AGC 180 February 18th 2014 (Is This Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?) (1:25:09)

With Mark Kinney, Carol, Mags, and Special Guest Husband Steve. The flat, copyright-safe tone of voice, and threat of a chorus. Marvel vs DC! Cold City. Mark's Gutter Skype game pitches. DriveThru Picks! Worldbuilding: reality based, total fantasy, or somewhere in between? Worlds, characters, the works! Kickstarters!


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Show links
Timewatch (Kickstarter)
Project: Dark (Kickstarter)
Baker Street (Kickstarter)
Mutant Chronicles 3rd Edition (Kickstarter)
Against The Dark Yogi (Kickstarter)
Living Games Conference Recording (IndieGoGo)
Mecha vs Kaiju (Kickstarter)
AMP: Year One (Kickstarter)
Zeppelin Attack! (Kickstarter)
Scoville (Kickstarter)
Tome of Horrors Complete II (Kickstarter)
Ravenfell (Kickstarter)
He Who Laughs Last (Kickstarter)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark:Torchbearer (Burning Wheel)
Carol:Savage Worlds Science Fiction Companion (Pinnacle Entertainment Group)
Steve: DC Adventures Universe (Green Ronin Publishing)
Mags:Cold War Bundle (Contested Ground Studios)
Also:W20 Cookbook (White Wolf)
Also:Hexagon Composition Book (Melior Via)


Promos
Completely Comics

AGC News February 15th 2014 (37:56)

With Mark, Carol, Mags, and Special Guest Husband Steve. Wizards response to counterfeiters. GenCon/Mayfair continued co-sponsorship, and the 2014 Charity Partner. New ENnies categories for organized play adventures! Big money in Kickstarters. Lion Rampant's games from Zoch Verlag. Loonacy. Hot Tin Roof. The Furture Card Buddyfight launch event. Firelands for Talisman. Relic: Nemesis. Naruto Shippenden deck building game. Chaosmos. Pagoda and Istanbul (Not Constantinople! -- Sorry) and Valley of the Kings. Akrotiri. Rogue Agent and Voluspa. 40 Years of D&D! Ice-T reading a D&D audiobook? Star Wars: Age of Rebellion. Rolemaster Combat Minion! Orange County Gaming Group and their Kickstarter. Robotech RPG Tactics delayed. Wizkids doing D&D Miniatures! An assist for Torn Armor! D&D Yoga. Jeopardy Game Theory. A Gaming Bar in Toronto.


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Show links
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana
ENnie Awards
ICO Partners 2013 Kickstarter Analysis
Official Dungeons and Dragons Facebook Page
Dave Ewalt's Intro to Dungeons and Dragons for New York Magazine
Ethan Gilsdorf's All I Needed to Know About Life I Learned From Dungeons and Dragons
Jon Petersen's video of rare items from D&D's development
Ice-T Baffled By D&D Lingo
Rolemaster Combat Minon App
Role players embark on real-life business venture (Orange County Register)
Center Stage Minatures' promotion for Torn Armor
Lesser Gnomes Games' Torn World Promotion - Use the code BIGMAP in their online store for discounts!
D&D Yoga
Business Insider's story on Jeopardy Champion Arthur Chu
DeckEpic
Snakes and Lagers

AGC 179 February 13th 2014 (The Big Chill) (1:19:21)

With Mark Kinney, Carol, and Mags. It has been cold, and Canada can have it's weather back. Gaming updates. Distance gaming! An RPG Buffet aside about Carol's Changeling LARP! Mark reviews Machine of Death! Talk of the Firefly RPG! The established character how to play them. Recruiting for the Hellas contest. A test play of Machine of Death.


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Show links
Changeling The Dreaming 2nd Edition (DriveThruRPG)
Machine of Death
Firefly RPG (Margaret Weis Productions)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark:Adventure 3: Trillion Credit Squadron (Mongoose Publishing)
Carol:Shaintar: Legends Unleashed Players Guide (Evil Beagle Games)
Mags:The Flux (John Wick Presents)

AGC News February 7th 2013 (35:59)

With Carol and Mags. Counterfeit Magic card concerns. Magic and D&D movie news. D&D Next release date! TableTop Day 2014 scheduled. Games Workshop sales dip, and coming changes. Mensa Mind Games rules changes! My Little Pony CCG news. Vikings reprint. Twilight Creations releases. Zombies Keep Out! Small World 6-Player expansion. The Witcher Adventure Game. HAWKEN Real Time card game. DC Heroclix War of Light and organized play changes. Tyranny of Dragons and new D&D Encounters. Star Wars Age of Rebellion beginners set! Big sales for Infinity! A new Blue Max! Now you, too, can stump Sherlock!


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Show links
Polish Tamales post about counterfeit Magic cards
Warning For Those Who Buy Singles Online (BoardGameGeek)
Create Your Perfect Crime (Gibson Games)

AGC 178 January 28th 2014 (The Big Mish Mash) (2:50:24)

With Mark Kinney, Carol, and Mags. Mark explains the delays as best he can, and how he organized this particular episode. DriveThru picks. Reviews! Carol discusses Third Eye's Top Billing and Mark discusses The Gamers: Hands of Fate (which morphs into gender concerns in gaming). Burnout (which morphs into other things, a confessional by Mark among them). Mags looks at Looney Labs' Fluxx: The Board Game and talks a bit about playtesting Khepera Publishing's Atlantis: The Second Age! More morphing, this into unfamiliar genres. Cerberus Gaming Combine and plagiarism and piracy, oh my! And finally look back at 2013!


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Show links
Third Eye Games (Top Billing)
The Gamers: Hands of Fate (Zombie Orpheus/Dead Gentlemen)
Fluxx: The Board Game (Looney Labs)
Atlantis: The Second Age (Khepera Publishing)
Cerberus Gaming Combine posts (Aggregate Cognizance)
More on Cerberus Gaming Combine (Aggregate Cognizance)
The Eldritchdark.com Post Mentioned
Caught Red Handed (NSFW) (Studio187)
So Why Are Some Cloned Games Okay And Others Arent? (Aggregate Cognizance)
MythBusting: Game Design and Copyright, Trademarks, and Patents (US Law) (BoardGameGeek)
Slabtown Games (Storyscape)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark:Doctor Who: The Ravens of Despair (Cubicle 7)
Carol:Doctor Who 11th Doctor Upgrade Pack (Cubicle 7)
Mags:The Esoterrorists Second Edition (Pelgrane Press)
Also:Bad Myrmidon (Neoplastic Press)

RPG Buffet 37 (Year of World of Darkness Catch-Up) (34:15)

Concluding the Year of World of Darkness, the RPG Buffet discusses Mummy: The Curse, a Changeling: The Dreaming LARP, a crossover game, and Victorian Age Vampire!

RPG BUFFET AUGUST 2013 – MUMMY: THE CURSE
When you’re playing a game with mummies, you of course have to go Egyptian-themed with your meal. Dishes that night included hummus, couscous, shawarma, and Egyptian lemonade.

CHICKEN SHAWARMA – serves 6 (from TheShishka.com):
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (4 large thighs)
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne
Salt and black pepper
Nonstick cooking oil spray

Slice the chicken breasts into 5-6 pieces each and the thighs into 3-4 pieces each. Place them in a marinating dish or large plastic zipper bag.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, the spices, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper (if you're salt sensitive, use 1/2 tsp of salt). Pour the spice marinade over the chicken pieces. Stir with a spoon till all the chicken pieces are evenly coated in the marinade.

Cover the marinating dish with plastic wrap, or close the zipper bag. Place chicken in the refrigerator and let it marinate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium. Pour half of the chicken into the skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes till the smallest pieces of chicken turn brown and crisp. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet. Heat another 1 tbsp of oil and saute the remaining chicken in the same way. Serve warm.

