Episode 308: A Stargate in His District
August 31st, 2018 | Robin
Another all-request episode opens in the familiar confines of the Gaming Hut, where Patreon backer Trung Bui wants to know how we pull out all the stops for climactic campaign-ending episodes.
In the Horror Hut, backer Samwise Crider asks how to incorporate the newly discovered Icelandic and Swedish versions of Bram Stoker’s Dracula into a Dracula Dossier series.
The Cinema Hut hosts another movie 101, this time on the fantasy film, at the command of backer Corey Pierno.
Finally we heed the cries of backer Steve Sick, who bids us enter the Eliptony Hut’s coruscating doorway to talk about Sumerian stargates.
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Ken’s latest roleplaying game, The Fall of Delta Green, is now available for preorder from Pelgrane Press. Journey to the head-spinning chaos of the late 1960s, back when everyone’s favorite anti-Cthulhu special ops agent hadn’t gone rogue yet, for this pulse-pounding GUMSHOE game of war, covert action, and Mythos horror.
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Just in time to save the world, though perhaps not your team of hardened covert agents, from the Mythos, the Delta Green Handlers Guide from Arc Dream Publishing is now in print and either at or headed to a game store near you. The slipcase print edition includes both the Handlers’ Guide and Agents’ Handbook, fitting snugly into your go bag along with your extra passports and list of weapons caches.
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I was a little surprised that in your Fantasy Films 101 you did not have a kind word for Matthew Robbins’ 1981 “Dragonslayer”. I’ve always thought that it was under-appreciated and pretty damned good.
I would have included:
The Dark Crystal (1982)
Legend (1985)
Stardust (2007)
“Ladyhawke”, too.
For a “Fantasy 101”, as opposed to a “Best of…” list, I’d argue you really should include some of the drek. “The Sword and the Sorcerer” and “The Beastmaster” were not good movies, but, along with “Conan the Barbarian”, they were hugely influential on my understanding and appreciation of fantasy. Their release also coincided with the early 80s boom D&D experienced, and I suspect they helped shape a whole generation of gamers during a critical period in the hobby.
I would also add Krull (1983) into this influential category.
You are not correct that “Monty Python’s Holy Grail” (1975) was not parodying an existing genre. There is a small body of Arthurian films, including Robert Bresson’s “Lancelot du Lac” (1974) predating Monty Python. But, specifically, they are parodying “Gawain And The Green Knight” directed by Stephen Weeks (1973) — to my mind it’s a great film and ten times better than its bigger budget remake (also by Weeks) “Sword Of The Valiant” (1984). The cheep style of “Gawain”, the knight and his squire on the road, the knight storming around real castles, the season transitions through medieval paintings and the voice over, all have parallels in Python. Sadly it’s a hard film to get to see these days, but it’s worth a look.