Some Derps Talk About Games

Valve has surprised everyone by releasing the Alpha to their newest game, Deadlock, to viral success on their platform. One part MOBA, one part Hero Shooter, Deadlock tries to appeal to the DOTA laner and CS:GO agent in all of us. The only question is: Can it get our attention away from the War Within? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes li...

In a world of Roll20's and Tabletop Simulators, of kitchen tables and even premium TTRPG-playing spaces, players have more ways to play than ever before. But what are the differences between those two spaces? How do they play out? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes live? Check us out at https://www.youtube.com/@somederpsplaygames or twitch...

The War Within: Week One Whelp, gamers! We've done it. Dragonflight is over. The Era of Dorn and Khaz Aghal have begun. Players got to take to the skies of the Isle of Dorn, the crags of the Ringing Deeps, the farms of Hallowfall, and the cities of Ahj'kahet in Early Access about a week ago and now, most endgame features (except seasonal ones) are ready to rock! -----------------------------------...

Deadpool and Wolverine! Did you know that Hugh Jackman really, really needed another yacht? Did you know that 20th Century Fox used to own a bunch of Marvel properties? Did you know that Deadpool knows that he's in a movie? Well, if you didn't, what are you doing watching this podcast? Buddy and Mango talk about the newest Marvel affair: Deadpool and Wolverine! Is it good? Does it blow? ----------...

Dnd 5E vs Pathfinder 2E! Marvel vs DC! Mario vs Sonic! Coke vs Pepsi! Now, a new contestant has entered the arena of extremely similar brands fighting each other: 5E vs 2E. DnD Fifth Edition and Pathfinder Second Edition both made some large, fundamental changes to beloved TTRPG, fantasy worlds where you can your friends can pretend you're elves and dwarves. The question now is: Which one is bette...

Listen, I don't remember how many years later it is but it's enough years later that we're finally watching Loki for the podcast. Timelines. Owen Wilson. Genderbent lokicest. What's not to love? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes live? Check us out at https://www.youtube.com/@somederpsplaygames or twitch.tv/somederpsplaygames Check out the...

Almost ten years ago, two derps started with a dream. A dream of showing up their other friends who started a podcast by starting their own podcast. And that podcast is this podcast. The 400th episode of it, in fact! For those of you who have stuck around since the early days, we appreciate you. And now's your chance to know all about us and what we do! Answering all questions as they come in, let...

The Art of the Video Essay Have you ever wondered what a CW Teenage show from 2011 is like end to end? What about a deep dive on every single Robert Zemekis movie? Would you like just the facts, ma'am, or how about a little skit at the beginning and end of each episode that ties into some wider, esoteric storyline? Well, then, have I got the medium for you: The Video Essay ------------------------...

Mists of Pandaria: Remix With the incoming release of The War Within, the experimentation in post-season WoW continues! Farm Bronze to crush raids and dungeons? Or to get as much transmog as you can before the mode ends? The age old question. Good? Bad? What's next? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes live? Check us out at https://www.youtu...

Zack Snyder's Star Wars Seven Samurai Rebel Moon is out! Zack Snyder pitched his Seven Samurai in space to Disney and they said "fuck off." So, then, he pitched it to Netflix and they said: "Awesome!" Now, we've got these two movies featuring all the Zack Snyderisms-- slow motion, speed ramping, gratuitous action, and portentious monologues. --------------------------------------------------------...

In perhaps the most inside baseball of our entire podcast catalogue, TTRPG balance is something we've been thinking about. How fair is fair when it comes to designing encounters? What's the right idea for setting up an enjoyable fight? How do you make sure you have interesting enemies or goals? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes live? Chec...

Starship Troopers Robert Heinlein's vision for fascist utopia, Paul Verhoeven's vision for a fascist dystopia, and the inspiration and bedrock of so much of our elongated popular culture. Space marines, starfleets, tyrranical bug empires and all the rest, yours truly giftwrapped in power armor and jump jets. Where does it fit in 2024? ---------------------------------------------------------------...

