The History Respawned Podcast

Bob talks with Dr. Tyler Kynn about his project The Hajj Trail. Topics include game development as a historian, games in the history classroom, games about non-western history, and history games as scholarship.

In the 10th Anniversary Episode of History Respawned, Bob talks with Dr. Glaire Anderson about working with Ubisoft on Assassin's Creed Mirage's Codex and its History of Baghdad feature. Topics include historians using game development tools, teaching game developers medieval history, and de-centering northern Europe in medieval history. *Audio from a video episode published on November 20, 2023: https://youtu.be/20_iGzzzcio?feature=shared

Bob talks with Jon-Paul Dyson from The Strong National Museum of Play about Atari 50. Topics include the history of Atari, game preservation, and what's new at the Strong Museum in 2023. For more on The Strong, visit: https://www.museumofplay.org/ Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned *Audio from a video episode published on August 28, 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQcWNRwuN2U

Bob talks with Pieter Van den Heede about The Saboteur (2009). Topics include the Second World War, Second World War memory in North America and Europe, Occupation and Resistance, Collaboration, NPCs in Open World Games, and new trends in Second World War video games. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned

Bob and John discuss the history game news coming out of the NOT E3 season, including announcements from Ubisoft, Xbox, and PlayStation. Topics include Assassin's Creed Mirage, Assassin's Creed Nexus, Assassin's Creed Codename Jade, Clockwork Revolution, the Gilded Age in games, Lamplighter's League, Fable, Metal Gear Solid 3, The Pirate Queen, Ecumene Aztec, Last Train Home, Sand, Civilization VII, Diablo 4, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Bob, John, and some special guests discuss the best history games of 2022. Topics include Weird West, The Case of the Golden Idol, NBA 2k23, Cult of the Lamb, Horizon Forbidden West, Card Shark, Victoria 3, Train to Sachsenhausen, Atari 50, Crusader Kings 3, The Legend of Tianding, Valiant Hearts Coming Home, Hades II, Contraband, Mask of the Rose, NORCO, Vampire Survivors, Elden Ring, Stray, and Pentiment. 00:47 – John Gets a Steam Deck for “Academic Purposes” 03:14 – Games Under Consideration 04:40 – Game of the Year Categories 05:34 – Shout Out Games 18:41 – History Game for People Who Don't Like History 31:54 – Best History Game Character 41:45 – The History Topic We Learned the Most About 49:36 – Best Game for the History Classroom 01:04:04 – Best Old History Game 01:11:33 – Most Anticipated History Game of 2023 01:16:36 – Non-history Game of 2022 01:26:54 – The Best History Game of 2022

Bob talks with Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall about her new book, Slave Revolt on Screen: The Haitian Revolution in Film and Video Games. Topics include the historiography of the Haitian Revolution, collecting sources for a book about films and games, Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry, comparing historical games and historical films, and the games of Muriel Tramis. University of Mississippi Press site for Alyssa's book: https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/S/Slave-Revolt-on-Screen

Bob talks with Kate Cook and Jane Draycott about their new edited collection, Women in Classical Video Games (https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/women-in-classical-video-games-9781350241930/). Topics include the popularity of classical video games, their appearance in the classroom, the relationship between classical games and classical films, and "historical accuracy" and women's history. Games discussed include God of War, Total War, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Bob talks about the history game news from Ubisoft Forward, and then (19:15) chats with Esther Wright about her new book, Rockstar Games and American History: Promotional Materials and the Construction of Authenticity (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110716610/html). Bob and Esther also talk a bit about the recent leak of Grand Theft Auto 6. Bonnie and Clyde, anyone? Episode topics include Skull and Bones, Valiant Hearts, Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Assassin's Creed Codename Jade, Assassin's Creed Codename Red, Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe, Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, LA Noire, and GTA 6.

Bob and John discuss recent game news, including games announced during Gamescom, upcoming history games releases, and what games they've been playing recently. Topics include The Great War: Western Front, Wyrdsong, Pentiment, Age of Empires IV, Tortuga, Under the Waves, Where the Winds Meet, Company of Heroes 3, Victoria 3, Skull and Bones, Mask of the Rose, Nightingale, Papers Please, Control, Returnal, Ghost of Tsushima, Fortnite, and Borderlands 3. This episode ends (45:13) with a rebroadcast of Civs 101: The Inca. Bob talks with Dr. Christopher Heaney about the Inca Civ. Topics include Pachacuti, Machu Picchu, the Inca relationship with land, Andean contributions to environmental history, and Inca cosmology.

