The Jank Cast

Episode 164: Getting Started on Game Design

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:37:28 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Scott, Timo, Todd In honor of Game Chef 2013 we discuss getting started with game design. Fun! Pertinent info: 11:30- What’d we play 22:10- Topic 1:16:45- Rants Megan- Hornets. Nest. Boning. What? Scott- Allergies make me hate trees. … Continue reading →

Actual Play 10: Apocalypse World II, Black Diamond Session 8

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:22:49 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo Todd, Tom Next installment of Black Diamond. Thrill as your favorite characters… have a meeting! Just like at your job, but in the APOCALYPSE!!!

Episode 163: Forge Midwest 2013 Recap Extravaganza!

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:16:01 +0000

Hosts: Joe, Megan, Todd In this episode, we do a Forge Midwest recap and talk about all the games we played, including: -On Mighty Thews -Monsterhearts -Kingdom of Nothing -Final Girl -Monster of the Week -Danger Patrol -Dungeon World -And … Continue reading →

Episode 162: The External Life of a Character

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:53:15 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Timo, Todd 11:57: What did we play? Timo- Apocalypse World Megan- Apocalypse World, Fiasco, Guacamelee Todd- Apocalypse World, Fiasco, Vampire, Dishonored 28:59- Topic We discuss whether or not characters have a sort of “external life” outside of who … Continue reading →

Actual Play 10: Apocalypse World II, Black Diamond Session 7

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:36:14 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo Todd, Tom Our next session of the Black Diamond AW campaign. Playbooks are changed willy-nilly! Violence breaks out all over! Lennox goes to Burger King, the person, not the restaurant! All this and crazy, crazy Goldie! … Continue reading →

Episode 161: Reflecting On/Discussing Games

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:00:25 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Timo, Todd What’d We Play? (9:20) Megan- Just Dance 4 Timo- Uncharted 3, The Walking Dead Todd- Ascension, Dungeon World Topic: Reflecting on your game (23:20) We discuss the benefits of discussing your games and reflecting on them … Continue reading →

Episode 160: Gaming, Art, and Music with Scott and Trez

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:54:02 +0000

Hosts: Scott, Todd, Trez In this not regular episode, Todd sits down to have a conversation with his friends Scott and Trez about the intersections of gaming, art, and music (particularly metal). Mostly we just end up waxing about our … Continue reading →

Episode 159: Player Agency

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:59:43 +0000

Hosts: Dave, Megan, Timo, Todd What’d We Play? (7:15) Main Topic (18:20): Player Agency? We bring our buddy Dave on to talk about the different interpretations we have of player agency and what you want your character to do/be able … Continue reading →

Actual Play 10: Apocalypse World II, Black Diamond Session 6

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 19:05:51 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd, Tom Sadness prevails. A lot. This one is a bummer. In all seriousness: brace yourself. There is a fair amount of violence, death, and people wailing and screaming, in this one. Teeth gnashing, clothes rending, … Continue reading →

Actual Play 10: Apocalypse World II, Black Diamond Session 5

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:33:43 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd, Tom The next installment of our ongoing Apocalypse World AP. A word of warning: this one gets pretty brutal at the end. If you’re squeamish about violence, you might want to start keeping your ears … Continue reading →

Episode 158: Last Sessions

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:00:02 +0000

We had a listener ask us to talk about the way last sessions play out in game. The conversation moves to talking about the general flow of stories through play, the inevitability of certain events, and the way that shared control of the story means flying somewhat blind in to fun. Continue reading →

Actual Play 10: Apocalypse World II, Black Diamond Session 4

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:34:34 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Tom, Todd The epic saga of Black Diamond continues, and cialis vs viagra gets even more epicy in this installment. Enjoy.

