lord of the rings

22: Picard, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Ethical Situations in Video Games

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Although it released late in August, this episode was recorded on July 28, 2019, prior to the shootings that took place in El Paso and Dayton a few days later, which have prompted more conversation on the topic of violence in video games. We want to make it clear that we do not necessarily believe that video games are a root cause of the violence we currently see in our society. However, we do feel it is important to stress that the violence portrayed in some games should absolutely not be viewed as an effective or acceptable method of enacting change. We stand with the victims of these tragedies and affirm the ongoing value of all human life, celebrating our diversity and shared human experience. 

Coming back with another Super-Sized episode, Geek at Arms returns! Bryan, Mike, and James start off with an impromptu To The Future discussing the recent trailer for Picard and a teaser for the upcoming Lord of The Rings show from Amazon. James starts Geek Out with his thoughts on the final season of the Revolutionary War spy drama Turn: Washington’s Spies and how it led him to dig deeper in the subject by reading Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring by Alexander Rose. Next Bryan answers a listener question about the Oculus Rift and shares how much he loved Spider-Man: Far From Home. He also describes how things went with his first Primetime Adventures session, Shadows in the Toybox! Mike tells us about his recent vacation and the abundant amount of reading he did on it: from Civil War battleship history to biographies of JRR Tolkien to medieval fencing treatises by Ken Mondschein! Finally, the guys have a long discussion on ethical situations and moral dilemmas found in video games like Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic, and more.

Errata:  

Bryan’s Middle Earth lore failed him. Beleriand was destroyed at the beginning of the Second Age, a result of the War of Wrath. The fall of Númenor was accompanied by the bending of the seas and removal of Aman and Tol Eressëa from Arda.

18: PAX East, Captain Marvel, and Upcoming Book-to-Film Adaptations

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Geek at Arms is back again! Mike kicks things off with his report on PAX East, and then describes the new love of his life, Betrayal: Legacy. James explains how his new game Kingdom Come: Deliverance feels like stepping into 15th century Bohemia and how much he and his wife enjoyed Captain Marvel. Next, Bryan deep dives us into his latest math interest with the Mandelbrot Set and math comedian Matt Parker. He and James also share how their latest rpg session with City on A Hill Gaming podcast went with fellow players Kyle from the Min/Max podcast and Mike from Innroads Ministries. The guys then have a discussion about all the upcoming film and TV adaptations that will hit the screens in the days to come: from the Lord of The Rings to Discworld to The Wheel of Time and many more!

Errata: Bryan said Good Omens was either already out or coming within the next week (of the recording). He was wrong. It becomes available beginning May 31. Bryan also attributed the Wheel of Time television movie to a company called Red Sky, but it was actually Red Eagle. And the Lord of the Rings TV Series may, in fact, not follow Aragorn, but be set instead in the Second Age. Bryan obviously needs a fact-checker. But to be fair, that LotR stuff is still largely conjecture!

We discussed these things:

 

17: City on a Hill Gaming and Willow

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Bryan, Mike and James return for yet another super-sized episode! Mike shares his enjoyment at reading The Fellowship of the Ring to his children for the first time and how he barely contained his Geekiness at meeting author and fencing master Ken Mondschein. Next, Bryan talks about how much he’s been enjoying the new Voltron: Legendary Defender and My Hero Academia. Both he and James express how much they’re looking forward to actually gaming in an upcoming RPG session with the City on a Hill Gaming Podcast. James keeps the gaming talk going by detailing a hopeful upcoming Monster of The Week campaign, and how happy he was at finally finishing The Last Duel and playing Biblios. Finally, we see the return of the Geek at Arms Film Club! Shifting from sci-fi to fantasy, the guys delve into the George Lucas written, Ron Howard directed 1988 epic Willow.

Special caution: During the show I recommended the series Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Although the first book, Midnight Riot, was fairly tame, book 2, Body Work, has some rather explicit naughty parts.

