GROGPOD Roguelike Podcast

This week is a podcast episode so cunning you could brush your teeth with it! We finally answer the question: what if Dwarf Fortress, Zork, and Black Adder all joined forces into a game made by a single person in a 70,000 line long single program? Why of course the answer is Warsim: The Realm of Aslona! In our most widely divergent podcast thus far, we talk about goblin arena fighting statistics and gambling addictions, failing history exams of the Far North, and of course, the Doomstone!

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1:20 - game stats

3:03 - one sentence summary

6:45 - Colin’s keyboard complaint: no numpad makes game physically uncomfortable

9:15 - Procedural race generation discussion: 98 billion possible combinations

12:30 - Battle score mechanics and overpowered Behemoth lunar godlings

18:00 - Will’s detailed turn breakdown and Google sheet optimization strategy

22:45 - Arena betting as primary income source (78-85% of total income)

28:30 - Scott’s exploration focus: black market towns and world discovery

34:15 - Colin’s graphics criticism: needs maps and visualizations for engagement

39:30 - Kenshi comparison and emergent gameplay discussion

43:00 - AI-generated content future possibilities debate

1:04:49 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Cogmind

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Sun Ra - Kingdom of Not

Outro music: Warsim main menu theme

If we FITS then we SITS down to listen to this week’s episode on Fights in Tight Spaces! Drop into a room with a bunch of very patient and polite criminals for this highly stylized deckbuilding roguelike. Keep your momentum up, sharpen up those high heels, and watch those replays of the spinning roundhouse kicks yeet those biker gangs right out the door!

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1:24 - game stats

2:22 - one sentence summary

4:06 - “Into the Breach meets Slay the Spire” comparison and single character focus

8:54 - Deck selection systems: preset decks vs drafting mode preferences

11:18 - Tutorial appreciation and symbology learning curve discussion

13:35 - Combat mechanics: pushing enemies into void spaces for instant kills

18:23 - Replay mode functionality and cinematic camera options

25:02 - Boss progression through different acts: bikers, prison, ninjas, mafia

28:22 - Deck building sameness problem and lack of variety

35:41 - Steven Seagal look-alike enemies in ninja act discussion

41:27 - Combat resource systems: momentum and combo mechanics

46:04 - Shop system comparison to Slay the Spire’s merchant features

54:18 - Event system criticism and missed narrative opportunities

1:05:32 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Warsim - The Realm of Aslona

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Freddie Hubbard - First Light

Outro music: Kinetic Move - nervous_testpilot

Today’s forecast is partly sunny with a Risk of Rain. Join us to talk about the 10 year old (but timeless in our hearts) loot-collecting roguelike platformer with an incredibly enduring legacy. Be a Burning Witness to a podcast where two Meat Nuggets try to convince the third that his Tough Times could really just be solved by seven Crowbars and a Hydraulic Gauntlet.

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1:28 - game stats

3:24 - one sentence summary

14:20 - our story begins

54:20 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Fights in Tight Spaces

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby

Outro music: Chris Christodoulou - Coalescence

Stack ‘em up! This week we’re playing the 2022 (literal) card game by the Sockpop Collective that became way more popular than they could have imagined. Join our Strange Portal of discussion about walls of carrots, ninjas, magic dust, and booster packs as we build a village of slowly completing progress bars in this relaxed and chill game of survival.

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1:09 - game stats

2:23 - one sentence summary

48:58 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Risk of Rain

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Thelonious Monk Quartet - ‘Round Midnight

Outro music: Stacklands Village Theme

Call me Sna- uh, er, Inc. Invisible, Inc. The tactical espionage (action?) game by renknown developers Klei Entertainment! Your mission, should you choose to download it, is to tune in on our descriptions of cybernetic noir, wireless daemon hacking, and comparisons with X-Com.

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2:20 - game stats

3:50 - one sentence summary

50:37 - rankings and final thoughts

56:04 - listener emails

Next episode: Stacklands

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Bill Evans - Romain

Outro music: Vince de Vera and Jason Garner - Plastech Cybermedical

A space plague has broken out, but you have to break in to The Pit! Join us as we dive through 30 floors of monsters and robots with shotguns, psionics, and hyper intelligent dolphins and explore the cartoonishly styled traditional roguelike from the Sword of the Stars creative universe.

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1:12 - game stats

4:30 - One-sentence game description and setting confusion about “pit”

6:45 - Character classes and extended universe background

9:15 - Recipe system criticism and food scarcity problems

12:30 - Tutorial praise and voice acting disappointment

15:45 - Art style appreciation and Steam Deck compatibility

18:00 - Gameplay texture and pacing comparison problems

21:30 - Traditional roguelike mechanics and floor progression

25:00 - Strategy limitations and combat simplicity complaints

28:45 - Sequel discussion and graphics quality concerns

32:15 - Game texture theory and lack of variety

36:00 - Difficulty balance and fairness issues

40:30 - Ending spoiler discussion and trophy controversy

1:00:42 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Invisible, Inc.

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Bill Evans - Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Outro music: Ben Lam - Sword of the Stars Main Menu Theme

Fire up your warp drives because we’re outrunning the rebels to deliver to YOU what they’re after: a podcast about one of the most popular roguelikes of all time: FTL Faster Than Light. We are lucky to be joined by our good friend Woody Ciskowski from the Ultra64 / Wii-Universe podcast (https://www.ultra64podcast.com/) to talk about how giant alien spiders are no joke.

