Messages

1

The Podge Cast / Jubilee on iTunes

« on: July 20, 2012, 06:22:55 AM »

Hey, I was off line for a few days and wanted to catch up on the podge jubilee, but none of these episodes are up on iTunes. Any chance they will be archived there?

Thanks again for all the great content over the years,

Mike

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 119: Meg's recap of her BW game made me sad

« on: December 31, 2010, 12:09:38 PM »

I think one issue with Burning Wheel is that even at its simplest and most paired down, it is a pretty crunchy game and still downloads a lot of the work that the GM normally does onto the Players.

I ran a fairly successful Burning Wheel campaign last year, and I found that for some of my players even keeping track of all of their tests was way more fiddly and required more meta-game investment than they were capable or willing to put in.

Oddly enough, the biggest hits of the game were the Fight! and Duel of Wits sub-systems, while the sheer amount of book keeping for the basic system was a turn-off for my group.

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 120: I kinda didn't even want to talk about this

« on: December 31, 2010, 11:59:04 AM »

I have to agree with Christopher, whatever your intentions or you thought you were saying, most of this episode sounded like a whole lot of this:

It seems more like you're criticizing the entire process of liking or not liking things. And then holding onto the metric for reasoning by saying that the reasons people don't like things aren't really the actual reasons they don't like them. It's an easy thing to do. When someone like Meg says that she doesn't prefer Burning Wheel because of y, saying that those aren't the real reasons is both condescending and hollow. The inverse is just as easy, of course. I could say that the reasons you like Burning Wheel aren't the actual reasons you like Burning Wheel. As Luke has occasionally alluded to, you tend to set up arguments with rhetoric that wouldn't be allowed in a high school debate. 

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 92 and sound issues

« on: June 15, 2010, 09:58:27 AM »

Once again, sorry if I came across harshly- I realize this is a labor of love and hey: I'm just one listener. Thanks for your response.

I've always wondered how you manage to keep recording (and gaming for that matter) nearly exclusively on Sundays. I used to run a Sunday game and it was a nightmare of scheduling conflicts and cancellations. Do you try to shelve a few evergreen episodes (fan roundtables, for instance) or occasionally record on other days?

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 92 and sound issues

« on: June 15, 2010, 06:40:01 AM »

Ok, first-off, personally I do find that narrative control mechanics ala FATE and Burning Wheel (and their granddaddy Adventure!) can be pretty fantastic depending on one's group, game and genre.

Second, I've been a subscriber to the show and big fan since the early days.

That said, I wasn't a big fan of the condescension, rambling and somewhat incoherent put downs of other players, play styles and experiences.

I mean, barring telepathic powers or omniscience, neither Eric or Paul know how other players experienced using narrative mechanics. Nor was there anyone representing that perspective on the podcast. There wasn't even a particular blog post or essay being critiques.

For this listener, the result was a good 20 minutes of straw-man burning and generally slagging people who weren't there to defend themselves or their viewpoints. Honestly, whatever they intended, I found that Eric and Paul came across as bullies.

I know you joke about it as a whole, but with the exception of the Dresden review (which was fantastic, by the way), the podcast really has taken a swerve into the insulting, negative and bitter lately, and I have to say I'm not crazy about it.

Sorry if this comes across as harsh, but I figure this board is here for listener input, right?

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 67: The Great Host Conflict

« on: November 30, 2009, 11:37:29 AM »

Eventually, Google coughed up the wave and I was able to read it. Thanks for your help, though!

I also appreaciate how nearly every TPC episodes really boils down to 'Don't Be A Dick.'

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 67: The Great Host Conflict

« on: November 30, 2009, 09:37:42 AM »

Thanks David!

I'm still having issues convincing Google Wave to cough-up the wave, but I suspect there I will convince it to work sooner or later.

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The Podge Cast / Episode 67: The Great Host Conflict

« on: November 30, 2009, 09:16:38 AM »

Ok, so I'm only 13 minutes in, but great show guys!

I was wondering if you could post the search parameters for the Google Wave on the Podgecast with the show notes (or on the forum). I am a brand new Google Wave user and I can't find the bloody thing.

Thanks!

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Games and Hobbies / Re: First Deadlands Game

« on: November 26, 2009, 06:47:20 PM »

Two months too late and not what you are looking for, but I'd love to know how your game went.

Deadlands: Reloaded is one of three games on my 'games to pitch after the current one ends' list.

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 64: Epic Eric

« on: November 10, 2009, 07:52:39 PM »

Does anyone have a link to the Diaspora/SBA review Eric mentions in the episode? I'm pretty enamored by Starblazer Adventures and I'm curious to read Fred Hicks' comparison. I can't for the life of me find it at RPG.net though.