EGYPTIAN LEMONADE (from Food.com):

6 cups water
2 lemons
5 tablespoons sugar or 5 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Quarter the lemons. Put the water and quartered lemons in a pot, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Strain into a teapot and stir in the sugar and orange blossom water. Bring to a boil and serve.

RPG BUFFET SEPTEMBER 2013 – CHANGELING: THE DREAMING LARP, WITH SPECIAL GUEST GM CAROL

September gave us a last burst of warm weather, so we decided to grill out one last time before the weather turned against us. Mags brought marinated pork chops for the entrée.

SIMPLE BUT AWESOME LEMON PEPPER PORK CHOP MARINADE (from AllRecipes.com)
4 pork chops
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
8 tablespoons butter, melted
8 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

In a deep bowl, mix all of the marinade ingredients. Marinade chops for at least two hours, then grill.

RPG BUFFET OCTOBER 2013 – WORLD OF DARKNESS CROSSOVER

It’s our annual Chili Night—and Mags forgot about it. Here’s the chili recipe she had planned to make before work destroyed her memory.

CHICKEN AND CHORIZO CHILI (from Epicurious.com):

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (to be divided)
6-8" segment chicken chorizo uncooked casing removed (if using cooked slice into thin segments and add with chickpeas)
1.5lbs. skinless bonless chicken breasts
3/4 tsp salt
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves minced or pressed
2 tsp. cumin
2 chipotle peppers chopped and seeded (this will make it spicy, if you dont like spice only add one)
1/4 cup salsa
1 can diced no salt added tomatoes
2 cans chickpeas rinsed well and drained
2 cups great northern beans well rinsed and drained
1/2 cup washed dried and chopped cilantro (or parsley for different flavour)
Low Sodium reduced fat chicken broth (.5 cup... or more if making a soupy stew)

1. Preheat slow cooker to medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil. Add chorizo in managable sized chunks and brown. Remove chorizo with slotted spoon and place on plate over paper towels to soak up excess oil
2. Add chicken breasts (chorizo should leave some oil in pan but if extra oil is needed add an extra .5 tablespoon or so) brown chicken breasts, remove and place in a pot of boiling water, reduce heat to medium/low and cook at low boil for 12 min.
3. Add remaining oil and once heated add onion and garlic over low heat saute until translucent and tender
4. Add chipotle and cumin and stir
5. When chicken is done cooking remove from pot and cool with cold water, shred chicken.
6. Return chorizo to pot, stir, add chicken and salsa
7. Add rinsed chickpeas, great northern beans, tomatoes, desired amount of broth, half of reserved cilantro (or parsley) cover and simmer 1 hour on low.
8. Add remaining cilantro and salt and pepper to taste

RPG BUFFET NOVEMBER 2013 – VICTORIAN AGE VAMPIRE
“We’re having a Victorian-style tea party!” Kae declared, and to prove how serious she was, she made proper English cucumber sandwiches.

THE PERFECT CUCUMBER SANDWICHES (from TheGuardian.com) (Makes 9)
1/2 cucumber, peeled
Salt
6 thin slices of good white bread
Unsalted butter, at room temperature
White pepper

Cut the cucumber into slices as thin as you can make them, and put in a colander or sieve. Sprinkle lightly with salt (don't go overboard) and leave for 20 minutes. Taste to check you haven't oversalted them: you can rinse them at this point if so.
Lay out a few pieces of kitchen paper on the work surface, place the cucumber slices on them, and pat dry with more paper.
Lay out the bread and butter each slice generously. Arrange the cucumber on half the slices, overlapping each round, and sprinkle with ground white pepper. Top with the remaining slices.
Pressing down firmly, cut the crusts off, and then cut into neat fingers, triangles or quarters of roughly equal sizes. Serve immediately, with good tea.

AUTHENTIC CHAI TEA (from ASpicyPerspective.com)
2 ¼ cups water
1 whole star anise
1 stick cinnamon
4 cardamom pods, cracked
4-5 black tea bags, or ¼ cup loose black tea
2 cups whole milk or half-n-half
¼ cup sugar
Press the cardamom pods until they crack. Bring the water, tea, star anise, cinnamon, and cardamom to a boil.
Boil for 3-5 minutes until the tea is black and has reduced to about 2 cups. Strain and add the sugar. Add the milk and stir until hot.
Place the used cardamom pods in the bottom of the cups for good friends.
Makes 4 American-sized servings or 12+ Indian-sized servings.

Brandon made Benedictine sandwiches:
Miss Jennie Benedict's Benedictine Spread (from the Louisville Courier Journal)
· 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
· 3 tablespoons cucumber juice
· 1 tablespoon onion juice
· 1 teaspoon salt
· a few grains of cayenne pepper
· 2 drops green food coloring

To get the juice, peel and grate a cucumber, then wrap in a clean dish towel and squeeze juice into a dish. Discard pulp. Do the same for the onion. Mix all ingredients with a fork until well blended. Using a blender will make the spread too runny.

If, like Mags, you don't like the idea of wasting cucumber, simply peel, de-seed, and chop the cucumber, then mix with the remaining ingredients.

Finally, for our Catch-Up Recording Session, Mags cooked lunch for the participants—a vegan chili, and some chicken-based comfort food.


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Show links
Mummy: The Curse (White Wolf)
Changeling: the Dreaming (White Wolf)
Victorian Age Vampire (White Wolf)

AGC News November 27th 2013 (24:35)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. The TableTop Bump? Some interesting deals for the holidays. Mars Attacks! Get Lucky! Pandemic: The Cure! Nations! Galaxy Trucker and Tzolk'in! Some stuff about monsters... Firefly RPG release schedule! Fantasy Flight and world chess tournament news! Robotech RPG Tactics delayed. Something special for Cards Against Humanity.


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Show links
Robotech RPG Tactics Updates (Kickstarter)
Anand Carlsen Video with Commentary
Cards Against Humanity Bigger Blacker Box
Bigger Blacker Box imaged (imgur) (NSFW!)

RPG Buffet 36 (Dark Ages: Inquisitor and Demon: the Fallen) (38:49)

Still getting caught up on the RPG Buffet Year of World of Darkness, this time featuring Dark Ages: Inquisitor and Demon: the Fallen!


Recipes for Dark Ages: Inquisitor

Bouef Bourguignon
3 pounds of beef sirloin cut into cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 slices of bacon, diced
3 - 4 carrots, diced
8 small new red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
8 - 10 mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, chopped (or for those with onion allergies, 2 Tablespoons of Hing powder)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup lentils, dry
1/2 cup pearled barley
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups of beef or chicken broth
2 cups of burgundy wine

Coat beef in flour, shaking off excess.  Set aside. Fry bacon in large skillet over medium heat until partially cooked.  Add beef and cook until browned. Layer carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, onion garlic, lentils, and barley in a slow cooker.  Add spices and meat.  Add broth and wine.  Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until beef is tender.  Remove and discard bay leaf before serving.

Ratatouille
Kae used the recipe posted by Pixar on their site for the movie, and preserved online here. The recipe is by legendary American chef Thomas Keller (influenced by confit byaldi), owner of The French Laundry. Kae says it was a challenge to make, but it was totally worth it!

Mousse au chocolat
Louis pulled the recipe from RPG Buffet episode 15 to make his chocolate mousse.

