Saving the Game Saving the Game

This is it, folks: the last episode of Saving the Game. In this one, we explain why we're shutting down the podcast, answer our remaining Patreon questions, thank people who helped us along the way, and reminisce a bit. We wanted closure for all of our listeners - and ourselves - and hopefully this episode provides it.

An Important Note: This is the second-to-last episode of Saving the Game. Our last episode will release in two weeks and will be a "goodbye" episode. More details in the episode itself and a full-breakdown in the next one.

This is the second part of the Prep/Improv two-parter we brainstormed during a Patreon question. We start out with the news above and a breakdown of how Christmas went, and then get to our Patreon question for this week, which comes to us from Richard Lorenz who asks: "Which Bible verse/passage/teaching have you seen misused or mangled the most?"

As you might expect, we have a bit of a field day with that one, but also move on relatively quickly because we have an interesting topic: GM improv! We stress a lot that improv is a learned skill rather than an inborn talent and discuss some various ways to develop that skill. We also devote some time (as you'd expect) to specific techniques and maintaining the proper mindset.

Mentioned in this episode: International Dialects of English Archive, Solo Improv Practice, From Rewatch With Love, Melina Pendulum, HBomberGuy, The Artisan Geek
 
Scripture: Exodus 4:10-12, Proverbs 3:6, James 1:5

This week we have another installment in Grant's reading of the sermons of the Reverend Bob Lawrence. If you haven't heard the previous entries, this one, like the others, is an imagined slice of life from someone adjacent to the Christmas story. Rev. Lawrence was quite the storyteller, and there is a reason these sermons have become a tradition for us.

Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9, Luke 2:21-35

This episode marks the first of the two episodes we came up with based on a Patreon Question back in episode 189 - we're talking about GM Prep. We check in as usual and then - perhaps ironically, perhaps appropriately for an episode that we came up with while answering another Patreon question - we are completely blindsided by the question from Aaron Arnold who asks "Have you seen Silence by Martin Scorcese or Mother! and how did you feel about how they explore the faith?" SPOILER: This quickly becomes a game of "how do we answer a question about media that none of us have seen?" We do get some interesting discussion out of that, if maybe not quite what Aaron was hoping for, and then move on to our scripture and main topic.

That main topic is kind of a general analysis and breakdown of our respective GMing styles, plus a collection of advice we've built up over the course of our gaming careers. We have different approaches to GM prep, although we all agree that it probably shouldn't be anywhere near as daunting as some folks think. We also spend a fair bit of time throughout the discussion ruminating on how running games via virtual tabletops and in-person groups differ.

Resources: /r/battlemaps, Token Stamp, Episode 144: Hacking Published Adventures

Scripture: Proverbs 16:9, Luke 14:28-30, James 4:13-15

It's a thing that often happens in games but seldom gets much detailed thought put into it: the PCs decide to go off and find something mundane to do like shopping or fishing.

We start the episode off with the usual check-in and then move on to our Patreon question where Alex Huggett asks: "How many games do you have on the go? How often do you play?" As you might expect, we're fairly active roleplayers, so there's a fair bit to say there. After reading our scripture, we dive into the main topic, and as it turns out, all three of us approached it from a completely different perspective. Grant and Jenny focused more on the reasons why players would want to do such a thing in the first place and its utility from a narrative perspective, while Peter was more about practical advice for making it interesting. All in all, it added up to a fun and in-depth discussion.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:18, Matthew 25:34-40, Hebrews 2:10-17

We're back with our 4th-quarter episode selected by our Patreon backers and it's definitely kind of an "old-school" episode by our standards where we take a specifically-biblical theme and unpack and discuss it. This time, we're ruminating on the topic of Eden and all of the themes of paradise, fall, and "first-ness" that come with it.

The episode starts with a quick acknowledgement that 2020 remains stressful at this current juncture, but move pretty quickly into a great Patreon question from Tom Stephens who asks "What is the strangest/weirdest/most difficult game mechanic you've ever had to deal with in game?" Given all of our varied game histories, that generates some fun and interesting discussion to warm us up for our scripture and then our main topic of Eden which went to some very interesting places. We discuss the Biblical Eden and some tropes and themes that tie back to it, but also "Eden Worlds" as seen in sci-fi and some other fun digressions.

Mentioned in this episode: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends, by Gertrude Landa, Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books (and a podcast to go with them), the SCP Foundation Wiki,

Scripture: Genesis 2: 8-9, Isaiah 51:3, Ezekiel 28:13-15, Revelation 22:1-5