We’re back and we’re rapping. While we’re sure we could come up with some killer rhymes, we’re letting our toes do the talking today. There’s no reason why messages from beyond can’t come with a sick beat, and creaky toes are the body’s other beatbox. Victorian Spiritualism is proving much funkier than we ever suspected.

Main Topic: Victorian Spiritualism part 1

This is the first of our two-part look at the origins and evolution of Spiritualism in the gaslight era. We look at how Spiritualism grew out of Mesmerism, how it became a religion, some of the strange phenomena that mediums produced at the behest of the spirits. This will continue in the next episode, when we examine some of the key figures of the Victorian Spiritualism movement and how many of them were exposed as frauds.

Yes, frauds. It shouldn’t be controversial to talk about how Spiritualism is rooted in lies, but its growth into a religion might make this a touchy subject. As ever, we don’t aim to denigrate people’s deeply held beliefs, but we can’t shy away from the fact that the originators of Spiritualism were admitted hoaxsters who denounced their creation later in life.

These episodes also gloss over the details of séances. We aim to cover those in more detail in a later episode.

Things we mention in this episode include:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and friend
Mesmerism in action
The Fox Sisters

News

The Blasphemous Tome issue 11

The next issue of The Blasphemous Tome will soon be entering layout, ready to creep its way across the globe in June. This is the fully licenced Call of Cthulhu fanzine we produce for Patreon backers of the podcast. Issue 11 features a gorgeous full-colour cover from John Sumrow and a brand-new Call of Cthulhu scenario from our own Scott Dorward.

Blasphemous Tome 5a Reissued

Speaking of The Blasphemous Tome, Patreon backers can now download the PDF of issue 5a. This was previously released as issue 5, back when it was a print-only publication. It features a modern-day Call of Cthulhu scenario by Matt Sanderson, entitled “Number 22”.

People backing us on Patreon at the $3 level or higher before the end of May 2023 will receive a discount voucher for a print-on-demand copy of issue 5a.

Scott and Paul on The Miskatonic Playhouse

Scott recently joined the “Cult and Culpability” Regency Cthulhu arc on the Miskatonic Playhouse podcast for a short run, giving voice to the villainous Lord Cosgrove. Newman has also recorded an interview with Paul which should be going out on the podcast feed soon.

Paul at Chaosium Con

Paul discusses his recent visit to Chaosium Con in Michigan, where he met up with our regular contributor John Sumrow and played a game with You Too Can Cthulhu.

We’re back and we’re listening again. Usually, we don’t hold with listening. Most things people try to tell us are things we’d rather not hear. Whether this is advertising, gossip, or sinister secrets about the true nature of reality, we generally find we’re happier not knowing. In this case, however, we’re listening to our listeners, which is the kind of paradox that pleases us. They also have some great suggestions for us, which is a huge improvement over the scatological or anatomically improbable suggestions people normally make to us.

Main Topic: Son of Listener Suggestions

Late last year, we used Discord and Twitter to ask our listeners what kinds of things they’d like to hear us discuss. The response was overwhelming and we now have a massive list of possible topics. Although these suggestions were exceptional, there are a good number we’d struggle to turn into complete episodes. Rather than ignore these, we’ve decided to go through the replies and see what we can address succinctly.

We started going through these suggestions in an episode a couple of months ago, but we barely scratched the surface. Here, we delve into several more topics, such as low/no-Mythos scenarios, Lovecraftian monsters, folklore, orientalism, and sex at the gaming table.

Thank you to PatrickSmatrick, Etymological Tom, Weasels10 and OrbitalAxolotl on our Discord server for the topics we discuss in this episode.

Please do let us know if you have any suggestions of your own. We are always hungry for ideas, and suggestions are a safer way of getting them than eating human brains.

