Conference Call

GWJ Conference Call Episode 92

A New Audio Sponsor From Mick Mize, Playing D&D 4.0 Online, The Cross-Pollination of RPG Gaming, Diablo III, Your Emails and more!

This week Michael Zenke joins us as we educate our listeners in the finer points of pen and paper roleplaying games, the crossover with video gaming and what kind of D&D 4.0 games we'd like to see. We also tackle some saucy new emails on Spore, Diablo III, tossing rabbit's salad and more.

To contact us, email [email protected]! Send us your thoughts on the show, pressing issues you want to talk about or whatever else is on your mind. You can even send a 30 second audio question or comment (MP3 format please) if you're so inclined.

Battlefield Bad Company
GWJ D&D 4 Catch All
GWJ D&D 4.0 Online Playing Wiki
Massively.com
Mick Mize Audio Sponsor

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Show credits

Music credits: 

Intro/Outro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks
"Sunflower" - (Workbench) - www.workbench-music.com - 0:17:46
"Garibaldi" - (Workbench) - www.workbench-music.com - 0:52:08

Comments

You tell 'em rabbit. M.U.L.E. was the cat's ass. Really astounding for its time. I actually wouldn't mind seeing how it holds up.
Also, regarding the audio sponsor, I'm going to wait to hear what my 70 year old self tells my 40 year old self before I talk to my 12 year old self. Gotta be circumspect about these things you know.
Another great show guys (I do like me some D&D).

I loved your conversation on convergence. Our biggest hurdle with bringing tabletop to the site has been logistics. I've endeavored to create the thread that you linked to above (with much thanks to stupidhaiku and kingmob). I pledge to maintain it and keep it up to date with links to all current D&D 4e games going, no matter what the online engine or setting. Fire it up, get confused, figure it out later, and have some fun. Let the renaissance begin!

Septic is rhyming slang, by the way: septic tank -> Yank.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Septic

In the discussion of cross fertilisation between board games and computer based rpgs, Rabbit mentioned that D&D Fourth edition had taken the nomenclature and mindset of MMORPG people and applied it to their game. To be clear which of these two very similar words were you using:

1. Nomenclature - a set or system of names or terms used by an individual or community (especially those used in a particular science.)

2. Gnomenclature - a set or system of names or terms used by a very small individual or community of very small people (especially those used in the construction of weird mechanical contraptions.)

Great show as always.

I call missing "o" in the headline. And as always am looking forward to listening to the podcast.

The nostalgia question was mine. I wasn't suggesting that we should eschew all contemporary games in favour of 20-year-old 8-bit games, but that they have their place in history alongside the games people more often go on about, and that they are still fun on the same level as Flash browser games, for example.

How about a parallel feature to "Act Casual", "Act Forty", which each fortnight covers a game not less than 20 years old easily available legally to play through an emulator?

What in God's name was that sound before the break after the D&D discussion? Who was that and what was it supposed to be?

Also, I'm not a big country fan but Certis, it is Toby Keith, not Tony Keith. A boot may be delivered to unpleasant regions if you aren't careful.

As wanderingtaoist says, you should add in the missing 'o' to episde. You get lots of experience for it I hear.

What in God's name was that sound before the break after the D&D discussion? Who was that and what was it supposed to be?

I do believe that was Michael doing his best nerd bellow.

Certis wrote:

I do believe that was Michael doing his best nerd bellow.

Bellow would be the correct term because I don't think there is any culture that would consider it a mating call.

Oh man, I love that, Diablo is Dress-Up. How is that ANY different from World of Warcraft? Are you grinding to 70 for the story?

Bioware or a reformed Troika would be my choices for an implementation of D&D 4th Edition. Both cases are about as unlikely to happen as each other, though, what with Bioware more focused on their own creations and Troika spread to the winds. On related notes, did you guys go back to The Temple of Elemental Evil with the Circle of Eight mod? Pretty much clears up every problem with the game.

And Dragon Age is getting a reveal just a few hours from now - keep tabs on the official site

As for the old games, being a Brit myself I'm firmly in the home computer camp when it comes to nostalgia, though I do often play a lot of those older games still. True, a lot of them have become far too unforgiving and clunky thanks to the march of technology, but certain types - particularly slower-paced games such as adventures and strategy titles - hold up extremely well.

