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Tales Yet Told is an award-winning Actual Play podcast, focused on collaboratively telling stories at the intersection of queerness and horror using Indie TTRPGs. Our stories center on troubled characters struggling to be true to themselves in uncompromising worlds that would rather bend and break them than allow them to exist as they are. From cold-hearted killers driving down school hallways to naval soldiers rising from the depths of the ocean, Tales Yet Told is filled with heart-wrenchin ...
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Gather round your camp fires and listen! To tales of daring, horror and high adventure from the worn pages of our History Book Not a talky Podcast. More like Action Radio! Join the man known only as the Pear Bear, the unflappable Tombo and your new favourite Uncles BobBob & Bilbo. Let us take a questionably queasy trip through the squishy bits of history and myth. Fun for all the family? We don’t know yet... But we promise it’ll be silly, it’ll be fun!
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Welcome to Mirage Travel Writing Podcast, I’m your host William Barlow. After two decades of indigent wanderings, I’m coming to you with stories, curiosities, and questions. In this first season, there will be narratives of sleeping on the streets in European capitals. There will be tales of crocodile men in remote Central African Republic and armed groups in eastern DR Congo all told through the experience of an aid worker. We will try to understand what it means to be a foreigner in clanic ...
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An exploration of the history of video games told through the stories of the every day people who lived it. Join me along with a rotating cast of friends, family, gaming journalists, and industry types as we share personal recollections from the last thirty years of gaming, one story at a time.
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A sea captain barges into the office of a shipping merchant, dragging in a barrel of water. He’s here on business, with a humble proposition. He opens the lid and reveals a newt. Inspired by the work of Czech science fiction pioneer Karel Čapek, Newts! chronicles an alternate history of the 20th Century in which the western world discovers, exploits, educates, arms, and is ultimately overthrown by a species of highly intelligent amphibians. It’s a farcical yet deadly serious tale about self- ...
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Humans have shared stories for millennia. For most of that time, telling tales was a verbal process. A storyteller would regale an audience with accounts of adventure, bravery, compassion, despair, enlightenment, and fear. Stories were a shared experience, until the advent of inexpensive mass-printing processes in the 19th century which allowed most of us to read to ourselves. Yet, that desire to have a story read aloud is still ingrained in our collective soul. While we still read books for ...
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For centuries tales were told to convey stories from past and beyond, fiction and non-fiction alike. Each tale had a story to tell - few recounting history, some folklore stories and many more of them with messages for life eternity.I grew up listening to these wonderful tales from my grandma (whom we lovingly called Jayamma) who always had an interesting tale to share with us. These tales have grown to be a part of me and I constantly find ways to retell and share these tales with the next ...
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A sentimental short story praised for its moving plot and condemnation of scientific experimentation on animals, Mark Twain efficiently delivers a truly captivating piece. First appearing in Harper’s Magazine in 1903, A Dog's Tale was later published as a pamphlet for the National Anti-Vivisection Society. The tale focuses on the life of Aileen, a misunderstood dog who experiences the ups and downs of life, while cruelly subjected to suffering because of the shallow belief of her inferiority ...
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Content Warnings for this episode: religious themes, isolation, depression, anxiety, children in dangerous situations, kidnapping, violent break-in, allusions to cannibalism, memory loss ------------------------------------------------ The Sublime may be paradise, but it's lonelier than you'd think. So much work for so few people. Plus I think ther…
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In the midst of my nearly 20 interviews for this Final Fantasy 6 series, one conversation stood out as unique. And sometimes, those chats need to exist on their own. On this episode of A Gamer Looks at 40, we meet Mama Terra, an FF6 cosplayer whose story is so deeply interwoven with that of the game's green haired protagonist, the connection is und…
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Our hero is struggling with his mental and personal wellbeing as he approaches his 7th labour. Is Heracles having a mid-labour crisis? Has he fallen out of Love with Labouring? Perhaps wrestling a good looking bull will help? We're talking Chris Hemsworth levels of beefcake yo. Join Heracles as he goes on a bit of a jaunt with daddy Zeus to visit U…
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If you were to build a Mount Rushmore of Final Fantasy antagonists, Kefka Palazzo would have to be included. A mastermind of nihilism, this clown prince grows from general to deity in the space of Final Fantasy 6's runtime and through that growth, terrifies the world with his all encompassing power. And he's a hoot as well! Time to unravel the mani…