Actual Play 10: Apocalypse World II, Black Diamond Session 3

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:29:27 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd, Tom The third session in our ongoing Black Diamond AW campaign. Things get crazy. And by crazy, we mean Tootles shows up. Speaking of, IMPORTANT NOTE! We get a few names from the Leviathan campaign … Continue reading →

Episode 157: Franchises and Game

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:15:00 +0000

Kevin and Allegra from the Walking Eye join us to discuss the way the popularity of a franchise influences the conversation around the hobby. We discuss D&D, Star wars and star trek among others, and why people get so intense about these titles. Continue reading →

Actual Play 10: Apocalypse World II, Black Diamond Session 2

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:32:59 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd, Tom The second session in our ongoing Black Diamond AW campaign. In this session, more violence, more sex, and more Goldie and Rolfball online payday loans having intense moments together. What more do you want?

Episode 156: Story, Mechanics, and Dynamical Meaning

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:22:01 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Scott, Timo, Todd Metal guys. The bears of the straight world. Come to February Jank on Demand! What’d we play?: 7:20 Timo, Todd, Megan: Apocalypse World Scott: X-Wing, The Star Wars Card Game Todd: Questlord and Dragon’s Dogma … Continue reading →

Actual Play 10: Apocalypse World II- Black Diamond Session 1

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:44:12 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd, Tom As promised, here is the first session of our new Apocalypse World campaign. This campaign picks up where our last AW campaign, the story of the Leviathan, left off, but ten years or so … Continue reading →

Episode 155: ZOMG! Borderlands 2!

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:11:43 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Scott, Todd What’d We Play: 5:45 Scott- Dixit Megan and Todd- AW Todd- Thunderstone and Legendary Megan- Sentinels of the Multiverse Topic: 19:55 We geek out over Borderlands 2. We like it, and discuss what’s so fun about … Continue reading →

Actual Play 9: Bacchanal

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:01:31 +0000

In lieu of an episode this week, we bring you an AP of the game Bacchanal! Please note that this game is specifically about sex. If that's the sort of thing that would bother you, you might want to skip this one. Continue reading →

Episode 154: Making Decisions in the Moment

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:03:14 +0000

One of our listeners asked us to talk about improvisation a little bit. It's a topic we've covered before, but it got us thinking about how we make decisions and react when we're playing games and not deciding ahead of time what's going to happen. Continue reading →

Episode 153: Awkward and Uncomfortable

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:03:30 +0000

Of late we have been playing in some awkward and uncomfortable fictional space, and loving it. We spend the cast talking about how we do that and what we find rewarding about being in that space. Continue reading →

Episode 152: Open-Ended versus On-Rails Scenes

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:38:39 +0000

When looking at scene framing, there are often times when pre-planning the elements of the scene can take the excitement and enjoyment out of playing those scenes. We talk about how particular types of scenes can demand certain things to happen, and what that means about framing and developing those events. Continue reading →

Episode 151: 2012 in Review & 2013 Gaming Resolutions

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 21:30:17 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Rob, Todd This is a rather chatty episode in which we close out 2012 by talking about our good gaming memories of the year, as well as think about what we’d like to do in 2013. Along the … Continue reading →

Actual Play: Monster of the Week, the Conclusion!

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 21:55:25 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Scott, Timo, Todd, Tom This is the second and final session of our Monster of the Week two shot. The first one can be listened to here. We’re playing a ragtag group of monster hunters out to … Continue reading →

Episode 150: My Life with Master

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:54:27 +0000

We just recently finished playing the game My Life with Master and spend some time talking about it as a great example of a game designed for the "play to find out what happens" ethos. We talk about some of the content of the game, which includes brutality and sexual violence. Continue reading →

Episode 149: Not Preplanning

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:39:02 +0000

We're going to take a few episodes to really dig in to the idea of "playing to find out what happens." To start off,we're talking about not preplanning the game, whether as a player or as a GM. Continue reading →

Episode 148: Bleed

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:02:03 +0000

Bleed is a term used to describe when your emotions intermingle with those of your character: When your emotions are affected by the emotions and situation of your character, or when your personal emotions affect those of the character. There are both positives and negatives to this phenomenon that can both interfere with and enhance the experience of play. Continue reading →

Episode147: Hacking Apocalypse World

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:28:21 +0000

In part 2, we talk about hacking Apocalypse World: What changes have resonated, which seem to miss the mark, and why. Continue reading →

