Delvecast

5. Kobolds Really Love Thai Salad | Total Pebble Knockdown

Psitanium — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0000

As Delvecast comes to a conclusion, we post here the first episodes of Total Pebble Knockdown with links. If you like what we did here, come join us over at totalpebbleknockdown.com and subscribe to the podcast feed at https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown.

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Shortly after we released an episode discussion the possibility of a new D&D edition, word came down that we will be getting a new edition of D&D in 2024. Thanks to the folks on our Discord server, we could have a deeper Discord Discussion on that topic. Is this D&D 6E or is it more like 5.5E? What kind of changes could we be looking at? Let’s talk about that.

If you want to see the D&D Celebration Live where they announced this, we have a link with the time code available right here – https://youtu.be/sxb8xiDU5Kw?t=29434

Check out the IGN article we sighted as well – “New Version” of D&D Coming in 2024 – IGN

If you are interested in the changes made to the Ranger in Unearthed Arcana we mention, you can find some quick points on it here – dnd 5e – What are the biggest changes between UA Ranger and PHB Ranger? – Role-playing Games Stack Exchange and a more in-depth article here – Analyzing D&D 5E’s Unearthed Arcana Revised Ranger | Mundangerous

* The last time we did a Crit Think, we asked how long we were spending in dungeons, but we did not get to discuss why shopkeepers would set up their businesses in those dungeons. Some of these scenarios might make sense, but others just don’t. Perhaps there are actually good reasons to have your shops in a dungeon. Let’s think a little bit more critically about that.

* Okay, so does anyone else think it’s weird that you can get slashed 15 times with a broadsword and just recover all your hit points by scarfing down a few meatball subs? Yeah, we’re still confused about that too, so we’re going to talk about that in One More Thing.

https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown/episodes/5–Kobolds-Really-Love-Thai-Salad-e18ibie

Full Shows on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown

Website: totalpebbleknockdown.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/totalpebbleknockdown

E-Mail: [email protected]

Discord: https://discord.gg/9zfS6Bxz

4. Lost in a Technicolor Hell Dimension | Total Pebble Knockdown

Psitanium — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0000

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Inspiration Points are one of those mechanics that can get overlooked while playing D&D. Similar systems exist in other games as well, but how do we get better engagement with those systems? A suggestion from our Discord server leads us to ask that very question.

* While your party is battling hordes of goblins in a dungeon, do they ever lose track of time? What kind of effects can time have on your party from both a narrative and mechanics standpoint? Is there a way to keep track of time in game? And also, how would YOU build a time system into an RPG? We do a little critical thinking to explore this subject.

* It’s such a simple concept, but it conveys so much information. We examine the concept of “tapping” in card games, what it is, how it works and why it solves a problem that could have been MUCH more complicated.

https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown/episodes/4–Lost-in-a-Technicolor-Hell-Dimension-e17ttfc

Full Shows on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown

Website: totalpebbleknockdown.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/totalpebbleknockdown

E-Mail: [email protected]

Discord: https://discord.gg/9zfS6Bxz

3. Cultural Curators | Total Pebble Knockdown

Psitanium — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0000

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Myst got a full-on re-imagining recently. Alex and Nathan remember when they played the original game that came out… almost 30 years ago!? How old are we!? Myst • Cyan

* Why do we see so many recreations of classic games? Is it related to us being old?

* What is the difference between remasters, remakes and reboots? We give some explanations, examples and recommendations.

* Recently Alex played the Beta for Diablo 2: Resurrected. What category does this fall in and what could they have done differently?

* Tabletop RPG editions can be a tricky concept for the uninitiated. We go over what they are, investigate a timeline of D&D and Warhammer 40K and speculate about what they could do for a theoretical 6th Edition D&D.

https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown/episodes/3–Cultural-Curators-e17i4si

Full Shows on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown

Website: totalpebbleknockdown.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/totalpebbleknockdown

E-Mail: [email protected]

Discord: https://discord.gg/9zfS6Bxz

2. Peasant Railgun in a Bag of Holding | Total Pebble Knockdown

Psitanium — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:00:00 +0000

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game recently finished a highly successful Kickstarter. Will this bring Avatar fans into tabletop gaming? Will the TTRPG crowd welcome it as their own? How much air can you realistically bend? Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game by Magpie Games — Kickstarter

* We have occasionally backed some Kickstarters. How long does it usually take for those to fulfill and should we actually grab that alpha key?

* The Angry GM had notes for RPG players and our forum was awash with comments. What makes sense for new players and what did we feel required pushback? The expert and the novice weigh in. Memo to the Players #1: Taking Action | The Angry GM

* Psychonauts 2 came out and, for someone who uses the Twitter handle “Psitanium”, that’s a big deal.

* What is the difference between streaming and playing games? Why might you decide to avoid certain games? What is the value of immersion? How much work does streaming truly require?

https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown/episodes/2–Peasant-Railgun-in-a-Bag-of-Holding-e178lq7

Full Shows on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown

Website: totalpebbleknockdown.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/totalpebbleknockdown

E-Mail: [email protected]

Discord: https ://discord.gg/9zfS6Bxz

1. The Bless of Ignorance | Total Pebble Knockdown

Psitanium — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:00:00 +0000

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Something seems really sketchy about Roblox, by which we mean everything. A discussion jumping off from the Kotaku article by Luke Plunkett on the game’s player economy. “It’s Shocking Just How Shady Roblox Actually Is“

* Can we imagine a terrible world with microtransactions in tabletop gaming? A mind experiment we probably should not have done.

* Being competent is a real chore. A discussion on the curse that is being good at your job. Should be just be bad at things?

* Yes, Nathan played Boyfriend Dungeon and got all the hearts. Oh, and a cat can turn into brass knuckles. SPOILER WARNING for the ending of the game.

* What’s the difference between rogue-likes and rogue-lites? We compare and contrast while discussing Hades and Curse of the Dead Gods.

https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown/episodes/1–The-Bless-of-Ignorance-e178lpt

Full Shows on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/total-pebble-knockdown

Website: totalpebbleknockdown.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/totalpebbleknockdown

E-Mail: [email protected]

Discord: https://discord.gg/9zfS6Bxz

A New Challenger Has Entered The Arena

ExpLimited — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 13:20:00 +0000

Ah yes, the time has come and today is the day!

If you’re still poking around following us here, but have been sad since the ending of Delve, you’re in luck!

Today – 9/20/2021 – is the premier launch of our brand new, much awaited, and painstakingly teased about show – Total Pebble Knockdown!

We’re hoping that you all will enjoy this new venture with us, and Nathan and I would certainly love if you would take a listen and let us know what you think of the new show and format! This is the first one, and we may just be a bit rusty after not having done a show in several months, but we hope the new format and production quality going into this will make you as proud as we are to have it finally out!

We’d love for you to check out the show over on Anchor.fm, or at our spiffy new website that we made, or even on YouTube if you prefer shorter easier to digest content!

Thank you, every single one of you, for the continued support and patronage over the last several years of podcasting and all the other wild stuff we’ve been up to and been able to share with you.

We hope to see and hear from you on the new site, episodes, and the new community Discord server we’ve got set up!.

With love and stuff,

-Alex

An End & A Beginning

Psitanium — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Hello loyal Delve fans!

As you may have heard from our recent episodes, Delve is coming to a close. It has been a long road to get here, but all roads come to an end.

However, the end of a road will often lead to a new one, which is also the case here. Our team at Delve are moving on to a new, far more ambitious project. Are we prepared for it? Probably not. But we are attempting it anyway.

The new project is called Total Pebble Knockdown, a podcast about games in all it’s aspects. It will be an outlet for us to discuss a wide range of topics in several segments each episode, providing more focused, shorter pieces that will also be presented in video form. We still intend to have guests and interviews, as well as discussions on game design. However, we also plan on doing other things that we have experimented with in the past and turn them into segments. We also intend on doing news segments and some fairly ridiculous off-topic pieces as well.

Total Pebble Knockdown will come with a brand new website, new YouTube channel, new social media accounts and e-mail. It will also mean several other things will be changing over from Delve.

This will also include our Patreon and it’s tiers. Among things you can look forward to are full-length video episodes available just to patrons, while the individual segments will be presented later to a general audience. Also, some patron levels will include discounts on merchandise (oh, also, we will have merchandise).

We understand that this is a lot to digest. We hope you will come with us on this new leg of the journey. We’d like to think it’s for the better and will be more rewarding to our listeners in the long run, but we have an inherent bias in this regard.

We thank you for all your support during our 6 years creating Delve. Our journey down this new road shall be exciting and terrifying, but hopefully you will join us on that journey.

Thank you.

– Nathan Ainsworth, Delve Co-Host and Content Destroyer

You can check out the Total Pebble Knockdown website here!

You can find our brand new YouTube channel here!

Our Patreon will be in the same place, but will be going through changes. You can check that out here!

We will keep our Twitter account and you can find it here!

Delve 300 – The Last One.

Psitanium — Mon, 31 May 2021 23:00:00 +0000

And so we come to the end… This is our very last episode and we took the opportunity to basically explain how Delve works, if it ever did. This is sort of a peak behind the curtain of where we’ve been and where we go from here. We give some final thoughts, advice and shout outs to everyone who helped us get here.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast.

Stop by our shiny new rocky Discord server and say hello!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

That’s it, this was the last one, go follow us on our upcoming new show over at Total Pebble Knockdown to see the shenanigans we get up to from now on.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601508.us.archive.org/34/items/delve-300-the-last-delve-final/Delve%20300%20-%20The%20Last%20Delve%20%28final%29.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Empire of Sin

Psitanium — Fri, 28 May 2021 14:00:00 +0000

1920s Chicago with some turn-based tactics and color-coded loot. Welcome to Empire of Sin. Join Nathan as he puts on his Al Capone hat to play… well, Al Capone and do a little rumrunning.

You can listen to this episode and many more over on Anchor!

Delve 274 – Well, That’s Right

Psitanium — Mon, 24 May 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Back on episode 2 we took preconceptions about roleplaying and dispelled them, with an experienced player explaining the basics to a novice. Now, on this penultimate episode, we flip that around and have that same experienced player ask what the novice has learned in the last 6 years. However, if you’ve learned anything about that novice, you probably have an idea how well that worked out.

And a quick link to Delve Episode 2 for your convenience!

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601502.us.archive.org/5/items/delve-274-well-thats-right-editted/Delve%20274%20-%20Well%2C%20That%27s%20Right%20%28editted%29.mp3

Delve 273 – Past Life

Psitanium — Mon, 17 May 2021 23:00:00 +0000

So your character is dead. Now what? In what will be the last of Nathan’s monologues, he talks about his recent revisiting of Spiritfarer and how it informs character development after the characters are already dead. With the new update adding Lily into the storyline, we get a better understanding of how characters still resonate in a narrative after they are gone. Let’s discuss how that applies to you.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

For more on Spiritfarer, check out the Psitanium Mine on the game.

Psitanium Mine – Port Royale 3

Psitanium — Fri, 14 May 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Sure you could go a-pirating on the high seas of adventure. But, how about trading sugar and fruit to food deserts at an inflated price? Now that’s punk! Come on a trip to the Caribbean with Port Royale 3!

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601407.us.archive.org/6/items/psitanium-mine-port-royale-3/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Port%20Royale%203.mp3

Always be trading.

Delve 272 – The End of the Campaign

Psitanium — Mon, 10 May 2021 23:00:00 +0000

As we near the end of Delve, we look at how you end a campaign, something that you may never have actually done. Why do campaigns end? And if you could end a campaign, what would you want to do for your characters and story? We do a few thought experiments of what the end of a campaign should be on this episode of Delve.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801505.us.archive.org/9/items/delve-272-the-end-of-the-campaign/Delve%20272%20-%20The%20End%20of%20the%20Campaign.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Vikings Wolves of Midgard

Psitanium — Fri, 07 May 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Diablo with Vikings is actually a great idea. In fact, Vikings are an ideal candidate for a hack and slash RPG, so let’s just dig into that.

You can listen to this episode and many more on the Psitanium Mine page brought to you by Anchor!

The Last Delve Live

Psitanium — Mon, 03 May 2021 23:00:00 +0000

Yes, this is the last live episode. We are in the home stretch now.

On this episode we discuss candidly the things we enjoyed and things we didn’t like so much in the last 6 years of Delve. We also give a preview of our new website, the content of Total Pebble Knockdown and some of our merchandise. We also go into what we have learned, if anything.

ALSO: DC enjoys seasoning; Salt may be missing for awhile; Seagoat lives in the future; Paul needs to get to the beach in a month; Craeve makes some unexpected merchandise options; Alex forgot some episodes; Nathan is confused about Count Chocula; and Delve gets TPK’d.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801502.us.archive.org/9/items/the-last-delve-live/The%20Last%20Delve%20Live.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Outriders

Psitanium — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Square Enix made a Destiny! Explore Enoch with your own personal Outrider and enjoy your cover-based shooting galleries. Also, good luck figuring out if there are any legendary weapons in this game.

You can listen to this episode and others on the Psitanium Mine page brought to you by Anchor!

Delve 271 – The Hero’s Journey, Stage 3, Return

Psitanium — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 23:00:00 +0000

As we come to a close in our Delve journey, we look at the Hero’s Journey laid out by Joseph Campbell. How does this apply to our show? More important, how does this apply to some of the prevalent fiction and mythology you have actually heard about? And what can it all mean in gaming? These questions and many more partially answered on this episode.
In this episode, we finally reach Stage 3: Return. They say you can never go home again, but actually you kind of have to so you can complete the hero’s journey. How does the trip home affect the hero and their homeland? More importantly, will there be a giant eagle?

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801405.us.archive.org/25/items/delve-271-the-heros-journey-phase-3-return-editted/Delve%20271%20-%20The%20Hero%27s%20Journey%2C%20Phase%203%2C%20Return%20%28editted%29.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Mount & Blade Warband

Psitanium — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Say what you will about Bannerlord, because I have never played it. However, I have now played Mount & Blade Warband and I am not amused. Let’s go over the janky nature of this throwback title. I bet some bandits are involved!

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601507.us.archive.org/1/items/psitanium-mine-mount-blade-warband/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Mount%20%26%20Blade%20Warband.mp3

I can’t even hit a stationary target while on horseback.

So, those peasants didn’t fare well…

Delve 270 – The Hero’s Journey, Stage 2, Initiation

Psitanium — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 23:00:00 +0000

As we come to a close in our Delve journey, we look at the Hero’s Journey laid out by Joseph Campbell. How does this apply to our show? More important, how does this apply to some of the prevalent fiction and mythology you have actually heard about? And what can it all mean in gaming? These questions and many more partially answered on this episode.
In this episode, we discuss Stage 2: Initiation. So, let’s do a training montage, meet a goddess and become our dad. Wow, that was some heady stuff. Here, have a boon that makes you a god.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801502.us.archive.org/33/items/delve-270-the-heros-journey-stage-2-initiation-editted/Delve%20270%20-%20The%20Hero%27s%20Journey%2C%20Stage%202%2C%20Initiation%20%28editted%29.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Need for Speed Payback

Psitanium — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 14:00:00 +0000

In this episode, Psitanium gets payback for the first time he tried playing this game. It did not go well and did not take long to get controller-throwing frustrating to a bottleneck. However, returning to the game and getting past that part allowed him to open up the full game world and experience everything Forza… sorry, Need for Speed Payback… has to offer.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601403.us.archive.org/30/items/psitanium-mine-need-for-speed-payback/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Need%20for%20Speed%20Payback.mp3

Oh, right, here’s the Attempting to Play I did a few years ago on Need for Speed Payback. There were a lot of cutscenes at the start and I remember this now.

