The Good Friends of Jackson Elias

Paul Fricker, Matthew Sanderson and Scott Dorward
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The Good Friends of Jackson Elias Podcast

The Good Friends of Jackson Elias is an irregular podcast devoted to the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game, horror movies and horror gaming in general. It is hosted by Paul Fricker, Matthew Sanderson and Scott Dorward, three freelance writers who have worked on the new edition of Call of Cthulhu and other horror roleplaying games. Episodes are usually built around a particular theme, always centred on our shared love of all things dark and horrifying.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    The Case of Charles Dexter Ward part 1

    We’re back and we’re digging through our family tree. Or should that be digging up our family tree? Either way, we dig it. While The Case of Charles Dexter Ward doesn’t precisely advocate for raising the dead, it doesn’t make it look wholly unappealing either. Just remember to store your essential saltes in a waterproof container. Tupperware is perfect. We don’t want to be messing around with ye liveliest awfulness again. It took ages to get the stains out of the carpet last time! Main Topic: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward part 1 We are beginning our investigation into The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, which will run for five episodes. This is Lovecraft’s longest work, perhaps more deserving of the description “novel” than At the Mountains of Madness or The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. Despite this, it is arguably the most overlooked of Lovecraft’s major works. A shame, as this represents Lovecraft at his most Gothic, weaving a surprisingly subtle tale of witchcraft, necromancy, and dark family secrets. As ever, we start out by discussing the origins and influences of the tale, before picking the story itself apart in search of gaming inspiration. We plan to conclude this run of episodes with a look into the various adaptations of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Links Things we mention in this episode include: Background and Influences * At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft * The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by HP Lovecraft * A Dreamer and a Visionary: HP Lovecraft in His Time by ST Joshi * I Am Providence: The Life and Times of HP Lovecraft by ST Joshi * Lord of a Visible World: An Autobiography in Letters by HP Lovecraft, ST Joshi, and David E Schultz * Lovecraft and a World in Transition by ST Joshi * The New Annotated HP Lovecraft, edited by Leslie Klinger * HP Lovecraft Historical Society readings of Lovecraft * Dark Adventure Radio Theatre * “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” by HP Lovecraft * “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” by Edgar Allan Poe * The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson * Salem witch trials a href="https://i0.wp.

  2. 9 SEPT

    Call of Cthulhu Deities: Iod, Zu-che-quon, and Nyogtha

    We’re back and we’re summoning horrors from beyond space and time. If we’re honest, we’re not quite sure why we’re doing this, but here we are. It’s too late to worry about such details at this stage. We started off by calling up Iod. While he offered to take us on the holiday of a lifetime, the final stop sounded less appealing. Zu-che-quon left us cold, especially when it came to the whole eye thing. Maybe Nyogtha is the best option. Sure, an eternal undeath might drag on a bit, but it still seems like the least worst option. If only we’d thought all this through before starting that chant… Main Topic: Call of Cthulhu Deities – Iod, Zu-che-quon, and Nyogtha This episode is our latest exploration of the deities of the Cthulhu Mythos. We have devoted previous episodes to Dagon, Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, Hastur, Azathoth, Nodens, Ubbo-Sathla and Mordiggian, Ithaqua, Cthulhu, Daoloth and Eihort, Gla’aki, Y’golonac, Tsathoggua, Atlach-Nacha and Abhoth, Cyäegha and Byatis, Yig and Ghatanothoa, and Shudde M’ell, Yibb-Tstll and Bugg-Shash. Here, we’re turning to the creations of Henry Kuttner, a member of the original Lovecraft circle. Specifically, we’re covering the gods Iod, Zu-che-quon, and Nyogtha. As usual, we discuss their origins in fiction, how they’ve been developed in the Call of Cthulhu RPG, and how we might use them in our own games. Henry Kuttner Links Things we mention in this episode include: Iod * Henry Kuttner * The Book of Iod edited by Robert M Price * The Secret Doctrine by Madame Blavatsky * a href="http://www.gutenberg.

  3. 26 AUG

    Listener Suggestions Meets the Wolf Man

    We’re back and we’re being suggestive. Or is that suggestible? Why don’t you tell us! Main Topic: Listener Suggestions Meets the Wolf Man Back in late 2022, we used Discord and Twitter to ask our listeners what kinds of things they’d like to hear us discuss. The response was overwhelming and we ended up with a massive list of possible topics. Although these suggestions were exceptional, there are a good number we’d struggle to turn into complete episodes. Rather than ignore these, we’ve decided to go through the replies and see what we can address succinctly. We started going through these suggestions in a few earlier episodes, but we barely scratched the surface. Here, we delve into several more topics, including dystopian fiction, queer horror, family connections, and gaming with young children. Thank you to the Roll to Save Podcast, Alison Cybe, Graham Walmsley, and OrcusDorkus for the topics we discuss in this episode. Please do let us know if you have any suggestions of your own. Links Things we mention in this episode include: * Vision On * Take Hart * Paranoia * WMD * Grogmeet * Cyberpunk RPG * Cyberpunk literary genre * Blade Runner (1982) * Blade Runner RPG * Midnight – Legacy of Darkness * Warhammer 40,000 * Dark Heresy * Rogue Trader * Black Crusade * Definition of dystopia * Freemarket * Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell * Brazil (1985) * Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

  4. 19 AUG

    Special: Interview With Jason Cordova part 2

    We’re back with the conclusion of our interview with Jason Cordova, the mastermind behind The Gauntlet and creator of such RPGs as Brindlewood Bay, The Between and Public Access. Our winding discussion takes in game design and publishing, analogue horror, and Victorian pornography, among other topics. Since recording this episode, Jason has announced a crowdfunding campaign for a three-volume print edition of The Between, packed with alternative settings and other bonus material. The campaign begins on the 24th of September 2024. You can find full details on the project’s Backerkit page. If you want to hear The Between in action, you can hear Scott playing a campaign on Ain’t Slayed Nobody, alongside Nic Rosenberg, Josephine McAdam, and cuppycup, with Jason Cordova as Keeper. Links Things we mention in this episode include: * The Between * Penny Dreadful * Spring-heeled Jack * “Hell in Texas” from The Things We Leave Behind * Victorian Spiritualism * Sir Arthur Conan Doyle * London Labour and the London Poor by Henry Mayhew * Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens * People of the Abyss by Jack London * Indian cone pattern * Memento mori photography * Victorian London: The Life of a City by Liza Picard * Holywell Street

  5. 12 AUG

    Under the Pyramids

    We’re back and we’re catching up with our sleep. You think we’d be trying harder to escape, given that we’ve been tied up and lowered into the abysmal depths under the pyramids. But, no, we’re just going to nod off for a while and hope our dreams offer some useful clues. It’s how Harry Houdini himself would have handled the situation, at least when he was being written by HP Lovecraft. Now, let’s drift off again and see if we can find a way out of this labyrinth! Main Topic: Under the Pyramids Following last episode’s exploration of the life of Harry Houdini, we thought we’d follow up with a look at his collaboration with HP Lovecraft — “Under the Pyramids”, also known as “Imprisoned With the Pharaohs”. We spend a little more time than usual discussing the origins of the story, partly because they offer insight into the unlikely relationship between the two men, but mostly because they’re just so damn weird. The story itself may be a minor one in Lovecraft’s canon, but we still find gaming inspiration. But, mostly, we delight in the phrase “corpse gurgle”. And why shouldn’t we? Harry Houdini, trying to work out where that gurgling is coming from Links Things we mention in this episode include: * Strange NPCs: Harry Houdini * A Dreamer and a Visionary: HP Lovecraft in His Time by ST Joshi * I Am Providence: The Life and Times of HP Lovecraft by ST Joshi * Lord of a Visible World: An Autobiography in Letters by HP Lovecraft, ST Joshi, and David E Schultz * Weird Tales * Houdini in Weird Tales * Frank Belknap Long * “The Mound” by HP Lovecraft for Zealia Bishop * Sonia Greene * “Hypnos” by HP Lovecraft * “The Loved Dead” by HP Lovecraft and CM Eddy Jr * The Cancer of Superstition by HP Lovecraft and CM Eddy Jr for Harry Houdini * Spiritualism * Masks of Nyarlathotep...

  6. 5 AUG

    Special: Investigative Games With Jason Cordova

    We’re back with another special interview episode. This time, we’re talking to Jason Cordova, the mastermind behind The Gauntlet and creator of such RPGs as Brindlewood Bay, The Between and Public Access. Jason’s games take a different approach than most to investigation, informed by the classic indie RPGs from the days of The Forge. We talk about how these techniques might be applied to other games, such as Call of Cthulhu, as well as what makes for an interesting mystery. Since recording this episode, Jason has announced a crowdfunding campaign for a three-volume print edition of The Between, packed with alternative settings and other bonus material. The campaign begins on the 24th of September 2024. You can find full details on the project’s Backerkit page. If you want to hear The Between in action, you can hear Scott playing a campaign on Ain’t Slayed Nobody, alongside Nic Rosenberg, Josephine McAdam, and cuppycup, with Jason Cordova as Keeper. Links Things we mention in this episode include: * The Gauntlet * Fear of a Black Dragon * The Darkened Threshold * Old School Renaissance * Ain’t Slayed Nobody * The Between preview edition * Public Access * Powered by the Apocalypse * Apocalypse World * Dogs in the Vineyard * Blades in the Dark * Brindlewood Bay * Dungeon World * Dungeon World For Beginners * The Forge * The Big Sleep (1946) * a href="https://en.wikipedia.

  7. 29 JUL

    Strange NPCs: Harry Houdini

    We’re back and we’re squirming. Sure, the best way to get out of this straitjacket would be to have someone unbuckle it, but where’s the fun in that? Then again, now that we’re getting lowered head first into this water tank, being untied sounds a lot more appealing. Let’s see how long we can hold our breath! Main Topic: Harry Houdini This is the latest instalment in our Strange NPCs series, offering discussions of the lives of interesting historical personages from the classic ages of Call of Cthulhu, along with thoughts about how we might use them in our games. Previous subjects have included Albert Fish, Louis Wain and Edgar Cayce, as well as the various luminaries covered by our Great NPCs of History series. This episode is an exploration of the life of legendary escape artist Harry Houdini. The word “legendary” is particularly apt here, as the myths Houdini and others created about his life make the truth difficult to ascertain sometimes. This probably makes him a more interesting candidate for games, however, as everything about him is garbed in stories. As many listeners almost certainly know, there is a direct connection between Houdini and Lovecraft, but we shall delve into that next episode when we head “Under the Pyramids”. Links Things we mention in this episode include: * Houdini: the Elusive American by Adam Begley * Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls by William Lindsay Gresham * The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski * Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss by Kenneth Silverman * Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin * Jacob Hyman * Theodore Hardeen * Medicine shows * Dime museums * Spiritualism and Call of Cthulhu * Nightmare Alley (2021) * Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham * Metamorphosis illusion

  8. 15 JUL

    Non-Human Characters in Call of Cthulhu

    We’re back and we’re doubting our humanity. It’s easily enough done. Whether it’s these gill slits on our necks, that pervasive smell of death surrounding us, or just the weird way our shadow shifts and twists, there’s always been something a little off. Normally, that doesn’t cause any problems beyond the usual revulsion. It does make us wonder, however, whether we’re really protagonist material. Is a background role the best a non-human character can hope for in this game, or it is finally our time to shine as investigators? Main Topic: Non-Human Characters in Call of Cthulhu There are plenty of creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos that resemble humans, both in appearance and intelligence. While it’s easy to categorise them as monsters, we explore how to present them as fully formed characters. Normally, their role would be as an antagonist, but the Mythos is more ambiguous and nuanced than that. Some of your best friends might be ghouls! And, of course, Lovecraft’s protagonists often discovered that they weren’t quite as human as they’d believed. Why shouldn’t the same be true in Call of Cthulhu? What are some of the considerations of having non-human characters as investigators in your game? Links Things we mention in this episode include: * D&D * “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” by HP Lovecraft * “Pickman’s Model” by HP Lovecraft * The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by HP Lovecraft * “The Outsider” by HP Lovecraft * At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft * “Nyarlathotep” by HP Lovecraft * “The Whisperer in Darkness” by HP Lovecraft * “Fat Face” by Michael Shea * “The Shadow Out of Time” by HP Lovecraft * Possession in Call of Cthulhu * Ghosts in Call of Cthulhu * Cloverfield (2008) * Ain’t Slayed Nobody * Invasion of the Body Snatchers (195...

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About

The Good Friends of Jackson Elias is an irregular podcast devoted to the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game, horror movies and horror gaming in general. It is hosted by Paul Fricker, Matthew Sanderson and Scott Dorward, three freelance writers who have worked on the new edition of Call of Cthulhu and other horror roleplaying games. Episodes are usually built around a particular theme, always centred on our shared love of all things dark and horrifying.

Information

  • Creator
    Paul Fricker, Matthew Sanderson and Scott Dorward
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2024
  • Episodes
    299
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Scott Dorward, Paul Fricker and Matthew Sanderson
  • Show Website
    The Good Friends of Jackson Elias

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