Category: Podcast

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”—Ecclesiastes 1:9

There’s something appropriate to the fact that Solomon’s words are about 3000 years old, and while he may not have given humanity enough credit in terms of technology, he certainly was right about our behavior. There are two places I think this is relevant, with radically-different levels of importance.

The first and more important is that, as I’ve heard a number of pastors say, there is nothing we can do that God hasn’t seen before. Our shortcomings and sins are neither novel nor noteworthy, and neither is our cycle of struggle, failure, trying again, backsliding, progress, temporary success, and genuine forward progress. The story of the Bible is the story of humanity failing, screwing things up, pleading for forgiveness, getting it, doing better, and then sliding back into old […]

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It’s a short episode this week—Grant, Peter, and Branden recorded it just before Christmas—but we make the most of our time! First up, we plug Sojourn Volume 2 (remember, Peter’s published in here again, along with many of our Booter friends), and we have officially finished up our fundraiser for The Bodhana Group. Then we get down to it with Scripture and a back-and-forth about making holiday-themed games successful. Referenced works: A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny.

Scripture: Isaiah 9:6,

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Every year, I and countless other people make New Year’s Resolutions. And every year, most of us break most of them. The reasons vary, but most resolutions do not survive the year. That leads a lot of folks of a sensible but perhaps a little cynical bent to deride the practice as worthless or just a source of disappointment.

I disagree; I think the practice, even, perhaps especially, given the ephemeral nature of the resolutions is valuable.

For one thing, failed resolutions can be a convenient reminder that even the most sensible of us can’t always predict how things will turn out. It can be a good hedge against Pride to realize that we didn’t accomplish something we wanted to as long as we don’t fall into the trap of self-loathing about it. That same reminder of our own finite and fallible nature, especially so closely placed to Christmas, can help drive home just what a wonderful thing it is that God loves us and chose to walk among us in hu […]

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Our Virtues & Vices series concludes with a look at humility! Peter’s published again in Sojourn Volume 2 and our fundraiser for The Bodhana Group is nearly wrapped up, and well past its goal! There’s also an ongoing discussion we’d like you participate in—essentially, we’re looking for suggestions and improvements for the coming year. After all that, we talk over humility in characters and at the gaming table, and conclude with a special thank-you to our listeners and wishes for a merry Christmas and an awesome New Year.

Scripture:

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Normally at this point, you’d get 700-1000 words of my musing about gaming, Christianity, introvertedness, or something else that touches on the podcast’s topic stable here. But it’s the holidays, and I work in retail, and therefore I’ve been reduced to a shambling Christmas zombie. So instead of a blog post, I offer the following holiday wishes.

To our Christian listeners: Merry Christmas! I hope the joy of the season and the love of both Christ and your loved ones are with you.

To our non-Christian listeners who celebrate another seasonal holiday: Happy Holidays! As you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or whatever other winter holiday you choose, I hope the time is enjoyable and meaningful.

To everyone who uses the Gregorian calendar: Happy New Year! We’re planning another live episode for the 8th of January—our annual r […]

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It’s only Grant and Peter this episode, as we head into the final pair in our Virtues & Vices series! First, we talk about our ongoing (and quickly wrapping up) fundraiser for The Bodhana Group, and give Innroads Ministries some much-deserved plugs as well. Then we explore what C.S. Lewis called “the complete anti-God state of mind”—Pride. Some theological and practical definitions of pride get discussed before we explore pride as a character trait, and its manifestation at the gaming table.

Also mentioned in this episode: Episode 33 of Saving the Game, “Our Origin Stories (with Mike Perna)”;

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The meme of “murder hobos” has been a prevalent one in gaming discussion lately. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s exactly what it sounds like: PCs that wander around killing stuff, often seemingly for its own sake. Violence has been part of RPGs from the beginning; after all, Gygax and Arneson came out of the tabletop wargaming scene when they created D&D back in the 1970s.

Furthermore, even if Gygax and Arneson had come from more of a dramatic tradition rather than a tactical one, violence would be in there. Shakespeare and the Greek plays are full of bloodshed and mayhem. People have been fighting and killing each other, and for that matter, everything that moves, for ages.

I still can’t help but wonder if we’ve put just a little too much emphasis on participating in it in the RPG world. Our recent discussion about nonviolent conflict has been sharing an orbit in my mind with This War of Mine, a game about surviv […]

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