Geek Fanthology

Kobolds and Goblins! Unless you've been living under a rock in the last month you're aware that things have been happening in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, and its Open Gaming License (OGL). You may even been aware of some of the basics of what's going on. Well… we'd like to expand your understanding as well as to offer out thoughts on what happened. Therefore we shall do that thing. Signal Boosts World of Warships https://worldofwarships.com/ https://anchor.fm/droughtland (Droughtland)https://www.patreon.com/worldsbeyondnumber/posts (That Other One with Bennan Lee Mulligan and Erika Ishii

Hello Everyone! We're Back… Again! It's been a while. Once again we would like to apologize for our poor performance of episode releases in the previous year. Editor Neil was struggling with a LOT of mental health issues (shameless plug for our mental health episode shorturl.at/bcGQX) but he's taken more steps at the end of this last year to help death with them and hopes to be back on track.In follow up to that we are going to be moving to a monthly schedule going forward with potential pop-up episodes should a topic catch our interest. Therefore this is January's Episode, Look for February Episode (talking about the OGL, tease tease) near the end of Feb. Also the episodes that we recorded for Season 7 but didn't get out will be released as Neil gets to them. This Month though, we present to you our standard want, a look back and a look forward for the year. What we're looking forward to from media, teases for future episodes, our chaotic ramblings, you know… the classics. We Hope you Enjoy

Hobos and Hobetts (I assume that's the feminin of hobo) You may be wondering why I'm addressing the Hobo community with the salutation this time. Well it's because today we're going to be talking about and reviewing Reacher Season 1 on Amazon Prime Video and the main character is a self described hobo. So now it all comes together. Still on catchup and will be the rest of the year but hey, at least we're catching up

Sorcerers Supreme and Witches Scarlet! Still on catchup for episode releases. This episode was recorded shortly after the second Doctor Strange move came out. As it was at the time a review of new content we treat it with the dignity that requires. More catch-up episodes coming in the following days to catch up on our catch-up…. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is a movie that we reviewed. Editor's Note: This episode references an episode that was recorded but has yet to be published for reasons that I'll get into in the episode it self slightly.

This episode was recorded in late April-early May. it's taken this long to publish because of mental health issues with our Editor Neil…. sorry Player 1 though Player 4 Who doesn't look back fondly on being a one person army wading through hoards of thugs on the mean streets? Well…. anyone who didn't grow up playing Beat-em-ups I guess. But even if you didn't play a game like Streets of Rage or River City Ransom, there's a lot owed to those games. Ever play the Batman Arkham games? they're just 3d beat-em-ups with puzzle elements. What is a shooter like Quake or Doom but a beat-em-up with guns? So yeah here's our episode on Beat-em-ups

Hey there everyone… Neil here. I realize this like the 4th time I've posted this kind of post this year but I did want to say. We are still recording, there are episodes on their way. This is all my fault. Executive Dysfunction is a bitch. To explain what I mean there's a picture of my desktop on the website and the facebook page All of those folders are either recorded episodes or episodes that are Solo content from me that Has yet to be recorded. Also here's a brief list of stuff we'll be releasing in the nearish future. I have re-energized a little thanks to a change in medication and a change in external factors that I can't really go into, as such I am hoping to have the Beat Em Ups episode out by Friday the 14th (also setting a deadline can force my hand) and an episode a week after that until caught up. Once Again we're not dead I'm just going through it right now. New episodes Soon Thank you for your Patience,Neil

Hey there Geek Fan Fans! We've been absent for some time. If you cast your mind back to our first hiatus this year it was because I (Neil BTW I'm the one who wrights all these posts and does all the editing) was overwhelmed with real life stuff and wasn't able to do the editing and posting. We're still recording because that's not work to me. The editing and posting IS and I've not really been in a good enough head space to get things done. I likely need to get my meds adjusted (and if you don't know what I'm talking about there check out our episode on Mental Health it's an important one). I'm working on getting back on track and I Promise we aren't dead. I know our Schedule has been slipping more and more recently and I appreciate you putting up with us in this time. We'll Be Back soon, I Promise, Neil

We greatly appreciate the trust you put in us to deliver content and opinions here at Geek Fanthology. But part of that trust is based on the idea that your opinion aligns with ours. In the case of this episode We anticipate that YOU WILL NOT. Contained herein are opinions of ours that are counter to the common zeitgeist, against the grain, petting towards the head of the cat and not the tail. That is to say UNPOPULAR OPINIONS. You have been warned.

