Murders at Karlov Manor || TTC Ep488

Graham, Kathleen and Cameron sit down to discuss the year end Magic news, the recently launched Friday Nights Kickstarter, and take a look at some of the early MKM spoilers.
Bylaw & Order Series 1: Dice Friends: Bylaw & Order
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[@heartofgoldfish]

Cam, Graham, and Kathleen getting absolutely feverish in decrying capitalism. This is Gonna Be A Good Year

[@williamh7106]

Cam's phrase "Philosophy of Plunder" is a great name for a Magic card.

[@theenderman155]

3RR enchantment; whenever you are attacked you make X treasure tokens, where X is the number of attacking creatures. or something like this maybe

[@kilo3989]

1B, Enchantment - Aura, When enchanted creature deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token. "In few cases does the destruction of one's target further one's goals. A material incentive is often required."

[@Cryonicity]

Philosophy Cycle!!!

[@TheCodemasterc]

XR sorcery, sacrifice any number of players creatures, x is equal to creatures sacrificed this way, gain x amount treasure tokens. "What is a worker but gold not yet cast?" ~Goblin Bankmaster

[@WarpsmithAdam]

I wasn't expecting a 10-minute rant about the effects of late stage capitalism before getting into the main topic, but I am here for it.

[@raonair]

"Top hat means the guillotine doesn't need a basket". I didn't know I needed to hear that.

[@bryancooper1244]

This needs to be in the LRRBOT's quote database IMMEDIATELY!

[@karlwendt3573]

Can we kickstart a podcast of Kathleen and Cameron discussing politics and economic systems? Cause I would dump a lot of money into that

[@pytawidmo]

"First topic of economic discussion: how crowdfunding a podcast is just a waste of money" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) But yea, I'd watch that :D

[@CasualKing21]

💯,000% yes!!

[@FutureGazer]

I feel like I would learn a lot from such a thing! And I also feel they are some of the few folks who I would trust to step back talking about a topic when it became unhealthy, or even stopping / limiting the show based on how much talk around these things is good for them to do and others to listen to. I guess what I'm saying is I trust them with my dosage!

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

@@pytawidmo Definitionally, the only way to waste money is to not spend it.

[@DeronHargrove]

This please

[@pytawidmo]

@Kathleen There is this quote that I never remember where I heard it, but it goes something along those lines: "the people at the top for too long forgot what pitchforks and torches of the common folk look like."

[@lelandwhitehead56]

Another similar sentiment: Unions and Strikes are the non-violent solution that we came to with Capital. Without that, we’re going back to the ‘choppas’.

[@SparkyUpstart]

I'm glad that the creators who are associated with WotC are also willing and able to hold them to task when they do brutal stuff like this, and I'm glad y'all were able to vent about this situation on this platform. Also, almost totally unrelated, "Philosophy of Plunder" is a great name for a magic card.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

It's not WotC, it's Hasbro.

[@uberwitz2193]

I am glad you felt comfortable sharing your full force opinions in sponsored content (genuinely), especially Kathleen. I've had the French rev on my mind lately.

[@uberwitz2193]

Banger top hat joke Cam.

[@ecoKady]

WotC employees are likely even more angry than they are, so I it seems unlikely a single podcast rant will have any serious repercussions. And I think their only sponsored content at this point is PPR and I'm not sure if they get anything other than product for it.

[@EricChoiniere]

​@@ecoKady They didn't mean sponsored by WotC. But Card Kingdom unionized in 2023 so I'm sure there are a lot of similar opinions over there

[@PressMforMap]

Kathleen is the premier Ravnica GM of the format

[@signspace13]

WHoooa, good to see you guys take a pretty solid stance in the start here, especially after the reeeally luke warm stance that the command zone took in their year recap video.

