Thanks!
Have a BG Eye collage for your troubles!
Thanks!
Have a BG Eye collage for your troubles!
Please re-route your subscription to http://brilliantgameologists.com/feed
Thank you!
]]>Nominations for 2008 Zeekies are still being accepted! Share your favorite holiday commercials, please! The field is looking grim.
Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
What we want for Christmas
Cheap:
$20-$30
Gateway Games- games to play with your non-gamer family/friends
Party Games
The Real-Nerd’s Essentials:
Brilliant Gameologists Kit: CD of our shows, boob card, ShamWow, Crown Royale, Con shirt worn in protest, Hatorade, Burning Wheel with pages stuck together, Vampire Toilet paper, cake
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>Nominations for 2008 Zeekies are now being accepted! Share your favorite holiday commercials.
Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
Rules we have at the normal, day to day table.
The Bait n’ Switcher
Part of our Jargon Series. Part 2 of Sode #24: Rule 0/ House Rules
A Real World Need
An in game need:
1) The answer to last episode’s trivia question is contained! Think you know the answer to this week’s? Post on the thread about this episode here.
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>JiffyCon Lowell/ V3 is almost here! Sign up today! Or visit the event on its Facebook Page!
Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
Things we used to like that we overdid
The Deflater
Part of our Jargon Series. Part 2 of 2.
What happens when someone gets their payouts at the expense of others at the table?
GNS Theory: Gamist, Narrativist and Simulationist.
The upcoming Brilliant Gameologists’ game now includes:
Chicken wing on swords is a joke from You Look Nice Today’s Aunt Nancy episode. Hilarious.
1) The answer to last episode’s trivia question is contained! Think you know the answer to this week’s? Post on the thread about this episode here.
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>
Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
Our warm up was entirely un-electronic. Zeke yelled at Meg’s neighbors and we had a heated discussion about some posters on our Message Boards.
Non RPG’s that we enjoy and the payouts that make us happy.
Race for the Galaxy– great game. Support a great Friendly Local Gaming Store and buy your copy today! With the expansion!
The Novelist
Part of our Jargon Series. Part 1 or 2.
What do you like about role playing? What makes you excited? The Payout Model explains why people are different elements to use to fire up your game and players.
1) This is our first shot at a Trivia Question of the Week. Submit your answer in the thread about this episode on our message boards!
2) We lowered the quality again on this episode to try and keep the file size manageable. Let us know if it went too far.
We put show updates and random goodies on Meg’s Twitter. Don’t miss out!
Email us at GM@BrilliantGameologists.com
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit and is Not Work Safe. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>JiffyCon is this Saturday!! Enjoy new, indie games and play with the Gameologists! www.jiffycon.com
Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
We’ve been watching a lot of Saturday Night Live clips…
We put show updates and random goodies on Meg’s Twitter. Don’t miss out!
Email us at GM@BrilliantGameologists.com
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit and is Not Work Safe. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>In celebration of our second “quarter” we are changing the format very slightly of the shows. Can you spot the difference?
Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
We put show updates and random goodies on Meg’s Twitter. Don’t miss out!
Email us at GM@BrilliantGameologists.com
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit and is Not Work Safe. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
Rule Zero
The Brilliant Gameologists’ Message Boards are sure to cure whatever ails you! Did you know we have areas for:
Almost better than Porn!
Originally posted by Oberoni on the D&D general board July 23, 2002:
This my my take on the issue
Let’s say Bob the board member makes the assertion:
“There is an inconsistency/loophole/mechanics issue with Rule X.”
Several correct replies can be given:
- “I agree, there is an inconsistency/loophole/mechanics issue with Rule X.”
- “I agree, and it is easily solvable by changing the following part of Rule X.”
- “I disagree, you’ve merely misinterpreted part of Rule X. If you reread this part of Rule X, you will see there is no inconsistency/loophole/mechanics issue.”
Okay, I hope you’re with me so far. There is, however, an incorrect reply:
- “There is no inconsistency/loophole/mechanics issue with Rule X, because you can always Rule 0 the inconsistency/loophole/mechanics issue.“
Now, this incorrect reply does not in truth agree with or dispute the original statement in any way, shape, or form. It actually contradicts itself–the first part of the statement says there is no problem, while the last part proposes a generic fix to the “non-problem.”
It doesn’t follow the rules of debate and discussion, and thus should never be used.
Simple enough.
We put show updates and random goodies on Meg’s Twitter. Don’t miss out!