Caped Crusaders! Here we have our review of the first ever Batman movie!... with Robert Pattinson as Batman. Standard Rules apply, spoiler free to start then music then spoilers if you haven't seen it yet and have somehow avoided spoilers. Enjoy!

Greetings True Believers! Neil finally recharged his spell slots and is able to edit again. We present for you the first of our backlog. A review of Spider-Man: Far from home. We hope that you enjoy it. New episodes coming weekly until the backlog is drained so look forward to that.

Hello everyone. Neil here. Just wanted to let you know what's going on with our content. Short version real life OP. LONGER VERSION: My day job's current schedule is such that I cannot keep up with my extra curriculars. Streaming is on hold. The podcast is on hold etc. Only thing not on hold is RECORDINGS. I've got a big backlog of episodes that I'll be getting to soon. HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS: my schedule is changing in 3 weeks after which I'll have the energy to do stuff again. Until then we just ask that you be patient. Thanks, Neil

Hey There Everyone! As is our want, our first episode of the year is both a retrospective as well as a prospective. We discuss the good and bad of the previous year and our hopes and fears for the coming year. One of Neil's resolutions this year was to actually post crap on Patreon, which is why this went up there on Tuesday. This one was supposed to go up on Wednesday but he forgot to hit the button. Also coming in February is bonus content exclusive to our patreon supporters, anyhow that's not what you came here for. On to the content Signal Boosts:https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexMoukalaMusichttps://www.atlus.com/persona5/

What a year huh? This is our last episode for 2021 (it had better be given that we're releasing this on 12/31 (and yes Neil had said that he'd get this out by the 28th but he got a head cold for xmas and was unconsious that day… sorry. What's our big last episode for the year? Why a rambling discussion about expansion packs. Starting with an operational definition as to what differentiates them from DLC. You'll get it as you listen.

All right Boys and Girls gather round and I'll tell you a story, Once upon a time there was a company that made video games. They made games that were beloved by a generation. They dominated an entire genre. But then… corruption arose. Honestly text our best medium for telling this story. Why don't you listen to the episode instead.

Eyes, lungs, pancreas. So many snacks, so little time. Technically this one isn't a Marvel Movie… I mean… it is, but it was made by Sony. Venom 2 Let there be Carnage was…… well for this one you'll really need to listen to the episode. There is more than can be said in a few lines of text.

Whatcha Listeners! Marvel continues to pump out movies… we continue to watch them. This one was pretty good. it was Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Neil and Ben do our standard bit. There will be no spoilers followed by spoilers and they will be clearly marked.

Press the A button to address the listeners One immutable fact about video games is that you have to learn the controls. Most games take the time to teach you said controls, and perhaps also introduce basic story elements and characters too. These introductions are called tutorials. Some are done well. Some are done poorly. A rare few aren't done at all. We will talk about these tutorials both terrible and terrific. Press the play button on your media player of choice to continue.

It's been a while. Hello again Everyone! First off, the Elephant in the room. We're way behind on releases. We have a back catalogue of 3 more episodes that we're working on getting out ASAP. Our editor, Neil, has been fighting real world issues for a while and has been getting a little overwhelmed. Editing on another episode is done and the other 2 should be up by the end of the weekend. We ask you be patient with us at this time. As a result of this, this episode was recorded back in September. it may no-longer be up to date perfectly but it is still content that we can recommend and that you should hopefully get a laugh out of. From time to time we like to just take a step back from our curated topical content and just talk about what we've been really into recently. Think of this like Signal Boost the Episode. Hope you enjoy!

