Crucible of Realms

In this Iteration we talk about recent events, read listener feedback and go off on many a tangent.  Image Source: Northern Arizona University You can find Jim's other podcast, Transmissions From the Ninth World, HERE. You can find Kent's video podcast at the Distorted Order site, HERE. RECOMMENDATIONS: Jon recommends the comic Fables and the book Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Jim recommends the book The Reckoning: the Murder of Christopher Marlowe by Charles Nicholl and the game Dungeon World. Also Mentioned in this Iteration: Steel-Toed Shoes Mythbusters ENNie Awards Monte Cook / Numenera GenCon Dragon*Con Pacific Rim Ron Perlman / Sons of Anarchy Guillermo del Toro / Hellboy Charlie Hunnam The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey / Legolas Matthew Wayne Selznick WotC / Paizo Gern Blanston / Steve Martin Bill Willingham / Scourge of the Slave Lords / Vault of the Drow Vertigo Mentat Christopher Marlowe Ken & Robin Talk About Stuff / Kenneth Hite / Robin D. Laws Castle Amber (X2) FATE Core / FATE Accelerated / FATE Core Kickstarter Naked Singularity / Andromeda DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 11 - FIND A NAKED SINGULARITY

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent Guest: THE Jim Harris   In this episode, we create a Steampunk / Victorian Fantasy mashup setting. As the British Empire rolls out its engines of industry, the indigenous populations of its colonies call upon ancient magics to drive them out! Meanwhile, the Druids watch and wait and a sinister figure playing all sides against each other watches from the shadows...  Image courtesy of Imgur Join Jim Harris' cult on Facebook! RECOMMENDATIONS: Jon recommends The Mongoliad by Neal Stephenson. Mentioned in this Episode: Steampunk Ornithopter The Da Vinci Code British Empire Boxer Rebellion The Royal Society The League of S.T.E.A.M. Ghostbusters Druid Oxford University Bursar National Geographic Society Wicker Man Glastonbury The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn D&D Druid Field Marshal Kitchener Gaia The Green Man Cernunnos Celtic Pantheon Brigid Arithmancy Yog-Sothoth Cthulhu "The only winning move is not to play." Boudica DOWNLOAD EPISODE 20 - SORCERER'S GAMBIT

Another quick Kickstarter-related Iteration this time. Upcoming guest David Sobkowiak talks about an ongoing Kickstarter campaign for Walk the Fire, a shared world sci-fi anthology series. Check it out HERE. And stay tuned at the end for outtakes from Episode 19! Mentioned in this Iteration: David Sobkowiak John Mierau Twin Peaks Texas Instruments Brian Aldiss / Helliconia Game of Thrones / World of A Song of Ice and Fire The Hudsucker Proxy The Man in the Moon J.R.R. Tolkien / Middle Earth Languages Goldilocks Zone Slurpee DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 10 - WALK THE FIRE

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent Guest: Matthew Wayne Selznick   Finally, a new episode with actual world-building in it! Though in this episode, we go about it a little differently. Our guest, creator Matthew Wayne Selznick, walks us through the process of building a truly habitable planet, as detailed in his book World-Building for Writers, Gamers and Other Creators, Volume One: Star, Planet, Moon. We develop the world, and from there we brainstorm up a sentient species with a primitive culture. Image courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net During the course of recording, we found a pretty cool site about language: Edenics. RECOMMENDATIONS: Jon recommends SimEarth. Mentioned in this Episode: Brave Men Run / Brave Men Run Podcast Novel 7th Son / 7th Son Podcast Series Anyman: The John Smith EP Tee Morris Vulcan Io Torus / Hypercube Shelob Semaphore Pueblo Gila Monument Opluridae Spore DOWNLOAD EPISODE 19 - PTEMOS

We discuss recent strange turns of events related to the podcast. We also go back and talk about some listener feedback we neglected to cover earlier. (This show was recorded in late February.) The fateful promise Jim made in the Comments section of the FATE Core Kickstarter update can be found HERE. Brennan Bishop's Storm Battalion Indiegogo Project is HERE. Eden Royce's Dark Fantasy Voodoo Story "Rhythm" Appears in the February 2013 issue of the Siren's Call E-Zine - currently available for free download! Kent's new podcast appears on the Distorted Order web site. His sponsorship page for Extra Life can be found HERE. Volume I of Matthew Wayne Selznick's Worldbuilding for Writers, Gamers and Other Creators can currently be found HERE on Amazon. RECOMMENDATION: Jon recommends the web comic Snow by Night. Mentioned in this Iteration: Dragon*Con D&D Next Playtest Gen Con FATE Core Third Eye Games / Eloy Lasanta Eden Royce Douglas Adams / Flying Santa Claus: The Movie / NORAD Tracks Santa Doctor Who Kickstarter / Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple / Deadlands Noir Game of Thrones  Reddit Worldbuilding Community Matthew Wayne Selznick DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 9 - THROW YOURSELF AT THE GROUND AND MISS

We ramble on about recent events, continue pondering the apocalypse and pine away after movies and kickstarters. Mentioned in this Iteration: Asteroid Meme Maya / 2012 Apocalypse / Maya Calendar Apocalypse List Jeane Dixon Apophis / Apophis Clint Black Dragon*Con Friedrich Nietzsche The Metaverse Ready Player One The Hobbit / The Hobbit The Tolkien Professor Sylvester McCoy Hell Noir / Gregory Weir / Eden Royce Hard Magic D&D Next Fate Core / The Dresden Files RPG Atomic Robo Matthew Wayne Selznick JJ Abrams / Star Wars Sequel Trilogy / Star Trek  DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 8 - THE INTERNET STARES LONG INTO YOU

We talk about current events, make announcements, discuss feedback and develop a strange fascination with spices and animal attacks. The Worldbuilding Subreddit Jon mentions can be found HERE. You can find the Transmissions from the Ninth World Podcast HERE. Andante's link for the wiki entry on Dejima is HERE. And Scott Roche's Indiegogo campaign for his upcoming anthology, The Way of the Gun, can be found HERE. Mentioned in this Iteration: Catfish Attack Trident Dolphins Leaving Earth D&D Christmas Town USA The Dresden Files / Cold Days Reddit Transmissions from the Ninth World Monte Cook / Numenera House Greyjoy / A Song of Ice and Fire Dejima Ellis Island Tachyon Matthew Wayne Selznick Scott Roche Indiegogo Mur Lafferty / Jared Axelrod A Fistful of Dollars / Seven Samurai Way of the Gun DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 7 - RELEASE THE CHRISTMAS BEARS!

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent Guest: John "Scooter" Weaver   In this episode we create a burgeoning city full of humans making its way in the world on the edge of three nonhuman lands. In this fantasy world, the human kingdoms do all they can to get a leg-up on their competition, and political backstabbing is the norm. And all the while, the elves, dwarves and orcs watch them as they move closer and closer to danger. RECOMMENDATIONS: Jim recommends Trader Tales: Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell. Jon recommends Giant in the Playground & Order of the Stick. Mentioned in this Episode: Dungeons & Dragons Thieves' World Fritz Leiber / Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser Black Hills Gold Rush Convicts in Australia DUNE / The Spice Balance of Terror The Fisher King Houses of the Blooded Wicker Man Britannia Chivalry / Courtly Love The Bishop! Leviathan Star Trek / Kirk Womanizing Dark Sun Chargé d'affaires Hooverville Dyson Sphere / Dyson Vacuum Cleaners Lowe's Stilgar / House Atreides / Muad'dib Presidio / The Presidio Solomon's Porch / Colonnade Primate / Metropolitan / Magisterium Caratacus Lich Magus Nathan Lowell / Quarter Share Giant in the Playground / Order of the Stick DOWNLOAD EPISODE 18 - ACCORD

