Monday, January 26, 2015

Iteration 125 - The Brute



The direct download link for this week's iteration is here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesimulationist/Iteration_125_-_The_Brute.mp3

send us an email! thesimulationist@gmail.com

Iteration 125 recorded on 1-25! Josh and Ryan talk about their alphabets. The curious case of the spelling of Nyarlathotep, and how books used to be made, and how a Cthulhian conspiracy could be at work. Josh watches CBC's Schitt's Creek. Ryan runs into a bunch of bugs in his heavily modded Minecraft. And for our main topic, we tackle the idea of the brutish archetype in D&D and fiction and other games.


References and Recommendations:

Nyarlathotep: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyarlathotep
Big Bird's Alphabet Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTvhKZHAP8U
Q on CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/q/
Standard Action: https://www.youtube.com/user/Phasefirefilms

Monday, January 19, 2015

Iteration 124 - Self-Curating





The direct download link for this episode is here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesimulationist/Iteration_124_-_Self-Curating.mp3

send us an email! thesimulationist@gmail.com

In this iteration!: Josh recounts some of his adventures in improvisation, plus playing Don't Starve. Ryan plays the Minecraft mod Thaumcraft, plus Marvel Avenger's Alliance. For our main topic, we talk about that moment when you have to make a choice whether to continue playing a game, or to give it up. Ryan seems to go for a more conscious version of the process, while Josh is pretty much driven by his gut. What say you? Let us know at thesimulationist@gmail.com

References and Recommendations:

Dave Morris appeared in iteration 101 of the podcast, so look for that in the archives!
The Frantics Boot to the Head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8VD4JXUozM
Standard Action! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZfyIRnPPrc
Gottacon! http://www.gottacon.com/

Monday, January 12, 2015

Iteration 123 - A Game of Maps



the direct download link for this episode is here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesimulationist/Iteration_123_-_Mapping.mp3

why not send us an email? thesimulationist@gmail.com


In this iteration of the Simulationist Podcast: Missives from the Simulators. Josh plays Don't Starve, improv classes start again, GottaCon is coming up soon, Ryan plays Thaumcraft (a Minecraft mod). Josh and Ryan argue for a bit about the changing English language. And the corporatization of art. And for our main, big topic of the week, we talk about mapping in D&D and video games. For some reason, a knife in the eye is the theme.

References and Recommendations:

Don't Starve! http://www.dontstarvegame.com/
Zombies! http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2471/zombies
That place in North Africa that no government has claimed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bir_Tawil

Monday, January 5, 2015

Iteration 122 - The Last, or First, of Your Kind



the direct download link for this episode is here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesimulationist/Iteration_122_-_The_Last_or_First_of_Your_Kind.mp3

Got questions? Suggestions? Stuff to add to the podcast? Why not send us an email at thesimulationist@gmail.com

In this iteration of the podcast, George Lucas shrinks the wookiees. Ryan invents a conspiracy theory that could make The Croods (2013 film) happen on present day Earth. Then Ryan gets into Minecraft mods, especially Mystcraft. And for our main topic, we talk about what happens to your character when you are the last of your kind? And what if you're the first of your kind? What sort of pressure does that put on a person? What would happen if a dwarf enrolled at Hogwarts? And why aren't there more aliens in the Jetsons?

References and Recommendations:

The Croods: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481499/

Mystcraft http://binarymage.com/wiki/doku.php?id=start

What would happen if all the nuclear bombs were detonated in the same place? http://www.sciencefocus.com/qa/what-would-happen-if-all-nuclear-bombs-were-detonated