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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.

20: Retro Rewind Podcast, Tolkien, and Geeks in Media

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Geek at Arms returns with our 20th episode. Bryan kicks off Geek Out by sharing his excitement about interviews with the Retro Rewind and Min/Max podcasts. James and Mike promptly die of envy. James then shares his likes and dislikes about the book Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View and how much he’s looking forward to reading JRR Tolkien: A Biography. Mike continues the trip into Middle Earth in his review of the biopic Tolkien and describes how much he’s enjoyed Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. Finally, he leads a discussion about how geeks are portrayed in media: from Steve Urkel to The Big Bang Theory to The Gamers: Dorkness Rising and more!

Errata: Bryan said “Lone Star” when he clearly meant Bravestarr. Come on, Bryan, get it together!

           

12: Lost in Space, Tales From the Loop, and Audio Fiction

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Bryan, Mike and James are back with a new episode! In Geek Out, James praises the new Lost in Space series on Netflix and then takes us through the contents of his EDC Kit. Bryan describes his enjoyment playing a session of the RPG Tales from the Loop. Mike talks about his latest Star Wars RPG session and how a trip to an air museum turned into a personal tour of a B-17 Flying Fortress! The guys then discuss the world of audio fiction. From audiobooks to podcasts, they share their first experiences with it and how they enjoy it now.

In this episode:

                                                                                          

 

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:

                                                                             

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 7: Superheroes and Board Games for Beginners

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In this very slightly holiday-themed episode, Mike Geeks Out about the sci-fi novel Binti, Bryan talks incessantly about Green Arrow and the possibility of a roleplayer’s lair, and James continues to rave about the Mary Rose (and a big thanks to the Museum for sharing our last episode!) We… well, mostly Bryan talks about superhero movies, and then we give some tips on introducing people to better board games than they are used to. Thanks to James’ impressive lists for several tiers of game nerd from the Eurogames virgin to the “holy cow I can’t believe we’ve already spent 1000 hours playing this” wargamer, the links section below is pretty full.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. So yeah, if you buy something after clicking on one of the links below, we may get a little income.

Since there are a couple of individual TV episodes mentioned, I thought I’d track them down for your convenience. James makes reference to an episode of Justice League Unlimited—Season 2, episode 4, “To Another Shore.” Bryan mentions the How I Met Your Mother episode “Monday Night Football,” which was Season 2, episode 14.

James also talked about a scene between Green Arrow and Harley Quinn in the “Arrow Cave.” Bryan misremembered the book that occurred in, crediting it to Kevin Smith’s Quiver story line, but it was actually in Injustice: Gods Among Us issue #5. Quiver‘s really good, though, so I left in the link.

 

                                                                                                                                                      

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.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Geek at Arms Episode 3: Oculus Rift, DLC, and RPGs

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Bryan joins James in person to talk about his new Oculus Rift. We also discuss swordplay, the value of DLC, and all of the roleplaying games we wish we could find an opportunity to play. Regrettably, Mike couldn’t join us for this episode, but we’re sure he’ll be back with us next time.

One small correction: James mentioned a Hero Clix game based on Mage: The Ascension. He was thinking of Mage Knight: Resurrection.

In this episode:

 

Geek at Arms Episode 2: Cyberpunk, Summer Movies, and Phone Problems Galore!

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Geek at Arms is back! Bryan talks about his current Cyberpunk mood, James describes his experience with Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Mike tells us a little about Star Wars: Thrawn. Then the guys look “To the Future” and what summer movies they’re looking forward to.

Discussed in this episode:

Welcome to Night Vale: All Hail

Your Name

Hayao Miyazaki Films

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

Star Wars: Rebels

X-Wing: Rogue Squadron by Michael Stackpole

Influx by Daniel Suarez

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Ghost in the Shell

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester