All posts filed under “Illimat”

July 11, 2017

Episode 110: Eyeballs or Vomit of Death?

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First, Keith talks about his new van, the first real copy of Illimat. and the upcoming start of his Action Cats kickstarter. They yammer about the issues around owning an older car. Keith talks about an unpublished role-playing game which employs Tarot cards, called The Nightwood Society, by a friend of his friend named Dan. Keith talks about a new board game called Potion Explosion, which leads to a discussion of the vintage 3DO videogame called Trip’D. Media topics include Moana, The Man in the High Castle, Twin Peaks, Dreamland, Falling Water, and after dropping the spoiler curtain, they talk about the finale of Fargo. Andy again reminds Keith that he really needs to watch Rick & Morty, and further calls him out for having an attitude against animation.

SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers inside!

July 5, 2017

Episode 109: Sentient Poodles

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First, Keith talks about the van he just purchased, which they named Knut. They then get into a lengthy discussion about the rules of an imaginary world in which a role-playing game takes place and the role of the game-master — if any — in such a game. They compare RPGs to Improv and discuss how limitations versus openness-to-anything are both important. Keith talks about how he and his wife both enjoy costume dramas, and Andy talks about how much he enjoyed the fifth season of Orange Is The New Black. Keith talks a little about shows he thinks little of (Legends of Tomorrow, American Gods, and the new Twin Peaks) and shows he loves (Legion and Fargo).

June 27, 2017

Episode 108: Mansplaining Man

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First the guys discuss production issues each of their companies are currently dealing with, including delays caused by overseas manufacturing. Keith talks about a new D&D campaign he’s running, and about Zorak’s search for a new henchman. Andy talks about Wickerman, a regional Burning Man event he and his friends had just returned from. Media topics include Wonder Woman, other superhero shows, and a web-series about one man’s search for the worst movie ever. After lowering the Spoiler Curtain, they discuss the latest episode of Fargo and the season finale of the Americans.

SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers inside!

June 20, 2017

Episode 107: A Non-Narrative Artistic Experience

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First Andy talks about the muddy camping trip he just returned from, a Burning Man regional event called Playa Del Fuego. Keith and Andy each then talk about the work projects they are focused on right now, and the tricky process of making sure that a game’s rulesheet is clear enough to learn the game from. Keith talks about the new Twin Peaks, having softened his initial views. Other media topics include Archer, The Man in the High Castle, and after they lower the spoiler curtain, The Americans.

Spoiler Alert: Contains spoilers!

June 13, 2017

Episode 106: Detachable Sleeves

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First the guys get kind of heavy and serious, discussing the aging process as it is affecting each of their fathers. They also talk about the process of choosing titles for these shows. Then they talk about work stuff, and fake-work stuff, and they each discuss their plans for seeing the total eclipse of the sun this summer, along with GenCon, Burning Man events Andy attends, and Keith’s Illimat Road Tour. Andy talks for awhile about a cool woman he’s been hanging out with lately, named Sleevs. Keith talks about how awesome the Google Translate app is when on travel in a foreign country, and also describes hearing a performance on a musical instrument called a handpan. This leads to Andy discussing one of his favorite objects, a pocket-sized sound sculpture by Reinhold Marxhausen called Stardust. Media topics discussed this time include The Americans, Twin Peaks, Fargo, True Detective, The White Princess, and the trailer for the new Star Trek series (with its strange new Klingons).

June 6, 2017

Episode 105: Time Spanks Tom Hanks

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First Keith talks about his recent trip to Portugal, where, among other things, he enjoyed seeing the roof cats of Porto. They discuss the mystery of why we have different names for foreign geographic locations than the names used by the people who actually live in those places. Keith mentions a couple of books including Anno Dracula and Last Call. Andy reports on some of the stuff going on at Looney Labs, then talks about TARDIS technology and the time traveler known as The Plumber. They discuss Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 without being very spoilery, along with The Americans, Princess Leia’s Stolen Death Star Plans, Rouge One, and the BBC series from the 80’s called The Tripods.

May 16, 2017

Episode 104: Tom Cruise’s Time Cruise

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First Keith talks about getting his computer fixed, and other things he did this weekend. Andy talks about developing two-player rules for his party game Choose One, which works for 3-10 players as published. They discuss a recent top ten list of great games published by Paste Magazine, and they discuss stories about normal people discovering the world isn’t what they thought it was. Media topics include: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Legion, Fargo’s season 3 opener, The Big Lebowski, American Gods, The Americans, Deutschland ’83, Logan, The Goldbergs, and Princess Leia’s Stolen Death Star Plans.

May 9, 2017

Episode 103: Keith in a Sportsball Cap

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First the guys get caught up on each other’s lives. Andy talks about his vintage video game Icebreaker and its innovative “Level Grid” interface, and Keith considers his options for getting a 3DO multiplayer again. Keith talks about the start of season 3 of Fargo, and they discuss the challenges of learning Bridge. And any game for that matter. Then they discuss the issues relating to system mastery in RPGs. And any game for that matter. Then they lament the news of pending cancellation of TV shows they’ve been enjoying. Then they discuss “embarrassment humor,” and the conversation turns into a comparison/contrast analysis of The Office and Parks and Rec. Keith also compares & contrasts the American show House Hunters and the British show Escape to the Country.

April 25, 2017

Episode 102: No Cookie for Old Men

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First the guys discuss the merits of various types of chocolate chip cookies. Then they talk about Andy’s book, The Empty City, and the stories within it which inspired Icehouse and the entire Looney Pyramids system. They also discuss Illimat and Tak, new board games which also started as imaginary games. Then they talk about the time travel conundrum of showing a young artist who will become successful examples of the works they will eventually create in the future. Andy talks about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Keith talks about stories he’s written (and wants to write) for his fantasy role-playing worlds. Andy talks about time traveler characters he’d written into a couple of his earliest game design projects, back in the early 80s, and provides a breakdown of the various machines and methods time travelers use to get around, triggered by the ring used TimeRider in the new series Dimension 404. Other media topics include season 2 of Fargo, and season 1, and the entire Coen brothers filmography. Keith and Andy give their answers to the question of which Coen brothers movie they like best.

April 18, 2017

Episode 101: Ready Player 101

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First the guys talk about cats. Then they talk about playing video games, with Keith rambling on about the Mass Effect series. Then they talk about cats some more. Next, they discuss time travel shows, specifically the just-canceled Time After Time, Making History, and episode 3 of Dimension 404. Next, they talk about cats again. After that, they get into a lengthy, spoiler-filled discussion of the book, Ready Player One, followed by a spoilery discussion of the most recent episode of the Americans. Lastly, they talk about racism in fantasy worlds, with one more mention of cats.

SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers inside.