Jim – Yes, THAT Jim

In today’s podcast I talk about my recent leap into the media phenomenon that is Twitch streaming. I discuss some of the things I find interesting about the platform and how it’s affected my gaming habits.     Here, have some links: My Twitch Channel Monte Cook Games’ Channel Off the Table The Greyhawk Channel […]

Believe it or not, I’m finally wrapping up my series on canon! In this last entry, I talk about my favorite author, Douglas Adams and discuss the continuity between various versions of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I also discuss the Dirk Gently series, the computer games Adams worked on and his nonfiction work. […]

We’ve made it to Discworld! In this episode, I talk about the canon of Terry Pratchett’s fantasy-comedy series. I also wander off into another rant about the use and meaning of the word “multiverse.” This series has a huge number of books in it – they’re all in continuity with each other, and yet you […]

I have returned to continue rambling about canon! In this episode I talk about the Cthulhu Mythos and stumle over several nigh-unpronounceable names for entities whose merest concepts could drive an ordinary human mad. I also discuss how the nature of the Mythos makes it extremely difficult – perhaps even impossible – to nail down […]

James D’Amato, creator of the One Shot group of tabletop gaming podcasts, stopped by to talk about his newest project, Dungeon Dome! Dungeon Dome will be presented to audiences as a series of matches between larger-than-life characters played out on the tabletop. It’s a delicious mashup of D&D and professional wrestling. If you haven’t heard […]

I ramble for way longer than I’d planned about the various versions of White Wolf‘s World of Darkness tabletop RPG titles. For the last quarter of a century, four (soon to be five) editions of WoD games have been released, along with two editions of games set in the alternate reality of the Chronicles of […]

I misguidedly attempted to wrap up my canon series only to realize I had much more to say than I’d initially reckoned. Ahaha. So, here’s the next part, wherein I tackle two franchises: Star Trek and DC. I also tangent for a bit at the beginning into the recent Darkwing Duck controversy. I also make […]

The delightful writer and podcaster KT Bryski and I chatted about her recent release, Six Stories, Told at Night. The audio drama folds traditional French-Canadian folktales into a series of stories about the relationship between two young friends. Those stories are in turn folded into a third overall narrative. It’s excellent stuff and you can […]

Here we have the third part of my ridiculously long ramble about canon in popular media, this time focusing on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I chat at length about some of the differences between the movies and the TV shows, the comics and all manner of other things as we continue to explore the question […]

Here’s the second part of my epically long pseudo-rant about continuity and canon in popular media. I love Star Wars, but in this episode I talk about why I think it’s best to err on the side of caution when chatting about its canon with fellow fans. For many folks, Star Wars is a build-your-own-canon […]

I set out to do a quick talk about the role of canon in various fandoms and it turned into a massive lecture that I’ll have to split into multiple parts. So, here’s the first part, wherein I talk at length about the canon of Doctor Who (and quite possibly tick off some of my fellow […]

A few days ago I did a quick interview with Charles White about his crowdfunding project for Olympus, Inc. It’s the first foray into a full-blown RPG setting for his company, Fabled Environments, and it presents a very interesting take on Greek mythology – as seen through the lens of the modern world. The Indiegogo […]

My friend Michael Carlucci (of the Chaotic Neutral podcast) and I sit down and interview the developers of the second edition of the glorious fantasy Restoration-era tabletop RPG 7th Sea! We talk about the game’s origins, the ongoing Kickstarter for the new edition and the nature of the changes we can expect to see. We even take […]

A few  weeks ago I went to the SCARAB Gaming Convention in Columbia, South Carolina. I had the opportunity to hang out in the media room with some of the folks behind the con along with a couple of gentlemen running some of its events. As it happens, some of them were fellow podcasters! We had a […]

Let’s chat for a little while about the idea of using one kind of game to generate ideas for another. I go deep into gamer geekery this episode to explore the idea of creating scenarios for tabletop RPGs using other role playing games or even board games. In my ramblings I bring up a blog […]

