This week the nerds take on the topic of monsters! What makes a monster, anyway? They break down the various categories and discuss their favorites, ranging from classic monster movie monsters, alien monsters, fantasy monsters, furry monsters, and others. Other topics include early McDonaldland commercials, the Island of Dr. Moreau, Salyut-7, monster cereals, laugh tracks, The Good Place, The Goldbergs, and Andy’s wall of video screens.
First Keith reports on a couple of D&D games in the middle of playing, which included a scene with a fancy dance involving daggers. Then Keith talks about several podcasts he listened to recently, and some of the issues discussed thereon. The guys then talk more about their experiences at GenCon. Andy talks about awarding Homeworlds medal #17, and describes new ideas he’s been playing around with for a variation of the game that has no combat and a different end condition. Keith talks about Potion Explosion, Root, Arkham Horror, and the how difficult it is to walk the enormous exhibit hall when you’re busy running a booth. They talk about the meaning of name Delos, and Andy talks about an RPG called TimeWatch. Keith talks about media he’s been catching up on, including Cloak & Dagger, Castle Rock, and Making It. Kristin interrupts to bring Andy the first samples from the factory of Fairy Tale Fluxx and Mary Engelbreit Loonacy, and talks about the progress he’s been making on the Star Trek version of Chrononauts he’s currently designing.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
First Keith reports on how things are going with his current D&D campaign, and describes a really cool player involvement technique he’s been using. Andy reports on the status of the development of the Star Trek Fluxxes, and talks about his father’s declining health. Then they talk about Infinity War, for like, forever. They also discuss Westworld.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
First the guys talk about a couple of games Andy played for the first time while visiting Keith, Onitama and Starfall. Then Keith talks about the D&D campaign he’s currently running, and what he’s planning to spring on his players next. Moving on to media, topics include The Expanse, A Quiet Place, Counterpart, Lost in Space, Groundhog Day, and Ready Player One.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
Andy talks about the upcoming release of Get the MacGuffin and plans for running “raffle tournaments” to promote it at AwesomeCon and GameStorm. Keith talks about how both his and Andy’s games tend to be lighter, on the party end of the game design spectrum, and thus not usually well-suited for tournaments. Keith tells Andy about Hackfort, and about the JUMP Center in Boise at which the Treefort music festival was held. They talk about upcoming movies they haven’t yet seen, and Keith reports on the latest session of the D&D campaign he’s running. Andy talks about telling jokes during a job interview. Media discussions include Travelers, Counterpart, and the fact that there are just too many shows. Lastly they discuss Ready Player One, the book, in anticipation of the movie debut.
First Keith talks about D&D, starting with the campaign he’s currently running, then discussing some of the pros and cons of the various major editions of D&D. Then they discuss upcoming events including the JoCo Cruise, Toy Fair, and the GAMA Trade Show. Keith talks about a game he just learned called The Fox and the Forest, and Andy talks about one he just tried, called Magic Maze. Then they talk about all the Cthulhu games Keith has created. After dropping the spoiler curtain, they talk about the most recent episodes of The Good Place and Star Trek: Discovery.
SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
First Keith reports on his recent trip to his hometown of Ithaca NY. Andy mentions that this year’s Burning Man theme is “I, Robot” and Keith tells Andy about a new game being designed by friends of his called Inhuman Conditions, which is about trying to determine if your opponent is a robot or a human. Then they talk about tattoos people have gotten featuring images from their games. Andy tells Keith about a memorable hand of Action Cats! Then they spend more than half the show talking about Star Trek: Discovery, which Keith has finally gotten caught up on.
First Keith talks about how things went in the first session of his new D&D campaign, and about a D&D event he just returned from called Level Eater 8. Keith mentions a couple who went looking for a dog they could call Kevin. Andy mourns the passing of Joe Frank, recommends a book by Roz Chast called Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, and asks if Keith has thought about going to Burning Man. Keith tells a morbid story, then they get into a big discussion about Star Trek Discovery, including some minor spoilers. Behind the spoiler curtain they also discuss The Good Place, Electric Dreams, and Black Mirror.
SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers inside.
First Keith talks about a new D&D campaign he’s starting up, which he’s going to be running “sandbox-style,” and Andy mentions At Your Service, a book of sandbox-style adventures Keith wrote for the Over The Edge RPG system. Andy talks about sending Get the MacGuffin and Anatomy Fluxx off to the printer, and Keith talks about the Action Cats! expansion for which Andy submitted a new photo. Then Andy follows-up on the story he told last week about a mysterious cat that showed up on his doorstep. Andy also announces the pending release of Russian Star Wars Fluxx. This inevitably leads to another round of Star Wars discussions, followed by some talk about Star Trek, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, 24, and the endings of TV series in general. Lastly, behind the spoiler curtain, they discuss several episodes of Electric Dreams.
SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers Inside!
First Keith talks about skipping PAX to nurse his aching back, and Andy talks a little about his recent trip to Europe. Andy mentions that Get the MacGuffin has gone to the printer, and Keith talks about working on an Action Cats! expansion. The guys talk about being sat upon by their pets, then they get into a discussion of the finer details of Doctor Who’s regeneration process. This leads into a discussion about Andy’s idea for a Star Trek series about the DS-9 character, Dax. Keith talks about watching Legion again, then he talks about the first couple of episodes of Electric Dreams. Keith talks about a new RPG scenario he’s been working on. Andy talks about a strange cat that showed up, wanting into his house. Lastly, behind the Spoiler Curtain, they discuss Future Man and Black Mirror.
SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers Inside