Iteration 205 - Beauty and the Beast

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In this iteration, we begin with talk about the Waghi tribe of Papua New Guinea who uses The Phantom as a sigil that they draw on their war shields. Then we talk a little bit about Suicide Squad, and the fan-made version of Metroid 2. Josh gets back into Dwarf Fortress, and gets annoyed with it. Josh plays some board games at Interactivity! And for a main topic, we discuss the Disney film the Beauty and the Beast, mainly about the role of Gaston. Ryan thinks Gaston gets short shrift, but Josh is a bit less forgiving. Ryan wants to take the sorceress to task, but Josh thinks the castle staff had it coming. And we ask about the extent of the Beast's curse, and why it seems to extend to the surrounding countryside, because it causes the people to forget the castle.

References and Recommendations:

Interactivity Board Game Cafe: http://www.ibgcafe.com/

Critical Role: http://geekandsundry.com/shows/critical-role/

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 193 - The Graveyard Battle

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We start the podcast off with some banter about learning to draw. How even if all you can draw is stick figures, that's a place to start. Then Ryan talks about another Buccaneer Days' Festival in Esquimalt, and we talk about the design of theme parks, roller coasters, and carnival rides. Then we talk about Disney Infinity shutting down, and segue into a conversation about the ephemeral nature of online games, and a comparison to the carnival. Our main topic this week is about a story concerning a battle in a graveyard that involved 200 people. From there we examine the nature of death and memory, what to do with dead bodies, ethnicity, gang violence, government corruption, religion, and whether or not this story qualifies as weird enough.

References and Recommendations:

Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics http://scottmccloud.com/2-print/1-uc/

Cemetery Terminology http://18thcenturylove.tumblr.com/post/129586813937/burial-a-reference

Moscow fight in cemetery http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/moscow-cemetery-brawl-1.3582704

"Early in the morning in the middle of the night two dead boys got up to fight" http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/queries/lostquotes/?id=134 

King Richard III's Grave Found in Parking Lot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhumation_and_reburial_of_Richard_III_of_England

Iteration 178 - Fixing Broken Things

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We start with a bit of talk about live comedy in Victoria. Ryan continues with his quest to automate his Minecraft world. Ryan then continues to develop his ideas for revolutionizing the vegepygmy race in the framework of the new Dungeon Master's Guild. Ryan finally gets around to watching Disney's Frozen. And for our main topic, we talk about things that are broken and need repairing, and how we approach this in the games we play and the stories we tell.


References and Recommendations:

The Scourge of the Slave Lords (D&D adventure) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scourge_of_the_Slave_Lords

Welcome to Night Vale (podcast) http://www.welcometonightvale.com/

Iteration 173 - Princesses vs Fairies

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We start the podcast off with some talk about the holidays and the magic of Christmas. Then, since we both saw Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens. We discuss a few of our other exploits in gaming, fiction, and storytelling. Then we go off an a digression about the weirdness of the Twelve Days of Christmas song. And for a final topic, we pit Princesses against Fairies in a battle to the death.


References and Recommendations:

Justice League: A New Frontier: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0902272/

Iteration 172 - Flirting with the Dark Side of the Force

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This episode does not contain spoilers for Star Wars Episode VII. But before we get to the topic of Star Wars, we talk about The Martian. We talk about the movie Kick-Ass, and get into an argument about Ryan's parenting style. For our main topic, we discuss the mantras of the Jedi and the Sith, and whether or not the Sith is actually the better philosophy than the Jedi.

References and Recommendations:

The Martian (2015 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/

Kick-Ass (2010 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1250777/

Iteration 163 - The Hero and the Office

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We open the episode with a brief discussion about time travel. We then note the Canadian federal election happening the day after this recording. Josh plays Don't Starve, and reports on a Paper Street Theatre show. Ryan reports on Metropolis, the 1927 film. And for our main topic, we talk about the office as a setting for adventures and stories in general, and what function the office plays in an exciting or funny story.

References and Recommendations:

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

Metropolis (1927 film): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/

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

IFCon: http://ifconvictoria.com/

National Novel Writing Month: http://nanowrimo.org/

Iteration 161 - Pacing the Man of Steel

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We begin the podcast with some Cookie Monster Lore. Josh talks about how much he loves The Big Bang Theory. Ryan reviews the new Muppets show. We both talk about our big plans for National Novel Writing Month. Ryan gives his ideas for how he thinks the DC Cinematic Universe should go. Our main topic is the Man of Steel movie.

Iteration 121 - Partying Up

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In this episode, we rhyme our last names, wish you all a Happy New Year! Josh watches the Interview and invents some new numbers. Ryan watches the Battle of the Five Armies. We get on the bad side of Alan Moore and Christopher Tolkien. Josh makes an audiobook recording of his grandmother's short story (Constance Horne). Ryan visits the Festival of the Trees at the Empress Hotel in Victoria. For a main topic, we ask the question: how many main characters are suited to each genre: four for an RPG, one for a novel.

References and Recommendations:

Meet King Joe (1949) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbw8DFwoqJ0

Dozens Online Dozenal Forums: http://z13.invisionfree.com/DozensOnline/index.php?

Yogscast Moonquest Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3XZNMGhpynMm0Ywj-rupAKwRryWzEQy-

Critical Hit Podcast: http://majorspoilers.com/critical-hit/

RPG Podcasts http://rpgpodcasts.com

NPC Cast https://npccast.wordpress.com/

Know Direction http://www.35privatesanctuary.com/

Fear the Boot http://www.feartheboot.com/ftb/ 

Iteration 109 - The Don't Care Bears

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In this episode:
Josh talks about Terra Firma Craft and some other Minecraft mods. Ryan brings us his disappointing adventures in Care-a-lot, and how we would have made it better. We get all philosophical on what it really means to "care". And do the Care Bears provide answers that are just too easy? Are all our games and stories too easy? Can we make them more harder, more ambiguous, and more realistic? Do we really want realistic endings and solutions to fictional problems, or do we look to fiction to imagine a world that has solutions so we can actualize ourselves? And we uncover the Shame Bears in Ryan's brain.