When Rome Burns

By Michael Stevens

Fifteen years of making teenagers care about dead people taught Michael Stevens one thing: the best history lessons happen when everything's falling apart. The former high school teacher turned podcas... more

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FAQs about When Rome Burns:

How many episodes does When Rome Burns have?

The podcast currently has 164 episodes available.

When Rome Burns episodes:

April 23, 2026 How 1 Korean Admiral Crushed 330 Japanese Ships With Just 56 (The Hansando Masterclass)
What if one guy with 56 ships could completely obliterate 330 enemy vessels in a single battle? In this episode, Michael Stevens breaks down how Admiral Yi Sun-sin turned the Battle of Hansando into the naval equivalent of bringing a chess master to a checkers fight.
🎯 What You'll Discover:
• The crane wing formation that trapped 73 Japanese ships between an island and certain death
• How Yi deliberately exploited his enemy's aggressive personality to create the perfect ambush
• Why Korean turtle ships were basically floating fortresses that could fire in every direction
• The tactical genius that made this Korea's greatest naval victory against impossible odds
👤 Perfect for: anyone who loves underdog stories and wants to see how brilliant strategy beats brute force every single time.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael Stevens sets up the impossible odds at Hansando
[02:00] Meet Admiral Yi Sun-sin and his ridiculously outnumbered fleet
[04:30] The crane wing formation that changed everything
[07:00] How geography became Yi's secret weapon
[09:30] Japanese commander Wakisaka's fatal mistake
[11:00] The turtle ships unleash hell on trapped enemies
[13:00] Why this battle proved tactics beat numbers
This isn't just another David vs. Goliath story. Yi's victory at Hansando shows exactly how superior strategy and perfect timing can turn any hopeless situation into total victory. Plus, you'll learn tactical principles that work way beyond ancient naval battles.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away.
🔍 Topics: Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Korean naval history, Battle of Hansando, military tactics, turtle ships
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: historical disasters, founding fathers, political meltdowns

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16min
April 22, 2026 This $2 Horror Game Scared Me More Than Any $60 AAA Title
What if a $2 indie horror game could haunt you longer than any blockbuster AAA title? Michael Stevens discovered that Stray Cat Crossing, a free RPG Maker game from a solo developer, achieves something most big-budget horror games can't: genuine psychological terror that sticks with you for days.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
• Why this cult classic proves that creative limitations often breed the best innovation
• How dialogue and atmosphere create deeper fear than jump scares or gore ever could
• The psychological techniques that make players piece together their own nightmare
👤 Perfect for: gamers curious about what makes horror truly effective, and anyone interested in how independent creators compete with industry giants.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael introduces the $2 game that changed his perspective on horror
[01:45] Why RPG Maker became the secret weapon of indie developers
[03:30] The cult following that keeps this free game alive after years
[05:15] How psychological horror beats expensive special effects
[07:00] The deliberate mystery that haunts players long after they finish
[09:30] What big studios can learn from solo developers
[11:00] Key takeaways about creativity versus budget
This isn't just another game review. It's about understanding why constraints often produce the most memorable experiences. Stevens breaks down exactly how one developer with basic tools created something that lingers in your mind far longer than games with hundred-million-dollar budgets.
When massive studios throw endless resources at creating fear, sometimes the most effective approach is the simplest one. Stray Cat Crossing proves that knowing your audience's psychology matters more than flashy graphics or expensive voice acting.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away.
🔍 Topics: indie horror games, RPG Maker, psychological horror, game development, creative constraints
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: american revolution, historical failures, paper money, strategic bombing, catherine the great, cultural disasters, nazi germany, hitler

