Theology of Games is a multimedia site filled with original content about the happenings in the tabletop gaming industry. We talk games via written reviews, podcasts, and video!
Jeremiah got to meet up with some great people at Origins—one of whom was Pixel Lincoln designer Jason Tagmire. In this, our first YouTube video, Jason talks about Storyteller Cards, Maximum Throwdown, and expansions for Pixel Lincoln! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNUUVwXVf60]
This Friday, June 21st from 7-11 will be a night of tabletop gaming at the Root Cafe, hosted by me: Jeremiah Isley.
This will be our second monthly meeting and I'm working away in the background for a few special surprises, so stay tuned for more information there!
The Root Cafe, is a great little coffee shop in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. My wife and I go there often to relax, chat, and write, and through our frequent visits we've gotten to know the manager, Karolyn, fairly well. The Root is packed with great atmosphere, delicious beverages, and some great tables for gaming! I pitched the idea of a game night to Karolyn and she was all for it!
What we're hoping to accomplish with these gatherings is to introduce the hobby to folks who may think of Monopoly when you mention board games, and also give folks who are into the hobby a fun, relaxed, welcoming atmosphere to enjoy their gaming and the chance to meet other folks in the area who share the same interests.
We'll be playing -
Plus a few prototypes of unreleased games! (More info on this coming soon!)
I would love to meet you, and game with you; if you're nearby please come on out!
The Root is located at - 852 W Bath Rd, Cuyahoga Falls, OH.
You can find out more about the Root Cafe here.
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There were two standouts for me at Origins this year: Guildhall from AEG, and Line of Fire by Jason Tagmire. The latter of the two had a limited release through Kickstarter but is probably one of the best quick-plays out there! I ended up snagging Guild Hall because I thought it was so good—and hope to get my hands on Line of Fire sometime soon!
Lets start with Guildhall. It's a strategy card game, with set-collection and hand-management mechanics, set in the medieval time period. Players vie for victory points by completing various sets, comprised of different character cards, each of which has five colors. Once all the colors of one card are completed, the player can use that (and at times multiple sets) to purchase a victory point(s) card. Players start with seven cards, three of which are placed in front of them, starting their guild. The other four can be used in a series of two actions on each player’s turn, or can be discarded (alone or together) to draw more cards. Each character card, when played, allows a different action, or power—stealing from another player’s guild, drawing cards, extra actions, and so on...sometimes even combined! As more of a single character card is played the effect grows, so two or four Assassins or Scholars allow for greater and greater advantages for the player (this is true for all character cards).
So now that I gave you all a rough explanation...my impressions!
Well...I bought it! It reminded me some of Carnival by Dice Hate Me Games, in the way you're completing sets in order to achieve a greater goal, however the game is much deeper! The variety of effects the cards have can dramatically change your, or your opponents', game. In theory, all 2-4 players could do their own thing, rarely taking jabs at one another, and only when they must—based on their hand. But it's much more fun to steal another players guild card that would have gained them a victory point! To get the most out of the game, plan on going after one another and chatting it up to get each other a little aggressive—it makes for a more interesting game. Another separation from Carnival is that there are no dice, making for a more uniform experience with just the card element; we all picked it up and were going strong after about 10-15 minutes. I believe it would be great for family play, but the theme also allows for some more hardcore gamers to appreciate it, especially in between play of two more-intense games. The victory points needed to win are set at 20, but you can shorten or lengthen your game by shrinking or increasing that. We played the expansion, Job Faire, at Origins, which can be integrated or played as a separate game. I bought the original but plan on buying the expansions after some of us get to play this one a few times.
Okay...maybe the best for last. I LOVED LINE OF FIRE! Jason Tagmire should receive high praise for this game; it was amazing. The game is a strategy card game, with some hand-management elements. Each player has a castle they're trying to defend—its hit points counted on a 20-sided die. Players play down their hand (five cards), which is comprised of defenders and attack cards. The cards are perfectly square, and four will match the length of the castle. Players play various unit types of varying strengths, indicated by a number of arrows at the top of the card. When an attack card is played, simple math (arrows versus arrows) decides the victors across the board. If the lines of defense are broken down and the castle is hit, it removes hit points from the die. Once both players play through their hands, then they draw back up to five, starting each round alternately. Players play cards one at a time in turn, and attack cards can be played in place of a unit card; I found this to be both advantageous and maddening! There were times Jason and I would play an attack card just as our defenses were going up, causing damage to one of our castles or the loss of several units due to the strength of ours. It also made for quick play and constant thrill, knowing that at any moment your opponent could attack. This was probably one of the best game mechanics I have seen in a while. Too often I'm sitting with superior forces, cards, waiting to attack in a game, but end up waiting for the end of the round allowing my opponent to gather enough forces or some special something to kill me. It was great feeling like I was in control. It also made for quick play—some forces would be played, and before you know it we're at each others throats! The simplicity was bliss! I loved the design. Jason had an interesting story on how the game was made, and I hope that it is picked up or invested in further to make a game with a little more polish. The only mechanism that Jason and I both thought might use a little work is the fact that both players are drawing from the same deck, but that's still not terrible. I was getting a ton of cool unit cards and was able to smash Jason one game. We discussed having a bag of the unit card/tiles to draw from, or even each player having their own equal deck. I loved this game—perfect for a 20-30-minute brawl with a buddy, and I look forward to playing it again!
Thanks Josh for sharing your thoughts, and thank you for reading! Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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You might remember we had some real issues with some of the choices for the Origins Awards nominees—we even had the illustrious Tom Vasel chime in on the article. Well, despite our issues, the Origins Game Fair announced the winners of the 39th Annual Origins Awards. (We've included all categories, for ease and completeness.Best Board Game
Lords of Waterdeep – Wizards of the Coast
Best Family, Party or Children's Game Quarriors! Dice Building Game – WizKids
Best Collectible Card Games Legend of the 5 Rings: Embers of War – AEG
Best Traditional Card Game Doctor Who the Card Game – Cubicle 7 Entertainment/Treefrog Games
Best Gaming Accessory Metal Steampunk Dice Set – Q Workshop
Best Miniatures Rules The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Campaign Starter Set – WizKids
Best Historical Miniature Figure/Line Ancient Greeks - Victrix Ltd
Best Historical Board Games Samurai Battles – Zvezda
Best Historical Miniature Rules Supplement Flames of War: Nuts – Battlefront Miniatures
Best Historical Miniature Rules Flames of War: Open Fire! – Battlefront Miniatures
Best Miniature Figure Line Marvel HeroClix: Galactic Guardians – WizKids
Best Game-Related Publication Battletech: Weapons Free – Catalyst Game Labs
Best Roleplaying Game Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Basic Games – Margaret Weis Productions
Best Roleplaying Supplement Marvel Heroic Roleplaying Civil War Essentials Edition Event Book – Margaret Weis Productions
Hall of Fame Game Inductees Munchkin – Steve Jackson Games Dominion – Rio Grande Games
Hall of Fame Inductees Lisa Stevens, Paizo Publishing Loren Coleman, Catalyst Game Labs
Thanks for reading! And stay tuned for more coverage of Jeremiah's trip to Origins. And don't forget to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instragram.
- by Jeremiah, with contributions from A.J. and Sepos.
Last Friday we made our way down to Columbus and the Origins Game Fair, to cover the con as best we could for the blog—in just one day.
The con featured everything you'd expect from an event of this caliber: tons of seminars, officially supported tournaments and game play, an Unpub gathering, and of course, the exhibit hall featuring hundreds of vendors, publishers, and more.
We made our way through, and shot nearly two hours of video content, featuring interviews with Paul Peterson, Jason Tagmire, Kevin Sorbo, and many more!
As you would expect at a large-scale gaming convention there were a ton of great games, as far as the eye could see; we'll highlight some of the games we thought were of note over the next couple days.
The Duke—An Origins-released game, convention-goers were among the first to demo and purchase The Duke from Catalyst Game Labs. The Duke is a tile placement/tile moving, chess-like strategy game for 2 players. Each tile represents a different troop defending your Duke: Move a tile and flip it to show the different movement now available to that tile. The game plays fast but has massive replay value as it is tough to master, and different every time!
Council of Verona—Crash Games is currently Kickstarting this title as the flagship to their Pub Series of games. Council of Verona is a card-based strategy game with a very strong bluffing component. The Pub Series is a catalog of games that are compact enough to play anywhere, but still offer great depth in their gameplay. You can get in on the Kickstarter until July 3rd, and it's only $12 to get a copy delivered to your door!
