Keith and Andy have just returned from PAX Unplugged and they discuss the event at length. Keith talks about debuting his new games, Illimat and Action Cats! and Scott Pilgrim, and Andy talks about his new releases, Doctor Who Fluxx and Zendo. They also talk about various other games and game-related items they noticed during the convention. They spend the whole episode talking about game design stuff!
First Andy goes through a few items of old business, mostly media related, including the new movie Loving Vincent and the older movies Sound of Her Voice, and What We Do in the Shadows. Andy mentions his 3-phase breakdown of working on a project, and they each talk about the books they have written. Then they talk about work, and how great it is to be working with the printer Delano, who printed both Doctor Who Fluxx and Action Cats! But they spend most of the episode discussing Thor: Ragnarok in great detail.
First Keith talks about the new Thor movie, which Andy hasn’t seen yet, then they continue to discuss The Orville and Star Trek Discovery. Topics include the classic Trek trope of the character who’s an outsider who wishes to be an insider, Harry Mudd version 2.0, and the expectations of new stories set in an existing universe. This leads to a discussion of Minority Report, Tomorrowland, and utopias vs dystopias in general. Then Keith talks about the games he ran and played at AmberCon, including a new Phoenix adventure, and Andy talks about playing games at GameHoleCon. Lastly they discuss season 2 of Stranger Things.
First Keith & Andy talk about their plans for upcoming events, including the pending release of the next Thor movie. This gets into yet another discussion of new works based on older works, and how well — or not — the new works adhere to the vision of the original. In particular, they discuss Star Trek: Discovery, Blade Runner, and Star Wars: Galaxies vs. Knights of the Old Republic. Then they discuss episode 7 of the Orville at length. Other media topics include The Goldbergs, The Good Place, Mr. Robot, Stranger Things season 2, and Riverdale. Andy laments the issues surrounding the way new shows are released now, and wishes new episodes of TV shows were released monthly, instead of weekly with big gaps vs whole seasons at once with even bigger gaps.
Keith and Andy start off with a discussion about the early days of Magic: The Gathering, when you could trade a Mox for a dozen skeletons, and Kristin traded to get a whole decks worth of bears for Andy. This leads into discussions of various big gaming conventions, a new role-playing campaign Keith is running, and the status of Illimat. Moving on to media topics, Keith talks about Riverdale, then they get into a long discussion about Star Trek and the new Discovery series. Lastly, they discuss Blade Runner 2049 with spoilers aplenty.
SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers Inside!
First, Keith talks about his recent trips to LA for autograph signing sessions, and also describes his visit to The Museum of Jurassic Technology. This leads to a discussion of the movie “After Hours” and the radio dramas of Joe Frank. Also discussed are bats that can walk through walls, the gallery of Russian space dogs, and a Tiki lounge in Vegas. Keith reports on the status of Action Cats! and Andy talks about receiving the first production samples of Doctor Who Fluxx and Zendo. Moving on to media, Keith talks spoiler-free about Blade Runner, since Andy hasn’t seen it yet, and Andy talks spoiler-free about Star Trek: Discovery, since Keith hasn’t seen it. Then they lower the spoiler-curtain to discuss The Orville. Lastly, they discuss TJ Hooker and Braindead.
SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers Inside!
First Keith’s talks about the joys of finally being home after almost two months on the road. Then they talk about The Tick, Star Trek: Discovery, and The Orville, trying not to be too spoilery as they comparing all three to the shows that came before them. Keith talks about a game he recently got into called Onitama, and compares it to Andy’s game Martian Chess. This leads to a discussion of tactical vs strategic elements, and come-from-behind-victories, in their game designs. Then they bring down the spoiler curtain for a discussion of the first couple of episodes of the second season of The Good Place. Lastly, they talk about things they haven’t been watching, because there are just too many shows.
SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers Inside!
First Keith’s talks about the final stages of the epic 7 week road trip he’s been on. Topics include Wall Drug, the SPAM Museum, a game cafe in Massachusetts called the Castle, the 50K Silver Dollar Diner, and the giant statue of the Jolly Green Giant. Keith also reports on how they enjoyed the box of cassette tapes Andy loaned them, along with other tapes friends had given them for the drive. Keith talks vaguely about a new game he got to try out that he found very intriguing, and Andy talks about a nerdy mistake in the cover art for Doctor Who Fluxx which they managed to get fixed JUST in time. Then they lower the spoiler curtain to discuss the most recent episodes of Rick & Morty. Andy also gives a few spoiler-free thoughts on Star Trek Discovery.
SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers Inside
This episode was recorded live before a small audience when Andy & Keith got together during a panel at the WashingCon gaming convention. First Keith talks about trouble he had when he couldn’t get a sandwich, and Andy talks about trouble he had when his vintage car caught fire. Andy tells a few stories from Burning Man, then gives Keith a box of old cassette tapes for him and Jenn to listen to as they drive around in their vintage camper. He also gives Keith a mix CD he made of his favorite They Might Be Giants songs since after their first six albums. Then Andy tells some more Burning Man stories, including getting to ride on the Sensatron art car to the big burn, and Keith tells stories about DragonCon. Near the end Andy also mentions that Doctor Who Fluxx is at the printer, and Keith talks about the season finale of Game of Thrones.
Note: Special Thanks to the Dragon’s Demise podcast for providing audio services for this episode!
Additional Note: Here’s the TMBG playlist Andy mentions during the show:
1 Doctor Worm (Severe Tire Damage)
2 Operators Are Standing By (Long Tall Weekend)
3 Bastard Wants to Hit Me (The Spine)
4 E Eats Everything (Here Come the ABCs)
5 Brain Problem Situation (Cast Your Pod to the Wind)
6 Can’t Keep Johnny Down (Join Us)
7 When Will You Die (Join Us)
8 You’re On Fire (Nanobots)
9 The Darlings Of Lumberland (Nanobots)
10 Oh You Did (Why?)
11 I Am Invisible (Why?)
12 Definition of Good (Why?)
13 Or So I Have Read (Why?)
14 Elephants (Why?)
15 So Crazy for Books (Why?)
16 I Am Alone (Phone Power)
17 Erase (Glean)
18 I Can Help The Next In Line (Glean)
19 Madam, I Challenge You To A Duel (Glean)
20 All The Lazy Boyfriends (Glean)
21 Another Weirdo (Dial-a-Song – Single)
22 Instant Fan Club (test mp3)
23 Emily Messner (ringtone)
Andy & Keith are back from GenCon and begin by telling GenCon stories, with Keith’s including Traveler’s Rest beforehand plus general life-in-a-van-with-a-pug stories, and Andy describing the total eclipse of the sun he got to see on the way home. In between they discuss they ups and downs and reading reviews of their games, and Andy talks about a small gameplay issue he’d like to make to the Creepers in Firefly Fluxx. They also talk about the samples of fantasy money they picked up at GenCon from a game called Shadows of Esteren, which leads to a discussion of currency design, and of course, game design. Later topics include Space Age Bachelor Pad Music, the newer works of They Might Be Giants, and the differences between dogs and cats. Then they brainstorm ideas for a game about cryonically frozen heads hoping their investments allow them to buy good replacement bodies upon resuscitation, and an idea for a Star Trek sitcom starring the cryonically-revived trio of characters from 20th century who appeared in TNG Season 1, Episode 26. Lastly, the guys give non-spoilery reactions to the newest episodes of Rick & Morty and Game of Thrones.