The Blasphemous Tome Archives - Page 11 of 18

Cults part 2

7 July, 2020

We’re back and we’re examining our beliefs. Everyone believes things that seem weird to other people. Whether this is that a dead god speaks to us in our dreams or that podcasting is a serious career, others may be bemused or horrified when we express it. Most of the time, however, these beliefs don’t impact others (although our sacred tenet that we should only bathe during solar eclipses has cut down on party invitations). When a cult forms around such beliefs, however, things might become more sinister. Probably no more fragrant, however.

Main Topic: Cults part 2

We are continuing our discussion of real-world cults and how they might relate to Call of Cthulhu. This time, we delve into the kinds of belief systems cults build themselves around. In the process, we cover some unusual variations, from terrorist groups to multi-level marketing firms. We try very hard not to conflate the two.

Perceptive listeners will notice that this episode is a little longer than usual. There is a story behind this…

We meet (online, these days) once a month to record our standard episodes. Usually, this gap doesn’t present any problems, as our episodes tend to be on discreet subjects. The longer runs are either heavily scripted, as in At the Mountains of Madness, or broken into subtopics, like The King in Yellow. With the cults episodes, we are just working to a single page of bullet points, bringing our own research and experiences to the conversation.

While we go into some detail about Paul and Matt’s experiences with a certain cult-like organisation, we are once again very cagey about names. Sorry! We can’t afford to get sued!

Well, during the last month, we lost our place in our notes and completely forgot where we had got to. Paul and Scott are old, and so have an excuse for poor memories, but we are very disappointed in Matt!

All this means that we ended up talking about some of the same things in episodes 2 and 3. To save on redundancy, we have edited two recordings together into a single episode, removing repeated talking points and anecdotes. The two recordings aren’t exactly duplicates, however. The unedited versions going out to Patreon backers will have plenty of juicy material that didn’t make it into either episode.

Once again, the lockdown means we recorded this episode remotely. We hope that we’re getting the hang of making this sound all right. It’s far from the biggest problem current circumstances have presented, but it’s still a challenge.

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

All praise this mysterious object from David Kirkby!

Patty Hearst was not your average cultist for many reasons.

News

The Blasphemous Tome Issue 5.5

We are currently putting together issue 5.5 of The Blasphemous Tome. This is an interim digital edition of the fanzine we publish for our Patreon backers. Issue 5.5 will contain a number of pieces we couldn’t fit into our last print edition, along with all-new articles and artwork. It will also feature a new Call of Cthulhu scenario by Scott, titled “The Murder Shack”. Anyone backing us at the time of release (expected to be early July) will receive a PDF copy.

More Lockdown Specials

We are still releasing fortnightly lockdown specials, discussing films, books and television you might find inspirational in your gaming lives. If you are backing us on Patreon, check your feed. Otherwise, backing us at any level will grant you instant access to the back catalogue.

The Good Friends of Jacks-Con Elias

Our wonderful listeners over on our Discord server are putting together an online gaming convention in our honour! The Good Friends of Jacks-Con Elias will take place over the 10th-12th of July, with game slots running around the clock. Everyone is welcome to come and join in.

You can find out more details on this very website, or, better still, join our Discord server and take an active role. Thank you very much to Orbital Axolotl for coming up with this and bringing it together, and to everyone else who has chipped in with logistical support, ideas and games!

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Cults part 1

23 June, 2020

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

We’re back and we’re preparing for Ascension. All right, we’re not entirely sure what Ascension involves, but it certainly sounds exciting. Our glorious leader, the beacon of effulgent wisdom that he is, assures us that the flame of enlightenment awaits us all. We merely have to follow his instructions precisely and question nothing. We have faith that this can only lead to wonderful things. Um. Yes. Wonderful things. Now, where’s that smell of smoke coming from?

Main Topic: Cults part 1

This is the first of a multi-episode look at cults in the real world and how (and even if) they relate to what we see in Call of Cthulhu. Over the course of this series, we will discuss what kind of person forms a cult, how cults recruit, how they indoctrinate their members and what kinds of things they might believe.

This episode is largely taken up with trying to pin down what a cult is. Trying to do so proved contentious, especially as “cult” is such a loaded term. No organisation in the modern day would willingly call itself a cult, and some fight hard against the label. But why is it such a pejorative term? And are people right to be afraid of organisations they consider cults?

Once again, the lockdown means we recorded this episode remotely. We hope that we’re getting the hang of making this sound all right. It’s far from the biggest problem current circumstances have presented, but it’s still a challenge.