She says you shouldn't be afraid of tropes, but embrace and explore the why of them. Celeste has the hardest time playing more maternal characters, whereas Matt loves those. He also brings up Old Man Rufus and the source of his voice.

As someone who played mostly D&D 3.5 edition, switching to 5e was difficult, as she would get things wrong a lot. She has learned to forgive herself. They both also recognize they are telling stories for an audience so they will bend the rules to accommodate. Occasionally players take advantage of that. In Mistress of Modules, a lot of people will try to take advantage of the Rule of Cool. Sometimes you have to say no, Celeste says. Matt talks about the abuse of shape water, including trying to rust a suit of armor.

Celeste loves dungeon crawls, with endless puzzles. Sadly she has read through Tomb of Annihilation, so she can't play it, and her players aren't as interested in that stuff. Matt says that can be hard in a live show as it often involves a lot of thinking time for players.

Switching to D&D events, Celeste says she varies her habits based on the event. Upcoming GenCon tends to be more hanging with her podcasting friends and support others. She has a standing policy to always say yes to charity streams. But a lot of con travel can be hard. Matt says even PAX West in his backyard can be a lot.

Matt brings up the changes to D&D over the last forty years, including old ads for the game he found in a newspaper archive. Celeste saw similar ones in an Art book. Over the years the game has opened up a lot, become more diverse in terms of who is playing it, despite the essentials remaining the same. Fifteen years ago, people would stare at her at gaming conventions or gaming stores. Now the visibility of women and other groups has really changed.

Celeste remembers listening to Drunks and Dragons and Adventure Zone, early D&D podcasts and loving them and deciding she wanted to hear voices like her in a podcast, so made Venture Maidens.

Talking about the intersection of the game in their life they both agree that people who make them chose between them and the things they love are not acceptable. Celeste's family have tried to understand her life more, and brought a game to her family recently. Matt played a simple game with a friend and two of her kids when she was in Los Angeles for the Descent.

Looking ahead, Celeste is thinking about the final arc of the Venture Maidens current story. She also wants to do a story on a hell train, intriguing Matt. He says Bryan Wuest, former bonus episode guest, just ran a train chase game. They talk about the Encounter Designer online that Matt tried out during the Descent event.

Matt asks how she organizes things. She has one notebook that can only have session outlines. Otherwise her computer, purse, and house is covered in sticky notes. Sometimes she will find notes months later and reinspire her.

She encourages people to follow her on twitter: @cconowitch and https://celesteconowitch.com/

## Behind the Queens

* In the intro, DM Matt announces the upcoming live stream and two live shows. As he discusses them, Arson, Butylene, and Londyn all chime in with jokes.

**Greetings From Fire Island**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - **The Show Must Go On**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Operation Watersport**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - Ch7 - **Trials**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Ghosts of the Coast**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - **The Devil's Due**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Special**: The Story So Far
**The Beautiful Place**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - **A Dance in the Dark**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4
**Drama in the Deep**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6 - **Whispers From the Heart**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6
**Danger Rangers!**: Ch1 - Ch2 - Ch3 - Ch4 - Ch5 - Ch6
**Mist Connections**: Ch1 - Ch2
**Unreleased**
Lost: Camp Crystal Light - Pax West 2018 --  vs the Lizard People
Live Shows: Seattle Style -- Minneapolis Style