GROGPOD Roguelike Podcast

Welcome to the family follower. Everyone here is happy and healthy. CHOP WOOD! MINE STONE! Obey our glorious leaders commands! This week we meditate on the nature of organized labor and religious indoctrination with Cult of the Lamb. What lies beneath the adorable art and crown that sits atop our infallible and fluffly leader’s head? Tune in for how to build your very own machine learning model to cheat at Knucklebones. That’s not a commandment, right? The Lamb is good, the Lamb is great, we surrender our will as of this date! No microphone problems, in the name of The Lamb!

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1:22 - game stats

3:29 - one sentence summary

5:39 - Split gameplay discussion: town builder vs roguelike combat

12:13 - First act strength and compelling intro sequence

17:17 - Art style discussion and Don’t Starve comparisons

18:06 - Cult naming and follower management mechanics

24:17 - Speedrun strategy reveals minimal colony management needed

28:51 - Rimworld comparisons and colony simulation elements

32:55 - Content update wishes and weapon system improvements

41:41 - Knucklebones minigame and machine learning potential discussion

53:42 - rankings and final thoughts

1:01:20 - listener emails

Next episode: Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

Contact us at [email protected]!

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https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Archie Shepp - Like a Blessed Baby Lamb

Outro music: River Boy - Work and Worship

Ooooooh guns gun guns! The GROGPOD is playin to-night! I never miss a game. This week we visit an all-time bullet-hell classic of Enter The Gungeon. How many gun puns can we cram into 60 minutes? Is it as easy as shooting fish in a barrel, or using a barrel to shoot fish instead? Lock ‘n’ load your Uzi 9MM, your .45 longslide with laser sighting, and join us in finding a bullet that can kill our past.

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5:26 - Shattered Pixel Dungeon episode fallout

6:44 - game stats

12:54 - one sentence summary

18:57 - Story Setup & Gun That Kills Past

24:12 - Game Difficulty Changes Since 2016 Launch

28:26 - New Player Experience & Learning Curve

34:36 - Character Selection & Starting Equipment Discussion

39:27 - Meta Progression & Hegemony Currency System

48:00 - Health Management & Boss Perfection Strategy

56:41 - Comparison Discussion With Hades & Isaac

1:13:18 - Enter the Gungeon 2 Sequel Speculation

1:23:26 - rankings and final thoughts

1:33:55 - guest plugs

Next episode: Cult of the Lamb

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Charles Mingus - Gunslinging Bird

Outro music: doseone - Enter the Gun

You have 1 new message: a podcast episode about the hit roguelike mobile game Shattered Pixel Dungeon! We explore the android/ios sphere for the first time with an influential open source and community-driven spin on the dungeon crawling genre. Join us old boomers as we puzzle out why all the kids are looking at their phones all the time.

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1:31 - game stats

4:31 - one sentence summary

10:21 - Mobile interface challenges and magnifying glass discovery

13:37 - Pixel Dungeon series history and open source community

18:31 - Potion identification mechanics and traditional roguelike elements

24:45 - Game structure: five biomes and Amulet of Yendor goal

29:24 - Hunger clock mechanics and enemy respawning discussion

32:36 - Boss fights and tactical combat strategies

38:39 - Shop mechanics and tactical decision making depth

42:32 - Accessibility and hand-holding criticism for new players

46:50 - reddit meltdown

54:28 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Enter the Gungeon

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Sonny Rollins - Dial S For Sonny

Outro music: Kristjan Thomas Haaristo - DM300 Boss Theme

Are you tired of the daily grind? Stressed out from the demands of modern life? Introducing Darkest Dungeons 2, the stress-relieving sequel that will transport you to a world where your worries melt away and your courage shines through. For the low, low price of … urhgm … $40, you too can battle eldritch horrors beyond your comprehension! Listen in on another contentious episode where the hosts try to keep their stress levels below the meltdown threshold.

