Best Infocom Podcasts (2025)

1
Episode 19 - Monsters of Murdac and Behind Closed Doors (SAM Coupé Adventure Club #1) 1:08:12

1d ago1:08:12

1:08:12

Ben occupies the throne, attended by minions Jason and Nick this episode to plumb the depths of the text adventure archives. In the featured spot is the Phoenix/Topologika title Monsters of Murdac by Dr. Jonathan Partington (Episodes #12 and #16), a punishingly creative game. Up first, however, is the 1991 disk magazine SAM Coupé Adventure Club #1 …

1
Episode 18 - Bored of the Rings / Calixto Island with Iain Lee 1:00:51

15d ago1:00:51

1:00:51

Iain Lee, "an old bloke who was popular in the Nineties" as well as counsellor, broadcaster, and I'm a Celebrity survivor joins Dave and Jason this episode. They discuss Tolkien sendup Bored of the Rings by Fergus McNeill and the Mark Data classic Calixto Island. Iain shares his love for the Dragon 32, memories of sneaking text adventure time on sc…

1
Episode 17 - Magazine Roundup #1 1:53:58

9d ago1:53:58

1:53:58

Jason, Nick, and the returning Tim Gilberts of Gilsoft dig into the magazines of the 1970s and 1980s that chronicled the rise of text adventures! We look at two of the most significant Stateside issues of the early commercial period, the November 1979 issue of Creative Computing with a full (and unusual) implementation of Colossal Cave Adventure, a…

1
Episode 16 - A Conversation With Jonathan Partington 53:34

1M ago53:34

53:34

Jason and Dave welcome classic text adventure author Jonathan Partington to the program. While studying at Cambridge University, he created and contributed to several memorable games including Avon (featured in Episode 12), Crobe, Sangraal, Fyleet, Monsters of Murdac, and Spy Snatcher. We discuss how Jonathan got hooked into text adventures, how th…

1
Episode 15 - Lancelot and G.F.S. Sorceress 1:15:09

2M ago1:15:09

1:15:09

Our first three-player episode since the premiere pits Ben, Jason, and Nick against challenges that span millennia! Learn the intricacies of long-lost Earth military law as Joe Justin fights for freedom in Avalon Hill's G.F.S. Sorceress before traveling way back to King Arthur's England in Level 9's Lancelot. Robots, colored objects, and companion …

1
Episode 14 - The Dark Crystal and Ship of Doom 56:54

2M ago56:54

56:54

Dave and Jason return to the pioneering Artic Adventure series with Ship of Doom (Adventure C) before plunging into a fantasy world on the brink in The Dark Crystal by Sierra, licensed from Henson Associates and representing the very last example of Roberta Williams' parser game design. The Dark Crystal manual and short story The Dark Crystal on Si…

1
Episode 13 - 2024 Year-End Chatisode 2:39:03

3M ago2:39:03

2:39:03

Holiday merriment! All the hosts! Return special guests! Minimal editing! Retro Adventurers Dave, Jason, Nick, and founder Ben(!) chat about the year that was, later joined by Scott Adams (Episode 3) and Tim Gilberts (Episode 5)! Hear about Tim Gilberts' Heathkit, Scott Adams' next professional moves, adventures in ADABAS / Natural, and a long-over…

1
Adventureland 1:17:04

3M ago1:17:04

1:17:04

How long does it take to load a saved game of Adventureland on the TRS-80? A little over a year, apparently. Kay and Carrington are back and ready to tackle tricky text adventures once again. It's a Christmas disaster! I mean, a Christmas miracle! Maybe a bit of both. Hosts: Kay Savetz and Carrington Vanston Theme tune: "It Is Pitch Dark" by MC Fro…

1
Episode 12 - Avon and Macbeth 1:18:30

3M ago1:18:30

1:18:30

Chewing the food of sweet and bitter fancy, Jason and Nick ask for a double-helping of Shakespeare text adventures. The chef heaps a challenging amount of "appetizer" Macbeth (1984, Oxford Digital Enterprises) on their plates, but main course Avon (1982/1988, Topologika) has its day. And that day may be foul, and/or fair, as you like it. Macbeth on…