Society has changed a heck of a lot over the last half-century. I suspect we’re missing some element we used to have and that we’ve become more hollow and paranoid as a result. But when I try to figure out the exact cause of this problem, I can never quite put my finger on it. So […]

After dealing with several life-altering bits of oddity over the last few months, here finally is a discussion I recorded with some folks a while back as a post-mortem to ConCarolinas this year. Of course, as you’ll hear, there’s already a bit of time-bending in our conversation (as none of us could quite recall what […]

A quick update to let you know I’m still among the living and to watch for more content soon! EDIT: If anyone is in any doubt about the subject of this post in future, it turns out my friend Chris has kindly provided us with a resource that we can check at any time around the […]

Howdy! I’ve got a bit of a storytelling experiment to share with you. I’ve put together three short pieces of semi-abstract audio fiction for you to listen to. I’ve linked them down below the audio for this entry’s podcast. Listen to them in any order you like – I’m curious to know if that makes […]

Forgive me, Internet, but I’m going to discuss The Dress. You probably know the one I’m talking about – you know, the one whose colors people can’t agree on. What fascinated me about this recent phenomenon wasn’t so much the optical illusion but the sheer amount of rage people exhibited. And the opportunity this one particular […]

To kick off 2015 I decided to do something a bit different: a roundtable discussion! There’s much to be said for Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies, but how do major Tolkien fans feel about it? I was curious to find out, so I grabbed four people steeped in Hobbit lore and held a discussion full of delicious nerd rage. […]

I thought I’d end up with no posts this month, but just as I was giving up hope, I stumbled across the hysterical brilliance of the #TalesFromBlackFriday hashtag and felt the need to share it.

or Man’s Crisis of Identity in the Earlier Half of the 21st Century This one’s a bit different from my normal ramblings, and is much more introspective than usual. I had something of an epiphany the other day after a slip of the tongue at our local Geek Gala that led me to remember something very […]

I ramble for a while trying to put my finger on exactly what it is that bothers me about the way social media has changed since the late 00’s. UPDATE: Since recording this, I’ve gone ahead and joined Ello. Here’s my page for anyone who’s currently in the Beta and wants to look me up there and […]

In this ramble recorded a few weeks ago (way back in July – remember July?) I talk about going to see Monty Python Live (Mostly) and my relationship with Monty Python in general. And I digress. A lot.     Download

For the second year in a row, one of the other podcasts I’m involved with, Transmissions from the Ninth World, has been nominated for an ENnie Award! So I decided to ramble for a bit about the topic of that podcast, the tabletop RPG Numenera. I look at it as a game that could be […]

Once again a lot of craziness has been going on so I haven’t had time to put together a proper episode. So here’s another monologue! (Which, as it happens, appears in my book Abduction Etiquette!)

I go on a reflective kickabout and talk about the increasing pressure to do fewer social activities in favor of getting creative work done. This is something that’s been bothering me a lot lately and I decided to talk about it in the hope of relieving a little bit of the pressure. As a result, […]

I like puzzles. I also like tabletop role-playing games. But for the life of me I have yet to figure out a decent way to combine the two. I love the idea of throwing puzzles at a group of players when I’m running a game, but actually doing it has proven very challenging. Do players […]

I talk for a while about my recent trip to ConCarolinas and how it smashed my brain about with its many wonders and diversions. Silent movies, alcohol and writing panels galore! (Recorded earlier this week when I was still a bit punchy.) Download Music by Kevin MacLeod

I once again find myself trying to ski ahead of a deadline avalanche, so I didn’t have time to do a regular topic this week. So instead, here’s more audio from the vault! This is a faux commercial I came up with in broadcasting school to advertise a faux car. I hope it is to […]

When I try to come up for a name for a fictional person, place or thing, it can sometimes take me quite a while because I don’t want to choose a name that’s already taking up a big chunk of the public’s mental real estate. In this episode I have a bit of a ramble about […]

So, it seems I managed to utterly fail to prepare a topic this week, so here’s something from my audio archives: a monologue in which I try to sell you a DNA-altering protein drink. I hope it is to your liking! (DISCLAIMER: No basilisks, legendary or otherwise, were harmed in the making of this recording!)   […]