[@Coppo68]

Whenever I see content creators make their stance on bad PR from a company they’re affiliated with, I can’t help but wonder if it has to do with their dependence on their sponsor. Now I don’t want to make any accusations or anything nor do I have any evidence to support this train of thought, but I think if a creator’s stance is very neutral, it hints that they depend on the company’s sponsorship. If they were to say something that a sourgrapes parent company exec would get butthurt about, then that exec passing down the order to have the company pull their support would be devastating to the creator, who would then struggle to pay all their staff. Mind you, it’s nothing to get mad at the content creators at, they’d be put in an incredibly awkward position, they’re practically made into scapegoats by the parent company urging them to not besmirch their brand by calling them out on their controversy. So when I see LRR here making a brutally honest stance, I think that they aren’t intimidated by that kind of situation. If, hypothetically, selfish Hasbro execs saw this and were to demand WotC to pull the plug on all collabs with LRR, the only thing they’d lose is the PPR; they already yielded rights and sponsorship of Friday Nights and Bylaw and Order back to LRR. And while losing the Pre-prerelease would really suck for mtg fans, I reckon LRR could still stay afloat without it.

[@User5770]

I really love hearing your insight into creative text and the writing process. Particularly I appreciate Kathleen going into what the overall goal of the process is. And now I know who to blame/thank for some of the best puns! Speaking of said puns, I actually thought Aurelia was making an "Above the Law" joke at first.

[@LizardDude]

I think that is what it's playing with.

[@dylanpowell1434]

So ridiculously excited for Kathleen’s Bylaws and Order ideas!

[@WeatheredPeach]

Give 👏 Cam 👏 a 👏 doubleneck 👏 guitar!

[@OGNoNameNobody]

I still say there should be a 2nd strech goal for 2 additional episodes of _Friday Nights_ , because 8 is still only ~2 months of Friday-based goodness.

[@Gadora]

Regarding the Seanan McGuire story for the set, she's posted some author's commentary for the Karlov Manor story on her blog.

[@TheCaldium]

I wasn't expecting a TTC episode to include a takedown of late stage capitalism but boy am I here for it

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

I like the 3 very different types of intelligent and knowledgeable people displayed early in this video. The calm and measured response, the erratic and explosive volley of words eager to escape, and damage control.

[@TheRealWormbo]

The most enjoyable capitalism critical podcast, which also happens to talk about Magic The Gathering.

[@HeartfireGames]

Thank you for giving the Hasbro layoff situation the rage it deserves. It's maddening watching other creators give a halfhearted frowny face while refusing to bite the hand that feeds.

[@Lexicon.primal]

This is my new favourite shock. Replacing shock in any deck that runs it for years to come. A++

[@LowUpsideCJ]

"Courier is a monospace font" speaks to my screenwriter soul

[@rodion1056]

Welcome back to another episode of Doubles, Doubles, Doubles, Concede: a Monopoly podcast

[@ellaser93]

I generally view the Ravnican Guilds in the similar light to the Megacorps in Shadowrun. They constantly compete with each other and will do all that it takes to be on top. But, they also realize that if their world is destroyed, so are they.

[@SpiffyTrev]

Patiently waiting for Ravnica to host the Olympics, so they can make a mascot, and the mascot will eventually be depicted with a gun. Thus completing the ultimate Universes Beyond (reality) crossover at the same time as Graham's "______ with a gun" mascot reviews.

[@mweepigeon]

Commander Mustard came off the mothership page for MKM as a low res image, yeah. They actually had the other 4 too, but the graphic was as a fanned out stack so there weren't complete images for any except Mustard (who was on top)

[@RonnocLoki]

Regarding Ravnica just working as the set for a murder mystery I think that makes perfect sense. The plot for the very first Ravnica set was a buddy cop crime drama and those tropes have persisted in the background throughout Edit: and it's brought up later in the episode!

[@Xarkana]

Was waiting for the addressing of this, not that the reaction from LLR shocks me, crew's never been shy about their beliefs, glad to see you're still willing to address the elephants in the room.

