Bad at Magic

By Bad at Magic

This is a podcast about games, life, and other things. Co-hosts Ben and Josh have been friends for 15 years. Our curiosity about life is at the heart of our great conversations about virtually anythin... more

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FAQs about Bad at Magic:

How many episodes does Bad at Magic have?

The podcast currently has 166 episodes available.

Bad at Magic episodes:

April 03, 2025Episode 147 – Capitalist Shtick
Show Notes
The hosts take on the move to self checkout, set the record straight on procedural and technological protections of information regarding military operations, figure out if they know Yiddish, and finally build a bridge in their never-ending ‘government vs. business’ debate.
Intro & Follow-up (end-18:22)
A Snooker Maximum Break (aka a “147”)
The Rules of Snooker
The Program (1993) notorious deleted highway scene; not Varsity Blues (1999)
ProMusica Arizona
Bad at Tech (18:22-36:50)
Americans and self checkout
Bad at Allies (36:50-58:35)
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans by Jeffrey Goldberg
US Department of Defense Strategy for Operations in the Information Environment
Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in prison for unlawfully disclosing national defense information (12 Nov 24)
US Central Command Security Classification Guide, 15 June 2012 (defunct)
Joint Publication 3-13.3 Operations Security (OPSEC)
Board Game Survivor (58:35-1:10:40)
Stratego
Blokus
Ticket to Ride
Dominion
What I’m Reading (1:10:40-1:28:29)
Josh: A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn
Ben: The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Bad at Yiddish
Chutzpah – n. (idea) bold self-confidence
Kanipshin – n. a fit or a tantrum
Klutz – n. clumsy person
Kvetch – v. whine, whinge deeply
Schlep – v. to carry something or go somewhere when it is an inconvenience; usually accompanied by kvetching
Schmaltzy – adj. overly emotional or sentimental
Schmooze – v. mix and mingle
Schmuck – n. a stupid, foolish, or contemptible person
Shtick – n. (idea) something you’re known for, usually quirky and performative
Spiel – n. a generally long story or speech
Tuchus – n. butt, usually in a cheeky way
Oy vey – excl. an expression of shock/surprise when something goes wrong
Main Segment (1:28:29-end)
The weekly show with Jon Stewart (podcast): Why We Can’t Have Nice Things with Ezra Klein
Jon Stewart Podcast YouTube Link
Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
2h 6min
March 20, 2025Episode 146 – Cowards & Weaklings
Show Notes
Josh always orders the same thing except for when he’s feeling spicy. The guys take on Artificial Intelligence and privacy, Josh reads a nonfiction book (gasp!), and the hosts do a deep dive on why and how to thank a veteran for their service.
Intro & Follow-up (0-14:02)
Should a charge of plagiarism ruin your life? by Malcolm Gladwell
The best episode of HOT ONES
Data the android gets an emotion chip (and tries a drink)
Bad at Tech (14:02-28:58)
Amazon Echo Privacy Change
What I’m Reading (28:58-46:48)
Sanderson’s Laws of Magic (2025)
Josh: A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn
Ben: The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Power Distance
Bad at Magic (46:48-1:06:18)
Teaching a new player to play Magic’s most-popular format (in 5 minutes!)
On Being a Veteran (1:06:18-end)
Biden Thanks Vets for Service, Says Nation Has Obligation to Honor, Support Them (11 Nov 2024)
Advanced Combat Rifle
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
2h 7min
March 06, 2025Episode 145 – Decisions, Decisions
Show Notes
Ben admits the truth about the US Patent Office in 1899, Josh accidentally sends some private photos to the wrong Nicole, Ben leaves the toilet seat up and suffers the consequences, the guys discuss some new games, and finally, they do a deep dive on the meta thought processes behind the decisions we make.
Intro & Follow-up (end-29:52)
The truth about the US Patent Office in 1899
Should a charge of plagarism ruin your life? by Malcolm Gladwell
Bad at Appliances & Husbanding (29:52-49:42)
What I’m Reading (49:42-59:42)
Josh: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
Ben: The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke
Psychology Today – What Every Survivor Desperately Wants But Rarely Gets
Bad at Gaming (59:42-1:23:22)
Something WILD! – The Card Game of Character Combos!
The Growing Problem In Magic: The Gathering Is NOT Universes Beyond…It’s Universes Within.