For this blogcast’s 50th episode, I interview Stephen Hood, one of the creators of Storium, a new online storytelling game. It looks to be a project that will tickle the fancies of writers and gamers alike! It came to my attention when I saw huge numbers of writerfolk and gamerfolk from all over my social media talking about […]

I have a bit of a rant about the use of passwords in the modern age. Perhaps I’m too set in my ways or perhaps I’m just weary of all the wonderful hoops the information age requires us to jump through. Thankfully, this episode is NOT password protected. Yet.     Download

Batman and Superman have recently had their 75th birthdays, along with DC Comics. I decided to ramble for a while about my experiences with those two characters in particular and the effects their stories seem to have – on me, at least.           Download   VIDEOS! It seems I’ve managed to embed […]

Here’s an update of stuff I’ve got going on in the writing and podcasting worlds! I recorded this last Sunday evening and for the last few days I’ve been scrambling about finishing up the current project you’ll hear me discuss in this episode. I also mentioned a few publications my work has recently shown up in. LINKS! In […]

Let’s have a little chat about negativity and why it’s not as great an idea as it seems.           Download

Sorry about the delay in getting this one posted, folks. This week I’ve been doing the literary equivalent of trying to ski uphill during an avalanche. So I’ve been a wee bit more distracted than usual. This time I’ve decided to geek out about Deadlands, a Weird Western role playing game. I talk a bit […]

Time for a bit of a ramble about Star Wars and Star Trek, and how the two seem to have become each other. Over time, Star Wars has become more Star Trek-y and Star Trek has become more Star Wars-y. I wonder where it will lead? Download

Ever get that feeling like the clock in your head is speeding up and the seconds are ticking away faster and faster because you’re not working on something RIGHT NOW? I certainly do. Incidentally, if you’re curious about the awesome and entertaining Geologic Podcast, which I mention early on, it can be found at http://www.geologicpodcast.com/.   […]

I’m fascinated with the way our brains fill in the gaps about people and things when we use social media. So I’ve decided to ramble about it for a bit.

At a time that the concept of role-playing had mostly been thought to be the purview of actors and psychiatrists, some folks thought of a different application. No, not Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, but television producer Fred Friendly. The Fred Friendly Seminars got well-known experts together to discuss major issues of the day by […]

I ramble for a bit about how the people behind Doctor Who may not have changed as much as we might think at first. I also talk about why old Classic Who fans like myself shouldn’t worry so much about the differences between the old series and the new one. Even though we had a […]

I was snowed in for a while last week and got to look on as people went mad trying to deal with it. It was as strange as it was entertaining. Download

I am not dead! I just went to a party held by my author friend Kierce Sevren (check out her blog HERE) and it was DELIGHTFUL. Here’s a thing I recorded beforehand. It was horribly early in the morning and I think I must have been too close to the mic, so apologies for the […]

The multi-talented Starla Huchton and I have a rambly conversation about her Sci-Fi Romance novel NEMESIS, the New Adult category of fiction and what’s going on with genres in general. Starla’s web site with links to her current projects (writing, voice work and ALL THE THINGS) can be found HERE, and her book cover design […]

Fabled Environments is in the midst of a new Kickstarter campaign! This time their objective is to create a complete floor plan of a high school for use with tabletop RPGs. I talked to Charles White about the Kickstarter, the creation process and possible future projects. Check out the Kickstarter HERE. Download Music by Kevin […]

Victorian Chamber Metal band Valentine Wolfe are working on a collaborative project called “Once Upon a Midnight.” The project includes both an album and a graphic novel, each of which takes a look at the afterlife of Edgar Allen Poe, as interpreted through his stories and poems. The Kickstarter for this project can be found […]

Hey folks – things are changing! This is an audio-only update, so feel free to listen below or download the MP3 file to hear me ramble about what’s going on. Download

I’ve been on a crusade of late. Well, maybe “crusade” is too strong a word. “Quixotic Jaunt” might be a better description. The last few months I’ve been focusing a great deal of attention on getting my various projects done, or at least making significant progress on them. To that end, I’ve begun doing this […]