Recipes for Demon: the Fallen

Homemade Parsnip Fries (from BonAppetit.com)
2 1/2 pounds parsnips or carrots, peeled, cut into about 3x1/2-inch strips
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus 5 sprigs rosemary
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon (or more) ground cumin

Preheat oven to 450°. Mix parsnips, chopped rosemary, garlic, and oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer. Scatter rosemary sprigs over. Roast for 10 minutes; turn parsnips and roast until parsnips are tender and browned in spots, 10–15 minutes longer. Crumble leaves from rosemary sprigs over; discard stems and toss to coat. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. cumin over. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more cumin, if desired.


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Show links
Dark Ages: Inquisitor (White Wolf)
Demon: the Fallen (White Wolf)

RPG Buffet 35 (Hunter: The Vigil and Orpheus) (38:27)

Still getting caught up on the RPG Buffet Year of World of Darkness, this time featuring Hunter: The Vigil and Orpheus!


Recipes For Hunter: the Vigil
John placed this adventure in the Carpathian Mountains, so the Buffet returned to their beloved Hungarian menu! Please see the show notes for RPG Buffet episode 15 for our Hungarian recipes.

Recipes For Orpheus

Crock-Pot Meat Loaf (from AllRecipes.com)
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine eggs, milk, bread crumbs, onion, salt, sage, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Crumble ground beef over mixture and stir well to combine. Shape into a round loaf; place in a 5-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), 5 to 6 hours.

Whisk ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl; spoon sauce over meat loaf. Return to slow cooker and cook on Low until heated through, about 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Garden Vegetable and Bean Soup (From FatFreeVegan.com)
6 cups fat-free vegetable broth (but I used Imagine Un-Chicken broth)
cooking spray
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 teaspoons garlic or four cloves minced garlic
1/2 cabbage, chopped
1/2 pound frozen green beans
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
generous grinding of black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 large zucchini, diced
1 19-ounce can (2 cups) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (may substitute Great Northern Beans or any white beans)

Sauté the carrots, onion and garlic in a large non-stick pot for about 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and cannellini beans and bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add the zucchini and cannellini and cook until the zucchini are tender.


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Show links
Hunter: The Vigil (White Wolf)
Orpheus (White Wolf)

AGC 177 November 15th 2013 (Smells Like Potpourri) (1:13:06)

With Mark Kinney, Carol, and Mags. This was recorded in July, so some of the stuff is a little out of date -- blame Mark for that. The end of a Dresden campaign, and Fae-based food for a Changeling LARP? Peter Capaldi. The main segment: The FandomFest discussion, Kickstarter and the Doom that Came to Atlantic City, and Eureka! And yeah, we missed GenCon. Coming at the end of the year, the Essential Gamers Stuff List!


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Show links
A Blog About FandomFest (Kentucky Geek Girl)
The Doom That Came To Atlantic City Timeline (Kickstarter)
TDTCTAC Cancellation Statement (Kickstarter)
Keith Baker Responds
Crytpzoic Saves The Doom! (Keith Baker)
Eureka (Engine Publishing)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark:D&D Rules Cyclopedia (Wizards of the Coast)
Carol:Masks (Engine Publishing)
Mags:The Nazi Occult (Osprey Publishing)

AGC News October 29th 2013 (22:12)

With Mark and Carol. Countersuit ahoy for D&D movies. Wizard World Comic Con adding cities! Fantasy Flight Games Center! New pro Magic rankings. IDW and Pandasaurus. Magic 2013 Gift Box. Denizens of the Underworld. Carcassonne: South Seas. Barnes and Noble Munchkin exlcusives! Legend of the Five Rings: Aftermath! Expanded Upper Deck licensing. Galaxy Defenders! Russian Railroads! Concordia! Quantum! Reaper Bones II! More wargames from Osprey! Showdown for Achtung! Cthulhu! Warmachine High Command. A Dangerous Games Fiasco!


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Show links
Reaper Miniatures Bones II (Kickstarter)
Dangerous Games Fiasco Playset (Bully Pulpit Games)

AGC Interview 28 (Legendary Games) (32:18)

Mark speaks with Jason Nelson and Neil Spicer from Legendary Games about the current Gothic Adventure Plug-Ins Print Edition Kickstarter!


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Show links
Legendary Games
Legendary Games Pathfinder Books In Print (Kickstarter)
Legendary Games on Facebook
Legendary Games on Google+
Paizo Message Boards
Legendary Games on DriveThruRPG


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

AGC Interview 27 (Divine Instruments) (24:03)

Mark and Carol talk to Eloy Lasanta of Third Eye Games about the ongoing Kickstarter for the first supplement for Part-Time Gods, Divine Instruments, and points beyond!


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Show links
Third Eye Games
Divine Instruments and Beyond (Kickstarter)
Eloy the Saint


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

AGC Interview 26 (Tiny Epic) (13:55)

Chris Heim makes his return to All Games Considered with an interview with Todd Lyles, the creator of the Tiny Epic RPG!


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Show links
Tiny Epic RPG


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

AGC 176 August 19th 2013 (Popping the Hood) (1:01:18)

ith Mark Kinney, Carol, and Mags. This was recorded in June, and so Mark talks about HyperiCon. RPG Buffets coming, Carol's gaming plans, Mark's adventures with Free RPG Day and a demo of Tiny Epic character creation. DriveThruRPG picks! DriveThru Pay What You Want. Favorite mechanics! This episode should have been named "Unstable Shelf of Anvils." Promo feedback (and send us yours!). Wisdom of the Gamers: Etiquette in mechanics discussion.


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Show links
Tiny Epic


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark:FATE Core (Evil Hat Productions)
Carol:Leverage Companions Bundle (Margaret Weis Productions)
Mags:RPG Background Loops (Plate Mail)


Promos
BoardgamePodcasts.com
Rhythms of the Dead: The Best of Sudden Death

AGC 175 August 13th 2013 (Hoarders: The Gamer Edition) (55:37)

With Mark Kinney and Mags. This was recorded in June, and thus the references to crazy weather and such. And Carol was at work. Le tarot. Mark did get to HyperiCon -- you'll hear more in 176. Doctor Who casting. DriveThru Picks! Collecting games. The end of the WoD. Why collect instead of play? Evaluating (and culling!) your collection. The Electronic Effect. Genre? Is it wrong not to have D&D in the house? Paying more than cover price. The Bubble (or lack thereof). Feedback on licensed games!


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Show links
Tome of Treasures
Jean Wells (Wikipedia)
RPG Collecting.com


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark:Shaintar: Legends Arise (Evil Beagle Games)
Mags:The Threat Report (Green Ronin Publishing)


Promos
Under Discussion
Movie Meltdown

RPG Buffet 34 (Monte Cook's World of Darkness and Bastet) (22:27)

Only 6 months late on the feed! The RPG Buffet kick of their Year of World of Darkness with Monte Cook's World of Darkness and a Werewolf: The Apocalypse game focused on the Bastet!

The Buffet kicked off the beginning of their Year of World of Darkness with their annual breakfast-for-supper feast. In addition to the usual dishes -— waffles, fresh fruit, bacon -— Kae made a breakfast casserole featured in this YouTube video. You can make it the day before, refrigerate, and then bake in the next day.

8 eggs, slightly beaten
6 slices white bread, cubed
1 lb. browned breakfast sausage
2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Cube bread and place in a 9 x 13" baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Brown and drain the sausage. Whisk the eggs and then add the milk, cheese, salt, pepper, and sausage. Pour over the bread and make sure that the bread gets soaked with the mixture. You may have to even out the sausage and cheese on the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight or 12 hours. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 40 minutes. Serve hot.

February means Mags's annual Soul Food meal, but one of the Buffet members has switched to a vegan diet! Never fear, Mags found a way:

Brunswick Stew (Vegan) from VegNews.com
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 12-ounce package vegan sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large white potatoes, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
3-1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 16-ounce package frozen succotash
2 to 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 12-ounce package frozen vegan burger crumbles
1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add vegan sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pot and set aside.