A Feast for Odin
The Cones of Dunshire (Parks and Rec)
Main Segment: Why We Make the Choices We Make (1:23:22-end)
You Don’t Actually Need a Menu – College Humor
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
2h 12min
February 21, 2025Episode 144 – Death and Taxes
Show Notes
Josh runs the show* and the guys talk about being leaders in the workplace, Wizards of the Coast’s new tiered Commander ranking system, Frog Fractions, man crushes, fantasy storytelling, and more.
Intro & follow-up (0-1:11:17)
Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)?
Frog Fractions (walkthrough on YouTube)
Microsoft Excel 2000 “Dev Hunter” easter egg (video)
Is Tron: Ares really coming out in 2025?
Commander Brackets (1:11:17-end)
Wicked problem (n.): a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. It refers to an idea or problem that cannot be fixed, where there is no single solution to the problem; and “wicked” denotes resistance to resolution, rather than evil.
BONUS: Lego Magic Card scanner
Introducing “Commander Brackets” [BETA] (official article on Magic: the Gathering website)
EDH vs. cEDH
What we’re reading:
Ben: Turn the Ship Around! A true story of turning followers into leaders By L. David Marquet, Captain, US Navy (Ret.)
Josh: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson’s 2025 Writing Lecture Series
The Tandem Story Josh talked about
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
2h 8min
February 06, 2025Episode 143 – The Tron Paradox
Show Notes
Ben goes to a UFC fight, Josh addresses the 12-hour TikTok ban, the guys examine some common logic problems that people find counter-intuitive, Josh tries Stimulation Clicker (Gamers beware!), and the guys revisit the two previous Tron movies (1982 & 2010) in preparation for the upcoming Tron: Aries (2025).
Intro & follow-up (0-19:09)
Super Bowl ad created by Ben’s UFC buddy
Bad at Logic (19:90-35:10)
The Monty Hall Problem
The Birthday Paradox
What I’m reading and gaming (35:10-t)
The parable of the dog and the dragon
Stimulation Clicker
Cookie Clicker
The Stanley Parable
Main segment – Tron and Tron: Legacy (t-t)
Tron (1982) Trailer
Light Cycle Race (w/ 4K upscale!)
Tron: Legacy (2010) Trailer
Gort Klaatu Barada Nikto
VFX Artists React to Tron
Next time:
Tron: Uprising (2012)
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
2h 5min
January 23, 2025Episode 142 – UPT Revisited
Show Notes
Josh offers an alternative for shipwrecked TikTok users, the guys propose categories and intensity for the “Words of Affirmation” love language, Ben doesn’t know what to do when his daughter brings her boyfriend over to the house, Josh takes his wife at her word when she tells him not to buy her chocolate (rookie move), and finally the hosts revisit Ben’s Unified Parenting Theory (UPT) first introduced on Episode 2 of the Bad at Magic Podcast.
Intro & follow-up (0-33:38)
Is Chinese Communist app RedNote an alternative to TikTok?
The US Military enforcing a domestic quarantine in Outbreak (1995)
Standing Up to Donald Trump’s Fear Tactics (NY Times)
Bad at Love (33:38-1:14:09)
The Five Love Languages
The mean-spirited, unfunny example of the boyfriend meme from Boys II (LANGUAGE WARNING)
Bad at Parenting/Husbanding & What I’m Reading (1:14:09-1:27:59)
Josh: Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
Ben: Creative Acts for Curious People by Sarah Stein Greenberg
Ben’s Unified Parenting Theory, Revisited (1:27:59-end)
B@M Recommends: Zoo King
Episode 2: Bespoke Parenting, where it all started
The Isolation of Intensive Parenting by Stephanie H. Murray
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
2h 2min
January 09, 2025Episode 141 – Capodanno Bingo
Show Notes
Ben and Josh review some games they love (and you will too!) and wrap their minds around the PayPal/Honey Influencer controversy. Josh gets visited by the box fairy and is too matchy with his wife. Ben finishes the Russian Gulag book and endangers his marriage by unpacking the kitchen. Finally, they reflect on 2024 and build their 2025 resolution bingo cards.
Intro & Follow-up (0-15:48)
Ben recommends:
The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough, a great book
Flow Free, mobile game, draw non-intersecting paths between dots
IHUE, mobile game, color matching
ROOT a game of woodland might and right, multiplayer boardgame with asymmetric gameplay
Josh recommends:
Balatro (gameplay video w/ Markiplier), a crazy mobile game twist on Poker
Bad at Tech (15:48-34:44)
Exposing the Honey Influencer Scam – MegaLag
