Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff

Episode 181: Taking Latitudes with Longitude


Listen Later

In this special theme episode, we start in the uncharted waters of the Cartography Hut, to look at the struggle to accurately measure longitude at sea, and its underdog hero, clockmaker John Harrison.

We shift to the Gaming Hut to ask ourselves how to introduce navigational uncertainty into magic-rich F20 worlds.

Then the Consulting Occultist tours us through the colorful career of privateer, courtier, cookbook author and magic powder maker Kenelm Digby. The connection? The rejected magical dog injury method of longitude measurement.

When the astronomer Giovanni Cassini wanted to establish a reference point for longitude he went to the ruins of Uraniborg, the observatory erected by Tycho Brahe. Can Ken’s Time Machine prevent it from being destroyed in the first place?

Ken and Robin have oft been accused of being cards. Well, we can deny it no longer. We have become super-limited promo cards for Murder of Crows, Atlas Games’ fast-paced card game of murder and the macabre, for two to five players in the mood for something a little morbid. It’s Edward Gorey meets Caligari, by way of Edgar Allan Poe. Wait a minute, what does that graphic say? I’m not so sure about this… Ken fans who did not partake of the Kickstarter can now sink their fangs into the general release of the Dracula Dossier from Pelgrane Press, consisting of the Director’s Handbook and Dracula Unredacted. You say that’s still not enough Ken for you? Very well, my friend. His brilliant pieces on parasitic gaming, alternate Newtons, Dacian werewolves and more now lurk among the sparkling bounty of The Best of FENIX Volumes 1-3, from returning sponsors Askfageln. Yes, it’s Sweden’s favorite RPG magazine, now beautifully collected. Warning: not in Swedish. In a move that surely violates someone’s security clearance, this episode is also brought to you by our friends at Arc Dream Publishing. The Kickstarter for Delta Green: the Roleplaying Game has come to an end, but don’t let that stop you from indulging your fever for this classic game, or that pinnacle of the Cthulhu game zine world, The Unspeakable Oath.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Ken and Robin Talk About StuffBy Kenneth Hite and Robin D Laws

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

230 ratings


More shows like Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff

View all
Common Sense with Dan Carlin by Dan Carlin

Common Sense with Dan Carlin

11,531 Listeners

Writing Excuses by Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler

Writing Excuses

1,299 Listeners

The Scathing Atheist by Puzzle in a Thunderstorm, LLC

The Scathing Atheist

3,208 Listeners

Role Playing Public Radio by Ross Payton

Role Playing Public Radio

170 Listeners

Improvised Radio Theatre - With Dice: Latest posts by Roger & Michael

Improvised Radio Theatre - With Dice: Latest posts

8 Listeners

What Would The Smart Party Do? by The Smart Party

What Would The Smart Party Do?

8 Listeners

The Good Friends of Jackson Elias by Paul Fricker, Matthew Sanderson and Scott Dorward

The Good Friends of Jackson Elias

173 Listeners

The GROGNARD Files by Dirk the Dice

The GROGNARD Files

104 Listeners

The Greatest Generation by Adam Pranica and Benjamin Harrison review Star Trek

The Greatest Generation

4,018 Listeners

Behind the Bastards by Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts

Behind the Bastards

15,576 Listeners

The Medieval Podcast by Medievalists.net

The Medieval Podcast

314 Listeners

What Would The Smart Party Do? by The Smart Party

What Would The Smart Party Do?

16 Listeners

Mystery Quest by Pickaxe

Mystery Quest

151 Listeners

Ludonarrative Dissidents by Ross Payton

Ludonarrative Dissidents

34 Listeners