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Merry Christmas from Grant, Peter, Branden, and everyone else in the Saving the Game community! Speaking of communities: We now have a Google+ Community for Saving the Game listeners. Come join us there!

This episode had some distinct audio issues, for which I apologize - I was able to edit most of them out, but there are a few distinct echoes and extraneous sounds. Thanks again to Shannon Dickson for joining us for this episode! As usual, Peter will have show notes up soon!

We're very happy to welcome Dan Repperger of Fear the Boot as a guest host for this episode! Dan isn't just a founding host of one of the longest-running RPG podcasts out there; he's also a deacon in his church, and well-versed in theology. He's also a lot of fun to have as a guest host. Dan joined us for this episode to discuss a topic he brought up himself: Running fantasy games with a Christian mindset and with respect for Christian beliefs. As usual, Peter's in-depth show notes will be up soon. We also want to remind everyone that while we've reached our first goal for PEG Partners already, we're not done yet! We'd like to raise $250.00 by the end of December if at all possible -- the children PEG Partners helps definitely deserve it, and the Saving the Game community has already proven to be remarkably generous. If you haven't paid much attention to our fundraiser yet, check out our Razoo.com fundraising site or our own page explaining PEG Partners and what they do.

This episode doesn't have much by way of theological discussion in it. Instead it's almost entirely about the process of designing a setting—ways we do it, tips and tricks, etc.. By way of example, we analyze and discuss the settings we're each working on for various projects (including Peter's setting that he's designing for a game he's running for the STG crew.) We didn't mention it in this episode, but we do want to remind people about our holiday fundraiser for PEG Partners as well. As promised, here are the show notes for this episode. They're less lengthy than a lot of our other episodes; we spent a lot more time describing techniques and ideas this time around and a lot less time referencing everything under the sun. Show Notes: Scripture: Exodus 35: 30-33 James 1:17 Quotes: "Good artists create, great artists steal." -attributed to Picasso RPGs: Microscope Iron Kingdoms Eberron (The Day of Mourning) Forgotten Realms D&D 3.5/Pathfinder (This time, the links go to the respective SRDs; it seems more relevant to the episode's discussion) D&D 4e Dawn of Worlds Dresden Files Shadowrun Ptolus World of Darkness Exalted Rifts Books: Harry Potter Series Chronicles of Narnia Lord of the Rings The Rookie TV Series Avatar: The Last Airbender (Note: as of this writing, the entire series is available to watch on Netflix. It is well worth the time investment to do so. -Peter) Movies: Big Fat Gypsy Weddings Websites: (Note: Exercise some discretion. There is good and bad on ALL of these sites.) deviantart.com conceptart.org tvtropes.org wikipedia.org cracked.com

Finally! Note from Peter: Thanks for being patient with us while we got this edited, folks. We wanted to get it out as soon as it was done. Full show notes will follow in a day or so. We're not podfading yet! Scriptures: Job 34:21-24 1 Corinthians 8:9-13 Charities: PEG Partners March of Dimes Happy Wheels (Ronald McDonald House Charity) Annabel Baskets Note: Peter works as a receiver at a book store. Late in the episode, when he references "you should see how many of these I receive in a week" that's what he's referring to. Theological Concepts: Weaker Brother Arguement (specifically applied to RPGs) Game Settings Warrhammer 40k [Rogue Trader] [Dark Heresy] World of Darkness [Mage: The Ascension] [Changeling: The Dreaming] Shadowrun Ravenloft Eberron [Warforged Race] Call of Cthulhu Don't Rest Your Head The Dresden Files RPG [Knight of the Cross] Forgotten Realms [Harpers] Necessary Evil Kill Puppies for Satan Tropes and Concepts: Grimdark (Darker and Edgier) Slippery Slope Creative People: David Lamotte (Musician) Frank Peretti (Author) Alfred Hitchcock (Director) Books: Heart of Darkness Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel TV Series: Firefly Movies: Serenity Historical Periods and Events: World War I Ben Tre  ("We had to destroy the village in order to save it.") Japanese man in SCUBA gear after flooding Historical Figures: Alvin York Video Games: Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II Spec Ops: The Line Far Cry 2 Grand Theft Auto (Series) Saint's Row (Series) Other Podcasts: Fear The Boot Miscellaneous: She Don't Like Firefly (Warning: does contain some off-color humor) Peter's blog post on Spec Ops: The Line

Note from Branden: Apparently I must have been visited by the Doctor or the Men in Black because up until today I could have sworn that I was on schedule for editing and not a week behind. (I'm tying to remember how the week passed me without me realizing it). Anyway I apologize for the delay and I have started working on the next episode right away. No rest for the weary! Note from Peter: In the interest of getting this out as quickly as possible, I'm going to post it now and do the show notes later. The post will be edited with the show notes in the next day or so. Further note from Peter: The week did not go how I expected it to, but here's the show notes. Thank you for your patience. One quick reminder about show notes: they represent what we've referenced, not necessarily things that we endorse! Scripture: Romans 14:16 1 Corinthians: 9-19-23 Psalm 78: 1-4 Romans 14:21 Quotes: "The value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity." - C.S. Lewis Video Games: Dark Cloud Jagged Alliance 2 Final Fantasy (Series) Pac-Man Space Invaders (You can play free it here, if you're so inclined.) Angry Birds Bejeweled (Technically Bejeweled 2) Critical Mass Solitaire AudioSurf Beat Hazard Guitar Hero Rock Band King's Quest (series) Dragon's Lair Space Ace Mass Effect (series) Tetris Fallout 3 Fallout: New Vegas Daggerfall Morrowind Oblivion Skyrim Dishonored Grand Theft Auto (series and IV) Manhunt (series) Liesure Suit Larry (series) Overlord Overlord II Spec Ops: The Line [Peter's blog post (contains spoilers)] Borderlands Dungeon Siege [ERRATA: Dungeon Siege was developed by Gas Powered Games, not Gearbox] Gears of War The Binding of Isaac Left Behind: The Game [John Walker's brilliant snark on Rock, Paper Shotgun] Game Studios and Designers: Bioware Bethesda Rockstar Zynga Gearbox Epic Edmund McMillen (Interview on Roguelike Radio) Video Series: McGee and Me TV Tropes: Moral event horizon Books: Choose your own adventure series Left Behind (Series) Chronicles of Narnia

Sorry for the late episode this week, folks. Grant is off being a Dad for the first time in his life, Branden wanted a little extra time to get the edit just right, and Branden and I both just started classes. It's been a whirlwind. I'll get the usual exhaustive show notes up tomorrow afternoon, but I wanted to make the episode available as soon as possible. Thanks for being patient with us as we all ran around in circles, sometimes while screaming. -Peter Scripture: Luke 21: 1-4 1 John 3:17 (NKJV) 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NKJV) Quotes: "Charity means 'Love, in the Christian sense'. But Love, in the Christian sense, does not mean an emotion. It is a state not of the feelings but of the will; that state of the will which we have naturally about ourselves, and must learn to have about other people. " -C.S. Lewis Video Games: Bahamut Lagoon Mass Effect 2 [The scene we referenced] The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim RPGs: Fiasco In a wicked age Historical figures: St. (Apostle) Paul Living People: David LaMotte [His Charity] Other: Seven Virtues Angel Investing Micro Investing Pay it forward Errata:  Grant mentioned David LaMotte and P.E.G. Partners, but incorrectly stated that David went to Guatemala on tour. David and his wife actually went to Guatemala on their honeymoon, and founded P.E.G. based on what they saw during that honeymoon trip.

