Whether you're a brand new listener or a long time fan, welcome to Friends at the Table, an actual play podcast about critical worldbuilding, smart characterization, and fun interaction between good friends.   This season, we'll be using a combination of games to explore the relationship between individuals, society, and technology. Oh, and uh, there will be lots of giant robots and explosions, too.    All of this will happen across two "tiers" of play. First, in a game of Jeremy Keller's MechNoir, a team of freelance problem solvers living at the galactic crossroads will try to keep a massive cold war from going hot. Then, in a game that will combine elements of Stars Without Number's "Faction Turn" and the open-ended roleplaying of Microscope, we'll zoom out to a higher tier, figuring out what the major organizations of this universe are up to.   In this first, extra-long session, Ali Acampora, Keith Carberry, Jack de Quidt, and Art Tebbel create their MechNoir characters. If you're itching for more content once you finish listening to this episode, then check out our "World Generation" episode here. I've kept the episode out of our main feed because some technical isues impacted the the quality of the recording (and because the whole creating-a-sci-fi-universe-from-whole-cloth thing takes quite a long time.)   Special thanks to Craig Sheldon for knocking the art out of the park for the second season in a row, and to all of the fans who have been waiting patiently for this release!   Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker)   Featuring Keith J Carberry (@KeithJCarberry), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), and Art Tebbel (@atebbel) Produced by Keith J Carberry  Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) Intro Music by Jack de Quidt