It’s the season FINALE of Game Over, Tarman! Join us for a chaotic romp through Pokemon as ALL of our season one guests team up for a roundtable discussion! From favorite Pokemon to thoughts on recent Pokemon developments to reminiscing on old times to more mini-game shenanigans, this double size episode has everything you could possibly want, so grab your headphones and tune in!

We mention this during the episode as well, but we are going to be going on a hiatus for about two weeks, possibly more, to evaluate our track for season two and re-work our upload schedule. The giant-size of this final episode makes for a total of 24 regular episodes, plus one bonus episode to round out our first season, and we are so grateful to everyone of our listeners sticking with us, thank you so much! Expect more goodness when we return for season two…

You can follow Gisselle here →

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@citlalishobbies

Twitter: https://twitter.com/citlalireads

You can follow El here →

Dungeons & Dugouts Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1p8RebgLOnFtxosKE7yrl5?si=20QCXz3cQOeEnWzg_YIZOA&utm_source=copy-link

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/just_dnd_things/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@just_dnd_things?lang=en

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” and the interlude “The Icy Cave” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much!

You’re invited to the party! Or more accurately, we’re inviting you to listen to us talk about parties…! Trust me, it’s much more fun than that makes it sound, as on today’s episode of Game Over, Tarman! William and Alex cover all the juicy details of party games. We’re talkin’ Among Us, Mario Party, Mario Kart, Castle Crashers, One Night Werewolf, Mafia, Jackbox, Taboo, Scribblio. You name it, it’s probably in here. Or at least we thought about it while we were talking. From talking about what makes them party games, to what makes them entertaining, to simply sharing goofy stories, this episode has it all, so come give it a listen!

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much

For the first time (but probably not the last time), William and Alex are talking about NOT video games! After acting in a production of Michael McKeever’s play Daniel’s Husband, Alex had some thoughts, and what better place to share those thoughts than on today’s episode of Game Over, Tarman! Join our lovely hosts as they break down both the plot and some fascinating implications and conversations surrounding the story of the acclaimed play! If you’re in the Lafayette area, come check out the show this Friday or Saturday February 17th and 18th at the Lafayette Civic Theater.

This episode features major spoilers for Daniel’s Husband, as well as discussion of brainstem strokes and quadriplegia. A summary of the play is given starting at 3:53 and ending at 13:46.

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much

Yet again Alex and William decide to question the unquestioned in today’s episode of Game Over, Tarman! wherein they dig into the where, what, how, and why of maps! What do they accomplish? Is it always the same thing? Are all maps created equal? When does a game not need a map? When does it have too much map? All these questions and more are ready to be unfolded and plotted out as they tackle a subject that few people question yet remains integral to game design.

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much

Dungeons need no introduction. Or do they? Let’s step back for just a moment to think about what exactly we mean when we talk about a “dungeon” in a game (video game or TTRPG). Are they caves? Labyrinths? Literal dungeons in castle basements? Or are they something much more expansive… I think you can all probably guess what William and Alex’s answer is on today’s episode of Game Over, Tarman! Yep, that’s right, dungeons are kind of even more nebulous than one might first think. From the temples in a Zelda game to the whole map of Dark Souls to an escape scene in a TTRPG to even a mission in a 3D Mario game, our two hosts discuss how the definition of a dungeon is based more on its gameplay implications rather than its setting and why that’s important for interesting dungeon design in the first place!

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much

Ah, turn-based combat. We all know it, we all have varying degrees of love for it, but if we step back and take a long, hard look at it we start to wonder if we really need it anymore. Or at least, that’s how Alex and William feel, as on today’s episode of Game Over, Tarman! they break down the basics of the as-written combat system in Dungeons and Dragons, then proceed to completely throw it out in favor of something a little more thrilling and engaging. Join us as we discuss the different ways Game Masters can add a touch of spice to the hours-long slogfest that many players and DMs alike have come to dread.

