Game developers Hannah and Joseph Williams join to chat about their new “Dark Crystal”-like CRPG Banquet For Fools. Shane jokingly laments a missing element from the game, but Joseph promises they won’t duck out from putting it in. Now that ten years have passed, how do they feel Serpent in the Staglands performed? Thoughts on Mechajammer (previously Copper Dreams) and the hopes versus the reality. The pros, cons and pitfalls of Early Access. Shane gets recruited as a voice actor. A tangent into severe weather and the importance of escapism.
Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #281 - 11/26/2024
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Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays
Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Podbean and Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories).
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links!
Humble Bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays
DriveThruRPG.com
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512
SHOW NOTES
Banquet for Fools on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3172700/Banquet_for_Fools/
Hannah and Joseph Games Website
https://banquetforfools.com/
The Dark Crystal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Crystal
A Wizard of Earth Sea by Ursula K. Le Guin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wizard_of_Earthsea
Chicago by Carl Sandburg
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12840/chicago
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition
Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/
Star Trek Video Games: An Unofficial Guide to the Final Frontier with author Mat Bradley-Tschirgi. There are a LOT of Star Trek video games and Mat had some hard decisions and set boundaries on what games to cover in his book (by the way, a “notable” game doesn’t necessarily mean a good game). What is Mat’s favorite and least favorite Star Trek game? Star Trek has one of the saddest stories of vaporware in PC gaming. Mat had an unusual entry into Star Trek fandom, but it still grabbed him. What are Shane and Mat’s thoughts on some of the more recent Star Trek TV shows? What is one redeeming aspect of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier? Podcasting takes a lot of work and time.
Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #280 - 10/23/2024
Like what you hear?
Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays
Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Podbean and Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories).
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links!
Humble Bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays
DriveThruRPG.com
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512
SHOW NOTES
Mat Bradley-Tschirgi’s Books on Amazon
http://matwbt.com
Star Trek Video Games: An Unofficial Guide to the Final Frontier
https://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Video-Games-Unofficial/dp/1399050729
Star Trek Games list on Trekcore
https://gaming.trekcore.com/plat_list.html
Star Trek Games list on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek_games
Star Trek: Secret of Vulcan Fury trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDAFVYKyJVI
Matt Chat (Matt Barton’s interview channel)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE98xefVUXmbvQfe-wNS8oA
Sequelcast 2 Podcast
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sequelcast2
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition
Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/
RPG and tabletop gaming historian Jon Peterson returns for a fantastic conversation on D&D and RPG history, and his related current books and projects. A new edition of Playing at the World and Dungeons & Dragons - the Making of Original D&D: 1970-1977 are on the shelves. D&D 4E has its hardcore fans. Jon has a seriously impressive collection of documents related to RPG history. Jon’s first on-screen RPG game, ever. Does the role of the Caller in D&D get an unfair reputation (and what exactly does the Caller do)? DNA from non-RPGs like Outdoor Survival made it into early D&D. Be careful of the question “what is a role-playing game”, the debate can sideswipe an entire conversation. Plus much more.
Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #279 - 9/27/2024
Like what you hear?
Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays
Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Podbean and Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories).
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links!
Humble Bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays
DriveThruRPG.com
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512
SHOW NOTES
Previous Shane Plays Geek Talk episode with Jon: D&D History – Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons with Jon Peterson – Episode 250 – 11-9-2021
https://shaneplays.com/dnd-history-game-wizards-the-epic-battle-for-dungeons-and-dragons-jon-peterson/
Playing at the World, 2E, Volume 1: The Invention of Dungeons & Dragons (Game Histories)
https://www.amazon.com/Playing-World-2E-Invention-Histories/dp/0262548771/
Playing at the World, 2E, Volume 2: Three Pillars of Role-Playing Games (Game Histories)
https://www.amazon.com/Playing-World-2E-Invention-Histories/dp/0262548771/
Dungeons & Dragons - the Making of Original D&D: 1970-1977
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Making-Original-1970-1977/dp/0786969857
Celebrating 50 Years of Dungeons & Dragons - Week #1 - OD&D with Jon Peterson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIzisBYQkyw
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition
Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/
Merle M. Rasmussen, the man in the tux himself, joins to talk about the Top Secret RPG and his game design career. What was his first (mistaken) understanding of what D&D was? Memories of working at TSR. A no-nonsense discussion about the financials of his agreement with TSR for Top Secret. Financial lessons he has learned in his career. The perils of lead poisoning in making miniatures (and accidental improvised bombs). Jon Peterson’s Quagmire! D&D module article and Merle’s involvement in making it happen. Top Secret set multiple RPG precedents. What existing RPG was used for Top Secret’s firearms rules? The FBI visited TSR because of Top Secret’s playtest. You’re not just paranoid, the HackNoia RPG is coming. I Choose To RISE, Merle’s card game that helps teach about Black heroes. Merle’s wife Jackie has often been his writing partner and sounding board. Moments of fan feedback Merle has had that will get you right in the feels (including, I kid you not, being asked to bless a gamer’s ashes). Bad James Bond jokes.
Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #278 - 8/14/2024
Like what you hear?
Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays
Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Podbean and Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories).
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links!
Humble Bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays
DriveThruRPG.com
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512
SHOW NOTES
Merle M. Rasmussen on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_M._Rasmussen
Merle M. Rasmussen on RPG Geek
https://rpggeek.com/rpgdesigner/3875/merle-m-rasmussen
Top Secret RPG on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Secret_(role-playing_game)
Quagmire! The Making of a 1980s D&D Module by Jon Peterson
https://medium.com/@increment/quagmire-the-making-of-a-1980s-d-d-module-c30e788ea5f2
Sqwurm Card Game
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12328/sqwurm
Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute
https://www.ppgjli.org/
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition
Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/
Shane, Chris Holmes, and Mike Stewart aka DM Mike (Save for Half podcast, Found in the Ruins podcast) shamble relentlessly through over 40 zombie and zombie-ish flicks in their inhuman hunger for horror. Plus a brief detour into the best on-screen Joker and multiple bad zombie jokes. True or false: Marcel Marceau starred in a zombie flick. What is Shane’s most annoying zombie movie? What would you do if you were the last person on Earth and could do whatever you want? Shane offers a rare trigger warning.
Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #277 - 7/22/2024
Like what you hear?
Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays
Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Podbean and Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories).
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links!
Humble Bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays
DriveThruRPG.com
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512
SHOW NOTES
Found in the Ruins podcast
https://saveforhalf.com/
(FITR releases on the SFH podcast feed)
Found in the Ruins Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1430189954589689
Return of the Ripper for DCC RPG with a cover by Jeff Dee and illustrations by Chris Holmes
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/michaeldavisphd/return-of-the-ripper-a-l1-horror-adventure-for-dcc-rpg
Chris Holmes’s Zombie Movie List
(if an entry is numbered, Chris recommends it. If it’s not numbered, he feels it’s worth discussing but doesn’t “rank” for his top 15)
Shane’s Additional Worth Mentioning List
(for better or for worse)
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition
Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/
Preston Poulter of Pocket Jacks Comics joins to talk comic books, the current status of his Comicsgate trademark lawsuit, and his reasons for pursuing it. Plus the economics and challenges of self-publishing comics, some tabletop RPG chat and we learn what a pocket jack is. Shane gets upstaged during the bad joke of the week.
Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #276 - 4/29/2024
Like what you hear?
Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays
Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Podbean and Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories).
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links!
Humble Bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays
DriveThruRPG.com
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512
SHOW NOTES
Pocket Jacks Comics
https://www.pocketjackscomics.com/
Preston Poulter Trademarks Comicsgate
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/preston-poulter-trademarks-comicsgate/
Timeline of Comicsgate Trademark Lawsuit: Common Sense Press Inc DBA Pocket Jacks Comics (Poulter) vs Sciver / Malpica
https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=92075375&pty=CAN&eno=42
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5304996/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition
Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/
Wide-ranging geekout with David Finn of Signal of Doom!! Lots of comic book and MCU chat (like, a lot). Pi Day. Doctor Who, old and new. Google Gemini vs. ChatGPT. Judge Dredd satirizes fascism but can tell multi-layered stories. Godzilla finally wins an Oscar. Godzilla as a metaphor. The essence of the Punisher. It’s been a while, but Shane rants a bit (and David loves it). The Krakoan X-Men scare Shane and David’s ready for the era to move on. Current Beast makes David pine for Dark Beast. Three Jokers?? The 80s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RPG and real-life urban ninja action. Shane’s defining Han Solo moments. David recommends Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre. A key to being an adult is being able to separate the creator from the creation in terms of enjoying entertainment. What D&D-related incident made a young Shane cry? Shane and David love the old-school CRPGs. The Asanti Series is a continuing series of fantasy books by David.
Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #275 - 3/29/2024
Like what you hear?
Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays
Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Podbean and Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories).
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links!
Humble Bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays
DriveThruRPG.com
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512
SHOW NOTES
Signal of Doom Podcast
https://signalofdoom.com/
Signal of Doom: Ed Greenwood Interview
https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-y7sfp-172b09fa
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness RPG
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_%26_Other_Strangeness
‘Godzilla Minus One’ Makes Franchise History With First Oscars Win
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/godzilla-minus-one-2024-oscars-win-1235848606/
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
https://www.amazon.com/Dreamsnake-Vonda-N-McIntyre/dp/1504067460
Circle of Eight Modding Community - The Temple of Elemental Evil
https://co8.org/community/
The Asanti Series (David’s Books on Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074CCVHS1?ref_=dbs_p_pwh_rwt_anx_b_lnk
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition
Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/
Despite what you might think from its famous box art, Greyhawk (the first D&D setting published by TSR) isn’t just knights and chivalry… so what is it then? Major Greyhawk fan Allan T. Grohe Jr. aka “grodog” joins to fill us in on all the setting’s fantastic details! Also: Greyhawk is a setting with plenty of room to homebrew within the established details. Why the name Greyhawk? Some discussion of the Greyhawk novels (Gary Gygax’s and others). The Moathouse vs. the Temple… which is remembered more fondly? Is Greyhawk “real” to Allan? Militant neutrality. Alignment and worldbuilding. Does Lawful Good have to be Lawful Stupid? Discovering The Hobbit.
Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #274 - 2/29/2024
Like what you hear?
Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays
Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Podbean and Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories).
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links!
Humble Bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays
DriveThruRPG.com
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512
SHOW NOTES
Why Greyhawk in 2023? - grodog's Thoughts
https://grodog.blogspot.com/2023/01/why-greyhawk-in-2023.html
“The Grey in the Hawk” by Nitescreed
https://shaneplays.com/putting-the-grey-in-the-hawk-by-nitescreed-greyhawk/
Greyhawk on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhawk
Circle of Eight Modding Community - The Temple of Elemental Evil Video Game
https://co8.org/community/
OSRIC & The OSR with Allan T. Grohe Jr. – Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode 264- 11/30/2022
https://shaneplays.com/osric-osr-rpg-allan-grohe-podcast/
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition
Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/
Strat-O-Matic Baseball might be one of the biggest games you’ve never heard of, and three-time champion William “Bill” Meinhardt joins to share his passion for playing it. How long has the game been around, and how many people play it? What’s the one mechanic Bill wishes was in this beloved game? Is there a link between Strat-O-Matic Baseball and Fantasy (Rotisserie) Baseball? Is there a link between Strat-O-Matic and tabletop roleplaying games? At its heart, what is the game of baseball? And for the really hard-hitting question, does Bill do the Chicken Dance??
Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #273 - 1/31/2024
Like what you hear?
Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays
Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Podbean and Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories).
Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links!
Humble Bundle
https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays
DriveThruRPG.com
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512
SHOW NOTES
Strat-O-Matic on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strat-O-Matic
Strat-O-Matic Baseball Review
https://www.boardgamequest.com/strat-o-matic-baseball-review/
Strat-O-Matic: Dungeons & Dragons For The Rotisserie Set
https://longislandweekly.com/strat-o-matic-dungeons-dragons-rotisserie-set/
Bill Meinhardt: World’s Largest Fantasy RPG Collection! – Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode 206 – 12/21/2019
https://shaneplays.com/bill-meinhardt-fantasy-rpg-collection-podcast/
Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition
Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/