Shane Plays Geek Talk
by Shane Stacks
A journey into the things we love: D&D / RPGs, tabletop games, wargames, video games, comics and comic books, Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, fan films, movies, TV, books, sci-fi, fantasy, more! Hosted by a fellow geek that supports and encourages geeks and our fandoms in all of their various splendor! Come along and get your geek on (or maybe even discover you inner geek)!
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Episodes
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Werewolf Movies - Episode 296 - 10/29/2026
Werewolf movies (over 30 of them, from 1913 through now) with my favorite Curmudgeonly Movie Buff Chris Holmes, and Levi Combs of Planet X Games. Some werewolf history and lore (do you know where the silver bullets and full moon lore came from?). What is the strangest way to become a werewolf…
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Green Lantern & Lanterns TV Show - Episode 295 - 9/30/2026
Shane and fellow GL fan Bill Brackeen geek out on Green Lantern and the Lanterns TV show. Green Lantern trivia (Golden Age, Silver Age, and beyond). The two most well-known Green Lantern oaths and interesting variations. What is the real-life inspiration for the lantern concept? The many things a...
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CRPG / Video Game Gabfest With Matt Barton Of Matt Chat - Episode 294 - 8/31/2026
Professor Matt Barton of Matt Chat joins Shane for a gabfest on CRPGs and other things video gamey, plus a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. EverQuest and World of Warcraft still have players. What is Mr. T's connection to WoW, and are fools involved? A cruise through player activity stats for various MMOs, plus...
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Palace of the Vampire Queen: The First Ever D&D Module with Pacesetter Games - Episode 293 - 7/31/2026
Bill Barsh of Pacesetter Games holds forth on Pacesetter Games updates and the 50th Anniversary of Palace of the Vampire Queen, the first module ever published for Dungeons & Dragons. Palace of the Vampire Queen isn't just the first published D&D module; it's also the first published megadungeon....
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Video Game Dev Johnny Wood-Brooks and No One Left To Die - Episode 292 - 6/27/2026
Video game developer Johnny Wood-Brooks discusses his career and No One Left To Die, his new quirky retro indie video game. An update on his Classic Ultima Online project. An overview of his 20+ year career in video games, including Midway, Turbine, Standing Stone, and ZeniMax. How he got into…
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Frankenstein Movies - Episode 291 - 5/30/2026
Fellow movie buffs Chris Holmes and Stephen Clements join for an electrifying ambulation through the gothic corridors of over 30 Frankenstein movies, past and present. Chris and Shane disagree on the merits and content of the original Frankenstein novel. Shane has thoughts on spoilers and people...
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Ken St. Andre Part 2 - Episode 290 - 4/30/2026
The second of two interviews with game designer Ken St. Andre, this time focusing on his video game design history (see part one for discussion around his tabletop RPG design). Games discussed in this episode: Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan, Adventure Construction Set, Wasteland (without...
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John M. Ford with Victor Raymond - Episode 289 - 3/30/2026
The one and only, amazing, science fiction and fantasy writer, game designer, and poet, John M. Ford (aka "Mike") with Dr. Victor Raymond. A very quick Tékumel update. John M. Ford won a prestigious award for a Christmas card. In addition to his novel writing, he also wrote for RPGs, including...
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Ken St. Andre Part 1 - Episode 288 - 3/8/2026
Historic RPG designer Ken St. Andre (Tunnels & Trolls, Starfaring, Monsters! Monsters!, Stormbringer, more) joins for this episode. The game that shall not be named. Is it wise to go into dungeons as an adventurer, or do you just need luck? The practicality of six-siders versus Platonic solids.…
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Heroes of Might and Magic (and Other Goodness) with Neal Hallford - Episode 287 - 11/24/2025
Neal Hallford joins to discuss his new book Heroes of Might and Magic: 30th Anniversary Retrospective. The history of HoM&M games is, in many ways, an "epic story" that tells the history of the video game industry and the related human drama in general. Since it's Neal, we also meander into other...
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The Quatermass Experiment with Toby Hadoke - Episode 286 - 9/28/2025
The Quatermass Experiment, the highly influential series considered the "birth of TV Sci-Fi", with Toby Hadoke (Quatermass Experiment megafan, Doctor Who megafan, special features do-er, author, and standup comedian… he just sits around and twiddles his thumbs, does Toby). Toby's written the...
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Vampire Movies - Episode 285 - 8/29/2025
Sink your teeth into a slew of vampire movies from 1922 through 2025 that may or may not suck with returning movie lovers Chris Holmes and Michael Stewart (Save for Half podcast, Found in the Ruins podcast), plus we chew a bit on Stoker's Dracula novel. From England to Transylvania to Germany to...