Dice Hate Me lineup—Last year Dice Hate Me Games had a booth that pretty much consisted of one game: Carnival. This year they're celebrating a successful release of The Great Heartland Hauling Co., as well as VivaJava, and they're looking forward to the upcoming release of Compounded, VivaJava Dice, and Belle of the Ball. Chris Kirkman has been putting together a great lineup of titles using a stable of unknown/first-time designers to bring great and well-designed/developed games to market. We're excited to see what's coming from them next!
Dungeon Heroes—This exciting game brings you the full experience of a dungeon crawl in a quick-play style. This vs. game pits your heroes against a dungeon player who will try and thwart your efforts to collect hidden treasures. The game board is grid-based with miniature meeples as your characters, who move, attack, and defend based on character abilities. Most importantly, the game can be played in 15 to 30 minutes, giving a busy gamer an opportunity to participate in a fast-paced dungeon crawl. The game is completely expandable and will hopefully offer a multi-player aspect to the game as well as larger game boards. This game looks fantastic and has done great on Kickstarter. We'll be keeping an eye on its future.
We'll be sharing more about Origins over the next few days, not too mention all of our awesome video coverage! For more about Origins, and some good old fashioned social-media fun, look for TOG on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Thanks for reading!
by Firestone
Back in 2010 I got to play a neat little real-time co-op game called Wok Star. It was a self-published, 500-copy indie game where you and your teammates own a restaurant and you're trying to get ingredients and make meals before the timer goes off—otherwise, the people eat for free and you lose money.
After some false starts with other publishers, designer Tim Fowers has partnered with Game Salute to bring you a new edition of this game—it's already funded on Kickstarter, so head on over and join in the fun. Designer Fowers says, "I’ve used the time to improve the game and make it quicker to play, but still maintain the tough choices and frantic pace. Also I feel the addition of an electronic timer will make the game fantastic. I’m excited to finally get it out to everyone that has been asking for it all these years. The game is a unique experience that transforms a group of players into a team."
Thanks for reading!
Today we have the pleasure of interviewing the team behind Clever Mojo Games’ Princes of the Dragon Throne: Fred and David MacKenzie.
Guys, thanks so much for taking a few minutes to answer some questions with us today.
Let’s start off by having you guys tell us a little bit about yourselves.
FRED: Hi! Happy to be here. Well, what’s to say? I’m just a typical middle-aged guy who loves playing games. To be honest, I might actually enjoy designing them even more.
DAVID: Well, I’m just this guy, you know? I’m more of a game adjuster than a designer. I look at game ideas that Fred and others have, offer feedback and suggestions, then help them bring the design to tip top performance.
FRED: Don’t let David fool you. He’s a good designer with a couple good ideas already in prototype stage. He just doesn’t have time to work on his own designs now.
How did you get mixed up in this crazy gaming industry?
FRED: That would be David’s fault. We grew up playing all the standard fare that everyone else was playing in the ‘70s and ‘80s, then just party games with the family, then pretty much nothing for several years. I was introduced to Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne in 2006 and I showed them to David soon after. We were hooked. The discovery that games like these were available re-awakened David’s creativity. One day he told me he was working on a game design and asked if I would like to help. This game became Ogre Castle.
DAVID: Actually, Fred and I each had game ideas independently of each other and we just dove in and started designing and playtesting. Fred’s idea was called “Oubliette” and mine was “Ogre Castle.” Oubliette was going to be the first game we published, but we lost momentum after a game agent turned it down. We put more work into Ogre Castle and in mid-2009 we put out a homemade garage production and Clever Mojo Games was born.
So let’s talk about Princes of the Dragon Throne: Where did the idea for the game come from?
FRED: It needs to be said that the game we now call Princes of the Dragon Throne was originally intended to be something quite different. My first inspiration came from the fact that I love dragons and wanted to design a dragon game. My second inspiration came from a poem David wrote, which tells of the life of a dragon, from birth to death. My first version (in 2009) of a game based on that (which was called Dragon Frenzy) required 125 dice! I knew there was no way a game could be affordably made with that many dice (this was before Quarriors) so I scrapped that idea. I won’t bore you with the details, but Dragon Frenzy went through many iterations over the next two years as I attempted to discover just what this game wanted to be. Near the end of 2010 I played my first games of Dominion and Ascension and I just knew I wanted deck-building in the game. For the next four months Dragon Frenzy was developed to be similar to those games, with a few tweaks. But the game just seemed to be missing something, so I told David of my ideas for adding worker-placement and area-control to our current resource-management and deck-building mechanics, and actually making a board game instead of a card game. This is the game we have been developing ever since. With these changes the name Dragon Frenzy didn’t fit anymore and Princes of the Dragon Throne was born.