Episode 146: What is it about Apocalypse World

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:15:58 +0000

There's a lot going on with Apocalypse World in our part of the gaming world. We're going to devote 2 episodes to the topic. In this one, we discuss what it is about the game that has made it so popular as a system and what we think it's unique appeal is. Continue reading →

Bonus Episode: Centaurs+Cersei+The Muppets+Harry Potter+Star Wars = Jub Jub

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 02:27:06 +0000

So we have a new episode in the can, but we cut about 20 minutes of it of us talking about pretty much everything, so we’re releasing it as a bonus episode. You can listen to us discuss Centaurs, Game … Continue reading →

Episode 145: The Evolution of Indie Games

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:20:12 +0000

Prompted by an email from one of our listeners, we invite Tim Kleinert on to talk about how what we (probably incorrectly) label "Indie Games" came about, including a brief history of the Forge. Continue reading →

Episode 144: Let's Talk About Sex (in Gaming), Baby

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:01:30 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Rob, Todd What did we play? (12:30) The Sword, The Crown, the Unspeakable Power Polaris Main Topic: SEX! (29:14) We talk about sex, sex, SEEEEEXXXXX! Not sexuality, not cialis redonda gender, but specifically sex in games. You know, … Continue reading →

Actual Play: Monster of the Week

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:41:04 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Scott, Timo, Todd, Tom This is comprar viagra valencia the first of 2 sessions we played of Monster of the Week, a new Apocalypse World hack that models itself after shows like the X-Files and Buffy the … Continue reading →

Episode 143: Violence!

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:11:03 +0000

Violence is a common part of RPG's and other gaming. We talk about the role it has in our play, what we think it's about and what it brings to the games we play. Continue reading →

Episode 142: The Good Gamer Thing

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:50:47 +0000

During Gencon, Timo ran in to an interesting thing: people sitting down to games at Games on Demand and stating "I'm not good at this." It sparks a discussion between us of what the "Good Gamer" mentality is all about, and what role it actually plays in groups and games. Continue reading →

Episode 141: Genre Series Wrap Up

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 15:01:06 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Scott, Todd In this episode, we wrap up our series on genres by talking about a bunch of genres we didn’t get to talk about (Sci-Fi, Mystery, Romance, Comedy), as well as muse on what genres do in … Continue reading →

Episode 140: Gencon 2012 Wrapup

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:10:57 +0000

Our annual discussion in the wake of Gencon 2012. Breaking news: It was awesome. Continue reading →

Episode 139: Westerns

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:50:46 +0000

Hosts: Scott, Timo, Todd No notes because of Gencon business, but we talk about westerns, Todd’s favorite genre, and a criminally underrepresented genre. Fun is had. Game discussed: Dust Devils, Deadlands, Dogs in the Vineyard, Serenity. 5:13 = What did … Continue reading →

Episode 138: The Modern Fantasy Genre

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:45:58 +0000

Modern Fantasy brings forth two competing things, what is familiar and what is fantastical. The blending of these two things is achieved in a number of different ways and comes with some issues around believability and realism. Continue reading →

Episode 137: The Horror Genre

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 16:12:58 +0000

Horror can be a tricky genre to implement in gaming. Concerns exist about pacing and maintaining a certain feel. Different games approach the genre in significantly different ways, and succeed to varying degrees. Continue reading →

Episode 136: The Post-Apocalyptic Genre

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:17:53 +0000

We look at one of our favourite genre's, the post-apocalypse. We talk about what we like about the setting and what makes it just so compelling. Continue reading →

Actual Play: Mist Robed Gate 2

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:22:57 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd The thrilling, sexy conclusion to our Mist Robed Gate AP. At minute 1:43:00 or so we finish up and have a little cheapest cialis prices discussion about the game. Also: Mommy’s tired because she had … Continue reading →

Episode 135: The Fantasy Genre

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 15:33:31 +0000

In the first of a new series exploring different genre's, we try to take a critical look at what makes fantasy fantasy. Beyond the base of D&D, what makes something a fantasy setting, what are the themes and concept that make it up, what games exist (surprise, a lot!) and what do we want out of those games? Continue reading →