Delve 269 – The Hero’s Journey, Stage 1, Departure

Psitanium — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 23:00:00 +0000

As we come to a close in our Delve journey, we look at the Hero’s Journey laid out by Joseph Campbell. How does this apply to our show? More important, how does this apply to some of the prevalent fiction and mythology you have actually heard about? And what can it all mean in gaming? These questions and many more partially answered on this episode.
In this episode we discuss Stage 1: Departure. What happens when the hero gets their call to adventure, maybe kicking and screaming? What happens at the first boss battle? Why are we talking about The Little Mermaid?

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801506.us.archive.org/26/items/delve-269-the-heros-journey-phase-1-departure-editted/Delve%20269%20-%20The%20Hero%27s%20Journey%2C%20Phase%201%2C%20Departure%20%28editted%29.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Need for Speed (2015)

Psitanium — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 14:00:00 +0000

If you have a need, a need for speed, congratulations they made a game for you. Actually they made several. Here is the 2015 reboot for the series, featuring full motion video cutscenes and so much drifting.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601404.us.archive.org/16/items/psitanium-mine-need-for-speed/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Need%20for%20Speed.mp3

DelveCast Live – Big Announcement April Show

Psitanium — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Some may think this is an April Fool’s episode, but we really have some big news regarding the show and our upcoming plans.

Also: There are many games we are playing, DC is quite tired, James gasps at least three times, Alex crashes into a planet and Nathan can’t run a civilization.

You can listen to the episode here or download it for later!

https://ia601507.us.archive.org/19/items/delve-live-april-show/Delve%20Live%20April%20Show.mp3

Attempting to Play Daikatana Because I Am The April Fool

Psitanium — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 23:00:00 +0000

Well, streaming didn’t happen because I broke up with the Internet, but I played some Daikatana anyway for the first time and then cut this together to show you how well that went.

You can watch the episode below or over on our YouTube channel.

Psitanium Mine – Too Human

Psitanium — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 14:00:00 +0000

So, this is one of those games many might not realize even got released because of it’s history in development hell. Well, it did. Whether that was good or not is another matter. Psitanium decided to play it since it came at the low low price of free to see if it was worth that price tag.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia801506.us.archive.org/12/items/psitanium-mine-too-human/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Too%20Human.mp3

The Delve Social Media Network

Psitanium — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Now it’s all coming together. We’ve got a big, awesome new announcement this year. And I am positive this will not be the downfall of Delve. Nope.

You can watch the video here or over on our YouTube channel!

Delve 268 – Bad Company

Psitanium — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 23:00:00 +0000

So your party decided to be the villains… Or did they just become “morally compromised”? Or are they the anti-heroes? Or did they just steal everything that wasn’t nailed down? Or did they (accidentally) set a town on fire? Or did they moonlight as murder hobos? Chances are some of these scenarios may be familiar to you!

Nathan apologizes ahead of time for the sheer number of Fallout New Vegas references he makes throughout this episode.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601505.us.archive.org/0/items/delve-268-bad-company-editted/Delve%20268%20-%20Bad%20Company%20%28editted%29.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Yakuza Kiwami 2

Psitanium — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 14:01:00 +0000

Since we’ve covered Yakuza Kiwami and Psitanium has now finished Kiwami 2, it’s compare and contrast time! What mini games will we play? What random street fights will we get into? Are there tiny racing cars? Oh, and there’s a crime drama going on as well, right?

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia801503.us.archive.org/21/items/psitanium-mine-yakuza-kiwami-2/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Yakuza%20Kiwami%202.mp3

Delve 267 – Good Company

Psitanium — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 23:00:00 +0000

So your party decided they want to be heroes… What choices will they make? Is this a choice forced on the players? Do those choices make actually sense? And wait, are they ACTUALLY the good guys!?

Also, can we get 50 Shades of Simon Whistler to start trending?

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth.

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601500.us.archive.org/14/items/delve-267-good-company-editted/Delve%20267%20-%20Good%20Company%20%28editted%29.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Bethesda on Game Pass

Psitanium — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0000

With Microsoft finalizing their purchase of Bethesda, 20 titles from the publisher dropped onto Xbox Game Pass. Luckily, most of these Psitanium has played so let’s go over what these 20 games are and if they are worth your time.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia801500.us.archive.org/15/items/psitanium-mine-bethesda-on-game-pass/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Bethesda%20on%20Game%20Pass.mp3

Delve 266 – A Six-Pack of Biceps

Psitanium — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 23:00:00 +0000

Jason Anarchy has plenty of drinking quests for you to go on and now he has them in a convenient six-pack. We discuss Jason and Nathan’s time working in newspapers, game bars and bladder busters. We brainstorm the next games in his library and ask if you can get dragons drunk. The Drinking Quest Six-Pack comes to Kickstarter March 1.

You can follow Jason on Twitter to learn so much more about grabbing a six=pack of your own and learn more about the Kickstarter here!

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801507.us.archive.org/12/items/delve-266-a-six-pack-of-biceps/Delve%20266%20-%20A%20Six-Pack%20of%20Biceps.mp3

DelveCast Live – Mechs and Pirates

Psitanium — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The first half of the live show was mostly about Goat Simulator. So what you are going to hear now is what happens afterwards. We pay our final respects to Anthem and Stadia, discuss the nature of DLC and opine for good mech and pirate games.

You can download here or listen below!

https://ia801404.us.archive.org/0/items/delve-cast-live-march/Delve%20Cast%20Live%20March.mp3

Attempting to Play Fallout New Vegas with Everything Set to 1

Psitanium — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 15:01:00 +0000

While coming up with some really weird ideas to play Fallout New Vegas on stream, Nathan had a really bad idea. So, he tried it. What happens when you set all your stats and skills to 1? Oh, but also, what about setting your health and action points to 1? And also, throw out all your starting equipment. And hey, why not play on Very Hard with Hardcore Mode on? Yeah, that’s gonna work really well!

Psitanium Mine – Among Us

Psitanium — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 15:00:00 +0000

So, Among Us exists and I still don’t really know why. Luckily, I was mostly a passive observer to this social deduction experiment. Somehow, this is an improvement.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601403.us.archive.org/2/items/psitanium-mine-among-us/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Among%20Us.mp3

Delve 265 – Over Reacting

Psitanium — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

There are many reactions you can have when playing RPGs. Some of them are actually in game. On this episode, we discuss reactions, what they are and how they can be used. Also, we get some insight into held actions and action economy. And what about reactions in terms of story? What about automatic reactions? Well, let’s discuss that.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601508.us.archive.org/18/items/delve-265-over-reacting_202102/Delve%20265%20-%20Over%20Reacting.mp3

Delve 264 – Patent Pending

Psitanium — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Remember when we talked about how you can’t copyright game mechanics? Well, turns out you can at least patent them. What happened with WB, Shadow of Mordor and the Nemesis system? What if this happened with tabletop gaming? Everything we know and probably stuff we don’t on this episode. Also, did you know someone tried to patent podcasting? Yup!

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601402.us.archive.org/29/items/delve-264-patent-pending/Delve%20264%20-%20Patent%20Pending.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Yakuza Kiwami

Psitanium — Sat, 20 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Kiryu Kazuma, fighting ’round the world. But also racing small cars, bowling, playing darts, singing karaoke. There’s always a lot of stuff to do in Yakuza, but does it work? We dig into that on this episode of Psitanium Mine.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601407.us.archive.org/6/items/psitanium-mine-yakuza-kiwami/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Yakuza%20Kiwami.mp3

I really liked Pocket Circuit Racing.

Delve 263 – Holiday Special 2077… What Went Wrong

Psitanium — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 00:01:00 +0000

Well, that didn’t go the way we thought. So, the Delve Holiday Special 2077 could not seem to get through our focus groups or polishing methods, so Alex and Nathan explain what went wrong.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801509.us.archive.org/27/items/delve-263-delve-holiday-special-what-went-wrong/Delve%20263%20-%20Delve%20Holiday%20Special%20What%20Went%20Wrong.mp3

DelveCast — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:44:00 +0000

DelveCast Live – Here’s a Riddle for Ya

Psitanium — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Somewhere in this episode we discuss puzzles in gaming. Where we discuss that is sort of a puzzle in itself. It was likely between discussing video game company acquisitions and Street Sharks. So, this is a pretty normal episode.