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 49: Episode Title

« on: July 13, 2009, 12:03:50 PM »

Thing is: Behind-the-scenes is behind-the-scenes. As a regular listener who doesn't know the hosts personally, I have only their public personas, statements and actions to consider. If a host is going to behave that way and make cutting statements like that in public--without giving any context as to why--then the only impression I can have of them is from their jerky behavior.

That public action trumps private motive is a core concept in western society (I'm thinking Aristotle's rhetoric and ethics). It is also the foundation of professionalism. I know podcasting is a hobby, but that exchange was unprofessional by even hobbiest or fox news standards.

My comments weren't to defend what was said, but to say that it was as surprising to people they know personally as well. David has been nothing but polite since I've ever met him, that's the real shocker for me. He was just down right mean at points in this episode and I'm just as shocked as you guys are. I'm not saying that David was in the right, I'm saying that's extremely unusual. It makes it even more prominent to me at least.

On the topic of professionalism, if I'm allowed a wee bit of tangent here, his behavior was rude and uncalled for but I wouldn't call it unprofessional. He's not a professional podcaster, he's a hobby podcaster. Similar to ham-radio operators; if someone is being a jerk then their being a jerk, their not being unprofessional. I just really get sick of people expecting a certain level of "professionalism" in podcasting. We pay to do podcasts, buying equipment, paying for hosing, offering our free time to record/edit/post/etc, and I don't like being bashed because of how I choose to do my show. I don't meant that personally, IE: Tipsy is a dick, but just in general.  Sorry, a little pet peeve of mine.

Fair enough, but if I recall correctly David has, in the past, talked about professionalism and I, personally think it is an appropriate topic. I also think that the establishment of Spooky Outhouse and David's role as the main face for the organization makes him an ambassador for the brand, whether he likes it or not.

That said, I shall not bring up professionalism as a concept around you again, although I would point out that most of the attacks on your show for being unprofessional are pretty specious- if being crude was unprofessional, than so are most radio talkshow hosts and stand-up comedians. And I think excluding that many successful people from the category of 'professional' would be ludicrous.

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 49: Episode Title

« on: July 13, 2009, 11:19:00 AM »

Add another voice to those who want things to work out.

Still, as someone who has gone through the wringer emotionally and financially this recession, I can't imagine how I would react if someone spoke to me like that. Never mind talking like that on a recording that is going out to a fairly large public and will be listened to by peers and friends. I hope reconciliation is possible.

Knowing David personally, he wouldn't have spoken like that if there wasn't more going on behind the scenes that the general public doesn't know about. I was pretty shock by how abrasive he was being towards Luke, mostly because its not like the David I know.

Thing is: Behind-the-scenes is behind-the-scenes. As a regular listener who doesn't know the hosts personally, I have only their public personas, statements and actions to consider. If a host is going to behave that way and make cutting statements like that in public--without giving any context as to why--then the only impression I can have of them is from their jerky behavior.

That public action trumps private motive is a core concept in western society (I'm thinking Aristotle's rhetoric and ethics). It is also the foundation of professionalism. I know podcasting is a hobby, but that exchange was unprofessional by even hobbiest or fox news standards.

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The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 49: Episode Title

« on: July 13, 2009, 10:58:10 AM »

Add another voice to those who want things to work out.

Still, as someone who has gone through the wringer emotionally and financially this recession, I can't imagine how I would react if someone spoke to me like that. Never mind talking like that on a recording that is going out to a fairly large public and will be listened to by peers and friends. I hope reconciliation is possible.

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Games and Hobbies / The Siren Call of Shiny Games

« on: March 03, 2009, 08:39:06 AM »

So my current Mongoose Traveller game is great. The crew of the Pleasant Voyage is fun, my "no long-term planning/planet of the week" has slowly snowballed into a half-dozen ongoing plot lines and everyone seems to be having fun. Including me.

In theory this is the kind of game that could go on forever or until the PCs pay off their ship's mortgage, whichever comes first. But the thing is there are other shiny games out there and I keep daydreaming about the next game I will run. So on the one hand, I've got a good game going at the moment and it seems crazy to push it to the nearest logical end point (at least five sessions away). On the other hand, I keep looking at my stack of game ideas and I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. A very impatient kid on Christmas morning.

So I ask you Spooky Outhousers, how do you handle this problem? Should I push to a climax or should I ride it out knowing that a good game in hand is better than two in the bush?

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General Discussion / Re: The New Depression

« on: March 03, 2009, 08:29:23 AM »

I think being fired by text is ok if it is the result of ex-employee hiding from every other known form of communication.