Space-biff! Space-cast!

You've probably heard of Cole Wehrle. But have you heard Cole Wehrle arguing? On today's episode of the Space-Biff! Space-Cast!, join Dan and Cole as we talk about argument and simulation in board games, explore a few deeply accusatory questions about second editions, and settle the conundrum of how Rome fell.

John Clowdus is best known for his small designs. And, naturally, in today's episode of the Space-Biff! Space-Cast!, he's willing to talk to Dan Thurot about small games old and new, including which of his titles he prefers to Omen: A Reign of War. But now Clowdus is also a bona fide big-box game designer thanks to Mezo. Listen in as he spills the beans about the challenges and advantages of designing a game that can't fit into your pocket.

What does a hive mind do when it's no longer a hive mind? Rent a helicopter, of course. Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as we discuss Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, and chat about colonial empires, undying rulers, and pronouns.

For today's Space-Cast!, Dan Thurot speaks with a new friend in the form of Tom Chick, veteran reviewer of video and board games alike. They discuss the state of games criticism, dirty words that should never appear in a critique, and some of the lessons Tom has learned about writing reviews and writing in general.

As the world is ravaged by toilet paper shortages, Dan Thurot is joined by Erin Lee Escobedo to discuss the ins and outs of tactical starvation in her game Meltwater, how its spiritual grandparents would make for history's oddest couple, the artificiality of some of gaming's biggest narrative "choices," and the difficulty of conceding defeat. Cheery stuff!

After three unbearable years, the Space-Biff! Space-Cast! is back! And to celebrate this momentous occasion, Dan Thurot and Brock Poulsen are joined by Colby Dauch to talk about a much more important revival: the independence of Plaid Hat Games. We also chat about Summoner Wars old and new, Dungeon Run (that's Brock's fault), and Forgotten Waters.

Magic and technology. Technology and magic. Forces as old as... well, one of them is older than the other, but they've both got a few winters under their belt. Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as we discuss All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. Featuring Bay Area relationship problems, a benevolent social media network (suspension of disbelief broken) and a special guest appearance by Elon Musk.

We're going to the moon! Maybe! Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as we discuss Mary Robinette Kowal's The Calculating Stars, a futuristic take on the sexism, racism, and other -isms of the 1950s space program. Expect high stakes, bad takes, and more rocket euphemisms than you can shake your Atlas launch vehicle at.

In our first swing at a truly massive epic fantasy, Brock, Summer, and Dan discuss how to name your weapon, whether Brock would amplify ableism in order to solve racism and sexism, and why you shouldn't date someone who's been radicalized on YouTube. In other words, it's Master of Sorrows by Justin Call!

Build walls, flood the land, and ride the lighting; or, the episode in which Brock, Summer, and Dan talk about living gods, life on the reservation, and how Rebecca Roanhorse portrays a post-apocalyptic but current-renaissance Navajo nation in Trail of Lightning.

Go with the Flow and join Brock, Summer, and Dan as we discuss how to browbeat supporting characters into divulging information, why all space ships should be named after Elton John songs, and whether The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi espouses a proper pronunciation for "emperox."

What's the commonality between a frozen ice planet, a pastiche of the Prime Directive, and Brock forgetting to use the correct mic? The ninth episode of the Space-Biff! Book-Space!, of course! Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as we discuss A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias.

What do two men and their daughter have in common? Being trapped in a cabin by psychopaths, of course! Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as they discuss the fearsome nature of farmers, magical realism novels, and whether The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay is worthy of your time.

Magic, shmagic. Join us as we discuss whether stone should weigh more than flesh, why Schaffa is the best character of the entire trilogy, and why they didn’t just travel through the center of the Evil Earth in the first place. It’s The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin. For the last time for real this time.

So that’s what a moon is for! Join us as we discuss magic, social justice, and how cool it is that somebody won the Hugo three years in a row! It’s The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin. For the last time. Yes, that’s an inside joke.

We always knew the day would come — for the Space-Biff! Space-Cast!’s first-ever episode about a book with no numbers in the title! We’re talking about court intrigues, elvish-on-goblin racism, and how on earth to pronounce “Csevet.” It’s The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, synopsized and dissected for your listening pleasure.

What do microphone problems, a four-year-old wandering out of her room two hours after bedtime, and dead internet have in common? They all love to interrupt the Space-Biff! Book-Space! Never fear, we’re still talking about intestines, unwanted pregnancies, and Kameron Hurley’s oh-so-sticky The Stars Are Legion — while featuring our friend and special guest, Tim Fowers!

At last! A book we don’t love! Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as they engage in the third-ever episode of the Space-Biff! Book-Space! to talk about the legality of cloning, what our AI-selves would be in charge of, and how little is too little for a Catholic priest to know about the Bible. It’s Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty.

In the second-ever episode of the Space-Biff! Book-Space!, Brock, Summer, and Dan read about physics conundrums, bad video games, and what happens when a convention of virtual reality nerds makes decisions for the rest of the world. That’s right, it’s The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015.

Finally, in the first-ever episode of the Space-Biff! Book-Space!, we discover a novel about how people spend so much time focusing on their own problems that they can’t be bothered with what’s right above their own heads. Join Brock, Summer, and Dan as they discuss The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin, winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2016.