Reheat oil in saucepan and add onion, potato, garlic and ginger. Add 1/4 cup of stock or water, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid, add remaining stock or water, and stir in tomatoes, succotash, tamari, mustard, sugar, allspice, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. During the last 10 minutes of cooking time, add reserved vegan sausage, vegan burger crumbles, and Liquid Smoke. Serves 4 to 6.

Collard Greens (Vegan) from VegWeb.com
1 large bunch of collard greens
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon regular salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons of vegan margarine
1 cube vegetarian vegetable bullion
hot pepper sauce or ground cayenne pepper to taste

In a large pot, add approximately 3 quarts of water (more or less depending on how big your collard bunch is). Bring water to a boil, and mix bullion, all salts, and black pepper. Reduce heat and let simmer while you prepare the greens.

Wash greens thoroughly. Strip away stems that run down the middle of the leaf from the greens (tearing them from top to bottom, away from the stems). Stack the leaves together (I found about 8 -10 works) and roll them up, and slice them into 1" slices. Add the stripped and cut greens to the pot. Add margarine and pepper sauce or ground cayenne pepper to taste. Cover pot, and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Preparation Time: Prep 20 minutes, Cook 60 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Corn Muffins (Vegan) from VegWeb.com
1 cup course whole grain corn meal
1/2 whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup soy milk (or other vegan milk)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 medium apples peeled and grated
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Sift together the corn meal, flours, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.

In a medium sized bowl combine the soymilk with the vinegar and oil. In another separate medium bowl, combine the grated apples with the sugar.

Place the soymilk mixture and the apple mixture in the flour mixture. Stir until combined and all the dry ingredients are wet. The mixture should be lumpy. Put the oven temperature down to 350 degrees.

Oil a big muffin pan or a regular sized muffin pan. Put the batter in the pan and place in oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Eat and enjoy!
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6

Mac-and-Cheese (Vegan) from The Sweetest Vegan YouTube Channel.

This Vegan Macaroni and Cheese Recipe was adapted from Healthy Happy Life Fake Out Mac n' Cheese

6 cups cooked macaroni pasta
1 can cannellini beans, drained 
3/4 cup + ¼ cup + ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes 
2-3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp yellow mustard 
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup instant mashed potato (unflavored) with 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons vegan butter, softened
1-2 Tbsp agave syrup
2 Tbsp tahini 
almond milk
2 tablespoons dried parley flakes
½ cup panko breading

Boil Macaroni noodles per the directions on the box. Try to reach an al dente consistency which is about 10 minutes boiling time.

While the Macaroni is boiling . . .

The vegan cheese sauce is really simple. Add all ingredients: nutritional yeast flakes, cannellini beans, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, yellow mustard, pepper, mashed potatoes, water, extra virgin olive oil, vegan butter, agave nectar, and tahini, into a blender and blend until smooth. Add almond milk and continue to blend until desired consistency is reached.

Mix the vegan cheese sauce with the cooked, drained macaroni pasta. And you are kinda done.

But the is an optional step. Turn the oven on medium Broil. Mix nutritional yeast flakes, melted vegan margarine, and panko breading. Sprinkle the bread mixture over the top of the mac and cheese casserole. Place the vegan mac and cheese in the oven until the top is golden brown, about 5 -- 7 minutes.


Low-Fat Chocolate Applesauce Cake (Vegan) from About.com's Vegetarian Food page
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups applesauce

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Note: You can use other cake pans, but because this cake is a bit heavy, layered cake pans are not recommended.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add applesauce and mix well until batter is smooth.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until done. You can always tell that a cake is finished baking by sticking a toothpick in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, that is, not covered in batter, then your cakes is done baking. Frost, if desired, and enjoy!


Download 64kbps mp3 (10.8 MB)


Show links
Monte Cook's World of Darkness (White Wolf)
Werewolf: The Apocalypse(White Wolf)
Bastet (White Wolf)

AGC News July 16th 2013 (17:57)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. Sweetpea seeks dismissal of D&D movie suit. Magic 2013 Grand Prix results! Yu-Gi-Oh qualifiers in Chicago. Target Munchkin exclusive, and Chupacabra! WoW Timewalkers loot. Dungeon Twister card game and Mascarade from Asmodee! Canalis from AEG. Relic Runners. Free Pandemic scenarios! D&D Encounters changes. Star Trek Tactics news. Kickstarters! Ravenwood Castle. Ignite Your Spark!


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Show links
Pandemic Scenarios (Z-Man Games)
W20: Changing Breeds (Kickstarter)
Gaming Paper Megadungeon 2: Lost Catacombs (Kickstarter)
Fabled Environments High School Floor Plan (Kickstarter)
Ravenwood Castle
Ignite Your Spark Contest

AGC Interview 25 (Shaintar: Legends Unleashed) (34:27)

Mark, Carol, and Mags talk to Sean Patrick Fannon about his Shaintar setting for Savage Worlds and the Kickstarter for Shaintar: Legends Unleashed!


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Show links
Evil Beagle Games
Shaintar: Legends Unleashed Kickstarter
Shaintar: Legends Unleashed Facebook Page
Suzerain Facebook Page
Shaintar, World of Legends on Google+


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

AGC Interview 24 (Rogue Chess) (23:22)

Mark, Carol, and Mags talk to Peter Bryant of Studio187 about Rogue Chess and his current Kickstarter campaign.


Download 64kbps mp3 (11.2 MB)


Show links
Studio187
Rogue Chess Kickstarter


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

AGC News June 24th 2013 (20:05)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. Origins Awards! Charles Ryan to Monte Cook Games! Online Chess going official! The Witches!Buddyfight! Star Trek Catan expansions. Cosmic Encounter and Descent expand as well. Canterbury. Surge making Munchkin Merchandise. Wizards of the Coast news. Beyond The Rim. Iron Kingdoms RPG sourcebook coming. Pacific Rim Heroclix! HobbitClix? The Shaintar Kickstarter! Superfight! Life-sized Life in Japan! D&D Clue!


Download 64kbps mp3 (9.6 MB)


Show links
2013 Origins Awards Results
Shaintar: Legends Unleashed (Kickstarter)

AGC News June 17th 2013 (42:07)

With Mark and Mags. Ebooks vs Hastings. Million dollar Kickstarters. Chess championships! How does Cards Against Humanity do it? Cryptozoic's Hobbit promo (sorry, this should have been out before this story...) DC Comics Heroes Unite! World War Z! Winter comes to Carcassone. Fallen dungeon adventures. Civilization expansions. Venetia and Blue Max! Stronghold Games releases! Mage Wars expansions. Black Spy. Smash Up goes Lovecraftian! GenCon exclusive D&D Next preview! Game Chef! FATE Core to ship in July! Pathfinder and Paizo licensing! Primeval Thule! Star Trek: Attack Wing, and the Dominion War! Robotech RPG Tactics again! Rebel Minis Spiders! ICV2's look at the top ten gaming Kickstarters, Geek Chic on Shark Tank, and the Diana Jones Award shortlist!


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Show links
2013 Game Chef Submissions
Diana Jones Award
Geek Chic on Shark Tank (ABC.com)

AGC 174 June 4th 2013 (Fifty Shades of Reviews) (1:30:31)

With Carol and Mags (with an addendum from Mark, who was not present for the recording). Carol and Mags gathered to work out various game and cookbook (yes, cookbook) reviews, and Mark contributed one after the fact.