Actual Play: Mist-Robed Gate Part 1

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 16:56:09 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd Mist-Robed Gate is a fun, rules light, GM-less game by Shreyas Sampat that simulates creating a Wushu movie such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or Iron Monkey. We played a game of it over two … Continue reading →

Episode 134: Joss Whedon Geekery

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:47:14 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Scott, Todd What’d we play (12:00): Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre Red Dragon Inn D&D Encounters The Shadow of Yesterday Main Topic: Joss Whedon and gaming (26:53) What makes Joss Whedon Joss … Continue reading →

Episode 133: Dialogue

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 20:46:26 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Scott, Todd What did we play (11:22) Dungeons and Dragons: Next Apocalypse World Gnomes of Zavindor Ora and Labora 20th Century Main Topic: Dialogue (22:15) In this episode we discuss dialogue in gaming and the dreaded “I’m not … Continue reading →

Episode 132: Currency

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:11:09 +0000

There's a term used for describing how the different parts of a rpg interact with each other, currency. We take some time muddling around with that term trying to really grok the underlying idea, as well as discuss the interactions that we see in different games and how we respond to them. Continue reading →

Episode 131: Finding Your Voice in a Game

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 29 May 2012 23:02:49 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Scott, Timo Phillip’s Archnemesis Contest! What’d We Play: Fiasco Annalise Marvel Heroic Hell cialis sale 4 Leather DAWG Zombie Cinema Monster of the Week 32:00- Main topic: finding your voice in a game. Knowing how to say enough … Continue reading →

Actual Play: The Mountain Witch, Session 3

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:44:23 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Rob, Timo, Todd Behold! The thrilling conclusion to our Mountain Witch saga in which our four samurai finally confront The Mountain Witch himself. Secrets are revealed, blood is spilled, and heads are collected. It’s a whole thing. … Continue reading →

Interview with Meg Baker of Night Sky Games

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:33:55 +0000

In this episode, Todd and Timo have a nice little chat with Meg Baker of Night Sky Games about all sorts of stuff including her gaming history, her games Psi*Run and 1001 Nights, how her understanding of education and having … Continue reading →

Actual Play: The Mountain Witch, Session 2

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:30:13 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Rob, Timo, Todd This is our second session of The Mountain Witch. We begin with a review brand viagra of the last session, then go right into the game as our four ronin continue to climb Mt. … Continue reading →

Bonus Episode: Gamer Terminology From Forge Midwest!

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:48:32 +0000

Hosts: Clyde, David, Paul/Kevin, Timo, Todd What’s that? You want to hear more? Well this conversation between David and Paul from The Podge Cast and Clyde from lowest price viagra Theory From the Closet, The Yellow Menace, and just generally … Continue reading →

Episode 130: Forge Midwest Recap

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:07:34 +0000

Hosts: Joe, Megan, Todd We went to The Forge Midwest and played a bunch of games. We discuss them. Important stuff for you to think about: RPG Podcast Survey! Click and take! Jank on Demand! May 19! Come and have … Continue reading →

Actual Play: The Mountain Witch, Session 1

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:18:19 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Rob, Timo, Todd We do character creation and play the viagra online without prescription first of three sessions of Tim Kleinert’s seminal game “The Mountain Witch.” Character creation starts right away and the actual play begins at … Continue reading →

Interview: Geek Girls Burlesque from Gorilla Tango Theatre!

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:34:10 +0000

We were at Forge Midwest this last weekend (more on that next week) so we didn’t record a regular episode, but we’ve got something even better for you: Megan does an interview with the ladies of Geek Girls Burlesque from … Continue reading →

Episode 129: Drama!