Things we mention in this episode include:

News

The Blasphemous Tome issue 11 submissions

The next issue of The Blasphemous Tome is approaching fast. The cut-off for submissions is the end of April 2023, so please get in touch if you’d like to send us a short article or piece of fiction (up to 500 words) or any artwork you would like to see in the ‘zine. Our email address is submissions@blasphemoustomes.com

The Blasphemous Tome is the fully licenced Call of Cthulhu fanzine we produce for Patreon backers of the podcast.

Covers of Tomes of yore

A Weekend With Good Friends

We have dates for the next Weekend With Good Friends! This is the online RPG convention organised by our lovely listeners and hosted on our Discord server. While the main source of information is our Discord server, we also have a web page with important details and links. We will update this as things progress.

The important dates are:

  • Friday 2nd – Thursday 15th June — GM signups
  • Friday 23rd – Thursday 29th June — Player signups
  • Friday 30th June — Lottery results announced
  • Friday 7th – Sunday 9th July — AWWGF
a weekend with good friends logo small

Paul on D12 Café

Paul was interviewed recently by bestselling French author Henri Lœvenbruck for his new D12 Café YouTube channel. This is the first English-language interview on the channel, and the two discuss RPGs, writing, and some of the many projects Paul’s been involved with.

We’re back and we’re trying to figure out why the hell this film is called “Barbarian“. Learning that the screenwriter doesn’t know either makes us feel better, but not by much. Maybe a nice bottle of milk will settle us down.

Barbarian (2022)

This episode is our look at Barbarian, the recent horror film debut of writer/director Zach Cregger. As ever, we talk through the film itself, picking out highlights and lowlights. And, of course, we discuss what we could steal for gaming.

We should offer some content warnings. The plot of Barbarian involves kidnapping, rape and forced birth. While neither the film nor our analysis go into details, we do discuss these elements. Obviously, we also get heavily into spoilers.

Things we mention in this episode include:

News

A Weekend With Good Friends

We have dates for the next Weekend With Good Friends! This is the online RPG convention organised by our lovely listeners and hosted on our Discord server. While the main source of information is our Discord server, we also have a web page with important details and links. We will update this as things progress.

The important dates are:

  • Friday 2nd – Thursday 15th June — GM signups
  • Friday 23rd – Thursday 29th June — Player signups
  • Friday 30th June — Lottery results announced
  • Friday 7th – Sunday 9th July — AWWGF
a weekend with good friends logo small

The Blasphemous Tome issue 11

The next issue of The Blasphemous Tome is approaching fast. Issue 11 features a strange new Call of Cthulhu scenario called “Blackshade”, written by our own Scott Dorward. While “Blackshade” is set in the Gaslight era, it is illuminated by the latest developments in electrical lighting. We spare no expense for our readers!

The Blasphemous Tome is the fully licenced Call of Cthulhu fanzine we produce for Patreon backers of the podcast.

Covers of Tomes of yore

Blasphemous Tome 4b Rerelease

We’re continuing our rereleases of out-of-print issues of our fanzine, The Blasphemous Tome. Issue 4b was the first of our PDF-only interim Tomes, and has not been available in print until now. All Patreon backers of the Good Friends can now download the PDF, along with many other back issues. Anyone backing us at the $3 level or above before the end of April 2023 will also receive a voucher for a heavily discounted print-on-demand copy.

We’re back and we’re puzzling over titles. If you were making a Gothic horror film about a haunted village, you might wisely consider a name like Curse of the Dead. Hell, if you wanted to cash in on the popularity of a more famous film, you could even rerelease it as Curse of the Living Dead. On the other hand, you might go for Operation Fear as something more unusual, although that is a bit too close to “Project Fear” for this post-Brexit age. If you were German, you may even consider The Dead Eyes of Dr Dracula, although you might struggle to explain why. On balance, maybe Kill, Baby… Kill! isn’t the worst title you could come up with, although it is close. Maybe another bump of cocaine will shake some inspiration loose.

Main Topic: Kill, Baby… Kill!