ALSO: Groundhog flakes, stuff you can’t eat at IKEA, ghost sharks, Power Rangers eating at Krispie Kream, something about RAID Shadow Legends, the pitfalls of licking toads, cat snakes, getting kicked by a horse and cats in breadboxes.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601403.us.archive.org/13/items/delve-cast-live-february/Delve%20Cast%20Live%20February.mp3

Delve Special – Every Game I Played From 2020 From Best To Worst

Psitanium — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 23:56:00 +0000

It’s a Delve special as Nathan goes over his Best to Worst list for 2020. After having a recording that frankly did not work, he shall simply explain in words all 30+ games on the list and why they place where they do.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia801401.us.archive.org/3/items/every-game-i-played-from-2020-from-best-to-worst/Every%20game%20I%20played%20from%202020%20from%20best%20to%20worst.mp3

And the video version has finally been complete and you can watch it here!

Psitanium Mine – Deus Ex

Psitanium — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Yes, let’s start the new year talking about a 20 year old game. Psitanium has been playing Deus Ex on stream lately and it feels like many people may not remember what this game was. Moreover, if the long load screens and problems with it upon release were a turn-off, you no longer have those issues on modern PCs. Also, it’s the best type of Cyberpunk experience you can currently get!

You can download the episode here or listen below.

https://ia601507.us.archive.org/14/items/psitanium-mine-deus-ex/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Deus%20Ex.mp3

Attempting to… Have a War in Crusader Kings 3

Psitanium — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0000

After trying to effectively stage a war in Crusader Kings 3 you may never want to start a war in real life again. Bummer.

Delve 262 – Ramblethon 2021

Psitanium — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:01:00 +0000

Since it’s the first episode of the new year, this episode is mostly Nathan and Alex catching up on some recent events in one of the least structured of our typically unstructured discussions. From virtual BFIG to Nathan’s new computer adventure to whatever Among Us is, we definitely had things to ramble about.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia801408.us.archive.org/15/items/delve-262-ramblethon-2021-editted/Delve%20262%20-%20Ramblethon%202021%20editted.mp3

Attempting to… Get Married in Crusader Kings 3

Psitanium — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0000

New year, very new way to attempt to play. This time we can finally play on computer for recording and we have an actual goal in mind. That does not mean Nathan is any more successful, but hopefully it makes things much more entertaining.

Psitanium Mine – Day-One Patches Rant

Psitanium — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0000

A little bit different on this episode of Psitanium Mine, Nathan goes on a rant about CD Projekt Red’s excuse that Cyberpunk 2077 would have it’s problems fixed by the time a day-one patch was released.

Newsflash: It did not.

Also a newsflash: Day-one patches are lazy excuses.

You can download the episode here and listen below!

https://ia801500.us.archive.org/16/items/psitanium-mine-day-one-patches/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Day%20One%20Patches.mp3

And the Vlogging Camp episode I mention is available below. (Yes, the Fallout shirt was intentional)

Computer Unboxing Video

Psitanium — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 19:00:00 +0000

And so, Nathan finally does the Unboxing Video! And he edited it on the new computer! Let’s go over some specs, see how tightly packed this box is and check out the new fun graphics package!

Psitanium Mine – Gears Tactics

DelveCast — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 15:01:00 +0000

It’s sort of like XCOM, but with bigger necks. Also, overwatch and mission structure are completely different, but let’s just go with XCOM with bigger necks. Let’s get into the strategy and gameplay of Gears Tactics on this episode of Psitanium Mine.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601501.us.archive.org/8/items/psitanium-mine-gears-tactics-1/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Gears%20Tactics%201.mp3

DelveCast Live – 2021 A Delve Odyssey

Psitanium — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

It’s the very first Delve episode of the year and things are happening. Since Winter Sales are going on, we talk about games we’ve picked up. What will Nathan subject himself to now that he can stream games? Perhaps Alex will get a 14 point buck… in a video game. Perhaps Nathan will play a bird dating sim for Valentine’s Day. Who knows.
Also: We subject James to the horrors of Street Sharks and Mystic Knights; DC tells us about how mad a mage can be; we weigh the benefits of a gold grung monk; and we establish that Alex and Nathan have not run any games in years.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601406.us.archive.org/0/items/delve-cast-jan-2021/DelveCast%20Jan%202021.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Eastshade

DelveCast — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0000

It’s a game where you make paintings for people. Yep. That’s what you do in this game and overall it works. Traverse the narrative game disguised as an open world game along with Nathan on this episode of Psitanium Mine.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601506.us.archive.org/3/items/psitanium-mine-eastshade-1/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Eastshade%201.mp3

Delve Holiday Special 2077 Deep Dive

DelveCast — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to a Deep Dive on the upcoming Delve Holiday Special 2077, now in development at Total Pebble Red. Learn all about the graphics, the sound design, the star power and the revolutionary technology we are bringing to your ear holes. This is a podcast experience like no other before it that will remain unrivaled as the single greatest accomplishment of mankind. And we are definitely not making any false claims with our fingers crossed behind our backs.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801407.us.archive.org/20/items/delve-holiday-special-2077-deep-dive/Delve%20Holiday%20Special%202077%20Deep%20Dive.mp3

Psitanium Mine – AAA, But Not Today

DelveCast — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

In the midst of all the shiny new big budget games on the market, Psitanium wanted to take a moment to explain why he’s not playing them and is instead awash with indie titles. We’re experiencing a gaming Renaissance, but you might not know it. Moreover, you should be taking advantage of it.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia801508.us.archive.org/19/items/psitanium-mine-aaa-but-not-today-1/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20AAA%2C%20But%20Not%20Today%201.mp3

Delve 261 – Lack of Initiative

DelveCast — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

By popular demand, we are finally doing an episode on initiative. Turns out it took so long to do this episode because of our lack of initiative, so this makes narrative sense.

Alright, so do we need initiative at all? Could it be used for more than starting combat? Can it be implemented in a different way than rolling? This and so much more on Delve.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601406.us.archive.org/6/items/delve-261-lack-of-initiative-1/Delve%20261%20-%20Lack%20of%20Initiative%201.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Need for Speed Heat

Psitanium — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

There are many racing games you could play. This is one of them. Will you be able to outrun the cops and race through the neon streets of Palm City? Join Psitanium as he grabs a Lotus Exige and hits the tarmac.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia801407.us.archive.org/21/items/psitanium-mine-need-for-speed-heat-1/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Need%20for%20Speed%20Heat%201.mp3

Watch me learn how walls don’t work.

I unlock a bunch of cars real fast.

One of the last races and it went pretty well.

DelveCast Live – Jingling All The Bells

DelveCast — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

It’s our last live episode for the season! DC talks a little about streaming and what he thinks about Ubisoft games. We discuss things we want Santa to bring us and what Delve might do for a holiday special.
Also, James is still working on his system and playtesting; Nathan looks at indie games that go a step above; and DC learns about the majestic SkateBird.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601508.us.archive.org/16/items/delve-cast-live-jingling-all-the-bells/DelveCast%20Live%20-%20Jingling%20All%20The%20Bells.mp3

The Worst Way to Play Borderlands 3

DelveCast — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

After trying Rough Rider and Deathless as an unholy union earlier in the year, Nathan went back to the drawing board to find a way to make it even more painful. How painful? “I can’t fire my gun without dying” painful…

You can click this link or watch below!

And you can also watch the first video I did that led to this here!

Psitanium Mine – Jedi Fallen Order

Psitanium — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Hey, we have a big budget game on this episode! Psitanium often plays those, whether it’s obvious or not. And this one is from the Star Wars! And EA… Some mixed reactions shall follow.So, what does Respawn’s attempt at creating a new single player Star Wars game do right and where does it fail? Is it really just space opera Dark Souls or is it actually space opera every game you can think of? Let’s take a deep dive, now without the falling damage.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601503.us.archive.org/33/items/psitanium-mine-jedi-fallen-order-1/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Jedi%20Fallen%20Order%201.mp3

My personal hell with a giant frog/alligator thing.

