Explore every episode of the podcast Dungeons & Dialectics
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S2 E9 Dispensationalism 2: why do they need red heifers? | 27 Jan 2026 | 01:08:59 | |
FINALLY! All Trevor's questions will be answered!* Almost a year ago, our friend Trevor became obsessed with the red heifers raised in Texas and flown to Israel for the inauguration of a new Temple. wtf is going on??? Join Matt and Joe as Joe struggles to explain a weird non-scholarly way to interpret biblical prophecies that he doesn't know anything about. What are the dispensations? Where does the Rapture come from? Why do so many people think we're living in the end of the world??? And why do we need some red cows to get there? Only one way to find out... Follow us on Twitter or Bluesky and support us on Patreon! | |||
| S2 E8 Dispensationalism pt. 1: interpreting prophecies poorly | 12 Jan 2026 | 01:02:20 | |
FINALLY! All Trevor's questions will be answered!* Almost a year ago, our friend Trevor became obsessed with the red heifers raised in Texas and flown to Israel for the inauguration of a new Temple. wtf is going on??? Join Matt and Joe as Joe struggles to explain a weird non-scholarly way to interpret biblical prophecies that he doesn't know anything about. What are the dispensations? Where does the Rapture come from? Why do so many people think we're living in the end of the world??? Only one way to find out... Follow us on Twitter or Bluesky and support us on Patreon! *Does not include the answer to questions about the red heifers... until PART II. Yes, we buried the lead. | |||
| 50. The Big Bad Two Year Dungeons & Dialectics Quiz! | 11 Jan 2024 | 01:05:35 | |
Take the Quiz here before Matt does! Welcome travelers! We're celebrating TWO YEARS of Tabletop RPGs, philosophy and theology with a big, bad quiz about EVERYTHING we've discussed on the podcast so far! REAL fans can test their knowledge of the deep deep lore of Dungeons & Dialectics and compare their results to Matt's score after he takes the quiz LIVE on our podcast. Today. | |||
| 49. Christmas Origins | 25 Dec 2023 | 01:07:56 | |
Where does Christmas come from? Some of you may have heard it's secretly a pagan subterfuge infiltrating our beloved Jesus's bday with trees and demon worship. Some of you may have heard actually all that plus the rampant consumerism was all part of God's plan! Matt and Joe are here to set the record straight once and for all about the magical beginnings of Christmas. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon! Sources Arthur George. "Yahweh’s Divorce from the Goddess Asherah in the Garden of Eden". 2014. Joe Wheeler. Saint Nicholas. 2010. Kirk Cameron. Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas. 2014. Paul Bradshaw. "The Dating of Christmas". The Oxford Handbook of Christmas. 2020. Wikipedia. "Feast of the Annunciation". 2023. Bible. The Holy Bible (New International Version). 1973. | |||
| 48. Mothership and Technology pt. 2: Technology, Mothership and the dystopian future of neoliberalism | 19 Dec 2023 | 00:30:11 | |
More than just a review of the hot new TTRPG Mothership! Hear about our new favorite sci-fi horror RPG by Sean McCoy, and dive into the meaning of technology and how viewing technology through Heidegger's analysis can help us understand capitalism: the true horror of Mothership. Keep in touch on Twitter! Sources: Guignion, David. Theory and Philosophy Podcast: "Martin Heidegger’s ”Being and Time” (Part 1/8)". 2023. Heidegger. The Question Concerning Technology. 1954. Matt and Joe. "32. One D&D and the Future of D&D". 2023. McCoy, Sean. Mothership 1e. 2023. Quick disclaimer: Heidegger was a terrible person and a dedicated Nazi, and we will dive into what is useful about his philosophy as well as the ways his antisemitism are ingrained in his philosophy. | |||
| 47. Mothership and Technology pt. 1: Heidegger and the meaning of technology | 29 Nov 2023 | 00:53:58 | |
More than just a review of the hot new TTRPG Mothership! Hear about our new favorite sci-fi horror RPG by Sean McCoy, and dive into the meaning of technology and how viewing technology through Heidegger's analysis can help us understand capitalism: the true horror of Mothership. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon! Sources: Heidegger. The Question Concerning Technology. 1954. Matt and Joe. "32. One D&D and the Future of D&D". 2023. McCoy, Sean. Mothership 1e. 2023. Quick disclaimer: Heidegger was a terrible person and a dedicated Nazi, and we will dive into what is useful about his philosophy as well as the ways his antisemitism are ingrained in his philosophy. | |||
