Call and Response: WOFF Dispatch October 2019
Added 2019-10-21 04:48:15 +0000 UTCHello! The purpose of this post is to call for your questions and prompts for WOFF! Dispatch. Please leave your response as a comment on this post by the end of the day on Wednesday, October 23.
We're looking for two kinds of things:
1. Suggestions for our long-form discussion prompt.
2. Q&A about the shows, behind the scenes details, and miscellaneous (including off-the-wall and off-topic questions). Ask us about games or other media, life in general... You name it.
One caveat we've given in the past: If the question is too personal or gross, we may dance around it and not give a direct answer.
We look forward to making this new kind of WOFF! episode together with you.
Comments
I am curious what Cthulhu mythos stuff you'd recommend outside of Lovecraft's actual works. My interest has been piqued by Unfilmable, and rather than revisit stuff I've already read, I was wondering what you might recommend. I'm talking any media really, movies (though you're already really covering that), comics, games, but chiefly books and stories. Thanks!
Matthew Hoffart
2019-10-23 17:52:26 +0000 UTCIn the spirit of the season: since you dudes are pretty into haunted houses and have been to far more of them than I have, I wondered if you have any thoughts on some of the “extreme haunts” out there - with McKamey Manor being probably the most notorious. I saw it get coverage in two separate shows on Netflix, and my impression was that someone never learned that BDSM is supposed to be safe, sane, and consensual (and that ol’ Russ is 100% jerkin’ it in the editing room), but I’m curious to hear y’all’s take on things.
Rick
2019-10-23 14:59:38 +0000 UTCWhat's the scariest video game experience you've ever had? It doesn't have to be a whole game, it can be a specific part in a game. Not dread-inducing, not creepy, but neck-hair-standing-up scared.
Holland Hume
2019-10-22 02:17:31 +0000 UTCI've been thinking a lot about trends in the triple-A games space lately. The 3D mascot platformer, for example, was a genre that seemingly came out of nowhere in the mid-to-late nineties, suddenly dominated the market with dozens of games like Crash, Spyro, Banjo, Donkey Kong, etc. coming out every other week, before seemingly disappearing just as quickly as they came. What other trends from the past in gaming feel like they have a time capsule quality to them, and what mechanics/genres that are popular right now do you think will similarly feel extremely specific to the Xbone/PS4 era, like 3D collectathons feel so tied to that N64, PS1 era?
Benjamin
2019-10-22 01:42:07 +0000 UTCI don’t think I’ve ever truly enjoyed a crafting mechanic in a game. The closest I’ve ever come is watching that pot dance around in Breath of the Wild, but I could do definitely do without collecting a thousand useless items to make a few dozen useful ones. How do you all weigh in on this? To craft or not to craft? (And are there any examples of crafting systems you genuinely enjoy?)
Mark Mahler
2019-10-22 01:07:09 +0000 UTCWhat are some of your favorite examples of games that are not objectively good, but you like anyway? Games that are real solid 6 or 7 out of 10s.
Ben Sapatka
2019-10-22 01:04:30 +0000 UTCSo, Blizzard is inevitably going to announce Diablo 4 to try and offset the bad reputation they've earned for themselves. I agree with Gary's opinion of 3, but it sold well, so I highly doubt 4 will shake things up enough to be worth my time. That said, I'm always curious about that whole subgenre, so I was wondering which dungeon crawlers have caught your interest recently. Even if none of them end up being for me, it'll probably be nice to know for fans who want to enjoy similar games without giving Blizzard money.
Sid Menon
2019-10-21 23:08:10 +0000 UTCHey guys, happy new patron here! I wonder if you could discuss games that have addressed certain political climates (successfully or not...). Much like some games are active in the gender discussion like Cyber Punk or communist regimes like Papers Please, were there any games that spoke to Watergate or the increase of identity politics after 9/11? (aside from war games like Call of Duty)? Thanks for your great shows!
Michael Schneider
2019-10-21 20:26:19 +0000 UTCEvery so often, you guys reference Mr. Show sketches. These references always make me laugh, as Mr. Show is arguably one of the best sketch comedy shows ever. I was wondering: Which Mr. Show sketches are your personal favorites?
