The Good Friends of Jackson Elias is an irregular podcast devoted to the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game, horror movies and horror gaming in general. It is hosted by Paul Fricker, Matthew Sanderson and Scott Dorward, three freelance writers who have worked on the new edition of Call of Cthulhu and other horror roleplaying games. Episodes are usually built around a particular theme, always centred on our shared love of all things dark and horrifying.
Paul Fricker, Matthew Sanderson and Scott Dorward
Milton Keynes, UK
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call of cthulhu, matt and scott, horror gaming, coc, sandman, roleplaying games, lovecraftian, elias, knowledgeable and entertaining, pulp, mythos, good friends, rpgs, horror films, combat, role playing, japanese, great discussions, three hosts, paul.
Listeners of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias that love the show mention:Our 2023 ghost story for Christmas continues with part 3 of Nikolai Gogol’s “The Viy”. Good friend of the Good Friends, Mike Perceval-Maxwell (host of Mr Spike’s Bedtime Stories), has once again organised a suitably... The post The Viy – part 3 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re getting on a bit. Turning 250 is a sobering milestone. Worse, we seem to be getting a bit peculiar in our dotage. Or maybe it’s just the world around us that’s... The post Making Call of Cthulhu Weird appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
Our 2023 ghost story for Christmas continues with part 2 of Nikolai Gogol’s “The Viy”. Good friend of the Good Friends, Mike Perceval-Maxwell (host of Mr Spike’s Bedtime Stories), has once again organised a suitably... The post The Viy – part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We are delighted to offer you another ghost story for Christmas. Good friend of the Good Friends, Mike Perceval-Maxwell (host of Mr Spike’s Bedtime Stories), has once again organised a suitably eerie performance on our... The post The Viy – part 1 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re heading deep beneath the earth. We’ve heard that there’s nothing but good things down there in the endless dark. Admittedly, we’ve mainly heard that from the sinister voices that whisper to... The post Mythos Deities – Tsathoggua, Atlach-Nacha and Abhoth appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re getting ready to snip. Our scissors are sharp, our tape is sticky and our minds are made up. This poor film doesn’t stand a chance. Sure, we could censor it carefully,... The post Censor (2021) appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re starting a moral panic. It’s good to have a hobby. While riling up frightened mobs isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, it certainly helps us unwind after a hard day’s... The post Is Horror Dangerous? appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re taking things easy. Sometimes, after a particularly hectic battle against the forces of eldritch darkness, a bit of downtime is just what the doctor ordered. Literally. What could be better than... The post Dealing With Downtime appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re getting all eclectic. It’s simply inevitable that if you ask the three of us to pick films, our selections will not mesh together at all. Just think of this episode as... The post Media Catch-up – Films appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re taking up a new hobby. Esoteric numismatology isn’t for everyone, however. Unfortunately, eldritch coins have steep prices, and not just financial ones. Our lives have become complicated ever since we picked... The post 30 Coins (30 monedas) appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re in a moral quandary. It’s fair to say that the gods and monsters of the Mythos are beyond human comprehension. The problem is that we are human (or at least that’s... The post Morality in the Cthulhu Mythos appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re sitting in judgement. Unfortunately, it turns out that judgement doesn’t make a very good seat. Next time, we’re bringing cushions. The topic of morality in RPGs shouldn’t be a comfortable one,... The post Morality in RPGs appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re trying our hands at cat breeding. According to these instructions we received from Louis Wain, the secret is electricity. The cats don’t seem to happy about this, even if it does... The post Strange NPCs – Louis Wain appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re catching up with our reading. Until recently, we thought we’d seen the most sanity-blasting fanfic the internet could offer. Between terrible prose, wooden characters, and unacceptable levels of horniness, bad fanfic... The post Y’golonac and The Revelations of Gla’aki appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re holidaying at Deepfall Water in sunny Gloucestershire. The area may be a bit rundown but you can’t argue with these prices. Buying a house here cost us less than a week... The post Mythos Deities: Gla’aki appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re building up our hoards. All this loot is nice and shiny but it’s not especially comfortable. We wonder how dragons can sleep on their treasure without putting their backs out. Maybe... The post Loot appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re making like bookworms. This is easier than it might seem, given that bookworms don’t really eat books — just their bindings — and aren’t even worms. Then again, they don’t read... The post Media Catch-up – Books appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re taking an almost Lovecraftian interest in architecture. While we’re suckers for a good gambrel roof, these blueprints for The Night House are far more compelling. The Welsh maze designs, the oddly... The post The Night House appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re waking up. It’s been a long old kip, but not that refreshing really. Dreams of being chased by hunting horrors aren’t as restful as we might like. On the bright side,... The post The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath part 5 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re holidaying in Leng. While it’s not everyone’s first thought for a getaway, we’ve found it really quite dreamy. Leng may have had some shocking reviews on TripAdvisor, but we’re not sure... The post The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath part 4 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re making stuff up. Sure, it’s a bit disjointed, filled with inconsistent characterisation, narrative dead ends, and terrible jokes, but it sort of feels like a story. What do you expect when... The post Creating Stories at the Table – With Gaz Bowerbank appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re lost in reverie. These dreams are really something — so vivid and insistent. We just wish we knew whose dreams they are. Regardless, they’re inspiring us to create strange, wondrous new... The post Mythos Deities: Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re on the lam. Setting fire to all those libraries seemed like a good idea at the time but apparently the authorities disagree. We’ve tried explaining that there are simply some things... The post Breaking the Law appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re in danger. At least, we think we are. Something seems to be at stake, although we’re not quite sure what. Maybe it’s our lives, our loved ones, or some of this... The post Peril in Call of Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re growing sleepy, sleepy, so very sleepy. We