| 46. Interview on Artificial Intelligence pt. 5: what WILL we do with AI? | 15 Nov 2023 | 00:27:48 | |
THERE'S MORE??? Hell yea there is! Learn about the future potentials of AI in D&D and other TTRPGs... What about an AI for every NPC in history??? Is this exciting... or terrifying? Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon! Sources: The vast knowledge of Faraz Owen S. Good, D&D publisher updates policies after AI art discovered in latest book, 2023. | |||
| 45. Artificial Intelligence Interview pt 4: How we CAN use AI | 02 Nov 2023 | 00:47:43 | |
Today, continue our WAY TOO LONG deep dive into AI in the game as we ask our guest Faraz about what we could do with AI. Could AI replace DMs? What about artists? Has it done so... already??? And if that's the case, does this say more about art, technology or capitalism itself? Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon! Sources: The vast knowledge of Faraz Albert Camus, The Myth of Sysiphus, 1942. Albert Camus, The Stranger, 1957. Owen S. Good, D&D publisher updates policies after AI art discovered in latest book, 2023. | |||
| 44. Artificial Intelligence Interview pt 3: How we CAN'T use AI | 18 Oct 2023 | 01:07:27 | |
Last time we talked about what is Artificial Intelligence. Today, we ask our guest Faraz about the limits of AI. What COULDN'T we do with AI? Is Joe's job as a professional DM in danger??? Is the PODCAST IN DANGER??? The answer to this and more today on Dungeons & Dialectics. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon! Sources: The vast knowledge of Faraz | |||
| 43. Artificial Intelligence Interview pt 2: What does AI mean? | 03 Oct 2023 | 00:35:59 | |
Join us for the follow-up on this month's interview with Faraz on AI in TTRPGs like D&D, Pathfinder and Mothership. Today, we dive into what AI means for the game and for our lives! How can we use it? What does it mean? Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon! Sources: The vast knowledge of Faraz | |||
| 42. Interview on Artificial Intelligence: How does AI work? | 19 Sep 2023 | 00:37:47 | |
AI has the potential to change the world, but more importantly, to change the way we play TTRPGs! Join Matt and Joe as they probe the mind of artificial intelligence EXPERT and friend of the channel Faraz to find out how AI works and what that means for roleplaying games like D&D, Pathfinder and Mothership, and life as we know it. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon! Sources: The vast knowledge of Faraz | |||
| 41. Atheist Clerics pt. 4: What does my Cleric Worship? | 05 Sep 2023 | 00:28:16 | |
In this THRILLING episode, Matt and Joe discuss their favorite Gods--money, medicine, and sports! Given the ambiguous nature of religion, how might one play a non-standard cleric who isn't bogged down by Abrahamic presuppositions? Could my cleric score a home run while performing a triple bypass heart surgery? Seek the answers within.
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| S2 E7 The Gift pt. 2 | 30 Dec 2025 | 01:03:35 | |
In this THEORY HEAVY and CONFUSING ASS episode, Matt completes the great work of explaining Derrida on the nature of gifts by also explaining Kantian transcendental idealism. If he made any mistakes, please blame JOE.
Purchase Hagglund's book here: https://www.sup.org/books/theory-and-philosophy/radical-atheism | |||
| Bonus Episode: Nature of God | 29 Aug 2023 | 00:17:20 | |
Matt is being attacked from all angles by a heinous hoard of the Lord's many cruelties, so we will be back next week with a full episode. In the meantime, this is the perfect chance to acquire intimate knowledge of the person whom my bank teller won't shut up about: God "the Rod" Jehovah. | |||
| 40. Atheist Clerics pt. 3: what is a religion? | 15 Aug 2023 | 00:35:38 | |
Matt offers the definitive definition of religion that captures all that we want and also everything else in this can't miss episode of DnD! | |||
| 39. METAGAMING Pt. 2 | 01 Aug 2023 | 00:39:35 | |
Further Adventures in the World of Metagaming from Matt and Joe | |||
| Bonus Episode: The Leadership Feat | 25 Jul 2023 | 00:08:52 | |
Back in 3.5 there was a terrible feat called Leadership. Find out about the surprising history of this feat and the ways it tries to solve problems and just makes more. Keep in mind, Joe has never played with this feat, but that has never stopped him from having strong opinions before! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes!