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14min
April 22, 2026 From Disgrace to Glory: How Admiral Yi Became Korea's Greatest Naval Hero
What if the worst moment of your career turned out to be the setup for your greatest victory? In this episode, Michael Stevens tells the incredible story of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, who went from tortured prisoner to Korea's most legendary naval commander in just months.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
• How Yi rebuilt Korea's navy from 13 ships to an unstoppable force that never lost a battle
• The "be like a mountain" philosophy that kept him calm while enemies and allies tried to destroy him
• Why Japan's massive invasion fleet couldn't defeat one man who refused to break under pressure
👤 Perfect for: anyone who's ever wondered how ordinary people become extraordinary when everything's on the line.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael Stevens introduces Admiral Yi's impossible comeback
[02:00] From 100+ ships to just 13: Korea's naval disaster
[04:30] The torture that should have ended Yi's career
[06:45] "Be like a mountain": Yi's unshakeable mindset
[09:00] How discipline beats numbers every single time
[11:30] The legacy that still inspires Korean leaders today
Stevens breaks down how Yi turned disgrace into glory through pure mental toughness and strategic brilliance. This isn't just about ancient naval battles. It's about what happens when someone absolutely refuses to quit, even when the odds are 1,000 to 1 against them.
The torture Yi endured would have broken most people permanently. Instead, it forged him into something unbreakable. His comeback story reads like fiction, except every impossible detail actually happened.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite story is one tap away.
🔍 Topics: Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Korean naval history, military leadership, Japanese invasion of Korea, historical comebacks
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: operation citadel, founding fathers, military history, economic collapse

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16min
April 21, 2026 This Indie Game Cured My Grief (And It Could Cure Yours Too)
Can a video game actually help you process grief better than traditional therapy? Michael Stevens explores In Between, an indie puzzle game that uses gravity manipulation and surreal visuals to guide players through the five stages of grief. Created by a tiny three-person team over four years, this isn't your typical gaming recommendation.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
• How the game's difficulty curve literally mirrors the emotional stages of grief
• Why rotating gravity to solve puzzles creates unexpected moments of catharsis
• The story behind Gentlymad Studios' four-year labor of love and personal healing
• How each chapter's unique visual style represents denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance
👤 Perfect for: curious listeners who appreciate how art and technology can tackle life's biggest challenges in unexpected ways.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael introduces the indie game that changed his perspective on loss
[01:45] The gravity-defying mechanics that make grief tangible
[04:15] How a three-person team spent four years crafting emotional truth
[06:30] Why the hardest levels come in the middle (just like real grief)
[08:45] The visual poetry of each grief stage brought to life
[11:00] Why this might be the most therapeutic 3 hours you'll spend gaming
This episode hits different if you've ever struggled to process loss or wondered how interactive media can create genuine emotional breakthroughs. Stevens breaks down why In Between succeeds where other "serious games" fall flat, and how the developers turned personal pain into universal healing.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns and turn on notifications. Multiple episodes drop daily, and tomorrow Michael's covering how ancient Roman funeral rites compare to modern grief counseling. You won't want to miss that connection.
🔍 Topics: indie games, grief counseling, interactive therapy, emotional healing, game design
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: historical failures, naval warfare, gold standard, ned kelly, historical disasters, history podcast, war stories, empire decline

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13min
April 21, 2026 The One Admiral Who Saved Korea with 13 Ships Against 330 Japanese Warships
Ever wonder how one man with 13 ships could face down 330 enemy warships and somehow win? Michael Stevens breaks down Admiral Yi Sun-sin's impossible victory, showing exactly how the Korean naval genius turned certain defeat into one of history's most brilliant tactical masterpieces.
This isn't just another war story. It's a masterclass in turning desperate circumstances into devastating advantages.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
• How Yi's "turtle ships" became floating fortresses that Japanese forces couldn't crack
• The exact tidal timing strategy Yi used to trap 330 ships in a death funnel
• Why Yi never lost a single battle in over 20 naval engagements (spoiler: it wasn't luck)
• The psychological warfare tactics that made enemies retreat before fighting
👤 Perfect for: history buffs and anyone fascinated by underdogs who refuse to accept impossible odds.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael Stevens sets up Japan's "unstoppable" invasion force
[01:45] Meet Admiral Yi - Korea's last hope with a skeleton fleet
[03:30] The turtle ship design that changed everything
[05:15] Battle of Myeongnyang - 13 vs 330 ships
[07:45] How tidal currents became Yi's secret weapon
[09:30] The victory that saved a nation
[11:00] Why this strategy still matters today
Yi Sun-sin understood something most military leaders miss: when you're outnumbered 25 to 1, conventional tactics will get you killed. Innovation and timing become everything.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns on your podcast app and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, and next week Michael's covering how the Mongol Empire collapsed from the inside out.
🔍 Topics: Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Korean naval history, turtle ships, Japanese invasion of Korea, naval tactics, military strategy
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: ned kelly, political meltdowns, american revolution, ancient rome

