Iteration 202 - Omniscience and Large Numbers

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We start by talking a bit about Ghostbusters, and then take a swerve into theology for some reason, and about what it would mean to be omniscient. Dwarf Fortress gets an update. And we talk about the real-world events going on in Turkey, and translating coups to a role-playing world. Zoey brings us a review of Ghostbusters. And for our main topic, we talk about the concept of large numbers, omniscience, and managing information in a role-playing game.

References and Recommendations:

Epic Rap Battles of History: Ivan the Terrible vs Alexander the Great https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVbH1BVXywY

History Bites: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0231028/

Iteration 201 - How and Why to Change a Battlefield

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We start with a discussion about Pokemon Go! Ryan watches the Emperor's New Groove again. Ryan plays more of the Secret World. And for our main topic, we were inspired by boss fights from MMORPGs and we ponder the question of how to make big battles more dynamic and interesting and awesome over time.

References and Recommendations:

Beyond the Pale RPG: http://beyondthepalerpg.tumblr.com/

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

Iteration 200 - Magic with Personality

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We start with a discussion about why we think movies bomb at the box office. Then Ryan and Zoey review Finding Dory (2016 film). Josh reports on Love and Friendship (2016 film). Then Ryan points out all the plot holes in Men in Black 3.

Then we talk about how summoning monsters from other planes works, on a technical level, and the variants in which you can summon the same version of the monster every time. And we conclude with a discussion about intelligent or semi-intelligent magic items, and how to deal with them as players, DMs, and storytellers.

References and Recommendations:

Finding Dory (2016 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2277860/

Love and Friendship (2016 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3068194/

Lindybeige: https://www.youtube.com/user/lindybeige

Iteration 199 - With Allies Like These

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Josh recounts some of his recent times spent as a Dungeon Master at Roll for Initiative in Victoria. Then we talk about how games like Minecraft get updates these days. Josh watches Man on the Moon. Ryan recounts some of his adventures in The Secret World. Then we discuss an article on elements for creepypasta stories. And our main topic this week is about Friends and Allies, what to do with them as a DM and what to do with them as a player, and the constraints of a work of fiction or a role-playing game in dealing with so many allies.

References and Recommendations:

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

Man on the Moon (1999 film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_the_Moon_(film)

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

CreepyPasta: https://venngage.com/blog/creepypasta/

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 197 - The Animal Singularity and Other Topics

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We start our show off with banter about Math class versus French class. Then we move onto a discussion of the Warcraft movie. Whether or not it's better to make a film to appeal only to fans. And how we would make a D&D movie if it was up to us. Then we talk about Kevin Smith's new movie Yoga Hosers. Josh gets addicted to Cookie Clicker. Ryan watches an old movie called The Pillow of Death and has a beef about its ending in which the wrong characters end up as a couple at the end. And Josh shares a thought about the Animal Singularity.

References and Recommendations:

Warcraft (2016 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096/

Yoga Hosers (2016 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3838992/

The Pillow of Death (1950 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037989/

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/