FTL Multiverse info can be found here. A direct download link can be found here.

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00:00 - Podcast Introduction & FTL Game Overview

2:37 - game stats

4:40 - one sentence summary

05:42 - Genre Classification Debate (RTS vs Board Game)

09:47 - Personal Play Time & Difficulty Statistics

14:23 - Story Setup & Federation vs Rebels

17:08 - Ship Selection & Unlocking Mechanics

21:35 - Combat Strategy & Resource Management

26:18 - Event System & Random Encounters

34:07 - Final Boss Difficulty & Strategies

43:22 - Advanced Edition Content & Hacking Systems

46:35 - FTL Multiverse Mod Discussion

51:58 - Game’s Lasting Impact & Influence

1:01:17 - Podcast Promotion & Social Media Updates

1:02:13 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Sword of the Stars: The Pit

Contact us at [email protected]!

https://grogpod.zone

Intro music: Eric Dolphy - Hat and Beard

Outro music: Ben Prunty - Space Cruise

Happy GROGsgiving all! This week we go down the wormhole on a couple super indie titles and one megapopular rogue. We talk about how Mario meets Inception with Cargo Commander, the overwhelming visual nature of Realm of the Mad God, and the spartan enigmatically of Din’s Curse.

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00:00 - Podcast Introduction & Thanksgiving Theme

01:16 - Episode Bundle Overview & 2012 Games Context

03:31 - Cargo Commander Introduction & Developer Background

08:37 - Cargo Commander Story & Working Class Themes

12:11 - Cargo Commander Gameplay Mechanics & Gravity System

18:23 - Cargo Commander Assessment & Content Analysis

27:25 - Realm of the Mad God Introduction & Popularity Stats

32:34 - Realm Development History & Publisher Changes

37:18 - Realm Gameplay Experience & MMO Elements

43:50 - Realm Combat Mechanics & Character Progression

49:01 - Din’s Curse Introduction & Diablo Comparison

54:08 - Din’s Curse Character Classes & Skill System

58:09 - Din’s Curse Quest Structure & Town Dynamics

1:06:17 - Din’s Curse Permadeath & Procedural Generation

1:08:26 - Final Rankings & Episode Wrap-up

Next episode: FTL: Faster Than Light

Contact us at [email protected]!

Intro music: Bill Evans - Romain

Outro music: Nineyards - Down the Drain

We kick off the roguelikes of 2012 with a collection of the some pretty extreme indie titles: Hack, Slash, Loot - a coffeebreak length roguelike with inventory slots as small as your character, the overall bamboozling title A Valley Without Wind, and the explosive squad-based shooter Pineapple Smash Crew. Thanks again for David Williamson and Rich Edwards for providing indie game dev Q&A for this episode. You can find David’s full response here and you can find Rich’s one here.

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00:00 - Podcast Introduction & 2012 Game Overview

01:39 - Steam Greenlight Context & Episode Structure

05:05 - Hack Slash Loot Introduction & Developer Background

13:58 - Hack Slash Loot Story & Gameplay Mechanics

18:24 - Character Unlocks & Death-Based Progression

23:43 - A Valley Without Wind Introduction & Developer History

28:25 - Valley Development Challenges & Design Changes

30:01 - Valley Art Style & Procedural Generation Issues

35:24 - Valley Opening Text & Overwhelming Complexity

43:15 - Pineapple Smash Crew Introduction & Developer Background

48:29 - Pineapple Story & Core Gameplay Loop

52:25 - Pineapple Boss Design & Replay Value

56:32 - Pricing Discussion & Game Value Assessment

59:29 - Final Rankings & Game Comparisons

67:26 - Episode Wrap-up & Next Episode Preview

Next episode: Cargo Commander / Realm of the Mad God / Din’s Curse

Contact us at [email protected]!

Intro music: Pharoah Sanders - You’ve Got To Have Freedom

Outro music: Syphus - Fragmentation Symphony

Prepare to cry edition! For our spookiest episode yet, we are covering a historic pillar of the modern Roguelike genre by covering the 2011 smash hit The Binding of Isaac and its 2014 remaster The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. It’s not a trick, it will be a treat to listen to … if you dare traverse the depths of Mom’s basement!

Check out Scott’s 2026 guest apprarance on the Roguepod Litecast talk about The Binding of Isaac here!

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1:51 - game stats

03:20 - Developer Background & Flash Gaming History

07:32 - Edmund McMillan’s Career & Super Meat Boy

09:14 - Biblical Story of Isaac & Religious Themes

17:53 - Gameplay Overview & Progression Structure

24:27 - Items, Power-ups & Visual Changes

28:57 - Item Complexity & Wiki Dependency Issues

31:29 - Binding of Isaac Rebirth Introduction

35:26 - Content Comparison & DLC History

38:34 - Development Issues & Community Relations

41:30 - Future Sequels & Biblical Themes Discussion

47:50 - rankings and final thoughts

Next episode: Hack, Slash, Loot / A Valley Without Wind / Pineapple Smash Crew

Contact us at [email protected]

Intro music: Charles Mingus - Moanin’

Outro music: Binding of Isaac Rebirth - Genesis 22:10