Also as a note, yes we are both very much aware of the situation going on with Wizards of the Coast and the OGL, but ultimately we elected not to address the topic in the episode because we felt it warranted a much wider discussion focused on the tabletop gaming atmosphere itself. For this episode in particular we only wanted to discuss our specific grievances with the system that we have become the most familiar with simply because circumstances have made it  – as we mention in the episode itself – an incredibly common system to play in.

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

Dungeon Craft’s No Initiative Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_mxYKzEjms

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much

On today’s episode of Game Over, Tarman! Alex and William take a bit of a different approach to producing that sweet sweet content. Having spent a lot of December thinking about the ways pop culture talks about games versus how analysts and critics…well criticize games, Alex tried to come up with a Grand Unified Theory of Games Criticism. Unfortunately his attention span is too short and that probably wouldn’t work anyway, so you got this conversation instead! Wanting to dig deeper into some thoughts they had shared off the pod, our two illustrious hosts decided to strike up a convo on the mic.

What we ended up with was an episode that covers our thoughts on media criticism as a whole, how our views and criticism of games in turn helps us define them, what games as a form of media offer that no other form does, the ways they appeal to a desire to engage and explore, how “more to explore” doesn’t necessarily equate to a better game, and of course, games that exemplify our thoughts on these ideas. We’re nothing if not varied here on Game Over, Tarman!, so why not throw your hat in the mix and join us in this conversation!

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

For those curious, the book we referenced in today’s episode is On Video Games: The Visual Politics of Race, Gender, and Space by Soraya Murray.

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much.

Hope y’all are as excited as we are to talk about one of our (or at least Alex’s) favorite games of all time, Celeste! Released in 2018 by developer Extremely OK Games (previously known as Matt Makes Games), this pixel art platformer has a lot more hidden just below the surface than one might first presume. From seamless integration between story and gameplay to dynamic and detailed portrayals of its cast to a wonderfully nuanced and insightful exploration of mental illness, join Alex and William as they dig into the amazing game that is Celeste on today’s episode of Game Over, Tarman!.

Content warning: this episode contains discussion of anxiety, panic attacks, trauma, and mental disorders like Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

For those curious, the books we referenced in today’s episode are The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk and On Video Games: The Visual Politics of Race, Gender, and Space by Soraya Murray.

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much.

Here to ring in 2023 is the latest guest on Game Over, Tarman! Chris Tarnowski, the final of Alex’s brothers and noted homework enthusiast. By Chris’s specific request, today we tackle the discussion of “ways of playing,” or styles of play as defined by the Bartle Test (link below); though mostly used to illuminate ways that specific players tend to engage with MMORPGs, we felt that the test itself and its placement categories could be used as a tool to dig further into the broader spectrum of player engagement, development trends, and cultural perception of gaming. All of this and more to kick off the new year, we’re all excited to start 2023 strong!

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

Here is a link to the Bartle Test we all took to prepare for the episode:

https://matthewbarr.co.uk/bartle/

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much.

Diving yet again into a couple genres that Alex isn’t terribly familiar with, (we seem to do this a lot…) today’s episode of Game Over, Tarman! Centers around Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs) and Battle Royales! From the popular kids League of Legends and Fortnite to the slightly less popular kids, we cover what exactly makes these genres so popular to play, watch, and ideate on while tracing their relatively recent origins.

You can follow Alex here →

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmzelda/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dmzelda?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnaBfLWGqdlmuV_DX8M3kA

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/alex_tarnowski  (Or search for the user alex_tarnowski)

You can follow William here →

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvdrdsbbdNZ4YKqK3i9ygA

Download Ascend, William’s Indie Game: https://william-zollman.itch.io/ascend

Check us out to keep up to date with our latest news and projects!

Credit for the opening theme “And The Journey Begins!” goes to Marllon Silva a.k.a xDeviruchi, thank you very much.