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:12:23 +0000

It's easier to fall in to patterns of comedy or gratuitous,unthinking violence, but working in actual functioning drama in to a game can take a little more. We talk a little about what we do to make that happen for us, and the problems or details of having that happen. Continue reading →

Bonus AP: In a Wicked Age Part II (With Forge Midwest Plug)

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:39:39 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Rob, Timo, Todd Took me almost a month to get it up because I’ve been busy with work, but here’s our final session of In a Wicked Age! We begin with a quick plug for Forge Midwest … Continue reading →

Episode 128: Intrigue

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:44:29 +0000

Bringing intrigue in to a game can be tough: as a medium, gaming rewards straightforwardness more than anything else. We talk about the nature of intrigue, and how it applies and is applied. Continue reading →

AP: In a Wicked Age, Part I

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 23:38:52 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Rob, Timo, Todd The bad news is that there’s no episode this week because Megan and Todd were at Walking Eye Con. The good news is that we have part I of II of our AP of … Continue reading →

Episode 127: Emergent Play

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:12:56 +0000

On the cast we talk a lot about how detail about the characters, the world or the theme come out during play, what is called emergence. We take this episode to talk directly about that aspect of gaming. Continue reading →

Bonus AP: Psi*Run

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:16:50 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Scott, Timo, Todd This is a bonus one-shot we did of Meg Baker’s sweet new game Psi*Run. The game starts right away after a short intro by Todd, then we play for about 2 hours and end … Continue reading →

Episode 126: Ensemble Casts

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:04:01 +0000

When gamers sit down around a table with a bunch of characters and start playing the game, the stories that come out of it can take a variety of different paths. With this in mind, we delve in to the nature of the ensemble cast, and what it means at the table: what characteristics and aspects come out, how do the character stories develop, and how different games handle different types of inter-PC relationships. Continue reading →

Bonus Interview: Josh Mannon

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:30:05 +0000

This is a bonus interview Todd conducted with Josh Mannon: Father, Husband, and Game Designer! Josh runs At the Table Games and has been playing, designing, and hacking games for a long time. Todd and Josh discuss discovering new and … Continue reading →

Episode 125: Co-operative Boardgames

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:05:51 +0000

We talk about our favourite cooperative boardgames, and some of the design and play characteristics of these games Continue reading →

Bonus AP: Final Apocalypse World Session

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:03:36 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd Our final session with the cialis online crew of the Leviathan. Thanks for listening. We begin with a review of previous sessions. The AP starts around 21:30. We conclude with a deconstruction of the campaign. … Continue reading →

Episode 124: Triggering the Mechanics

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:37:38 +0000

Deciding how and when the mechanical aspects of a game should be used can be a complex topic. Even with newer games providing clearer guidelines as to what should trigger mechanics, there's often a decision to do just that. We hijack this episode with a discussion of how that choice shakes down, and how different games provide different guidance and methodology Continue reading →

Episode 123: What game for this context?

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:16:48 +0000

There's a mantra that Ron Edwards espouses as being key to playing a successful game: "I want to play this game with these people at this time." Another way that could be phrased is "What game do I want to play with these people at this time?" When you know you're going to be playing with certain people, we discuss how you choose which game to play? Continue reading →

Bonus AP: Apocalypse World Part 7

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:38:32 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd Our second to last session of generic cialis pill the Apocalypse World campaign. Shit gets real.

Episode 122: Scott and Timo Talk

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:14:53 +0000

This weeks episode is a conversation between Scott and Timo, talking about the role of the GM and the structure of play as they each approach it. Continue reading →

Bonus AP: Apocalypse World Part 5

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:57:20 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd The next installment of our ongoing AP. cialis 20mg Suddenly Jax has a southern accent.

Bonus AP: Apocalypse World Part 5

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:55:31 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd We return with another AW AP. The sound is a little buy cheap cialis worse on this one for some reason (seriously- I didn’t do anything different), so sorry about that. Enjoy!

Episode 121: Character Arcs (Narrative Techniques)

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:35:39 +0000

Character arcs are the overall flow of how a character develops during a story. These can be applied to gaming, but in the cast we find that the application can be problematic. We talk a lot about our AP of Apocalypse World, which can be found on our website or on our RSS feed. Continue reading →

Bonus AP: Apocalypse World Part 4

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:24:46 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd The continuing saga of the crew of the Leviathan as they do very bad things to each other.

