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Hottest BRP (Basic Roleplaying), Audio
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Newest Titles in This Section
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250: Making Call of Cthulhu Weird
Given that this is our 250th episode, we thought we’d tackle a big topic. While Call of Cthulhu is primarily known as a horror RPG, the Mythos is so much more than simple scares. Its mixture of science fiction, fantasy and horror reflects its origins in weird fiction. But what does that actually mean? And, more importantly, how can we make our games weirder?... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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251: Gothic Horror
This episode is our attempt to understand what exactly Gothic horror is. We’ve often mentioned how Lovecraft’s early work was rooted in the Gothic, but we’ve never really explained what that means. Gothic horror is one of those genres that you know when you see it, but actually defining it can be tricky.
Happily, Matt has a degree in English, and part of his studies involved... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
Pay What You Want
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252: Kill, Baby...Kill!
Building on last episode’s exploration of Gothic horror, we thought we’d follow up with a look at a film that typifies the genre. There are a great many films ostensibly linked to the Gothic, but far fewer that really embody both the tropes and the aesthetic. And, when you narrow things down in those terms, one director stands out: Mario Bava.
Kill, Baby… Kill! may not... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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253: Media Catch-Up - TV
Once again, we are perched open mouthed before the small screen, gobbling down televisual delights and regurgitating opinions. This is the latest in our ongoing series of media reviews, sharing our thoughts on the TV programmes we’ve been watching lately. There’s more horror than usual in our selections, making this episode dangerously on-topic.
Runtime: 60 min
Previous... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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254: Fat Face
This episode is our discussion of Michael Shea’s Mythos tale, “Fat Face”. Originally published as a chapbook in 1987, this nasty little novelette has since been collected in countless anthologies. It’s probably sitting in one of those Mythos books on your shelf right now, waiting patiently for you.
As well as being a great story in its own right, “Fat Face” is the inspiration... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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255: Listener Suggestions
Late last year, 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 now have 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... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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256: Mythos Deities: Cyäegha and Byatis
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, and Tsathoggua, Atlach-Nacha and Abhoth.
Rather than focusing on the creations... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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257: Strange NPCs: Edgar Cayce
This episode looks into the life of Edgar Cayce, the Sleeping Prophet. While Cayce’s work grew in fame following his death, becoming a cornerstone of the New Age movement, his origins were more humble. That’s not to say they weren’t filled with strange events. We delve into his life, belief and legacy, looking for elements we might include in our games.
Runtime:... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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259: Son of Listener Suggestions
Late last year, 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 now have 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... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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260: Victorian Spiritualism pt 1
This is the first of our two-part look at the origins and evolution of Spiritualism in the gaslight era. We look at how Spiritualism grew out of Mesmerism, how it became a religion, some of the strange phenomena that mediums produced at the behest of the spirits. This will continue in the next episode, when we examine some of the key figures of the Victorian Spiritualism... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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261: Victorian Spiritualism pt 2
This is the conclusion of our two-part look at the origins and evolution of Spiritualism in the gaslight era. In the first part, we examined the origins of Spiritualism. This time, we explore how Spiritualism became so popular in Victorian Britain, as well as some of the key figures of Victorian Spiritualism and the strange techniques they used to fake séances.
These... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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262: Time Travel in Call of Cthulhu pt 1
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias are ten years old! Well, not the Good Friends ourselves, obviously. One look at our grizzled countenances should disabuse you of that. If you tried to total up our lived years, you’d quickly run out of fingers. And toes. And any other protuberances you may have. But the podcast itself will have been around for ten years as... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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263: Time Travel in Call of Cthulhu (part 2)
As we mentioned last episode, we ran out of time to discuss time. This means we’ve gone back to the discussion, delving into psychic time travel as well as different varieties of time loops. We also spend a bit of time (it’s really hard not to make jokes here) talking about the way time travel has been presented in Mythos fiction and the Call of Cthulhu... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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264: Hounds of Tindalos
Following on from our time travel episodes, we thought we should find an example of how these tropes have been used in the Cthulhu Mythos. Happily, Frank Belknap Long’s seminal story, “The Hounds of Tindalos”, is about as good an example as we could ask for. As well as showing us a very genre-appropriate method for exploring time, it introduces one of the weirdest and... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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265: Seances
As a belated coda to our discussions of Victorian Spiritualism, we thought we’d go through some contemporary accounts of Victorian séances, looking for inspiration. Our earlier discussions glossed over the details of what actually happens in a séance and how they differ from what we see in popular media. The truth turns out to be far weirder than any fiction.
