Stafford Airbiscuit has to go back to the queen with a score of 37. Which translates into a job rating of -45 per the solo grading rules.

“So what were we doing out there, exactly,” she says, holding my map incredulously.

“Well, the goblins kept attacking and the gnolls stole my lunch and went to the restroom on my lunch…”

Games of the Week

• Cartographers (3:51)
Some queen tells a gnome they have to map a bunch of real estate she just acquired. Hear about my first sit with this widely loved pencil-and-paper terrain-maxxxing puzzle.

• Citadels (9:07)
Bruno Faidutti’s ruthless role-selection mini-masterpiece spent a lot of time on our table during our heavy Fantasy Flight Games era. Learn about how hard it is to pull a building permit for your city when you get a shiv in your ribs.

• Thunderbolt Apache Leader (15:33)
Fly with me back to the rip-roaring action of Thunderbolt Apache Leader and across the pages of Korean War fighter pilot and novelist James Salter’s memoir, Burning the Days.

Track of the Week

(29:01)
It must be boom bap season, because I’m stuck on “Get a Grip” by The Whooliganz, who were two little kids who briefly got to roll with the Soul Assassins team that included Cypress Hill, House of Pain and Funkdoobiest.

Music
• Main Theme and Bumpers: “Wash Y’ass,” D.O. the Fabulous Drifter and Dow Jones, Five Points Plan
• Game of the Week Background: “Night Gatherings,” Pecan Pie (License code: XTGOLLHHPTLTQ6AM)
• Game of the Week Background: “Something Weird,” Pecan Pie (License code: ZRXYCMKOPDHXLZP9)
• Track of the Week: “Get a Grip,” The Whooliganz, Unreleased

Join Breakup Gaming Society episode sponsor Doghouse Reilly in being clever bastards and wearing clever things. 👇

Thank you again to episode sponsor Doghouse Reilly, purveyor of wearable visual puns and vintage hip hop lyrics.

Games of the Week

• Comanchería: The Rise and Fall of the Comanche Empire (3:24)
My initial overview of Comanchería, which is finally on the table. This game models 175 years of conflict in the interior US West from the perspective of the Comanche. I got the first scenario set up, which takes place in the 1700s. Join me for a quick tour of the board.

BEGIN FAMILY-FRIENDLY PORTION OF THIS PROGRAM
• Mix Up Fairy Tales (10:06)
Looking for a lovely family diversion? We’ve got you covered. Walt and I talk about Mix Up Fairy Tales with co-designer Robin Cruddace of Warcradle Studios.
END FAMILY-FRIENDLY PORTION OF THIS PROGRAM

• Chaos in the Old World (39:00)
Lastly, I take you back to a summer night in Portland: The last time I ever got to play Chaos in the Old World, Fantasy Flight Games’ asymmetrical masterpiece of the age. I won the game. But I was about to lose everyone at the table.

Track of the Week

(50:39)
I've been spinning Kool Keith alter-ego Dr. Dooom's First Come, First Served LP all the time. This led me to the small but scintillating discography of Motion Man, a talented Bay Area underground journeyman with gobs of style and technique. My goal here is to put him somewhere on your playlist.

Music
• Main Theme and Bumpers: “Wash Y’ass,” D.O. the Fabulous Drifter and Dow Jones, Five Points Plan
• Game of the Week Background: “Night Gatherings,” Pecan Pie (License code: XTGOLLHHPTLTQ6AM)
• Game of the Week Background: “Something Weird,” Pecan Pie (License code: ZRXYCMKOPDHXLZP9)
• Track of the Week: “Loose Cannon,” Motion Man, Clearing the Field ©️2002 threshold recordings LLC
• Track of the Week: “No Chorus,” Dr. Dooom, First Come, First Served ©️1999 funky ass records/threshold recordings LLC
• Track of the Week: “Housing Authority” Dr. Dooom feat. Motion Man, First Come, First Served ©️1999 funky ass records/threshold recordings LLC

Weekend weather forecast for the Demon Wastes: Look for scattered sword-showers late morning through midafternoon Saturday, which should clear up just in time for the Parade of the Stricken.

Games of the Week

• Metal Queens ov Skull Mountain (2:58)
Our curated indie RPG series with Walt continues: He’s burrowed way back in the vaults to show us Metal Queens ov Skull Mountain. It’s a story-driven thrash metal holodeck whose light structure paves the way for incredible setpiece battles that rock as hard as you and your GM can make them.

• Professor Phelyx’s Tarot (24:43)
I talk to Denver scholar, magician, and man-about-town Professor Phelyx. I found out he’s 500 hours into the creation of his own tarot deck. Meet Phelyx and get a cool history lesson about tarot’s roots as a storytelling game.

• Dwelling Solo Journaling RPG (45:46)
My work continues in the pages of Dwelling, a solo RPG for ghosts. We’re at the midpoint of the book, where the narrator endures a queasy vision in the unnatural red light cast by the basement.

Track of the Week

(52:22)
I’m gonna zoom in on Keith Murray’s amazing lead-off of the “I Shot Ya” track, helmed by LL Cool J and also featuring Prodigy, Fat Joe, and Foxy Brown. Also, Kwest will show us how to bring a posse cut home.

Visit the Doghouse
This is all brought to you by our episode sponsor, Doghouse Reilly, purveyor of clever T-shirts based on visual puns and opening lyrics from classic hip hop tracks. This includes a T-shirt that Doghouse did just for us: A snippet of a Gang Starr lyric with some clever typesetting, available in three colors.