A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast

By Kristin McFarland, Drew BuschhornLeisure Games Fiction Hobbies

A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast episodes

October 10, 2023Episode 22: Let the Dwarves Do the Grinding
Things are hopping at both our forts, and we’ve got paper making, mine carts, lava fountains, and clothes keeping us busy. Plus, tons of cool community news! Kristin wonders why her dwarves aren’t inspired to write books, and Drew tells us just how grumpy his dwarves are, even when they’re happy. Topic of the day is whether or not Dwarf Fortress is “grindy,” what constitutes grindiness in a game, and what makes Dwarf Fortress special in the management sim world. Digressions include the definition of quire, dwarven population booms, and how we can’t listen to podcasts while we play Dwarf Fortress.
Extra Info
Our Discord Group: https://discord.gg/34kdwGQUph
Stephen’s Story Dwarves on Youtube
Rocking Music on Bandcamp!
Why is Dwarfcore so good?
Dwarf Fortress Adventure Mode Update
35 Days of Dwarf: Nameless Archon on Reddit. Tutorials while raising money for Extra Life charity for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. See them on Twitch also.
Mention of Dwarf Fortress on ‘The Besties’
Libraries on DFWiki
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
53 min
September 26, 2023Episode 21: A New Fort? In This Economy?
Welcome to Glazedcradled and Fordcudgel, our new forts! That’s right: we’re back to full time dwarfin.’ This time we talk settlement strategies and project plans, including Kristin’s small attempts to get into engineering and industry, and Drew’s grand lava plans. Digressions include crabapples and Kristin’s myriad elf boyfriends. Finally, be sure to send us your spookiest dwarven ghosts, macabre deaths, and scary monsters so that we can talk about them at Halloween!
Extra Info
Our Discord Group: https://discord.gg/34kdwGQUph
Start getting your spoopy Dwarf Fortress ghost stories and macabre deaths to send in! We won’t judge if you decide to put your finger on the scales of luck for a particularly annoying noble!
Dwarf Fortress v50.10 release – Now on Linux!
Sphalerite is weird – https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Sphalerite
“Horse-high, bull-strong, and pig-tight!” – Wikipedia on Hedge Apples!
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
53 min
September 12, 2023Episode 20: ADVENTURE! (sorry, not mode)
We’re back this week to talk about (sorry) BALDUR’S GATE 3! We dedicate an entire episode to gushing about this amazing game. Digressions include, well, the entire episode, which is a digression from our actual focus. We’ll be back to dorfin’ next time! Act 3 spoilers start at 26:47.
Extra Info
Our Discord Group: https://discord.gg/34kdwGQUph
Dwarf Fortress Roundtable is back! Gash got a mention!
The upcoming base building / Minecraft style game LOTR: Return to Moria sounds cool.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Reddit: “My boyfriend loves Shadowheart more than me!”
Tiktok lies: “Is Larian Studios being sued for making a game so good it makes other developers look bad?” … No, it’s weak satire guys. Why are you confused about this? … anyone?
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
55 min
August 29, 2023Episode 19: Dude! Where’s My Crutch?
We’re here, we’re injured, and we’re ready to talk about storytelling! This week, we discuss the demise of both Wetringed and FieryCities. (RIP.) We also dig deep into how we pull stories from dwarf fortress, how role-playing is different from storytelling, and what challenges we have when trying to document the lives of individual dwarves. Plus, Kristin wrote a story! Digressions include pareidolia and whether or not Kristin has a butler fetish. (No.)
Extra Info
Our Discord Group: https://discord.gg/34kdwGQUph
Results of the VIII Dwarf Fortress Gladiator Tournament: Bay12Forums
Interview with Tarn about role-play
Pareidolia – seeing faces in clouds
Apophenia – inventing connections between unconnected things
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) and ‘The Long War’ mod
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
55 min
August 15, 2023Episode 18: It’s Not Adventure Mode, but It’s a Start!
This week, we’ve got brief updates from our forts, but mostly we’re geeking out about Baldur’s Gate 3! Talk about highest quality; we’re obsessed with this game. If you’re not interested and/or don’t want spoilers for Act 1, you can skip from 19:30 to 40:05. Digressions this episode include pedal harps and, well, most of the episode, since we’re talking about a different game.
Extra Info:
Our Discord Group: https://discord.gg/34kdwGQUph
Check out Gashcozokon’s request for programmers for a Dwarf Fortress related project on Discord!