Our goal, as ever, is... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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267: Books
This episode is the latest in our ongoing series about the media we’ve been consuming recently and how they might influence our gaming lives. As ever, the selection is eclectic, taking in rats, horses, and a magical tattoo in which a horse might conceivably eat a rat for breakfast.
Runtime: 60 min
Previous episodes include discussions of 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu rules, stories by... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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269: Mythos Deities: Yig & Ghatanothoa
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, and Cyäegha and Byatis.
We’re... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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270: Glorious
Following last episode’s discussion of Ghatanothoa (and Yig, but let’s not worry about him for now), we’re talking about one of his rare appearances in media. Glorious presents an unusual and creative take on the Cthulhu Mythos. So unusual, in fact, that Matt spends much of this episode protesting its crimes against canon. It also takes place almost entirely in a rest stop... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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271: The Shadow Over Innsmouth Part 1
This is the first instalment of a multi-episode exploration of HP Lovecraft’s classic weird tale, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. It is a dive so deep it goes all the way down to Y’ha-nthlei.
While “The Call of Cthulhu” gets all the name recognition, it’s fair to say that “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” is Lovecraft’s most influential story. It has... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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272: The Shadow Over Innsmouth Part 2
This is the second part of our multi-episode exploration of HP Lovecraft’s classic weird tale, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Last time, we explored the origins of the story and then joined Robert Olmstead for a quick tour of Newburyport.
Now, moving into chapter 2 of the story, we catch Joe Sargent’s bus from Newburyport, travel across the bleak seaside... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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273: The Shadow Over Innsmouth Part 3
This is the third part of our multi-episode exploration of HP Lovecraft’s classic weird tale, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Last time, we jumped on Joe Sargent’s bus, made the journey to Innsmouth, and bought some cheese crackers.
Now, in chapter 3 of the story, we finally meet Zadok Allen for one hell of an episode of Drunk History. Sure, this... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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274: The Shadow Over Innsmouth Part 4
This is the fourth part of our multi-episode exploration of HP Lovecraft’s classic weird tale, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Last time, we had a long, drunken chat with Zadok Allen, down by the docks. Now, we’re almost ready to catch the last bus out of town.
This time, we reach the action-packed part of the story. Lovecraft isn’t known for his action... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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275: The Shadow Over Innsmouth Part 5
This is the fifth part of our multi-episode exploration of HP Lovecraft’s classic weird tale, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Last time, we followed Robert Olmstead’s increasingly frantic departure from the town of Innsmouth.
