Time Travel in Call of Cthulhu part 1

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

We’re back, or should that be forward? Time does have a tendency to jump around, and you’re never quite when you thought you were. Days pass in years and years pass in days. And the older you get, the stranger this relationship with time becomes. Sure, you might struggle to remember what you just had for lunch, but you have a pretty good idea of what you might have been doing ten years ago. In our case, we were starting a podcast.

If you ever wondered why our early episodes sound the way they do…

Main Topic: Time Travel in Call of Cthulhu part 1

The Good Friends of Jackson Elias are ten years old! Well, not the Good Friends ourselves, obviously. One look at our grizzled countenances should disabuse you of that. If you tried to total up our lived years, you’d quickly run out of fingers. And toes. And any other protuberances you may have. But the podcast itself will have been around for ten years as of the 8th of June 2023. That’s 262 regular episodes, 42 specials, and 12 backer-only episodes. No wonder we’re tired.

The shed where it all started

We figured we’d mark this milestone by discussing the role of time travel in Call of Cthulhu. In one form or another, time travel has been a part of stories for about as long as people have been telling them. Genre fiction and media have codified a lot of tropes, however, some derived from actual science and some the product of pure imagination. We discuss some of our favourite media presentations of time travel in its various forms, looking for inspiration for our games of Call of Cthulhu.

Once again, we found this was a larger topic than we’d anticipated and have had to spill over into a second episode. Join us next time when we discuss time loops, as well as the presentation of time travel in Call of Cthulhu and Mythos fiction.

The teetering pile of books that thought it was a microphone stand

Things we mention in this episode include:

Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock

News

The Blasphemous Tome issue 11

The next issue of The Blasphemous Tome will soon be ready to creep its way across the globe. 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 titled “Blackshade”. Anyone backing us at the $5 level or higher will receive a print copy of the Tome, signed by our arthritic hands.

A Weekend With Good Friends

GM signups are now open for A 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 said Discord server, we also have a web page with important details and links. We will update this as things progress.

If you would like to offer a game and have it listed in the programme, please check out the AWWGF GM signup page between the 2nd and 15th of June. Don’t worry if you miss the cut-off, however — there will be pickup games running throughout the weekend.

The important dates are:

a weekend with good friends logo small

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Victorian Spiritualism part 2

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

We’re back and we’re glowing. While we’re only too happy to ascribe this to good diet and healthy living, all this phosphorous oil we keep splashing on ourselves may also play a part. It really helps you stand out in the dark, although it does make it a bit harder to creep around and do all the other sneaky stuff that goes into a good séance. At this rate, we’re going to need a real spirit guide to help pull this off.

Main Topic: Victorian Spiritualism part 2

This is the conclusion of our two-part look at the origins and evolution of Spiritualism in the gaslight era. In the first part, we examined the origins of Spiritualism. This time, we explore how Spiritualism became so popular in Victorian Britain, as well as some of the key figures of Victorian Spiritualism and the strange techniques they used to fake séances.

These episodes gloss over many of the details of séances themselves. We aim to cover those properly in an upcoming episode.

Things we mention in this episode include:

Phantasmagoria
The Davenport Brothers in their spirit cabinet
Daniel Dunglas Home levitating
Helen Duncan manifesting “ectoplasm”

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.

Paul at UK Games Expo

Paul will be attending the UK Games Expo in Birmingham between Friday the 2nd and Sunday the 4th of June 2023. While there, he will take part in a panel discussion with members of The Grognard Files, Orlanth Rex’s Gaming Vexes, and the Frankenstein RPG Podcast.

A Weekend With Good Friends

The next Weekend With Good Friends is approaching fast! 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.

GM signups open a little over a week after this episode goes out. If you would like to offer a game and have it listed in the programme, please check out the AWWGF page between the 2nd and 15th of June. Don’t worry if you miss the cut-off, however — there will be pickup games running throughout the weekend.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Victorian Spiritualism part 1

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Son of Listener Suggestions

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Barbarian (2022)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More

Follow Us

Newsletter

Drop your email here for monthly news and updates

Patreon

Please consider funding us via Patreon: