Josh, Ralph and special guest Paul Mitchener voyage across Usula Le Guin’s classic fantasy Earthsea.
Show Notes
A Wizard Of Earthsea // The Tombs of Atuan // The Farthest Shore // Tehanu // plus other short fiction set in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea
Josh Fox, Ralph Lovegrove, Paul Mitchener
Synopsis (the original trilogy) 00:40 // Tehanu 05:45 // Themes 09:25 // The RPG Bit — Josh’s Game 26:00 // Paul’s Game (Everway) 27:25 // Ralph’s Game (Beyond the Wall by Flatland Games) 30:05 // Archipelago 34:30 // Last Words 36:55
Shameless Plug
Ralph’s Beyond the Waves idea for Beyond the Wall (halfway between Earthsea and Zelda: The Windwaker)
Music credits
“Is That You Or Are You You?” from Reappear by Chris Zabriskie
“But Enough About Me, Bill Paxton” from Direct To Video by Chris Zabriskie
We recorded the podcast last year but it so happens that just yesterday, the 25th anniversary of Carter’s death, Mathew released Infernal Desire Machines, the hack of the Psychosis RPG mentioned around halfway into the episode. Read it, absorb it, play!
Music credits
“Is That You Or Are You You?” from Reappear by Chris Zabriskie
“But Enough About Me, Bill Paxton” from Direct To Video by Chris Zabriskie
Mo Holkar, Elizabeth Lovegrove and Ralph Lovegrove
Synopsis 00:30 // Comment starts 08:00 // “Puzzle Planets” 13:30 // The History Problem 18:00 // Liz’s game 19:45 // Mo’s game 22:00 // Ralph’s game 25:20
Other “Puzzle Planet” Books
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Dune by Frank Herbert
For another treatment of Grass and its literary and historical roots, see this article (infinityplus)
Music credits
“Is That You Or Are You You?” from Reappear by Chris Zabriskie
“But Enough About Me, Bill Paxton” from Direct To Video by Chris Zabriskie
It’s National World Short Story Novel Mustache Reading Writing Knitting Month, so we’re doing more short stories — this time from Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury and Cory Doctorow. Also, Rod Steiger, Charlie Brooker and the Sandman!
Show Notes
The Evening, The Morning and The Night by Octavia Butler, curated in the Sisters of the Revolution anthology by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer
00:39 Synopsis // 04:35 Fake academic papers and His Dark Materials // 06:00 Penny Miller’s Myths and Legends of Southern Africa // 11:15 Games here // 17:00 Ralph gushes about WaRP // 19:05 PbtA all the way down // 22:56 Malandros (again) // 24:10 (off topic) our book lists
Ralph and Liz’s book lists
We set each other a challenge of reading ten books the other had read. These is my list from Liz:
Behind the Scenes at the Museum / Kate Atkinson
The Robber Bride / Margaret Atwood
The Sparrow / Mary Dora Russell
Parable of the Sower / Octavia Butler
To Kill A Mockingbird / Harper Lee
The Color Purple / Alice Walker
Gaudy Night / Dorothy L. Sayers
Among Others / Jo Walton
Zoo City / Lauren Beukes
Tipping the Velvet / Sarah Waters
(Note: Parable of the Sower was originally Fledgeling but changed for reasons)
And this is Liz’s list from me:
Behold the Man / Michael Moorcock
The Pastel City / M. John Harrison
Cocaine Nights / J. G. Ballard
The Forever War / Joe Haldeman
The Land of Laughs / Jonathan Carroll
The Demolished Man / Alfred Bester
Norstrilia / Cordwainer Smith
Ubik / Philip K. Dick
The Western Lands / William Burroughs
Neuromancer / William Gibson
Scores so far are 3.5 (for me) to 1.5 (for Liz)
Music credits
“Is That You Or Are You You?” from Reappear by Chris Zabriskie
“But Enough About Me, Bill Paxton” from Direct To Video by Chris Zabriskie
Elizabeth Lovegrove and Becky Annison with Ralph Lovegrove
Synopsis starts at 00:40, RPGs at 16:05
Games
Bite Me! by Becky Annison is a Powered by the Apocalypse Game debuting at the Revelation convention in Sheffield on 25th and 26th February 2017
Other games Ralph mentioned in a desperate attempt to be relevant to the conversation: Werewolf (White Wolf publishing) // Buffy and Angel (now OOP, Eden Studios) // Ghosts of Albion (Eden Studios)
Music credits
“Is That You Or Are You You?” from Reappear by Chris Zabriskie
“But Enough About Me, Bill Paxton” from Direct To Video by Chris Zabriskie
In our first episode we talk about the utopian post-scarcity, post-gender space opera of Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice.
Show Notes
Fictoplasm episode 1: Ancilliary Justice by Ann Leckie, part of the Imperial Radch Trilogy
Ralph Lovegrove, Elizabeth Lovegrove, Becky Annison
01:00 Synopsis // 05:00 Comments // 12:20 Start of the RPG bit // 12:30 Liz’s game idea // 19:00 Becky’s game idea // 24:30 Ralph’s game idea
Games
Mellan Himmel och Hav (Between Heaven and Sea) by Eliot Wieslander and Katarina Björk // Livsgald by Simon Svensson, Kajsa Seinegaard, Carl Nordblom and Jennie Nyberg // Dream Askew by Avery McDaldno // Microscope by Ben Robbins // Archipelago by Matthijs Holter // Lovecraftesque by Becky Annison and Josh Fox // Rise and Fall by Elizabeth Lovegrove is part of the Seven Wonders anthology.