Building on last episode’s exploration of Gothic horror, we thought we’d follow up with a look at a film that typifies the genre. There are a great many films ostensibly linked to the Gothic, but far fewer that really embody both the tropes and the aesthetic. And, when you narrow things down in those terms, one director stands out: Mario Bava.

Kill, Baby… Kill! may not be particularly well known, but it turns up regularly on critics’ lists of the best horror films. It’s a strange affair, made on a ludicrously tight budget and largely improvised. As our hosts’ reactions demonstrate, it is not a film for everyone, Still, if you are a fan of classic Italian horror or just dreamlike atmosphere with flashes of weirdness, you’re in for a treat.

Kill, Baby... Kill! 1

Things we mention in this episode include:

Kill, Baby... Kill! 2
Kill, Baby... Kill! 3

News

Matt at Con-Tingency

Matt will be attending the Con-Tingency convention in Hunstanton later this month. The convention officially runs between the 18th and 22nd of January, but unofficial games start whenever people arrive. Matt is probably there right now. While he is excited to be going, he has promised to take things easier than usual, given his ongoing convalescence. If you are there, please do say hi to him! And tell him to get some sleep.

Matt Nixon

While we were recording, we received a message telling us our old friend Matt Nixon had just died in hospital. This makes the last five minutes of the episode unusually sombre.

If you have attended more than a few British conventions over the past 25 years, you almost certainly knew Matt. “Larger than life” may be an overused phrase, but it’s hard to think of a better description. He was a compelling presence at every gathering — boisterous, gregarious and, sometimes, abrasive. Everyone who knew Matt could tell you a tale of him getting on their nerves or saying something ill-advised, but the chances are that they would then follow it up with a memory of Matt being kind, charming, or, at least, comically mischievous. Like everyone, he was a complicated individual.

Matt’s games were the stuff of legend. All three of us played with him whenever we could. He was a creative GM, never short of an idea, and his enthusiasm and love of shocking people made him a natural at running horror. This led to Matt becoming a member of the Kult of Keepers, the Call of Cthulhu GM collective that, indirectly, spawned 7th edition.

But, most of all, Matt was a character. Drunken conversations with him were a highpoint of any convention, as well as an endless source of anecdotes. Even when he was at his most provocative, the stories we told about him afterwards were usually accompanied by wry smiles.

All three of us shall miss Matt immensely. He has left a hole in the UK gaming world that only he could have filled.

We’re back and we’re skulking around the old ruined abbey. Sure, the place is lousy with ghosts, but they’re not really that important. We’re far more concerned with the weather. If reading Gothic horror has taught us anything, it’s that storms are caused by our own inner turmoil. Or is that the other way around? Maybe we could figure it out if all these bloody ghosts would just shut up. Why won’t the past just stay dead?

Main Topic: Gothic Horror

This episode is our attempt to understand what exactly Gothic horror is. We’ve often mentioned how Lovecraft’s early work was rooted in the Gothic, but we’ve never really explained what that means. Gothic horror is one of those genres that you know when you see it, but actually defining it can be tricky.

Happily, Matt has a degree in English, and part of his studies involved the history of Gothic literature. We imposed upon him to dig out some of his dusty old texts and explain what elements go into Gothic horror and how the genre stands apart from other forms of horror literature.

Things we mention in this episode include:

mill of the stone women poster

News

Illusion Horror Con Seminars

Matt and Scott recently attended the Illusion Horror Con, taking part in seminars discussing horror GMing techniques, how to take inspiration from horror media, and the cosmology of the Kult RPG. All of these are now available for your streaming pleasure.

Paul’s Substack

Paul has started his own substack over at paulfricker.com, talking about the various projects he has on the go.

Rivers of London Launch at Dragonmeet

Paul attended Dragonmeet last month to promote the new Rivers of London RPG. He took part in a seminar on the topic, alongside Lynne Hardy and Ben Aaronovitch. While this was apparently recorded, it has yet to appear on YouTube. We shall update the show notes should this change.

The PDF of Rivers of London is out now, with printed copies due in the spring.