Game Store Prophets

Both of your hosts have had moments playing a certain game with our kids recently. The game in question is My Little Scythe — the kids version of the well loved and respected strategy epic. In this episode, we break down what makes a good “kids version” of a game, the value of sharing games like this with our kids, and how playing My Little Scythe has proven to be a microcosm for us in regards to discipleship, invitation, and the beautiful act of sharing Christ from a place where we just want to tell people how deeply He has impacted our lives.

And for those playing the home game — Some of the mechs Mike has been painting for his copy of Scythe.

Did you miss us? We’re back!

Daniel and Mike sit down to talk about the conventions we got to while we weren’t on here making content for you all. We talk about what it’s like give up ourselves for other folks at the gaming table, about how much value can be seen and felt in even the smallest acts of encouragement, and how when we truly trust the in the sovereignty of God — it has a profound impact on the ways we talk to each other, down even to the core of what we see when we look at each other.

A cairn is pile of stones placed at a location sometimes as a way to mark a trail being traveled, or most often to identify a particular landmark or memorial. So what happens when we start tying the games on our shelves to specific moments or specific people? In their own way, they become cairns themselves — a collection of bits and pieces that serve as reminders of things and people that are important to us. As such, they can even be a remember of how far God has carried us through life, and how much we can trust that He will carry us through what we are going through now.

A family emergency delayed this one getting out at the right time, but we didn’t want to lose this gold.

Sometimes it really is about the question. It’s about the freedom and space to ask questions about how things happened, why it works that way, or whether or not the way we see things are valid. In this episode we talk about Ierusalem: Anno Domini and the D&D movie Honor Among Thieves to talk about questions we were encouraged to ask about aspects like historicity, rules lawyering, and whether any of this is any good in the first place. Come with us as we figure out why we love these things.

A lot of decisions and practices by the parent companies behind Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons are causing some of us who have been around since the earliest of days to question whether they have taken a step too far for us to keep backing their products. But whether or not we move forward with those games in our collection or not is just one of the reasons one might want to consider the choices we make in regards to what games we keep on our shelves or choose to hit our tables. From discussions of the Magic Circle around the gaming table to making decisions based on how they effect our relationships rather than whether or not you find it fun yourself — let’s talk about forgiveness, empathy, and gaming while following Jesus.

We’re back from Easter celebrations with a Gary Con XV after action report. Daniel and the team had a great trip out to Lake Geneva, where they got to embody the core of what we do at InnRoads — play games, connect with people, and share in their stories.

We also double back to a topic inspired by our Warhammer focused episode to talk about the value and challenges of 3D printing in the tabletop gaming space.

We also talk about the blessing cards and Wandering Bard Tavern logo that feature the art of our friend and member of the Mad Bird D&D streams crew on twitch, Stephanie Dawn Skiles. If you need any artwork commissioned for storyboarding or bringing a game character to life – we highly recommend you drop her a line and see if she’s currently accepting commissions.

While Daniel has been away at Gary Con XV leading our team at the board game library, we called up our friend Ryan from City on a Hill Gaming to talk about world building for a decidedly Christian gaming experience that goes beyond just saying that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the only true God or that throwing in an order of paladins who serve Jesus. We then broaden the scope to talk about how choices we make in world building effect those of us at the table, and how to respect the concerns and uneasiness other players may experience as you are doing that world building together.

An article from the InnRoads site was mentioned in the podcast. If you want to read more, you can find that article here.

Perhaps it was inevitable that we’d get here. After all — in the grim dark future there is only war. So let’s talk about Warhammer 40k.

In this episode the guys talk about how we can find God in everything — even in the grim dark future of the 40k universe. They discuss the way Ork magic works as a picture of faith — and how that picture is often exactly how we mess with people’s heads if not actually traumatizing folks, how the story of the god-emperor of mankind is an example of folks acting in self-interest under the banner of faith in ways that nobody wanted or needed – and actually misses the point of faith entirely, and more.

We love our games. Part of what we love about our games is the tactile nature of them. Moving miniatures around the board. The feel of good, quality materials in our hands. The way everything looks when it comes together on the table. Naturally we want to take care of them for a number of reasons — but what happens when we become so concerned about keeping our games in their perfect condition that we stop enjoying the experience of actually playing with them?

In this episode we explore concepts like what a healthy concept of caring for the stuff of games looks like, why we give away games that we love, and what really makes the game experience so important to us.

Daniel mentioned a picture a guild ball figure he painted, but we didn’t find that picture before time of posting — so you can watch our social media if it ever surfaces. Mike also makes mention of an article familiar to long time listeners, but if you are new around here and want to read the story yourself, you can find it here.

Three years ago, the COVID pandemic was the proverbial nail in the coffin of our recording ability. While we were unable to jump over all the hurtles that came down the path, we always knew that we’d be back eventually to once again take up the mantle of a podcast known for talking games, God, and how the relationships that build us are forged there.

That day is today.

After three years of silence, the boys are back to talk about gaming as ministry, gaming with kids, and how much they’ve missed talking with each other and with all of you. We’ll talk about introducing our sons to the gaming world, helping folks play with our local libraries, and getting ready for Gary Con.

Light the beacons. The Game Store Prophets have returned!