Show Notes: We introduce Branden in this episode. We also squared off a bit more than normal this time around, but I think the debate was good. Thanks in advance for being patient with us while we get our "sea legs under us" if debate isn't your cup of tea in podcasting. Also: since we recorded this, Grant and his wife had their baby. Congratulations to them! We have one more episode with Grant in the proverbial can, and then he'll be on a hiatus for what we hope is a relatively short period of time. In the meantime, enjoy! -Peter Scripture Quotes: 1 Timothy 6: 6-10 Matthew 25: 14-30 Matthew 19: 16-26 Luke 6:42   Core Ideas: Seven Deadly Sins Seven Heavenly Virtues   Other Podcasts: Fear the Boot   RPGs: West End D6 Star Wars Rifts D&D  [Eberron] Mage: The Ascension Vampire: The Requiem InSpectres Fiasco Dresden Files   Movies: Pirates of the Caribbean (Series) Lord of the Rings trilogy Heat The Princess and the Frog   TV Series: Dukes of Hazzard Ducktales White Collar Leverage   Historical Figures: Evagarius Ponticus Pope Gregory I   Legendary Figures: Robin Hood   Authors: C.S. Lewis Stephen Lawhead J.R.R. Tolkien   Books: Harry Potter series Mere Christianity Love Wins Ivanhoe   Video Games: Diablo series Star Wars: The Old Republic   Sermons: Church of the Resurrection Sermon Series: Greed (May 24, 2009)   Other: Stacked Deck Entertainment Skinner Box Monty Haul Campaign Power Gaming Munchkin's Guide to power gaming (satirical product) Slippery Slope MacGuffin Cities of Gold Holy Grail    

I apologize for the late hour at which this posts, folks. The show notes ran a bit longer than our previous episodes have; Grant and I referenced a lot of history, media, and game systems, and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. Also, as you may have noticed, I'm still trying to hammer out some things with the show notes, so if you have any thoughts as to how I should nest sub-concepts and so forth, I'd love to hear them. -Peter Show Notes: Saving The Game is available on iTunes Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:45 (NIV) John 15:13 (ASV) Luke 6:41-42/Matthew 7: 3-4 (alluded to) Biblical Figures: Book of Judges [Ehud] King David Goliath Michael the Archangel Joshua Samuel History: (there are links to the Crash Course videos under the YouTube header below) The Crusades Islamic Empire Historical Organizations: Knights Templar Knights Hospitaller Order of the Garter Conquistadores Existing organization: Sovereign Military Order of Malta Swiss Guard Non-Biblical Historical Figures: Richard "The Lionhearted" Saladin Pope Urban II Pope Innocent II Pope Clement V King Philip IV of France Blessed Gerard Napoleon Bonaparte St Augustine St Thomas Aquinas Joan of Arc Sir Walter Scott Alvin York Fictional or Legendary Figures: Robin Hood King Arthur Sir Galahad Solomon Kane Michael Carpenter [Quote: "My Faith Protects me. The kevlar helps."] Aragorn Faramir Alastair (Dragon Age) Wynne (Dragon Age) Matthias Thulmann Sauron Martel Sparhawk Fictional or legendary organizations: Knights of the Round Table Knights of the Cross (Sword) Templars (Dragon Age) Warhammer Fantasy (Witch Hunters) Warhammer 40,000 (Space Marines) Fictional works: Ivanhoe The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane The Dresden Files Lord of the Rings The Reluctant Swordsman The Elenium TV Tropes: Enemy Mine Escort Quest RPGs: D&D Testament Setting (Green Ronin) Note: "Biblical Era" means "Old Testament" in this case In Nomine Dogs in the Vineyard Pathfinder [Worldwound] Video Games: Gratuitous Tank Battles Krater Legend of Grimrock Fallout Tactics Jagged Alliance 2 (Peter has blogged about how awesome the game is) AI War: Fleet Command Dear Esther Minecraft [Creepers] [Technic Pack] Humble Indie Bundle Dungeons of Dredmor Railworks 3 Dragon Age YouTube videos: Crash Course History (The Crusades) Crash Course History (Islam) Crash Course History (Christianity) Other: Diplomatic Immunity Sling Letter of Credit Battle Trance (Something to consider with regard to the Templars) Just War Theory Spear of Longinus True Cross Holy Grail Deus ex Machina Errata: Alvin York was NOT a Quaker. He was a member of the Church of Christ in Christian Union, a Methodist/Episcopal offshoot. Supplemental Material: Some Non-Annoying Paladins: O-Chul Hinjo Alistair Use of Force Continuum Fear the Boot 271: Improv Gaming Aaron Stack's Petty Victories