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| 38. METAGAMING Pt. 1 | 11 Jul 2023 | 00:36:58 | |
We begin our journey into the most despised tactic any player of TTRPG's can deploy--metagaming! In this first episode on the subject, Joey investigates some of Matt's intuitions on what is and is not metagaming. Matt is revealed to be a weirdo with janky intuitions that don't track the phenomenon at all. Shocking! | |||
| Bonus Episode: Joe Reviews Blades in the Dark | 04 Jul 2023 | 00:05:41 | |
One day, Joe woke up at 4am, spent 12 hours traveling through Panamá and Colombia, got drunk and played a game of Blades in the Dark with some friends. Listen as he struggles to remember whether or not he liked the game or even what he did, while Matt berates him for his life choices. If we've convinced you, check out Blades in the Dark, a low-prep heist TTRPG. It's either great or terrible depending on Joe's mood. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! | |||
| 37 Atheist Clerics and Christian Atheism pt. 2: Christian atheism? | 27 Jun 2023 | 00:34:16 | |
Find out if Joe believes in God on this special episode of Dungeons & Dialectics! Take a dive into the theological currents which promote atheism and how they interpret Christian mission. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Letters and Papers from Prison. 1951. Homebrewed Christianity. "Delvyn Case: Jesus in Pop Music". 2022. Nietzche, Friedrich. The Gay Science. 1882. Peterson, Jon. Playing at the World. 2012. Rollins, Pete. "Atheism for Lent". 2023. Wikipedia. "Christian Atheism". 2023. Matt & Joe. Dungeons & Dialectics. 2022. | |||
| 36 Atheist Clerics and Christian Atheism pt. 1: A Christian game? | 13 Jun 2023 | 00:32:22 | |
Can you play an atheist cleric? The answer is... listen and find out! Today, Matt and Joe go into the history of the cleric, why they need a god in the first place, and the Christian roots of Dungeons and Dragons! Does a game that's so Christian have space for clerics without a deity? Do Christians even NEED to believe in God??? Some of this and more will be answered today on Dungeons & Dialectics! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Nietzche, Friedrich. The Gay Science. 1882. Peterson, Jon. Playing at the World. 2012. Matt & Joe. Dungeons & Dialectics. 2022. | |||
| Bonus Episode: Joe Almost Dies | 30 May 2023 | 00:33:30 | |
A few weeks ago, we dove into the medical gaze! But there was so much more to Joe's tale of woe than we could fit in the episode. If you want the full story, not bogged down by philosophy or game design, take a listen. But be warned! It gets icky! Enjoy! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! | |||
| Ep 35 The Healer's Gaze pt. 2: Shifting paradigms and healing in combat | 23 May 2023 | 00:38:33 | |
Better informed by his brush with death, Joe questions Matt about Foucault and the medical gaze. Together, they'll figure out how best to heal someone in and out of game. Thank goodness for our fearless heroes. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Natural Card. "Mastering Action Economy - The Most Important Tactic in 5e". 2023. Pantagruel666. "The problem with combat healing in 5e". 2020. | |||
| S2 E6 The Gift pt. 1 | 16 Dec 2025 | 00:55:43 | |
In this special Christmas episode, join Matt and Joe as they discuss the nature of gift giving! Can giving a gift ever be a purely selfless act, or must gifts always have ineliminable reference to exchange and the obligations consequent upon economic relationships? Matt approaches the question from a Derridean angle, spending 40 minutes explaining why reading is hard. | |||
| Ep 34 The Healer's Gaze pt. 1: Foucault and healing in D&D | 09 May 2023 | 00:58:28 | |
Where has your favorite podcast been for the past three months? Tune in and find out how Joe almost died of tuberculosis and tonsillitis and how Matt supported from afar. But more importantly, find out what PHILOSOPHY can tell us about his experience and MOST IMPORTANTLY, what it tells us about the game. Everything is content. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Foucault, Michel. The Birth of the Clinic: An Archaeology of Medical Perception. 1963. Natural Card. "Mastering Action Economy - The Most Important Tactic in 5e". 2023. Pantagruel666. "The problem with combat healing in 5e". 2020. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. "Edmund Husserl". 2022. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. "Phenomenology". 2013. | |||
| Pinkerton Peril! | 06 May 2023 | 00:22:38 | |
Holy Pinkertons Batman! Wizards of the Coast sent corporate henchmen to intimidate an innocent fan of Magic: The Gathering? Sounds Lawful Evil to me... Hear our hot takes as Joe the lifelong D&D fan and Matt the union man. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: | |||