Zach
2019-10-21 20:11:17 +0000 UTCHey Dan! We've actually done a sex/romance discussion. It's Dispatch #5!
Duckfeed.tv
2019-10-21 18:28:15 +0000 UTCI am wondering how you guys get people into a table top role playing game. My friends and I have played a bunch of time intensive board games (like Axis and Allies) for a long time but I would like to try to get them into Call of Cthulhu. They have never done anything like role playing and are pretty hesitant about it. They are willing to give it a go, any tips for a new Keeper to make the attempt as good as it can be?
Andy Ward
2019-10-21 18:19:27 +0000 UTCShould be able to search “Hereditary” or “Midsommar” in the private feed, if that doesn’t work type “duckfeed presents”
CoalmineCanary
2019-10-21 15:46:52 +0000 UTCAs a big fan of those movies, where would I find those discussions?
Adam Bucceri
2019-10-21 15:22:05 +0000 UTCDiscussion on The Importance of Video Game Endings... I just recently finished Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark, and found it to be a faithful spiritual successor to Final Fantasy Tactics (and mechanically, a great time). My one major frustration came with the structure of the endings...without getting too spoiler-y, there is a "bad ending" and a "true final ending". The "bad ending" makes sense mechanically, but the story bits make you feel awful for how you left the state of the world. On the other hand, the true final ending has you jumping through obscure hoops with arbitrary mechanics that almost demand referencing a wiki or guide. To me, the previous 40 hours of a slick and engaging campaign were severely undercut by a maddeningly tedious final 10 hours...Trying to do right by these characters I've grown attachments with while attempting to 'solve' the riddles of the true ending. My Questions for you are...How important are video game endings to your overall enjoyment of a game in the moment? What about a game's legacy? Why do you think developers of games with multiple endings would choose an overly obscure pathway to their true ending (Arkham Knight, some Persona Games) rather than allowing for player calculation (like in Witcher 3, Divinity 2). How do we treat video game endings differently than book or movie endings? When compared to other mediums and their endings, are the stakes higher for video games due to the time investment typically required?
Dave Tese
2019-10-21 14:49:28 +0000 UTCWhat's your favorite Call of Cthulhu TTRGP story? Either as a Keeper or a Player.
Gearman_14
2019-10-21 14:45:51 +0000 UTCThis is something I've been curious about for a while: As full-time podcasters (or Internet Wizards) what does an average day look like for you? Do you keep a hard schedule or do you wing it? Oh, and P.S. on a scale of one to HORNY, how much are you looking forward to the Outer Worlds?
Jonathan Scratch
2019-10-21 13:19:06 +0000 UTCHow well does "I am a professional video game podcaster" go over during dates? On one hand, I can see the initiative, hard work, and creativity coming across as huge positives (rawr). On the other hand, it's definitely a specific niche, and in my experience, there's still a "video games are for kids" stigma out there. The question assumes you both date at least occasionally, so feel free to substitute "general social interactions" for "dating" if that's not the case or if you feel like the more general answer would be more interesting.
Casey Woolfolk
2019-10-21 13:01:33 +0000 UTCQuick one! Have you ever played a game so much you dreamed about playing it or dreamed about being IN the game?
