Iteration 217 - Succession and Transition of Power

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also here: https://archive.org/download/thesimulationist/Iteration217-SuccessionAndTransitionOfPower.mp3

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Esquimalt to get a new TV studio space, so the entertainment industry in Victoria is expanding! We talk a bit about the return of the Necromancer class into Diablo, and about how we think a company decides which content to monetize, and which content to make free. Ryan achieves all the achievements for Samhain in the Secret World. Zoey reviews Alice and Wonderland, with a little help from her dad. And for our main topic, well we just couldn't resist the US election, so we try to put a storytelling slant on it. We talk about voting systems like the electoral college. We talk about how power is gained, held, and maintained in our fantasy realms.

References and Recommendations:

Tres Laughin with Josh TreLeaven: https://treslaffin.blogspot.com

Made You Look Media: https://vimeo.com/madeyoulookmedia

Iteration 215 - Romancing a Q

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and also here: https://archive.org/download/thesimulationist/Iteration215-RomancingAQ.mp3

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We start with a tangent on Doctor Who. Then we do the rest of the podcast. We struggle with the question of whether to be happy that Ewe Bolle has been put in his place. Josh plays Dwarf Fortress and labours at digging through aquifers. Ryan watches Sleeping Beauty with Zoey. Ryan brings up the idea of what happens when the most powerful political entity in the area is an evil fairy queen. And then we talk about as many examples as we can think of when the love interests in a story have an age difference in the hundreds or thousands of years, and how that's dealt with in fantasy and science fiction. We also talk about what it really means for elves to have such extended lifespans.


References and Recommendations:

Han Solo film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778644/

Iteration 207 - Deific Pretensions

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In this iteration: Ryan gets excited about how well Suicide Squad is still doing at the box office, since it means a better chance of getting a Harley Quinn film. This leads to a bit of a side jag onto the topic of superhero costumes in comics versus in film. Josh ponders whether gladiator games from Roman times were creatively scripted the way modern pro wrestling is. Ryan brings us a review of the Lion King, with a little review from Zoey too. And we get a bit in depth as to the meaning and implications of the Lion King story. Then Ryan brings up the topic of pretending to be a god, and when one can consider oneself to actually be a deity.

Iteration 203 - The Superhero with a Thousand Faces

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We start this week's discussion off with our thoughts on the new trailer for the Justice League movie. Josh reports on Being John Malkovich, Harmonquest, and a documentary called Marwencol. Ryan reports on the Fantastic Four movie, and speculates whether it needed the particular IP, or whether it would have been a better movie if it had been a standalone movie with its own unique characters. From there we just talk about superhero stories. And veer into Hitler toward the end, just because.

References and Recommendations:

Justice League (2017 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/

Being John Malkovich (1999 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120601/

Marwencol (film and book): http://marwencol.com/

Venger Satanis (RPG books): http://vengersatanis.blogspot.ca/

Iteration 198 - The Town That Wasn't There

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In this, our very special Summer Solstice iteration, we talk about getting to the halfway point of the year of celebrity deaths. After that, Ryan brings us a conspiracy theory rooted in local happenings to us in Victoria. Then we get onto a tangent about The Town That Wasn't There. Josh reports on watching The Maze Runner, and Ryan reports on watching Fury Road. Then we talk about different kinds of zombies, and monsters in Dungeons & Dragons.


References and Recommendations:

Roll for Initiative: http://www.rollforinitiative.ca/

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392190/

Maze Runner (2014 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790864/

Iteration 196 - Optimal Number of Murder Suspects

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We start off with a bit of talk about the theatrical and storytelling nature of boxing, in light of the passing of Muhammad Ali. For our main topic this week, Ryan watched Calling Doctor Death, and we wonder whether there's an optimal number of suspects for a murder mystery on film or in books. Then in the course of this, we invent a setting for a Western in which every citizen is required to have killed someone.


