The Download's tracks

This week the nerds spend a lot of time talking about sequels, reboots, and continuing adventures. Keith talks about Oceans 8, which leads to a big discussion about Deux ex machine, crabgrass, red herrings, Chehov’s gun, Hitchcock’s bomb, plot twists, and subverting viewer expectations. Moving on to game design, they discuss how newer versions of rules for games are more like updated versions of s...

This week the nerds follow up on last week’s discussion of robots with a lengthy discussion about Dragons. Why do they sleep on hordes of gold, anyway? Why are some really smart, and others unable to even speak? And why isn’t there a dragon in Fairy Tale Fluxx? Moving on from dragons, Keith talks about taxes and Action Pups! and Andy talks about getting a root canal. Then Andy explains his plan to...

This week’s show is all about robots. First, Keith compares Inhuman Conditions (now on Kickstarter) with Andy’s new game-design-in-progress, Are You a Robot?. Then they discuss their favorite robots, and they debate what a robot even is, as opposed to life-like androids, smart vehicles, AIs, and cyborgs.

Andy just got back from Burning Man so he spends a lot of this episode talking about his experiences there this year. He ran a lot of games at his camp, which hosts a game convention called RaiderCon, and had a great breakthrough while playtesting his new game, Are You a Robot?. Meanwhile, Keith just returned from DragonCon and interjects with stories from his weekend, where he played a lot of gre...

First Keith talks about being in Ithaca again to help his mother, and Andy talks about the recent passing of his father. Then Andy talks about his plans for Burning Man, which leads to a discussion of robots. Andy reports on his progress with the design of ChronoTrek, and Keith talks about Action Pups! They discuss some media, including Humans, Making It, and Nailed It. Andy talks about Jenny Nich...

First Keith reports on a couple of D&D games in the middle of playing, which included a scene with a fancy dance involving daggers. Then Keith talks about several podcasts he listened to recently, and some of the issues discussed thereon. The guys then talk more about their experiences at GenCon. Andy talks about awarding Homeworlds medal #17, and describes new ideas he’s been playing around with...

This episode was recorded during Gen Con at a Giordano’s pizza place. First Andy shows Keith his prototype-in-progress for a new version of Chrononauts based on the historical events of the Star Trek universe. Keith talks about playing backgammon at a family reunion, then they get into discussing what they’ve been doing at Gen Con. Keith talks about why he had two booths, and describes the four Wr...

First the guys talk about Gen Con and other travel plans. Then Keith talks about The Wayfinder’s Guide to Eberron, which he’s been working on for months and which was just released. Andy reports on his progress with the new game he’s developing called Are You A Robot, then tells of moving his aging father into the next level of care at his retirement home. Andy talks about installing a TV screen s...

The show begins with a lengthy discussion of custard and other desserts. Keith talks about The Story George Told Me and How I Met Your Mother, which leads to another discussion about TV series finales. Andy steps away briefly to take some custards out of the oven, leaving Keith to talk about ice cream cake, and then they get into a big discussion about villains in the MCU. This leads to a discussi...

First the guys chat about the weather, and work stuff… Andy talks about some new design ideas he’s been having for Space Fluxx… but they spend the most of this show talking about Westworld, first discussing the original 1973 film, and later, the finale of season 2 of the series. SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

The guys spend this whole episode just rambling about a wide range of topics, which include: visiting New Orleans, various implications of life-like robots, the tricky role of the Seer in a game of Werewolf, listener comments, dealing with cell phone usage in modern setting RPG games, strange cat behaviors, and a new game about robots which Andy is working on. Media topics mentioned include Westwo...

Andy and Keith start with a lot of non-spoilery discussions about Westworld, with small mentions of The Americans, Legion, Fahrenheit 451, and Into the Badlands. Then they discuss the Transformers at some length, and a few other things include The Crossing, watching movies on airplanes, and ducks. Andy talks about work stuff, having just finished up work on the last of 10 new products SKUs Looney...

First, Keith reports on his recent trip to the UK, including stories about Portmeirion, the Sir John Soanes Museum, UK Games Expo, and a boardgames meetup group called London On Board. Meanwhile, Andy’s just been working and watching TV. Moving on to media, they touch on Fahrenheit 451, The Americans, Legion, The Crossing, Into the Badlands, Dirk Gently, and Westworld, and then spend a lot of time...

