The End of d20 Radio

It is with a heavy heart that I must write these words. Following the “Incident” at Gamer Nation Con last night, the d20 Radio network, the Order 66 Podcast and Gamer Nation Studios have been officially closed down. I don’t know how long it will be before the actual site goes down, depends on how long it takes for the FBI to get the warrant, but in the meantime I wanted to let as many people as possible know what happened. I know I run the risk of these words being used against me in court later but the Gamer Nation needs to know.

It started out innocently enough. We all know GM Phil is a member of the 501st. So when he arrived at the Con flanked by a group dressed as Stormtroopers we thought nothing of it. It felt natural. We all missed the warning signs.

Shortly before five, Phil gave a shout of “Execute Order 66!” and the Stormtroopers converged on GM Chris. They grabbed him and held him at gunpoint. The flurry of shouts and action got everyone’s attention. But only for a moment. Most of us thought this was just theater and went back to our games. Then Phil revealed his true colors.

Forcing GM Chris to his knees, GM Phil announced that he was taking over the Order 66 Podcast and excommunicating Chris from the Gamer Nation. It seems he had discovered that Chris was not all he seemed, that he wasn’t the rabid Star Wars fan we all thought. That in truth, he really liked Star Trek more.

Now, I don’t know if it was due to the current political climate here in the US or a feeling of division brought on by recent movies like Batman vs Superman and Captain America: Civil War, but this charge by GM Phil ignited a spark. Suddenly, half the room was booing Chris, while the other half tried to defend him. Afterall, it’s really Twi’lek Goodness whose the real Star Trek fan in the Witt household.

Confused by all this I managed to shoot myself in the foot. Before the whole room I pointed out that Phil still occasionally plays Star Trek Online. A stunned hush went over the room as this news sunk in. But he must have been ready for this. With a quick gesture, Phil directed one of his Stormtroopers to grab me and pull me from the room. In hindsight, this ended up being fortunate, as I now had a good view of everything that happened but was also not directly in the middle of it, and therefore, in a position where I can share all of this with you.

Things started to heat up again immediately. Ever the friendly neighbor, Chris Hunt tried to intervene between GM Phil and GM Chris and get them to resolve their differences the Canadian way; over a cup of Tim Horton coffee and a game of Sorry! When this didn’t work, GM Brev stepped in with his usually grace, stood up on a table wearing nothing but a Stormtrooper helmet and a pair of Star Trek socks.

The sight of GM Brev waving his lightsaber around might have ended the insanity if the front doors hadn’t opened. The timing couldn’t have been any worse and had this been an RPG, the players would have complained the GM was railroading them. But sometimes, plot does happen naturally.

A trio of Disney lawyers stormed in, flanked by a police escort, and delivered a Cease and Desist order to GM Dave. It seems, the Mouse had caught wind to what he thought about The Force Awakens and decided to put an end to it. No one questions the Mouse.

Unfortunately, the sight of armed Stormtroopers and a mostly naked Brev, turned a simple legal shake down into something else. The police were obliged to arrest Brev and because of the Power of Disney, they immediately backed GM Phil’s Coup and also arrested GM Chris. This led to pandemonium.

The Con attendees broke out into full riot mode. Tables were flipped. Dice became deadly projectiles. GM Chris broke free from the police and charged Phil, saying something about he wouldn’t just kill Phil, but also the women. And the children.

After several minutes more cops arrived and order was restored. Despite the hurt feelings, bruised egos and gamer blood shed the whole thing might have ended there. But in what really should be no surprise to anyone, GM Hooly turned out to not be an adult Australian human but a Kangaroo dressed in a costume. Now the “Incident” involved illegally transporting non-domestic animals across international borders which meant the FBI had to be called.

Suffice it to say, that night did not end in peace, love and good gaming. The dice stopped rolling and soon the Gamer Nation will be no more. But at least, for as long as this post stays up, you will know the truth.