The lads return with important news about the nature of podcasting. Then it's off to the races with Wrong About Books segment about Jo Furniss's lovely novel, All the Little Children. Plus an ad for a chair, and some other stuff, too!

After a long absence, the bows return to tell you all about their Protospiel escapades, in an episode rife with references to people who are completely unaware of how many nicknames they have. Revel as we tell you about prototypes that we got to play with, but you never will. Plus an all-new Mildly Alarming Theater. Also, this whole episode was broadcast from inside a huge clown. It doesn't come up, but you probably want to keep it in mind.

This is an episode of the podcast. It has a first segment, and a second segment. There are also some funny joke commercials. Please enjoy responsibly.

This week, in the book review segment of their board game podcast, the boys review a video game. Because we live in a world of uncertainty, and you could die at any second. LIKE RIGHT NOW! Or maybe a different second. Watch out.

Q: When is a Mage also a Knight. A: Only when you can Ranged Attack 3 by using a white mana token on your Swiftness card to knock out a werehorse before it can kick you. That's right, kids: we talk about Mage Knight this week, and then have another round of Elephant v. Library. Adventure! Excitement! Hot, creamy dog barf! The Mildly Alarming Podcast.

Well, the boys are at it again as they talk about what happens when you click Like buttons (goblins steal your shoes) and also what happens when you combine Settlers of Catan with Time n' Space (goblins return your shoes). Really, the whole thing was just an experiment to figure out what goblins do sometimes. Also: broccoli.

Apparently Tom has given up on writing these episode summaries, so I'm just going to put the lyrics to Hocus Pocus by Focus.

Joladadijoladadijoladadijoladadi

Joladadijoladadi-jo-o-ooh!

Joladadijoladadijoladadijoladadi

Joladadijoladadi-jo-o-ooh!

Oooooh-oooooh-oooooh-oooooh...

This week the boys review Lev Grossman's "The Magicians" and have so much to say it takes up the whole hour, and then some! Do you think they liked it? You'll have to listen to find out. (Hint: They did not.)

You know what we all need, in these days of strife and weirdness? A happy little night at the theater. You know, some men go on a stage and make sounds, we eat the corn that has popped, some other men put bags on our heads and spirit us away in a black van to wile away our days digging up soup in the soup mines. You know. Normal stuff. Stuff that is in no way weird. Totally. Normal. Stuff.

Also, and this is just an experiment: Broccoli. Broccoli. Brocc. O. Li.

The boys triumphantly return to talk about alliances for a while: how they work, what they are, and whether or not they qualify for federal subsidies under the Board Game Development and Redistribution Act. Then they're off to a magical land of pony and dog shows to talk about some other things. Plus a guy named Larry Mayonnaise and the hottest review show on YouTube.