First Keith talks about Slurpees and a game called Vye. Andy talks about work stuff he’s been focusing on, including a massive redesign of the standard Fluxx rulesheet. Keith mentions his upcoming trip to Wales and the guys talk about games in and about The Prisoner. This leads to a discussion of reboots and problems that different shows can run into in their second season. Comments sent in by a l...

First the guys catch up on the stuff they’re each working on. Keith tells a story about a questionable decision by a tombstone manufacturer, and asks philosophical questions about sci-fi scenarios involving robots. Moving on to media, the guys discuss Legion, Better Call Saul, the Last Man on Earth, Dunkirk, the Greatest Showman, and Westworld. SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

Andy complains about the expression “Pulling the trigger,” which leads to a discussion of the stun setting on guns in Star Wars. Then Andy talks about a great new way of preparing S’mores he just developed. Next, Andy talks about hammering out a design for Deep Space Nine Fluxx, now that the first two Star Trek Fluxxes are about to go to the printer. They discuss Star Trek for awhile, then move on...

First Keith reports on how things are going with his current D&D campaign, and describes a really cool player involvement technique he’s been using. Andy reports on the status of the development of the Star Trek Fluxxes, and talks about his father’s declining health. Then they talk about Infinity War, for like, forever. They also discuss Westworld. SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

The guys discuss a lot of media this time, starting with Isle of Dogs and their expectations about the impending Infinity War. Andy talks about a scene he’d like to have seen in the Lord or the Rings, involving the Eagles, then he complains about people who ask if Pyramid Arcade is the Cones of Dunshire. Keith offers helpful advice and talks about dealing with people who are dismissive about Eberr...

First the guys talk about a couple of games Andy played for the first time while visiting Keith, Onitama and Starfall. Then Keith talks about the D&D campaign he’s currently running, and what he’s planning to spring on his players next. Moving on to media, topics include The Expanse, A Quiet Place, Counterpart, Lost in Space, Groundhog Day, and Ready Player One. SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

This episode was recorded when Keith and Andy were together for a change, since Andy is in Portland for the Gamestorm convention. They went to see Ready Player One together and spend most of this episode discussing the movie. They also talk slightly about the start of the new seasons of Legion and the Americans. SPOILER WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

After some yammering, the guys talk about new products they are about to release. Keith has an expansion pack for Action Cats! coming out for Tabletop Day, and Andy is releasing Get the MacGuffin and Anatomy Fluxx this week. Andy talks about AwesomeCon and how well the first ever Get the MacGuffin tournaments worked out. Keith has more to say about Ready Player One, having read the book again in p...

Andy talks about the upcoming release of Get the MacGuffin and plans for running “raffle tournaments” to promote it at AwesomeCon and GameStorm. Keith talks about how both his and Andy’s games tend to be lighter, on the party end of the game design spectrum, and thus not usually well-suited for tournaments. Keith tells Andy about Hackfort, and about the JUMP Center in Boise at which the Treefort m...

Keith just got back from England and talks about an unusual clock he saw there called the Chronophage. Meanwhile Andy just got back from Reno and talks about the GAMA Trade Show. It was held at the Peppermill casino, which Andy really liked, if for no other reason than the giant video screens they have everywhere. Andy talks about how excited everyone is about his new game, Get the MacGuffin, whic...

First the guys discuss their upcoming travel plans. Then Keith talks about watching the Oscars with his custom bingo cards, and they discuss the movie previews that were shown before Black Panther. They debate the question of whether Groundhog Day is science-fiction or fantasy, and discuss various genre definitions. Lastly they discuss Black Panther in detail. SPOILER WARNING : CONTAINS SPOILERS

Keith just got back from this year’s JoCo Cruise and spends most of this episode telling Andy all about it. Meanwhile, Andy was at Toy Fair and talks about that a bit. They also talk for awhile about the challenge of writing the rules for a game, such that they won’t lead to incorrect interpretations and yet won’t be too overwhelming. Regarding media, they talk slightly about Counterpart, Traveler...