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15min
April 20, 2026 Why Everything You Know About the First Crusade Is Wrong
What if everything you learned about the Crusades in school was basically medieval propaganda? In this eye-opening episode, Michael Stevens tears apart the Hollywood myths and church-approved stories to reveal what actually happened when 100,000 Europeans decided to march 2,000 miles to Jerusalem in 1096.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
• Why only 15,000 out of 100,000 Crusaders actually made it to Jerusalem (spoiler: it wasn't just the fighting)
• How the Pope's original speech was never written down, so every "quote" you know is basically fan fiction
• The shocking reality of cannibalism at Ma'arra that horrified even the Crusaders themselves
• Why most participants thought this would be a quick road trip, not a years-long nightmare
👤 Perfect for: history buffs who suspect their textbooks left out the messy parts and anyone curious about how stories get sanitized over time.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael Stevens breaks down the biggest Crusade myths
[02:15] The Pope's speech that launched 1,000 ships (and wasn't recorded)
[04:30] Why 85,000 people never made it past the first year
[07:45] The cannibalism incident that shocked medieval Europe
[09:30] How distance and ignorance doomed the mission
[11:00] What this teaches us about historical narratives today
This isn't your high school history class version. Stevens digs into primary sources, medieval chronicles, and archaeological evidence to show how religious fervor, geographical ignorance, and pure human desperation created one of history's most misunderstood events. You'll walk away questioning everything you thought you knew about holy wars and historical truth.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns on your podcast app and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away.
🔍 Topics: First Crusade, medieval history, historical myths, European history, religious wars
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: economic collapse, gold standard, historical failures

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15min
April 20, 2026 Why Digital Board Games Fail (And How Armello Breaks Every Rule)
Most digital board games feel like cheap knock-offs of the real thing. They strip away everything that makes tabletop gaming special and slap on flashy animations to hide the emptiness. But Armello? This game figured out how to be digital first and board game second. Michael Stevens breaks down exactly how this Australian indie hit cracked the code that bigger studios keep missing.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
• Why Armello's 4 victory paths create genuine strategic tension (not just different flavors of the same goal)
• How mixing dice, cards, and politics in one game actually works without feeling messy
• The art style trick that makes a $20 indie game feel more premium than $60 AAA titles
• Why 45-90 minute sessions hit the perfect sweet spot for digital board games
👤 Perfect for: anyone who's wondered why most digital adaptations of board games feel so lifeless, or gamers curious about what makes certain indie titles break through.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael introduces why most digital board games fail
[01:45] Armello's million-copy success story
[03:30] Four victory conditions that actually matter
[06:15] How dice and cards create real tension
[08:00] The animated art style that changed everything
[10:30] Why timing your sessions matters more than you think
Armello proves you don't need a massive budget to create something that feels special. You just need to understand what makes board games work in the first place, then build from there instead of trying to copy what already exists.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns on your favorite podcast app and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, so your next favorite discovery is just one tap away.
🔍 Topics: board games, indie gaming, Armello, digital adaptation, game design
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: paper money, military history, history podcast, byzantine empire, ned kelly, ancient rome, civilization collapse, economic collapse

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17min
April 20, 2026 Armello - Making a Digital Board Game Stand Out
What if a $2 million board game could teach AAA video game studios how to actually connect with players? In this episode, Michael Stevens breaks down how League of Geeks turned Armello from a simple tabletop concept into a digital phenomenon that punched way above its weight class.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
• How a $305,000 Kickstarter became a multi-million dollar success story
• The four victory conditions that made Armello different from every other strategy game
• Why spending two years in early access was the smartest move they made
• The art trick that made a small indie game look bigger than triple-A titles
👤 Perfect for: curious listeners who want to understand how underdogs beat giants at their own game.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael Stevens introduces the board game that changed digital gaming
[02:15] The Kickstarter campaign that proved players were hungry for something new
[04:30] Four ways to win: why options create obsession
[07:00] The early access strategy that built a community before launch
[09:30] Storybook visuals: combining 2D and 3D to stand out
[11:00] Key lessons for anyone trying to compete with bigger players
This isn't just about gaming. It's about how focusing on what makes you different beats trying to copy what everyone else is doing. League of Geeks proved that understanding your audience matters more than having the biggest budget.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns on Spotify and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away.
🔍 Topics: indie game development, Armello, board game adaptation, Kickstarter success, digital strategy
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: battleships, catherine the great, byzantine empire, economic collapse