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Show links
Flash Point: Fire Rescue
Extreme Danger for Flash Point (Kickstarter)
Seven Leagues (DriveThruRPG)
The Gamer's Cookbook (DriveThruRPG)
And Their Tummies Growled (DriveThruRPG)
Spoon and Fork: A Gamer's Guide to Cooking and Eating (DriveThruRPG)
+5 Food of Eating (Kickstarter)
A Cook and a Geek
Farewell to Foie Gras (DriveThruRPG)
Tears at Bitter Manor (Paizo Publishing)
The Trouble With A Well Known Character Statblocking (Evil Hat Productions)
The Time Traveller's Companion (Cubicle 7)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Carol:Portable Opinion Generator (Chaotic Shiny)
Also:Character Generator Pack (Chaotic Shiny)
Mags:World of Darkness: The God Machine Chronicle (White Wolf)
Also:The God Machine Rules Update (White Wolf)

AGC News May 28th 2013 (35:29)

With Carol and Mags. D&D coming back to the silver screen... after a long fight, maybe? Game Tiles Kickstarter. Tabletop Design Deathmatch! GameStop picking up tabletop games. Warmachine goes deckbuilding! Pandemic expansions. Catan: Explorers and Pirates goes 6-player. FFG's Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation! New games from Z-Man. "The Trouble With A Well Known Character Statblocking Contest." Firefly and Lone Wolf game news. Mars Attacks! Dust! More Star Wars X-Wing ships! Fantasy Gaming Figures. 2013 Student Scrabble champions, and Drunkquest...


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Show links
Trouble With A Well Known Character Statblocking Contest (Evil Hat Productions)

AGC 173 May 23rd 2013 (Licensed for Eight Years) (1:10:00)

With Mark Kinney, Carol, and Mags. What we've been doing and why things have been weird, dealing with real life, and games and Kickstarters. Carol's List of the last eight year's highlights. Licensed Games. Why don't they do better? Property protection and fan creation. And aside into the Jayne hat controversy. What are you licensing, exactly? Disappointments and favorites.


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Show links
Cards Against Humanity
Machine of Death (Kickstarter)
Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
RPGs Are Evil (Kickstarter)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark:Hideous Creatures: Deep Ones (Pelgrane Press)
Also:Ken Writes About Stuff Subscription (Pelgrane Press)
Carol:Dresden Files RPG: Your Story Kindle/Nook (Evil Hat Productions)
Also:Dresden Files RPG: Our World Kindle/Nook (Evil Hat Productions)
Mags:Spaceship Zero: Slave Ship of Despair (Green Ronin Publishing)

AGC News May 9th 2013 (24:06)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. Origins Awards nominees announced. The end of Marvel Heroic Roleplaying. Hobby game growth! 2013 Mensa Select winners! The return of Cheapass Games! A number of National Museum of Games notes throughout the show. The Fluxx boardgame? Massdrop. Steve Jackson's Shareholders report -- Munchkin and the coming Car Wars Kickstarter! A new Battlestar Galactica expansion! Pat Robertson takes shots at D&D again. Robotech RPG Tactics! Osprey goes steampunk? NYU free game courses this summer!


Download 64kbps mp3 (11.6 MB)


Show links
Origins Awards Nominations for 2013 (GAMA)
Robotech RPG Tactics (Kickstarter)

AGC 172 April 22 2013 (Conglomeration 2013 Almost Live!) (37:53)

(Mark knows he says 171 in the intro. He was confused.)

With Carol, Steve, the GameKnights, and Guests: Ian "Lizard" Harac and Sean Patrick Fannon! Mark and Marsha had other commitments and couldn't make it, but as they say, the show must go on, and so they left Carol in charge...wooo boy. And let me apologize for the sound inconsistency in the first few minutes - I had some mixing board issues (it was totally a ID10T error, nothing wrong with the equipment). Listen to the introduction of a fledgling game company, and the panel's take on how smartphones, tablets and virtual tabletops impact the hobby. Listen to just a fraction of what ConGlomeration 2013 has to offer: Panels, entertainment, and our amazing guests! Become an attendee and see it live in 2014!


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Show links
ConGlomeration
Apex Magazine
Blackwyrm Publishing
Evil Beagle Games
Mr. Lizard
The Nerdy Times
DriveThruRPG

AGC Interview 23 (Apotheosis Drive X) (29:57)

Mark, Carol, and Mags talk to David Hill from Machine Age Productions about their upcoming game (currently in Kickstarter!), Apotheosis Drive X! And a few other things get bandied about, too...


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Show links
Machine Age Productions
Apotheosis Drive X Kickstarter
David Hill's Google+
Mobile Frame Zero


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

AGC News March 19th 2013 (47:09)

With Mark and Carol, Mags is recovering from one of the plagues being passed around the office. Hasbro cuts jobs, Amazon reinstates "Spots The Space Marine", WoTC wants to "Ignite your spark" with the 2014 Magic Core Set, while also getting ready to reprint D&D Classics, ElfinWerks releases three new games, media-licensed properties hit the board game world in force, including Walking Dead, True Blood, Firefly and The Princess Bride! More Cardfight!! The Stand Up Challenge Cup is coming! WizKids has more new releases, including an endeavor with Paizo for Free RPG Day, and an unusual HeroClix set. Fantasy Flight is bringing out an Expansion for Descent as well as a supplement for "Anima: Beyond Fantasy," and they are getting closer to the release of their first Star Wars RPG Rulebook! Look for Pathfinder in your library! WoTC releases conversion notes for D&D Encounters, and Games Workshop's profits are up even as their CEO is out the door. See the trailer for "Ultramarines", recently released!


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Show links
Amazon Reinstates Hogarth's Book
Cryptozoic Readies New 'Walking Dead Board Game' For September
'Mystic Warlords of Ka'a' From 'The Big Bang Theory'
Cardfight!! Vanguard' Stand Up Challenge Cup 2013
Firefly: The Game' Board Game
The Princess Bride Board Games
New 'Wonder Pack' for '7 Wonders'
Three New Games from ElfinWerks
WizKids Unveils 'Trains and Stations'
Labyrinth of Ruin
Pathfinder in Libraries
D&D Next' for 'D&D Encounters'
Star Wars: Edge of Empire Core Rulebook
Prometheum Exxet: The Supernatural Artifacts
Paizo & WizKids Team-Up to Unleash Goblin Horde
NECA Gets 'Hello Kitty' License

AGC Review 8 (FATE Core) (22:20)

Carol looks at the recent iteration of FATE Core. A lot of it is general FATE information that has been out there since Sprirt of the Century, with a little insight to the upcoming book.


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Show links
FATE Core (Evil Hat Productions)
FATE Core (Kickstarter)
FATE Core Google+ Page
FATE Core Yahoo Group


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

AGC News February 1st 2013 (59:23)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. Chaosium's Lynn Willis and Upper Deck's Richard McWilliam pass. Barnes and Noble closings coming after a lean holiday season (other than geeky stuff, that is). Pick a new Monopoly Piece. Pandemic Second Edition! Arcane Wonders Mage War releases. Cryptozoic's ROFL! Z-Man getting Terra Mystica. The Mayfair Cavalcade (Catan expansion, Road Rally USA, and Five Points: Gangs of New York)! Asmodee's Serenissima and River Dragons! Gamewright's Forbidden Desert! The Fantasy Flight Cavalcade (Letters From Whitechapel and an updated Game of Thrones LCG). Cardfight!! Vanguard sneak preview events! Shadowrun plans! Champions Complete! The Return of D&D PDFs, and the networks issues that followed (Full Disclosure: AGC is a part of the DriveThruRPG Affliate Program). Numinera coming to video games! Bioshock Infinite HeroClix! The Kickstarter Free-For-All. Toy Vault making Firefly stuff (including games)! Can you really master games? ICV2's Notables for 2012.


