Episode 29 - Apex Convergence

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent
Guest: Keith Baker

In February of 2014, we sat down and built a world with Keith Baker, the creater of Gloom and Eberron!

In this episode, we create a world where massive elemental beings fight for dominence while posing a constant threat to the human populace, who make use of special forms of magic to survive.

You can find some of Keith's work here:

Web Site: https://keith-baker.com/
Twogether Studios: https://www.twogetherstudios.com/
DMs' Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Keith%20Baker

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 29 - APEX CONVERGENCE

Episode 28 - Tide Shift

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent
Guest: Drew Meyer

(NOTE: The original MP3 file had a bit of a hiccup late in the episode, but it's since been replaced and the new file should be available to grab now!) 

In this episode recorded in December 2013, we welcome podcaster and game designer Drew Meyer! Together, we hammer together a world permeated with dimensional waves that change the laws of reality. The ones living there have founded very different civilizations, each suited to their circumstances.

You can find Drew's podcasts and other work here:

The Never Say Die! Podcast - https://theneversaydiepodcast.podbean.com/

Who & Company - https://whoandcompany.libsyn.com/

The Doctor Who Podcast - https://thedoctorwhopodcast.com/

Scaldcrow Games - https://scaldcrow.com/

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 28 - TIDE SHIFT

Episode 27 - Children of the Fury

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent
Guest: Dave Robison

Ever have one of those personal eras when your life turns upside down a few times and then a pandemic happens and then you look up and realize the audio edit you've been stressing over for the past decade doesn't have to be as perfect as your inner critic insists and it's okay if the final product runs over two hours after all? 

Sometimes it takes a very long time to get one's inner critic to back down.

But when it happens? It can be a thing of wonder.

At long last, here is the next episode of Crucible of Realms. In it, our guest Dave brings us a massive concept to play with - a world split into three parts, each experiencing a different environment and each with a different relationship with magic.

You can find more about Dave and his work at these places:

Dave Robison: Vocal Performer - https://butterymanvoice.com/
ARCHIVOS - https://www.archivos.digital/

Archivos Podcasts - https://www.roundtablepodcast.com/

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 27 - CHILDREN OF THE FURY

Episode 26 - Pinewood Cove

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent
Guest: David Sobkowiak

It appears we've returned!

This episode was one of a handful coming up that we thought gone to the mists of time. Thankfully, we've finally managed to recover the audio and are delighted to present it to you!

In this episode we create a PERFECTLY NORMAL town deep in the Hundred-Mile Wilderness where ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is amiss. Nothing. At all.

Well, except during glider season...

Here are some links for David online:

Blog: http://www.davidsobkowiak.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dsobkowiak
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/David-Sobkowiak/e/B004OXCA52
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4443153.David_Sobkowiak

Also mentioned in this Episode:

Portal Cake Mix
Dubstep Kitty
Broken Sea
Gypsy Laura
Twin Peaks
Appalachian Trail
Innsmouth / HP Lovecraft
Super8
Mt Katahdin
Baxter State Park
Hundred-Mile Wilderness
The Shining
Dot-com Bubble
Sasquatch
Call of Cthuhlhu RPG
Hunting and Trapping in Maine
Jackalope
Doctor Moreau
Sugar Glider
Loch Ness Monster
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Jonathan Higgins/Robin Masters
Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve
Igor
Fenrir
Owlbear
Presley Lake / Moose Head Lake / Seboomook Lake
Rocky IV / Dolph Lundgren
Sprockets
Valhalla
Northern Exposure
X-Files

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 26 - PINEWOOD COVE

Epoch Iteration 17 - I Bought a Monster

RECORDED LIVE AT CONCAROLINAS 2015!

Kent and I met up at ConCarolinas to do a live podcast this year, marveled at the fact that the room was nearly empty and practically gave up hope. Then, as we were getting ready to pack it all in, we were bolstered by the arrival of a single audient (quite possibly by accident), so we decided to do an Epoch Iteration with her.

So here's that. Enjoy!