Episode 120: The 3 act structure (Narrative Techniques)

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:44:40 +0000

Hosts: Todd, Megan, Scott, Timo What did we play (06:50) Jank on demand: Misspent Youth, Apocalypse World, Kagematsu, Murderous Ghosts Apocalypse World: Timo, Megan, Todd Ninjato: Megan, Scott Red Dragon Inn, Legend of Drizz’t: Todd Magic the Gathering: Megan Gnomes … Continue reading →

Bonus AP: Apocalypse World Part 3

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:13:11 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd This is the next session of our AW game as another bonus AP. Enjoy! Or don’t. A few notes: 1) My buddy Joseph sat in on the game. Sometimes he talks. That’s the extra voice … Continue reading →

Episode 119: Perspective (Narrative Techniques)

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:26:50 +0000

Perspective is an interesting thing that affects how we view situations and scenarios. By playing with how things are described or revealed it's possible to highlight different aspects of the game in some pretty fascinating ways. Continue reading →

Bonus AP: Next AW Session

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:27:34 +0000

Players: Joe, Megan, Timo, Todd We got some good feedback on the last AP, so we’re going to keep posting more of them. Exciting! If you’re just here for regular, old Janky-content, just hit delete on this and we’ll have … Continue reading →

Episode 118: Chekov’s Gun (Narrative Techniques)

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:38:37 +0000

Chekov's gun is a concept of design that applies very well to theatre, but less well to gaming. Nevertheless, it provides a framework that can be applied to gaming in an interesting way. Continue reading →

Episode 117: Flashbacks (Narrative Techniques)

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 06:03:56 +0000

We're starting a new series exploring how narrative techniques used in different forms of media apply to gaming: The good, the bad, the ugly, and the stir-fried. We set it off by talking about a thing that we used during our Apocalypse World actual play: flashbacks. We talk about how they have worked for our games, and what we like and dislike about it. Continue reading →

Actual Play: Apocalypse World – The Leviathan

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:47:30 +0000

We're currently playing a game of Apocalypse world set on a zeppelin called "The Leviathan," travelling between locations in an Empire recently risen to power by exploiting the psychic powers of brainers, all under an endless cloud-cover sky. This is the third session of that game, showing the rescue of a crew member from the clutches of the Empire and the aftermath. Continue reading →

Episode 116: Year in review

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:09:18 +0000

Less serious topic: We just talk a little about the things that happened in gaming and with games this year including Kickstarter, the rise of our gaming advocacy, and the way convention games and gaming is changing. Continue reading →

Episode 115: Respecting stories.

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:18:42 +0000

We believe that gaming is, at it's heart, communal story telling. Part of that is learning to be able to tell stories with others: To play nice, to listen and make other people's stories count, and be willing to let the game go where the game will go. We talk a little about our own techniques and experiences with trying to do this well with others, when it's succeeded or failed, and what we've learned about how it works for us. Continue reading →

Episode 114: Janksgivinger

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:20:39 +0000

In a departure from our usual stuffy material, we take the holiday to talk about things we're thankful for: mostly gaming related, but also just generally geekish. If you're looking for serious analysis and conversation, come back later, we're busy being happy. Continue reading →

Episode 113: Pass the Paper

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:04:32 +0000

There is a trend in games to have a core mechanic that creates a real thing: A map, a story, a written set of relationships. There's this interesting thing about having a real record, some object that comes out of the game that you can refer back to you. Continue reading →

Episode 112: Gaming as Therapy

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:40:44 +0000

Sometimes gaming can be a great therapeutic resource. The cast goes in to a conversation about how that looks and what drives that kind of play. Continue reading →

Episode 111: Gaming as Social Commentary

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:44:38 +0000

As part of playing an RPG strong themes of social commentary can come out: Discussions on Race, gender, social mores and conventions, all can become strong elements of a game. But how do you build towards such a thing, and what are the dangers of doing so? We talk about the role that Social commentary takes in gaming. Continue reading →

Episode 110: Gaming as Socialising

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:33:15 +0000

Part of the fun of gaming is not actually the game itself, but the hanging out with friends that it causes. Whether you are friends outside of the game, or get together just to do this particular thing, or barely know each other, there is a whole realm of interactions that the game is part of, but is not necessarily all about the game. As part of our "Why we game" series we talk about the socializing that goes on around and about the game. Continue reading →

