All posts filed under “D&D”

January 27, 2021

Episode 252: Don’t Use the Dream Toilet

This week the word is Unknown. The nerds talk about various unknowns, like hidden information in game design, stories in which characters are thrust into unknown settings, situations in which you don’t know who you are, things that are unknowable, and questions that meant to never be answered. Keith talks about unknowns in Eberron, and also mentions Bridgerton, Dexter, and the D&D campaign he’s run 60 times. This leads to a discussion of unusual adaptations of Shakespeare. Keith reports on finding the answer the “Blah Rhubarb Blah” question he asked last week, and the each talk about issues they’ve been having with mice. Next, Andy gives his final report on The Last Airbender, and Keith talks about obscure candy bars. Moving on to media, they discuss Chapter 2 of S. They also talk about Tolkien stories from the point of view of the eagles. Lastly, they drop the spoiler curtain to discuss the season 3 finale of Star Trek: Discovery.

SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.

December 15, 2020

Episode 248: Baby Yoda Gets the Cookies

This week the word is Heroes. The nerds talk about their favorite heroes, what makes for a good hero, etc. As with last week’s discussion of villains, they have a lot to say (including more about villains). Then Keith talks about the Eberron campaign he’s running for his Patreon subscribers. Moving on to media, they talk a little about Schitt’s Creek before dropping the spoiler curtain to discuss the newest episodes of Star Trek Discovery and The Mandalorian.

SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.

November 17, 2020

Episode 246: Kindergarten Triceratops

This week the word is dinosaurs. The nerds discuss their favorite dinosaurs (and why the triceratops is the best), depictions of dinosaurs in popular media, other meanings and definitions for the word dinosaur, the inclusion of dinosaurs in D&D, and the Loch Ness Monster. Then they move on to other topics, including Halloween, the extended versions of the LOTR movies, Rick & Morty, and Schitt’s Creek. After dropping the spoiler curtain, they discuss the Mandalorian and Star Trek Discovery.

SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.

June 30, 2020

Episode 231: Pizza Quesadillas

This week the word is changes. First they talk about how the Romulans were changed to be the Klingons during the development of Star Trek 3, and other ways in which key elements of on-going story franchises have changed and evolved over time. Keith talks about how changes to the way werewolfism was dealt with in the rules to D&D impacted the design of Eberron. Other topics they mention include Life’s Lottery, The Butterfly Effect, and The Doom Patrol. Then they lower the vintage spoiler curtain to discuss Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country at length.

VINTAGE SPOILER WARNING: contains vintage spoilers.

December 11, 2019

Episode 206: The Severed Arm of Chuck Palahniuk

This week the word is unreliable. They discuss unreliable narrators in popular media, trying not to get to spoilery until the last part of the show. Andy talks about his upcoming trip to Russia, and Keith tells the story of how he came to be in possession of an autographed rubber arm. Other topics include Galactus action figures, Keith’s new Eberron books, Math Fluxx 2.0, Tom Lehrer’s New Math song, and what Keith wants to do next with Gloom. Then they lower the spoiler curtain to further discuss unreliable narrator stories.

SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

August 20, 2019

Episode 196: Lab Coats and Watermelons

This week the word is Gen Con, which the nerds spend a lot of time discussing. But first Keith talks about being in Maine, and his distaste for lobster. They talk about the year 2020, seeing multiple people wearing a lab coat and carrying a watermelon, and zany stunts they used to do at sci-fi conventions before they each started a game company. Keith talks about his new project with the Adventure Zone, then they speculate more about the upcoming Picard series. Andy asks Keith to compare the gore factors on Stranger Things vs. The Boys, since Andy is very adverse to graphic depictions. Then Keith talks about the start of Season 3 of Legion, and Andy mentions a theory about Star Wars Episode 9 that’s been going around. After lowering the spoiler curtain, the discuss season 3 of Stranger Things.

SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

March 27, 2019

Episode 183: Defeating Clever Johnny

This week the word is Cruisin’, since Keith has just returned from the JoCo Cruise and has many stories to tell. Of particular note is the enormous D&D game he ran, with 70 DMs and over 400 players. He also reports on how the concert by TMBG was affected by a huge storm, and a new James Ernest card game he learned on the cruise. Andy talks about a movie he’s been hearing about called The Wandering Earth and one he just saw, called Apollo 11. After the Spoiler Warning they discuss the most recent episodes of the Orville and Star Trek: Discovery.

SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

March 14, 2019

Episode 182: Thirteen (but one has been lost)

This week the word is thirteen. Andy talks about his progress on designing an expansion for Doctor Who Fluxx about the 13th Doctor, and Keith talks about the significance of the number in Eberron. Keith talks about the events he’ll be running on the Joco Cruise. Then they discuss a bunch of media topics at a non-spoiler level, including The Umbrella Academy, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Us, Get Out, Yesterday, The Twilight Zone, “head-banger” movies in general, and a strange 70’s film called All This And World War II. Then they drop the spoiler curtain to discuss the first two episodes of Russian Doll, and the most recent episodes of the Orville and Star Trek: Discovery.

SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

January 15, 2019

Episode 175: Fanthropology 101

This week the word is fandom, as in “What are your fandoms?” What does it mean to be a fan? The nerds each talk about their own fandoms, including being fans of their own creations. Near the end they bring down the Spoiler Curtain to discuss the first episode of season 2 of The Orville, followed by Riverdale and Babylon 5.

SPOILER ALERT: CONTAINS SPOILERS

November 13, 2018

Episode 167: What Do We Need Dice For?

wdwndf

This week the nerds talk about the use of dice, or lack thereof, in role-playing games. Keith just got back from AmberCon with many tales of the games he played and ran there, and they discuss various RPG systems and how they use — or eschew — the roll of the dice. Media discussions include Homecoming, Babylon 5, and First Man.