The Blasphemous Tome Archives - Page 3 of 19

30 Coins (30 monedas)

27 September, 2022

We’re back and we’re taking up a new hobby. Esoteric numismatology isn’t for everyone, however. Unfortunately, eldritch coins have steep prices, and not just financial ones. Our lives have become complicated ever since we picked up all these silver denarii. Between the unnatural fog, sinister clergymen and giant spider babies that keep popping up, these 30 coins are starting to seem like more trouble than they’re worth. Admittedly, they are worth a lot. Maybe we can trade them in for a cache of automatic weapons and some bullets dipped in holy water.

Main Topic: 30 Coins

This episode, we’re taking a look at Álex de la Iglesia‘s bizarre and wonderful TV programme, 30 Coins (originally released as 30 monedas). As well as being an all-round entertaining piece of television, 30 Coins is also rich inspiration for Call of Cthulhu, Kult, and any number of other games. We offer a quick overview of the programme, a few key highlights, and some thoughts about its gaming applications.

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

News

October Horror Movie Challenge

Scott is once again embarking upon the October Horror Movie Challenge. Throughout October, he will be posting a horror film review every day on this very blog. These will all be films he has not seen before and, largely, ones available on streaming services. If you want to check out his selection or even play along at home, you can find full details here.

The Blasphemous Tome issue 10

No sooner has issue 9 of The Blasphemous Tome gone out the door than we’ve started work on issue 10! If you have any articles of up to 500 words or artwork you think would fit, we would love to see them. Just drop us a line at submissions@blasphemoustomes.com.

Matt is also working on a brand new Call of Cthulhu scenario, inspired by his experiences of being in a coma earlier this year. The Mythos may be the least sanity-blasting part of this adventure!

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. We have a web page with important details and links, which we will update as things progress.

The important dates are:

30th September-13th October 2022 – GM signups
21st October–27th October – Player signups
28th October – Lottery results are announced
4th–6th November – A Weekend With Good Friends

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The Blasphemous Tome issue 9

26 June, 2022

The Blasphemous Tome is the semi-annual fanzine that we create for Patreon backers of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias podcast. It contains articles about RPGs, horror films and weird fiction, not to mention plenty…

Media Catch-up – Books

21 June, 2022

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We’re back and we’re making like bookworms. This is easier than it might seem, given that bookworms don’t really eat books — just their bindings — and aren’t even worms. Then again, they don’t read much either, so maybe we need better role models. We’d give the whole thing up if this glue weren’t so tasty.

Main Topic: Media Catch-up – Books

This episode is the latest in our regular discussions of the media we’ve been consuming. Once again, we’re cracking open some books and letting their words run rampant across our minds.

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

The History of Middle-Earth edited by Christopher Tolkien
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by HP Lovecraft
“The Lost Road” by JRR Tolkien
Old English
Beowulf discussion
Weird Tales
The Trail of Cthulhu by August Derleth
“Herbert West — Reanimator” by HP Lovecraft
Space mead
Pulp Cthulhu
Ithaqua

Special X series
Ghoul by Michael Slade
Headhunter by Michael Slade
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
The Expanse series by James SA Corey
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

Blood Moon Rising on The Old Ways Podcast

News

Issue 9 of The Blasphemous Tome

There is still just time to secure your copy of issue 9 of The Blasphemous Tome. This is the semi-annual fanzine we create for our wonderful Patreon backers. Anyone backing us by the end of June 2022 will receive a PDF copy of the ‘zine and higher level backers will receive a print copy. See here for more details.

Once again, we have a brand new Call of Cthulhu scenario to offer you. This time, Paul Fricker takes you to 1880s New York City and invites you to “Step Into My Parlour”.

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The Night House

7 June, 2022

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We’re back and we’re taking an almost Lovecraftian interest in architecture. While we’re suckers for a good gambrel roof, these blueprints for The Night House are far more compelling. The Welsh maze designs, the oddly reversed floorplans, and the classic Roman curios that adorn the place have quite captured us. We’re especially taken with the architect’s cunning use of negative space. And, best of all, it’s fitted with underfloor corpses! Truly, every modern convenience… Now, where the hell is the exit?

Main Topic: The Night House

This episode is our discussion of the 2020 horror film, The Night House. As ever, we offer a quick overview of the film’s background before picking it apart, looking for gaming inspiration. This is an unusual and creepy film and it offers plenty to spark our imaginations.

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

Sundance Film Festival
David Bruckner
The Signal (2007)
V/H/S (2012)
Southbound (2015)
The Ritual (2017)
Luis Buñuel
The Phantom of Liberty (1974)
Super Dark Times (2017)
Siren (2016)
Hellraiser (1987)
Hellraiser (2022)
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
“The Calvary Cross” by Richard and Linda Thompson

Pareidolia
Sleep paralysis
Carnival of Souls (1962)
It Follows (2014)
The Louvre Doll
Roman curse tablets
Mythos Deities: Nodens
Caerdroia
The Goetia
Mazes and Monsters (1982)
Caerdroia from Big Finish
Willen Lake
“The Burning Stars” from Terrors From Beyond
No One Gets Out Alive (2021)
Five Little Pigs (2003)
HP Lovecraft Historical Society Call of Cthulhu Classic Prop Set
Mr Suicide by Nicole Cushing
Cadaver (2020)

News

Issue 9 of The Blasphemous Tome

Issue 9 of The Blasphemous Tome is mere weeks away from release. This is the semi-annual fanzine we create for our wonderful Patreon backers. Once again, we have a brand new Call of Cthulhu scenario to offer you. This time, Paul Fricker takes you to 1880s New York City and invites you to “Step Into My Parlour”.

Cults of Cthulhu

And speaking of publications, Paul offers some first impressions of the new Cults of Cthulhu supplement from Chaosium, now out in print.

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Creating Stories at the Table – With Gaz Bowerbank

25 April, 2022

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We’re back and we’re making stuff up. Sure, it’s a bit disjointed, filled with inconsistent characterisation, narrative dead ends, and terrible jokes, but it sort of feels like a story. What do you expect when a bunch of people create it on the fly, all pulling in different directions? Any story there owes more to cheap beer and bad dice rolls than careful planning. If we read this tosh in a book, we’d ask for our money back. Yet, somehow, we’re all happy with it. And anyway, it’s still better than a Dan Brown novel…

Main Topic: Creating Stories at the Table

This episode is a lively discussion of what it means to create stories at the gaming table. Just talking about RPGs in terms of stories is likely to start an argument, and this episode is no exception. What do people mean when they talk about stories in the context of an RPG? Is an RPG scenario constructed anything like a story? And whose responsibility is it to create a story at the table anyway?

We’ve paused our discussion of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath for a few episodes as Matt has been seriously ill. During his absence, we have called upon some of our good friends in the podcasting world to stand in as guest hosts.

This time, we are joined by Gaz Bowerbank, co-host of the What Would the Smart Party Do? podcast. Gaz’s co-host, Baz Stevens, joined us a few episodes ago for our “Everything is Horror” discussion, so we thought it was time to complete the set.

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

News

Update on Matt

As we mentioned, Matt has been seriously ill recently. He is well on the road to recovery, however, and we hope to have him back with us next episode.

The Blasphemous Tome issue 9

We are busy finishing the text of issue 9 of The Blasphemous Tome. This issue’s Call of Cthulhu scenario comes from our own Paul Fricker. “Step Into My Parlour” is a sinister tale of street gangs and weird drugs, set in 1880s New York City. Everyone backing us on Patreon at the time of release in late June will receive a PDF or print copy.

Scott on You Awaken in a Strange Place

Scott recently appeared with Dave and Eoghan from How We Roll on You Awaken in a Strange Place, a new RPG podcast from Light and Tragic. This was an improvised game that ended up following the misadventures of a team of megafauna wranglers and a strange alien world.