Variants of every gender!Enclosed with our typical lateness is our thoughts on Loki, there will be thoughts without spoilers and then thoughts with spoilers. Signal Boosts:Assembled: Disney+ behind the sceneshttps://www.twitch.tv/ringadonblue Fallout d20 RPGSide note: Obviously we've had a bit of schedule slip this year. Neil's got some irons in the fire that should help to streamline the process and we hope to be back to a regular schedule soon but for the time being the episodes are out when they're out. We're still recording every other week but the editing is getting to him a bit. Hope to have better news about that soon.

Viltrumites and Lesser Beings (joking) Neil and Mike talk about Invincible. It's a good show. We analyze many things about it. First without spoiling the show and then after some music by spoiling it. Enjoy Signal BoostsNeil's Spiritual Warfare NES 100% run (as soon as it's validated) https://www.speedrun.com/spiritual_warfare#NES_100 That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime https://www.crunchyroll.com/that-time-i-got-reincarnated-as-a-slime This Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAVy8wY0mgwInside by Bo Burnham https://www.netflix.com/title/81289483

Hey there! It's been a while Not long enough… Well that's just mean. This is an example of the repartee in some films and TV… falls flat doesn't it? Well we have the answer for you. Stuff that stands out. Little bits and pieces where you the writers really just hit it so well. We have examples for you as well as thoughts and commentary on them. Needless to say as a result there is contained within this episode some copyritten material to which we do not own the copyright. We would argue that the sum total of all of our use is less than an 8th of our content and we are commenting on it and as such this constitutes fair use. We look forward to multiple companies trying to claim this on Youtube. Enjoy! Signal Boosts The Basement https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKB96A7eayr1L5hg60qcgLw Control https://controlgame.com/ https://www.dropout.tv/ This song in particular https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbxkOntz2SA

We're the Best Choice AND Spacer's Choice In what will be our final episode (for now) of the mini-series War Never Changes, Ben and Neil discuss The Outer Worlds. Sure it's not technically a Fallout game but it's a harmony if not the melody. Will we willingly dive deep into the world of unfettered, internalized capitalism and reap all the benefits associated therewith, or will we fight the system, and try to bring about a Socialist Utopia? (Yeah there really isn't much choice it's one or the other.) Enjoy our takes on the setting, the gameplay, and the story. War Never Changes, Fallout taught us that. But release schedules do. We can't talk about something that isn't proceeding until it proceeds further. Outer Worlds 2 has been confirmed and I'm sure Bethesda is making another Fallout game now that it's been acquired by Microsoft.

Good Evening Boils and Ghouls Castlevania Season 4 dropped recently to the surprise of many (kinda random timing IMO should be an October thing) and boy howdy is it worth talking about. This may well be the best season yet, and we're going to talk about it. So go watch the season then come back… or just listen to us first and be prepared for the awesome!

Choose your Character and Test your Might! MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!! (I'd make that really big but squarespace doesn't allow font size changes) In a return to theatres for Neil and a streaming bit for Mike and Ben we got to watch a movie again for the first time since the world exploded. That movie also happened to be in our wheelhouse for review. So that's what we did! Now you get to hear us talk about it. Isn't that GREAT?!? Signal boost links to come later Invincible (on amazon prime video) Brooklyn 99 (on Hulu)

Hey there Guys and Gals (May the 4th Be with you) We’ve all been there. There’s some game you’re REALLY looking forward to, or that you’ve heard nothing but good things about. You finally get your hands on it…. aaaannnnnndddd….. it’s not very good. Is this seriously the thing that people won’t shut up about? But it’s not very good. WHY!?!?!Well that’s what we’re going to talk about. Obviously tastes very so these may not be disappointing to you but they definitely were to us. And you won’t even believe Neil’s picks #clickbait Signal Boosts My Time at Portia https://store.steampowered.com/app/666140/My_Time_At_Portia/ Invinicble https://www.amazon.com/INVINCIBLE-SEASON-1/dp/B08WJMRHYZ Pages and Pie Writer Symposium https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pages-pie-pop-up-tickets-149085353305 Sly Flurish https://slyflourish.com/ 3-Rivers Archery (local place in Springfield MO

