Monthly archives of “January 2019”

January 31, 2019

Episode 177: The Idea of Clowns

This week the word is optometry, as in Keith’s Sci-Fi Optometry Test. Then they discuss other equipment-less games like 20 questions, French Toast, and Battle of the Quote-Masters. Further topics include Rod Serling as a LARP character, tales from the Over the Edge RPG, magic shows, and hypnotism acts. Then they lower the spoiler curtain to discuss the starts of season two of Star Trek: Discovery and the Orville. Lastly, Andy shares his thoughts on the final episode of Babylon 5.

SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

January 23, 2019

Episode 176: Gilligan… In… Spaaaaace!

This week the word is Beginnings. They talk about how difficult it can be to get a new story started, and discuss a few successful and unsuccessful first episodes. Keith gets into the tricky issues of starting an RPG campaign, and describes some of his approaches to “session zero.” Andy mentions a memorable LARP they both played in called Tabula Rasa, then he talks about his experiences on the Star Trek Cruise. Lastly they lower the spoiler curtain to discuss Travelers and other time travel shows, and Andy speculates about what will happen in the last episode of Babylon 5.

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

January 8, 2019

Episode 174: Scrappy Don’t

This week the word is new. Topics the nerds discuss include new elements being added into existing games or stories to freshen them up (such as Scrappy Doo, Worf, Seven of Nine, Batgirl, and the Great Gazoo), how their games have evolved as they’ve created new editions and new game mechanics, and shows that have radically re-invented themselves from one season to the next (including the Sarah Connor Chronicles and It’s About Time). Andy talks about where he’s gotten to in watching Babylon 5 and how surprised he was by the appearance of a couple of notable guest stars. Keith tries to talk about Bumblebee without spoiling it. Lastly they bring down the Spoiler Curtain to discuss Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse.

SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

January 2, 2019

Episode 173: Zooty! Zoot Zoot!

This week the word is endings. Topics the nerds discuss include the all-time best ending to a TV series, stories that had the perfect ending but then continued anyway, and stories that ended before their time. Media they mention include Newhart, MASH, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Americans, Journeyman, How I Met Your Mother, all of the Star Treks, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Buffy, and in particular, Babylon 5. They also compare Keith’s frequently re-run RPG game, Unusual Suspects, with Andy’s Parsely games.

SPOILER ALERT: CONTAINS VINTAGE SPOILERS