LINKS

ConCarolinas

Extra-Life, Team Intelsat

Sabrina's DeviantArt Site

Tenebrous

CypherCaster Magazine, Issue 001

DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 17 - I BOUGHT A MONSTER

Epoch Iteration 16 - Running and Screaming and Giant Frogs

For the first time, we have a guest on an Epoch Iteration! Author Eden Royce returns to talk about her upcoming novella release, Containment 2: Unleashed, a good portion of which takes place in our own Hell Noir setting. She also reads an excerpt from the book! In addition, we talk a bit about RPGs (as usual) and recent losses in the worlds of sci-fi and fantasy entertainment.

LINKS

Eden Royce

- Web Site

- Blog

- Facebook Author Page

- Twitter

Containment Part 1 on Amazon Kindle

Charles White of Fabled Environments (whom you may remember from our Epilareus episode) is running a new Kickstarter: Wild West Floor Plans. Check it out!

In this Iteration, Jim also mentions he will be appearing as a guest at ConCarolinas 2015!

RECOMMENDATIONS

Jon recommends The Martian by Andy Weir.

Jim recommends The Film Reverie Podcast.

Also Mentioned in this Iteration:

Center Lovell Inn Contest
The Vampire Chronicles
Gator People
D&D / FATE
Giant Frog/Toad
Deadlands / The Flood / Deadlands Noir
Dawn of Worlds
"Keep watching the skies!"
Terry Pratchett
Leonard Nimoy
Discworld / Star Trek
xkcd Tribute
MACE
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
"Excellent"
Water on Ganymede
Stephen Hawking
Lizard People
Ewan McGregor / RAF / Colin McGregor
Majel Barrett

DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 16 - RUNNING AND SCREAMING AND GIANT FROGS

Episode 25 - Western Evolution

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent
Guest: Scott Roche

Our latest world is a mashup of the Western, Sci-Fi and Horror genres with a slight touch of Steampunk thrown in for flavor. Not long before the turn of the 20th century, a group of scientists led by Nikola Tesla are caught in a war. To one side are the carriers of a lycanthropic virus - some want a cure, but others want only to take advantage of their newfound transformations. To the other are hordes of dead soldiers reanimated by the US government. Some say it's only a matter of time before the whole thing erupts into a second Civil War.

Want to find Scott online? Here ya go:

Blog - http://www.scottroche.com/blog/
Fiction - http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Roche/e/B004KS1U6Q
Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/scottroche
Twitter - https://twitter.com/spiritualtramp

Also mentioned in this Episode:

Leper Colony
Being Human
Frankenstein
The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein
Nikola Tesla / Colorado Springs
Werewolf Belt
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Thomas Edison / Tesla vs Edison
Apache / Geronimo
Deadlands
Hypochondria
Hulk
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Apache Wars
Fort Apache
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Mark Twain
Boris Karloff
Mike Mignola
Topsy the Elephant
Washington Monument / Arlington National Cemetery
Battle Droids
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Ulysses S. Grant / George Armstrong Custer
Teddy Roosevelt / Rough Riders
Browncoats
Giant Mechanical Spider
Super 8
Area 51
Fargo
Difference Engine / Guglielmo Marconi
Magneto / Homo Superior / New Mutants
Nietzschean Superman / New Gods / Herculoids
Promethean: The Created
Transformers
Boomstick
Evolutionary War

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 25 - WESTERN EVOLUTION

Episode 24 - Terror

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent
Guest: Mark

And now, as we get ever closer to Halloween, we bring you a realm of chilling darkness where fear is the greatest commodity. This is a place in which all of the world's worst nightmares are embodied. A strange, supernatural dimension where factions of living nightmares fight for dominance, each trying to force their own paradigm on each other even as they harvest the fear of mortals. Don't fall asleep, or you may find yourself there...

Image courtesy of Imgur

Unlike last month's extra-long episode, this one is a bit shorter than usual. We had a devil of a time with Skype on this particular episode, with calls dropping right and left, so we didn't have quite as much time to detail the world as we usually do, but I think we managed to put something pretty cool together. Along with making WAY more Frank Langella references than is generally recommended...