1
The Infocom Auction Episode 13:05

3M ago13:05

13:05

A Large Collection, Stories in a Collection, Capturing Infocom, Financialization, Families and Friends and Grief, Using The Skills You Have, Settling With Your Choices. Someone tried to sell an awful lot of Infocom and Infocom-Related items on auction and is trying again, and I had some related thoughts about collecting, selling, and using opportun…

1
The Contingency Episode 16:40

3M ago16:40

16:40

No Tragedy Ahead, A Quick Exit, Expectations of Childhood, Stability and Home Base, Approaching the World, Valets and Storage Units, Where The Thinking Takes You, Fainting Spell, Possibilities and Paranoia, Talk Changes, Finding the Stability Regardless. A rumination on my constant contingency planning, ever-present, in everything.…

1
Episode 11 - A Conversation with Ron Martinez 1:09:13

3M ago1:09:13

1:09:13

In this interview episode we're transfixed by the career of Ron Martinez, whose interactive fiction began as a writer for the Be an Interplanetary Spy book series, the Trillium/Telarium home conversion of Rendezvous With Rama, and the design and implementation of Star Trek: The Promethean Prophecy powered by his own TRANS Fiction System parser. Sin…

1
The Bob Cooper Tapes Episode 11:11

4M ago11:11

11:11

Setting Up Tapes, The Bob Cooper Collection, Bob Cooper Biography, Imaging 3/4 Tape, Fuzziness and History, A Lost Era of Television, Everything Falling Apart, Aiming for the Best, Fixing Without Perfection. I was sent a massive amount of boxes of Bob Cooper, who did Satellite Television related material for years, and who recorded many neat videos…

1
The New Office Excitement Episode 11:24

4M ago11:24

11:24

Officially at the New Office, The Advantages, The Size, The Dimensions, Multiple Projects, Facing Your Own History, Trash and Treasure, Walking Down My Own World, Physical, Deep Storage, The Hope. A few thoughts about the new office, which is nearly 8 times larger, has every project and piece of myself in it, and will hopefully, although not guaran…

1
The Dying Computer Museum Episode 18:27

4M ago18:27

18:27

Hearing of the Living Computer Museum, Illegally Parking, Artifacts and Items, The Paul Allen Story (Short Version), A Conversation with Stephen Jones, The Grand Plan, Delchi's Consoles, The MADE, Cryosleep, Highest Bidders, The Billions, A Part of History, The Lessons Learned The Living Computer Museum is not returning and its contents will be auc…

1
The Legacy Speech Episode (Part 2 of 2) 13:29

4M ago13:29

13:29

The Second Part, HOPE's Second New Year, Attendance, Location, Improvements, A Striking Walk Through Classrooms, The Legacy Speech, Friends, Lore, Legacy, Ed Piskor, Cheshire Catalyst, Kevin Mitnick, Sinitar, What We Leave Behind, The Extra Effort, A Summary. I had a wonderful time at HOPE 15 (2024) and consider it my home hacker conference now. I …

1
The New Office Episode 14:00

4M ago14:00

14:00

Finding A New Space, Failure to Communicate, New Home, Aspects I Like, Enclosed Spaces, The Grand Plan, The Far-Reaching Intentions, One At A Time, Potential Helpers, The Finances, The Future. With the addition of a new office space, I intend to jettison into a new layer of what I do. Let's hope for the best.…

1
The 300th Episode 15:31

4M ago15:31

15:31

Hitting 300 of Anything, Humble Towel Beginnings, Possible Audience Rotation, What Drives The Tales, Finding Subjects, Broken Strings, Eagerness and Dread, An Invisible Audience, The Future. An episode celebrating 300 episodes of this podcast, with a specific bent to telling people how the audience is what matters - while I have what is now dozens …

1
The Rack of Magazines Episode 13:33

4M ago13:33

13:33

Procrastination By Sorting, Memories of Magazines, Computer Awareness, Obscurity and General Interest, Compute!, Creative Computing, Reader Service, The Gained Bricks of Foundation, The Waterfall of Text, A Prayer of Appreciation. Whenever I sow seeds of doubt something good has happened with the work I do, I just look at the magazine rack at the I…

1
The Legacy Speech Episode (Part 1 of 2) 13:34

4M ago13:34

13:34

Giving a Speech at HOPE, The Concept of Legacy, The Approach to Subjects, Ed Piskor, Cheshire Catalyst, Best and Worst Speech, Short Deadlines, Light Work, Where I Intend to Go, The Awaiting Deadlines, The Truest Legacy. I'm giving a speech at HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) this year, and I figured it might be fun to describe this situation before …