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In this episode, we rehabilitate a house in France, we get married (almost), and travel to Germany to bug my father-in-law's house. This begins a longer narrative (continued in future chapters) of battling a golddigger, a younger woman, who tried to extort money out of my girlfriend's father. So if you’re interested in German inheritance law, demen…
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2048 AM Voices in the Wood is a five-episode mini-series following 5 broadcasts of a student-run radio show in a dystopian world, where “everyone has a place” and those who don’t like their place are cursed into turning into animals. Mixing the elements of DIY music, body horror, and TTRPGs, Voices in the Wood explores the anxiety, frustration, and…
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If Final Fantasy 6's World of Balance is an action movie of moving castles, flying airships and magical creatures, the World of Ruin is an anthology of indie character dramas. Focused more on finding the motivation to do right thing as opposed to the right thing itself, the back half of FF6 is a contemplative reflection of growth through tragedy. S…
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OMGosh are we wilfully niche for you this time listener! What starts off as an episode about The Percy Family, turns into a deep dive on Wressle Castle and it's ownership! Some say this conflict over Wressle Castle starts the feud between the families Percy & Neville; which in turn may have given the Wars of the Roses a big old push in the fight di…
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Final Fantasy 6 is a tale of two stories. In this episode of A Gamer Looks at 40, we look at the first half of this epic tale, The World of Balance. Starting as a traditional rebellion vs the Empire story, the tale quickly morphs into a character study worthy of books, poems and film. Join a cast of friends and I as we explore the world before the …
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Nail the doors shut, barricade the fridge, the Silly History Boys are back…and so are the Vikings! Rollo and his gang of idiots return laying siege to the mighty city of Paris. Only two hundred brave souls, a few croissants and quite a lot of hot wax stand between the Viking Horde and the conquest of France…only bickering can stop them…and giant cr…
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From the second the title faded from my 19 inch Zenith CRT and the opening montage began, I was an insta-fan of Fina Fantasy 3/6. Nothing could have prepared me for the epic adventure that awaited me. An experience rich with high drama, interesting characters, engrossing gameplay and a story for the ages, FF3/6 remains one of my Top 5 games of all …
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Before I spend the next month and a half speaking all sorts of sugar about Final Fantasy 6, I figured I'd fill in the time with a quick pod update and AMA session. Silly questions get answered seriously, life mistakes are shared, and somehow I end up blathering about Cheez-Its. Questions Provided By: My Discord Mike Albertin of Games My Mom Found P…
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In this episode, we go on a vertiginous tour through the Western World, guided by one night stands, aging parents, and a lone suicide bomber. From Cape Town, Sydney, Istanbul, Athens, Sevilla, Madrid, Paris, Mexico City, to Havana we look for love in all the wrong places, we search for grit in city centers a century too late, and like a debt collec…
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When I asked Justin Hamm of The Stage Select Podcast which game he would like to do for Tales From the Bargain Bin, he immediately responded, "NBA All Star Challenge on the SNES". Almost too quickly. Turns out, Justin was trying to exorcise some 16-bit demons 'cause this is - whew - this is a game. Join Justin and I as we play "Guess the Team", bem…
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While North American gamers dined on Mystic Quest, our pals in the East were chowing down on Final Fantasy 5. Full of customization, intrigue and a killer soundtrack, this game was often considered unattainable aside from emulation and a handful of re-releases. Is this game worthy of celebration or did Square do us Western fans a huge favor? Find o…
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While Final Fantasy was already a Japanese phenomenon, things here in the states were slower to gather steam. FF4 did well in stores, but nowhere near the numbers overseas. So, what to do with Final Fantasy 5? Release this complex, job heavy dungeon crawler to a market not ready for it or maybe soften the blow. Just a bit. That lighter game became …
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The Bangui Magnetic Anomaly, refers to a variation in the Earth's magnetic field centered at Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. I wrote a story with the same name in response to a friend's question—what is a day like in the life of an aid worker in Central Africa? The article was written, beer soaked and sunburnt on a back porch, …
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As we put a bow on our virtual round table regarding Final Fantasy 4, there's still so much to discuss. In this, the third and final installment on FF4, we take a shotgun approach to the stories by sharing - well - all the things we didn't on the previous episodes. We talk themes, story, logos, sound effects, and one particularly nasty wall in this…
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Its the Silly History of England Part two: Return of Jafar! Swotty Uncle Bob Bob is back for part two of the Silly History of England! A special 'talky' podcast where everyone's favourite History Pervert attempt to bridge gaps in people's knowledge and explain complicated history...in terms that a silly person can understand. This week he over stre…