That horrible Werewolves of London sing along song? That's the new Kid Rock song, and it's horribly horribly bad.

did you guys go back to The Temple of Elemental Evil with the Circle of Eight mod? Pretty much clears up every problem with the game.

Really? I adored the Temple of Elemental Evil game engine, I'm going to have to check that out!

miscellaneous noise:

I agree with the whole moving forward bit. I have an old C64 and NES in the corner of my office. Though I have many fond memories, I sure don't revisit it all that often. Time marches on and all...

I have done a few searches and can't find that the PHB was on the best seller's list. Perhaps I'm looking at the wrong lists.

For those of you who haven't rented it yet, you gotta watch The Onion Movie if only for the spot around half-way through the movie where you get to see a bunch of geeks around a gaming table in a library. Every one of us who grew up roleplaying will remember the ***hole who wrecks everyone's fun.

Certis, your wife wants to dm a game? You win.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Oh man, I love that, Diablo is Dress-Up. How is that ANY different from World of Warcraft? Are you grinding to 70 for the story?

The major difference between World of Warcraft and Diablo 3 is that WoW is already out, and D3 isn't. Hence my disappointment that Blizzard is coming out with yet another dress up game, instead of something new.

If I'd been on the show, I'd have given every one of these nerds a wedgie.

Also grats to Podunk for getting his music used for the new Zero Punctuation intro and outro.

Elysium wrote:

If I'd been on the show, I'd have given every one of these nerds a wedgie.

And swirlies? And put them in lockers at some random highschool? I would potentially pay money to see these things.

Mordiceius wrote:

Also grats to Podunk for getting his music used for the new Zero Punctuation intro and outro.

Wow. He's like famous and stuff now.

Gaald wrote:
LobsterMobster wrote:

Oh man, I love that, Diablo is Dress-Up. How is that ANY different from World of Warcraft? Are you grinding to 70 for the story?

The major difference between World of Warcraft and Diablo 3 is that WoW is already out, and D3 isn't. Hence my disappointment that Blizzard is coming out with yet another dress up game, instead of something new.

OK, that's a little more understandable, but as someone who didn't play WoW I'm really looking forward to playing with my Barbarian Doll.

rabbit wrote:
Mordiceius wrote:

Also grats to Podunk for getting his music used for the new Zero Punctuation intro and outro.

Wow. He's like famous and stuff now.

He's so dreamy.

Am I the only one who finds it odd that Julian berated Rob over criticizing D3 for being more of the same when he later says that he wouldn't go back and play MULE? I feel just like Rob and am not all that enthusiastic about D3, since it looks like almost the same game I played ten years ago. I even loaded up D1 and played through it by myself and didn't have the same warm and fuzzy feelings I had back then. Maybe it is the rose-colored glasses effect.

Damn, I can tell that I REALLY miss my tabletop days. The podcast seemed to only last like 15 minutes since I was so engrossed in what they were putting out there.

LobsterMobster wrote:
Gaald wrote:
LobsterMobster wrote:

Oh man, I love that, Diablo is Dress-Up. How is that ANY different from World of Warcraft? Are you grinding to 70 for the story?

The major difference between World of Warcraft and Diablo 3 is that WoW is already out, and D3 isn't. Hence my disappointment that Blizzard is coming out with yet another dress up game, instead of something new.

OK, that's a little more understandable, but as someone who didn't play WoW I'm really looking forward to playing with my Barbarian Doll.

For almost all multiplayer dungeon crawls like Diablo and the like... isn't the loot pretty much the reason people play? I mean, isn't that one of the reasons people wanted multiplayer Oblivion?

Oh, and I think that this(NSFW) SomethingAwful link is very appropriate.

I was horrified listening to today's episode. I wanted to yell and cuss you out, but alas I was at work and had to keep my composure.. until now..

ffffffffffffffffffFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUuuCKKKKKK!!!111!!11

What an outrage!

Umm... outrage?

I see Podunk has landed a new gig as the theme music for Zero Punctuation. Congrats!

EDIT: ARGH, skim. Serves me right for searching the page for "escapist" instead of "zero punctuation."

May I just say, that throughout the entire C64 conversation I just wanted to scream "HOOP AND STICK"

Also, your discussion of D&D 4 and the recent podcasts of the Penny Arcade crew and Scott Kurtz playing a game I'm liking the idea of an online D&D game, I'll have to check out the games that are running, any suggestions for a complete noob?

Yeah, I'm really curious now. What'd we say to tick you off, t0W?