Greetings all you Demographics This episode was recorded a while back but because of our recording schedules and attempts to ride hype trains this is now coming out. What springs to mind when we mention New Coke? To some of you the answer is nothing, but to others they think of that one idea that failed to gain any sort of traction despite how much marketing cash was thrown at it. So essentially we decided to look at similar circumstances but in the geeky realms so here's that episode. Signal Boosts: Superman and Lois: CW Diablo II Resurected: https://diablo2.blizzard.com/en-us/ Suicide Squad II is in August 20XX https://store.steampowered.com/app/322110/20XX/ Macbeth (Coming Soon)http://www.radioheyday.com/

This podcast is presented in front of a live audience…. all you folks who listen! Due to the timing of our production cycle we’re a touch behind on this news but WandaVision is out! The whole thing is on Disney+ and it’s good. It’s nice to have something of a return to normalcy with superhero content returning. As is our want we present our thoughts on it.Signal Boosts:Hades: https://www.supergiantgames.com/games/hades/ The OuterWorlds https://square-enix-games.com/en_US/games/final-fantasy-iv-the-after-years Final Fantasy IV: The After Years https://square-enix-games.com/en_US/games/final-fantasy-iv-the-after-years

Hey all you crazy cats and kittens! On January 2, 2021 Flash died. If you were a child on the internet at all in the last couple decades you may have used flash (sometimes without even noticing) It has been getting phased out over time but it was super super important for a long time. Youtube at one time ran on flash. We wanted to reminisce about Flash today. Signal Boosts The Last Dance: Netflix www.homestarrunner.com The Muppet Show: it’s on Disney+

We’re Back everyone! We have returned from the Odinsleep… a little later than we intended actually but you know what. We’re BACK! As is our wont for first episodes of the year we will talk about what our hopes and expectations for the following year. We were way off last year but I don’t think any of us were expecting a pandemic. Take note and make fun of us for everything we got wrong! [Neil was having mic issues this episode, sorry] Signal Boosts: WandaVision: https://www.disneyplus.com/home Dimension 20: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC8zWIx8aBQme-x1nX9iZ0A Knights of Pen and Paper: https://store.steampowered.com/app/231740/Knights_of_Pen_and_Paper_1_Edition/ Black Mirror: https://www.netflix.com/browse Seven Deadly Sins: https://www.netflix.com/browse

Bounty Hunters from all over! It’s an xmas miracle. We were able to squeeze in an extra episode that you weren’t expecting. Mandalorian Season 2 deserved some attention. So we gave it to them. Merry ChristmaChanuQuanzaYule everyone! We’ll be back for Season 6 in early January

We Made it! Congratulations to those of you who made it through with us. Our condolences to those of you who didn’t. 2020 has been ROUGH. We almost didn’t want to talk about it… but then we realized there were things that were good that happened too. So we talk about the good and the bad in remembering this year… 2020… and may the next one be a damn sight better than the one before. Signal Boosts Among Us: https://tinyurl.com/y4eoxcvr Marked Territory (Neal Litherland): https://tinyurl.com/ybmk389f Drawing Dead (P.N. Elrod) https://tinyurl.com/ybwjxhho Sinvicta: https://tinyurl.com/ybu7878h

Happy Holidays! Due to issues we couldn’t get together for a full recording (mostly, if not entirely, Neil’s Fault) So instead here’s the first in a potential series of episodes we’re currently calling Quick Lists. Wherein we get a quick top 5 or so items in a category. Our lost episode from 4 weeks ago was actually going to be the first of these but the audio was lost. So here’s a real first episode, only featuring Neil. 4 Quick lists of Favorite Holiday Foods. going through a full meal with Drinks, Antipasto/Sides, Entree, and Desert. Hope you enjoy!