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Last week, we started the FF4 fire by documenting our initial impressions. On this week's episode, we go deeper into the big (and small) moments that left an impact along with the characters that made this SNES launch title a game to remember. STARRING (all handles from Twitter) Barry Carenza of Premium Edition Games (@HawkHellfire) Greg Sewart of …
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In the winter of 1991, Final Fantasy 2 stormed onto North American shores as an SNES launch title and was met with middling enthusiasm. US gamers were too busy stomping Goombas and driving hovercrafts to worry about turn based combat and wandering in circles. But for those who took the plunge, they discovered not only a love for the series but a ne…
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Mr Ritchie there’s something happening in 9th Century France! VIKINGS! There's many a Dane axe to be ground in the story of ROLLO THE WALKER...not to mention FEUDS, people falling in the water and HAIRCUTS worse than DEATH! Join the exiled ROLLO and his extremely SILLY band of VIKINGS as they travel to FRANCE in search of riches and ADVENTURE...whi…
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I’m calling as I drive through Saxony Anhalt, in eastern Germany, because I’ve drank more coffee than water and need to talk. We've talked a lot about travel in the past, you know, in our 20s, always writing to one another with the question of where to live. From ever-changing locations, we would hand in our trip reports via email. I would attach c…
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Wrestling and videogames. The two combined conjures up images of late night sleepovers hopped up on Jolt Cola, Pixie Sticks and sweaty man-beasts. But for two brothers in Northern New Jersey, our first blush with digitized pugilism was M.US.C.L.E. on the NES. Join Bobby and I as we explore old wrestling games, Fallout, obscure manga, and diminutive…
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When Mario's Claymation visage first landed in my mailbox in the summer of 1988, I was a Nintendo fan. After tearing into that inaugural issue of Nintendo Power, I was a devotee. On this episode of A Gamer Looks at 40, I chat with the architect of this incredible periodical, Gail Tilden. During our conversation, we discuss her beginnings in the ind…
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Thumping techno, thumping monsters and over flowing toilets! It's the silliest telling of the labours of Heracles ever!* This week...the taming of the Stymphalian Birds! But where has our favourite Demi God been for almost a year?! Rightings wrongs? Being righteous?** He's not completely sold out has he?*** Join us for the 'unbearable weight of bei…
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I once thought each culture had its neuroses, I now think each culture is a neurosis. Neurosis is defined as a particular atrophied behavior, the expression of which results from some sort of malady. Mental conditions that are not caused by organic disease, but involve symptoms of stress, such as obsessive behavior, but not a radical loss of touch …
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You think you know a guy. Podcast with him for almost 5 years, talk about Marvel movies, guest on almost 100 of his show's episodes. And then, in a time of need, when asked to suggest a game for a last minute Tales From the Bargain Bin, he foists this piece of junk upon me. That man is Mike Albertin of Games My Mom Found, the game is the Rocketeer …
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While we were stomping Goombas and hunting ducks, Japanese gamers were embarking on epic NES adventures. When the missing Final Fantasy 2 and 3 were finally released to the West, fans were excited. Finally, we could try those missing 8-bit epics without downloading sketchy emulators and learning Japanese. While the reality never lived up to the hyp…
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FIRE! STILL FIRE! If you thought the first part of our tale was overcooked, then get in on this chewy action! The Great Fire of London is taking hold! The Pear Bear is in search of Samuel Pepys and the other Silly Boys! Mayor Bloodworth is flapping and there is nary a fire-hook to be seen! Can the boys help this fine old city? Or will their family …
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Multiple times a day, on a whim or by demand, I sing my son the song The Wheels on the Bus. He's just turned two and loves repetition. He watches my lips as I describe the movements of wheels, wipers, and the driver as the driver says move on back. All over an idealized town, this bus drives over a dozen times a day. At any time of the day, I can r…
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On Part 1 of our two part exploration of the original Final Fantasy, we talked intros and first impressions. For Part 2, we start by talking about the game's many inspirations and the amazing moments that blew our 10 year old minds. A mixed bag of topics that somehow ties into the overall theme of this series: Final Fantasy 1 is a classic for a rea…
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When Final Fantasy hit North American shores in 1990, it sparked an RPG revolution in the West. Gamers like myself and many of my friends fell in love with the interesting mechanics, player expression, and overarching story. These days, Final Fantasy 1 feels like a relic of an era gone by. As a cultural artifact, it's significant but whether it's w…
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Travel writing is always going on about place. And travelers are forever comparing and positioning themselves between home and away. But if you travel long enough, the home you think you know will vanish in time and as you touch down in your home country or hometown, you’ll suddenly realize there's often nowhere to return to. Leave us a message or …
