Episodes
Tuesday Dec 01, 2015
Episode 74 - The Myth of Redemptive Violence (with Rev. Derek White)
Tuesday Dec 01, 2015
Tuesday Dec 01, 2015
Rev. Derek White, a.k.a. "The Geekpreacher", joins Grant and Peter once again! Derek joined us previously on Episode 38, "Christians on the Convention Scene", and he's back with us to discuss another weighty topic: Walter Wink's "myth of redemptive violence" and René Girard's concept of the "scapegoat" and collective violence. We also take a moment to remind everyone about our ongoing fundraiser for The Bodhana Group, and hear about Derek's growing role as a convention pastor. Lastly, David LaMotte was kind enough to give us permission to use his song "Peter" in this episode; it was particularly appropriate, especially since David's a Walter Wink fan too. If you enjoyed it, find more music at his website, and on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play.
Also referenced in this episode: The GenCon 2015 Worship Service (and specifically, Derek's "Here There Be Dragons" sermon); The GenCon 2015 "Faith and Gaming" panel; Walter Wink's "Facing the myth of redemptive violence"; René Girard's The Scapegoat; Dan Carlin's "Hardcore History" podcast; and Ursula K. le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas".
Scripture: Hosea 6:6, Jonah 3:10-4:2, Luke 22:47-52
Tuesday Sep 08, 2015
Episode 68 - Breaking Down Boundaries (with Kyle Rudge)
Tuesday Sep 08, 2015
Tuesday Sep 08, 2015
Kyle Rudge of Geekdom House joins Grant and Peter to talk about a host of small, interesting, and interrelated topics! Geekdom House has a Kickstarter wrapping up for their lovely "Area of Effect" print magazine, which we completely neglected to plug until the very end of the show. Kyle's not just here for that, though—he brought lots of fascinating things to talk about, like: Creating a geeky, mission-forward small group in his church; introducing that group to Dungeons & Dragons; his appearance on the "Faith and Gaming" panel at GenCon 2015 (which Mike Perna recorded and released over at Game Store Prophets); a Firefly-themed Bible study; taking a men's choir to Winnipeg's Central Canada Comic Con; the tight-knit communities of fandom; Done the Impossible and The Guild; and characters who reflect ourselves. Plus, a quick plug for our Hearthstone listener tournament—let us know if you're interested!
Scripture: Ezekiel 11:19-20, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
Tuesday Aug 25, 2015
Episode 67 - Breaking Canon (with Kris Newton & Katrina Ehrnman-Newton)
Tuesday Aug 25, 2015
Tuesday Aug 25, 2015
Kris and Katrina, hosts of the Gameable Pixar Podcast (formerly the Gameable Disney Podcast) join Grant and Peter in a special crossover episode on breaking established setting canon! Gameable Pixar just released a pair of episodes discussing The Prince of Egypt, and they invited Peter and Grant to join them in the second episode. They return the favor in this episode, where we discuss how to break canon in settings with high player investment—from Tolkien's Middle-Earth to Biblical Egypt, Israel and Caanan.
If you want to give the Gameable Podcast a try, we suggest picking your favorite Disney or Pixar film and listening to Kris and Katrina discuss it in the relevant episode! They also particularly recommend their episodes on The Black Cauldron and The Nightmare Before Christmas as introductory episodes for interested gamers. To pick up with The Prince of Egypt, start with GPP's Bonus Episode 9: The Prince of Egypt and follow up with Bonus Episode 10: The Prince of Egypt Discussion. They're also on Twitter and iTunes.
Also mentioned in this episode: Electric City ComiCon; StoryWonk's Dusted podcast; and an awful lot of superheroes.
Scripture: Isaiah 55:8-11, Jeremiah 23:28-30, Matthew 23:13-15, Romans 15:4
Wednesday Jul 29, 2015
Episode 66 - Gatekeeping (with Mike Perna)
Wednesday Jul 29, 2015
Wednesday Jul 29, 2015
Mike Perna of Innroads Ministries and Game Store Prophets joins us to talk about a complex problem in both faith communities and geek communities: Gatekeeping. Mike's joined us before for Episode 33 ("Our Origin Stories"), and he was a perfect fit for this topic in many ways. He previously wrote an excellent article on gatekeeping, and has a lot of wisdom and experience to share with us. We hit on a lot of small details—'controllers' vs. 'facilitators'; gatekeeping in church and in geek culture; comments on "pastoral customs" by Pope Francis; and others—but our focus is on solving the problem when you encounter it, not just documenting it. It's a rather thoughtful episode, so enjoy, and tell us what you think in the comments!
Scripture: Ezekiel 16:49-50, 1 Corinthians 12:21-27, 1 Peter 3:8
Tuesday Jun 02, 2015
Episode 63 - An Introduction to Roleplaying Games (with Rev. Jason D. Wood)
Tuesday Jun 02, 2015
Tuesday Jun 02, 2015
Reverend Jason D. Wood, a full-time pastor and gamer, joins Grant and Peter to help introduce roleplaying games to the curious! Jason writes for The Mad Adventurers Society as The Mad Cleric, giving out gaming advice and life advice for gamers in equal measure, and contributes to the Mad Adventurers' Potelbat and Potelbat Yalp podcasts. (He's most accessible on Twitter as @Wood_JasonD.)