References and Recommendations:

Cookie Clicker: http://orteil.dashnet.org/cookieclicker/

Calling Dr. Death (1943 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035706/

Iteration 190 - The Question of Harm to Animals in Simulations

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Reptilian creatures from space are coming to earth to take our jobs! We talk about our adventures in simulations, the video games we played, the movies we watched, and the random thoughts we had about the Flintstones. For our main topic this week, Ryan brings us his review of Murder at the Zoo, specifically a scene in which a lion fights a cougar. And we get to pondering about the ethics of enjoying fights and suffering, and whether it makes a difference if it's simulated or real.

References and Recommendations:

The Secret World (MMORPG): http://www.thesecretworld.com/

Roll for Initiative Victoria: http://www.rollforinitiative.ca/

Murders in the Zoo (1933 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024360/

Sharktopus vs Whalewolf (2015 film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharktopus_vs._Whalewolf

Iteration 182 - Simplicity and Other Game Design Topics

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In this iteration of the Simulationist podcast: we talk about the Academy Awards and try to convince ourselves why they are significant in our culture. Josh accuses Ryan of being a hipster. Then we talk about the DotA tournament in Shanghai that fired its announcer. Josh talks about comedy, Minecraft, and the TV shows we watched. On the topic of structuring television, telling stories forward and backward. Ryan reports on watching Deadpool. Then, prompted by Ryan recently tinkering with Hero Quest, we talk about the simplicity factor in game design, and how we add our own features and rules tweaks to role-playing games. And finally, we talk about board games, and picking a good board game for young children to play.


References and Recommendations:

The Wizard of Speed and Time (1988 film) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoLhLn9hVkE

Shanghai Major Dota 2 Tournament 2016: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2/Shanghai_Major/2016

Roll for Initiative Victoria: http://www.rollforinitiative.ca/

Ye Olde Inn (HeroQuest site): http://www.yeoldeinn.com/

Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/

Iteration 174 - Billy Goat III: The Gruffening

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We begin the year, and this week's iteration of the podcast, by sussing out the moral of the story of the billy goats gruff, from the point of view of the troll. Then we talk about the little earthquake we had in Victoria this week. A man shoots himself with a potato gun. We talk about our creations in Minecraft. And we ask what the game Twenty Questions is simulating? And for our main topic, we talk about what goes into making a great sequel. We talk about why we didn't like Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar.


References and Recommendations:

Victoria Buzz on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaBCBuzz/

Iteration 159 - Fused and Confused

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We celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day! Then we talk about how to set up your own island nation. We talk about how characters move from interesting to non-interesting. As a writer, should you kill off an interesting character before they become boring? Ryan watches the Dragonball Z movie. And for our main topic, we discuss fused characters. We talk about when two characters get squished into one, like symbiotes. Or like when a writer decides to fuse them. Or when you're playing a role-playing game and someone doesn't show.


References and Recommendations:

DragonBall Evolution (2009 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1098327/

What We Did on Our Holiday (2014 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2725962/

Iteration 154 - Rules of Storytelling

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We start with a philosophical-mythological discussion on the nature of time itself. Josh and Ryan talk about all the adventures they've been having in Minecraft and various other games. For our main topic, we talk about Pixar's rules of storytelling.

References and Recommendations:

Epic Games Victoria: http://www.epicgamesvic.com/

Hometech Games Plus: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hometech-Games-Plus/355714717872155


The Rules of Storytelling According to Pixar: 
http://io9.com/5916970/the-22-rules-of-storytelling-according-to-pixar

Iteration 153 - World-Shattering Planet-Building

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We start with a talk about Jon Stewart finishing off the Daily Show, and what it means for an icon to quit or retire. We discuss Hollowfaust: the City of Necromancers. Plus, our adventures in Minecraft, and Josh's adventures in Dungeons & Dragons, which our listeners can join at Roll for Initiative Victoria. And for our main topic, we talk about world building and taking inspiration from one medium to another, translating between very different worlds with very different rules. Which leads us into a rather odd conversation about an otherworldly invasion of sanity-defying beasts.