Watch some Daredevil style hallway fighting towards the end of the game.

That’s a big dragon…

Psitanium Mine – Spiritfarer

Psitanium — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 22:00:00 +0000

This might be the biggest surprise of the year. Who would have thought that a game about death would make Nathan feel so alive? Jump into the Everlight of Stella and Daffodil as we ferry spirits through the Everdoor on their way to the Afterlife.

You can download the episode here or listen below.

https://ia801505.us.archive.org/19/items/psitanium-mine-spiritfarer-1/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Spiritfarer%201.mp3

If you are interested in the game and don’t mind spoilers for all the characters, I cut together all the Everdoor scenes, along with the Hades scenes and end credits.

Delve 260 – Reddit Deadit Redemption

DelveCast — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

As we continue down the Reddit game ideas forum, we get into some longer questions. First, we discuss the idea of having characters that need to continue the previous character’s story arc after they die. Second, we discuss what happens when the game world levels up instead of your character.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801509.us.archive.org/2/items/delve-260-reddit-deadit-redemption-1/Delve%20260%20-%20Reddit%20Deadit%20Redemption%201.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Journey To The Savage Planet

Psitanium — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Journey to the Savage Planet asks an interesting question: What if Metroid, But in The Outer Worlds? Such a thing should be an instant winner, but as Nathan explains in this episode of Psitanium Mine, some things don’t always go well together.

You can download the episode or listen below!

https://ia801504.us.archive.org/15/items/psitanium-mine-journey-to-the-savage-planet-1/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Journey%20to%20the%20Savage%20Planet%201.mp3

A very subtle commercial for MOBAMOBAMOBA!!!!!!!

These birds definitely had this coming. They were charging me!

This is… kinda the ending?

Delve 259 – Reddit Twice

DelveCast — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been a weird year, a weird month, a weird day, a weird minute. But right now, let’s see if it gets any weirder when we visit Reddit again. The last time we explored the subreddit “tabletopgamedesign” but this time we look at “gameideas”. Will this fuel our imagination or provide assorted nightmare fuel? Listen to find out!

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601409.us.archive.org/25/items/delve-259-reddit-twice-1/Delve%20259%20-%20Reddit%20Twice%201.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Supraland

Psitanium — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Supraland takes inspiration from Zelda, Metroid and Portal, but looks and feels more like Grounded. Does all that work? Nathan takes a look at the miniature world of meeples with wooden sword and energy cannon in hand. Bring your force cube, you’ll need it.

You can download the episode or listen below!

https://ia801502.us.archive.org/11/items/psitanium-mine-supraland-1/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Supraland%201.mp3

Here’s the first four minutes of Supraland where you bravely jump down a pipe into a sewer!

See what a difference the double jump makes in exploration.

Watch Rattlehag lose the shield and life in quick succession.

DelveCast Live – Talking Turkey

Psitanium — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

It’s almost Thanksgiving and it’s almost time for Nathan to buy a gaming PC. In fact, that’s what he’s thankful for. On this episode, we discuss our Thanksgiving nicknames, build a PC (no seriously, we do that) and discuss some new games we are playing.

ALSO: Nathan played a game called Spiritfarer; Craeve insists on using the full title; Paul doesn’t even need to drink; and there are single alligators in your area that want to meet you!

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801507.us.archive.org/32/items/delve-live-talking-turkey/DelveLive%20Talking%20Turkey.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Too Many Games, Not Enough Time

Psitanium — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Since Nathan can finally get back to discussing normal games, let’s begin by doing a rapid fire of several games he had no real ability to do a larger piece on. This is an episode where we discuss games that Nathan played for short amounts of time before getting bored and explains what worked and what did not.

Games discussed include: Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, Ikenfell, Cross Code, Dauntless, Frostpunk, Night Call, Wandersong, West of Dead, Pikuniku, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, Coffee Talk and (against all better judgement) Disneyland Adventures

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia801508.us.archive.org/3/items/psitanium-mine-too-many-games-1/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Too%20Many%20Games%201.mp3

Hear Ron Perlman as an undead gunslinger in West of Dead.

Watch Thronebreaker’s version of Gwent.

Watch an epic beard in action in Dauntless.

Watch the fight with Turmoil in Ikenfell.

Doom Eternal | Attempting to Slay

Psitanium — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Doom Eternal is false advertising. It does indeed end, for some much sooner than others. But we might as well do a little ripping and tearing to celebrate Halloween 2020.

Resident Evil 7 | ATP & PM

Psitanium — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Well, Nathan went and played Resident Evil 7, or at least tried to, as we wrap up scary games for the season. Since this is the final horror game before Halloween, we present you with both a Psitanium Mine episode discussing what worked and didn’t work in this game and others of it’s kind and an Attempting To Play where you can see Nathan play first-hand in first-person for the first-time… and probably last.

You can download the episode of Psitanium Mine or listen to it here!

https://ia601504.us.archive.org/21/items/psitanium-mine-resident-evil-7/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Resident%20Evil%207.mp3

You can watch this episode of Attempting to Play over on our YouTube channel or watch it right here!

Delve 258 – Pre Hallow’s Eve

DelveCast — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

It’s almost time for Halloween, so Nathan and Alex are just gonna sit down and discuss a couple scary moments that happened to them playing tabletop RPGs. We find out how Rembrandt almost died and how Hephaestus did die, but got better. And we revisit the story that led Alex to place Nathan in a crypt of the undead.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601500.us.archive.org/26/items/delve-258-pre-hallows-eve/Delve%20258%20-%20Pre%20Hallow%27s%20Eve.mp3

Pathologic 2 | Attempting to Slay

Psitanium — Sat, 24 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Pathologic 2 is a game about a plague, fires, lockdowns, angry people, confusion, dismissive politicians, doctors no one will listen to and extended dream sequences. This is 2020: The Game. And Nathan tried to play it until he really didn’t want to anymore, not because it was scary, but because of all the catfishing.

Psitanium Mine – Alien Isolation

Psitanium — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 21:00:00 +0000

Alien Isolation was a game I played specifically because it’s the scariest time of year and I thought I would play a horror game. But my experience going in was very different than my experience getting out. So what can I say about a six year old game that was likely built with Kinect in mind? Don’t worry, I will tell you in this episode of Psitanium Mine.

You can download the episode here or listen below right now!

https://ia601505.us.archive.org/3/items/psitanium-mine-alien-isolation/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Alien%20Isolation.mp3

I made an Attempting to Play if you need video proof I tried.

Psitanium Mine – Gaming Spooptacular

Psitanium — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 20:55:00 +0000

While I might not play traditional horror games, sometimes I will play games that have themes of horror or categorized as such. There for, as we approach Halloween, let’s talk about some of these games and why they proved scary for all the wrong reasons. Also, let’s talk about some really good examples of horror in games and a fun title you can play specifically for the holiday.

You can download the episode or listen below!

https://ia601509.us.archive.org/35/items/psitanium-mine-spoopy-games/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Spoopy%20Games.mp3

Did Alan Wake create his own personal hell?

Somehow someone thought battery management would be compelling gameplay in Alan Wake.

Delve 257 – Death Divers

DelveCast — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Last year, Dustin DePenning came on the show to discuss Heroic Dark. Now, he returns to the show to discuss Death Divers, a setting for Heroic Dark. And this setting has demons in space. Why do I need to say more? Okay, I’ll say some more.

A “Demons and Carbines” setting inspired by the Expanse and Doom, Death Divers is currently on Kickstarter along with the deluxe edition of Heroic Dark. Dustin explains what additions are in the Deluxe Edition and what terrible things might befall you in Death Divers.

You can check out the Kickstarter for Death Divers and Heroic Dark Deluxe Edition going on right now by clicking here!

Check out more from Will Power Games over on DriveThruRPG!

And follow Dustin over on Twitter to keep up to date on all his goings on.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601400.us.archive.org/1/items/delve-257-death-divers-1/Delve%20257%20-%20Death%20Divers%201.mp3

Stranger Things 3 | Attempting to Slay

Psitanium — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

I really enjoy Stranger Things as a show, but I think the game might have taken a few too many liberties with the characters. Anyway, let’s start committing vandalism and homicide in Stranger Things 3: The Game!