Bob and John talk through recent updates from Ubisoft, including new game modes for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, rumors of Skull & Bones, and Discovery Tour Lesson Plans. This episode ends (28:12) with a rebroadcast of Civs 101: Germany, in which Bob talks with Dr. Jeremy Best about the German Civ. Topics include the long and complicated history of Germany in Sid Meier's Civilization, Frederick Barbarossa as a leader for the German Civ, and the influence of wargaming on the depiction of Germany in historical games.

Bob and John run through history game news as well as a list of upcoming history game releases. They wrap up by talking about what they've been playing recently, and Bob's questionable gaming purchases. Topics include Civilization in the Hall of Fame, Assassin's Creed Valhalla more popular than ever, Call of Duty blames WWII, Card Shark, Isonzo, Victoria 3, Steel Rising, Company of Heroes 3, War Hospital, Plague Tale Requiem, Inkulinati, Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, Dune Spice Worlds, Medal of Honor Above and Beyond, and the Steam Deck. *Bob mistakenly refers to the short Medal of Honor documentary "Colette" as "Celeste" throughout this episode. He was recently playing the award winning indie game Celeste on Steam Deck. Apologies!

Bob talks with Peter Hirschmann from Respawn Entertainment about Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Topics include the history of the Medal of Honor series, bringing the series to VR, Above and Beyond's Gallery, winning an Oscar, and why WWII games are still so popular. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob talks with Leyla and Soren Johnson of Mohawk Games about Old World, History Respawned's History Game of the Year for 2021. Topics include the response to Old World, the historical research that went into the game, Old World's Order System, how Old World fits into the historical 4X genre, and future plans for the game. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob talks with historians Dr. Margaret Huettl and Dr. Katie Phillips about their experience working on the latest version of The Oregon Trail from Gameloft. Topics include how they got involved in the project, what their experience was like working with game developers, how they incorporated indigenous history and culture, and how The Oregon Trail remains an important historical touchstone. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob and Esports Champion John Harney discuss the best history games of 2021. Topics include Stronghold Warlords, Lake, Humankind, Hell Let Loose, Blackhaven, Jupiter Hell, Loop Hero, Overboard, The Forgotten City, Valheim, Armored Commander 2, Age of Empires IV, Old World, Deathloop, Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour: Viking Age, Wildermyth, Svoboda 1945, New World, March Through Time, Trek to Yomi, Horizon Forbidden West, Yes Your Grace, Resident Evil Village, and Halo Infinite. John's Championship Story - 1:00 Games Under Consideration and Categories - 7:27 Shout Out Games - 10:30 Best Stocking Stuffer Games - 15:00 History Game for People Who Don't Like History - 21:00 "Dad" Friendly History Game - 28:00 Best History Game Character - 33:30 History Topic We Learned the Most About - 39:45 Best Game for the History Classroom - 44:20 Worst History Game - 51:30 Most Anticipated History Game of 2022 - 57:00 2021's history game of 2022 - 1:02:00 2020's history game of 2021 - 1:06:00 History Game of 2021 - 1:11:30 Non-history Game of 2021 - 1:21:30 Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob talks with Maxime Durand, the World Design Director of Discovery Tour for Ubisoft, about Discovery Tour: Viking Age. Topics include the history of Discovery Tour, reaching an academic audience with games, working with scholars for Viking Age, game play changes to Discovery Tour, and Viking Age characters. Support History Respawned on Patreon at www.patreon.com/historyrespawned

Bob and John discuss what they've been playing and what they are looking forward to in the fall. Topics include Amazon's New World, MLK in Fortnite, Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour Viking Age, Age of Empires 4, Call of Duty Vanguard, Diablo 2, Deathloop, Back 4 Blood, Press Reset, and Masters of Doom.

Bob talks with historian and game designer James Coltrain about his new game Blackhaven. Topics include presenting history through games, the importance of historical memory and challenging official histories, the influence of environmental storytelling, and future projects from Historiated Games. Play Blackhaven for free on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1668610/Blackhaven/ Historiated Games: https://www.historiated.com/ Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned

Bob talks with Dr. Michelle Brock about the Scottish Civ. Topics include Scotland in the popular imagination, the "Braveheart Effect," Outlander, Robert the Bruce and Scottish independence, golf courses, Scotland and the slave trade, the Covenanter Movement, and Flower of Scotland. *For our talk of slavery, I completely forgot about the Triangular Trade Policy Card. Apologies! We talk about this more in other episodes of Civs 101, however. This episode features audio pulled from a video episode. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned

Bob talks with John about the China Civ. Topics include China's new leaders in Civilization VI, the changing perspectives on Chinese leadership over the twentieth century, state influence historiography, and the problems that game developers and historians share. This episode features audio pulled from a video episode. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/historyrespawned

Bob and John discuss recent gaming news, including Assassin's Creed Infinity, Deathloop, and Robocop Rogue City. They wrap up by talking about what they've been playing recently, including Old World, Resident Evil Village, and Mass Effect 3.