[@Chooch1080]

One of the shittiest aspects of these layoffs. The way development of Magic works. There are people who have been layed off. Who will see their work in Magic Sets for the next three years!!! That sucks man. The extra dagger of having lost your job, and being forced to look at stuff you made by that company. For multiple years. I'd be furious.

[@CBJamo]

Oh man, Graham's face when Cam points out the font thing, that's priceless.

[@LucasTheDrgn]

The phrase "not everything is significant, sometimes things are just there" reminds me of one of my favorite FFXIV item flavor texts: for the "Plot-relevant Gloves", with the description "If you didn't need them, you wouldn't have been able to pick them up."

[@crono3453]

The opportunity for lighthearted flavor text for the murder mystery set makes sense. After all, Clue the movie worked.

[@jadestephan7395]

I wasn't expecting a digression into marxist economics, but I'm %100 here for it.

[@AlaricXIII]

Senator Peacock definitely seems like someone got inspiration from the movie; "I'm a senator's wife!"

[@uwtartarus]

Absolutely love Kathleen's rant. Preach! 🙌

[@parkerdixon-word6295]

7:10 I do not see a link to Bylaw and Order in the description, and I have been instructed to blame Graham for it.

[@LRRMTG]

Whoops! Added. Also, here: Dice Friends: Bylaw & Order kzbin.info/aero/PLV_qemO0oatiYc188RfQuNMj2PKmeeb1x

[@underkri]

“We’re stopping the cycle with us.” - Graham, referring to making children play Monopoly. I am fully on board with this. I, too, will be breaking the cycle.

[@Dovorans]

The tarp budget for Friday Nights is gonna be lit! Cant wait to see who gets Scanners-ed.

[@chewysugar971]

As a fan of the board game abd the 1985 underrated gem of a movie, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a "Flames on the side of my face" reference somewhere in this set.

[@benepic3101]

I think there could also be a compelling murder mystery set on Ikoria. That plane feels right to me for a "Murder on the Orient Express" type story, where a bunch of elites that hate eachother go on some long form transportation through say, the ruins of Drannith and one of them dies mysteriously.

[@Mordalon]

There are also real-world examples of murder mysteries happening in remote, isolated wildernesses. It's not impossible to do, it just doesn't allow as much flexibility when you have less people around to complicate things.

[@benepic3101]

@@Mordalon I was thinking also that Ikoria's human settlements have a kinda steampunk look/feel to them, and they seem to be the types to get really paranoid and territorial in a stressful situation (because of the whole small bastion of society against the chaotic, aggressive wilderness thing)

[@Mordalon]

@@benepic3101 The main issue with a murder mystery in that kind of environment is that, because people are so tight-knit within their communities, outsiders stand out more. Innistrad is a similar situation but is more conducive to a murder mystery because the monsters they face are regularly infiltrating them so distrust within communities is more common.

[@benepic3101]

ahhhhh yeah that makes sense. Ravnica's got a much better chance of oddballs being able to exist n stuff yeah. @@Mordalon

[@livefaust8633]

Welcome to Tap, Tap, Comrade.

[@ToxicAtom]

So the fun thing about monopoly was that it was never designed to be a _fun_ game, it was basically a modern art piece designed to criticize capitalist politics of the time. It's just that everyone missed the memo and thought it was actually supposed to be a game you played to have a good time. Sorta like those bench installations that have coin-operated retractable spikes, where they're supposed to be critical of hostile architecture, but poe's law certainly do exist. edit: maybe I should watch 2 whole additional minutes before making a comment

[@AceDRoses]

BYLAW AND ORDER 2!!! ?!?!?!?! OHMYGOD! Thank you Kathleen and folks!!

[@andymccoy8393]

A quibble, but Hasbro wasn’t profitable in 2023. It reported a net loss for it and iirc 2022. The layoffs aren’t to increase profit margins but to reduce loss margins

[@isyraqzaki9727]

Love that we're going back to ravnica, also can't wait for the new season of by law and order ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Amphidsf]

So about that playlist link....

