This week the word is Zombies. The nerds have a lot to say about zombies, and how they differ from other undead beings including vampires, ghosts, and reanimated corpses. After all that, Keith recaps the start of his Fugue State: Threshold campaign running via Twitch, and Andy again has things to say about Taskmaster. Next they talk about what book they should read next. Behind the spoiler curtain they talk about What If and Lower Decks.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is American, specifically the cheesy American version of things created elsewhere, including the American versions of The Office, Taskmaster, Iron Chef, and Ultraviolet. Digressions include the differences between American and English senses of humor, language differences, Doctor Who, and yet more discussions of Taskmaster. Next they discuss the last few stories in Donald Barthelme’s Forty Stories, and then discuss what to read next. After the spoiler curtain, they talk about the third episode of the season of both Lower Decks and What If?.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Collectors, and begins with the nerds talking about their own collections and various types of collectors. The discussion includes classic arcade games (including the obscure hit, Rip Off), Magic cards (and what it was like in the very early days), collecting topics ranging from curating to completeness, Keith’s story about the difficulty of obtaining RPG dice in Bulgaria, and the mystique of Cosmic Wimpout dice. Moving on to media, Andy talks a little about The Expanse and a lot about Taskmaster. After dropping the spoiler curtain, they discuss the first two episodes of Lower Decks and What If? episode 2.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is speculation. The nerds talk about various What Ifs and alternate reality stories, culminating (at the end of the show) in their discussion of the first episode of the “What If?” series. Next they discuss Taskmaster again, which Keith told Andy about last week; now that Andy’s gotten hooked on it as well, he had a lot to say about it. Next they discuss a few more of Donald Barthelme’s Forty Stories, focusing mostly on “Porcupines at the University.” Lastly, Keith shares his thoughts about Suicide Squad.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Taskmaster, and begins with the nerds talking about what it’s like to be their own taskmasters. Then Keith tells Andy about the British telly program called Taskmaster, and Andy tells Keith about A Very Brady Renovation. Andy shares a few recent findings, and talks about the word findings. Specifically, Andy talks about finally starting to watch The Wire, and Keith shares some thoughts about the Olympics and Mythic Quest. Lastly they discuss another batch of Donald Barthelme stories.
This week the word is Stakes. First they nerds discuss the importance of stakes in story-telling, and in games. Keith reports on the D&D game he’s running on Patreon, then they discuss 7 more Donald Barthelme short stories. Lastly, after the spoiler they discuss the Loki season finale and The Tomorrow War.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is epistolary. First, the nerds discuss their favorite letter-related works of literature, then they talk about the fine art of including inexplicable “enclosures” when mailing a letter. Next, Andy talks about traveling again for the first time since the pandemic started, and describes his family’s recent trip to The House on the Rock. Keith talks about recent plumbing woes, and Andy talks about getting a new kitchen floor. Moving on to media, Keith talks about the first half of The Tomorrow War and Andy mentions an old movie called Idaho Transfer. They discuss 7 more Donald Barthelme short stories, including one they both really like called The Palace at 4 AM. After the spoiler curtain, they discuss the next-to-last episode of Loki.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Variants. First they nerds discuss media with various variants of the same character: mirror universe versions, evil twins, clones, multiverse crossovers, etc. Moving on to real life stuff, Keith talks about the visit by his mom during the heat wave, and Andy talks about trying to think of something to do with 7 extra cards on a card sheet. Next they begin their discussions of Donald Barthelme’s Forty Stories, starting with the first four. Lastly, they discuss episode 4 of Loki.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is Icebreaker. Starting with icebreakers in general, they then discuss Andy’s videogame by that name and the newly released video about Andy that started with a fan’s childhood obsession with Icebreaker. Keith talks about relocating his mother, and a new version of Beowulf he just started reading. Next they hatch a plan to read 100 short stories by Donald Barthelme. They also discuss the Kojak Board Game. Their media discussions include Shadow & Bone, Tenet, Quantum Leap, Rick & Morty, The Behavior Group, and, after the spoiler curtain, the first 3 episodes of Loki.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.
This week the word is cicadas. Andy gives a brief report on the swarms of cicadas, which can be heard faintly in the background of the entire show. Next Keith gives a report on the current status of his Patreon-based D&D campaign. Andy compares the cicadas to Logan’s Run, then talks about re-watching some other classics including Galaxy Quest and Inception. They discuss other dream-walking classics, and Keith talks about Shadow and Bone and Mass Effect. Andy talks about several superhero shows he’s decided to give up on, and Keith talks about putting the brakes on their attempts to read the Dictionary of the Khazars. Lastly, they discuss the final episode of season 1 of Debris.
SPOILER WARNING: contains spoilers.