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Show links
Lynn Willis' Call of Cthulhu Design Notes (Yog-Sothoth.com)
Monopoly Facebook Page
D&D Classics
FATE Core (Kickstarter)
Rebuilding ENWorld (Kickstarter)
Pathfinder Online (Kickstarter)
Funding The Dream Podcast
DiceCards (Kickstarter)
Deluxe Tunnels and Trolls (Kickstarter)
Cortex Plus Hackers Guide (Kickstarter)
Thematic FATE Fudge Dice (Kickstarter)
University of Louisville USLI High Powered Rocket Kickstarter
Complex Dynamics in Learning Complicated Games (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America)

RPG Buffet 33 (Second Helping: The Scion Campaign) (38:14)

It's an Second Helping edition, featuring a real second helping of White Wolf's Scion in the form of John's short campaign. Mags, Steve, Layne, Karen, John, Tanner, and Brandon participated, and are present for discussion.


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Show links
Scion (White Wolf)

RPG Buffet 32 (Witch Hunter: The Invisible World) (22:39)

It's an October-November combo shot, with Mags, Steve (the GM), Karen, John, and Brandon discussing Paradigm Concepts' Witch Hunter: The Invisible World. It was a repeat due to scheduling affecting the October game, and led to a repeat of Chili Night as well.

White Chicken Chili With Chickpeas And Chorizo (from Epicurious.com)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (to be divided)
6-8" segment chicken chorizo uncooked casing removed (if using cooked slice into thin segments and add with chickpeas)
1.5lbs. skinless bonless chicken breasts
3/4 tsp salt
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves minced or pressed
2 tsp. cumin
2 chipotle peppers chopped and seeded (this will make it spicy, if you dont like spice only add one)
1/4 cup salsa
1 can diced no salt added tomatoes
2 cans chickpeas rinsed well and drained
2 cups great northern beans well rinsed and drained
1/2 cup washed dried and chopped cilantro (or parsley for different flavour)
Low Sodium reduced fat chicken broth (.5 cup... or more if making a soupy stew)

Preheat slowcooker to medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil. Add chorizo in managable sized chunks and brown. Remove chorizo with slotted spoon and place on plate over paper towels to soak up excess oil. Add chicken breasts (chorizo should leave some oil in pan but if extra oil is needed add an extra .5 tablespoon or so) brown chicken breasts, remove and place in a pot of boiling water, reduce heat to medim/low and cook at low boil for 12 min. Add remaining oil and once heated add onion and garlic over low heat saute until translucent and tender. Add chipotle and cumin and stir. When chicken is done cooking remove from pot and cool with cold water, shred chicken. Return chorizo to pot, stir, add chicken and salsa. Add rinsed chickpeas, great northern beans, tomatoes, desired amount of broth, half of reserved cilantro (or parsley)cover and simmer 1 hour on low. Add remaining cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.


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Show links
Witch Hunter: The Invisible World (Paradigm Concepts)
Witch Hunter: The Invisible World (Wikipedia)

RPG Buffet 31 (Transhuman Space) (21:29)

John leads the discussion this time for Mags' run of Transhuman Space, using GURPS Lite 3rd Edition, with Mags, Layne, Steve, Kae, and Brandon.


Stir-fried Beef and Snap Peas from SeriousEats.com

(NOTE: the grocery didn't have snap peas, so Mags used broccoli instead. Also, because we were feeding seven people, I used 2 lbs of steak and 4 packages of Maruchan ramen noodles and seasoning packets.) Toss a quarter pound of thinly sliced flank steak with half of the seasoning packet, then simmer the noodles just until they break apart (don't overcook them!). Drain the noodles and set them aside. In a large wok or skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil until smoking. Add the beef and cook without moving for about 1 minutes until well-browned. Toss the meat a few times. Add a quarter pound of snap peas and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add another tablespoon of oil, the noodles, the rest of the seasoning packet, a couple tablespoons of oyster sauce, and a bit of sugar. Toss until everything is well coated, then plate it up! Top with sliced scallions if your goal is to impress. :)


Asian Ramen Chicken Salad from About.com
Ingredients
2 -3 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts ( depending on the amount of chicken you like)
1 head cabbage, shredded or chopped (John used red and green cabbage)
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped (or to taste)
2 (2 1/2 ounce) packages slivered almonds
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 packages Top Ramen noodles or 2 packages other ramen-type soup
3 tablespoons oil

Dressing
3/4 cup vegetable oil or 3/4 cup canola oil
4 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
4 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Prepare dressing and set aside. Smash noodles of Top Ramen (discard seasoning packets) and brown over medium heat in 3 tbs oil. Once noodles have begun to slightly brown, add slivered almonds. If you start to brown the Ramen and almonds at the same time, the almonds will burn before the Ramen browns. Once the ramen noodles have turned a dark golden brown, remove from heat and set aside. Combine cabbage, green onions, chicken and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. Add the ramen/almond mixture and stir well. Add dressing and stir to coat.


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Show links
Transhuman Space (Steve Jackson Games)
GURPS Lite 3rd Edition (Steve Jackson Games/e23)
GURPS Lite 4th Edition (Steve Jackson Games)
GURPS Lite 3rd Edition Online Character Generator

AGC 171 January 7th 2012 (Looking Back, Looking Forward) (1:10:35)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. Happy New Year, in spite of the Mayans! The Buffet's Card/Board Game Night. Carol's ending Dresden, she swears. Mark contemplates starting some Doctor Who gaming. Looking back at 2012. Hobby gaming continued to grow financially. The game stores that thrive provide a place to socialize--Kentuckiana's local stores do! The (arguably) Golden Age of Kickstarter - variety, creativity, and impact for a long time to come. Wil Wheaton's Tabletop show (Geek and Sundry). The lack of PDFs for major game lines: D&D, Star Wars, The One Ring - the Crew hopes that certain publishers are just looking for the right digital solution. Print-On-Demand support. Gygax Magazine and continued interest in the retro-clone RPGs. James Raggi and the LotFP publishing empire! The Crew contemplates playing some old-school games. D&D Next still generating lots of excitement, while the Pathfinder Juggernaut rolls on. The RPG Buffet's Second Helping of Pathfinder, and Mags's Beginner Box is dusted off. A long, rambling discussion of the overt sexism in the hobby this year: James Desborough and rape, sexism in other parts of geek culture, cosplay harassment, "fake" geek girls, "chicks can't play Magic" (and Carol kicks butt), Mags puts a costume together for Mark, cleavage shots, groping at Gen Con and Conglomeration, a call to the listeners to step up, and a threat from Mark. Rape threats and the anonymity of the Internet. Touching on the Geek Social Fallacies, and how predators exploit them. If you're at a con and see harassment, go get the big guns. Carol's own incident. Respect your players--don't introduce dark plot elements unless the whole group agrees. Palate cleansing--what are we looking forward to in 2013? Carol: running a Changeling: the Dreaming Seven-Years-of-House-Rules LARP for the Buffet, and clings to hopes for a C:tD 20th Anniversary edition (Kickstarter, hear her prayer), FATE Core and Shadow of the Century, Gen Con 2013. Mags: MAGE MAGE MAGE! FATE Core and it going OGL, The Buffet's Year of World of Darkness, perhaps a trip to Origins, 13th Age, Night's Black Agents, Exalted 3e. Topics left? We can start over! Mark: FATE Core, Ogre 6th ed. (Mags wants to witness the arrival of the pallet), Gen Con and perhaps the Gutterskypes getting together, possible LotFP and retro-clone projects. Email Mags at the main AGC address (much to Mark's surprise), Carol is over email
so hit her up on Twitter or Facebook. Carol continues to edit projects, Mark and Mags prepare to nitpick. Feedback: a listener's experience with Transhuman Space. WE HAVE PRIZES! Mark contemplates a Monty Haul-style quiz show, and dodges NPR assassins. Happy New Year, y'all!


