The Download's tracks

First Keith and Andy discuss holiday preparations and some lesser known holiday traditions. They also talk a little about the ups and downs of 2016, including the many notable deaths. [And this was recorded before they heard about Carrie Fisher.] But mostly the guys just talk about media: first they discuss a couple of TV shows including Designated Survivor and Timeless, then Keith gives his views...

Keith talks about a new role-playing system Will Hindmarch is developing, and a scenario called Homecoming which Keith wrote for this system. Keith also talks about something else he’s working on, called Dungeon Dogs. Then Andy talks about the design for Chemistry Fluxx and a couple of cards he’s finding problematic. He also mentions a last minute addition to Math Fluxx called Plan C. Lastly they...

Andy & Keith spend most of this episode talking about media, although they try to hold back on the spoilers until near the end. Subjects they go deep on include the series Westworld and the films Arrival and Dr. Strange. Keith talks about an RPG scenario he’s about to run, and Andy talks about foreign language editions of Just Desserts, in which Baked Alaska becomes Norwegian Omelette. They also t...

Keith talks about a secret computer game project he’s working on, and reflects at length on similarities between MMO game design and the world building of shows like Battlestar Galactica, The 100, Enterprise, Lost, and in particular, Westworld. Then they talk at great length about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and also The Magicians and The Eagle Huntress. Lastly they talk more about We...

This week Keith’s in town, so they guys record the episode in Andy’s Game Room, where they spend some time discussing random vintage games in Andy’s collection. Andy gives Keith a box of cold-fusion Chubble which leads to yet another discussion about time travel. Keith talks about The Magicians and notes some of the differences between the book and the series. Keith talks about watching the series...

Andy talks about the reviews Pyramid Arcade is starting to get, and laments minor errors that have emerged on one of the gameboards inside. But mostly the guys just discuss media, in particular, a couple of long discussions about Westworld. Other topics include a couple of series from the BBC (Space Race and Black Mirror) and a new Beatles album from an alternate dimension, called Everyday Chemist...

First, Andy & Keith check in on each other’s games, Illimat and Pyramid Arcade, then they talk about conventions they each just got back from, GameHoleCon for Andy and Ambercon for Keith. Then they get into lengthy, spoiler-laced discussions of The Good Place, Timeless, and Westworld. Spoiler Alert: Spoilers inside.

Illimat is the first subject of note, since Keith’s Kickstarter is just about to close. Andy talks about his recent West Coast trip, in particular discussing visits to local institutions including Portland’s numerous McMenamins locations, and LA’s Time Travel Mart, where Andy bought a mysterious product imported from the future called Chubble. Media subjects include Timeless, Westworld, and The Go...

This week Andy stops in Portland (during his big West Coast Trip) to visit Keith. Andy tells Keith how the trip has been so far, and Keith tells Andy about the Illimat Kickstarter he’s right in the middle of. Other topics include dog parks, Pyramid Arcade, the musical Hamilton, and dueling with paintball guns. Lastly they discuss several new shows: Timeless, Westworld, and Luke Cage.

John Cooper joins Andy & Keith to talk about the early days of the Looney Pyramids game system. Of course the story begins with Icehouse, and the tournaments we used to run for that game, including the infamous 4th IIT, made famous by Keith and the Bates Discordians. Then they discuss John’s games for pyramids + tarot cards (Zarcana & Gnostica) and John’s finest creation, Homeworlds.

The episode begins with Keith talking about his about-to-launch Kickstarter for his new game Illimat, and Andy points out that it’s an example of something he calls a Gobstopper: something that started out as a fictional thing, then became a real-life version of that thing. But then they spent most of the episode talking about the season 2 finale of Mr. Robot.

First the guys talk about recent bummers, both national and local, then they discuss various work issues. They discuss several conceptual games including the board game called The Emperor’s New Clothes and some vintage, very tricky video games, including Humpback and Desert Bus. Then they spend the rest of the episode talking about the penultimate episode of seasons 2 of Mr. Robot.