The lawsuit – LegalEagle
Better off Ted – Lie Detector
Bad at Italian & Bad at Husbanding (34:44-54:48)
Buon Capodanno!
Traditional Polar Plunge on NYD into the Tiber River in Rome
The Magic Coffee Table
What I’m reading (54:48-1:07:48)
Ben: The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1957 by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
Josh: Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson
Feature: New Year’s Bingo (1:07:48-end)
Make your own New Year’s Bingo Card
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
1h 57min
December 27, 2024Episode 140 – Christmas/Magic Mastermind
Show Notes
Ben and Josh are bad at parenting, husbanding, cancel culture, and remembering facts about Christmas and Magic in this very special listener-requested return to the BBC game show “Mastermind”.
Intro (0-34:04)
League of Legends spinoff Teamfight Tactics (TFT)
Does Spotify Wrapped include December?
Jon Stewart on “rules, loopholes, and norms” with Senator Bernie Sanders
Bad at Parenting (34:04-39:49)
Bad at Husbanding (39:49-52:16)
Bad at Society (52:16-1:07:48)
How Liberal America Came to Its Senses – The Atlantic
Link to Instagram sketch about the end of cancel culture that Josh doesn’t want you to watch
Colin Jost & Michael Che on SNL
Re: Nikki Minaj talking about COVID-19 (Ep. 56, start at 1:12:05)
What I’m reading (1:07:48-1:17:06)
Ben: The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1957 by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
Josh: Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
Christmas/Magic Mastermind (1:17:06-end)
First B@M Mastermind episode: Ep. 14: Bad at Magic: Mastermind Edition
The Rise and Fall of Nicol Bolas
Magic Hall of Famer Jon Finkel’s bad date with Gizmodo intern Alyssa Bereznak
Magic: the Gathering’s Comprehensive Rules (the “Comp Rules”)
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
1h 59min
December 12, 2024Episode 139 – Arcane Season 2
Show Notes
The hosts react to the UHC murder, research bread bag clips, recount life-threatening hijinks from long ago, and enjoy the heck out of Arcane: League of Legends Season 2.
Intro & Follow-up (0-17:52)
The Murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Bad at English (17:52-25:34)
Emordnilaps
The Holotypic Occlupanid Research Group (bread bag ties website)
Great article about said site
Bad at Bike Riding (25:34-46:49)
What I’m Reading (46:49-1:05:43)
Josh: Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
Ben: Silence by Shūsaku Endō
Movie trailer
The book Josh Forgot: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Outlander Book Review
Arcane: League of Legends, Season 2 (1:05:43-end)
Season 2 Trailer
How good is Arcane: League of Legends?
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
2h 26min
November 28, 2024Episode 138 – Scott Pilgrim vs Email
Show Notes
Ben and Josh are bad at Travel (skiplagging), Business (email), Reading, and reviewing current films. This time they take on the 2010 Edgar Wright film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World based on the Canadian graphic novel (manga?) by Bryan Lee O’Malley. And love it.
Intro & Follow-up (0-21:42)
We Are 138 by the Misfits (1:38)
The Making of Back to the Future was a Sh*t Show
Bad at Travel (21:42-33:41)
Skiplagging (NY Times)
Official site
Bad at Business (33:41-57:35)
Atlantic email article
What I’m Reading (57:35-1:13:26)
Josh:
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Edgedancer (Stormlight Archive #2.5) by Brandon Sanderson
Ben:
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (1:13:26-end)
Hardcore Henry trailer (not Serious Sam)
Doom (2005) FPS Sequence
The Oracle of Bacon
The Making of the Super Mario Bros. Movie
Metric – Black Sheep (Brie Larson Version)
Chris Evans at ECCC talking about his role in Scott Pilgrim
Join in the discussion on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadAtMagicPodcast
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/badatmagic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badatmagic/podcasts
Check out our website(s):
http://www.badatmagic.live
Our YouTube Channel
Support us on:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badatmagic/
Credits:
Bad at Magic Logos by Jonica Rich
Transition music by Jarus Rich
Outro music from Cascading by Ammon Rich
...more
2h 30min

FAQs about Bad at Magic:

How many episodes does Bad at Magic have?

The podcast currently has 166 episodes available.

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