Episodes
Tuesday May 16, 2017
Episode 109 - Visual Character Descriptions, Part 2 (with Krissi Woodward)
Tuesday May 16, 2017
Tuesday May 16, 2017
We continue our discussion with Krissi Woodward about clothing and visual character descriptions! We pick back up with discussions of cultural and vocational costume, and move on to the effects of technology on what people wear and look like. We then spend a fair bit of time on modesty (and fair warning: While we don't get obscene, this section does get fairly frank about the human body, so if you're particularly sensitive keep that in mind.) Then after a few more notes (and mention of the Aghori, who are absolutely fascinating; Poche Posh and Soviet denim smugglers; and underground Korean tattoos), we quickly mention other aspects of appearance. We then spend some time on what clothing can and should mean for Christians, and how God sees past what we wear into our very hearts. Finally, we wrap up with some useful and recommended tools and means for getting artwork or minis done for your character!
Tools and sites mentioned: Heromachine; Hero Forge; DeviantArt; ArtStation; Emergency Commissions on Tumblr; and the /r/ArmoredWomen, /r/ReasonableFantasy, and /r/ImaginaryCharacters subreddits.
Scripture: Genesis 3:6-7, Exodus 28:15-21, Isaiah 53:2, James 2:1-4
Tuesday May 02, 2017
Episode 109 - Visual Character Descriptions, Part 1 (with Krissi Woodward)
Tuesday May 02, 2017
Tuesday May 02, 2017
Krissi Woodward—Grant's wife and costume designer—joins us once again to discuss visual character descriptions in our game, and especially clothing! We have a couple of announcements related to our Weekend Reading series and our Patreon question rewards. Then we tackle a question from Patreon backer gfactor, who asks about electronic apps or devices which might enhance the tabletop play experience.
With that handled, we begin breaking down the importance of describing character appearances in our games. Grant leads off with a potentially controversial statement about character portraits and minis, which leads us into why players are often hesitant to delve into this at all. Then we go deep into the rabbit hole with Krissi, talking about clothing (and other elements of our appearance) in a conversation that went so long, we had to split it into two parts!
Mentioned in this half of the episode: Inkarnate and Worldpainter.
Scripture: Genesis 3:6-7, Exodus 28:15-21, Isaiah 53:2, James 2:1-4
Tuesday Feb 07, 2017
Episode 103 - Fitness for Gamers, Part 2 (with Kimi, Chris and Krissi)
Tuesday Feb 07, 2017
Tuesday Feb 07, 2017
We’ve got THREE guests crowding around the mics this week to continue with part two of a special episode on personal fitness! Kimi (cosplayer, tabletop gaming podcaster, weightlifter, gym owner, and former personal trainer), Chris (media professional, tabletop gaming podcaster, filmmaker, and former personal trainer) and Krissi (gamer, stay-at-home mom, and licensed Zumba instructor) all join us to put personal fitness into a gamer-friendly context. They (along with Grant and Peter) discuss nutrition, sleep, stress reduction, willpower, and more!
Be sure to catch the first half of this episode if you missed it, where we talked about our own fitness journeys, why exercise and physical health matter, unfocused and focused exercise, and setting goals.
Special thanks to all our guests for joining us for a long recording session and providing so much helpful information. For more information about our guests and their projects, as well as where to find them online:
- Kimi: Happy Jacks RPG Podcast; GoldenLasso.net. Social media: “@goldenlassogirl” on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
- Chris: The RPG Squad; “It Figures” (short film); Gamers Behaving Badly. Social media: @TheHussman (Twitter)
- Krissi: Zumba. Social media: @d20mom (Twitter)
Scripture: Proverbs 16:3, Isaiah 40:31, Colossians 3:23, Philippians 2:1-4
Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
Episode 103 - Fitness for Gamers, Part 1 (with Kimi, Chris, and Krissi)
Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
We've got THREE guests crowding around the mics this week for part one of a special episode on personal fitness! Kimi (cosplayer, tabletop gaming podcaster, weightlifter, gym owner, and former personal trainer), Chris (media professional, tabletop gaming podcaster, filmmaker, and former personal trainer) and Krissi (gamer, stay-at-home mom, and licensed Zumba instructor) all join us to put personal fitness into a gamer-friendly context. They (along with Grant and Peter) discuss their own fitness journeys, why exercise and physical health matter, unfocused and focused exercise, and setting goals. Plus, Grant and Peter slip through time and answer a question from Patreon backer Doug Hagler, who asks what system we'd use to run a post-apocalyptic campaign.
Be sure to catch the second half of this episode as well, when we'll talk about nutrition, sleep, stress reduction, willpower, and more!
Special thanks to all our guests for joining us for a long recording session and providing so much helpful information. For more information about our guests and their projects, as well as where to find them online:
- Kimi: Happy Jacks RPG Podcast; GoldenLasso.net. Social media: "@goldenlassogirl" on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
- Chris: The RPG Squad; "It Figures" (short film); Gamers Behaving Badly. Social media: @TheHussman (Twitter)
- Krissi: Zumba. Social media: @d20mom (Twitter)
Scripture: Proverbs 16:3, Isaiah 40:31, Colossians 3:23, Philippians 2:1-4
Tuesday Nov 29, 2016
Episode 99 - Practical Advice for Running Gaming Events (with Mike Perna)
Tuesday Nov 29, 2016
Tuesday Nov 29, 2016
Mike Perna of Innroads Ministries joins us at the appointed hour, to give our listeners some real, practical advice on running small gaming events for your church or community! First, though, we talk about a few other things, in no particular order: Our upcoming fundraiser for The Bodhana Group (keep an eye on our social media feeds for links to that!); the Game to Grow panel we hosted on spirituality in roleplaying games; players taking notes during games; the InSpectres game Grant just wrapped up; and Big Fandom Greenville (more on this next episode.)
We also tackle a great question from Patreon backer Doug, who asks "What, if anything, do you think is simply off-limits for a game? Is the answer different if we're talking you personally, or for gaming in general?" (This turned out to be surprisingly relevant to our main topic!)
Also mentioned in this episode: A Game for Good Christians, STG 17, "Lines and Veils".
Scripture: Proverbs 16:3, Ecclesiastes 3:1, Luke 14:28
Tuesday Aug 09, 2016
Tuesday Aug 09, 2016
(Part Two.) Kris and Katrina Ehrnman-Newton, hosts of the inimitable Gameable Saturday Morning Podcast (and its previous Gameable Pixar and Disney iterations), join us for an episode so monstrously huge we had to make it a two-parter! This time, we're talking about design considerations for a "moral universe"—the assumptions built into a fictional setting about the consequences and decisions that affect characters' moral efforts. We start with our Patreon backer question, this time about potential real dangers of gaming. Then across two episodes, we cover the design aspects of a moral universe in great detail, and wrap up talking about the challenges and opportunities these present at the gaming table. Thanks again, Kris and Katrina—we're looking forward to joining you to talk about Saturday morning cartoons soon!
If you missed the first half of Episode 91, click here to listen to part one.
Katrina previously joined us for Episode 58, "Prophecy", and Kris joined the three of us for Episode 67, "Breaking Canon". Grant and Peter have also appeared on the Gameable Saturday Morning Podcast for a bonus episode on The Prince of Egypt.
We hit on a wide and strange variety of other things this episode, including but not limited to: Depression Quest; Genesis 18; Batman; Longmire; The Crow; Mouse Guard; Jessica Jones; fighting hummingbirds; The Care Bears Movie; Sailor Moon; L.A. Confidential; Dogs in the Vineyard; Pillar of Fire; and a May 2016 blog post from Peter, "You Must Be This Treacherous To Ride The Story". Phew!
Scripture: Genesis 3:22-24, Amos 2:6-7, Matthew 5:44-45
Tuesday Aug 09, 2016
Tuesday Aug 09, 2016
(Part One.) Kris and Katrina Ehrnman-Newton, hosts of the inimitable Gameable Saturday Morning Podcast (and its previous Gameable Pixar and Disney iterations), join us for an episode so monstrously huge we had to make it a two-parter! This time, we're talking about design considerations for a "moral universe"—the assumptions built into a fictional setting about the consequences and decisions that affect characters' moral efforts. We start with our Patreon backer question, this time about potential real dangers of gaming. Then across two episodes, we cover the design aspects of a moral universe in great detail, and wrap up talking about the challenges and opportunities these present at the gaming table. Thanks again, Kris and Katrina—we're looking forward to joining you to talk about Saturday morning cartoons soon!
