This Thing of Darkness

"The final victory of sci-fi is its final defeat," says AK, gnomically, before we sing the Beverly Hills Cop theme tune and talk about trombones. Join us for a discussion of 'the best fiction novel of the 20th century', A Wizard of Earthsea, and its masterful magic system: from Native American folklore to shamanism, demonic to natural theurgy, and eastern wyrms to western protodragons. Is it written for children or not? What is 'Equilibrium'? Why is 'clot of shadow' so upsetting, and what does it have to do with Cultist Simulator?In memory of Ursula Le Guin, and little Hoag.Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula Le Guin- City of Illusions, by Ursula Le Guin- Cultist Simulator, by usSupport the show

Lord of the Rings + Narnia + Jane Austen = ? A smash-hit 800-page faux-Victorian novel of realist magic and alternate histories, of course! Welcome to the world of Susanna Clarke, whose rules-based, Mametian and very 'English' magic system is one of the best we've had the good fortune to meet. Join us for a discussion of made-up magical scholarship, urban versus natural magic, whether you should consider the Land of Faerie for your next holiday destination, and 'the beauty of grey'. Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke- Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke- The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, by Susanna Clarke- Harm's Way, by Colin Greenland- Take Back Plenty, by Colin Greenland- Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees - The Secret History, by Donna Tartt- Cultist Simulator + BOOK OF HOURS, by us- Deus Ex, by Ion Storm- "Time Enough At Last", by John Brahm and Rod SerlingFollow us on Twitter and sign up to the mailing list to make sure you don't miss the next episode! ♥ Support the show

Author. Visionary. Dreamweaver. Plus bellhop. Meet Jack Vance, one of the most inventive fantasy authors we've ever heard of, and probably not a pirate king. What happens when fairies become too lumpen and earthy? Why are Lvl1 wizards in D&D so rubbish? Who is Larkin the Baby-Stealer, and why are you reaching for that kazoo?We talk Cugel the Clever, Vancean magic and why you shouldn't make bread from dogs.Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- Lyonesse, by Jack Vance- Tales of the Dying Earth, by Jack Vance- 'Liane the Wayfarer', by Jack Vance- Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, by Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness- BOOK OF HOURS, by us- Fallen London / Sunless Sea, by Failbetter Games- Dungeons & Dragons, by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson Follow us on Twitter and sign up to the mailing list to make sure you don't miss the next episode! ♥ Support the show

"If magic works, why isn't the President of the United States doing it?"After a 'brief' hiatus, we're back! We pick up where we left off and talk about the magic of Doctor Faustus, whether magic is 'liberation or damnation', and the distinction between ceremonial magic and what specialists term 'Doing A Big Spell'. Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, by, mostly, Christoper Marlowe- Cultist Simulator / BOOK OF HOURS / The Lady Afterwards, by us- A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le GuinFollow us on Twitter and sign up to the mailing list to make sure you don't miss the next episode! ♥ Support the show

Welcome to a new season, all about magic and literature! We talk William Shakespeare's Tempest, from women-wizards from Algiers to royal demonology. Caliban's Moth, Ariel's Lantern and AK nearly dies in a spiegel tent.Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- "The Tempest", by William Shakespeare- Against Worldbuilding, and Other Provocations, by Alexis Kennedy- Daemonologie, by King James I- The Lesser Key of Solomon, anonymousFollow us on Twitter and sign up to the mailing list to make sure you don't miss the next episode! ♥ Support the show

What makes games 'savoury'? Why is Twitter such a bad place to get game design advice? And is it ever sensible to push a count off a cliff?This episode, Lottie and Alexis talk art, games and critique, through architect Christopher Alexander to Jack Cohen and Brian Aldiss' fight over speculative xenobiology in Helliconia. Listen to avoid the perils of categorisation, and the pitfalls of diamonds - and hear Alexis fake his own death. Literally.Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- The Devil's Elixirs, by E T A Hoffmann- The Snare of the Tree, by Alexis Kennedy- A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander- Cultist Simulator, by us- Sunless Sea, by Alexis Kennedy and Failbetter Games- Helliconia, by Brian AldissFollow us on Twitter and sign up to the mailing list to make sure you don't miss the next episode! ♥Support the show

Hiraeth? Sensucht? Saudade? Listen to Alexis and Lottie cry as we talk nostalgia, sequels and games, from 17th-century Swiss cowbells to sailing away from your loved ones into danger. We talk transmission of experience from one generation to the next, the future of games as gamers get old, and the impossible loss of childhood - and why that's not such a bad thing after all.Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- Sunless Sea, by Alexis Kennedy and Failbetter Games- The Nature of Order, by Christopher Alexander - Toy Story 3, by Pixar - No Country for Old Men, by the Cohen brothersFollow us on Twitter and sign up to the mailing list to make sure you don't miss the next episode! ♥Support the show

The conclusion of an epic two-parter. Who would win in a fight between TRPGs and CRPGs? What happens if a giant worm swallows a city? Is a dolphin the same as a cat? We attempt to answer these questions with appeals to Simon Baron-Cohen's empathising-systemising theory, work out why TRPGs rely so heavily on rule-sets when lots of people don't follow them anyway, and end up convincing ourselves that Game of Thrones is Love Island for nerds. PROVE US WRONG IF YOU DARE.Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- The Lady Afterwards, by us- The Essential Difference, by Simon Baron-Cohen - The Burning Wheel, by Luke Crane - Rolemaster, by Iron Crown - Ars Magica, by Atlas Games Follow us on Twitter and sign up to the mailing list to make sure you don't miss the next episode! ♥Support the show

"I don't want to be Elfstar anymore! I want to be Debbie!"Join us for a romp through tabletop gaming's earliest origins and the effect its had on modern video games. Well, that was the intention. We actually stop around the 1980s with fundamental Christianity and a woman called Janine who is bad at charades. But we talk about the defining characteristic of nerdery, Star Wars vs Star Trek, Boris Johnson and the Devil's testicles in between. Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- Cultist Simulator, by us- The Lady Afterwards, by us - Dungeons & Dragons, by Wizards of the Coast- Dark Dungeon, by Jack Chick- Malifaux, by Wyrd GamesFollow us on Twitter and sign up to the mailing list to make sure you don't miss the next episode! ♥Support the show

Real talk: APOPHENIA. Alexis and Lottie discuss subliminal pattern-seeking from its coinage by a Nazi psychologist to its use by modern indie game developers to cover up the fact we don't have any budget. Wait! We meant to make clever, co-operative immersive experiences. All via werewives, apophanies and Zhou Enlai.Games / books mentioned in this episode, for your gaming / reading pleasure:- Cultist Simulator, by us- Foucault's Pendulum, by Umberto Eco- Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon - Ulysses, by James Joyce- A Dark Room, by Doublespeak Games- The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, by Steven Donaldson- Return of the Obra Dinn, by Lucas Pope - Against Worldbuilding, by Alexis KennedyFollow us on Twitter and sign up to the mailing list to make sure you don't miss the next episode! ♥Support the show