DAVID: Yup, what he said.
Can you tell us how the game plays?
FRED: Thematically, players are dragon princes making a claim on the now-vacant dragon throne. Mechanically, players use their starting decks to gather resources. They use those resources to recruit more influential prospects into their hands. They use those recruits to place supporters on the board. They use those supporters to gain control of as many kingdoms and guilds as possible. They use that control to influence the clan houses in the dragon parliament. When all members of the dragon parliament have chosen a prince to support, a new king is crowned.
What about Princes of the Dragon Throne will make it stand out from other games in its genre?
FRED: I guess that depends on what genre it is placed in. Is it a deck-building game? Then its area-control mechanics will make it stand out. Is it an area-control game? Then its rich theme will make it stand out. Is it a highly thematic game? Then its worker-placement mechanics will make it stand out. Is it a worker-placement game? Then its deck-building mechanics will make it stand out.
DAVID: In my mind, what makes PDT stand out is that it uses deck-building in a non-traditional way. Deck-building is not the game; it’s the engine that drives all of the other game systems. The cards you recruit into your deck control the resources you can acquire and the guilds you can control and the clan houses you can pack with your loyal dragon lords. It’s really a whole new animal, and we think gamers will be intrigued.
Can you tell us a little more about the designing process—did one of you handle certain aspects and then put them together, or was it a collaborative effort from beginning to end.
DAVID: As I mentioned before, I’m less of a designer and more of a project manager and game doctor. PDT is Fred’s game and he was the driving force throughout. He’d give me a new version to try and I’d run it through my local play testers and then give Fred the feedback and ideas we had. He’d consider them, reject most of them, keep a few, and then we’d do it all again the next week. So, yes, it was collaborative to a point, but Fred was always “THE” designer.
Is there anything else you guys are working on that we should keep an eye out for?
FRED: I have a small press-your-luck dice game called Monsters and Maidens that has already launched for support on JumpStartCity.com. I have dozens of other ideas, several of which are at varied stages of development, but none of which are actively being worked on at the moment due to concentrating on getting the first two produced.
DAVID: Well, PDT is the major project for Clever Mojo Games at the moment, but I’m also working with several other designers on projects you’ll see on Kickstarter later this year. The two closest to the top are Magnum Opus by Ian Steadman and King’s Forge by Nick Sibicky. Magnum Opus is yet another riff on the deck-building mechanic that will make people re-think that genre, and King’s Forge is a dice-building and management game that’s fiercely competitive. Oh, and there’s a new expansion for Alien Frontiers coming to Kickstarter in a couple of months. 2013 is a VERY busy year for the Clever Mojo Game label.
Since launching the initial Kickstarter you’ve taken down the campaign to re-tool and re-boot it. Can you tell us a little bit about your thinking behind that decision and what changes were made to the campaign?
DAVID: Basically we learned that games are not like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Chocolate and peanut butter might taste great together, but Euro-game mechanics and Ameritrash minis just cause confusion. Euro-gamers maintained that the game was overproduced and Ameri-trashers were wondering why their minis were bogged down with a game. The other lesson I learned personally, or rather I should say “re-learned”, is that Kickstarters don’t really want a FINISHED game. They want to see a game at bare-bones and then get the thrill of building it up through stretch goals. I learned this in Formula E and I learned it again on Princes of the Dragon Throne.
We’d love to hear your top three games of all time, and why you love them!
FRED: There are so many games I haven’t played that any list of favorites will seem severely lacking to most people. Currently my favorite light game is a tie between The Great Heartland Hauling Company and Biblios. Both games are easy to learn and fast to play and just a ton of fun. My favorite medium game is Finca. I love rondels and hope to design my own rondel game at some point. For my favorite heavy game I am totally going to cheat. I have only read the rules and watched several reviews but I know that I will absolutely love Stronghold when I finally get to play. If that answer doesn’t count, I also love Trajan and Castles of Burgundy.