| Ep. 33 The End of D&D | 14 Feb 2023 | 01:09:33 | |
In this SHOCKING episode of Dungeons and Dialectics, Matt and Joe discuss the idea of ending and the possibility of an end of history as this applies to Dungeons and Dragons. Is One DND really the last stop on the line, such that we will never need another edition--a final synthesis to rule them all? Witness Joey's radical Star Wars ignorance first-hand as Handsome Matt explains everything. | |||
| UPDATE: D&D OGL News! | 28 Jan 2023 | 00:25:38 | |
It's been a long month, but the OGL drama is finally at an end. Wizards of the Coast has capitulated and left intact the original Open Gaming License, as well as updating the 5th edition System Reference Document (basically all the core rules of the game) to the Creative Commons. Check in with Matt and Joe to talk about the future, lessons learned and getting some tips for new games. For us, this is an issue of justice. We just watched a large, wealthy corporation try to squeeze money out of smaller creators or shut them down when they become too big. But the small creators won (this time). We hope this organizing power can inspire us and equip us with tools for organizing in the face of more pressing justice issues, especially in the wake of more and more police violence in the U.S.. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Brink, Kyle. OGL 1.0a & Creative Commons. 2023. Chancey, Tyler. The Possible Future of D&D Beyond Has Leaked. 2023. Hall, Charlie. The story of Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons' most popular offspring. 2016. Is Pathfinder Selling Better than D&D? Sims, Chris S. To Kill a Myth: D&D 4e did fine financially. 2021. Wizards of the Coast DnD 4th Ed GSL Games to Play besides D&D: | |||
| Ep 32 One D&D: The future of D&D | 24 Jan 2023 | 00:57:31 | |
One D&D to rule them all, One D&D to find them! One D&D to bring them all and in the darkness BIND THEM! That's right, D&D is no longer an edition, it's just... D&D. What's coming down the line from Wizards? And what does all this talk of the future of D&D mean? What sinister plans do this neoliberal cabal of sorcerers craft in the shadows? Only one way to find out... So you could find out by reading the news... This was recorded before news of the OGL debacle over the past couple of weeks, but if anything, past Matt and Joe had no idea just how bad it would be. Most of the same analysis of neoliberal tendencies applies, so take a listen! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Fukuyama, Francis. The End of History and the Last Man. 1992 Wizards of the Coast. Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. 2022. Strange Assembly. Review: SpellJammer. 2022. | |||
| Bonus Episode: Matt Edits an Episode! | 10 Jan 2023 | 00:15:13 | |
If you liked our two episodes on Endings, you only have one person to thank: Matt himself! Because he ignored all of my suggestions about how to edit an episode, so I had no hand in it. But they were two of our most listened-to episodes so... what do I know? Have a listen about Matt's editing tribulations! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Joe. "How to Edit an Episode". 2022. Matt and Joe. "Ep. 29 Ending Campaigns pt 1: Garyx the Destroyer." 2022. Matt and Joe. "Ep. 30 Ending Campaigns pt 2: The time of my life" 2022. | |||
| Bonus Episode: Christmas Dragons! | 06 Jan 2023 | 00:13:17 | |
What's the one thing missing from the Nativity story? That's right... DRAGONS! Uncover the secret lost story of Jesus the dragon tamer and find all the secret hidden dragons in the Bible! Plus a DEEP dive into the real Tiamat. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Chapters 14 & 18. The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew. 800. Whatham, A. E. . "The Yahweh-Tehom Myth." 1910. Unknown. "Enuma Elish." Really old. Holy Bible. New International Version. 1984.
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| Ep. 32 Christmas Prophecies pt 2: Crazy cults and Christian Zionism | 27 Dec 2022 | 00:26:39 | |
Happy holidays from Dungeons & Dialectics! Last week we looked at a more nuanced view of prophecy. Now let's talk about what happens when you ignore those pearls of wisdom and use biblical prophecy to take over the world! Or whatever. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Mesters, Carlos. Lectura profética de la historia. 1999. Trotter, William. "The Second Coming of Christ Pre-Millennial." 1890. The Niagara Bible Conference. 1996. Seventh Day Adventist Church. "Who was Ellen G. White?" 2022. Holy Bible. New International Version. 1984.