Bob and John discuss E3 2021. History games include Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour Mode, Valhalla's Siege of Paris DLC, Age of Empires 4, Plague Tale Requiem, Immortality, House of Ashes, Gloomwood, Lake, Contraband, and Terra Nil. Other games include Starfield, Halo Infinite, 12 Minutes, Back 4 Blood, Metroid Dread, and Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2. Plus, more on Bob and John's playthroughs of Mass Effect Legendary Edition.

Bob and John talk about recent news in historical games, including game reviews in the American Historical Review, the announcement of Victoria 3, ongoing problems at Ubisoft, and new plans for book reviews on Civs 101. They also discuss what they've been playing recently, including Cuphead, Darkest Dungeon, Tetris Effect, Watchdogs Legion, Before We Leave, Crusader Kings III, Sunless Skies, and Mass Effect Legendary Edition. This is Commander Shepard's favorite podcast on the Citadel. American Historical Review link: https://academic.oup.com/ahr/issue/126/1

Bob shares audio from a recent history conference panel called "Taking Video Games Seriously." Topics include the critical analysis of games by historians, using video games in historical research, and teaching American history with video games. Panelists include Jonathan Jones, Anne Ladyem McDivitt, Esther Wright, Jeffrey Lawler, Sean Smith, and Robert Whitaker. The audio from this panel came from a video recording that you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHuq9aTVBMs

Bob talks with Dr. T.J. Tallie about the Zulu Civ. Topics include the long history of Shaka in popular culture, the emphasis on military exploits in Zulu history, the potential for other Zulu leaders in Civilization, and Dr. Tallie's longstanding grudge against Wilfrid Laurier. *This podcast features audio taken from a video recording.

Bob talks with Adam Chapman and Esther Wright about the Historical Games Network (HGN). Topics include the origins of HGN, goals for the network, and HGN events. We wrap up by talking about what Adam and Esther have played recently, including Enlisted, Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and the Last of Us 2. To learn more about the Historical Games Network, visit them at https://www.historicalgames.net/ and follow them @HistoryGamesNet on Twitter. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned​

Bob talks with Dr. Kate Cook about the Greece Civ. Topics include the new leaders for Greece in Civ VI, Athens versus Sparta in historical memory, Greece as the "cradle of civilization," and the influence of Athens on the idea of Greek civilization. *Apologies for Bob's audio on this episode. The original wav file was lost and a backup was used. Kate's audio, however, came out sounding great, which is good because she does most of the talking in this episode! Please consider supporting us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/historyrespawned​

On the introductory episode of our new limited series, Civs 101, Bob talks with Dr. Robert Greene II about the America Civ. Topics include the idea of an American "civilization," Rough Rider versus Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt, and other possible, non-presidential, leaders for the America Civ. *This podcast features audio taken from a video recording.

Bob and John discuss a new upcoming limited series for History Respawned. Plus, a new WWII Call of Duty Game, a new WWI game, Humankind delay, Suzerain, Monster Hunter, Bowser's Fury, and Days Gone.

John welcomes Professor Andre Sorensen to talk about Night City, the setting to CD Projekt Red's mammoth, ambitious - and troubled - follow-up to The Witcher 3. We talk about the setting as an urban dystopia, the historic notion of the city as a corrupting influence, and why Tokyo - or an imagined version of Tokyo - represents the future in so much speculative fiction.

John and Bob sit down to offer their takes on the news of the gaming day, specifically Gamestop's sudden rise to the forefront of the American public imagination and problems at Amazon Games. After that Bob gives initial reviews of his Playstation 5 and John talks some Cyberpunk 2077... again.

Bob and John discuss their favorite history games of 2020 (check show notes for categories). Topics include Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Iron Harvest, Pendragon, Command and Conquer, Cyberpunk 2077, Warsaw, Mobius Front '83, Hades, Radio General, Troy: A Total War Saga, Dionysus, Through the Darkest of Times, Attentat 1942, Humankind, Old World, The Last of Us 2, and Mario Kart. Shout-out Games – 3:05 We are old, the 1990s are history now – 12:40 Best Stocking Stuffer – 24:19 History Game for People Who Don't Like History – 29:08 Dad Friendly Game – 34:13 Best history game character – 43:29 History Topic We Learned the Most About – 52:21 Best Game for the History Classroom – 57:04 Most Anticipated Game of 2021 – 1:07:29 2020's History Game of 2021 – 1:14:05 2019's History Game of 2020 – 1:20:19 History Game of 2020 – 1:25:20 Non-History Game of 2020 – 1:39:24 Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob talks with returning guests Dr. Chris Dietrich and Dr. Joseph Parrott about Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Topics include the Cold War in the 1980s, Operation Fracture Jaw, the game's depiction of Ronald Reagan, Reagan in popular memory, and the reality of the communist threat in the United States. *This episode includes minor spoilers for the game's single player campaign. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob and John discuss Bob's play through of Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War. Plus more talk of Crusader Kings III, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and exploring the history of the future in Cyberpunk 2077. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob talks with Dr. Daniel Melleno about Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Topics include the history of the Viking Age, raiding monasteries, Paganism vs. Christianity, Vikings and slavery, Norse Mythology, Roman ruins in England, and Vikings in popular culture. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

