Conference Call

GWJ Conference Call Episode 121

A Special Show From Rabbit Con, Board Games, Rock Band, Face To Face Gaming and more!

This week we have a very special show as Cory "Demiurge" Banks, Lara "KaterinLHC" Crigger and Erik "wordsmythe" Hanson join Julian Murdoch live from his basement studio. The crew talks about what they're playing, gaming in person and shares some recordings from the gathering. If you want to submit a question or comment call in to our voicemail line at (612) 284-4563!

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. You can also submit a question or comment call in to our voicemail line at (612) 284-4563!

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Show credits

Music credits: 

Intro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks

"GWJ Conference Call More Cowbell" (Ian Dorsch) - 0:39:27

Comments

I can't stop laughing at that video, even without hitting play.

Edit:

adam.greenbrier wrote:

Wordsmythe isn't British? I had no idea. I knew he lived in Chicago, but I had assumed he was an émigré.

I was, in fact, raised in the same town as Weber grills. Be thankful it was morning, as sometimes an accent creeps up when I'm drinking and/or excited.

wordsmythe wrote:

I can't stop laughing at that video, even without hitting play.

Seeing it made today worth living.

wordsmythe wrote:

I can't stop laughing at that video, even without hitting play.

Edit:

adam.greenbrier wrote:

Wordsmythe isn't British? I had no idea. I knew he lived in Chicago, but I had assumed he was an émigré.

I was, in fact, raised in the same town as Weber grills. Be thankful it was morning, as sometimes an accent creeps up when I'm drinking and/or excited.

What sort of accent would they have in Palatine?

adam.greenbrier wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:

I can't stop laughing at that video, even without hitting play.

Edit:

adam.greenbrier wrote:

Wordsmythe isn't British? I had no idea. I knew he lived in Chicago, but I had assumed he was an émigré.

I was, in fact, raised in the same town as Weber grills. Be thankful it was morning, as sometimes an accent creeps up when I'm drinking and/or excited.

What sort of accent would they have in Palatine?

Watered-down Chicagoan, with a touch of Wisconsinite.

wordsmythe wrote:
adam.greenbrier wrote:

What sort of accent would they have in Palatine?

Watered-down Chicagoan, with a touch of Wisconsinite.

Hmm. Interesting. If you ever get excited and/or start drinking and feel like recording it for me, I'm curious to hear it. People's accents fascinate me.

Demiurge wrote:

Anyone want to see Wordsmythe doing Wii Fit's Hula Hoop minigame? Anyone want to see him shake his money maker? I've got just the thing for you.

I can't decide if I do or do NOT want to see the other angle from whoever was lying on the floor taking video.

That was me, taking pictures. It wasn't pretty either.

rabbit wrote:

That was me, taking pictures. It wasn't pretty either.

The host always has the roughest job at parties like this.

Somehow whatever gyration wordsmythe was using plus the fact he was shouting "It's not moving" added a bit more subtext to that video.

adam.greenbrier wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
adam.greenbrier wrote:

What sort of accent would they have in Palatine?

Watered-down Chicagoan, with a touch of Wisconsinite.

Hmm. Interesting. If you ever get excited and/or start drinking and feel like recording it for me, I'm curious to hear it. People's accents fascinate me.

You'll find the most subtlety within the relatively beige accents of the midwest. The twinges between St. Louis, Chicago, Dallas and Houston for instance are interesting and strange.

Rat Boy wrote:

Somehow whatever gyration wordsmythe was using plus the fact he was shouting "It's not moving" added a bit more subtext to that video.

I don't know if it was the fact that Rabbit lacks a Wii Fit board condom, but my technique earns me 4 stars consistently on my own board.

Do it. You know you want to.

Back when we did lan-parties we always made sure to have something casual friendly. It normally ended up being need4speed or some sort of racing game.

I'd just like to say that I love Shadows over Camelot. Me and some of my mates play it once or twice a month. It's probably a tie between that and Pandemic for my favorite coop board game.

Several comments on a delightful podcast:

1. I'm totally marrying this:

Demiurge wrote:

Anyone want to see Wordsmythe doing Wii Fit's Hula Hoop minigame? Anyone want to see him shake his money maker? I've got just the thing for you.

2. That was my WiiMote, and I am not exercising unless I get credit for it! (And thanks to McChuck for returning it after I left it there!)

3. I LOVED (obliviating wordy, demi, and katerin at) Dominion. Which is to say that I think we should always have that game at any parties from now on.

4. I need an IPhone so I can play Cube. I know that wasn't the point of the weekend, but Cor-cor got me hooked.

5. Cory, we are so starting a band when you move to Chicago.

ranalin wrote:

Back when we did lan-parties we always made sure to have something casual friendly. It normally ended up being need4speed or some sort of racing game.

Tetranet! We always seemed to reach a point in our lan parties where we'd put away Q3A and UT and pull out Tetrinet. Like Mario Kart, it's one of those games where the gameplay is friendly and casual, but the discourse while playing is anything but.

I really hate to say it because I loves me some content, but... I think the show was better for being shorter. You guys on the main podcast should maybe consider slimming things down.

Great show! I left my mp3 player in the car with this episode and my wife happened to start listening to it and when she heard the topic of discussion was largely tabletop games she decided to let it play, (she loves tabletop games). When she heard mention of tabletop games on Xbox Live she got excited and asked me to show her how to download them. Needless to say, she had no argument from me. As a bonus, she enjoyed listening so much that I think I might be able to get her to listen to the podcast more often!

NSMike wrote:

I really hate to say it because I loves me some content, but... I think the show was better for being shorter. You guys on the main podcast should maybe consider slimming things down.

I love you.

Gaald wrote:
NSMike wrote:

I really hate to say it because I loves me some content, but... I think the show was better for being shorter. You guys on the main podcast should maybe consider slimming things down.

I love you. :)

Unbelievably, I agree. By the time the emails roll around I'm normally starting to get attention fatigue. But the lack of emails is really what accounts for the difference in podcast length.

Did you guys ever get around to playing Android? It's a bit long but it's my current favourite game of the moment. Takes a couple of plays for people to 'get' the light/dark mechanic and realise that you HAVE to be a vicious Female Doggo with the dark cards or you aren't going to get the benefit of your light cards.

I'm such an FFG fanboy!

I don't think the podcast should be shorter, it is a good length.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AvMU...

I know I did not hear wordsmythe turning down drinks because it was 9am. Sir?!?! What kind of ambassador of Chicago are you? Sir, get your self to a kegs and eggs party stat!

MrDeVil909 wrote:
Gaald wrote:
NSMike wrote:

I really hate to say it because I loves me some content, but... I think the show was better for being shorter. You guys on the main podcast should maybe consider slimming things down.

I love you. :)

Unbelievably, I agree.

I feel so loved.

Okay, so I have to say: This notion that gaming is trending toward co-op and multiplayer only scares the heck out of me.

I guess I'm what you could call Sony's target market-- that whole "power gamer" label y'all threw out early in the podcast. I wouldn't really consider myself a "power gamer" (I don't think I'm anywhere near good enough at any game to claim such a label), but gaming for me is a largely solitary experience. There are a number of reasons for this:

1) I don't have friends. You might think that's hyperbole, but I don't. I made no lasting connections in college, and I haven't met anybody other than my wife that I'd consider spending any real time with since moving to Massachusetts 9 years ago. The closest thing for me is a former coworker who also plays games, but I haven't heard from him in six months.

2) I have a 20 month old daughter, and I live in a four room apartment. This means that I can't play any games at all unless she's sleeping, and I can't play multiplayer games because she's too sensitive to noise for me to talk above a whisper.

3) I get up at 4AM EST, and I can't drink caffiene for health reasons. That means I actually need the recommended amount of sleep that doctors say everyone should have, so I have to hit the rack at 9PM EST, which as I understand it is two hours before anybody on these boards even starts playing online games.

If the video game mainstream is, in fact, multiplayer only experiences, then my gaming hobby is pretty well screwed in the next generation. I'm sure there will still be some single-player only titles, but how many? If the money is in multiplayer, then multiplayer is what we'll get.

I guess I'll have to start reading again.

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

Okay, so I have to say: This notion that gaming is trending toward co-op and multiplayer only scares the heck out of me.

Don't worry man, that segment of the podcast was pretty much nonsense. There will always be single player games and they will be the ones where the experience is too personal to be shared. While co-op is making a resurgence it's not as if Quake 3 Arena marked the death of the single player FPS.

You will find a game for you whatever type of player you are. People too often confuse the expansion of the market with a change in direction.

Destrin wrote:

Did you guys ever get around to playing Android? It's a bit long but it's my current favourite game of the moment. Takes a couple of plays for people to 'get' the light/dark mechanic and realise that you HAVE to be a vicious Female Doggo with the dark cards or you aren't going to get the benefit of your light cards.

I'm such an FFG fanboy!

We didn't. Someone started setting up the board, laying all the tiny, numerous pieces out, and it was just too intimidating. With so many other games to play, the prospect of a guaranteed 4 hour game scared us too much. Definitely looks cool, though.

No worries, rabbit. Don't listen to smythe. I didn't notice any loss in sensitivity in your drums. The reason for the missed notes was the hour and the 4 liters of beer I'd had.

KaterinLHC wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:

No Tom Sawyer? Much disappointment.

Oh, there was lots of Tom Sawyer. We did it three times, and each time I sang. Rabbit was taking mercy on you by not including it in the podcast.

The three tries was my fault. See above for why. I made up for it on a Who song, though -

Me: The drum rating doesn't have 5 dots, but 5 somethings. What does that mean?
Smythe: 5 devils. *arches eyebrow*
Me: Ooh. Let's do it.

I failed out 3 times, but the third was right at the end so we made it. Go team!

WiredAsylum wrote:

I know I did not hear wordsmythe turning down drinks because it was 9am. Sir?!?! What kind of ambassador of Chicago are you? Sir, get your self to a kegs and eggs party stat!

Easy there, you're starting to sound like a Cubs fan.

I'd only just gotten up, brewed coffee, and eaten an English muffin. Drinking in the morning is a dangerous road for me generally, but before the shower is right out.

McChuck wrote:

No worries, rabbit. Don't listen to smythe. I didn't notice any loss in sensitivity in your drums. The reason for the missed notes was the hour and the 4 liters of beer I'd had.

KaterinLHC wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:

No Tom Sawyer? Much disappointment.

Oh, there was lots of Tom Sawyer. We did it three times, and each time I sang. Rabbit was taking mercy on you by not including it in the podcast.

The three tries was my fault. See above for why. I made up for it on a Who song, though -

Me: The drum rating doesn't have 5 dots, but 5 somethings. What does that mean?
Smythe: 5 devils. *arches eyebrow*
Me: Ooh. Let's do it.

I failed out 3 times, but the third was right at the end so we made it. Go team!

All I'm gonna say is you cleared it at expert if I'm not mistaken and I was just kinda sitting there in awe saying, no way do my feet and hands go that fast in dis-coordinated movements. You sir are a drum god.

That video was priceless.

As far as the 'cast itself I don't really have anything to add other than it was a nice change of pace with some really good discussion.