Discussed in this episode:

    

content warning: there’s some explicit naughty stuff in book 2

 

 

11: Forbidden Planet and Solo: A Star Wars Story

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We’re back with another super-sized episode! In Geek Out, Mike describes reading “The Princess Bride” with his daughters and how applying googly eyes to anything makes life better. James talks about revisiting the show Babylon 5 and his efforts to turn his daughter into a warrior princess by taking her to a local archery practice. Bryan relates how his recent trigonometry education is improving his visual effects work and how well the live-action adaptaion of Full Metal Alchemist holds up. Then, based on a listener suggestion, the guys begin a look back at classic science fiction & fantasy movies. The first they discuss is the 1956 sci-fi thriller Forbidden Planet. Finally, they share their thoughts on the most recent Star Wars movie Solo.

editor’s note: James makes reference to Destiny 2: Outcast. The actual title of the new campaign is Forsaken, scheduled for release in September.

Discussed in this episode:

                                                                             

10: PAX East, Ready Player One, and Geeks in the Church

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Geek at Arms returns with a super-sized episode! Bryan kicks off Geek Out by sharing the ups and downs, and possible opportunities, of the growing user-base of the visual effects software he uses. Mike gives us his PAX East report, and James jumps from Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds to Parks & Rec to Ready Player One, and more! Then, in a follow-up from last episode’s “Geek Budgeting” topic, the guys reveal which single item they would buy if they had the money to blow. Finally, Bryan asks the question “Have you encountered any difficulty when other believers discover your geeky hobbies?” They share stories and discuss the hurdles they’ve faced from sharing their interests openly.

Source for the Stan Lee stolen blood story: http://www.tmz.com/2018/04/05/stan-lee-stolen-blood-for-sale-black-panther-comic-books/

Michael Stackpole’s Pulling Report

Errata: Bryan referred to the “David Rumsfeld collection.” That should have been “David Rumsey collection.” He never opened a museum of his own, but he did donate the collection to Stanford University.

Discussed in this episode:

                                                       

Episode 8: Virtual Zombies, Veronica Mars, and tips for preserving your games

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With a brand new year comes a new season of Geek at Arms! In Geek Out James shares his thoughts on the books A Theft of Swords and Goblinopolis, and how he has finally started watching Stranger Things. Mike describes his virtual zombie hunting adventure, and Bryan takes us through his journey of watching Veronica Mars and geting back into the legendary pc game, Myst. The guys then do a do a special To The Future where they share what geeky events they’re looking forward to in the upcoming year. From running new rpgs to SCA events and more, they all agree that Avengers: Infinity War cannot get here fast enough! Finally, Mike shares some tips on keeping your board and card games in good shape, even when children and new players abound.

 

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Episode 6: Star Trek, Summer Movie Recap, and GM Tips for Running an RPG for Beginners

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In Episode 6, the guys Geek Out about Tudor-era warship Mary Rose, Star Trek and The Orville, and Ken Mondschein. We also express our opinions of the movies we saw over the summer and look forward to the ones coming up in the holiday season. After that, it’s a look at introducing roleplaying to new players and a not-so-fresh suggestion for public school lunches.

In this episode:

                                               

Geek at Arms Episode 4: Good Books, RPGs for Newcomers & the Morality of Hacking a Video Game?

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Mike rejoins the podcast, James shares the books he’s recently plowed through, the guys answer a listener question about suggested RPGs for newcomers, and they tackle the question “Is hacking a video game a sin for Christians?”

Mike wishes to to issue a correction: I had a brain glitch during recording and I claimed that the Greek word “hamartia” was a Hebrew word from the Old Testament. The translation and theology is correct, just not the source.

In this episode:

A couple of days after this episode recorded, Bioware fulfilled James’ prophecy by announcing that there would be no single-player DLC for Andromeda. Disappointment abounds, but perhaps an energetic modding community can find ways to fill in the holes.

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