Jason joins us for a very special episode: An introduction to roleplaying games for the curious and the uninitiated. As a sort of companion piece to our very first episode ("Are RPGs Evil?"), this episode is designed to be a resource for those who've never played before, and want to (or feel the need to) know more about them. We outline the general conceits of RPGs, explain system and setting, discuss why they're so much fun, and elaborate on some of the positive benefits of roleplaying games. (In particular, we spend some time talking about The Bodhana Group; new listeners should listen to Episode 25, "Therapeutic Roleplaying (with Jack Berkenstock Jr.)" for more on that. They're awesome.) Finally, we wrap up with some advice on getting started in roleplaying games, whether individually, as a family, or as a church activity.
Scripture: Proverbs 27:17, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 5:27-32, Romans 14:16
Thursday May 07, 2015
Episode 61 - Fear the Charity and Con Games (with Derek Knutsen)
Thursday May 07, 2015
Thursday May 07, 2015
Derek Knutsen, co-host of THE ESTABLiSHED FACTS and the mind behind Palegain Press, joins us to talk about charitable activity happening at Fear the Con 8 and some tips on running convention games! Derek has run Fear the Charity events at Fear the Con for several years now, and this year he's also running Fear the Fruit. He's also running a canned food drive, an alternate reality game (ARG) for Fear the Charity donations, a charity dungeon crawl at Fear the Con, and more! In short, he's very busy helping everyone at Fear the Con give back to the broader community, and he's awesome. While we have him on, we also pick his brain for some advice on running good convention games—basic advice on handling people, play and preparation. Enjoy!
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Malachi 3:10, Matthew 18:20
Tuesday Mar 24, 2015
Episode 58 - Prophecy (with Katrina Ehrnman)
Tuesday Mar 24, 2015
Tuesday Mar 24, 2015
Katrina from The Gameable Disney Podcast joins Grant and Peter for an in-depth discussion of prophecy in our games! You can find Katrina and Kris on Tumblr, Twitter, and iTunes, and can email them too. So, after mentioning the new website and handing out a pair of important congratulations, we get down to business with Scripture and our main topic. We define prophecy (and divination, a related topic for another episode); describe its storytelling purposes; posit some examples and sources; and spend a lot of time talking about how to introduce them in your game and use them well. Enjoy!
Also mentioned in this episode: First Wave and Kris Newton's Feed RPG.
Scripture: Habakkuk 2:2-3; Daniel 5:25-30; 2 Peter 1:16-21
Tuesday Mar 10, 2015
Episode 57 - Playing for Small Stakes (with Josh T. Jordan)
Tuesday Mar 10, 2015
Tuesday Mar 10, 2015
Game designer, podcaster, and sometime pastor Josh T. Jordan joins Grant and Peter to talk about those less-than-epic games, and why they still matter! Josh is the main host of Tell Me Another and the creative force behind Ginger Goat Games. He brought us this topic, and it turns into a wide-ranging discussion about stories outside the traditional epic heroic journey, where personal concerns trump world-threatening story arcs. (We also mention Amagi Games' "The Soap Opera" one-page game tweak.)
Scripture: Genesis 25:29-34, Matthew 20:29-31, Luke 16:10-12
Tuesday Dec 02, 2014
Episode 51 - Non-Violent Conflict Resolution (with Devon Kelley)
Tuesday Dec 02, 2014
Tuesday Dec 02, 2014
Devon Kelley from the Shark Bone Podcast joins Grant, Peter and Branden in a discussion of one of Devon's favorite RPG topics: Non-violent conflict resolution! Devon plugs a game of his own—Threshold: Tragic Superheroes, available through DriveThruRPG—and we plug our ongoing holiday fundraiser for The Bodhana Group. Then we dive (har har—you're welcome, Devon) into our scripture and our topic. We discuss why non-combat conflict resolution is often overlooked in RPGs; why it's important; how to encourage it, as a player and as a GM; and plenty of real-world examples of this sort of play.
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:7, Matthew 26:47-54, John 13:34-35, and 1 Peter 3:9-11
Tuesday Oct 21, 2014
Episode 49 - Horror Games (with Kenneth Hite)
Tuesday Oct 21, 2014
Tuesday Oct 21, 2014
Award-winning author and game designer Kenneth Hite joins Grant, Peter and Branden for a discussion of horror games and stories, just in time for Halloween! Check out Ken's own podcast, Ken And Robin Talk About Stuff, and keep an eye out for The Dracula Dossier, a really neat project he'll be Kickstarting soon. We also plug our upcoming charity drive for The Bodhana Group and our store.
After our Scripture readings, we talk with Ken about the fun of horror stories; running a good horror game; types of horror; creating the right amount of fear and horror in games; and writing and playing horror as a Christian. Enjoy!
Scripture: Numbers 16:32-34, Psalm 91:5, Matthew 6:34, 2 Timothy 1:7