Also mentioned in this Episode:

Final Jeopardy
Rice-a-Roni
Monsters, Inc.
Ronald Reagan
Max Schreck / Nosferatu
Frank Langella / The Box / Good Night and Good Luck
Remora
Coulrophobia
Marcel Marceau
Snowman Holocaust
Se7en
Mephistopheles
Warwick Davis / Leprechaun
Rumplestiltskin
Albert Finney / Peter O'Toole
Inception
Manticore
Morlock
Will-o-the-Wisp
Doc Holliday
Knots Landing
F. Lee Bailey
The Fountainhead / Ayn Rand
Planet Terror

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 24 - TERROR

Episode 23 - Azure Tears

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent
Guest: Jason Bulmahn of Paizo Publishing and Minotaur Games

We brainstorm up a world so full of ideas that we had to bleed into an extra half hour! In a Conan-esque world where magic waxes and wanes in centuries-long cycles, the one who has the most power is the one who is best prepared for change. And when the next wave of magic comes, who will come out on top? The barbaric humans who hold Stoneshadow Valley? The forces of the High Imperator, who - it is said - can never die? The dwarves who live deep in the mountains and hold a terrifying secret? Or the much-maligned elves who live outside of civilization, yet may hold the key to changing everything? The seasons are turning, and when the Azure Tears appear in the sky once more, the die will be cast!

Jason's Kickstarter for his card game Pirate Loot can be found HERE! Check it out!

Also mentioned in this Episode:

Yoda / Midi-Chlorians
Pathfinder
V
Matt Forbeck
Oxy Acne Medication
Conan the Barbarian
Ziggurat
Lich
Hero's Journey
Sparta / Mongol Empire
Incan Terrace Farming
Helm's Deep
The Hobbit
Medici Family
Doctor Doom
Amway
To Serve Man
Cassandra
Night of the Comet
Mass Hysteria
Vlad the Impaler
Magic Jar
Dalai Lama
Thundarr the Barbarian / Gundark
Corona
Behind the Name

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 23 - AZURE TEARS

Epoch Iteration 15 - Collating Data Between Our Various Selves

Nope, we're still not dead. Listen in as we talk about recent events, the current state of affairs, upcoming releases and how to get rich using time travel. We also read listener feedback!

Believe it or not, ACTUAL EPISODES ARE COMING SOON!

LINKS:

Think Baby Names

Jim's interview with Storium's Stephen Hood

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Kent recommends the Fairy Behind the Door Kickstarter project (ENDS AUGUST 2nd, 2014!). Jon recommends the Monster Hunter series by Larry Correia. Jim recommends The Big Red Couch, an RPG brainstorming podcast from New Zealand.

Also Mentioned in this Iteration:

Loitsu
24
Jennisodes
D&D Basic Rules
TableTop Day
Doctor Who / Blinovitch Limitation Effect
Reddit Worldbuilding
Storium
Suspended Animation Trials
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Dragon*Con
World of Warcraft
Good Night and Good Luck / Strength and Honor

DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 15 - COLLATING DATA BETWEEN OUR VARIOUS SELVES

Epoch Iteration 14 - Kobolds & Super Heroes

A quick Iteration to talk about our guests' upcoming projects!

Image courtesy of Imgur

LINKS:

Eloy Lasanta's Kickstarter for Third Eye Games, AMP: Year One, can be found HERE.

Wolfgang Baur's projects for Kobold Press, Deep Magic and The Kobold Guide to Magic, can be found HERE and HERE.

DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 14 - KOBOLDS & SUPER HEROES

Episode 22 - The Brilliance

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Eden
Guest: Eloy Lasanta of Third Eye Games

We create a future Earth in which some of the human population have begun to evolve into beings of light. These new types of humans have made significant gains in equality, but there are always those who refuse to accept them, and some who even seek their destruction!

Image courtesy of Imgur

Eloy's podcast, Rolling 20s, can be found HERE. You can also visit his own site and the site of his company, Third Eye Games.

Eden Royce's author site can be found HERE.

