This week on the Mildly Alarming Podcast, your hosts review Knot Dice, the new game from Black Oak Games. They also completely fail to avoid the insipid "Knot/Not" joke, and thus consign themselves to comedy hell. Then it's time once again to ball a few themes with Themeballin'. Plus an ad for some sort of animal, and a visit from your favorite news team. Don't miss it!

This week on the Mildly Alarming Podcast, we talk all about a game that Tom played at an office Christmas party, and how it might be made more gamerly. Also, it's our Christmas spectacular this week, with a very special Mildly Alarming Theater, and an advertisement from an actual saint.

Also something about walruses. Don't miss it!

Once upon a time, Johannes and Tom's friend Devan said "hey guys, give me some of your money and I'll pay a man to lock us in a room where we have to solve puzzles in order to get out." And they did, and it turned out to be a heck of a good time and not, say, a front for illegal organ harvesters. They tell you all about it on this episode of the podcast, and then talk about elephants and libraries. Welcome, friend!

Sing, O goddess, the folly of the Mildly Alarming Podcast / that brought countless ills upon the nerds who made it. / Many a brave soul did it send smacking hand to forehead / and also side to side shaking the craggy brows. / For so were the councils of Jove fulfilled that day, when first the Ger-Man, Johannes, did go upon the internet with the Wee Little Ginger One.

(This episode brought to you by Homer's "The Iliad," available where fine Greek epics are sold)

Gather around a serious table with all the other serious people to talk about serious things. Then retire to your serious room at the serious conference to tell all of your serious friends about how you lied at the other thing. In case you don't get my elaborate reference to the Treaty of Versailles: this week we talk about negotiation in games! It's fun! Also the triumphant return of Board Game Smasharama, and some other stuff probbably. I dunno. Johannes was standing on my throat while I wrote this.

The boys become obsessed with a new hashtag this week while simultaneously hoping that it doesn't turn out to be something disgusting. They talk about the difficulty of designing with tiny amounts of components, mock people who play bass, and make jokes about cattle in wedding dresses. Plus a message from your favorite news team and something about science. Adventure! Excitement! Jokes that in retrospect probably aren't ok! The Mildly Alarming Podcast!

Maybe dumb jokes will take the edge off that whole election thing? Maybe? We made some. Enjoy them! Also please don't put is in jail, Donald Trump.

Do you like submarines? We like submarines. And by that we mean board games where you drive submarines around, because real submarines involve being under the water for months with a bunch of sweaty sailors and probably smell, just, SO BAD by the time your cruise is done. You gotta really want to be in a submarine under those circumstances. Plus Mildly Alarming Theater and also other things!

Chip Beauvais emerges from his eons-long entombment in our green room this week to rule for a thousand years and also to tell us about his new game, Universal Rule. Plus a discussion of indy RPG "Everyone is John," adds for agricultural and laundry products, and Johannes sticks his hand in a blender for 45 straight minutes. Don't miss it!

Tom didn't write anything here even though it's LITERALLY THE ONLY JOB HE HAS ON THE PODCAST. So I guess I have to tell you that this episode is about how to commit the perfect murder with everyday objects you might find lying about . Y'know, rocks, paper, scissors - that sort of thing. Then we talk about clowns for awhile, which is neat.