Psitanium Mine – Saints Row Gat Out of Hell

Psitanium — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 21:00:00 +0000

After talking about other entries in the Saints Row series, it occurred to me that I did not mention Gat Out of Hell, which I recently played again. So join me and Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kenzington down in New Hades for a devil of a good time.

You can download the episode or listen to it right here!

https://ia601406.us.archive.org/17/items/psitanium-mine-gat-out-of-hell/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Gat%20out%20of%20Hell.mp3

If you use ouija boards in this game, you’re gonna have a bad time.

Satan would like to personally welcome you to Hell.

The Shawarma ending.

Delve 256 – Good Strong Hands

DelveCast — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Craig Campbell has made roughly a million games and has been on the show several times to discuss them. And we are always happy to have him on, as he and Nathan had a spirited conversation about his latest game Good Strong Hands, on Kickstarter right now. And if you needed more to pique your interest besides the obvious Neverending Story reference, may I introduce you to the otterkin?

If you would like to find out more about the the Kickstarter, you can find it by using this link!

You can also find the infinitesimal number of games in Craig’s catalog over at NerdBurger Games.

You can follow Craig, Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601504.us.archive.org/13/items/delve-256-good-strong-hands-1/Delve%20256%20-%20Good%20Strong%20Hands%201.mp3

Alien Isolation | Attempting to Slay

Psitanium — Sat, 10 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

I don’t usually play horror games, but I can try. Alien Isolation is considered one of the scariest games ever. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed. Then I gave up. Not out of fear, but frustration.

Psitanium Mine – Ghost Recon Breakpoint

Psitanium — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 21:00:00 +0000

A big budget game, you say? From a major studio you say? Yes, I play these very often. And this one feels like it needs discussion, for what it did to the whole future slate of Ubisoft titles and how it is indicative of the biggest problems with the companies open-world cookie-cutter format. So, let us see if we can survive Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.

You can download the episode or listen below!

https://ia801401.us.archive.org/30/items/psitanium-mine-ghost-recon-breakpoint/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Ghost%20Recon%20Breakpoint.mp3

These elites are not quite as elite as you might think.

Stealth is very much an either/or scenario here.

DelveCast Live – Spoopy Saturday

Psitanium — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Well it’s October and therefore we have to do a spoopy episode about ghosts and vampires and monsters and stuff. And I guess we kind of did that? We discuss why we might like the themes of horror but not horror games specifically. And what would happen if you tried to make Universal monsters into D&D monsters? And what if the Scooby Squad was a D&D party? Perhaps Buffy? Yeah, it goes there.

ALSO: Nathan does not understand memes; Alex loves his Fallout 4 mods; DC found your next favorite holiday candy; James is Shaggy; who is this Ferrari guy; and a discussion on Microsoft buying Bethesda and pretty much everything else while they are at it.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601505.us.archive.org/0/items/delve-cast-live-october/DelveCast%20Live%20October.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Greedfall

Psitanium — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 14:00:00 +0000

If you are greedy and fall a lot, this game was named for you. However, Greedfall itself seems to have little to do with those concepts and instead has more to do with colonialism. Oh…

Spiders most recent RPG may be their most ambitious project yet, but it took Psitanium awhile to get around to playing it. Having now spent a good chunk of time with the game, he thought to discuss what works and what doesn’t work in this Dragon Age Lite.

You can download the episode or listen to it right here!

https://ia601507.us.archive.org/10/items/psitanium-mine-greedfall/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Greedfall.mp3

This giant may be strong, but I have a gun.

Sometimes when you wander into a cave, the cave tries to kill you.

Train Sim World 2020 | ATP

Psitanium — Sat, 26 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Why play Train Sim World 2020? Perhaps boredom, masochism or nihilism. If one of these applies to you, you might enjoy this game. The excruciatingly detailed train controls create a game that makes moving forward on a rail as complicated as humanly possible, made only more depressing when you realize this is how actual engineers do their job. So, after giving up on actually driving or riding in a train, I decided to step outside and walk. That’s right: You can play Train Sim World 2020 as a walking simulator!

Psitanium Mine – 10 Must-Play Games You Probably Missed

Psitanium — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

With the sheer number of video games that come out in a year, it’s easy to miss some really good ones. Even if it has a small but loyal following and great press, I have always been surprised by the number of people I talk to that never played terrific games I know they would have liked. True, they might not be the greatest games of all time, but they are experiences worth having, ones you have to have for yourself. So, in this episode of Psitanium Mine, I talk about 10 games that are worth experiencing and that you probably missed the first time around. Time to update your Steam wishlist!

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601402.us.archive.org/10/items/psitanium-mine-10-must-plays/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%2010%20Must-Plays.mp3

In this clip, we see that Romeo and Juliet gets a little lost in translation come the robot apocalypse.

Delve 255 – The 4 (or 5) Essential Elements

Psitanium — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Nathan was going to do a quick episode about the essential elements of game design. However, just minutes into looking at those elements he had three different lists of those elements. What do we prioritize? How many elements are there? Join Nathan as he goes down this rabbit hole.

If you’d like to read Darran Jamieson’s article on the “C4” of game design, you can find Part 1 and Part 2 here.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801504.us.archive.org/20/items/delve-255-the-4-or-5-essential-elements-1/Delve%20255%20-%20The%204%20%28or%205%29%20Essential%20Elements%201.mp3

Psitanium Mine – What Remains Of Edith Finch

Psitanium — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

While some people may not see narrative games as their cup of Yorkshire Gold, there are some great examples if you enjoy engaging story and characters. On this episode of Psitanium Mine, we look at one of the genre’s best entries, What Remains of Edith Finch. Why does it stand out? What does it do differently? Will everybody die in the end? Let’s take an audio walking tour together.

You can download the episode here or listen below right now!

https://ia601406.us.archive.org/2/items/psitanium-mine-what-remains-of-edith-finch/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20What%20Remains%20of%20Edith%20Finch.mp3

In this clip, we roll down a hill as a shark.

We explore Milton’s room in this late addition annex to the house.

Here is the VERY SPOILER RICH ending, if you reeeeaaaalllly want to see it.

Delve 254 – Nothing to See Here

Psitanium — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Stealth gameplay can often feel like an afterthought in gaming. After creating a rich combat system, actively trying to avoid or tactically approach that system can feel underwhelming. It can also feel slow or stilted in terms of gameplay. But what if we could let stealth stand toe to toe with other methods of gameplay? How can we make it feel more balanced with other systems? Let’s discuss.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601502.us.archive.org/16/items/delve-254-nothing-to-see-here/Delve%20254%20-%20Nothing%20To%20See%20Here.mp3

Psitanium Mine – UnderMine

Psitanium — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Ah, roguelikes… sorry, I meant: Ugh, roguelikes. No matter how many times they hurt me, I keep coming back for more. So how does the most recent one in my playlist, Undermine, stack up? Will I die continuously in this very mine? Likely. Will I enjoy the experience? That’s more of a hit-or-miss affair. Find out if this hits or misses on this episode of Psitanium Mine.

You can download the episode here or listen below right now!

https://ia801506.us.archive.org/20/items/psitanium-mine-undermine/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Undermine.mp3

Here we see why rats and fire are a bad combination.

Here you can see me fight the first boss, which is yet another giant bug.

DelveCast Live – Dev Dev

Psitanium — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 23:00:00 +0000

We can call it Delveloper Delvelopment if it helps. Following our most recent episodes, we dig a little further into sunk cost fallacy. Also, we get to hear more from James regarding his RPG system, including a renaming and future plans. We send a shout out to Chris Bissette and The Wretched, leading to a discussion about single player RPGs. DC shares his experience playing The Avengers, more specifically playing Ms. Marvel. Nathan feels disappointed in the lack of Squirrel Girl in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This and so much more on DelveCast Live.

