star wars

35: Every Star a Destination

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Never tell us the odds; it’s the new episode of Geek at Arms! In this episode we welcome writer, editor, graphic designer, and all-around cool guy Eric Trautmann to the show! In Geek out, Eric shares how designing a multitude of miniatures with Hero Forge has been very therapeutic and how much he’s loving the series Cobra Kai. Next, James and Bryan give an emotional review of the latest novel in the Dresden Files series, Battle Ground. James then shares how much he’s enjoying The Witcher 3 on Xbox. After receiving many recommendations Mike gives us his take on the anime Re:Zero, and closing out the segment Bryan describes publishing a special 1st Edition D&D module written by Mike Garcia for The Christian Gamers Guild. Finally, Eric recounts his experience working on the Star Wars D6 system for West End Games, giving us a brief glimpse into the RPG industry. We then discuss his latest project, the Star System supplement Every Star a Destination from Adamant Entertainment!

32: Cinematic Sword Fights

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Here to help you keep cool, it’s the newest episode of Geek at Arms! In Geek Out James describes how the watching the recent streaming movie of the musical Hamilton changed his perception of musical theatre. He and Bryan also rejoice that latest book of The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Peace Talks, has finally been released. Next Mike shares how much he’s enjoyed introducing his daughter, albeit by guilt trip, to the Star Wars Miniatures game from Wizards of the Coast and how much she’s enjoyed it. Bryan continues his trek through the MCU with the series Cloak & Dagger. He admits that it surprised him with it’s high quality storytelling and he enjoyed it as much if not more than Runaways! Finally, the guys delve deep into cinematic swords fights, how they compare to actual historical combat, and what is required to make an on screen sword fight look good.

Aragorn vs Lurtz in Fellowship of the Ring succeeds in the realms of drama and believability, but the camera work and a lack of contrast between costuming and set make it difficult for the audience to understand the fight.

In The Empire Strikes Back, the silhouettes of Luke and Vader against a bright yet indistinct background emphasize the stances and forms of the characters.

Jack and Will are back-lit against a set that, while detailed, is obscured by dust. The lighting and camera work allow the audience to clearly see the actors and understand the fight.

The Princess Bride’s choreography and drama is top-notch. Camera placement is generally adequate, but the lighting is flat, which allows the earth-tones of Inigo’s costume to blend with the set. Note that the colors are very similar to the Pirates shot above. The differences are almost entirely in lighting and atmosphere.

Good camera work and art direction—the forms are clear, but nobody believes Kylo has ever had any training.

Whose idea was it to put red-armored combatants against a red background, then hit them with a red weapon? Rey, also, blends into only non-red part of the set. Rey’s stance is at least reasonable, but who knows what Kylo’s doing?

Bees! Bees!

31: The Rocketeer

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Welcome back to another new episode of Geek at Arms. Bryan, Mike, and James start off the show with a discussion on the recent events that have shaken our country. Next, in Geek Out, Bryan shares how much he’s enjoyed gm’ing a Tales from the Loop campaign and continuing his march through the Marvel cinematic universe with the show Runaways. James talks about how much his daughter enjoyed playing the games Dragonwood and Unexploded Cow and how much he enjoyed playing in the rpg’s run by both Mike and Bryan. Speaking of Mike, he describes our recent game of Star Wars D6 with the good folks at City On A Hill Gaming Podcast. Finally, we jump back into The Film Club with the 1991 Disney high-flying adventure, The Rocketeer!

29: Mystery Men

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Let’s Keep Calm and Geek On, it’s the new episode of the Geek at Arms Podcast! Kicking off Geek out Mike explains how a D6 campaign he was running, and thought defunct, found a second life on Roll20. Then he gives us a review of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and delivers his latest PAX Report! Next, Bryan shares his progress in watching the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, both movies and television. He also describes his enjoyment of the anime Stein’s;Gate and his plans for an upcoming Tales from The Loop game on Roll20. Wrapping up Geek Out, James talks about The Dragonslayer Trilogy by Duncan M Hamilton and give an overview of his likes and dislikes of Star Trek: Picard. Finally, Bryan hits us with a Pop Quiz before we head into the discussion of the first movie in our new Film Club series. Shining the spotlight on superhero movies that are NOT a part of DC or Marvel, the guys take a look at the 1999 comedian-studded cult classic Mystery Men!

Errata: Mike talked for a while about a Kickstarter for a new NES game, but we never actually said the title. It’s called Trophy.

                        

28: The Mandalorian

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Geek at Arms is back with yet another Super-Sized episode. In Geek Out Bryan shocks us with his purchase of a PS4 and the game Destiny. He then shares his enjoyment of the Netflix adaptation of the graphic novel Locke & Key. Next, James gives an review on the second season of Netflix’s Lost in Space and the first episodes of Star Trek: Picard. Mike finishes Geek Out with his exploration into the history of the spicy foods he loves, how much he’s enjoyed the anime My Hero Academia, and his excitement for attending PAX East. Finally, in a conversation that all three have been anticipating, the guys discuss the recent Star Wars series The Mandalorian. They delve into what it adds to SW Lore and what some of their favorite moments from the show are.

Errata: Bryan thought that Darths and Droids was running screen caps of the Star Wars Holiday Special, but it was actually the Star Wars episode of The Muppet Show. 

27: A Whole Lot of Star Wars & Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

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We return with our first episode of the New Year! Kicking off Geek Out James gives a glowing review of The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan. He then dives into everything Star Wars related he’s experienced in the past couple of months: from playing Jedi:Fallen Order to watching The Rise of Skywalker & The Mandalorian. Next Bryan describes a reality-bending campaign of D&D he’s been taking part in and how much he’s enjoyed Magic the Gathering: Arena. Mike shares how he’s begun keeping a journal for when he reads historical fencing manuals and how much his family has enjoyed the board games Ex Libris and the TIME Stories expansion Lumen Fidei. The guys then discuss the final film of the Animated Film Club, the 2018 modern hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse!

 

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: