Active Topical Banter Show

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An editorial Roundtable podcast about game design and game business from the perspective of RPGamers

Scott Wachter


    • Feb 1, 2019 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 21m AVG DURATION
    • 42 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Active Topical Banter Show

    The Active Topical Banter Show: Episode 41 – Mature Subject Matter

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2019 96:57


    Our hiatus ends by airing the last recording we have with Michael Cunningham. The panel goes over how games confront difficult topics including, loss, mental illness, and so much murder.

    Episode 40: Answers and Questions

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2018 86:07


    We get back into the action with a slew of listener-submitted questions, learn about our gameplay habits, soundtrack preferences, kickstarter regrets, and some other secrets.

    Episode 39: Nostalgia and Cloning

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2017


    Scott is supremely suspicious of nostalgia, Mac is losing his voice, Sam and Trent had it easy as kids all come up in on retrospective...

    Episode 38: Hard Mode

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2017


    Game difficulty is a lot like whiskey, in that most people are going about them wrong. Our panel examines what and how RPGs are hard...

    Episode 37: Meaningless Dialogue and Role Play

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2017


    Dialogue in games is a bit like the Jazz music in a few ways, mostly in that Scott is way more interested in it than...

    Episode 36: Retrospective on Final Fantasy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2017


    We examine our personal experiences with the Final Fantasy franchise, how a major anniversary is half gone without publisher support and some E3 stuff.

    Episode 35: Transparency in Game Critique

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2017


    The panel goes behind the curtain to explain the RPGamer review process in detail, from solicitation through to comment section. Inside baseball and anecdotes abound.

    Episode 34: Nonlinearity

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2017


    Our discussion this month is entirely self directed. Scott tries to throw down a glowing trail for questors to follow but it gets off tangents...

    Episode 33: Nintendo Has Always Been Doomed

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2017


    Nintendo has always done it’s own thing, and for that we’ve always seen that less than successful. Apple Computers analogies, Swiitch predictions, and yelling at...

    Episode 32: Upgrade This

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2017


    We stand at the cusp of having to buy new consoles (maybe) to get the most of “core gamer lifestyle.” But is that worth anything?

    Episode 31: As for the Qs

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2016


    No year-end navel gazing here. Just coasting the through the season on some user-submitted content.

    Episode 30: Get a Job

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2016


    We yell about class systems, job boards and mid-game specializations. Scott sneaks two tabletop rants in.

    Episode 29: Adopting Adaptation

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2016


    The Game of the Book of the Movie is finally out. We examine the peculiarities of confronting tie-in rpgs.

    Episode 28: I Quit

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2016


    Sometimes the only winning move is not play, and then try to eke some trade-in value out it. The panel delves into what makes us...

    Episode 27: The Zen and the Art of RPG Grind

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2016


    The word ‘grind’ gets thrown around too often with a clear meaning. We spend an episode trying to unpack the term for our own benefit,...

    Episode 26: Don’t Buy Day One

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2016


    Does spending money on games before they are out even make sense anymore? We delve into the business and cultural factors of the pre-order problem.

    Episode 25: Localization Woes

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2016


    The panel tackles the nature of localization and the methods behind it.

    Episode 24: What is the Corpus of a Game

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2016


    When we look at a game, how much of what is not the game proper do we take into account. Or “I came to play,...

    Episode 23: JRPG Ouroboros

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2016


    Looking at the 2016 release calendar we find ourselves faced with an unprecedented market saturation. We share our concerns about that fact.

    Episode 22: Questions 2: Electric Boogaloo

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2016


    We end the year with user questions. Thanks for asking and thanks for listening.

    Episode 21: Multi-Player Review Process

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2015


    People are the worst, but how can we write reviews around those facts? These and other complaining question answered by our panel.

    Episode 20: +2 to Reload is not Frightening

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2015


    Hallowe’en is upon us and we take an hour to explain why the hybridization of typical RPG mechanics, detracts from horror games.

    Episode 19: Save the Baby – Eat the Baby

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2015


    The panel breaks down the moral compass of games writers only to discover it only points two directions. We ramble on that and some related...

    Episode 18: FFWhy

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2015


    So, the Final Fantasy VII remake is finally happening. We have thoughts and feelings about this.

    Episode 17: Kickstart My Heart

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2015


    ‘Power to the people’ meets ‘Shut up and take my money’ as we go through the ins and outs of gamerdom and crowdfunding.

    Episode 16: A Tale of Two Corporations

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2015


    We look at Bioware’s output since their buyout by EA, and what that has meant for gamers and business types since then.

    Episode 15: Mainstreaming the JRPG

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2015


    A multi-level examination of the ludic, narrative, and artistic elements of the JRPG and how they interact with the Western market vis a vis popularity....

    Episode 14: Fan-Titlement

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2015


    The Banter panel unpacks special pleading, ignorance and self-centred behaviour in the fandom and hope for a brighter future for comment sections.

    AFD Special: Outtakes Reel

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2015


    Gaffs, goofs, preshow rituals, gossip and the biological needs of pets round this collection of never-before-heard Banter.

    Episode 13: Romance in the Air

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2015


    Sex is not a win-state and other romantic notions are on the slate this installment. We share all of our varied emotions about this splendid...

    Episode 12: Shooter-RPG Hybridization

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2015


    When gunplay and stats interact sparks and ideas fly. We capture a few of both for podcast infotainment value.

    Episode 11: Mailbaggery

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2014


    We open up the old mailbag for some listener-submitted topics in rapid-fire succession. Then we get judgemental about each other. It’s a Festivus miracle!

    Episode 10: Fixing Final Fantasy

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2014


    We tackle this issues faced by this benighted franchise, from both the business and creative standpoint. More importantly we attempt to decide whether we should...

    Episode 9: The Price is Wrong, Mac

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2014 62:51


    Between various platforms, business models and the ever-present Square-Enix Tax, we navigate the state of game pricing for RPGamers.

    Episode 8: The Vita is Doomed (Maybe)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2014


    Sony’s latest handheld endeavour has been struggling, or maybe it hasn’t. It’s a matter of perspective. Listen to our panel vigorously share theirs on the...

    Episode 7: Time and Criticism March On

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2014


    As gamers get older we begin insisting the youth of today play the games that mattered way back when, this doesn’t seem to work out...

    Episode 6: The Modern JRPG: Shark or Panda?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2014


    We tackle the notion of evolution within a game genre via an pair of related metaphors about rare animals. Whether or not JRPGs have to...

    Episode 5: Immersion and other Buzzwords

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2014


    Immersion, engagement and a few other ten dollar words get taken to task by our panel. Both the design and marketing side of the terminology...

    Episode 4: Feelings out of a Number

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2014


    Scoring is a fickle beast for a reviewer. Our crew attempts to tame and/or slay the monster with our of bits intact.

    Episode 3: State of the Pocket

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2014


    In this episode our intrepid crew tackles the East/West Divide, the phone/dedicated gaming device divide and the environment. Also debuting the feedback segment (with prizes).

    Episode 2: he Shape of Things Past

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2014


    Re-releases, ports and up-scales, ‘What do we want and what does it mean for the business’ get examined in this instalment. Rather apropos for the...

    Episode 1: Famine, War, Pestilence, Death and Bias

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2014


    Can objectivity be achieved in game criticism, and is such a state even worth it? Join our new podcast as we discuss the questions and...

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