Andrew F
2019-10-21 11:22:51 +0000 UTCGary, saw your praise for The VVitch on Twitter a while back. While I agree that it’s awesome, there was some backlash (from audiences, not critics) when it came out about how it wasn’t really a horror movie, it didn’t meet expectations, etc. So the question for you guys: how does your view of horror as a genre differ from the popular perception of it? Are there examples of horror movies that were popular successes (as opposed to an indie success like the VVitch) that you think are legitimately good? Thanks guys
Ryan Bennett
2019-10-21 11:01:20 +0000 UTCThis is a super interesting talking point! For me personally one thing that triggers me is sexual assault in media. I think by not being upfront about that being in your media it removes the choice from me to engage with that type of content. Does the Dog Die has become a great resource for me to gain knowledge about what could be in a movie but it relies heavily on user feedback and doesn't have warnings for the majority of TV shows, video games, and books. Also the majority of users will not see a piece of media before it's released and therefore can't warn other's of it possibly triggering content. This means that people who do need trigger warnings will not be able to engage with said media day one, which isn't very inclusive. As it is the MPAA's rating are too generic/vague to actually tell me anything (not to get into the other flaws with the rating board) Finally I don't think there is a strong argument against content warnings. The biggest argument I've seen is that it's a "spoiler". That's a dumb argument and seems to come from a profound place of privilege. If you don't have triggers it seems like it would be extremely easy for you to ignore content warnings rather than taking the information away from people who do need them. Anyway that's my 2 cents. Would definitely love to hear the guys discuss it on the pod!
Jake Fortier
2019-10-21 10:51:33 +0000 UTCHey guys! I absolutely loved your discussions of Hereditary and Midsommar this month. I watched them both for the first time and being able to immediately jump in and hear your thoughts on it was a lot fun. Have their been any other horror movies you watched this spooky season that you really liked/had a reaction to?
Jake Fortier
2019-10-21 10:30:48 +0000 UTCUmbasa*
Dan Sayer
2019-10-21 08:13:37 +0000 UTC1. Potential discussion point - how do you feel about relationships/sex as a mechanic in games. An obvious example is the BioWare relationship tree. I personally think it’s fun and interesting at the time but always leaves me with a weird taste in my mouth and I worry about those who haven’t properly understood the distinction between a game and real life. 2. Behind the scenes - how long does it typically take to edit an episode of WOFF for example? What are the tricky parts and where do you tend to source the music for games from as this can sometime be extremely difficult. Love the show Umbasaw
Dan Sayer
2019-10-21 07:57:22 +0000 UTCWith it being the best holiday season, I was wondering about any Halloween traditions you two have. Hitting up local good haunted houses, attending annual parties with friends, maybe engaging in a light spate of demon summoning? Additionally I was wondering what, if any, books you are currently reading. I'm personally working through "Where Nightmares Come From: The Art of Storytelling in the Horror Genre" as well as "1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed".
Ryan
2019-10-21 06:37:08 +0000 UTCMore of a heavy question, but how responsible is media in general for putting warnings in front of content. This is broad and covers everything from warnings about sensitive topics, to general metrics like the ESRB. How much of knowing what you can and should play or consume falls on the viewer or parent, and how much on the creator? And how can creative individuals help limit or mitigate any negative impacts their works can have on others? As always, love the show and I hope you guys have a great Halloween!
Markus Blomer
2019-10-21 05:37:43 +0000 UTCHi guys! I've been wondering if you ever feel pressure of time constraint? You guys go through so many games in depth and put out these high quality pods so frequently, all the while attending different events and maintaining a personal life. Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Keep up the good work fellow gamers. I'm rooting for you from across the globe!
Super_Swede
2019-10-21 05:37:15 +0000 UTCHey guys - very game specific question this, but are you planning on ever doing an episode on Dishonored: Death of the Outsider - to wrap up your Dishonored coverage? I realise it's not a long game, but it's something I'd love to hear you guys chat about. Mainly to complete my OCD for having things wrapped up. Twitch, twitch.... Oh, and have either of you played Darkwood? Definitely worth a peek if you're looking for some creepy Halloween vibes.
Badger Catcher
2019-10-21 04:59:37 +0000 UTCWhat's your favorite obscure/lesser known game console? Being a huge weeb, mine is a toss up between the PC-FX, NEC's 32-bit follow up to the PC Engine CD with a paltry 62 games released for it, and the FM Towns Marty.
Fatt Mox
2019-10-21 04:55:55 +0000 UTCHey guys, great show and great con. Glad I got to meet you in person finally. My question is pretty simple but hopefully something fun will come out of it: what (besides getting to meet me, of course) was the highlight of this year's PRGE for you? Or what was something unusual or striking that occurred? Let's hear an anecdote.
Terra Parker
2019-10-21 04:52:51 +0000 UTC
