Andy talks about the reviews Pyramid Arcade is starting to get, and laments minor errors that have emerged on one of the gameboards inside. But mostly the guys just discuss media, in particular, a couple of long discussions about Westworld. Other topics include a couple of series from the BBC (Space Race and Black Mirror) and a new Beatles album from an alternate dimension, called Everyday Chemistry.
Andy & Keith talk travel & conventions, and how different it is to be working at such events instead of just attending them. Then they talk about stuff they are each working, including a lot of hinting about licensed works they can’t name yet. Keith talks about the most recent version of Gloom, and Andy’s big pile of unpublished Fluxx decks, including Math Fluxx. Then they discuss the challenge of making a game design as simple as possible versus the gameplay strengths that can be gained by a higher level of complexity. Andy talks about Cosmic Coasters, 4X games, and advice from James Ernest. Then they discuss the exciting new world of print-on-demand books, and soon, tarot-sized cards. Lastly, they talk a lot about spoilers in a spoiler-heavy discussion of Mr. Robot.
SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers inside.
It’s a very special episode of the Download, recorded at GenCon, featuring special guests Kristin Looney, Leila Zucker, and Laurie Menke, who join Andy in a demo session of Keith’s just-released RPG, called Phoenix: Dawn Command. Can this new team of Phoenixes save the Flame-Keeper from The Chant?
Keith & Andy have just returned from GenCon and they have many stories about the convention to share. Topics include the games they played, the events they ran, and the local food they most enjoyed: Giordano’s pizza. They also discuss some useful all-purpose phrases, including “that explains a lot!” and “but at what cost?”
First Andy & Keith discuss their plans for GenCon, and memories of GenCons past. Then Keith talks about an MMORPG he put a lot of work into back in the nineties but which was never released, called Lost Continents. But most of the episode is a spoiler-laden discussion of the new Star Trek and Ghostbusters movies, with a side discussion of Antman’s super-powers.
SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers inside.
Keith & Andy start by talking about their plans for GenCon, then Andy tells a lot of stories from last weekend’s first-ever LooneyCon. Such topics include Fluxx Buxx and the Rare Items Auction, the Fluxx World Championship, the Just Desserts Cosplay Contest, the Homeworlds Exhibition Game, playtesting of Zendo 2.0, and the question of whether or not we will do it again next year. Lastly, Keith provides a few thoughts about the new Star Trek and Ghostbusters movies.
Topics this week include: Simul-viewing (watching something at the same time as someone else in separate locations and texting to each other during the show); the lessons of rule complexity found in the fictional card game Fizzbin; the benefits of keeping the core of a game design simple and increasing the complexity with advanced rules included later; Keith’s new design-in-progress, Project 12; and finally, a long, spoiler-heavy discussion of The Americans, with minor side discussions of Fringe, House of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, and Unreal.
SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers inside.
First the guys yammer about coughing vs. sneezing and the manners surrounding unpleasant things. Then they each talk for awhile about secret work stuff. Keith uses the phrase “That Ship Has Sailed,” which sets Andy off on a rant about the movie Saving Mr. Banks. Then Keith talks about a new film called The Lobster, which triggers a discussion about zany characters they played at a Live Action Role Playing game long ago, in particular, a space-faring race of belligerent giant blue lobsters. Lastly, they discuss the binary language of load-lifters and the question of why many Star Wars robots only make annoying beeping noises instead of being programmed to speak English.
After a short discussion about the recent passing of Andy’s mother, the guys get into a big old yammer-fest about Captain America: Civil War, plus other superhero movies, and other comic book characters, including Bizarro and Galactus.
Andy talks about the status of the Pyramid Arcade Kickstarter, and Keith talks about a complex new card game he’s developing (on still-secret subject matter). Then Keith describes his process for prototyping Gloom cards, and they speculate on why so few other designers have created games with clear plastic cards. Then they discuss the double standards of pricing, i.e. how people have different attitudes about the same amount of money being spent on different things (food vs games, for example). Then they discuss the TV series Fargo, several random video games, the ambient noise generator called MyNoise, and the comic series The Wicked and the Divine.