The Download's tracks

The word is Puppets and the nerds spend a lot of time talking about their favorite puppets (and muppets). Then Andy reports on his big annual road trip to Burning Man. Then Keith talks about stuff he’s been busy with, including launching The Ghost Market on BackerKit and taking a trip to Cape Flattery. After dropping the spoiler curtain, they discuss several Star Trek: SNW season 4 episodes, in particular the long-awaited puppet episode.

The word is Eidolon, which is the name of the city where the Ghost Market is located, which is the new setting Keith is creating for Daggerheart, which was announced at GenCon. The nerds discuss how things went at GenCon, as well as ComicCon, which Keith attended this year. Then they discuss their favorite time travel destinations. Moving on to media, Andy comments on the first couple of episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Keith talks about reading Annihilation. Lastly, they drop the Spoiler Curtain to discuss the first book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.

The word is bunnies because baby bunnies have been spotted again in Keith’s yard and he tells us all about them. Tangents include the differences between rabbits (and bunnies) vs hares and also rock vs. stone. Then they get into a big discussion of fictional rabbits and their favorite bunnies, first discussing serious bunnies (most notably those in Watership Down) and then, the many funny bunnies. Keith wonders why, as a society, we seem to like bunnies more than squirrels. Next the nerds discuss their plans for GenCon, and Andy mentions a couple of conventions he and Kristin will be guests of honor at this fall. Keith talks about his new card game, The Banjo King, and talks about changing the name of the Night Market to the Ghost Market. Lastly, they discuss the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, which they are both in the middle of reading (or rather, listening to) and how it’s similar to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. They will be continuing to discuss DCC in future episodes.

The word is franchise and the nerds start by discussing various franchise operations, both real and fictional. Specific topics include a boardgame called Fast Food Franchise, those paper food service hats, the current Bricks & Minifigs scandal, the details of mundane healthcare in a fantasy RPG world, and this week’s “favorite thing” discussion, which is about restaurant franchises. Then they each report on recent events they’ve returned from, with Andy going to Origins where he was debuting his new game, Seven Islands, and Keith going to a bluegrass festival, where he was previewing his newest game, The Banjo King. Other topics include the game designer’s problem of what to do with old prototypes, a world where everyone is named Phil, and a classic Top Ten List from David Letterman. Lastly, they extend last week’s “Dream Crew” discussion to add an Ensign and a Starship.

The word is Crew and the nerds spend most of this episode discussing their dream Star Trek crews. They each choose a favorite character from any of the shows to fill these ten positions: Captain, First Officer, Science Officer, Doctor, Engineer, Helmsman, Security Officer, Communications/Counselor, Wildcard, and Visiting Alien Who Happened To Be On The Bridge At The Time. Moving on to media, Keith talks about seeing The Backrooms (and not yet seeing the new Star Wars movie), Andy mentions the Wreckless Ben Lego scandal. Lastly, Keith gives an update on the Night Market.