Check out Knud’s awesome blacksmithing on Instagram: link, and checkout his newest little blacksmith on Discord.
It’s a family business!
The VIII Dwarf Fortress Gladiator Tournament on Bay12Forums
In case you haven’t heard, Baldur’s Gate 3 is awesome: link, steam link.
Come for the tentacle monsters, DnD 5E, and spell-jammer nostalgia, but stay for the hot bear sex!
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
48 min
August 01, 2023Episode 17: Guilds Gone Wild – Embezzlement Edition
This week we’re talking about guildhalls! We also bring you the latest news from WetRinged and FieryCities, featuring embezzlement and divine judgement. Digressions include moon snails, shady statues, and underwhelming secret identity reveals. Drew also brings us the tale of a dwarven con artist from Legends Mode!
Extra info:
Our Discord Group: https://discord.gg/34kdwGQUph
BlindIRL Interview with the DF Team: Youtube
The VIII Dwarf Fortress Gladiator Tournament on Bay12Forums
Round 2 Results and Betting: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10q3Qojz8f8PS7QeOnmhJ5Xi5ph5lDB_ASTOtj8jnCeY/edit#gid=1108800907
Dwarf Fortress Wiki: Guilds and Guildhalls, Challenges, and the unexpected Moon Snail Man.
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
47 min
July 18, 2023Episode 16: What Really Counts as Cheating Anyway?
This week, we’re giving you the news from our forts and then discussing what constitutes cheating in Dwarf Fortress and other simulation-type games. Digressions include bumblebee deities and Sims challenges. We also talk a little about two other games we’re currently enjoying: Sun Haven and Monster Sanctuary!
Extra info:
Our Discord Group: https://discord.gg/34kdwGQUph
The VIII Dwarf Fortress Gladiator Tournament on Bay12Forums
Round 1 Results and Betting: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10q3Qojz8f8PS7QeOnmhJ5Xi5ph5lDB_ASTOtj8jnCeY/edit#gid=1108800907
DFHack, Steam Mods, and general frippery.
Sims Challenges
Sun Haven – 2023
Monster Sanctuary – 2020
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
51 min
July 04, 2023Episode 15: Child Labor? In My Fort?
We’re back from vacation to tell you all about new forts, old forts, and child labor. Kristin’s new fort has a terrible name, and Drew’s continuing fort has a power couple and intriguing deaths. Plus, we talk all about dwarven children, both feral and, uh, domesticated? Asides include bees and unmanageable cavern terrain.
Extra info:
Our Discord Group: https://discord.gg/34kdwGQUph
The VIII Dwarf Fortress Gladiator Tournament on Bay12Forums (deadline July 5th … ?)
Dwarven Free Labo… I mean, Dwarven Children.
Instructions for Exporting Legends Mode (reddit): https://www.reddit.com/r/dwarffortress/comments/13xt7w1/comment/jmj1h4v/
Legends Browser: https://github.com/robertjanetzko/LegendsBrowser2
Good Dwarvish Fun: Blind Ogre Baiting – I’ve got 5☼ on the Dog
The King in Crundle Bone and Tanzanite
“Keep the Change You Filthy Animal!”
I liked this one too much to not include it
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
48 min
June 20, 2023Episode 14: Against the Storm
Kristin and Drew are still on vacation, but we’ve brought you a special bonus episode about a game we love, Against the Storm! It’s a rogue-lite settlement builder with woodland creatures and an evil forest, and we think you’ll love it, too. Note that this game has been in really rapid development, so a few things have changed since we recorded.
We’ll be back in two weeks with our normal dwarfish content!
Extra Info:
Purchase Against the Storm Early Access on Steam.
Against the Storm Publishers
Against the Storm Discord
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
51 min
June 06, 2023Episode 13: Legends – wait for it – MODE
Episode 13 brings the return of Legends Mode browsing, Kristin’s updates from BellBlade, Drew’s lack of updates from FieryCities, and so many violent attacks by otherwise peaceful animals. We also talk about finding your fort’s theme, such as: Glass! Magma! Succession Fort! but don’t know if we come to any conclusions.
Extra Info:
Our Discord group: https://discord.gg/34kdwGQUph
Join the Discord to checkout: ErinsAaron’s Adventure Mode story
Listen to DF Round Table to hear about: Nick’s Succession Fort Mod
DF Hack through Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2346660/DFHack__Dwarf_Fortress_Modding_Engine/
Instructions for Exporting Legends Mode (reddit): https://www.reddit.com/r/dwarffortress/comments/13xt7w1/comment/jmj1h4v/
Legends Browser: https://github.com/robertjanetzko/LegendsBrowser2
Transcript
(see README for more details)
A Strange Mood: The Couple's Dwarf Fortress Podcast is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://astrangemoodpodcast.com/
50 min