Also mentioned in this Episode:

Gatorade
Paranoia
Douglas Adams / Hooloovoo
Cocoon
Green Lantern / Emotional Spectrum Rings
Battlestar Galactica
The Speed of Light
ROYGBIV
Red Dwarf / Hard Light
Superman vs the Elite / All-Star Superman / Lex Luthor
Star Trek
Singularity
World of Warcraft
Firefly
Dr. Manhattan
Green Party
Black Panthers
Cloud City
Iron Man 
Nyan Cat
Whig Party / Bull Moose Party
Thesaurus.com
Terminator

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 22 - The Brilliance

Epoch Iteration 13 - A Frozen Wasteland

This Iteration was recorded on Groundhog Day! We talk about the recent Snowpocalypse/Snowmageddon (which seems to have repeated itself) and read listener feedback.

Image courtesy of Imgur

LINKS:

The Walking Dead comparison page can be found HERE.

Jim's story was published in Tales from the Front, available at Amazon and DrivethruRPG.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Jon recommends the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch.

Also mentioned in this Iteration:

Punxsutawney Phil
Eloy Lasanta / Third Eye Games
The Walking Dead
Polar Vortex / Sharknado
Kaiser's Gate / Savage Worlds / True20
SHIELD
Final Fantasy
Doctor Who
The Dresden Files / Hot Fuzz
The Met

DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 13 - A FROZEN WASTELAND

Epoch Iteration 12 - We Demand Sanitation Ninjas

We are not dead! In this Iteration we go off on many a tangent about D&D, Doctor Who and conventions in addition to reading some listener feedback.

Image Courtesy of Imgur

LINKS:

Scaldcrow Games' Worlds of Pulp (DrivethruRPG, Kickstarter)

AetherCon

The Probably Questionable Podcast

Kent's Extra-Life team, Team Intelsat

Jim's appearances on RPGRoundtable (Episode 1: Audio, YouTube) (Episode 2: Audio, YouTube)

Jim's appearance on Happy Jack's RPG Podcast (Audio, YouTube)

In the Bloodstream: an Anthology of Dark Fantasy and Horror
(Jim's story in it is titled "Lady of the Manor")

RECOMMENDATIONS: Jon recommends the TV show Parks and Recreation. He also recommends Agent to the Stars and Redshirts, both by John Scalzi.

PROMO: Ideology of Madness - Ghosts of Reignsboro AP Podcast

Also Mentioned in this Iteration:

Wired Images
Dragon*Con
D&D 2nd, 3rd & 4th Edition / Epic Destiny
D&D Next / Against the Giants
Dresden Files RPG
MACE
Davey Beauchamp
Parsec Awards / Sylvester McCoy
The WEIRD Show
Doctor Who / The Day of the Doctor / The War Doctor
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
Final Fantasy
Creative Commons
Sin City
Fig Newtons
Principia Mathematica
Bacon Cat
Wil Wheaton
Douglas Adams
Old Man's War
Thanksgivukkah

DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 12 - WE DEMAND SANITATION NINJAS

Episode 21 - Epilareus

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent

Guest: Charles White of Fabled Environments
 
We create a fantasy city where the holy orders are involved in almost every level of society. The various factions of Epilareus are each guided by their religion, and it is up to the king to keep everything moving along and prevent the various orders from seizing too much power. All while seeing to the needs of the populace and protecting them from invasion.

Image courtesy of Imgur

Fabled Environments' products can be found on DrivethruRPG.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Poseidon
Pantheon / The Pantheon
Sandman / The Endless
Theocracy
George RR Martin / Faceless Men
The Fates
Forgotten Realms / Forgotten Realms Deities
Lankhmar
Mongols
Constitutional Monarchy / Parliament / Primogeniture
Constantine
Artificial Island
Colossus of Rhodes / Lighthouse of Alexandria
Commune / Collective
Ganesha
Necropolis
NCIS
Thanatology
Parliament / House of Lords / House of Commons
Plebeian Council
The People's Court
Illyria
Behind the Name / 20,000 Names
Rudolph Valentino
Ophiuchus
Monsignor
Eberron / The Sovereign Host / The Dark Six
Kris
 
DOWNLOAD EPISODE 21 - EPILAREUS

Epoch Iteration 11 - Find a Naked Singularity

In this Iteration we talk about recent events, read listener feedback and go off on many a tangent. 