100 Movies for Rachel If you were to create a list of the 100 most important movies to watch for an understanding of popular culture, what would you include? The best movies of all time? A set of movies from the most important directors? The top movies from box office from the last few years? We're not making the list today but damn, we're going to Try™. -------------------------------------------...

Yarr, mateys! We're all Plunderstormin' today! It's time to talk about the low down, no good, scallywags on the poop deck o' Plunderstorm! The World of Warcraft Battle Royale! Forty levels of renown, a bunch of rewards for the game itself, and also I guess a game mode underneath it. Is it good? Is it bad? How much fun are we having? ----------------------------------------------------------------...

What makes the perfect holiday meal? In this episode of Some Derps Talk About Food, Buddy and Mango discuss the perfect holiday meals. Christmas, Thanksgiving and (of course) Easter Sunday. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes live? Check us out at https://www.youtube.com/@somederpsplaygames or twitch.tv/somederpsplaygames Check out the podc...

What makes a good campaign setting? In a long run of campaigns, it's time to start a new one. I've been revamping my old campaign setting, Ceran, and it's begged this question about what makes for a good campaign setting. Is it important to have mysteries for the players to solve? What are some of the details that are most compelling? What are the different hooks that players will find to be uniqu...

Amirdrassil: The Review AotC Get. The raid is complete. Time to talk about the design of all things good, all things bad, all things interesting in Amirdrassil! Is that the same Gnarlroot as the Gnarlroot in Everbloom? Is that the same Igira the Cruel from Igira the Cruel in items from 9.1? Is that the same legendary Fyr'alath? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want...

Dune 2: Long Live the Fighters Do you drink of the water of life? No man has survived it. Do you follow the lisan al-ghaib? Can you ride on the shai hulud? Denis Villeneuve, Zendaya, and Timothee Chalamet bring us the latest from the Dune universe. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes live? Check us out at https://www.youtube.com/@somederpsp...

Helldivers 2: Time for Democracy! The latest craze hitting gamers everywhere. Dropping hellpods on bugs. Cowering in fear of robots. What could be better than this? Just guys being helldivers? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes live? Check us out at https://www.youtube.com/@somederpsplaygames or twitch.tv/somederpsplaygames Check out the p...

Disney's Marvel's Sony's Madame Web: A Spider-Man Story-- Brought to You by Pepsico Folks, is it a good idea to make your main character an insufferable karen? What about making a prominent side plotline about the literal birth of the more popular plotline you're aping? Do you have nostalgia for great 2003 hits like Britney Spears' Toxic and American Idol? Then, boy, is Madame Web the story for yo...

Humankind and Millenia have done what some of us have never expected: Gone back to the tried and true board game set up for strategy games. With Civ VII on the horizon, innovations to Civ VI coming monthly, and a promise of long tail content for Humankind and Millenia, there is a resurgence in these titles. What's fueling it? What's interesting about new mechanics and design? What fresh takes do t...

If Roguelitification is the process of players understanding a more complex web of game design, mastery and completion, Indiefication is the force of market and business pressures that are changing games not from within game design itself, but from the outside as an external pressure constantly squeezing the industry. I swear to God there will be jokes in this one it's not all going to be so dry....

Gamists, Narrativists, Simultationists, Performists Let's talk a little about playstyle and player profile in Tabletop RPG gaming. Do you love the crunch? Do you love the story? Do you love just throwing around a grenade or seeing what happens? AngryGM Article: https://theangrygm.com/g-n-s-p/ ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes live? Check...

Roguelitification You get roguelike elements! And you get roguelike elements! And YOU get roguelike elements! In a world where roguelites are infecting every little corner of video games, we come together to discuss: Is adding all these roguelike elements to various games a good thing for our industry and community? Or a bad thing? ---------------------------------------------------------------- W...

The Derpies 2023! It's that time of year! What are our bests of this year? Best what? Anything! Categories of any size and stripe! As long as one of us makes a category, the other needs to fill it with their favorite stuff from last year. Come suggest some wild categories in the chat and we'll answer! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to watch these episodes liv...