In this installment of Creature Features, we get in the Christmas spirit (kind of) and talk about fairies, except for elves (okay, not at all). We discuss different elements you can use in your game, which apparently includes David Bowie’s bulging crotch (all that Wayne remembered from Labyrinth).
We also finally settle the question of which was the best superhero movie of 2012: The Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers.
Lyal tries a new microphone and literally sounds like he’s phoning it in instead of metaphorically (as usual). Funny how the microphone picks up the sound of ice dropping into a glass from three metres away with perfect clarity, but struggles to pick up a voice from three centimetres away. Looks like it’s back to the sound board.
“In the roar of an engine, he lost everything. And became a shell of a man, a burnt out, desolate man, a man haunted by the demons of his past, a man who wandered out into the wasteland.”
– The Road Warrior
The selfish rogues, the emotional voids, the cold-blooded killers. These are the antiheroes of literature, TV and the movies. We’ve all played these characters at some point or another, but are we doing it right? Listen up to find out.
In our first interview episode, we talk to Tony and Faon Grandinetti, two members of the creative team behind Emergence, a fantasy and SF RPG on Kickstarter. This may be the first game spawned in traffic.
You can find Emergence on Kickstarter, and make sure to check out the Emergence website for more information on the world of Kython.
Oh, Lyal! Lyal messed up the audio. Apologies if it doesn’t sound crystal clear.
This is what happened.
We recorded an episode of Literature Lessons about the master of modern horror: Stephen King. We discussed themes common to many of his books and how to incorporate them into your games. Wayne bought up D&D Next (again), Lyal created a possible Cujo sequel, and Chris talked about that classic Stephen King character Achilles.
Should D&D be everyone’s gateway into RPGs?
After about ten minutes of listening to us talk about D&D, you may start to question the “Non-D&D” part of the title, but we do move on to other games. We look at Exalted, A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying, Runequest, and Dragon Age. We evaluate each game’s system, setting, and presentation. We also discuss which ones would be good gateway games. At the end, we talk about an out-of-print game that presented fantasy races in new and badass ways.
“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
– Winston Churchill
Was Churchill talking about World War Two or a game of Axis and Allies?
With an apocalypse, the end is not really the end either. In fact, it’s where the fun really begins, if radiation sickness, starvation and sterility could be called “fun”.
In this episode, we talk about the post-apocalypse, including zombies, vampires, farmers, and Sam Gamgee’s second favourite topic.
Special Note: The Novel which Chris refers to, in which weapons are used to remove information from matter, is titled “The Gone-Away World” by Nick Harkaway.
“Not to recommend Canadian hip hop; that is the Law. Are we not Men?”
“Not to talk about dolphin sex; that is the Law. Are we not Men?”
“Not to tear up during an episode; that is the Law. Are we not Men?”
Apparently not, because we break every law. In this episode, we discuss some classic “animal” novels and how to play animals in games.
The only thing too big to fail is a dragon, and if we had dragon bankers, we bet people wouldn’t be so keen to Occupy Wall Street. You want to pass on this episode? Passing’s for quarterbacks, and I don’t see a number on your back. So, listen up and join the 1%.
Also, a review of Descent: Journeys in the Dark.
Tune in for an evening with Chris and Wayne as they talk about Eclipse Phase. Lyal and Yujiro are here, but you wouldn’t know it for a good 50% of the episode.
Lyal really got into the posthuman spirit and Skyped in. The man is method (or wasn’t feeling very well). Unfortunately, the sound kept breaking up. Oh well. More Chris and Wayne!