DAVID: When people ask me “Have you played X, or Y, or Z”, I always tell them it’s best to assume I have not played it. I spend so much time playing prototypes that I can hardly remember the last time I played a published game. The games that are my favorites now will be your favorites 2 years from now. That’s the best answer I can come up with for that.
So why board gaming?
FRED: I love the challenge of testing my mental aptitude against my opponents. I love the fellowship of hanging out with friends, or making new ones. I love the escapism when I just want to get away from the daily grind. Of course, these days the daily grind includes board game design, so sometimes it‘s hard to distinguish between the grind and the escape. But I still love it.
DAVID: It’s about the socialization for me. I’m no Brainiac and I lose nearly every game I play, but I have fun with the people who are playing. If a game is too serious and thinky and tense, then I’m not having fun.
David, your email signature says you are the “Shepherd of Games” at Game Salute, could you explain the thought behind that title?
DAVID: Game Shepherd is the summation of what I’ve been saying about my role in game development. I work with designers to bring their games to life, grow them into strong healthy titles, and then lead them through the production process. It’s very rewarding when a game I’ve been shepherding for a year or two finally hits the dealer table at a convention.
1 Word Questions - Please answer these next 5 questions with only 1 word (or phrase).
Favorite director?
FRED: Spielberg
DAVID: del Toro
Do you have an archenemy?
FRED: Social Anxiety Disorder
DAVID: Sweets
Favorite ice cream flavor?
FRED: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
DAVID: Caramel
Favorite lyrics?
FRED: I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak.
DAVID: We Will, We Will, Rock You!
Let’s say there was some sort of crazy cyclone thing that picked up you and one book, and took you out to sea where you were stranded alone on an island for one year: What would you want that one book to be...? (Let’s assume this island has plenty of fresh water and food. And no hatches or polar bears.)
FRED: The Bible
DAVID: Unabridged Oxford English Dictionary
You can check out the rebooted Princes of the Dragon Throne campaign here. Thanks for joining us for this fun interview!
- by Jeremiah
As I wrote last week, Theology Of Games will be covering Origins Game Fair this week. But this certainly isn't the first time I've made the 2-hour pilgrimage to the Con. This year will in fact be my fifth time attending Origins, but it is my first time covering the con as a "reporter."
In the past I've only gone for a single day, and usually not even a full day at that. We (we being whichever friend[s] happened to come along that year) usually would head down, buy a day pass at the door, and drool over the cool stuff in the exhibit hall, before making our way to the demo hall to learn even more about the newest and hottest titles. Just making a few rounds in the exhibit hall is worth the trip: tons of new games, demos, and of course a trip down memory lane with some old dead collectible games for sale.
Last year, we (this time "we" being Firestone and I) were working in the background to launch TOG, but we didn't go live until July 1. I kept a keen eye on things, took a few pictures, and of course learned a handful of new games, but aside from that it was "just" another trip to Origins.
My most memorable trip, though, was the first. This was because my wife and two boys went with me. That's right. My incredible wife spent the day at a gaming convention, with our kids (our youngest wasn't even 1 at the time!) wandering around the exhibit hall while her geeky husband drooled over games, bought a bunch of old collectible card games, and nearly peed himself when he met Peter Mayhew. That's right, Peter Mayhew. For those who aren't aware, Mr. Mayhew is known for his portrayal of Chewbacca in the Star Wars films. He had a booth and was selling his autographed photos. He was however gracious enough to take a couple pictures with me and the boys.
So this year I'm heading down to actually cover the con for the blog. We've got press passes and everything. Over the past 11 months we've grown our little blog to over 5,000 followers, but more importantly we've connected with gaming industry folks, who are great people, and who also like games as much as we do (if not more!). I'm looking forward to connecting with them, hearing their stories, seeing the product of their passion, and shaking their hands.
Firestone and I have big dreams for the blog, and you readers are key to those dreams. Thanks so much for subscribing, reading, sharing, retweeting, and all those other "ing" things you do to support our efforts! And stick around for our first ever con coverage of Origins Game Fair!
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We have a ton of Kickstarter News to bring you this week, so let's jump right in!
Ejipt: Race for Treasure
Sam and Clayton, founders of Laboratory, have launched their second Kickstarter with a fun-looking race game. The game looks streamlined and quick-playing. Plus we liked the natural thematic tie in of using a pyramid shaped d4 for the game! $27 gets you in on the race for treasure! Find it here.