A quick iteration discussing the fire that happened recently at the home of two of the hosts of the Walking Eye Podcast. Here is a link to the ChipIn fund that's been set up to help them out: http://ortiz.chipin.com/kevin-weiser-and-jen-dixon Give to it if you can! Please help spread the word! Mentioned in this Iteration: The Walking Eye Podcast RPGPodcasts.com DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 6 - HELP THE WALKING EYE

We read listener feedback, freely toss around Avengers spoilers like they're Halloween candy, and acknowledge the wonders of video game exhaustion. The plant growth time-lapse video discussed in the episode can be found HERE. RECOMMENDATIONS: Jim recommends Achtung Cthulhu! - Zero Point Part 1 - Three Kings and the History of Rome podcast. Jon recommends Death Throes of the Republic, Wrath of the Khans, and The Immortal Iron Fist Vol 2: The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven. Mentioned in this Iteration: Skype The Avengers Agent Coulson SHIELD Series The Hunger Games Tyler Perry Extra Life Pong Space Invaders Borderlands 2 Saints Row SWTOR Starcraft II Children's Health Care of Atlanta Pediatric Hospital MACE Savage Worlds Fiasco Achtung! Cthulhu Modiphius Call of Cthulhu / Chaosium Realms of Cthulhu / Reality Blurs Trail of Cthulhu / Pelgrane Press DrivethruRPG King Arthur (Welsh Legend) Roman Empire Alexander the Great Star Trek / Bread and Circuses The History of Rome Hardcore History Genghis Khan The Gutter Skypes Monkeys Took My Jetpack Young Frankenstein "But I can't say Sylvester, George." Abraham Lincoln (Assassination) The Warriors The Anabasis / Xenophon The Immortal Iron Fist Mortal Kombat Galaga / "That man is playing Galaga!" The Computer is Your Friend DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 5 - WONDROUS FEEDBACK

We talk a little about show notes, read listener feedback and then talk for quite a while about what we did at Dragon*Con 2012! In October, Kent will be participating in the charity Extra Life - check it out! RECOMMENDATION: Jon recommends the web comic Clockworks. My most surreal moment at Dragon*Con 2012. DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 4 - DRAGON*CON POST-MORTEM

We may not have made it to GenCon, but we *will* be at Dragon*Con! We touch a bit on that, recent feedback, upcoming episodes, World of Warcraft, The Dark Knight Rises and more! UPDATE - HERE is the worksheet I (Jim) use to track information as an episode progresses. (Sorry about the delay in getting it up here - PDFCreator conked out on me and I didn't have a chance to redo it until after Dragon*Con.) DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 3 - NOT GOING TO GENCON

Hosts: Jim, Jon & Kent Guest: Jon Carmody   We present a world where everything is EPIC! A Michael Bay-ish world overflowing with testosterone. A world where even the smallest things are cranked up to 11! In this world, the biggest problems are handled by a team of experts who fight against the endless forces of a powerful arch-villain. DOWNLOAD EPISODE 17 - GLADIUS SANCTION

A quick announcement about a charity bundle that upcoming guest Charles White of Fabled Environments has helped put together. It's $12.00 for nearly $300 worth of gaming PDFs and it will only last until the end of July! Links are below - check it out! The Michael Rohan Memorial Fund Charity Bundle at DrivethruRPG.com Fabled Environments' Info Page on the Bundle DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 2 - THE MICHAEL ROHAN MEMORIAL FUND CHARITY BUNDLE

Here's a new thing - a show-between-the-shows! Just some announcements, listener feedback and general banter to tide folks over until the next full setting-creation episode is released. Recommendations: Jon recommends Brave and the Crankcast. Jim recommends Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. DOWNLOAD EPOCH ITERATION 1 - RECAPTURING LIFE PIECES