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2:00 - game stats

3:57 - one sentence summary

5:41 - our story begins

8:36 - Darkest Dungeon 1 experience comparison and expectations

12:17 - Sequel vs prequel numbering and dungeon absence discussion

15:00 - Wagon driving mechanics and tutorial zone frustrations

20:18 - System complexity overload and decision fatigue criticism

27:20 - Inn mechanics and European board game comparisons

32:24 - Character unlock system and $40 pricing complaints

38:51 - Combat encounter length and boss fight difficulties

45:16 - New player experience problems and Act 1 redesign suggestions

53:40 - Enemy intent system comparison to other games

1:01:58 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Shattered Pixel Dungeon

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Sonny Rollins Trio - Wagon Wheels

Outro music: Stuart Chatwood - Battle of the Mountain

We’re on the Highway to roguelike deckbuilding Hell this week, riding a Crazy Train filled with demons, sentient blackberry bushes, and occultic Lumières! We are also joined by special guest Joe Homes from Cephalofair Games: publisher of the award-winning tabletop deckbuilding game Gloomhaven, so there will be at least one person here who knows what they’re talking about in terms of game design. Come listen in on one of our highest rated games in a long while, as we discuss stategies to beat 4 story-tall gem gods and consume tasty, tasty, morsels.

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2:58 - game stats

4:58 - one sentence summary

7:10 - Hell narrative setup and train mechanics explanation

8:11 - Art style discussion and visual aesthetic opinions

11:27 - DLC discussion and Last Divinity expansion features

17:18 - Core gameplay differences from Slay the Spire mechanics

21:41 - Faction unlock progression and grinding criticism

25:02 - Dual class system and deck synergy strategies

34:04 - Deck size optimization and slim deck strategies

40:07 - Boss transparency and strategic planning advantages

48:24 - Visual readability issues when screen gets crowded

53:52 - Slay the Spire comparisons and “Spire-like” genre discussion

1:00:17 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Darkest Dungeon II

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Oscar Peterson Trio - Night Train

Outro music: Jordan Chin - Daedalus, The Professor

When you walk in Griftlands, you better watch your back. There’s no room for heroes, just mercenaries and hacks. Every decision counts, every card in your hand. Gonna need luck to get through this land. Join us as the podcast hosts use both our battle and negotiation decks to convince each other about Griftlands’ rankings this week. Tune in for Will’s chicanery-level rant on games that aren’t Slay the Spire. Better call Sal Ik-Derrick!

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1:10 - game stats

3:06 - one sentence summary

6:14 - Story setup with bounty hunter Sal and revenge narrative

8:09 - Run-based structure and character progression mechanics

11:39 - Story comparison to Mass Effect and Hades approaches

16:18 - Run length comparison to other roguelike games

17:14 - Dialogue criticism and auto-skip functionality discovery

22:38 - Combat vs negotiation deck mechanics explained

29:43 - Game development theory and Slay the Spire comparison

33:07 - Card upgrade system and visual design criticism

41:04 - RPG vs deck builder identity discussion

47:28 - Art style and Klei Entertainment visual aesthetic opinions

54:34 - Potential improvements and single deck theory

1:01:21 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Monster Train

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Tom Waits - Down in the Hole

Outro music: Griftlands OST - Smith Boss Battle Theme

THE OOZE! IT SPREADS! We have a surprise double-feature this time because we accidentally beat our planned episode of Streets of Rogue too quickly. It turns out the apes that run this podcast ooked too hard for the new mayoral election and won in a landslide. So to balance out the podcast, we’re also talking about Devolver Digital’s surprise roguelike hit Loop Hero! Join us to hear about drug-hunting robots, zombie apocalypses, and the heat death of the universe. Brother may I have some more loops?