The show begins with some yammering about naps, the difficulty of falling asleep, and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy original radio series. Then Keith talks more about Illimat, what it’s like to work with the Decemberists, the XOXO festival, and the coins from Fall of Magic. Andy mentions his worries about how the Haijin shipping crisis might impact the arrival date of Pyramid Arcade. Keith...

Keith just got back from PAX where he finally revealed the details of Project 12! It’s a game called Illimat which he’s been developing in partnership with the folk rock band the Decemberists! Now that he can finally talk about it, he has a lot to say. Other topics include games about pancakes, oversized pyramids, reading without reading a book, and the Twilight Zone pinball machine. Lastly they b...

First the guys talk shop, tooting their own horns about their new game releases. Then Andy talks about Molly, the sweetest doggie ever, who passed away this week, and he talks about how much he has changed from the cats-only guy he used to be. Andy also reads a quote about dogs from the author Stephen W. Meader. Andy talks about the video reviews posted at Red Letter Media, and Keith talks about a...

Andy & Keith talk travel & conventions, and how different it is to be working at such events instead of just attending them. Then they talk about stuff they are each working, including a lot of hinting about licensed works they can’t name yet. Keith talks about the most recent version of Gloom, and Andy’s big pile of unpublished Fluxx decks, including Math Fluxx. Then they discuss the challenge of...

First Andy & Keith talk about their current work projects. Then Keith talks about his appearance as a background character in the just-released 6th issue of Marvel’s Mockingbird comic book. The guys talk about pets and the immortal’s problem they make us face, then they lower the spoiler curtain for media discussions that include Mr. Robot, Stranger Things, Fight Club, and Gravity Falls. SPOILER A...

It’s a very special episode of the Download, recorded at Gen Con, featuring special guests Kristin Looney, Leila Zucker, and Laurie Menke, who join Andy in a demo session of Keith’s just-released RPG, called Phoenix: Dawn Command. Can this new team of Phoenixes save the Flame-Keeper from The Chant?

Keith & Andy have just returned from GenCon and they have many stories about the convention to share. Topics include the games they played, the events they ran, and the local food they most enjoyed: Giordano’s pizza. They also discuss some useful all-purpose phrases, including “that explains a lot!” and “but at what cost?”

First Andy & Keith discuss their plans for GenCon, and memories of GenCons past. Then Keith talks about an MMORPG he put a lot of work into back in the nineties but which was never released, called Lost Continents. But most of the episode is a spoiler-laden discussion of the new Star Trek and Ghostbusters movies, with a side discussion of Antman’s super-powers. SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers!

Keith & Andy start by talking about their plans for GenCon, then Andy tells a lot of stories from last weekend’s first-ever LooneyCon. Such topics include Fluxx Buxx and the Rare Items Auction, the Fluxx World Championship, the Just Desserts Cosplay Contest, the Homeworlds Exhibition Game, playtesting of Zendo 2.0, and the question of whether or not we will do it again next year. Lastly, Keith pro...

Topics this week include American wizards in the Harry Potter universe, fan-created Star Trek shows, the digital Gloom Kickstarter, and the D&D episode of the Goldbergs. Lastly, they go behind the spoiler curtain to discuss the start of season 2 of Mr. Robot. SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers inside.

First Keith talks about recent convention shenanigans, then he rips apart the Batman vs. Superman movie, which he finally saw on the airplane home. This leads into a fascinating debate about which ability they’d each most like to have, either time travel or dream manipulation. Media topics include Night Gallery, The Goldbergs, The Americans, Unreal, and the end of season 1 of Mr. Robot, which Keit...

Topics this week include: Simul-viewing (watching something at the same time as someone else in separate locations and texting to each other during the show); the lessons of rule complexity found in the fictional card game Fizzbin; the benefits of keeping the core of a game design simple and increasing the complexity with advanced rules included later; Keith’s new design-in-progress, Project 12; a...

Keith and Andy compare notes on Pandemic Legacy and Risk Legacy, with Keith having only played the former and Andy having only played the latter. They also discuss the Brexit vote, and how it might fit into a future Chrononauts game. Media topics include The Americans, Night Gallery, Game of Thrones, Fringe, and a spoiler-heavy discussion of the first season of Mr. Robot. Lastly, they get into a f...