Laddies and Lasses Sir Sean Connery has passed away so we decided we would reminisce about the man’s varied career. Sure you all know about Bond (which will get its own episode at some point) but did you know he sang? Did you know about what he did before he was an actor? Did you look things up on Wikipedia like us? But all kidding aside it was a treat to get to reminisce about the man. We hope you’ll enjoy. Signal Boosts: Oxhorn: https://www.youtube.com/user/ClassyManIAm Among Us: http://www.innersloth.com/gameAmongUs.php Neil’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq-rr2GaNC5-cuy3MH8_kew

Hunters, Demons, Monsters, and Angels! It’s October and YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!! That’s right! 2020 is NEARLY OVER!!!oh yeah and also halloween or whatever. We decided to visit Urban Fantasy and Horror Television royalty by talking about Supernatural. Signal Boosts:Guild Wars 2: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/ Neil’s Twitch: https://twitch.tv/ringadonblue Old Man Henderson https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Old_Man_Henderson Animaniacs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeOrUvOPfgg The Stupendium: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvbc2N6biTMUDFE_b79TPbw

Storytellers and Players All of us in the Geek Fanthology crew have run at least one game in our time. (Obligatory Ben is Old Joke) Some of us more than others. We thought we would give you some of our insight into how to do it better. Some of the traps we’ve fallen into as well as some of the things we wish we knew going in. We hope that it is enjoyable to you. Keep in mind if you don’t play Tabletop RPGs you still get our same banter and digression and many of these tips are good for any sort of creative endeavor so we hope you’ll listen as well. Signal BoostsGM Tips: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT9570U87GhK_20NcbxM43vkom Matthew Colville: https://www.youtube.com/user/mcolville Fantasy Name Generators: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/ DM’s Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/ Neil’s Twitch Account: https://twitch.tv/ringadonblue

All you filthy Pirates!!! (just kidding we love ya) Trying to get back on a regular schedule so we have a rare treat. A second episode in as many weeks. (stay tuned next week it’ll knock your socks off) This episode was suggested recently so we thought we’d give it a whack. Our subject? DRM. Please prove purchase by clicking the play button.

All you Hip Jazz Cats! First of all we apologize for all the technical issues in getting this episode out, but it’s finally here. We weren’t able to congregate for a recording so we get another top 10. Neil’s Favorite Musical Solos. No specific shoutouts this week either.

How does a awkward group of geek connoisseurs with a Podcast talk on a topic quite like The Broadway Show Phenomenon like Alexander Hamilton? Ok I’m not a lyrical master like Lynn Manuel-Miranda I’m not going to try and fit the rest of my intro to the meter of the first song, otherwise this episode will never come out. However I’m pretty sure I got the first sentence :D Anyhow we’re talking Hamilton: An American Musical and only about a month after the Hype peaked. Special Guest Stars: Kevin and Becca Signal Boosts:The Stupendium https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvbc2N6biTMUDFE_b79TPbw Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUzdlDiFUyU Daniel Thrasher https://www.youtube.com/c/danielthrasher Nightwish: Endlessness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLFI7Cs7qmk Bendy and the Ink Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c_xdTnVPos Spider-man PS4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4GdJVvdxss

Listen Up You Apes! We were of split opinions as to what we wanted to talk about for our previous episode. Patriotic Movies or Military Video games. We decided to split the difference and do one last time and one this time. So here’s Military Video games. We limited ourselves to Earth military and didn’t allow ourselves to go too far into the future. Curious to find out what Neil’s first Military game was? Want to know what rank Ben made in the Air Force? You’ll have to listen to find out. Shoutouts: Translator Fails https://www.youtube.com/user/malineka146 Jack Ryan (Amazon Plus) Avatar the Last Airbender (Netflix) Warrior Nun (Netflix) Hamilton (Disney+) Mandalorian (Disney+) 2017 Ducktales (Disney+)