NOTE: At 34:10, Mags misspoke and said that James Desborough called Sarah Darkmagic am "odious little toad" alleged that he threatened her and her husband. This was incorrect, as she was confused about the people involved. The alleged threats were made by Garth Michael-Skarka (link). We apologize to Mr. Desborough for the error.


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Show links
Louisville Game Shop
Pet Shop Comics
Empire Comics
FATE Core Kickstarter
Tabletop, from Geek and Sundry
Fiasco RPG
Cards Against Humanity Pay-What-You-Want Holiday Pack (sold out)
D&D Next
Pathfinder
James Desborough and rape: Interview with Desborough here, summary here (RPG.Net).
Matthew Sprange's conversation with the person that posted the petition here
Cosplay harrassment at New York ComicCon
Rebecca Watson's Skeptic Elevator Incident
Anita Sarkeesian harassment
Summation of sexist incident at ReaderCon, the Amazing Meeting, and DefCon
"Fake geek girls"
Sexual assault statistics for American women (RAINN.org)
The Open Source Women Back Each Other Up Project & Gentlemen's Auxilary
Overcoming the Bystander Effect (Psychology Today)
Geek Social Fallacies
The RPG Buffet's Year of White Wolf web site


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark's Pick: Dresden Files RPG: Your Story (Evil Hat)
Carol's Pick: Project Ninja Panda Taco (Jennisodes)
Mags's Pick: Seven Leagues Roleplaying game of Faerie (Malcontent Games)


Promos
DriveThruRPG.com
Cory Doctorow's With A Little Help
Movie Meltdown podcast
Indie Plus Gamenight

AGC 170 January 4th 2013 (The Good, the Bad, the Gaming) (1:03:37)

With Mark and Mags. Mark and Mags discuss the notable games in the RPG collections: the oldest, the most obscure, and more. Also, Mark's new phone, prizes for an upcoming contest, and emails!

Download 64kbps mp3 (30.5 MB)


Show links
Starships and Spacemen 2nd ed. (Goblinoid Games)
Advanced Fighting Fantasy Quickstart
Highlander: the Gathering fan-created supplement (Hank Driskell and John Gavigan)
It Came From the Late, Late, Late Show (TriTac Games)
Legacy: War of Ages (Battledfield Press)
The Legend of Yore (Visionary Game Design)
Essay: The Legend of Yore: A Fantasy Heartbreaker Story by Brennan Taylor
Night of the Ninja Reality Roleplaying Game (IIE Games Corporation)
Fireborn (Fantasy Flight Games)
Deliria: Faerie Tales for a New Millenia (Laughing Pan Productions)
RPG Buffet review for Deliria (reviews starts at 10:47)
Immortal: the Invisible War (Jikkarro Enterprises)
The World of Synnibarr (Wonderworld Press)
Monkey Ninja Pirate Robot (Atomic Sock Monkey)
RPG Buffet review of Monkey Ninja Pirate Robot (review starts at 13:50)
Cat: A Little Game About Little Heroes (John Wick Presents)
RPG Buffet review of Cat
M-Force for QAGS (Hex Games)
AGC 118: A-Hunting We Will Go
The Rolemonkeys M-Force Episodes
QAGS (Hex Games)
GURPS The Prisoner (Steve Jackson Games)
GURPS Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (Steve Jackson Games)
Nobilis 2nd Edition (a.k.a "The Big White Book") (Hogshead Publishing) - Wikipedia article
Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, Inc.) - Wikipedia article
Mage: the Ascension Tarot Deck (White Wolf Games Studio)
Mage: the Awakening Tarot Deck (White Wolf Games Studio)
Ravenloft Tarokka Deck (Arthaus)
Deck of Many Things (Green Ronin)
Fantasy Wargaming - Bruce Galloway, editor (Stein & Day Pub.) - Gronardgia article
More info on Bruce Galloway and the history of Fantasy Wargaming (Swords and Dorkery)
Gamemaster's Hold Music - Video (Sedna Games)
Gamemaster's Hold Music - MP3 Download (Sedna Games)
Achtung Cthlhu (Modipius Entertainment)
IronManMode.com Donate Page (note that the campaign has ended)
Child's Play Charity


AGC's DriveThruRPGPicks for this episode!
Mark: Knights of the Dinner Table #1 (Kenzer & Co.)
Mags: Necessary Evil Explorer's Edition (Pinnicle Entertainment Group)


Promos
Gamerati
Babylon Podcast (Far Point Media)

AGC 169 January 3rd 2013 (Kicking the Starter) (1:22:50)

With Mark Kinney, Carol, and Mags. Sandy (wow, this is late...). Disney buys Lucasfilm! What we're doing! Leopard Women, an attempt at Mistborn, and more Dresden! Plot variations! DriveThruRPG picks! Kickstarters we've supported. Mark the RPG Hoarder. Kickstarter is not a store! Powerchords, aka our main target tonight. A little glance at what makes a good campaign. Known names, a ready product, stretch goals, target dates. Last things, like Mark watching Cadfael and Elementary. Eureka. Warehouse 13. Revenge. Supernatural. The League. Enterprise. RPG Buffet's Year of World of Darkness!


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Show links
when A Kickstarter Fails, Does Anyone Get Their Money Back (NPR)
Accountability on Kickstarter (Kickstarter)
Kickstarter: Once Bitten, Twice Shy (RPG.net Forum)
What's Your Kickstarter Batting Average? (RPG.net Forum)
Powerchords (Kickstarter)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark:Apocalypse Prevention Inc Savage Worlds Edition (Third Eye Games)
Carol:Cartoon Action Hour Season 2 Halloween Special (Spectrum Games)
Mags:Time Bomb (Adamant Entertainment)

AGC Interview 22 (Indie Press Revolution, Hero Games, and Blackwyrm Publishing) (47:14)

Mags chats with Jason Walters (with occasional interjections from Dave Mattingly of Blackwyrm Publishing) about his roles at Indie Press Revolution, Hero Games, and Blackwyrm Publishing.


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Show links
Indie Press Revolution
Hero Games
Blackwyrm Publishing
Imaginary Friends Kickstarter

AGC News December 27th 2012 (34:35)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. Games Workshop dominates our headlines. Giochi Uniti comes to the U.S. Two Magic: The Gathering sets for the Return to Ravinica block. Power Rangers Action Card Game. Game Days for 'DC Deck-Building' extended through end of January. Marvel Deck Building Expansions For 'Legendary'. Three new games from R&R Games, including one from Reiner Knizia 'Mage Wars: Forcemaster vs. Warlord Expansion' due in early 2013. Battle of Five Armies Board Game announced, and FFG's The Hobbit Card Game now shipping! Table of Contents from Gygax Magazine's first issue announced! End of the line for Gamemastery. Paizo Price Hikes. Details from WotC about 1st ed. re-prints. Wil Wheaton hangs out on Google. 'Hordes: Gargantuans' for the Hordes miniatures game. 'Warmachine' Fiction from Pyr.
Indiegogo internationalizes! Kickstarters of Note: The Morrow Project 4th Edition! ZOMBIEPOX board game educated about vaccines!


Download 64kbps mp3 (16.6 MB)


Show links
Space Hulk Teaser Video
Wil Wheaton Google Hangout
Morrow Project Kickstarter
ZOMBIEPOX (Tiltfactor).
ZombiePox Playtest Signup

RPG Buffet - Card & Board Game 2012 Report

Happy Holidays, all!  Mags here, with a run-down of this year's RPG Buffet Annual Card and Board Game Night.