We talked about alignment this time out, or rather, alignment and other ways to model morality in role playing games. This one came in at about the 50 minute mark as opposed to last episode's 90. If you've got thoughts on length, please feel free to share. The appropriate length for an episode has been the subject of some discussion between us here at Saving the Game. Also: a big thanks to Branden for helping us plan this episode out. Just because you didn't hear his voice doesn't mean he wasn't involved. -Peter Show Notes: Scripture references: 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Romans 3:23 Romans 3:10 Galatians 5:22-23 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Quotes: “When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good. A thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Game Systems and Settings Referenced: D&D Eberron [Church of the Silver Flame] D20 System Living Arcanis Pathfinder GURPS FATE Savage Worlds Necessary Evil Alignment systems: D&D (traditional) Palladium Video games: Diablo (II, III) Knights of the Old Republic Mass Effect (Wiki, tv tropes) Infamous TV: Band of Brothers Book: A Christmas Carol (Project Gutenberg) Ebeneezer Scrooge Webcomic: Order of the Stick (wiki) [Roy Greenhilt (Knight in Sour Armor trope)] Real People: Ronald Spiers Aurelius Prudentius Rod Blagojevich George Ryan Other: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Posttraumatic Growth (This was the subject of a fantastic TED talk by Jane McGonigal) Monty Haul campaign Crayola deluxe set Nicene Creed Psychomachia Seven Heavenly Virtues Seven Deadly Sins The Punisher On Wolves, Sheep, and Sheepdogs Poison dart frogs

Show Notes: Wow, did we ever reference a lot of stuff in our first episode. I've tried to find useful links for everything; this means that a lot of these go to wikipedia, but not all of them. Enjoy the episode, and comment if you'd like something added to the show notes. -Peter Episodes's Scripture passage: Romans 14:16 Episodes's Quotes: "Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." -St. Francis of Assisi "The value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance that has been hidden by the veil of familiarity." -C.S. Lewis Authors and works: J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia Mere Christianity Miracles The Great Divorce The Screwtape Letters Michael Moorcock Elric of Melnibone H.P. Lovecraft Robert E. Howard Conan Kull Solomon Kane Frank Peretti This Present Darkness Jack Vance Lord Dunsany Lt. Col. Dave Grossman On Killing Wolves, Sheep, and Sheepdogs La Morte D'Arthur Mazes and Monsters The Dungeon Master Introverts in the Church Biblical references: Parable of the Good Samaritan: Luke 10:29-37 Christ overturns the tables of the money changers: John 2:15 Christ heals the ear of the servant of the high priest: John 18:10 Other people: Gary Gygax (And a tribute from Wired magazine) William Dear Games: Dungeons and Dragons (And some history) Ravenloft Dread Spirit of the Century Don't Rest Your Head Dogs in the Vineyard Fiasco GURPS D&D Next Savage Worlds Necessary Evil   Movies: Mazes and Monsters Television: Snapped Cases: Dallas Egbert Clara Schwartz Clarification notes: If you're unfamiliar - the "spell casting" Grant and I reference starting around 22:06 takes place entirely in the fiction of the game. Players do not bring amber and bat guano to the table. It's also notable that there are no specific words or gestures described in the spell descriptions in D&D. Players never cast spells nor think they are doing so; the process is essentially telling a story about a fictional third party casting spells. Errata: 26:46 Peter references custom diseases, should be custom deities. Whoops. 36:07 Grant references a Roman soldier having his ear cut off. According to John 18:10 Simon Peter cuts the ear off the servant of the high priest, not a Roman soldier. The context and Christ's message of mercy remain the same. Other: Fear the Boot forums Yoda's cave in Empire Strikes back The Hero's Journey (And here) Gandalf and the Balrog (Picture) Just War Theory Christian Gamer's Guild Dark Dungeons (And a breakdown of why it's inaccurate) Authentic Thaumaturgy Steam Tunnels

Grant and I introduce ourselves and talk about what we want to accomplish with the podcast. (Sorry about all the nervous laughter.) I'll flesh episode 0 out with some more thorough notes later, but I wanted to get this up. -Peter