Episode 109: Playing for Exploration

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:08:17 +0000

Hosts: Todd, Timo, Rob, Megan What did we play: (10:14) Dogs in the Vineyard: Todd, Rob, Megan, Timo Megan: D&D Encounters, 1st ed Todd: Apocalypse World Shadowrun hack, Elder Sign Jank on Demand: We play a lot of random games, … Continue reading →

Episode 108: Playing for Escapism

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:17:29 +0000

Hosts: Todd, Timo, Megan, Scott What did we play: (9:55) Mansions of Madness: Todd, Timo, Megan, Scott Don’t Rest Your Head: Todd, Megan, Scott Dresden Files RPG: Todd D&D Encounters: Megan Jank on Demand: We play a lot of random … Continue reading →

Ep 107: Long form and short form games

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:22:07 +0000

Because of the way we've structured out gaming, we play a lot of short campaigns or single scenarios. This lends our gaming a certain feel and has some positives and negatives. How does that compare to playing long, ongoing games? What do you gain, what do you lose? Continue reading →

Episode 106: Getting Into Gaming

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:51:33 +0000

Hosts: John, M-Riv, Paul, Tim, Todd, Tom So this week we did something a little different: Todd did a cast with his group which started via school, several of whom weren’t gamers until recently and the rest of whom hadn’t … Continue reading →

Episode 105: The Relationship Between GMs and Players/Players and Players

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:00:58 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Rob, Scott, Todd What is the relationship between player and player or player and GM? In this episode, we beat that horse to death with a bat and then kick it a few times. Take that, dead horse! … Continue reading →

Episode 104: We’re So Excited and We Just Can’t Hide It

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:20:41 +0000

Hosts: Dave, Rob, Scott, Todd First off, if you are a gamer in Germany or know any gamers in Germany, let us know because Rob is moving to the Frankfurt area and wants to get his German game on! Second, … Continue reading →

Episode 103: RP in a non-RP Land

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:08:48 +0000

Hosts: Timo, Todd, Scott, Megan What did we play: (09:15) Scott: Eminent Domain, Blood Bowl Team Manager, Warmachine. Megan: D&D (1st ed, encounters), Magic, Kagematsu Timo: Kagematsu, Ascension App, Dungeon Raid Todd: Apocalypse World, Forbidden Island, Ticket To Ride App … Continue reading →

Episode 102: Gaming advice and the Conversation on Gaming

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:46:25 +0000

Hosts: Todd, Megan, Timo, Peter What did we play: (09:15) Timo: Kagematsu, Eminent Domain, Smallworld, Dixit, Defenders of the Realm, Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space, Blood Bowl Team Manager Megan: Kagematsu, Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space, … Continue reading →

Episode 101: Character Flaws

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:18:59 +0000

Hosts: Timo, Rob, Megan, Scott What did we play: (3:17) Scott: Blood Bowl Team Manager, Eminent Domain, Belfort, Ninja Megan: Blood Bowl Team Manager, Belfort, Ninja, Ticket to Ride, Seven Wonders, Pandemic, Drunken Magic: Holier than Meow Rob: No games … Continue reading →

Jank100!!!!!

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:00:09 +0000

Hosts: Reek, Scott, Timo, Todd, and a billion guests First off, congrats to our new friends Jacob and Katie who leveled up in both nerdiness and love by getting engaged at Gencon, then playing some awesome games with us. Congrats … Continue reading →

Episode 99: Stranger danger

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:38:08 +0000

Hosts: Megan, Todd, Scott, Timo Two quick things: 1) Buy tickets for Megan’s shows at Gencon if you like boobs and/or comedy and/or magic! 2) If you would like to play test the game that Megan and Todd have designed … Continue reading →

Episode 98: Breaking/Broken games

Aise.jk@gmail.com (The Jank Cast) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:31:38 +0000

Hosts: Timo, Todd, Megan Star Trek: Expeditions Yggdrasil Gurps Games By James Hero Quest Walden Books HMV White Wolf What did we play: (9:45) Megan & Timo: Badass Todd: Fiasco, Apocalypse World Self Critical Hits Magic: The Gathering (New Set … Continue reading →