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TSR & WotC Veteran Steve Winter - Episode 284 - 7/28/2025
TSR and Wizards of the Coast veteran Steve Winter (Steve achieved one of the longest tenures across both companies). Steve plays guitar. Steve likes Shadowdark RPG, and is also interested in Knave, Savage Worlds, and Cthulhu / horror games. Steve has a definite favorite version of D&D (he finds…
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Twilight: 2000 RPG With The Found In The Ruins Podcast - Episode 283 - 5/15/2025
A RAD-SATURATED BONUS EPISODE! The Cold War gone hot! "Bam" Shane joins "Doc" Benny and "Boom" Mike on the Found in the Ruins podcast to execute maneuvers on the Twilight: 2000 RPG and reconnoiter other groovy post-apocalyptic stuff like PA books and movies. This is episode 9 of Found in the…
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Comic Books, "New" Doctor Who 20th Anniversary, D&D 2024, and Tariffs - Episode 282 - 4/26/2025
Shane waxes eloquent (ok, he might rant mildly) on several aspects of the mainstream comic book industry including the direct market business model, variant covers, multiple characters with the same name, and constant status quo changes (plus the overuse of the word "iconic" these days, which…
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Banquet For Fools With Game Developers Hannah And Joseph Williams - Episode 281 - 11/26/2024
Game developers Hannah and Joseph Williams join to chat about their new "Dark Crystal"-like CRPG Banquet For Fools. Shane jokingly laments a missing element from the game, but Joseph promises they won't duck out from putting it in. Now that ten years have passed, how do they feel Serpent in the...
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Star Trek Video Games With Mat Bradley-Tschirgi - Episode 280 - 10/23/2024
Star Trek Video Games: An Unofficial Guide to the Final Frontier with author Mat Bradley-Tschirgi. There are a LOT of Star Trek video games and Mat had some hard decisions and set boundaries on what games to cover in his book (by the way, a "notable" game doesn't necessarily mean a good game).…
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RPG & Gaming Scholar Jon Peterson - Episode 279 - 9/27/2024
RPG and tabletop gaming historian Jon Peterson returns for a fantastic conversation on D&D and RPG history, and his related current books and projects. A new edition of Playing at the World and Dungeons & Dragons - the Making of Original D&D: 1970-1977 are on the shelves. D&D 4E has its hardcore...
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RPG Designer Merle M. Rasmussen - Episode 278 - 8/14/2024
Merle M. Rasmussen, the man in the tux himself, joins to talk about the Top Secret RPG and his game design career. What was his first (mistaken) understanding of what D&D was? Memories of working at TSR. A no-nonsense discussion about the financials of his agreement with TSR for Top Secret....
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Zombie Movies with Chris Holmes and Mike Stewart - Episode 277 - 7/22/2024
Shane, Chris Holmes, and Mike Stewart aka DM Mike (Save for Half podcast, Found in the Ruins podcast) shamble relentlessly through over 40 zombie and zombie-ish flicks in their inhuman hunger for horror. Plus a brief detour into the best on-screen Joker and multiple bad zombie jokes. True or…
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Comics & Comicsgate With Preston Poulter - Episode 276 - 4/29/2024
Preston Poulter of Pocket Jacks Comics joins to talk comic books, the current status of his Comicsgate trademark lawsuit, and his reasons for pursuing it. Plus the economics and challenges of self-publishing comics, some tabletop RPG chat and we learn what a pocket jack is. Shane gets upstaged...
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MASSIVE GEEKOUT With David Finn Of Signal Of Doom - Episode 275 - 3/29/2024
Wide-ranging geekout with David Finn of Signal of Doom!! Lots of comic book and MCU chat (like, a lot). Pi Day. Doctor Who, old and new. Google Gemini vs. ChatGPT. Judge Dredd satirizes fascism but can tell multi-layered stories. Godzilla finally wins an Oscar. Godzilla as a metaphor. The essence...
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Greyhawk With Allan "grodog" Grohe - Episode 274 - 2/29/2024
Despite what you might think from its famous box art, Greyhawk (the first D&D setting published by TSR) isn't just knights and chivalry… so what is it then? Major Greyhawk fan Allan T. Grohe Jr. aka "grodog" joins to fill us in on all the setting's fantastic details! Also: Greyhawk is a setting...
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Strat-O-Matic Baseball with Champion Bill Meinhardt - Episode 273 - 1/31/2024
Strat-O-Matic Baseball might be one of the biggest games you've never heard of, and three-time champion William "Bill" Meinhardt joins to share his passion for playing it. How long has the game been around, and how many people play it? What's the one mechanic Bill wishes was in this beloved game?...
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Star Fleet Battles With Bill Barsh - Episode 272 - 12/29/2023
Star Fleet Battles is the Star Trek-based wargame that's been in constant publication since 1979, leading to an expanded range of games and lore known as the Star Fleet Universe. SFB fan, expert, and contributor Bill Barsh of Pacesetter Games and Simulations joins to talk all about it and take us...