Runtime: 60 min
Previous episodes include discussions of 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu rules, stories by H.P.Lovecraft, Gencon, interviews... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 59 – Secrets and Conflict at the Gaming Table
We’re back, and we’re watching each other from the corners of our eyes. Paul is hiding something behind his back, Matt keeps glancing at the door, and I’m trying to look nonchalant. It’s only a matter of time until one of us tips his hand. All of this is a needlessly wordy way of saying that we’re talking about secrets conflict at... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 65 – The Good Friends get stuck into Karl Edward Wagner’s Sticks
We’re back and we’re looking at another classic horror short story. This time it’s Karl Edward Wagner’s Sticks, a nasty little tale that is both of the Cthulhu Mythos and about it. The story draws from a number of real people and events, blending them with fiction to create a delirious nightmare. The imagery... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 66 – The Good Friends horrify themselves
We’re back, and we’re mulling over a topic suggested to us by good friend of the Good Friends, Tore Nielsen: what is the appeal of horror? Our discussion veers all over the place, like a teenage camper trying to escape an axe-wielding maniac. We take in films, television, books and games in our attempt to try to work out what appeals to us about... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 67 – The Good Friends find god(s)
We’re back, and we’re doing another top three countdown. This is a spiritual follow-up to episode 62’s look at our favourite Lovecraftian monsters, only this time we’ve set our sights a bit higher. We each champion our three favourite Mythos deities, giving some background on each, followed by some unusual ways to use them in your Call of... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 68 – The Good Friends go Barker mad
We’re back, and we’re looking at the two Clive Barker feature films that aren’t Hellraiser. We have nothing against Pinhead and his cruel crew of sadomasochistic sybarites (just trying to say that is a torture that would no doubt arouse them), but Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions deserve some unwholesome love too.... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 69 – The Good Friends reveal their true colours
This time it’s the turn of The Colour Out of Space, an unsettling tale that Lovecraft considered the closest he came to capturing the essence of cosmic horror. It revolves around an alien entity that crashes in from deep space to suck the life out of an unsuspecting community, leaving the residents as shambling, empty husks.... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 70 – The Good Friends reveal more of their true colours
We’re back, and we’re wrapping up our discussion of H P Lovecraft’s eerie mix of the Gothic and the cosmic, The Colour Out of Space. This time we’re looking at various adaptations, as well as deciding what we would steal for our games (the answer is almost everything — we’re shameless).
The Good Friends of Jackson... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 71 – The Good Friends bemoan the modern world
We’re back, and we’re chasing you young whipper-snappers off our lawns. Things just ain’t what they used to be, with all these mobile telephonic doodads skulking in people’s pockets, cheap flights to all corners of the world, and eldritch secrets only a mouse click away. How is a Keeper supposed to make players feel powerless and fragile... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 72 – The Good Friends hand out some props
We discuss the different functions of handouts and props, including building atmosphere, providing at-table references and hiding information in plain sight. To avoid being too abstract, we flesh these out with examples of handouts and props that have impressed us, and things we have made with our very own appendages. Matt gives us a few tips for... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 73 – What's New in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition
We’re back, and we’re taking a whistle-stop tour through what’s new in Call of Cthulhu7th edition. While we’ve done episodes on some of the new mechanics before, and Paul has recorded a series of videos summarising the 7th edition quick-start rules, we realised that we’d never actually given an overview of what has changed.... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 74 – The Good Friends lose themselves in INLAND EMPIRE
We’re back, and we’re taking a look at David Lynch‘s 2006 film, INLAND EMPIRE. This is a strange, strange film, even by Lynch’s standards, and unravelling it almost proved too much for the three of us. Happily we were able to draft in some extra help, in the eldritch form of Call of Cthulhu line editor and fellow... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 75 – The Good Friends sing along to The Music of Erich Zann
We’re back, and we’re talking about everyone’s favourite eldritch curtain-twitcher, Erich Zann. Lovecraft’s short story, The Music of Erich Zann, is a highpoint of his early career. More importantly, it is a rare example of a work that all three of us agree about. The sanity-blasting revelations at the end of the... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 76 – Styles of Play in Call of Cthulhu
We’re back and we’re looking at all the different ways in which people use Call of Cthulhu at the gaming table. Conveniently enough, we have Call of Cthulhu line developer Mike Mason on hand to help us with this. Between the four of us, we probably have over 100 years of Call of Cthulhu experience, so we’ve seen... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 77 – The Good Friends dice with death