First, I'd like to thank Colin Moore of the Louisville Game Shop for providing us with a place to gather and play.  Colin's hosted the Card & Board Game Night for seven years now, and we appreciate his hospitality. 

There were only six of us in attendance this year, but that turned out really well because we all played the same games.  Usually there are about a dozen or so of us, so we break up into groups to play different games.

First game up was Cthulhu Fluxx, from Looney Labs.  Disclaimer: I received a demo copy complimentary of Looney Labs for review.

Cthulhu Fluxx is a new release, just shipped in August to stores, so most of us had not played it.  This is a dark yet fun interpretation of the game. Some notes:

• Creepers are appropriately creepy. 
• There are UnGoals as well as Goals. UnGoals allow for everyone to lose the game, and even for Great Cthulhu to win it! 
• Some Creepers and Keeper have Doom points assigned on their cards, which can increase the chance of everyone losing. 
• The cards were clearly designed with input from people who love their Lovecraft, because the game does a fantastic job of working in Cthulhoid themes.  You see Goal and UnGoal cards named after stories (The Dunwich Horror, The Shadiow Over Innsmouth, etc.), cards named after things that you see in the stories (Secret Cultist, which lets you win the game if an UnGoal causes everyone to lose; Keepers like Reanimator, Drunk, and Dreamlands;  FBI Raids, an Action card which takes away all Keepers and Sleepers, etc.), and some downright funny cards (At Home With the Whatelys, a Goal, and Mistkaonic Study Group, a New Rule). 
• There are also some very powerful cards in this game. I won't spoil them for you, but when The Stars Are Right or Cosmic Instructions come into your hand, tread very carefully!

I think that Cthulhu Fluxx is probably the most intricate of the Fluxx card games precisely because you have so many additional rules and actions added in order to intergrate the Lovecraftian theme.  But, in classic Fluxx style, none of these additions are heavy-handed or weigh down the game at all, so whether your familiar with Fluxx or not, you just read the card's rules and go with the flow.  The one downside is, if you're not familiar with Lovecraft, the game probably loses some of its charm.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves Lovecraft or horror, or anyone who wants a slightly more challenging version of Fluxx to play.  Order it directly from Looney Labs, or via your favorite local gaming store.

We decided to play Oz Fluxx next. Disclaimer: I also received Oz Fluxx complimentary from Looney Labs to review.

Following Cthulhu Fluxx with Oz Fluxx was like a bright, cheerful day following a desperate, horrific night.  Even looking at the cards, with their merry designs and colorful pictures, was a bit of a mental shock after playing Cthulhu Fluxx. 

Fans of The Wizard of Oz are legion, so my first thought is that this is the version of Fluxx to use to introduce the non-gamers in your life to Fluxx--yes, even above and beyond the basic Fluxx game.  My second thought is, that's some really fantastic art!  Artist Michael Hays did an amazing job capturing both the whimsy and dark side of The Wizard of Oz.  I couldn't tell if he'd drawn for Fluxx games before (sorry, Looney Labs!), but his art for Oz Fluxx was so striking that I made it a point to go look up who the artist was.

Cards in this release are pretty much what you would expect from a Oz-themed Fluxx game.  You have Creepers like the Wicked Witch of the West and the Flying Monkeys, Keepers like the The Wizard, The Yellow Brick Road, and Toto, New Rule cards like Magic Shoes (click your heels three times to draw an extra card on your turn), and Goals like No Place Like Home (the player who has both the Dorothy and the Kansas Keeper cards on the table wins). 

In keeping with the light-hearted approach, Creepers are apparently not as powerful in this game as other Fluxx games.  From what I could tell, Creepers only have the effect of stopping you from winning--there doesn't seem to be any other mechanic assigned to them.  Oz Fluxx also apparently has more Goal cards than most other versions--31, as opposed to 29 for Fluxx 4.0, 28 in Cthulhu Fluxx, 25 in Pirate Fluxx, 21 in Zombie Fluxx, and 17  in Family Fluxx.  Only Pirate Fluxx has more Goals, with a total of 33.  It also only has 18 Keeper cards, so if my math is correct the number of ways to win has been reduced slightly.  That may mean for longer games, which is a bonus if you want to use it to keep kids occupied.

Oz Fluxx introduced a new mechanic--one also found in Cthulhu Fluxx--called Surprises.  If you're familiar with Magic: the Gathering, Surprises work like a bit like Interrupts: they're cards you can play when it's not your turn for one effect, or during your turn for a different effect. 

Oz Fluxx is another clear winner in the Fluxx line.  I think it's going to have wide appeal, wider than even Zombie or Pirate Fluxx.  It proves that there's plenty of steam left in the Fluxx line, too--there truly seems to be no end in sight for the adaptations they can do with this game.  I will say this: if you are a fan of Oz-derived works like the book or musical Wicked, or the L .Frank Baum books that came after the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz novel, you'll probably be a little disappointed in this game, as none of those works are referenced. This is a departure from Monty Python Fluxx, which referenced the show, the movies, and (IIRC) Spam-A-Lot. I imagine this is due to copyright and/or trademark issues. I also imagine it won't be that disappointing to an Oz fan.

Oz Fluxx was released in March, and is in available online and stores now.  Another great Fluxx game, especially good for the non-gamer in your life.

We went after Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space next.  I purchased this game myself at Gen Con 2011, and did a reading review of it in episode 131.  WOW.  This game was nominated for a Diana Jones award, and I can see why.  The details of the rules are in my earlier review, but we all agreed that this was a deeply creepy game, like Are You A Werewolf meets the movie Aliens.  It's slow, and intense, and the horror just builds as players get picked off one by one.  It was such a hit with us as we were playing it, that Colin ran to his computer to look up how he could order a copy into his store.  Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space is available in stores and online.  BoardGameGeek has a video review here.

Finally, the biggest hit of the night was Escape: The Curse of the Temple from Queen Games.  We played a demo copy that Colin had in his store, and I bought a copy that night.  Some of you may remember that this was originally a Kickstarter project from Queen Games.  This was hands-down the favorite game of the night. We've never played a board game like this, and we were all deeply impressed with it.  It's quick to learn, quick to play--ten minutes!--fun, simple but extremly challenging, and intense.   But it's intense in a different way than Escape From the Aliens in Outer Space is--as Buffet John described it, it's a "cardiovascular adventure".  The game is now available in stores and online. Someone at BoardGameGeek put together a great game play demo on YouTube, and I recommend you take a look at it. It retails for $49.99, but the components are high quality and obviously durable, so it's money well-spent.


Summing up: if I were give these to anyone for the holidays, I would rank Oz Fluxx as #1 of the games we played because of its wide appeal-- you can't lose if you give this game to your kid, your eighty-year old aunt, or your gamer friend.  If I'm only considering the gamer on my shopping list, on the other hand, I have no doubt they would be thrilled with either Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space or Escape: The Curse of the Temple.  Not to say that Cthulhu Fluxx isn't worth giving as a gift, but I think the other three games would appeal to a wider group of gamers.

AGC News December 6th 2012 (25:07)

With Mark and Mags. Kobold Quarterly Magazine ceases publication. TSR and Gygax disputes? Pathfinder deckbuilding game. A Few Acres of Snow, second edition. A victory for Khet! Pathfinder Ultimate Campaign! Champions Complete! Games Workship v Chapterhouse continues. Order of the Stick minis! Museum of D&D IndieGoGo! FATE Core at last! 50 Shades of Wha?


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Games Workship v Chapterhouse Documents (Archive.org)
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