are listening to your voice. Only your voice. Yes, yes, we are under your control. We shall do you bidding. What is it you... The post Mind Control in RPGs appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re getting scared. Everywhere we look, there’s something creepy hiding in the shadows. Sometimes it seems like there’s a bit of horror in every game, regardless of the genre. Maybe a nice... The post Everything is Horror appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re trying to work out how to cook this shantak egg we bought. Boiling it seemed practical until we realised we’d need a pot as large as a house. Frying poses similar... The post The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath part 3 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re visiting the dark side of the moon. Not the most popular tourist attraction, but it does have its charms. The leprous-looking coast and fields of white fungi are particular highlights. We... The post The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re descending the seventy steps of light slumber. At least we can take a breather in the cavern of flame before we have to trot down the seven hundred steps to the... The post The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath part 1 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back with another special episode! Our own Paul Fricker recently attended the Dragonmeet 2021 convention in London. While there, he took part in a few panels. This recording is of the discussion about the... The post Special: Rivers of London Panel at Dragonmeet 2021 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re moist. Between all this chicken custard, cow spittle and milk, Gozu has left us downright sodden. We’ve seen films use 3D, moving seats, and even subsonic vibrations to enhance the viewing... The post Gozu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
Our seasonal treat concludes with part 3 of “The Canterville Ghost”! Good friend of the Good Friends, Mike Perceval-Maxwell, has organised a reading of Oscar Wilde’s classic ghost story on our Discord server. He is... The post The Canterville Ghost – part 3 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
Our seasonal treat continues with part 2 of “The Canterville Ghost”! Good friend of the Good Friends, Mike Perceval-Maxwell, has organised a reading of Oscar Wilde’s classic ghost story on our Discord server. He is... The post The Canterville Ghost – part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We have a special seasonal treat for you! Good friend of the Good Friends, Mike Perceval-Maxwell, has organised a reading of Oscar Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost” on our Discord server. He is joined by guest... The post The Canterville Ghost – part 1 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back with another special live episode! Our own Paul Fricker recently attended the Dragonmeet 2021 convention in London. While there, he took part in a couple of panels. This first recording is of the... The post Special: Call of Cthulhu 40th Anniversary Panel at Dragonmeet 2021 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re trying to understand the attraction of these concrete boots. They’re not very stylish and even less comfortable. Apparently they’ll help us sleep with the fishes, but that’s how we got into... The post Gangsters in Call of Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re clearing out all those pesky veils. They just clutter up the place, getting in the way of seeing how things really are. Also, somehow, they make things feel less spongy. We... The post Mythos Deities – Daoloth and Eihort appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re trying to stop Matt drooling in our popcorn. Listen to the episode. It’ll make sense. Main Topic: Media Catch-Up – Films This is the latest of our occasional discussions about the... The post Media Catch-Up – Films appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re preparing to pillage. This weird, shining tower looks like it should contain treasures, or at least an interesting story to discuss. There’s rustling in the undergrowth surrounding it, but we’ll just... The post The Tower of the Elephant appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back with another special episode. This time, we have a reading of Robert E Howard’s “The Thing on the Roof” by our good friend Mike Perceval-Maxwell. You may remember Mike as the director and... The post Special: “The Thing on the Roof” by Robert E Howard, read by Mike Perceval-Maxwell appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re hitting the books. That’s probably not fair, though. Just because they’re full of boxing tales doesn’t mean they can hit back. And two-fisted stories don’t actually seem to have any fists... The post The Works of Robert E Howard appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re spoiling for a fight. Well, a boxing match at least. There’s this fellow we met down at the ice house who’s promised us a bout or two. We heard he’s some... The post The Life of Robert E Howard appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re looking at our underpinnings. This can be an awkward thing to do when you reach our age. We recommend finding somewhere nice and private first. Alternatively, record it all in a... The post Genre Emulation in RPGs appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re poking around in our dusty old attic. It’s usually the most convenient place to find ghosts. You’d think that with the number of people who have died over the years, ghosts... The post The Changeling appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re ransacking forbidden ruins, crumbling temples, and the shelves of this abandoned video store in search of a sword and sorcery film worth watching. Our quest has has been a perilous one.... The post Sword and Sorcery part 2 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re puzzling over the riddle of steel. Is it an enigma? Maybe some clever bit of wordplay? It’s probably safer if we stick to swordplay, especially with all these sorcerers around. They... The post Sword and Sorcery part 1 appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re playing God. It’s a demanding role but we have hubris to spare! In fact, no one has ever had as much hubris as we do. We shall use our hubris to... The post Weird Science in Call of Cthulhu appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re seeking direction. While human lives are generally chaotic, we can at least bring order to our work. Pinning down good scenario structures can help us pretend that the world makes sense.... The post Scenario Structures appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back with the conclusion of our interview with YouTuber and author Seth Skorkowsky. This time, we are also joined by Jon Hook, Seth’s co-host on their new Modern Mythos podcast. As well as being... The post Special: Seth Skorkowsky and Jon Hook on Modern Mythos (part 2) appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back and we’re flying the friendly skies. Well, maybe not that friendly. OK, they’re downright malevolent. Ithaqua may be one of the fastest ways to travel but the in-flight entertainment is chilling. And the... The post Mythos Deities – Ithaqua appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.
We’re back with another special interview episode. This time, Scott talks to fan-favourite YouTuber and author, Seth Skorkowsky. Unfortunately, Jon Hook — Seth’s co-host on their new podcast, Modern Mythos — was held up. Happily,... The post Special: Seth Skorkowsky on Modern Mythos (part 1) appeared first on Blasphemous Tomes.