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14min
April 19, 2026 The Jerusalem Siege That Changed Christianity Forever: 40,000 Dead in 3 Days
What if 12,000 men could change the course of Christianity forever? In this episode, Michael Stevens breaks down the First Crusade's final, bloody push to Jerusalem in 1099. From 60,000 crusaders who started the journey, only a fraction survived to see the Holy City's walls. What happened next would echo through history for a thousand years.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
• How crusaders built 60-foot siege towers that changed medieval warfare forever
• Why only 12,000-15,000 warriors remained from the original 60,000-strong army
• The 40-day siege strategy that cracked Jerusalem's legendary defenses
• What really happened during those horrific three days when 40,000 people died
👤 Perfect for: history lovers who want to understand how religious passion and military genius combined to reshape the medieval world.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael Stevens sets up the final assault on Jerusalem
[01:45] The shocking numbers: who survived the journey
[03:20] Engineering genius: building siege towers taller than city walls
[05:30] 40 days of desperation: why time was running out
[07:45] July 15, 1099: the moment everything changed
[09:30] Three days of massacre that horrified even medieval chroniclers
[11:00] Why this siege reshaped Christianity and Islam forever
Stevens connects this pivotal moment to modern religious conflicts and shows how the patterns of siege warfare evolved into today's urban combat strategies. You'll never think about the Crusades the same way again.
The aftermath of Jerusalem didn't just affect the Middle Ages. It created fault lines we're still dealing with today. Stevens explains exactly how this 40-day siege became the foundation for centuries of conflict between Christianity and Islam.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite historical disaster is one tap away.
🔍 Topics: First Crusade, Jerusalem siege 1099, medieval warfare, siege towers, crusader military tactics
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: catherine the great, byzantine empire, military history, historical failures, history podcast, naval warfare

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15min
April 19, 2026 The 8-Month Siege That Nearly Broke Christianity's Greatest Army
What if Christianity's greatest military force nearly collapsed not from enemy swords, but from sheer starvation and desperation? In this episode, Michael Stevens reveals how the Siege of Antioch became the First Crusade's most brutal test, where elite warriors were reduced to eating leather and the fate of an entire holy war hung on one man's betrayal.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
• Why Antioch's 4-mile walls and 400 towers made it nearly impossible to conquer
• How eight months of stalemate pushed crusaders to cannibalism and mass desertion
• The secret Armenian guard who changed history with a single opened gate
• Why this siege was the turning point that either saved or doomed the entire crusade
👤 Perfect for: history lovers who want the real story behind Christianity's most famous military campaign, told without the sanitized textbook version.
📍 Chapters:
[00:00] Michael Stevens sets up the impossible fortress
[02:00] October 1097: The siege begins with confidence
[04:30] Winter reality: horses become dinner
[07:00] Spring desperation: when holy warriors break
[09:30] Firuz the tower guard makes his choice
[11:00] June 1098: how betrayal saved the crusade
The crusaders arrived at Antioch thinking they were unstoppable. They'd already conquered cities, defeated armies, and marched a thousand miles from Europe. But Antioch wasn't just another city. It was a fortress that had stood for centuries, and it nearly became Christianity's graveyard.
Stevens breaks down how geography, politics, and simple human endurance collided in eight months of misery that tested every crusader's faith. You'll understand why this siege mattered more than any battle, and how one Armenian's decision changed the course of European history.
🔔 Never miss an episode:
Follow When Rome Burns on your podcast app and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite historical disaster is one tap away.
🔍 Topics: First Crusade, Siege of Antioch, medieval warfare, Byzantine Empire, crusader states
Stream the full show at When Rome Burns
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Keywords: military history, strategic bombing, founding fathers, ned kelly, hitler, paper money, history podcast, historical failures

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13min

FAQs about When Rome Burns:

How many episodes does When Rome Burns have?

The podcast currently has 164 episodes available.