[@karlwebb4799]

We are expecting a reduction in print runs for sets in 2024, and so to maintain profits costs were cut. It sucks for people's lives and the selfishness of the higher ups.

[@jonathanarcher5356]

To me, the worst of the whole Hasbro layoffs was the $9.7 million in Bonuses, excluding any wage. Bonuses should be linked to success of the business. That 9.7 could have paid the wages of most if not all of the laid off staff.

[@jamescampbell2353]

I’m overjoyed that bylaw and order is returning! I just binged it!

[@rkk667]

The set could also have existed on new capenna! 😂

[@chadbennett6192]

Happy New Year! Love you guys!

[@MarlaDesat]

I wasn't super excited about the next set but this changed my mind!

[@SirGeoGio13]

I am so fucking hyped for Bylaw and Order Season 2 you guys don't even understand.

[@Oopsall]

Best episode of TTC, love the analysis of last stage capitalism comrades

[@CarmenCards]

Alquist is lazav calling it now

[@serenitysilvermoon]

My favorite non-comedic flavor text: "Greet death with sword in hand."

[@stuartmatthews91]

I didn't know i wanted the lrr politics podcast. Now we do.

[@heartofgoldfish]

Should I be surprised that the company that sends Pinkertons to your doorstep also plunders their own employees?

[@FrankiePeanuts]

We'll have to see if they keep the tradition of printing the card that's been printed every time we've been to Ravnica.

[@yellowmaster52]

Which card is that?

[@FrankiePeanuts]

@@yellowmaster52 Skyknight Legionnaire.

[@Veralos]

I like how this started with discussion about how terrible capitalism is and ended with discussion about the themes of Monopoly. Kind of a full circle moment.

[@Mordalon]

Wouldn't War of the Spark count as the first Ravnica set not about the Guilds?

[@LizardDude]

Yes, although it was kinda in a "block" with Guilds and Allegiance.

[@cassie5248]

I appreciate that the podcast begins with criticism of capitalism and in the end gets back to criticism of capitalism

[@janMelantu]

I think Alquist Proft is Bruvac’s ex and they can’t stand each other. It makes court scenes where Proft has to testify and Bruvac is presiding utterly unbearable

[@DefaultSeaTurtle]

Story team crying and shaking and throwing up over how you've already figured it out.

[@Grimpo96]

I’m really excited for Bylaw and Order 2 🤩 been waiting for it since Kathleen forbade Cameron from axing off Avenir for a potential Christmas episode.

[@davidengkent7756]

Will steal that top hat line

[@LucasTheDrgn]

Anyone else notice the silhouette with a dagger on Hallowed Fountain or the bones in the furnace on Steam Vents?

[@DaMullet]

Alquist Proft is played by Wheeler Yuta and I will not be taking questions at this time.

[@AutkastKain]

It is so sad that Hasbro has and will continue to gut and exploit WOTC for short term temporary profit, including getting rid of top leadership without much thought at all. Thanks Kathleen for expelling any assumptions or excuses I may have had for Hasbro and any of their terrible business practices

[@DanielSolis]

100% here for another Explorers of Ixalan type product.

[@gleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeinr]

this episode talked about murdering people twice and neither of them were during the murders of karlov manor segment

[@PizzaLuck]

Wild, right?

[@IncredulousPasserby]

Re: Proft - Sphinx's Revelation was great and a standard powerhouse. Sphinx's Rev was good on a creature the first time around, but it didn't make a splash because the creature was expensive and could only "cast" the spell on attacks, so it was relegated to commander. Still decent though. Proft being 3 mana, can Rev at instant speed again, and still leaves behind value if he kicks the bucket before he can fire it off? I'm not a standard player anymore, but my heart skipped a beat.

[@Mordalon]

The previous Rev versions didn't require a Clue and had other ways of getting past the opponent's attempts to interact with them.