Drive Them Back
A card-battle game, Drive Them Back pits players against advancing hordes attempting to drive them back—they must stave off the onslaught. Players can lose the game together, but only one can win! Stay tuned for our review of this one! $27 will get you your own copy of the game. You can find the campaign here.
Escape from Monster Mansion A social, adventure card game that has players scrambling to escape a creepy old mansion filled with tons of classically themed monsters! There's plenty of weapons and items to help you along the way! A $25 pledge will get you in on the fun! Check out the campaign here!
Randy Blackwell of Lamplight Media
Randy Blackwell is looking for funds to bring more Christian art and novels to Dragon Con. Based on the universe of Rise of the Magi, Randy was lucky enough to snag an exhibitor booth at the giant con this year, and needs help bringing more material to market. There's tons of rewards for those willing to chip in! Check out the campaign here.
Let's Kill Krampus
Every now and then there's a Kickstarter game that looks like it should make the funding goal based solely on its creative theme. Three Fates Games, however, fell well short of their goal for Let's Kill Krampus, which revolves around the Austrian mythos of the Krampus. Krampus is allegedly some sort of weird kin to Santa Claus, but instead of withholding gifts from the naughty girls and boys, he just eats them instead. The game was based around a pre-constructed RPG in which one player was Krampus (or the game master) and the others were children plotting the demise of Ol' Krampus. But we won't see it, because it failed to fund. I'm guessing the funding goal might have been a bit lofty, maybe they'll re-tool and give it another go. You can check it out here.
Storyteller Cards
And finally, our good friend Jason Tagmire has a happy ending to his Storyteller Cards campaign—and knocked off two stretch goals in the process! This was Jason's first campaign (and soon-to-be-first release) for his Buttonshy brand. Find out more here.
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Today on Theology Of Games, we’re super excited about our special guest: Mr. Michael J. Nelson! You may know Mike best as the great American novelist who penned Mike Nelson’s Death Rat! And he’s done a little work on TV, as well, but nothing of note... :)
Mike’s latest project involves some voice work for a current Kickstarter game project called Armikrog, which is a stop-motion animated game for PC/Mac being produced by the folks who brought you Earthworm Jim and The Neverhood. Yes, video games aren’t our usual fare here on Theology Of Games, but IT’S MIKE NELSON!
Mike, thanks for taking a few minutes to chat with us.
My immense pleasure!
First, for those who really might not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a transplanted—perhaps “uprooted”—Midwestern guy living in San Diego, putting a couple kids through college. Trying my best to make people laugh by writing hundreds of thousands of jokes for more than a quarter century now.
How did you end up getting involved with Armikrog? Were you familiar with Doug’s work beforehand?
I was. Doug is a good friend, but I had, of course, known about him and his work for years.
So you’re the main character, Tommynaut; what can you tell us about him?
He’s like a hotshot pilot guy who, without giving too much away, has to go through something of a hero’s journey. But because it’s me voicing him he’s probably got more of a wry, deadpan thing going on, as opposed to the kind of square-jawed confident hero.
Did you have any input on the creative/humor elements of the story? Or was it pretty much “Stick to the script, Nelson!”
We had some back-and-forth beforehand, just in terms of my characterization, but as far as creative elements, that’s ALL Doug, Mike, and Ed at Pencil Test studios.
We usually don’t talk much about video games, but we’re curious: Are you a gamer: video, board, card, or otherwise? If so, what do you enjoy about that type of gaming?
I probably don’t rise to the level of “gamer.” Among my friends and family, yeah, I’m probably considered hardcore, but on an Internet-judged level I’m a dabbler only. I’ll get a PS3 game (I know, I know...) every couple of months and play it rabidly until something else catches my eye. But I do not keep up much on a day-to-day basis. Part of it is just time: I’m almost always always writing or recording. But I do enjoy the games that are a bit more social, that is, that I can play with my sons, pass the controller back and forth, talk while playing.
I think many of our readers want to know if there ever was any sort of love triangle thing going on between Servo, Crow, and Gypsy—I mean, you were on the satellite of love after all...
I’m afraid you’ll have to wait and buy my tell-all book.