Image Source: Northern Arizona University

You can find Jim's other podcast, Transmissions From the Ninth World, HERE.
You can find Kent's video podcast at the Distorted Order site, HERE.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Jon recommends the comic Fables and the book Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Jim recommends the book The Reckoning: the Murder of Christopher Marlowe by Charles Nicholl and the game Dungeon World.

Also Mentioned in this Iteration:

Steel-Toed Shoes
Mythbusters
ENNie Awards
Monte Cook / Numenera
GenCon
Dragon*Con
Pacific Rim
Ron Perlman / Sons of Anarchy
Guillermo del Toro / Hellboy
Charlie Hunnam
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey / Legolas
Matthew Wayne Selznick
WotC / Paizo
Gern Blanston / Steve Martin
Bill Willingham / Scourge of the Slave Lords / Vault of the Drow
Vertigo
Mentat
Christopher Marlowe
Ken & Robin Talk About Stuff / Kenneth Hite / Robin D. Laws
Castle Amber (X2)
FATE Core / FATE Accelerated / FATE Core Kickstarter
Naked Singularity / Andromeda

DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 11 - FIND A NAKED SINGULARITY

Episode 20 - Sorcerer's Gambit

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent

Guest: THE Jim Harris
 
In this episode, we create a Steampunk / Victorian Fantasy mashup setting. As the British Empire rolls out its engines of industry, the indigenous populations of its colonies call upon ancient magics to drive them out! Meanwhile, the Druids watch and wait and a sinister figure playing all sides against each other watches from the shadows... 

Image courtesy of Imgur

Join Jim Harris' cult on Facebook!

RECOMMENDATIONS: Jon recommends The Mongoliad by Neal Stephenson.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Steampunk
Ornithopter
The Da Vinci Code
British Empire
Boxer Rebellion
The Royal Society
The League of S.T.E.A.M.
Ghostbusters
Druid
Oxford University
Bursar
National Geographic Society
Wicker Man
Glastonbury
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
D&D Druid
Field Marshal Kitchener
Gaia
The Green Man
Cernunnos
Celtic Pantheon
Brigid
Arithmancy
Yog-Sothoth
Cthulhu
"The only winning move is not to play."
Boudica

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 20 - SORCERER'S GAMBIT

Epoch Iteration 10 - Walk the Fire

Another quick Kickstarter-related Iteration this time. Upcoming guest David Sobkowiak talks about an ongoing Kickstarter campaign for Walk the Fire, a shared world sci-fi anthology series. Check it out HERE.

And stay tuned at the end for outtakes from Episode 19!

Mentioned in this Iteration:

David Sobkowiak
John Mierau
Twin Peaks
Texas Instruments
Brian Aldiss / Helliconia
Game of Thrones / World of A Song of Ice and Fire
The Hudsucker Proxy
The Man in the Moon
J.R.R. Tolkien / Middle Earth Languages
Goldilocks Zone
Slurpee

DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 10 - WALK THE FIRE

Episode 19 - Ptemos

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent

Guest: Matthew Wayne Selznick
 
Finally, a new episode with actual world-building in it! Though in this episode, we go about it a little differently. Our guest, creator Matthew Wayne Selznick, walks us through the process of building a truly habitable planet, as detailed in his book World-Building for Writers, Gamers and Other Creators, Volume One: Star, Planet, Moon. We develop the world, and from there we brainstorm up a sentient species with a primitive culture.

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

During the course of recording, we found a pretty cool site about language: Edenics.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Jon recommends SimEarth.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brave Men Run / Brave Men Run Podcast Novel
7th Son / 7th Son Podcast Series
Anyman: The John Smith EP
Tee Morris
Vulcan
Io
Torus / Hypercube
Shelob
Semaphore
Pueblo
Gila Monument
Opluridae
Spore

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 19 - PTEMOS