NOTE: This episode of DelveCast Live has been edited from it’s original recording, due to unforeseen circumstances and people involved in the tail end of our stream. We have taken precautionary measures to make sure malicious raids such as this do not happen in the future, either on our Twitch channel or Discord server and the people involved have been reported. Thank you for your understanding. Rest assured, we said nothing of value past the cut-off point in this recording, as is our nature.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601500.us.archive.org/31/items/delve-cast-live-developer-development/DelveCast%20Live%20-%20Developer%20Development.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Wasteland 3

Psitanium — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 21:00:00 +0000

Wasteland 3 released this previous week and it’s basically everything Psitanium is playing right now. Because of this, we are pushing some of the other episodes back a week so we can discuss the newest installment in the series that spawned Fallout. Wasteland 3, however, combines the old-school Baldur’s Gate CRPG style with an XCOM style combat system and a New Vegas level of storytelling to create something very special.

Let’s trade in our S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats for the C.L.A.S.S.I.C. ones and jump into Colorado with the Arizona Rangers on a quest to retrieve some wayward sons and daughters. Also, you drive a big o’ tank and have a cat with a ranger hat. So…

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601500.us.archive.org/26/items/psitanium-mine-wasteland-3/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Wasteland%203.mp3

Here you can clearly see the power of explosions.

An early firefight gets real when Major Tomcat jumps into the fray.

You can make good money in Little Vegas if your skills are high enough.

Delve 253 – Sunk Cost Fallacy

Psitanium — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 23:01:44 +0000

Although it typically applies to economics, Sunk Cost Fallacy can apply to a wide range of endeavors. Really any time you find yourself unable to let go of something due to the time and money investment you have already made, you have become trapped in this phenomenon. So, what can you do about it? On this episode, Nathan discusses a few ways you can reframe that thinking to make it easier to move on.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801402.us.archive.org/18/items/delve-253-sunken-cost-fallacy-1/Delve%20253%20-%20Sunken%20Cost%20Fallacy%201.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Portal Knights

Psitanium — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 14:00:28 +0000

If Skyrim and Minecraft had a baby, it would probably be what Portal Knights wishes it was. However, living up to the games you are attempting to mimic is a challenge. So what did Portal Knights do well? Where did it stumble? How often will you fall off a floating island? Questions abound in this episode of Psitanium Mine.

Listen by downloading the episode here or listen below right now!

https://ia801408.us.archive.org/11/items/psitanium-mine-portal-knights/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Portal%20Knights.mp3

Here’s the first island you visit in Portal Knights.

Here’s the first boss, which is of course a giant bug.

Delve 252 – Prioriti-Trees

Psitanium — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 23:00:00 +0000

So, you wanted to do everything at the same time and somehow that didn’t work out. Perhaps you overloaded your synapses with far too much. Perhaps you put a tight time frame in place that you can’t accommodate. Perhaps you tried to be so efficient that you ended up being pretty inefficient.

But still, you plodded along, doing whatever you could whenever you could. And then a tree falls on your car and you start thinking about priorities. On this episode, Nathan discusses his struggle with prioritizing projects and workflow. He also gives you a couple ideas on how to fix this problem that he will likely not use himself. So maybe use them for him?

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia801508.us.archive.org/10/items/delve-252-priori-trees-1/Delve%20252%20-%20Priori-Trees%201.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Grounded

Psitanium — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 14:00:54 +0000

If you ever thought Honey, I Shrunk the Kids felt like a good idea, well call Rick Moranis, because Obsidian made a game for you. Will you be able to survive the jungle in your backyard? More importantly, should you bother? Let’s find out what happens when our world gets a lot bigger in Grounded.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601506.us.archive.org/33/items/psitanium-mine-grounded/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Grounded.mp3

Here’s a clip where I fight gnats and weevils like a boss!

And here’s where a spider fights me like a boss!

Psitanium Mine – Carrion

Psitanium — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 14:00:06 +0000

Did you ever watch The Thing or The Blob or Alien or Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and think “I’d wanna be a monster when I grow up!” Well, first, consider therapy. Second, Devolver Digital has a game for you! Find out what happens when you play a “reverse-horror game” as we dig into the mechanics that make it work and see if it truly is a “Metroidvania” title as it is often touted.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601407.us.archive.org/26/items/psitanium-mine-carrion/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Carrion.mp3

Here is a clip of my fledgling carrion learning to spread it’s tentacles!

And here’s a clip of my heckin’ chonker carrion eating everyone it can find.

Psitanium Mine – Forager

Psitanium — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 14:00:11 +0000

If you reeaaally like the parts of Stardew Valley where you harvest resources and build an industrial complex rather than all that tedious talking to people and building meaningful relationships stuff, Forager is for you. Let’s talk about skill trees, buying land, battling bosses and throwing bombs.

You can download the episode here or listen below!

https://ia601406.us.archive.org/35/items/psitanium-mine-forager/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Forager.mp3

Here is a clip of my epic flower harvest.

Here is a clip of the battle with an ice wizard.

DelveCast Live – Podcast Potpourri

Psitanium — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 23:00:16 +0000

So, I have no idea what happened here. We covered a wide range of topics, I think. There might have been some bad words and questionable hot takes. I think we wrecked our credibility while talking about Star Wars and Twitter. Nathan rambled on about the history of Fable, because no one asked. Alex tried to explain how his GM-less system would work using a chat bot. DC played a lot of Zelda. Then we spent way too long playing with InspiroBot as always. Wait, you can print these on shortbread cookies!?

ALSO: Name it.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601508.us.archive.org/27/items/delve-cast-live-podcast-potpourri/DelveCast%20Live%20-%20Podcast%20Potpourri.mp3

Psitanium Mine – Ooblets

Psitanium — Sat, 01 Aug 2020 14:00:39 +0000

Ooblets is a game about card dance battles and farming. Perhaps we need to explain in more detail.

Welcome to the first episode of Psitanium Mine, where Psitanium explains a little about one of the many games he has played recently. What are they? What do you do? Are they good? How many other games do they borrow from? Find out on this episode.

Listen to the episode here or down below!

https://ia801506.us.archive.org/18/items/psitanium-mine-ooblets/Psitanium%20Mine%20-%20Ooblets.mp3

Here’s a clip of my epic dance audition for Breakin’ 3: Electric Sidekey.

https://youtu.be/opjhttwOsnQ

And here’s a clip of the first 5 minutes of the game.

https://youtu.be/6XvH-vx2OOI

SkyrimCell

Psitanium — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 14:00:41 +0000

Stealth is usually a terrible option in epic RPGs. It’s the least developed and most overlooked aspect. Skyrim is not much different, with a pretty barebones stealth experience. But what if you exploited the game to become the ultimate stealth character? Enter Puursy Jaxson, the Sam Fisher of Skyrim. If you want to know how to do the Fortify Restoration Loop, I shall defer to his majesty The Spiffing Brit who lays it out in this video.

Delve 251 – Fatigue

Psitanium — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 23:00:40 +0000

No, we’re not talking about fatigue as a game mechanic. This is an episode where Nathan talks about creative fatigue for the creators themselves. He feels your pain.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601502.us.archive.org/10/items/delve-251-fatigue-1/Delve%20251%20-%20Fatigue%201.mp3

Blocks, Burnout and Exhaustion, Oh My!

Psitanium — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 14:00:45 +0000

I am not a game designer. I barely understand interior design. But one thing I can relate to is being a creative person who wants to make things. In my younger days, I would spend countless hours on a typewriter (you heard me) writing fantastical stories about my stuffed animals, free-hand drawing comic book covers and spinning yarns about the wildlife on Pluto. But that was at least two years ago. I’m much more mature now.

During my elementary school years, these things were my main focus in life. It was basically everything I did in my spare time. Granted, most of it was not good or comprehensible, but it mattered to me. And at that time, it felt like I had an inexhaustible energy to make those things.

My high school years were very similar. I was deeply into writing short stories, usually series, one of which was even published. This was a creative outlet that, frankly, gave my life purpose in a way few other things did. It mattered so much to me, that I sought out a job in journalism just so that writing was a component of my career. Granted, this was a very different kind of writing, but even a tangential association was good for me. I wrote and I wrote and I wrote…

Until I didn’t.