This episode is our discussion of death in games. Well, specifically it’s a look at the different ways we can handle the deaths of player characters, the approaches to death taken by various RPGs, character deaths we’ve found particularly memorable and suggestions for ways you can make death meaningful and interesting. So, a real bundle of laughs.... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 78 – The Good Friends reveal the secret history of Call of Cthulhu 7th edition
Around a year ago, when we believed the print release of Call of Cthulhu 7th edition was imminent, we spent a day chatting with Mike Mason about how 7th edition had come about, on the assumption we would release the discussion within a month or two. The events that followed now make this seem a little ill-informed.... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 79 – The Good Friends reveal more of the secret history of Call of Cthulhu 7th edition
We’re back with the conclusion of our discussion about how Call of Cthulhu 7th edition came about. Once again, we’re joined by Mike Mason, line editor of Call of Cthulhu, who co-authored 7th edition along with our very own Paul Fricker. I’m saying “once again” like we... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 80: The Good Friends get pulped by Pulp Cthulhu
The bulk of the episode is taken up by a brief overview of what you can expect to find in Pulp Cthulhu, an explanation of what sets it apart from standard Call of Cthulhu, and discussion of our experiences of playing and running the game. Although the PDF is only just on the cusp of release, we each spent much of last year running Pulp Cthulhu,... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 81 – The Good Friends tremble in the Dead of Night
Described as “the roleplaying game of campfire tales, slasher movies and b-movie horror”, Dead of Night is a light, simple system designed for one-shots, and can easily be explained to new players on the fly. You can create a player character in a couple of minutes, which is a good thing, given that they’re known in the game text as... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 82: The Good Friends pose with Pickman’s Model
We’re back, and we’re tearing into the ripe meat of another Lovecraft story. This time we discuss the charnel pleasures and toothsome delights of Pickman’s Model. While there is nothing of the cosmic about this tale, it is one of Lovecraft’s best-known works, and perhaps the purest horror story he ever penned. It introduces... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 83: The Good Friends ponder the appeal of RPGs
We’re back, and we’re looking at the dice clutched in our hands, asking “why?” Seriously, sitting around a table with people you like while everyone pretends to be someone else sounds pretty weird. And yet, for many, roleplaying games are a passion that borders on obsession. The three of us have spent, appropriately for this episode,... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 84 – The Good Friends unearth some Mythos artefacts
Happily, the scarcity of Mythos artefacts has forced us to be honest this episode. There really are only three entries. We could have included tomes or the products of human mad science, but we decided to save those for future episodes. The items we have selected are all guaranteed 100% alien, eldritch and unwholesome. The ISO number for... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 85 – The Good Friends fight off combat fatigue
We’re back and we’re resorting to violence again. Combat is a large part of roleplaying games, arguably disproportionately so. Even in Call of Cthulhu, a game where academics, librarians and antiquarians carefully search crumbling ruins and pore over forbidden tomes in search of knowledge that will either save or doom humanity, sooner... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 86 – The Good Friends play with the conventions of convention games
We’re back and we’re mostly live! No, we haven’t fallen into the clutches of Herbert West. The bulk of this episode is a live recording of a seminar we gave at the Continuum 2016 convention in Leicester. Mike Mason joins us for a discussion of what makes convention games special. This is a subject close to all of... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 87 – The Good Friends fall under the spell of The Witch
We’re back, and we’re talking about a horror film for the first time in far too long. The Witch: A New England Folktale is one of the most unusual and ambitious horror films of recent years. It is an intelligent, sinister and beautifully made period piece, set in the days of colonial America. Few horror films pay this... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 88 – The Good Friends plan out their approach to published campaigns
We’re back, and we’re digging through those thick books and bulging boxed sets that dominate our gaming shelves. Published campaigns have been a huge part of roleplaying games since their infancy. This is especially true for Call of Cthulhu. Call of Cthulhu is often defined by epic campaigns like Beyond... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 89 – The Good Friends explore the many worlds of Clark Ashton Smith
We’re delving into the life and work of Clark Ashton Smith. Along with Robert E Howard, Smith was a core member of H P Lovecraft’s literary circle. While his work was massively popular in Weird Tales, it has been rather overshadowed by that of Smith’s peers. His stories have been reprinted in various forms... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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Episode 90 – The Good Friends are compelled by the Seven Geases
We’re following up last episode’s discussion of Clark Ashton Smith with a look at one of his stories. The Seven Geases is part of Smith’s Hyperborean cycle, the series of his that most intersects with the Cthulhu Mythos. In fact, the The Seven Geases adds more entities to the Mythos than any other single... [click here for more] |
Paul Fricker |
FREE
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