Most of your “onscreen” career has been voice work, in a sense. RiffTrax is a recorded performance, and much of your time on MST3K was just your voice (and lots of pointing, of course). But that work has been Mike Nelson as himself. How do you handle the adjustment in voicing a character that is NOT you?
It’s not much of an adjustment because it’s tough, at least for me, to even manage to play myself. You’re still doing a character, someone who’s really not you. It’s extremely unnatural to attempt to pretend to be anyone for any performance, so you have to be something of a lunatic to even attempt it.
You and the RiffTrax crew ran your own Kickstarter campaign just a few months ago; can you share some of that experience with us? What did you learn? What surprised you?
We were all very grateful and humbled to smash through our goal pretty quickly. We have the greatest fans in the world: generous, good-humored. (Except for that one guy—you know who you are.)
Some of your recent RiffTrax releases have been video-on-demand titles rather than the new-release commentaries. (I plan on downloading “Dr. Who and the Daleks” this weekend. Can. Not. Wait!) Is that a trend you expect to continue?
Yes! The ease of delivery is great. That said, we plan to continue covering the blockbusters, too.
When is James Lileks going to do another Rifftrax with you?
It’s been too long. I plan to see him pretty soon; I’ll bring that up with him.
As you probably guessed from the name of the blog, we’re a couple of guys who are Christians and trying to view games through the lens of our faith. I read an interview with you a few years ago where you said you’re “heavily involved in [your] church,” and mentioned reading people such as J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig. What are some of the difficulties you’ve found in maintaining your beliefs in a business that’s often hostile toward Christians?
Honestly, not a lot of difficulty. You’ll run into people, or small groups of people, who are so dark, and openly hostile to your beliefs that it can get a little uncomfortable but that’s probably true for everyone regardless of views. And I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of great people. After I became a follower of Jesus Christ in my mid-30’s I quickly realized it was just as odd to be in the business I’m in and be in a church as it is the opposite, if you see what I mean. So I was used to feeling a little out of step. Also, I dove into Apologetics pretty much from the start and also felt out of step realizing that that’s just not that common in the Church, either. Bottom line is I like to take great care to not fit in no matter where I am.
But it’s funny to even be having this discussion, because I am a completely orthodox Protestant member of a mainline denomination; my kind were as common as blades of grass a handful of years ago. Now to some, evidently people like me are dangerous radicals. (Dangerous radicals are usually cool, though, so I’m pretty sure I’m not one of them.)
It seems that many Christians are ceding culture to the secular world, and walling themselves off in a sort of Christian ghetto, where they make “safe” movies and books and music that are often...terrible. How can we reverse that trend, and who are some of the people you’ve see trying to do just that?
Retreating from culture and ceding that ground completely—how’d that work out for us?! Everything follows culture; it’s the whole ball game. As to how to reverse the trend, I don’t pretend to know. I would say it’s critical followers of Christ not despair. And also to realize that still, the majority of people agree with us that it’s probably not a good thing to have unmitigated filth, murder and darkness flowing into our houses from every available source of entertainment. Those pushing it want us to feel isolated, alone, and out of step, but I don’t think so. (Gallup doesn’t regularly ask the question: “Do you want unmitigated filth, murder and darkness flowing into your house from every available source of entertainment? Yes/No,” though, so I can’t be 100 percent sure.)
Okay it's time for the: 5-Questions-That-You-Can-Only-Answer-Using-1-Word-Or-Perhaps-A-Very-Short-Phrase section (we really need to work on that name).
Favorite Stooge? (Iggy Pop is not an acceptable answer. We mean The Three Stooges. Well, Four if you count Shemp. And we do. Joe and Curly Joe are anathema.)
Larry, of course.
If you could have added one character to the MST3K cast, but it had to be a character from another show on TV, who would it be?
Alien (or Predator).
Favorite episode of MST3K?
Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders.
Favorite Michael Bay film? (And by favorite, we mean the one that should be stricken from existence last. But still stricken...)
Coyote Ugly (he makes only a cameo appearance)
Rebecca Black or John Daker?
John Daker. Never ceases to make me laugh, bless him.
Thanks so much for answering our dumb questions, Mike! And for the countless laughs you’ve given us over the years.
My pleasure; thank you.
Thanks for joining us for this special interview. You can find Mike on Twitter here, the Kickstarter for Armikrog right here, and be sure to check out Rifftrax.com!
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