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| Ep. 31 Christmas Prophecies pt. 1: What is prophecy? | 22 Dec 2022 | 00:54:26 | |
Happy holidays from Dungeons & Dialectics! This year, we're diving into the biblical prophecies that foretell the birth of our savior... Or DO THEY??? In classic Dungeons & Dialectics fashion, there's a twist. What if these prophecies didn't predict the future, but instead referenced the past? What if it's all made up? But what if that's the point??? Find out how a deeper reading of biblical prophecy and a more complex understanding of the role prophets play can help us improve the ways we use prophecy in our own games! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Mesters, Carlos. Lectura profética de la historia. 1999. Chapters 14 & 18. The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew. 800. N.W.A. "Straight Outta Compton." 1988. Rufio & JL. "Straight Outta Nazareth." 2010. Holy Bible. New International Version. 1984.
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| Ep. 30 Endings pt. 2: The time of my life | 09 Dec 2022 | 00:54:16 | |
It's TIME to talk about TIME! What even is time? Does it always point to an ending? Is the ending after or before? Earlier or later? These may seem like really simple questions. Questions people might look at and say "Wow this is obvious are they really going to spend an hour talking about this?" Well... this IS Dungeons & Dialectics, so strap in for a long, drawn-out discussion of something no one really cares about! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Dan's Campaign | |||
| S2 E5 Who is Vecna? pt. 2 | 25 Nov 2025 | 00:50:54 | |
Ready for the new season of Stranger Things? Or could you use a brush up on who Vecna is? Well join us for PART II of our hour+ bonanza going through every adventure Vecna appears in, and diving into the story of how he went from getting rejected at prom to drawing hentai for demons. Plus, find out how this fits into the REAL story of Stranger Things (based on a TRUE story)! In a remarkable twist, our podcast is relevant for the show! Sort of... Follow us on Twitter or Bluesky and support us on Patreon! | |||
| Ep. 29 Ending Campaigns pt 1: Garyx the Destroyer | 22 Nov 2022 | 00:44:29 | |
Experience Matt’s copium as he explains away his devastating loss to Mike over the fate of the world. Part one of our series on Endings and Eschatology. What is an ending? How does a campaign end? What the f*ck is a copium? Well, in classic Dungeons & Dialectics you'll have to look elsewhere for the answers! Because we're just reminiscing about the Overcooked-based end of our last campaign. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Dan's Campaign | |||
| Ep. 28 Theodicy pt. 2: Common responses to the problem of evil | 08 Nov 2022 | 00:42:45 | |
Back again with a follow-up to our last episode on the problem of THEODICY: is God just when evil and suffering exist? How have theologians historically and contemporarily wrestled with these questions? Join us as we choose our own theological adventure and answer the biggest question this raises: how can we be better Dungeon Masters? Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1–13. The Bible. New Revised Standard Version. 1989. Sollereder, Bethany. Why Is There Suffering?: Pick Your Own Theological Expedition. 2021. | |||
| Bonus Episode: Honey Heist 3 and Kant's Masturbation | 01 Nov 2022 | 00:05:25 | |
Well isn't this a sticky situation! | |||
| Ep. 27 Theodicy pt. 1: The question of the DM's justice in the Bible | 25 Oct 2022 | 00:59:58 | |
When sh*t happens in real life, we don't always know who to blame. God? Myself? Bad f*cking luck? But in the GAME, we know exactly who's responsible. Join Matt and Joe as we dive into one of the thorniest questions of theology: THEODICY, the question of God's justice and the problem of evil. How do we reconcile an all-loving God with the aforementioned sh*t that happens? Can we? Does it even matter? What does this tell us about the relationship between the DM and their Players? In part 1, we look at how biblical writers tackle these questions in the books of Job and Ezekiel. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Job, Ezekiel. The Bible. New International Version. 1973. Sollereder, Bethany. Why Is There Suffering?: Pick Your Own Theological Expedition. 2021. | |||
| Ep. 26 Stranger Things Monsters: The Mind Flayer pt. 2 | 04 Oct 2022 | 00:25:25 | |