John and Bob get together to let John exult in the glory of Crusader Kings 3 coming out, and from there talk about the challenges in celebrating historical memory during a pandemic. We also talk about representations of the Cold War in the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and our excitement about the alternate history game Iron Harvest.

Bob, John, Holly Nielsen, and Esther Wright discuss the history game news from July and August. Topics include Ubisoft's scandal, AC Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Watch Dogs Legion, Skull and Bones, Beyond Good and Evil, We Happy Few, Xbox Game Pass, game preservation, and upcoming consoles. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob talks with museum professional Kyle Dalton about historical games and museums. Topics include Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour Mode, BioShock Infinite, what museums can learn from games, what games can learn from museums, and gamifying historical reenactment. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob and John discuss the history game related news from June. Topics include Civilization VI, Old World, Total War Troy, Humankind, Little Devil Inside, Paradise Lost, Horizon Forbidden West, and The Last of Us II (no spoilers). Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob and John discuss the reveal of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Topics include the Viking raids, historical revisionism, refugees, Brexit, RPG mechanics, and the long history of the Assassin's Creed series. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

From coronavirus induced isolation, Bob and John discuss the depiction of resistance in a set of recent World War II games, including Attentat 1942, Warsaw, and Through the Darkest of Times. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob and John discuss John's playthrough of Anno 1800 as well as the history games that will be published in 2020. Topics include Anno 1800, Assassin's Creed, Iron Harvest, Crusader Kings III, Empire of Sin, Nioh 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Skull and Bones, and Humankind. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob and John discuss their favorite history games of 2019, including Total War Three Kingdoms, Unity of Command 2, Disco Elysium, Heaven's Vault, Astrologaster, Assassin's Creed II, Age of Empires II Definitive Edition, Imperator Rome, and Kards. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob talks with Dr. Anne Proctor about Assassin's Creed II. Topics include Renaissance Florence, the Medici family, Leonardo da Vinci, popular historical fiction, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

John gets very, very excited about the official announcement that Crusader Kings III is coming out in 2020, Bob and John chat together about the joys of Crusader Kings II, and we talk about what we've been playing: Far Cry 5 and Disco Elysium.

John and Bob talk about Amplitude's recently announced Humankind. Is someone going to take on one of the biggest names in the history of video games? How will it turn out? Can Amplitude bring change to the Civilization series, if even indirectly? Bob also shares his thoughts on the impending discovery tour mode in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Bob and John talk about John's playthrough of Wolfenstein Youngblood (minor spoilers), Bob's research trip to the Strong Museum of Play, and the non-historical games we've been playing. Games discussed include Days Gone, No Man's Sky, League of Legends, Spider-man, and Civilization VI. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

Bob talks with Dr. Lauren Kassell about Astrologaster. Topics include Elizabethan London, Medical Astrology, Forman and Napier's Casebooks, and consulting on historical games. To learn more about Simon Forman and to see his casebooks, visit https://casebooks.lib.cam.ac.uk/ Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, Bob talks with Dr. Roger Launius about Kerbal Space Program. Topics include the history of the Apollo Program, the Space Race, the Cold War, and Apollo 11. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned Music is Symphony 40 in G minor by texasradiofish (c) 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)license.dig.ccmixter.org/files/texasr…iofish/49560 Ft: W. A. Mozart, Big Bonobo Combo

John welcomes Maggie Greene, assistant professor of Modern Chinese History & East Asian Cultural History at Montana State, to talk about Total War: Three Kingdoms. Creative Assembly's latest Total War effort makes some interesting departures from previous traditions in the series, largely informed by a willingness to adopt some of the more romantic, “epic” aspects of this period in Chinese history. This isn't actually a dramatic departure from how this period has typically been depicted in Chinese and East Asian literature and popular culture. If anything, this nominally Western adaptation follows in the footsteps of a long tradition of Chinese storytelling.