Email us at GM@BrilliantGameologists.com
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit and is Not Work Safe. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>This episode is our response to Radio Free Hipster’s “September is Drunken Podcasting Month”. Therefore, our warm-up included:
We attempted to have this be Drunken Podcasting, not wasted Podcasting, but one of us utterly failed. (Hint- it was Meg)
As a result, before listening, read the following warning:
This episode is NOT a normal episode. There is actually VERY LITTLE gaming discussion and an overabundance of hanky-panky talk. The subtitle of this episode should be “Jesus Likes Anal”. If that turns you off, you may not want to listen. Fair warning.
Also, this show has little editing. We left in some of the mistakes and re-records on purpose. A LOT was cut though. Mostly because it was just TOO off topic but also a lot more that was far too sexual and personal. We may put those clips together or the full thing for some secret bonus prize at some point. If you’d like to hear the entire thing, let us know!
Our favorite fake holidays:
Before recording we had planned to talk about Talk Like a Pirate Day as it too was in September but … well… drunk, remember?
Drinking while Gaming. This is the first 1/10th of the conversation. We started to talk about drinking at conventions but didn’t really get anywhere with it.
Reminder- we put show updates and random goodies on Meg’s Twitter. Don’t miss out! She twittered while recording as well so go back and check them out!
Email us at GM@BrilliantGameologists.com
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is explicit! It is NOT work safe.
]]>Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
Reminder- we put show updates and random goodies on Meg’s Twitter. Don’t miss out!
Email us at GM@BrilliantGameologists.com
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is roughly PG-13′ish rated. Our usual episodes are Explicit but we tried to stay “clean” with this one, though it still may not be work safe.
]]>Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
Don’t be the 7 Dwarfs
Plugs
Reminder- we put show updates and random goodies on Meg’s Twitter. Don’t miss out!
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit and is Not Work Safe. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>We talked about quite a few products in this episode:
Favorite Publishers:
Cam Banks and Jamie Chambers from Margaret Weis Productions
Pelgrane Press with Robin Laws for the Gumshoe System
Fantasy Flight Games for Grimm
Paradigm Concepts for Witch Hunter: The Invisible World
McNeil Designs for Reader’s Digest vocab game Dark Matter for Epic RPG
Interesting Buys:
Mispent Youth by Robert Bohl
Factions at War by Other Court Games
Cool People:
Luke Myer from The Podgecast
Daniel Perez from The Gamer Traveler and The Digital Front
Rob and Fraser from The Accidental Survivors
NPH The Brilliant Fanologists!
The ENies:
We gave the prepared statement:
“The ENnies need to make serious format changes if they’d like to be taken seriously as an award.”
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread and find out how you can get your very own boob-curve business cards!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit and is Not Work Safe. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
Good, Bad, Wintry Mix
Our rating scale is:
Nominees:
The Good:
Wintry Mix:
Bad:
Can’t even Review:
Nominees:
Good:
Wintry Mix:
Bad:
Good:
Wintry Mix:
Bad:
News:
1. Reminder: The Brilliant Gameologists are leading 3 seminars at GenCon! If you’re going, you won’t want to miss it.
Gamers in the Press: Blogs, Podcasts, and Print at GenCon
http://www.pulpgamer.com/gencon/
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit and is Not Work Safe. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
4 Steps in the 12 step Healing Process
Strategies for healing a diseased group, or to build cohesion in an already healthy group 1. Choosing the Right Game
Side conversation:
The 4 roles in D&D 4e compared with the 4 Ninja Turtles:
2. Making a Cohesive Character
3. Running the Game so everyone plays nicely
4. Playing the Game so everyone gets along
1. Reminder: The Brilliant Gameologists are leading 3 seminars at GenCon! If you’re going, you won’t want to miss it. Gamers in the Press: Blogs, Podcasts, and Print at GenCon
http://www.pulpgamer.com/gencon/
2. We are slowly but surely joining the full ranks of Web 2.0. Check out Meg’s Twitter.
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
Warning: This episode is tagged Explicit and is Not Work Safe. It is intended for adult audiences.
]]>Each time we record, we watch a video or find a picture to get us in the mood for the episode. It doesn’t always have anything to do with the episode, but frames our minds, so we’re going to share so you can be appropriately framed as well.
Gamers in the Press: Blogs, Podcasts, and Print at GenCon
http://www.pulpgamer.com/gencon/
]]>Is wung a word? Winged?
In this episode we discuss Gaming at Conventions. Well, that and a LOT of just banter. (This is what we’re like when we are just hanging out but this time happened to have a mic capturing it all. And only Josh had been drinking! Also, the dog did actually chew through Meg’s headphone cord so the whole experience was fairly surreal and much less organized.) NEWS ITEM: Brilliant Gameologists chosen to lead GenCon seminars
PROMO: (A real one!) Gamers in the Press- Blogs, Podcasts, and Print Seminars (http://www.pulpgamer.com/gencon/)
The Gameologists will help organize JiffyCon Lowell- November 8, 2008 @ Middlesex Community College, Lowell, MA.