Americans and Everyone Else (I’m just kidding we love you guys too) In celebration of July 4 we decided to get patriotic up in this joint. We will take the time to talk about some of our favorite movies that read as patriotic to us. Originally this episode was going to be up 6/27 but some health stuff got in the way. Our admonition to be safe with Fireworks however should be heard YEAR ROUND. Signal Bosts:Knives out https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B081W4C5YR/ref=atv_hm_hom_1_c_D4dtpS_2_2 Breath of the Wild: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-switch/ Kenneth Kramm: https://www.youtube.com/user/KennethKramm And no-one mentioned it but Townsends: https://www.youtube.com/user/jastownsendandson

Ants, Earths, and All You Crazy Creatures! Thanks to a bout of nostalgia and a spontaneous purchase we’ve been thinking about Sim games again. You remember sim games right? Well so do we. So we’re gonna talk about them. Signal Boosts:https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/1213210/ (not a sponsored link)https://www.quantumvibe.com/

Gamers! (that’s right just one word and not 2 because EVERYONE can be a gamer) Today we’re talking about movie Tie-in Games. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (though we’re not aware if a game was made about that particular movie). Spoiler of the week and shutouts as well. Shoutouts: Dingo Doodles https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfPUcG3oCmXEYgdFuwlFh8w Brandon Urie talks Fallout Boy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjmXSJ_onTk&list=WL&index=33&t=23s

Ladies and Gentlemen With multiple high profile video game remakes coming out recently (looking at you FFVII Remake and RE3) we thought we’d talk about remake culture in video games and its impact on the video game market as a whole. Is this whole constant remake culture bankrupting our ability to innovate? You’ll have to listen to find out. Signal Boosts:https://itrunsdoom.tumblr.com/https://www.reddit.com/r/itrunsdoom/https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world?language=en https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL5QTV3Hk60ag1MsSoox4HT5oBemN23vr

Geeks of all Paths in Life! From time to time we like to simply sit down and talk about what we’ve been watching/playing/listening to/reading/geeking out on in general recently. This is one such time. It is amplified due to the fact that, at the time of recording, we are undergoing a pandemic and as such aren’t supposed to leave our houses if we can avoid it. This has upped our media glutting substantially. And so we talk about it.

In this time of uncertainty and fear we thought it a good time to discuss the topics of Anxiety and Depression, both of which we have some personal experience with. Enclosed is a frank discussion of what it is like to deal with these issues as well as things that have helped us deal with said issues. Because of the nature of the discussion it perhaps has less humor in it than our standard fare. We think it an important episode and encourage a listen but recognize that it may not be for everyone. For those who would prefer something lighter we recommend our Episode from Season 3 Romance Option as one of our more standout episodes.

Dhampiers and Speakers! We have been consistantly enjoying the Netflix Castlevania series and the time has now come to see if this holds true for the most recent season. This is our first episode recorded from quarantine (which will continue for a little) and there are a couple technical bugs to work out but we promise the episode is worth a listen. We have links promised here so here we go. Ethan’s Podcast www.technicaldifficultiespod.com, The Marble Races, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYJdpnjuSWVOLgGT9fIzL0g

Humans and Monsters! There are many games/movies/television shows that are magical on your first interaction with them that lose something in the replay. One question that goes around the internet from time to time is “What (insert media here) would you most want to be able to forget everything about and redo for a first time.” Luckily for us there’s 3 regular members of the Geek Fanthology Crew and not all of us have done all the things that everyone else has done. We have decided to, from time to time, have one of us play curator to the others’ experience of a thing and we present the first such outing to you now. Neil recommended Undertale and we’re going to talk about that today. Also featured, our Signal Boost and the Spoiler of the week.