You see, somewhere in my 20s, a strange sensation came over me. It was as if I wanted to put words on a page, but no longer knew how to do it. I knew the story I wanted to write, but the task suddenly felt daunting and stressful. It was no longer a creative outlet, but a trial by fire. My whole mindset seemed to change on a dime. When you do a creative task because of the sheer enjoyment it brings, anything seems possible. When you feel like it is an obligation because this is who you are now, nothing seems acceptable. Before even sitting down to the keyboard, I had convinced myself that nothing I wrote was going to live up to the imaginary standards I had set for myself. The only times I could muster an essay or poem was under the resignation that it likely would be bad, in my own mind if nothing else. And so, I more or less stepped away from writing with any frequency. And like most skills, when you stop doing it, you get rusty.

Skipping ahead, I found a new medium: podcasts. This felt fresh and new, a world where you could produce basically anything in audio form and export it to the world. How wonderful to have an open, expressive format to play around in. And so, I dove in and had oh so many ideas on new projects to spearhead. The same basic thing happened when I started making videos. Once you understand the basic skill set, the possibilities seem endless. So much so, that I now have a backlog of projects I have yet to start. And that is where a very familiar feeling starts taking over. It’s the feeling of going from “anything is possible” to “nothing is acceptable”. You are no longer playing around with the format, you need to keep building upon it. And over time that feels like an insurmountable task beyond your abilities, even though you have already been doing the work.

There are many reasons why the creative part of your brain starts to break down. So, let’s talk about them.

First, you may have noticed that my 20-something self was experiencing “writer’s block”, a term attributed to Freudian psychiatrist Edmund Bergler through his 1950 paper “Does Writer’s Block Exist?” (his answer was, of course, therapy). Although I feel the term “mental block” makes more sense, since the basic function can apply to any sort of medium. This is the point where you hit an imaginary wall and can’t figure out how to get around it. Then you spend so much time focusing on getting around the wall that you forget why you were trying to go past it in the first place. Then you start wondering why you needed to spend so much time staring at that wall and will likely choose to walk away. The irony of all this is that the wall, as I mentioned, is imaginary. It is a construct of your brain, there to make you question what you can and cannot do. If you really wanted to, you could just set about your task as normal. No one is stopping you except yourself. Although, you will start to find that in life, yourself can be the biggest obstacle to overcome. I always felt that blocks like this have far more to do with problems like imposter syndrome or hyperactive self-critique. It’s not that you can’t write, but you are convinced you lack the aptitude to do it correctly. I’ll end this part on a quote from Terry Pratchett, “There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.”

Second, there is the problem of creative burnout, which is similar but also quite different. You see, where a block makes you feel like you can’t do something well enough, burnout makes you feel like you can’t make things fast enough. Perhaps the demand to produce at a frequency your audience requires is causing you to throw everything at a wall. Perhaps you have to cut corners or make a worse thing just so you can get something out into the world. Maybe you have simply run out of ideas and your mental well has not filled back with thinking water, yet others are thirsty and insist on getting some of your creative cocktail. If a mental block is something you place on yourself, burnout is likely caused by others placing something on you. And you will likely want to please them, because why else would you make something if not to be absorbed by those very same people. This can lead to very long and strenuous hours trying to build something for others, rather than for yourself, which leads almost certainly to resentment. In the long run, replenishing your mental energy to keep making the things you truly want to make is better for everyone in the long run. For you, it eliminates resentment toward your medium and energizes you to create. For your audience, it provides them with the same quality and verve they wanted from you the whole time. The unspoken contract you need to have with those making things and using things is an understanding that patience shall be rewarded. I will defer to the Dalai Lama to explain it better, “In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel ‘burnout’ setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.”

Which transitions well into the third type of problem: exhaustion. This is less about the belief in yourself or obligations to others as it is about your drive to do the things you already wanted to do. In this scenario, you have all the ideas and the willingness to produce them, but perhaps lack the time, the energy, the drive or enthusiasm to make them. This ends up feeling like a betrayal to yourself, where you are not accomplishing things you very much wanted to and intended to from the start. Exhaustion will usually rear it’s ugly head when you put a whole bunch of irons in the fire. If you currently have a to-do list of 10 separate projects, you may have inadvertently put too much on your plate to handle. You see, it’s not that your creative well is dry or you don’t believe in yourself. It’s that the measure of tasks in front of you are so varied and numerous that you just want to lay down and sleep for a year. There are a couple ways you can handle this. The most obvious way is to avoid giving yourself 10 projects to work on simultaneously. In lieu of eliminating some of those, placing them in an order of operation can be useful as well. At least now you’ll have priorities to avoid the voice in your head screaming “EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE RIGHT NOW!” But the best, yet hardest, way to deal with exhaustion is to step away for a little while. Giving your brain a rest can restore your reasoning, rationale and drive, allowing you to get back at it and build something terrific. This can be difficult when you have already resigned yourself to doing 10 things and choose to do none of them right now. But it is also the best way because there is a freedom and relief from choosing that option. Just like physical labor, mental labor can not be done continuously without a respite. Your body, in every respect, is not able to sustain maximum output for long periods of time. Additionally, if you are constantly deep in the weeds, you can lose perspective. Seeing the forest from the trees is immensely helpful when you begin your work anew. Curtis Tyrone Jones probably said it best, “Just because you take breaks doesn’t mean you’re broken.”

In general, a creative pursuit can feel invigorating and give purpose to your life. But when it starts to feel daunting or hollow or endless, it’s a sign that adjustments need to be made. Maybe you need to step back from what you’re doing. Maybe you need something new to excite you. Or maybe, you just need to sit back, take a deep breath and enjoy the moment you are in. Creativity is a valuable skill and it needs to be treated as such, especially by the one who is using it.

Delve 250 – The One With All The Bad Advice

Psitanium — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 23:00:51 +0000

For Delve 250, we did a special live episode and invited everyone to share bad RPG advice. They delivered. And after we ran out of bad advice, we may have accidentally given some good advice. And after that, Alex and Nathan discussed the journey that led to this point and plans for future projects. How long will Delve continue? We wonder that ourselves.

Thanks to DC, Paul, Salt and Seagoat for dropping by in chat. Also, thanks to those who provided some more information in our Discord channel, such as James talking about bees and trees.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601408.us.archive.org/32/items/delve-250-the-one-with-all-the-bad-advice-2/Delve%20250%20-%20The%20One%20With%20All%20The%20Bad%20Advice%202.mp3

DelveCast Live – D3

Psitanium — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 23:00:55 +0000

Welcome to the Dead Delves Don’t Die… no, wait Delve Destroys Decency… oh no, the Delvectronic Dentertainment Dexpo. Perfect. Since there was no E3 this year, we kind of did our own, discussing game announcements and conferences that have already come to pass and games slated for released through 2020 and into 2021. What makes us happy? What makes us sad? Are we going to be played by our stunt doubles? Find out when you listen to the closest thing we’ll get to a gaming expo this year.

ALSO, DC played a cannon robot; Paul picks some apples; Alex faces a Rereckoning; Seto Kaiba is a console now; InspiroBot loves you; KFC has a new console; everything old is new again; and Nathan does a sweet 360 kickflip in his head.

You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!

We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!

Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!

We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.

If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at [email protected].

And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!

You can get a Direct Download of the show, or listen below!

https://ia601407.us.archive.org/29/items/d-3_20200712/D3.mp3

Ghost of Tsushima | Clueless Reviewless

Psitanium — Sat, 11 Jul 2020 14:01:47 +0000

Ghost of Tsushima comes out next week and the review embargo is lifted on Tuesday. But fake reviews have no such limitations! Let’s face it, if everyone could write of Last of Us Part 2 a month before anyone played it, there’s no stopping the mindless speculation of an industry outsider. Although I have not played the game at all and barely watched the gameplay trailer, I have very important thoughts on what this game is totally going to be about. And also, I think I really need to pick up some sushi.

You can find all this an more on Delve’s YouTube channel.