Once you're done with this half of Episode 91, click here to listen to part two
Katrina previously joined us for Episode 58, "Prophecy", and Kris joined the three of us for Episode 67, "Breaking Canon". Grant and Peter have also appeared on the Gameable Saturday Morning Podcast for a bonus episode on The Prince of Egypt.
We hit on a wide and strange variety of other things this episode, including but not limited to: Depression Quest; Genesis 18; Batman; Longmire; The Crow; Mouse Guard; Jessica Jones; fighting hummingbirds; The Care Bears Movie; Sailor Moon; L.A. Confidential; Dogs in the Vineyard; Pillar of Fire; and a May 2016 blog post from Peter, "You Must Be This Treacherous To Ride The Story". Phew!
Scripture: Genesis 3:22-24, Amos 2:6-7, Matthew 5:44-45
Tuesday Jun 28, 2016
Episode 88 - Dark Dungeons and Lingering Pain (with Rev. Chris Ode)
Tuesday Jun 28, 2016
Tuesday Jun 28, 2016
Rev. Chris Ode joins Peter and Grant in a very personal episode this week! Chris is a Lutheran pastor, and an actor and religious consultant for Zombie Orpheus Entertainment. We cover a lot of ground in this discussion, including: Zombie Orpheus's new project, "Attacking the Darkness" (Kickstarting now!); ZOE's "Dark Dungeons" movie (an adaptation of the original anti-D&D Chick tract); the lingering effects of Dark Dungeons and other anti-RPG material on the Church, gamers, and gaming; scapegoating; and our own Patreon campaign. (We're on Patreon now—check out the video for more information!)
Also mentioned in passing:
- Game Store Prophets' "Bonus Content" episode with Rev. Chris Ode
- STG 74, "The Myth of Redemptive Violence (with Rev. Derek White)"
- STG 63, "An Introduction to Roleplaying Games (with Rev. Jason D. Wood)"
- Zombie Orpheus Entertainment's YouTube channel
Scripture: Isaiah 44:22, 2 Corinthians 3:17, Ephesians 4:31-32
Tuesday May 17, 2016
Episode 85 - Designing Fantasy Pantheons (with James Wyatt)
Tuesday May 17, 2016
Tuesday May 17, 2016
Former Methodist minister and current Wizards of the Coast writer James Wyatt joins us to talk about designing pantheons for fantasy settings! James is a long-time D&D writer with a multitude of major credits, and he's currently writing for the Magic: the Gathering creative team. That experience shows in this conversation, which covers the qualities of well-designed pantheons, their essential natures, and a multitude of design details relevant to your campaign world. We also talk about Shadows Over Innistrad and "The Lunarch Inquisition", James's recent story set there; Plane Shift: Zendikar, which turns that Magic: the Gathering setting into a home for D&D 5th Edition adventures; the paradox of the Cross; our first "gaming curriculum" episode; and Thursten. We talk a lot about Thursten. Enjoy!
Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:17, Job 4:15-17, Acts 17:22-26
Tuesday Apr 19, 2016
Episode 83 - Personal Horror (with Greg Stolze)
Tuesday Apr 19, 2016
Tuesday Apr 19, 2016
Author and game designer Greg Stolze joins Grant and Peter to talk about Unknown Armies 3rd Edition, its Kickstarter, some of his other work, and personal-scale horror stories! We spend a lot of time talking about Unknown Armies—practically the whole episode, really—and Greg had plenty to say about personal horror and how Unknown Armies reflects that. In particular, we talk about how this sort of horror differs from the "cosmic horror" currently in vogue; how relationships can matter more in personal horror; stress and horror; and more. Enjoy!
Mentioned in this episode:
- The Unknown Armies 3rd Edition Kickstarter campaign (wraps up April 29th)
- Greg Stolze's homepage
- "In The Beginning"—a blog post by Greg Stolze describing the origins of Unknown Armies
- Dinosaurs In Space
- Milan Kundera and The Unbearable Lightness of Being
- The Babadook
Scripture: Job 38:4-7, John 15:13, Colossians 3:23-25, Romans 3:10