References and Recommendations:

Roll for Initiative role-playing event: http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/roll-for-initiative-tickets-17639853276

Iteration 151 - Seconds in Command

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In this iteration of the Simulationist Podcast, Josh reports on Dungeon World, Josh and Ryan both report on adventures in Minecraft. We invent insane conspiracy theories about Donald Trump, going both directions. And for our main topic, we talk about lieutenants for bad guys, and all about the perils of being second in command. And during all of this, we go into some strange Star Wars tangents.


References and Recommendations:

Dungeon World: http://www.dungeon-world.com/

Iteration 145 - The Buccaneers of Esquimalt

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In this iteration of the Simulationist Podcast: we remember Christopher Lee, talk about Spider-Man, Minecraft, and Game of Thrones.

References and Recommendations:

The Stupids (film) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117768/

Iteration 135 - Celestial Politics

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In this iteration of the Simulationist Podcast, we wish everyone a happy easter! We talk about what would happen to a vampire staked by the true cross. Josh gets fascinated by hairless animals. Josh describes some of his adventures in building stuff in Minecraft. Ryan recounts more of his Museum adventures, and we talk about the films being filmed in Victoria and elsewhere in BC. Somehow we talk about corporal punishment. And for our main topic, we talk about the politics and organizational models of deific pantheons. Josh tries to tempt Ryan with reincarnation.


References and Recommendations:

Board Game Jam in Victoria: https://www.facebook.com/events/628331170601223/

Paper Street Theatre http://www.paperstreettheatre.ca/season.html

Subscribe to us on iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-simulationist-podcast/id589774076

Tweet at Josh on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/Spaceboot1

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http://facebook.com/thesimulationist

Discuss the Simulationist and other topics on reddit!
http://reddit.com/r/thesimulationist
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http://reddit.com/r/dnd

Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/Spaceboot1



 

Iteration 116 - Finding One's Courage

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In this iteration of the podcast:
We start this week's conversation off with knife dancing. Ryan creates the most Canadian Dwarf Fortress mods ever. Josh makes a move to become the richest person on his Minecraft server. And for our main topic, we talk about courage, the kind possessed by lions, and other kinds.

Iteration 115 - What Your Country Can Do for You

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In this iteration of the Simulationist Podcast: 
Josh and Ryan give their imaginative take on Changes the Clown and the Victoria local mayoral elections! Then we recount our adventures in simulated worlds, from Minecraft to Dwarf Fortress, to our adventures in coding our own stuff. We pitch the idea of Mars Bus.

And for our main topic of discussion:
What of democracy in your D&D worlds? Can we determine what alignment voting would fall under, in the D&D alignment system?

Iteration 114 - In the Service of the Empire

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We are joined this week by Ryan's brother Jason Kirkby. We begin by marvelling at some players' ability to be stubborn and grind away for hours at repetitive tasks in video games, something you just can't do in a face to face game. If Superman's eyes ever degenerated, could he perform laser surgery on himself? Ryan makes a monster out of tears to add to Dwarf Fortress. We talk about looking forward to Blizzard's new game: Overwatch. Our main topic: on working for governments and big organizations in your role-playing game.

References and Recommendations:

James Cameron song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67MRiMT9cnE

Iteration 113 - Mind Swapping

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This week on the Simulationist Podcast, we talk about swapping brains! 

We start off the discussion with some talk about the Age of Ultron trailer, and future Marvel movie releases. Josh watches Noah and why it's a science fiction movie. Then we get into our main topic, which is about mind switching and why it's done as a story trope, and the science of it, and if it could ever happen in real life. Also, National Novel Writing Month kicks off!

Iteration 107 - Does Whatever a Spider-Man Can

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In this iteration:
Josh and Ryan talk about cake-baking experiments on a trip to Saturn. Josh recounts some highlights from his adventures playing the Sims. HP Lovecraft's Music of Zann: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Music_of_Erich_Zann . The Shows we didn't watch: Ryan discusses skipping the latest Spider-Man movie, in exchange for some Cartoon Network shows like American Dad and Robot Chicken. We talk about what makes the essence of a character, from Spider-Man to Daffy Duck to Captain America. Ryan recounts The Black Cat film from 1934 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Cat_%281934_film%29 , and Daffy Duck. And Finally: Mind Flayer Sherlock Holmes.