For this second part of our review into the world of Dice Company, a British-based TTRPG actual play podcast studio, we will be diving into the main campaign and narrative adventure — Small Embers. The Small Embers actual play follows the journey of The Order of the Heron, renowned adventurers and heroes: Vander Finnic, Bennie Quez, Tock and Augustas Zeno, as well as their many companions and allies met throughout their travels.
Small Embers, like all of Dice Company’s shows, is a narrative-driven audio-only podcast. Based in the world of Elestia, a homebrew setting created by Dice Companies host and Dungeon Master TC Patrick, Small Embers is a Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition adventure, sprinkled with plenty of homebrew to create a unique and thrilling campaign.
Currently on episode 62, Small Embers has been consistently releasing new episodes weekly since 2023, with only minor breaks in the main campaign and story to release mini-series using other formats. Their most recent mini-series is Mothership: Distress Call from Boomertown, which uses the Mothership system by Tuesday Knight Games.
Being an audio-only format, the Small Embers actual play podcast can be found wherever you choose to listen to podcasts, and is currently hosted on at least 19 platforms including; Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
In the early episodes of the series, there are some audio problems that are noticeable, but none that are notable. Despite earlier issues, the audio is of a good enough quality that the cast is easy to hear and distinguish, although there are points when individual cast volumes may be too loud or quiet. The audio does improve further into the series, around episode 45. The overall audio experience is enhanced through the usage of sound effects and ambient music, helping to immerse the listener.
Episodes listened to:
To gain a more complete experience, I started from the beginning of the series and made considerable jumps throughout, to gain a sense of progression. I started from session 0 and listened through the initial storytelling arc, through episode 5. I made a jump to episode 21, listening through that arc of the story through episode 27. The next few episodes I listened to were episode 45 and 46, before finishing on the two most current episodes, episode 61 and 62.
There are a few “catch up” episodes that I listened to when I made my listening jumps, titled, The Story So Far. These episodes give a brief overview of what has happened in the story, up to their relevant points, for listeners who do not wish to listen to the series in its entirety. The first The Story So Far episode is between episodes 21 and 22, and the second between episodes 44 and 45. The Story So Far is hosted by Issy P, the Head Archivist for the Dice Company adventures. Issy also appears as a guest during the campaign, and is the sister to the DM and host, TC Patrick.
Total Listening Time: 20+ hours
Setting and Story:
As mentioned in my The Tales of Kale Vala review, the setting of Elestia takes inspiration from many popular settings, notably The Lord of the Rings, the Dungeons and Dragons setting Eberron, Victorian-Era London and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. With inspirations such as these, Elestia is immediately recognizable and relatable. With a sense of comfort in recognition, the world of Small Embers is easy to become immersed in.
The world of Elestia is a hybrid composite of medieval and Victorian-era London. Elestia has a wide range of high-magic to gun toting rebels, automata and innovation against steel and gunpowder, Small Embers tugs at most fantasy tropes in a way that is both unique and comfortable. With the rise of technological wonders such as steam runners and airships, and the force of magic permeating throughout the world, Elestia is in an unstable era teetering on chaos.
Having themes of conquest, rebellion, redemption and hope, Small Embers follows the standard template for a successful fantasy story. The story sees the main cast, Vander, Benny, Tock and Augustus, meeting while they are all fugitives on the run from a tyrannical government. With a successful escape from a hostile city, the party makes their way towards freedom, with a powerful entity in close pursuit.
After their escape, the party fumbles their way through heroic deeds, finding themselves saving groups of refugees, freeing ancient civilizations from millennia old curses, infiltrating highly guarded prisons, building a resistance against their oppressors, and attempting to end the reign of a tyrannical Vampire Lord. Using their airship and allies to travel through the Khalian Empire, narrowly avoiding capture and death, so that they may unite the lands against the authoritarian regime that has risen to power.
With many of the characters’ backstories playing into the “vendetta against the empire” trope, the party finds common ground in seeking revenge against the powers that wronged, or abused them.
Cast and Characters of the Small Embers Actual Play:
- TC Patrick – Dungeon Master
- Charlie Blackadder – Vander Finnic – Human Inquisitor – Abjurate Tyro
- Dave Windust – Benny Quez – Human Rogue – Arcane Trickster
- Alex Morrison – Augustus Zeno – Human Paladin – Oath of Redemption
- Harry King – Tock – Automaton Artificer – Battle Smith
The cast of Dice Company are longtime friends and some prior roommates, who have long shared a love for TTRPG’s. Together, the party played a variety of different TTRPG’s throughout the years, such as Hero Quest and Warhammer. After years of casual gaming, the group decided to take their adventure online, beginning with Small Embers.
The Dungeon Master, TC Patrick, takes the reins as he sets the stakes of the story, weaving the party through adventures and misadventures alike. With a range of TTRPG and Game Master experience, TC Patrick does incredibly well guiding the players and accounting for their missteps and misfortunes. A benevolent DM, TC does tend to weigh the dice in the favor of the players, but does not pull punches when the situation calls for it. There are some moments throughout the campaign that almost feel rushed by the DM, but overall the pacing and autonomy of the campaign is mostly left to the party. The “DM Style” of TC Patrick can best be described as “rule-of-cool”, allowing the party to make the attempts and mistakes that they please.
The party embodies the essence of forced friendships, with clashing personality types being the cause of plenty of inter-party bickering and banter. With the cast all being long-time close friends, they do not stray from cheap jabs and humor at the expense of their party members. While the party does tend to take a less-than-serious approach, they are still able to accomplish their goals.
The cast uses a healthy balance of in-character roleplay and out-of-character banter to keep the listener both invested in the story, as well as attached to the actor. While most of the party doesn’t use a unique accent or voice to portray their character, their natural British accents more than accurately fits their character and the setting of Elestia.
My Scores for Small Embers:
- Humor – 8/10
- Drama – 7/10
- Fantasy – 7/10
- Heroism – 8/10
- Roleplay – 8/10
- Party Cohesion – 8/10
- Storytelling – 8/10
- Setting – 8/10
- Campaign – 8/10
Overall Impression:
The Small Embers actual play embodies the true essence of Dungeons and Dragons: a group of friends, telling a story, laughing and enjoying their time together. The story is comfortable and enjoyable, but the banter, both in character and out, makes the podcast stand out amongst its peers. Paired with The Tales of Kale Vala, this series was an incredibly enjoyable experience.
Where to listen:
Small Embers can be found wherever you choose to listen to podcasts and is currently listed on 19 different platforms, notably; Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
More from Dice Company:
Small Embers uses the Dungeons and Dragons format. In addition to this campaign and The Tales of Kale Vala, they have multiple mini series using other systems, namely:
- The Curious Case of Ernest Wainwright – A Candela Obscurra series
- The Ungovernables – A Dungeons & Dragons series
- A Storm in a puddle – A Warhammer Fantasy series
- Mothership: Distress Call from Boomertown – A Mothership series
For their members on Patreon, they also have a series titled Extra Role which features a round table type discussion, as well as having a collection of one-shots available.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Reforged Existence! Or, RexBrews for short!
I’m a highly dedicated DM, Homebrewer of magic items and spells, worldbuilder and writer! Playing TTRPGs for nearly 10 years, I have a variety of games under my belt, but specialize in D&D! I will be publishing TTRPG actual play, podcasts and stream reviews! These reviews will highlight what is special about these shows, pros and cons to watching or listening and other important information (format, setting, cast etc.).