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1:44 - Streets of Rogue game stats

2:31 - one sentence summary

6:45 - Level design criticism and repetitive mission objectives

11:30 - Character variety and multiplayer vs solo gameplay differences

14:20 - Local co-op setup difficulties and controller configuration

16:45 - Disaster events and zany gameplay modifiers discussion

20:30 - Loop Hero introduction and card placement mechanics

23:15 - Auto-battler gameplay and equipment control limitations

26:00 - Resource grinding and gear replacement frustrations

31:45 - Watchtower strategy and meta progression building

37:30 - Necromancer character unlock and attack speed strategy

42:15 - Pixel art readability issues and font options

44:30 - Narrative appreciation and enemy encounter dialogue

57:47 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Griftlands

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Harlem Nocturne - Corelli Jazz Orchestra

Outro music: Craig Barnes - Slum Scrum

I am GROGPOD. I take care of the place while the Master is away. What’s that? Oh HAND of Fate! Yes that’s the game (not movie) that we’re playing this week. Join us as we talk through two games of card shuffling, gnome-kicking, moustache twirling mania with our special guest Dahlia Tolleth! The Master would definitley approve of you listening to this episode. Prepare to explore some trap-laden dungeons, negotiate with bandis and play some metronome-based fishing minigames with Hand of Fate 1 and it’s well-polished sequel Hand of Fate 2. It will be dark soon. There is no way out of not downloading this podcast. It will be dark soon.

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2:50- game stats

3:51 - one sentence summary

6:38 - Card-based mechanics with 3D battle sequences explanation

9:25 - Resource management: health, food, and gold systems

12:45 - Card shuffling chance mechanics and Monty Hall strategy

18:19 - Hand of Fate 2 improvements and release details

21:26 - Popularity comparison between first and second games

26:28 - Narrator and dealer character discussion between games

35:40 - Token collection mechanics and encounter rewards

43:21 - Combat differences and ranged weapons in sequel

52:46 - Hypothetical Hand of Fate 3 improvements discussion

1:04:28 - listener emails

Next episode: Streets of Rogue

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Robert Smith Jr - Love Inside This Magic Circle

Outro music: Jeff van Dyck - Hand of Fate

Roll for initiative! This week’s episode has us examining the world of Dungeons and Dragons through the DnD combat simulator Low Magic Age. Join us for dicussions on vancian magic, royalty free music overlaps with previous episodes, and summoner-based arena races! We put the pal back in paladin and wonder why it is that you can’t make an Asamir chatoic evil.

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1:45 - game stats

2:46 - one sentence summary

5:37 - D&D video game vs real-life tabletop differences discussion

10:07 - Roguelike classification debate and party-based RPG comparison

13:32 - Tutorial vs actual gameplay and lack of story content

16:22 - Character creation frustrations and level adjustment rules

21:08 - Arena mode explanation: five fights with boss battles

23:28 - Adventure mode: procedural dungeons with limited interactions

26:32 - Early Access status and unfinished game assessment

27:25 - Mining and crafting mechanics criticism as boring grinding

32:09 - Death mechanics and lack of permanent consequences

38:42 - Combat limitations and lack of reward progression

43:59 - Music quality and War Sim soundtrack similarities

48:24 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Hand of Fate 1+2

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Teru - Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra

Outro music: Low Magic Age - Battle Music

Query(Cogmind) » A podcast episode about evolving a robot in a facility hell-bent on destroying it. We talk about one of the most influential modern traditional roguelike games of the past few years and why Will probably needs thicker glasses. This episode will crawl up from the scrapyard to escape to the surface of Tau Ceti IV with all sorts of lasers and tank treads attached. Trojan(Download) » Force(Listen). Chance of Success: High (100%)

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1:05 - game stats

1:41 - one sentence summary

4:31 - Traditional roguelike comparison and combat disincentivization discussion

6:21 - Will’s graphics criticism: 8x8 pixel art readability issues

9:13 - Visual aesthetic debate and ASCII art comparisons

16:02 - Combat loop mechanics and tactical decision-making

17:54 - Stealth mechanics and “Mecha Gear Solid” comparison

22:54 - Equipment management and weight capacity systems

28:41 - Faction interactions and NPC alliance mechanics

32:31 - Will’s proposed fixes: Into the Breach graphics and meta progression

35:53 - Meta progression debate and traditional roguelike purity

48:07 - Power scaling and late-game weapon variety

1:00:11 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Low Magic Age

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Sadik Hakim - Peace of Mind

Outro music: Cogmind ambient soundscape