1
The Robert A. Harris Episode 13:50

5M ago13:50

13:50

Going To A Show, Meeting Robert Harris, Film Restoration, The Brittle Nature of Film, Film Is Dead All Hail Film, Meeting Mister Harris, Inspirations and Permissions, The Prickliness, Living Your Version of the Dream. I was lucky enough to meet Robert A. Harris, who is a film restorer par excellence and who I'd looked up to for decades. What a gift…

1
The Chaotic Office Episode 10:58

5M ago10:58

10:58

Edging Into The Office, Stacks and Wires, Process and Teardown, A Version of a Version, Dreams of the Next Process. As I wind up the current office and move to another one, some contemplations on how messy it is right now.By Jason Scott

1
Episode 10 - The Lurking Horror and Crypt of Medea 1:31:10

4M ago1:31:10

1:31:10

Jason and first-time Retro Adventurer Nick Moffitt sample two courses of text adventure horror, featuring Infocom's "MIT with the serial numbers filed off" The Lurking Horror and Sir-Tech Software's "don't call it a Murder Hospital, call it the" Crypt of Medea. Jason also speaks with Strange Studies of Strange Stories co-host Chad Fifer about how, …

1
Susan. 11:16

5M ago11:16

11:16

Susan Lyn Sadofsky, 1948-2024By Jason Scott

1
The SOFTWARELIBRARY_MC10 Episode 13:38

5M ago13:38

13:38

Emulation, James Gerrie, Weak Specifications, The User Interface Wall, Press SCRL LCK and F2, The Tiny Pipe to the Shot Glass, Inspiration, Kind of Finished, The Relentless and Inspiring Curation. Some appreciation for someone being so dedicated to a machine (the Tandy MC 10) that they got it working at the Archive and are adding hundreds of new so…

1
The End of the Office Episode 10:34

5M ago10:34

10:34

Saying No to the Renewal, Moving Into The Office, A Blank Canvas, Choices Made, The Thousands and Hundreds, The Separation of Home and Work, FInding Limits, Future Unknowns. A small meditation on the office I work in, as I choose not to renew the lease. I'd like to thank Kay Savetz and FAXZERO.COM for being a major supporter of it so that the real …

1
The Galloping Ghost Episode 13:28

5M ago13:28

13:28

An Uninteresting Square Building By The Road, $25, Far as the Eye Can See, Walking the Games, The Usual Experience, Endless Rooms, Experiencing Videogames Again, Memories of Internet Arcade, Broken, Real Arcades, The Joy of the New to Old. A memory of visiting the Galloping Ghost Arcade in Illinois, billing itself as the largest arcade, but at the …

1
Episode 9 - A Conversation with Robin Raymond 34:56

5M ago34:56

34:56

Seemingly from out of nowhere, Kingdom of the Seven Stones, a sprawling text/graphic adventure has just been published for the Commodore 64 by The Future was 8 Bit. Creator (and Retro Adventurers listener!) Robin Raymond joins Jason to talk about how the game took shape, why it's cartridge-only, and what the future might hold for his new C-based 8-…

1
The Font and Lines Episode 12:23

5M ago12:23

12:23

All-Sport, Megagym, Racquetball Camp, Benches, Numbers, Lines, Designs, Waves Not Blocks, Frog Design, Attachment, The Font. A rumination on a font and some lines that had an effect on me. I mention Frog Design, here's an example of the kind of pages out there: https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-early-apple-prototypes-2014-6…

1
The DX-Peditions Episode 12:10

5M ago12:10

12:10

No Specific End, A Couple Boxes, Expeditions, Ham Radio, QSL Cards, The Tapes Arrive, Digitizing for a Week, Exotics, Blur, VHS Feel, Preservation. A pleasant surprise as a pile of "DX-Peditions" showed up in the inbox. The resulting collection, done by me and Kay Savetz, is here: https://archive.org/details/dx-peditions…

1
The Sellout Episode 15:17

5M ago15:17

15:17

What is Selling Out, This Podcast, The Facts of Working for Money, The Forks and Compromises, Thoughts and Concerns For Others' Journeys, Crossroads, Consistency, Your Own Conclusions. Some thoughts on what "Selling Out" means.By Jason Scott

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