[@IncredulousPasserby]

​@@Mordalon I mean obviously this card isn't itself Sphinx's Rev. I'm not saying "removable Sphinx's Rev" is going to beat out the original. However, Rev's strength was in its instant speed. You can hold up mana on the opponent's turn for counterspells, and only have to commit once you've ensured they don't stick any threats. Azor doesn't just not hold up to that, he's actively detrimental to control strategies. In addition to himself being hella expensive, his Rev has to be committed in your attacks, meaning A) you can't hold that mana for responses, and II) many of the cards you draw aren't going to be castable main 2 since you've committed so much to the attack trigger. Azor's first ability doesn't make up for that; not just because he's THAT detrimental to control, but because it's...not really that good? Like sure it's annoying, but they still get permanents, and they have instant speed removal on your turns, meaning it's that much less likely to be able to declare him as an attacker. Proft's making me go 🤩for a couple of reasons. One, bringing back instant speed. Two, you can attack with him while still holding up the Revelation. Three, even if he gets bolted or something before your next untap, you're still getting a clue out of him. I'd obviously prefer the Rev but I'll take eating a removal spell and replacing the card over nothing. Requiring a clue means that you can only use it once off him alone, but there will be other good control cards that create clues to give him fuel. (And already are, if you're talking commander.)

[@Raphtyr]

MKM is on Ravnica? I thought it was on Innistrad.

[@abesmith115]

9:42 Cameron, thank you. I love when people level valid, well structured perspectives against my own so I can challenge them.

[@Mugulord]

I get what you're saying but Cameron wasn't mentioning a perspective, that's a thing that happens. Look up the history of Toys R Us just as an easy well known example, there are firms who's entire reason to exist is this process, strip mining existing capital. It's well documented.

[@gnyrinn]

I was a latecomer to Bylaw and Order and I loved it. I think I'm more exited about Bylaw and Order 2 than I am about more Friday Nights, and I've backed those. *Edited as the episode goes on I like the return of Kathleen's Political Fact of the Week.

[@HNewt]

Tappy New Year’s ⤵️🎉

[@ClexYoshi]

Like... there's literally an episode of My Little Pony that has the actual main characters fighting some sort of monster in the background but the focus is on background characters getting ready for a wedding between other background characters. It works given that the show is already a slice-of-life comedy and that this was like... a bunch of people's fanon coming to life on the screen and blatant internet fanservice. Pretty sure there's actually a TARDIS in that episode.

[@howlinglotus]

Aurelia doesn't have Battalion, but rather Buffedtalion. [distant boo's]

[@NamelessFacelessWhoa]

Demand Answers seems like a color pie break with how efficient it is, real, actual, factual card advantage in red, at 2 mana, at instant speed? Unreal, dude.

[@SparkyUpstart]

I think the discard or artifact sac brings it back to red, but I'm surprised it's at common?

[@Mordalon]

Red has been able to sacrifice artifacts for card draw for awhile now. And while it technically has the downside of being restricted in time, impulsive draw is "actual factual" card advantage that Red has had for awhile. No color is or has ever been forbidden from having Card Advantage. You are also conflating card advantage with card draw, when card draw describes anything that is net-positive on resources, like Red's ability to answer multiple threats with a single card or White's ability to bring multiple cards back from the graveyard.

[@LucasTheDrgn]

To be fair, it isn't really card ADVANTAGE, is it? You're spending two card-equivalent objects (either two cards if you choose to discard or sacrifice a non-token artifact, or one card and a token artifact that, for the set it's designed for, is probably a clue which is worth a card anyway) to get two cards, it's card neutral in most cases, theoretically advantage if you pair it with the right other cards, but even Faithless Looting is card advantage with the right cards to pair with it

[@Mordalon]

@@SparkyUpstart There are 3 creatures in Standard in Red at common with a repeatable activated ability that lets you sacrifice an artifact to draw a card.