Learn more about the Stranger Things Monster: The Mind Flayer! and how Joe has used them in his games! Matt takes us on an analysis of the many inspirations that led to the mind flayer and what its significance is for us as humans. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: The Strategic Review Volume 1 Eldritch Wizardry Dragon Magazine #79 Dragon Magazine #150 The Illithiad Dragon Magazine #337 Lords of Madness Monster Manual V Fiend Folio 1st Ed Burrowers Beneath Expanded Psionics Handbook | |||
| Bonus Episode: Matt Tests Joe's Lovecraft Credentials | 27 Sep 2022 | 00:05:18 | |
Matt discovers that Joe's vast capacity for useless nerdy trivia extends beyond the walls of Dungeons & Dragons. He can also identify ANY H.P. Lovecraft story with a SINGLE sentence! A little bonus treat ripped from our 2-part episode on Mind Flayers. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! | |||
| Ep. 25 Stranger Things Monsters: The Mind Flayer pt. 1 | 21 Sep 2022 | 00:41:47 | |
Join us for a deep dive into another Stranger Things Monster: The Mind Flayer! Trace the convoluted lore from a random book cover Gary Gygax saw one day to the weird shadow beast that flays minds. PLUS the secret true story behind Stranger Things that led to the creation of the mind flayer world of Ssirik Akuar in D&D. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: The Strategic Review Volume 1 Eldritch Wizardry Dragon Magazine #79 Dragon Magazine #150 The Illithiad Dragon Magazine #337 Lords of Madness Monster Manual V Fiend Folio 1st Ed Burrowers Beneath Expanded Psionics Handbook | |||
| Ep. 24 Absurd Games and Meaningless Adventures (Random Encounters pt. 2) | 23 Aug 2022 | 00:35:06 | |
What a weird way to end last episode. RANDOM, some might say. Even ABSURD! This week, we'll ask if TTRPGs even NEED to make sense. Does there need to be a story? A satisfying narrative? What if we just had an absurdist game where lots happened but nothing HAPPENED? How much fun are Matt and Joe willing to sacrifice in the name of some meta-joke on the nature of storytelling? Apparently... almost all the fun. Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Avalon Hill. Outdoor Survival. 1973. Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. 1953. Camus. The Myth of Sisyphus. 1942. Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons. pp. 69-70. 1974. Kafka. Complete Stories of Franz Kafka. 1971. Nietzche. Beyond Good and Evil. 1886. Nietzche. The Gay Science. 1882. Nietzche. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. 1883. Jerry Seinfeld & Larry David. Seinfeld. 1989-1998 | |||
| Ep. 23: OMG I'm like... soooo random! (Random Encounters) | 09 Aug 2022 | 00:34:51 | |
Whoa soooooo random! What did Joe learn about random encounters by getting mugged on the bus? What did Matt learn about life waiting for a train that never came? Is life just a series of random encounters? Does it make sense? DOES IT HAVE TO? The answer may surprise you! Or may not. Or maybe there is no answer... Who knows! It's RANDOM! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Sell, Daniel. Troika! 2018 Waiting for Godot Camus. The Myth of Sisyphus. 1942. Kafka. Complete Stories of Franz Kafka. 1971. Nietzche. Beyond Good and Evil. 1886. Nietzche. The Gay Science. 1882. Nietzche. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. 1883. Jerry Seinfeld & Larry David. Seinfeld. 1989-1998 Rules Lite Random Encounters. OD&D Outdoor Survival | |||
| Ep. 22 Stranger Things Monsters pt. 1: Demogorgon | 26 Jul 2022 | 00:33:59 | |
Fresh off of finishing Stranger Things 4, Matt and Joe take a dive into each of the iconic monsters that graced the small screen. Matt is a certified Stranger Things super fan and Joe spends WAY too much time reading old D&D lore. Together, they'll demystify the history of this floral creature from the upside down through his roots as a baboon-headed demon prince, a formless symbol of popular resistance, and finally his origin in Platonic philosophy. Who better to unpack the History of Demogorgon! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Cook, Monte. Book of Vile Darkness. 2002. Gary Gygax & Brian Blume. Eldritch Wizardry pp 36-37. 1976. Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies. vii. 33. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, i. 6. Jacobs, James. "Demogorgon: Prince of Demons", Dragon #357. 2007 Kenson, Steve. Out of the Abyss. 2015. McDaniel, Spencer. The Bizarre Origin Story of the Demogorgon. 2019. | |||
