Title: Toylight
GM: Brennan Lee Mulligan
Players: Emily Axford (she/her) as Tiddlywinks (a.k.a. Cutie Pie) (he/him). Siobhan Thompson (she/her) as Constance (she/her). Lou Wilson (he/him) as Wyon (he/him). Brian Murphy (he/him) as Ol’ Clyde Horsey (he/him). Zac Oyama (he/him) as Avery Augustus Archibald Tinsley (he/him) Ally Beardsley (they/them) as Calypso (she/her).
Streaming Service: Dropout

If you haven’t checked them out already, you can catch up on our reviews of prior episodes – one, two, three, and four.

The Train Station has fallen, and with a traitor among the rank, the group eyes the nursery toys with suspicions. Some suspected Jack; others believed Nut Megan, and remembering the betrayal of Calroy that turned the tide in A Crown of Candy, a few started to look at Rabbity Racer. However, they don’t have time for interrogations. If Cutie Pie’s vision in the broken glow spark was true, then the Underlord will drive forward, making every moment all the more precious.

While taking a rest, our heroes plot the map, trading the dim glow spark for a cannon and prepping to blockade the bridge. To their delight, they learn the ghasts, both smog and mold, are leaving and abandoning the Snuffer’s Crusade due to the death of their leader, the Pestilential Swatling.

Despite losing a battalion, the Underlord approaches with a battering ram. We also receive confirmation that the weasel was Jack, who truly is afraid of the dark, but Cutie Pie realizes that the box and the darkness within are a separate being from Jack himself. However, the extent of the separation is unclear. Drawn back into his box, Jack smashes another clown and attacks Wyon.

The prince of the ratkin shoots Constance, knocking her down and nearly permanently killer her. Racing forward, the ratkin prince raises his gun at Wyon. Behind him, his soldiers come, including the honor guard, who proceed to slaughter numerous villagers. The one remaining clown, Maggie, races across the field to give Constance a good berry.

Wyon rages, attacking Jack. Unfortunately for Wyon, Lou got cocky, taunting Brennan and then rolling a one.

As much as this season had flavors that reminded me of Burrow’s End, I was expecting a zombie weasel to pop out of Jack’s box. The fact that none of the Intrepid Heroes called him on that or called out Aabria is a travesty. Also, while weasels aren’t stoats, I can’t help but wonder if the Dimension 20 art team refused the little undead rodent. Wyon goes unconscious.

The battering ram approaches, and flying through the air, a group of cherubs sing, drawing power from the light. Tinsley knocks two prone, sending one over the side of the bridge. Nut Megan knocks the other one right after. Constance gets knocked unconscious again, but another good berry brings her up once more.

Coming in clutch once again, Cutie Pie strikes Jack’s box twice before racing across to grab Wyon’s unconscious body and bring him back to the opposite side of the river.

In the darkness, the ratkin prince enters Calypso’s shadow, sensing her; however, neither can pinpoint the other in the dark. Carefully navigating the field, she makes her way toward Jack, using her shadow to cover the glow spark and weaken the cherubs. She strikes the box and smashes it. Jack’s box explodes, and everything around it gets hit with thunder damage. Oliver goes down. Jack goes flying, but there’s no sign of the weasel. Attacking him again, Calypso leaves him on death’s door. It is revealed that the weasel was never real; instead, it was a spirit of negative anticipation.

Having been taunted during her onslaught on Jack, the ratkin prince tracks Calypso’s shadow across the field, pinpointing her and shooting her. His attacks not only bring her down but cause two failed death saving throws. The honor guard follow up. This takes her final death saving throw, killing her.

Desperation mounting, our heroes feel the heavy weight of defeat on the horizon. Wyon pushes forward. Shooting with the cannon and Nut Megan’s help, he preps to break the bridge, knowing that they cannot let the enemy cross. Pacifying the ratkin prince, Constance loses her sight, retreating as the ratkin break their way through the palisade. Ol’ Clyde Horsey guides his boat into the ship, knocking into the pylons and heavily damaging the structure. Tinsley races forward. Spinning the cannon and shooting again, he kills the cherub and destroys a corner of the bridge. He manages to take out another corner, plotting to use his psionic power to aim the battering ram at a third to ensure it gets sent into the water. Pulling back, Cutie Pie takes out the final corner as the nursery toys grab the glow sparks and retreat in preparation of the bridge’s collapse.

Ol’ Clyde Horsey falls into the water, getting out of the water quickly. Grappling the ratkin prince, Wyon goes over the edge, holding tight and keeping the leader of the ratkin beneath the water. As the bridge comes down around them, the episodes ends with Wyon’s fate unknown.

Highlights

I love watching Siobhan drop random Britishisms, arguing even the most minute point to throw Brennan off his game when faced with anything capable of a legendary action. This is the sort of psychological us versus the DM warfare that I love to see from our Intrepid Heroes, especially knowing how much they all enjoy the pedantry of it. Especially as Brennan returns it with mild comments like “I need more dice” in order to torture them right back.

Ally’s death wasn’t nearly as dramatic as I had hoped, but it fit them. However, the narration gives me some hope that Aubrey can find his beloved rabbit and bring Calypso back from death through the glow of his own light.

Final Score (4 out of 5 Stars)

We’ve had our first full death of the season. Calypso has rejoined the Toylight, but the light-heartedness compared to the deaths in A Crown of Candy definitely cut into the emotional impact. Then again, that could be Ally. They keep everything light, so the death of their character is no different, leaving me uncertain whether the lightness is for the very purpose of toys (i.e., Aubrey or Adelaide could bring them back if they find and fix the toy) or because of the players’ reactions to it.

With the bridge blown out, they’ll be able to have a short rest; however, the Snuffer’s Crusade continues, and we’ve lost another glow spark to the cherubs and the ratkin. Whether they’ll be able to hold the line and save the Toylight (and by extension Adelaide), we’ll have to wait until the final episode to see their fate.

Let us know what you thought in comments below or go over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: Dimension 20

The Boss Rush Podcast: The Flagship Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network

The Boss Rush Podcast – The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord. 

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