The Podge Cast

The Podge Cast is a podcast about geek culture, including role-playing games, MMOs, table-top games, movies, music, books and and other topics. The Podge Cast is hosted by Matt Cushman, Dr. Lucias "Luke" Meyer, Adam Pinilla, and Joe Selby. Fans also refer to the show as "The Podge" and "TPC".

History

Adam, Luke, and Matt are all former hosts of the role-playing podcast Fear The Boot [ [http://feartheboot.libsyn.com/ Fear the Boot] ] . In January 2008, Adam left the show after a falling out with Dan, the show's lead host and founder. There was speculation that Luke would leave the show as well. On January 16th, 2008 Luke's long-time friend Joe, knowing how much Luke enjoyed podcasting, proposed the Podge Cast: role playing, table top gaming, books, movies, music, and whatever's on our minds [ [http://the_outlaw.livejournal.com/340091.html The Charlie Brown Show] ] . This would later evolve to their official tag line, "Movies, music, books, games, whatever's on our minds."

Luke decided to continue his tenure on Fear the Boot and the Podge Cast was shelved. In May 2008, Luke announced a month-long vacation from the cast and his administration of the show's discussion forums. At the end of that sabattical, June 12th 2008, Luke decided to resign as a full-time host of the show [ [http://everydaypanacea.livejournal.com/186787.html Luke's Rambles] ] . Joe contacted both Luke and Adam, saying he had purchased the [podgecast.com] domain "just in case" and that if Luke ever wanted to get on the mics again, they could certainly make that possible. Adam, a noted workaholic and host of three other podcasts-- [http://backseatproducers.com/ Backseat Producers] , The Habitual Insomniac, and [http://themancast.libsyn.com/ The Man Cast] --said he was interested if the opportunity should arise.

On June 14th, 2008 Luke was a guest host on [http://backseatproducers.com/ Backseat Producers] . His experience during that recording session rekindled his enthusiasm for podcasting and on June 25th, 2008 he contacted Joe and Adam to tell them the Podge Cast was a go.

[http://podgecast.com Podgecast.com] was completed on June 26th [ [http://podgecast.com/ The Podge Cast] ] and Matt joined the show by invitation on June 28th. The first two episodes were recorded July 1st, 2008. The first episode, A PodgeCast is Born was released on July 7th, 2008 [ [http://podgecast.com/archives/37 The Podge Cast Episode 1] ] .

Episodes

The Podge Cast episodes are a roundtable discussion of the topic of the week. Topics have ranged from "sandbox" role-playing games to Burning Wheel, from hobbies to The Dark Knight.

Episodes are recorded from three separate locations. Adam and Luke record from Adam's house in St. Louis, MO. Joe records from his apartment in Nashua, NH. Matt records from the road while he travels for work. Currently he is recording in Memphis, TN. Once he returns to St. Louis, he will join Adam and Luke. New shows are released on Monday at 12:01 am Central time. Shows last from between 30 to 60 minutes.

While the show does not have any official segments, parts of episodes often fall into one of three categories. Each show begins with an introduction that often spirals into some geek-related banter. This may include topics the group had been talking about before they were recording or it may just be the group making fun of each other. They have been friends for years. The main portion of the episode is the week's topic. This may lead to a number of related tangents, but otherwise remains on point. Some episodes end with a Hodge (Live). This is a reference to "The Hodge," an area of [podgecast.com] where the hosts give recommendations on topics from books, music, food, etc [ [http://podgecast.com/hodge The Hodge] ] . The Hodge (Live) is presented by a single host, discussing a topic they think listeners may enjoy for themselves.

Previous Hodge (Live) segments have focused on Lois McMaster Bujold, Adam Sandler's movie "Don't Mess with the Zohan," and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

The show's coda music, sung by Luke and composed by his friend Joel Seinberger, was originally the show's intro music. While initially unpopular at the beginning of the show, it has gained cult popularity as the show's outro music.

Interviews

Some episodes are dedicated to an interview with an industry professional or insider. This follows the same relative format to normal shows, but the guest typically discusses their product in more depth and answers a series of questions regarding the product posed by the hosts. Because of the demands of recording from multiple locations, typically Matt or Joe will abstain from an interview episode to ensure maximum sound quality.

Wild Cards

The Podge Cast also releases bonus material they refer to as Wild Cards. These are shows offered in addition to the normal release schedule of episodes. Two recurring wild cards are the fan roundtables and role playing campaign summaries.

Fanroundtables include one host as moderator and selected fans discussing topics previously mentioned on the show. This may be broadening a subject only briefly touched on, like Fan Roundtable 1's discussion of D&D 4th Edition. It may also be a rebuttal to comments made in previous episodes, like Fan Roundtable 2's discussion of MMOs.

Luke runs a weekly Burning Wheel role playing game, of which Adam is a player. Along with some of the other group players, Luke and Adam record event summaries of their campaign, Noblesse Oblige: Kingdom the Next Generation where they represent members of a noble house. The show offers summaries, thoughts, and intentions, but does not include live recording from the game.

Articles and Essays

In its blog feed, the Podge Cast also releases articles and essays. Subject matter varies from post to post. Some articles have discussed creating multi-faceted characters, death in D&D, and role playing for children. The hosts have solicited submissions from fans of the show.

There are two recurring Article features. "Roberto Suave's Best Ever" offers television and movie reviews by Bob Kaczmarczyk. Andrew Webb also offers game reviews in "Off the Shelf."

Guest Hosts

Guest hosts have included Phil Hicks (Fan Roundtable 2, KtNG), Rich McKee (Fan Roundtable 1), Stuart Robertson (Fan Roundtable 1), and Andrew Webb (Fan Roundtable 2).

Additional Notes

*Lucias Meyer is a registered and certified doctor of optometry. He owns his own practice in Florissant, MO [ [http://meyereyecare.com/ Meyer Eye Care] ] .
*Matt Cushman is a radiological remediation specialist, cleaning up formerly utilized nuclear facilities before they can begin breeding mutants, super or otherwise.
*Joseph L. Selby is coauthor of Dangerous Denizens: The Monsters of Tellene as well as 33 adventures for the RPGA [ [http://www.josephlselby.com/theinkwell.htm The Inkwell] ] .
*The Podge Cast is an affiliate of Spooky Outhouse Productions [ [http://www.spookyouthouse.com/ Spooky Outhouse Productions] ] . SOP is a Podcasting conglomerate started by Adam Pinilla and Dr. Luke Meyer.

References