Hi folks!  Another chat with a solo content creator. This time, it's with Jon, the host of the Tale of the Manticore podcast.  This show is a hybrid solo RPG playthrough/ dark fiction podcast. The podcast is a serial story in which "the dice determine" the fate of the characters.  A story is being told and crafted by playing a solo game of Dungeons and Dragons.

Jon does an amazing job of producing a high quality show.  This is an excellent example of what can be accomplished by playing an RPG solo.  It's done without an emulator and Jon takes the role of both character and DM, though primarily DM.  It's an excellent show worth listening to and easy to binge and catch up!

• Tale of the Manticore (website)

This week Julius and I talk to Jason Tagmire of Button Shy games.  We talk about small games, design contests and the upcoming game ROVE.  It's going to be released on the Button Shy website on Black Friday.  Check it out, it's a neat little spatial puzzle of a game.

• ROVE (BGG, Button Shy)

This week Julius and I talk about the game Cascadia, the game of the Pacific Northwest, designed by Randy Flynn and published by Flatout Games.  This is a tile laying game in which you are placing tiles with a mix environments and populating them with a variety of animals to try and maximize your score.  It's pretty abstract but it's pretty fun and you can try the solo game on-line to see what you think.  I can say, we like it.

This episode features my Golden Retriever, Kaylee, barking in the background throughout the episode.  I removed a lot of the barks but there is only so much I could do.  Later on, she got into the room I was recording in and started eating the catfood out of the bowl.  I hope all that noise is not too distracting!

• Cascadia (BGG, Flatout Games, online solo game)

It's back to the table for us with Pandemic: The Cure.  This is the classic game of world saving, dice chucking fun.  The game is a dice version of the now classic Pandemic.  Julius and I revisit the game and see how it holds up.

• Pandemic: The Cure (BGG, Z-Man)

This week I talk about Storm Above the Reich, a GMT game designed by Mark Aasted & Jeremy White.  This is a WWII game in which you simulate the German air defense against American bombers.  You control a group of fighters that try to engage and bring down the American bombers.  The game is a stand-alone sequal to Skies Above the Reich and can be integrated with it to get a much longer campaign game.  I quite enjoyed the game and hope the podcast does a fair job of giving you a sense of what it's like.

Shame on me for also forgetting to mention that GMT currently has Skies Above Britain on their P500.  This is the British equivalent of the game.

Finally, I had my Covid booster yesterday and just feel worn out today.  If I did a poor job of editing this week, well, more poor than normal, then blame that.

• Storm Above the Reich (BGG, GMT)

Not really discuss but also check these out.

• Skies Above the Reich (BGG, GMT)

This week, Julius talks about Solenia.  In this game, you ply the winds of a tiny planet trading for goods and stuff on a giant yellow airship.

• Solenia (BGG)

This week I return to interviewing other solo podcast hosts.  This time around, it's Steve Morrison of Errant Adventures.  The podcast features playthroughs of solo games.  Each game spans multiple episodes and after over 40 weekly episodes he's still on his third game.  We have a long rambling discussion centered around solo roleplaying as well as his podcast.  I hope you enjoy!

• Errant Adventures (Internet)

This week Julius and I delve into the realm of point and click video games... sort of.  We are talking about a point and click board game, or more precisely, book game.  Cantaloop: Breaking Into Prison is an analog game that plays, looks and feels like a classic point and click adventure, think The Secret of Monkey Island or Grim Fandango from Lucas Arts.  Just, there is no clicking in this game as it's all based on a book.

• Cantaloop (BGG, Lookout Games)

This week I teach Julius about the game Coldwater Crown.  This is a game in which you are competing in a fishing tournament to get the most trophy points.  Like a modern dance competition, there are trophies available for just about anything you do.  Come hear what someone that doesn't like fishing think about this game.

• Coldwater Crown (BGG, Bellwether Games)

This week, Julius and family talk about the game Twinkle.  This is a dice game were you are trying to make constellations.   Keep in mind, stuff doing with space and stars is often very mathy.  This game seems to be no exception... huzzah! 

• Twinkle (BGG, V Games)