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FIRE! FIRE! That's right, it gets everywhere, even the school national curriculum! So if you know anyone on KS1, force them to listen to this! They'll cry, they'll resit, they'll learn (?) They'll learn everything from [INSERT HISTORY FACT HERE] to [DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN MUMMY? HERE]. Oh the fun you'll have! Join the Silly Boys and a special liter…
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Outside of The Legenda of Zelda, no videogame franchise is more closely tied to music than Final Fantasy. From emotional resonance to supporting gameplay to auditory storytelling, the themes of Final Fantasy are the stuff of legends. So much so, we've been listening to live orchestral versions of these pieces for decades. Enter Distant Worlds, a lo…
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A blow by blow of a humanitarian aid distribution in eastern DR Congo The aid industry is selling you a lie but it’s one that’s necessary. The poignant photos on aid organization websites showing beneficiaries in Africa and Asia as grateful recipients of aid are misleading. The lie is necessary because you, the viewer might not know that Giving Thi…
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The Silly History Boys are on trial...and they plead silly! This weeks episode puts the 'ARGH' in Courtroom Drama as we are flung screaming into the bubbling cauldron of medieval justice...with Trial by Ordeal. Water, Fire and Combat are the only to freedom this week via the stories of... Queen Emma of Normandy's red hot trial by FIRE The PAINFUL t…
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LJN The name alone brings shockwaves of terror to retro gamers everywhere. But what was it like back in the day? Join podcaster Michael Colby and I as we discuss three titles: The Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine, and Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six. And be sure to check out Michael's show Jack Billings Presents: Haunted Apartment Complex - https://…
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Last week, we looked at the various nuts and bolts of the Final Fantasy franchise to see what it structurally needed to be a member of the family. On this week's episode, we explore personal stories, connections made, and communities built over this landmark series of games. STARRING (all handles from Twitter) Aiden Moher (@adribbleofink) Carson Cl…
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From its humble beginnings as a "last gasp" for a fledgling game designer to the billion dollar monolith it is today, Final Fantasy's rise from niche to mainstream mirrors videogames as a whole. On this episode of A Gamer Looks at 40, we launch our multi-month deep dive into the world of this storied franchise, meet some of its super fans and try t…
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He's back! Katana's sing and hearts flutter as one of the show's early heroes returns! Miyamoto Musashi is thirteen going on forty (judging by his voice) He yearns to be the best swordsman in all Japan but his Father wants him to commit to the family business... Unfulfilling Saturday jobs and duels to the death are the order of the day in this defi…
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Oh hi there our lovelies. You looked stressed and/or full of sugar. It must be half term! That means the Silly Boys aren't here, but babysitting your ungrateful brood of-... little darlings. The Pear Bear and Bilbo have been at the Jorvik Viking Festival (at least one of them will have broken their hand in sword school) and it gave the us an idea f…
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And here we go listener. Closing the Sarcophagus lid on our first (but hopefully not last) Egyptian tale. Big thanks to the nation of Egypt for being a good sport with all the fun liberties taken with your rich history. A weighty box of gold talons for ZapSplat for all the music and murder noises. A bit of the Pyramid of Unas (that Pear Bear chippe…
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Mummy! Mummy! The Man Mummy! It's Myth time again dear listener! Let us away to ancient Egypt to hear the suntanned tale of how the first mummy came to be. We don't actually do that here but we lay all the ground work! There's sibling, er, lets say Rivalry. Fratricide! And Braiding of Hair! All the things your stuffy history prof wouldn't teach you…
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In this episode we have a crash course in clanic values in Palestine when yours truly is robbed and the question of justice—formal justice or informal justice is forced upon me, the wayward traveler. Intro music by Sam Widaman, episode music by Bull of Heaven, He is Not Dead, but Sleepeth Leave us a message or question 🫠 If you enjoy what you're li…
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Anyone who has ever had his or her heart shit on, enjoyed needle drugs, or rotted away in Sub-Saharan Africa might have witnessed things and could have things worthwhile to say. Worth what? I haven't the faintest idea. At least not yet. This is a story. It could be mine, or it could be yours. In all reality, it is of little significance, the Africa…
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In this episode we have the politics of foreign aid as it relates to the KONY 2012 campaign told through a story about an aid worker kicking painkillers in the Central African Republic. We have crocodile men, a cameo by Celine Dion, and we turn the narrative of Central Africa as a warzone full of witch hunts on its head. Intro music by Sam Widaman,…
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