[@Mordalon]

@@LucasTheDrgn That would qualify it as conditional card advantage, which Impulsive draw falls squarely into as well. The tricky part though is that how conditional it is does matter for the color pie, except in this case Red hasn't been disallowed from this sort of card advantage for a very long time, so even in the best case scenario it's still not an issue. Faithless Looting's color pie issue was less about how good it was and more about them differentiating Looting from Rummage.

[@seanbrown4584]

My favorite, Kathleen "eat the rich" DeVere! 🎉

[@markbrierley6367]

No Molander? Awww. Well excited to see what Wheeler brings to the game.

[@EricChoiniere]

Likely because Serge is on an extended stay in the Eastern District (Alberta).

[@markbrierley6367]

@@EricChoiniere I was under the impression that his new place had become available and he had moved back.

[@EricChoiniere]

@@markbrierley6367 That could have happened, but in the November AskLRR, he mentioned that things got complicated and his return to Victoria would take longer than expected

[@Dentson]

Happy new year

[@ckupf]

Can we get an Avenir variant of Alquist Proft?

[@KorrenTheNinth]

A 1/1 spirit with flying is haunting this podcast...come for the magic stay for the political rants!

[@racg174]

cameron forgets wind power, the best type of power!

[@narfidy444]

I kinda hope this journey feels a little less Ravnica-y. They've spiced up a lot of other re-visits but outside of WotS (which only happened to be on ravnica) it's always been the same

[@shadogiant]

except solar panels, solar panels go straight to electricity

[@theenderman155]

"Murders at Karlov Manor" also known as "Employee Layoffs at Hasbro"

[@GlitchFluxTheWolf]

Round of Applause for Cameron's Top hat quip occurring the very same episode the crew speaks about how upset they are with Capitalistic choices at Hasbro with the layoffs.

[@estebanrodriguez5409]

THANKS KATHLEEN you know why

[@j0hnicus]

I would enjoy listening to more from spicy political science Kathleen

[@samdunn5846]

*injects self with evil space oil*

[@estebanrodriguez5409]

Happy 2024 from the future

[@awkesns]

Here for the comedy, sticking around for the staunch anti-capitalist underpinnings.

[@kfunky209]

Hearing reference to the old Ravnica books reminds me about my fan casting of Bruce Willis as Agrus Koss and either Joe Pesci or Danny DeVito as the imp that follows him around

[@MRBouma]

I am here for a LRR political podcast.

[@jackfeger7634]

By law and order 2 further laws and additional order

[@ronaldkantelberg]

Dishes done, kids in bed. Time for Tap Tap Concede! Engage!

[@CrOeDdE]

Cam. The lip bite and faraway eyes at 51:30 were too much. Calm down.

[@scarletohary]

Hasbro is led Tasso ing us. Now Wizards is one of us

[@Zjivarra]

When are they gonna just rename the basic lands. My brain really dislikes seeing a city scape labeled as a swamp, mountain, forest and island. At this point why not change the names of lands to Red Source, Green Source, etc. And for land types they can do the same, Basic Land - Black; Basic Land-Blue. I can’t be the only one who feels this way right? If a card is called forest, it should depict a forest :-/

[@Mordalon]

Magic has never been a card game about literal, comprehensive representations through card mechanics. This issue you have also isn't recent, going back to original Ravnica and beyond. Lots of big things should have Trample and Reach, things that depict snowy places don't always have the Snow supertype. It's just a gameplay/flavor separation that you have to accept from games like this.

[@balda7942]

Prof also brought up the point - Why are people from the profitable divisions get fired? And i dont get why are we even discussing which division deserved layoffs. Do people from toy division deserve layoffs? Why is it even brought up? I guess it is not the thing that is meant, but it sure sounds like - toy division bad and its ok to get them fired. I doubt that those people are less talented or hardworking.

[@gnome_friend5281]

I'm guessing they're starting from a perspective of, "we know capitalist logic is bad, but let's use it against itself." Obviously people should have what they need to live and put effort into projects that are fulfilling, but even if that weren't true, this doesn't make sense from a "profitability of work"="value of life" perspective either.