Independent Insurgency Podcast from Rob Bohl
]]>In this episode we look at the peritextual elements of quite a few books– all of the things that aren’t the content– and how they relate to the feel of the book and our impressions about it.
D&D 4th Edition- The standard in gaming. Hardcover, 8.5×11 inches. 4th Edition’s difference is that the 3 books come in a handy-dandy sleeve.
Hero 5th Edition Revised- The same shape as D&D but text-book thick.
Burning Wheel- 5×7 and softcover. Still has same number of pages as D&D, but they are mini pages. Makes the book much more portable.
Savage Worlds: Explorer’s Edition- Also softcover, but a bit longer and wider than Burning Wheel (which means neat, orderly shelving will be screwy).
Star Wars Saga- A square. Made to fit on bookstore’s shelves.
Rifts- Pretty picture, shows action, clear title, publisher, and author, and of course, boobies.
Paranoia XP- comical, funny, bright colors and the back cover entirely in the style of Paranoia. Draws in new people but also provides a callback to previous players.
The Savage World of Solomon Kane- Only a few words, but great illustration and the glossy and matte finish make Meg happy.
Cover opened to see front and back together
Dread- Extremely simple but sets the stage beautifully. A bloody thumbprint? What’s not to love?
Burning Wheel- Red on Red. Hard to see, confusing, boring. Doesn’t say anything about the game.
The Trail of Cthulhu - Green on green, but spooky, mysterious
GURPS: Alpha Century- cover of book is cover of Sid Meier’s video game. Good marketing if you like the video game (which we did).
First few pages of a book before the content actually starts. Can include publication information, credits, acknowledgments, table of contents, and introduction
Spirit of the Century- has fun with the credits
Grimm- Pastedown and Flyleaf are at least red. Introduction WAY too long (download full introduction).
Deadlands Reloaded- Personal acknowledgments, Font in table of contents very appropriate and there is “white space” so text doesn’t feel claustrophobic. Introduction is a old-timely newspaper format. Back Cover
Dark Heresy, Warhammer 40,000- Pastedown and Flyleaf show an illustration of a star map
Are illustrations confined in a border to make it feel like you are looking as an voyeur, or do the touch the edge of the page to draw you in?
Deadlands Reloaded- full bleed
d20 Future- Standard. Page number in border (on side)
GURPS- Transhuman Space- Dark border with white boxes with text. Dark borders give it a space theme.
Grimm (download of first chapter)- Very appropriate, very approprite. Page numbers in spider body and intricate
Expeditious Retreat: Magical Society of Ecology and Culture and Savage Worlds Explorer’s Edition- Old timey paper feel to border.
Cyberspace. Almost whole book in table or chart. Lower corner of each page gives extra material to book in terms of a year-by-year timeline.
Nightbane- Very first thing in book is a warning to prevent claims of Satanism.
Earthdawn- All peritextual elements completely vanilla (written in 1995) except two full pages of punch-out cardstock cards.
Pictures in books should show you things you may play, things you may fight or goals or ideas you may have as well as set the stage for the book. The feel also needs to be consistent throughout. The media used can change, but don’t mix styles!
D&D 4th Edition- Player’s Handbook has detailed pictures of the types of characters you are going to play (Person), the Dungeon Master’s Guide shows places you will go (Place), and the Monster Manual shows the things you are going to fight (Things).
Mutants and Masterminds- Very comic book feel to illustrations, some complete with speech bubbles. Very consistent throughout.
Dark Heresy, Warhammer 40,000- Extremely detailed, dark, gritty illustrations.
Rifts- almost entirely black and white inking. Art very evocative of the world, but not enough of it and the color plates in the middle of the book don’t match.
Serenity- Beautiful cover, but almost all of “illustrations” are screen caps from the movie. Says not, “We’re trying to adapt the movie” but “We’re trying to make the movie.” Borders are good except top of every page says “Serenity the Role Playing Game”. Seems too self-congratulatory and constantly reminds us it is “official“.
Star Wars Saga- nice mix of screencaps and illustrations, but again, too much of a mix of styles.
]]>
Battlestar Galactica is published by Margaret Weis Productions.
Our rating scale is:
Fair warning: we are not fans. At all. This episode is part review, part bullshit, and part GenCon stories. Listen at your own risk!
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
]]>
We had a lot of issues with this book. I feel it works as a structured “let’s pretend” for kids, but the concept wasn’t clear. To say that this could be for adults misses the mark.
It has some use though, so we gave it a 10 on our rating scale:
Discuss this episode on our Message Boards in THIS thread!
]]>