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Stan Lee With Comics Creator Tom Scioli - Episode 271 - 11/20/2023
Discover the real Stan Lee (not the public PR persona) and his story in Tom Scioli's amazing I Am Stan biographical graphic novel. Plus: Simple comic book character design versus convoluted and complicated design. Working for the big comics companies versus being an independent creator. The one...
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Zombie Bytes with James T. Wilson - Episode 270 - 10/23/2023
All-around groovy geek and author Tracy Wilson (aka James T. Wilson) on his indie horror novel Zombie Bytes, also chatting about cool things like his involvement with the Star Wars costuming association the 501st Legion. The pain and timeline of writing a novel. What is "success"? What's the real...
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Incredible Cosplay With Simple Tricks & Nonsense - Episode 269 - 7/16/2023
Johnny Havoc (John McDonald) and Newt (Rebekah McDonald) of Simple Tricks & Nonsense join to discuss their incredible cosplay. What does cosplay mean to them? The economics of cosplay, including material and labor. Cosplay includes the challenge of taking something two-dimensional and making it...
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The Legend of Drizzt with Mike Witwer – Episode 268 – 5/30/2023
Author and D&D historian Mike Witwer shares the details on his newest book The Legend of Drizzt Visual Dictionary, which is not only chock full of goodness on everyone's favorite drow but the Forgotten Realms in general (as Mike puts it, "the Drizzt books are the greatest tour of the Forgotten...
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Holmes Basic D&D, John Eric Holmes & Edgar Rice Burroughs with Chris Holmes - Episode 267 - 5/12/2023
Chris Holmes has a unique historical perspective on fiction writer John Eric Holmes and Holmes Basic D&D, given that he's JEH's son. Chris is doing cool stuff in his own right, including his fantasy art and a day job where he gets to introduce kids to D&D. Chris's posthumous RPG project with his...
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Betrayal at Krondor 30th Anniversary & Fan Film Challenge with Neal Hallford - Episode 266 - 3/14/2023
Hey there, friend! If you're into classic games and fascinating stories, you'll love our latest podcast episode featuring the multi-talented Neal Hallford. Join us as he shares insider details on the renowned Betrayal at Krondor CRPG, and get excited about the game's 30th-anniversary…
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They Came for the OGL: 3rd Party RPG Publishers Share Their Experience - Episode 265 - 2/9/2023
Zach Glazar (Frog God Games), Bill Barsh (Pacesetter Games) and Levi Combs (Planet X Games) share the personal impact (here's a hint: "existential threat") and professional impact that Wizards of the Coast's recent OGL announcements had on them, and where they're going from here. "Unprofessional"...
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OSRIC & The OSR with Allan T. Grohe Jr. - Episode 264- 11/30/2022
RPG developer and publisher Allan T. Grohe Jr. (aka "grodog") joins to talk AD&D retroclone OSRIC, the OSR, Black Blade Publishing, John Eric Holmes, and RPG goodness in general. Allan LOVES him some Greyhawk. The skills he learned tracking down early information on Greyhawk helped lead to his…
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The Valley Out Of Time & Skeeter Green Productions - Episode 263 - 10/19/2022
Skeeter Green joins to talk RPGs, Skeeter Green Productions, the Independent Publishers Union of small RPG publishers, and his new Kickstarter. The Valley Out of Time is a series of 'zine-sized RPG adventures borrowing heavily from classic dinosaur art, books, and movies (think Frazetta and...
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Reaper's Dungeon Dwellers RPG with Joseph Wolf - Episode 262 - 9/24/2022
Joseph Wolf of Reaper Miniatures talks Dungeon Dwellers, Reaper's old-school style RPG using modern design. Also: some ReaperCon chat. Joseph has some interesting RPG design highlights, including Forgotten Realms, Deadlands, and Blood of Heroes. Love it or hate it, 5E is very successful at what…
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Champions RPG with George MacDonald - Episode 261 - 9/9/2022
Champions superhero RPG co-creator (and HERO Games co-founder) George MacDonald with guest co-host Michael Stewart (Victorious RPG creator; Save For Half and The Crusader podcasts co-host). The origins of Champions from the why, to the playtesting to the launch and beyond. Was the initial…
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Terrain-Tronics: DIY Gaming Terrain Electronics - Episode 260 - 8/15/2022
Dafydd Roche of Terrain-Tronics doesn't just want to make cool terrain, he's helping DMs and GMs bring delight to their players with easy DIY gaming terrain electronics for D&D and other RPGs. Game terrain as part of the storytelling. Theatrical D&D. The no-solder wire wrapping technique is good...
