Our first two years of podcasting have been a wild ride, and we were just getting our heads around plans for the next year, when what should appear in our inbox, but a mysterious invitation...
We had been invited to speak at the Podcast Show 2022!
Wait, WHAT?!
After briefly checking that this wasn't some sort of elaborate prank, we were all completely astonished. Why would an Indie D&D podcast started just to keep five guys sane during lockdown be being asked to speak at a conference about podcasting? The assignment was clear, and I volunteered as tribute to be the one speaking on stage (and when we found out that James Cooper of 'My Dad Wrote A Porno' would be chairing the panel, we were all even more excited).
So much planning suddenly had to be done, with only a few weeks to go: T-Shirted needed designing and printing, business cards too, a plan needed forming for which talks to attend, and how the five of us would get the Roll Britannia name in front of as many people as possible? After ruling out fireworks and some sort of WWE style entrance the plan was made, event tickets. trains and coaches were booked and it was now the count down to the big day.
Arriving in London was an experience for some, and just another day in the capital for others. Chip (Jeff) proclaimed that he was a bit scared of London, and considered himself a "country bumpkin", and while the others were a little more at home, a good d20 roll would have helped travel, but it given the weather, and the odd route that Google maps decided to take us on, the route across London included the tube, running, and a bus, so while not quite a full critical fail it the journey felt like a solid 8.
Eventually arriving at our destination in Islington, and connecting with Alex (Derek) - the only member of the crew to arrive in London by coach - we had a quick costume change into the tshirts Alex had collected only the day before, while I ran inside to find where I was supposed to be before my stage time.
The speaker's lounge was a bold name for a conference suite with bottled water, tea & coffee, and some pastries but that is where I found myself, standing awkwardly before spotting a fellow panelist across the room, sitting and looking equally as awkward. Thankfully I'd had a chance to check out her show the week before and was genuinely interested in her Beer themed show.
Next to appear in our group was James Cooper carrying a stack of Podcast Show 2022 branded presenter cards, and, pushing a fangirl moment aside for the time being, it was great to chat and get to know James, and how the talk was going to work. Then the time was almost upon us, we were all guided over to the backstage area, as the Origin theatre began to fill up.
Finally, it was show time, and the inevitable nerves set in! But the wise words that my wife had reminded me of that morning rang in my ears - James wasn't going to try and trip me up, and all the questions would be about Roll Britannia, a subject that it's possible I am the world's leading expert in...
In the blink of an eye the 45 minutes was up and applause rining there was just time for a backstage selfie before rejoining the RB Crew! Just incredible to think about how far we've come in our first two years - sights now squarely set on the next two years.
Divide and conquer was now the battle plan, the crew set about absorbing as much information as possible from the plethora of industry experts, while Alex and Chip made their way around the exhibition stands, meeting seemingly every exhibitor there, and distributing hundreds of QR code business cards.
Sooner than expected, the end of the day rolled around and clutching merch in hand, having been approached by a fan who came to see us, and by audience members from the morning's talk, and interviewed because of our iconic tshirts, there was just enough time for a quick beer at a nearby pub, a cheeky train station burger king, while we gently reassured chip that pigeons inside the train station was perfectly normal, before the long journey home commenced.
Now with eyes wide open, the Roll Britannia crew, have new energy, connections, and plans to take this Dungeons & Dragons 5e Podcast to the next level. There's loads of new and exciting D&D podcast fun coming your way, so make sure you subscribe wherever you find podcasts, and if you want to help us grow the show, then check out our Patreon page for access to exclusive bonus content and even closer access to the crew!
Dungeon Master James
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