| S2 E4 Who is Vecna anyway? | 11 Nov 2025 | 01:08:48 | |
Ready for the new season of Stranger Things? Or could you use a brush up on who Vecna is? Well join us for an hour of minutia about the origins of Vecna in D&D. Go through EVERY SINGLE ADVENTURE he appears in which will certainly have no relevance to the show whatsoever! Hey... you knew what you were getting yourself into! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon! | |||
| Ep. 21 Theology, Abortion, Hospitality and Care: A pro-choice Christianity | 12 Jul 2022 | 00:57:12 | |
"A pregnant woman was going down to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Jericho, PA, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stole her purse with her cell phone, her money, and credit cards, leaving her dazed by the side of the road..." -Margaret Kamitsuka There's a lot of bad Christian theology out there trying to restrict people's rights, but what if a pro-choice perspective is actually the MOST Christian stance. How does a Christian ethic of care, hospitality and kénosis actually make a stronger argument for pro-choice than anti-choice postures? What does our experience of God say? Church tradition? Reason? What does the BIBLE say? (spoiler alert... it doesn't look great for the anti-choice extremists...) As last week, if you didn't wake up today wanting to listen to two cis white guys talk about abortion, DONATE to Planned Parenthood or local abortion funds and then take a listen to some other voices:
Sources: Balmer, Randall. The Real Origins of the Religious Right. 2014. d’Almeida, Luís Duarte. "Fundamental Legal Concepts: The Hohfeldian Framework". 2016. Genesis 2:7, Exodus 21:22-23, Numbers 5:11-31. The Bible. New International Version. 1973. Glenza, Jessica. ‘Historical accident’: how abortion came to focus white, evangelical anger. 2021. Judith Jarvis Thomson. "A Defense of Abortion". 1971. Kamitsuka, Margaret. Abortion and the Christian Tradition: A Pro-Choice Theological Ethic. 2019. Lymer, Jane. "Maternal Hospitality, Ethics and Ontology". 2016. OllieGarkey. "Bible: Life Begins at Breath, Not Conception". 2014. | |||
| Ep. 20: Abortion and the Philosophy of the Pro-Choice Position (aka F*ck the Supreme Court) | 04 Jul 2022 | 00:58:01 | |
If you didn't wake up today wanting to listen to two cis white guys talk about abortion, DONATE to Planned Parenthood or local abortion funds and then take a listen to some other voices:
If you're still here, this isn't a funny episode. But we'll dive a bit into the history of Roe v. Wade and question the ways anti-choicers frame these questions to make the playing field uneven from the outset. Can philosophy help us resist the ways the anti-choice lobby manipulates the conversation? Can these arguments even convince anyone? Can Matt and Joe tie any of this back to Tabletop RPGs? Sources: Balmer, Randall. The Real Origins of the Religious Right. 2014. d’Almeida, Luís Duarte. "Fundamental Legal Concepts: The Hohfeldian Framework". 2016. Genesis 2:7, Exodus 21:22-23, Numbers 5:11-31. The Bible. New International Version. 1973. Glenza, Jessica. ‘Historical accident’: how abortion came to focus white, evangelical anger. 2021. Judith Jarvis Thomson. "A Defense of Abortion". 1971. Kamitsuka, Margaret. Abortion and the Christian Tradition: A Pro-Choice Theological Ethic. 2019. Lymer, Jane. "Maternal Hospitality, Ethics and Ontology". 2016. OllieGarkey. "Bible: Life Begins at Breath, Not Conception". 2014. | |||
| Ep. 19: Gender in Dungeons & Dragons | 14 Jun 2022 | 00:57:32 | |
Our SECOND INTERVIEW with resident bad*ss Mara! Join this unlikely trio as we dive into things Matt knows nothing about: gender. What even is gender? What does it mean to be a social construct? Gender as a performance? When we roleplay as a character, do we ACTUALLY become the gender we are playing? There are no shades of grey! There is no nuance! For nothing but black and white answers, look no further than this episode of Dungeons & Dialectics! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. 1990. Butler, Judith. Undoing Gender. 2004. Lakofka, Len. "Notes on Women & Magic", Dragon #3. 1976. Fanning, Maria. "Rolling for Gender: Why I'm angry at a D&D 1st edition magic item". 2020. | |||
| Ep. 18 Dialogue of the Dungeon Master and Player | 31 May 2022 | 00:10:09 | |
This is a weird one. Stay after the episode for a look behind the scenes of our first ad read! Keep in touch on Twitter and support us on Patreon for extended episodes! Sources: | |||