Episode 107 - Relics and Holy Items

Saving the Game

This episode, we tackle a surprisingly complicated topic: Relics and holy items! Grant's out sick, what with his entire house having been struck by plagues of all sorts, so Jenny and Peter have the mics to themselves. For our Patreon question, they get handed a very tough question from Jared—"What was the most rewarding campaign you ever ran or played in?"—which takes a bit to answer. Then after our Scripture, it's on to our main topic. We discuss Catholic and Orthodox traditions around relics to lay some groundwork before moving on to talking about the use of relics in our own games: How they might work in certain sorts of settings; what to do with them; and what to do about fakes. Also, a helpful warning: Never go full Blackleaf.

Mentioned in this episode: Two Atlas Obscura articles, "Only the Vatican Has More Christian Relics Than Pittsburgh" and "The Practicalities of Transporting a 400-Year-Old Heart"; and The Fellowship of the Talisman by Clifford D. Simak.

Scripture: Exodus 25:10-11, 2 Kings 13:20-21, Matthew 27:35