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Grindhouse Cinema With Levi Combs of Planet X Games - Episode 259 - 7/18/2022
Grindhouse cinema with RPG publisher and cinephile Levi Combs. What is Grindhouse, and why is it called that? The market forces that led to the rise of Grindhouse theaters. Gritty movies, violent movies, Foreign movies, exploitation movies, Kung fu movies, BRUCEsploitation movies, more! New York...
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Mongoose and Meerkat with Author Jim Breyfogle - Episode 258 - 6/17/2022
Thrilling fantasy stories of the swashbuckling duo Mongoose and Meerkat with author Jim Breyfogle. Adventure fiction as opposed to "pulp" fiction (and what exactly does "pulp" mean, anyway). Who is Jim's number one favorite writer from the past? Shane's dirty little secret when it comes to Robert...
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JAQ: Journey Adventure Quest - Episode 257 - 5/27/2022
JAQ: Journey Adventure Quest is the new drafting board game with resource management, cool mechanics, challenging monsters, fun lore, and multiple paths to victory. Jesse Stacy, Tommy Noel and Brandon Beam from Triceratops Games join Shane to talk all about it (and demonstrate some actual play)!...
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Comics Artist Brian Shearer - Episode 256 - 5/12/2022
Comics artist (and self-described art hobo) Brian Shearer has worked on such high-profile properties as Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Doctor Who as well as his own creations Gunship Thunderpunch and William the Last. How did Brian become a professional artist? Tips for creators to build an audience...
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RPG Designer Bruce Nesmith - Episode 255 - 4/15/2022
RPG designer Bruce Nesmith discusses his career as a TSR veteran (Ravenloft 2E, Gamma World 4E, Dragonlance), Elder Scrolls Skyrim lead designer, and now novelist. Bruce's first day at TSR was an experience, to say the least. What does he consider his biggest achievement while at TSR? Bruce's...
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Staged Heroism RPG - Episode 254 - 3-25-2022
RPG designers John Kennedy (Star Trek Adventures, Stargate 5E) and Sharene "Madfishmonger" Gilchrist (Capers, Vast Kaviya) join to talk their new Staged Heroism RPG: A Comedic RPG of Super-Heroics, Super-Villainy, and Failure at its Best inspired by shows like The Venture Bros. Plus: Designing…
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Comics Writer Paul Kupperberg - Episode 253 - 3-11-2022
Comics writer Paul Kupperberg is the very definition of prolific! He has written 1,400 comics over 4 decades, wrote for and was the editor of the Weekly World News, wrote Mad Libs, and is still staying busy writing books and novels. Paul's credits include the Doom Patrol, Peacemaker, Vigilante…
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The Wit & Wisdom of Troll Lord Games - Episode 252 - 2-4-2022
Stephen Chenault aka the Troll Lord of Castle & Crusades publisher Troll Lord Game joins to talk about what's new with C&C and some wise principles he uses to run TLG that have helped them tremendously while other companies have encountered severe disruption during COVID. Plus: Steve has to do...
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RPG Artist Jeshields & Uncommon Monstrosities - Episode 251 - 11-19-2021
A cool project to make 3D-printable RPG miniatures from Jeshield's art. Plus! How did he build his RPG stock art business as the main part of his income? What was the RPG that influenced him to become an artist, and what piece of its art impacted him the most? Straight talk on the financials of…
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D&D History: Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons with Jon Peterson - Episode 250 - 11-9-2021
Gaming historian Jon Peterson works through the unhappy but fascinating drama of Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, and TSR to bring us the facts of it all regarding the two most important personalities and the most important company in RPG history. The legal battles over royalties and ownership of…
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Horror Chat and Found Footage Movies - Episode 249 - 10-27-2021
Writer and "horror bottomless pit" Mark Pellegrini joins for a great horror movie discussion. Essential found footage movies. What makes found footage different from other types of movies? Horror franchises that forget their roots. Horror films adapted to TV series. Overlooked horror gems in the...
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Level Up: Advanced 5E RPG & Kickstarter Realities - Episode 248 - 10-15-2021
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition is the new RPG that adds depth and options to your 5E experience but avoids unnecessary complexity! Lots of love for the exploration pillar. Rethinking classes while keeping their core concepts. Meaningful decisions every time you level up. Modular heritage design....
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RPG Artist Ed Bickford aka Metal Robot - Episode 247 - 9-23-2021
Ed Bickford aka Metal Robot is a tabletop RPG illustrator, syndicated cartoonist, comic book artist, and an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer. Ed's great to talk with and he's very open in sharing honest thoughts on the hopes and trials of creators in the trenches. The business side…
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Topics in this show
About this show
A journey into the things we love: D&D / RPGs, tabletop games, wargames, video games, comics and comic books, Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, fan films, movies, TV, books, sci-fi, fantasy, more! Hosted by a fellow geek that supports and encourages geeks and our fandoms in all of their various splendor! Come along and get your geek on (or maybe even discover you inner geek)!
Hosted by
Shane Stacks