The Podgecast is one of the very few podcasts that goes directly to the head of my listening queue when a new episode shows up. All four of the hosts are excellent. Their varied personalities provide a great dynamic, and the interplay is the high point of the show. Along with the comedy gold this often produced, the Podgecast regularly offers insightful opinions and/or advice.

Pros: Outstanding hosts;, usually hilarious; intelligent discussion in a light-hearted manner

Cons: While generally clean, the language is still spicy enough that I can’t listen with my toddler around–who is pretty much always around these days; some tangents are less amusing and more tangential than others

The Podgecast is in the top echelon of gaming podcasts for entertainment and insight. It’s the gaming podcast I recommend the most.

Fraser’s Rating: 4.75 out of 5 (if totally family friendly, it’d be a 5)

COLLATERAL, THE NEW SHOW FROM THE ACCIDENTAL SURVIVORS, JOINS WAR PIG RADIO LINE-UP.

25 FEB 2009: The Accidental Survivors, www.accidentalsurvivors.com/, launched a new show called Collateral today. A concentrated burst of the inspiration and opinion listeners have come to expect from the Accidental Survivors, Collateral is a weekly podcast on role-playing game related topics. Unlike the Accidental Survivors podcast, Collateral will cast further afield than just modern gaming. Any topic connected to role-playing games is grist for this mill.Collateral is available online and will also be featured as a regular program on War Pig Radio, www.warpigradio.com/, the internet radio station for gamers.

ABOUT THE ACCIDENTAL SURVIVORS: Beginning in September of 2006, the Accidental Survivors have brought their diverse perspectives to topics relating to role-playing games in the modern genre. With advice, interviews, and reviews, the Accidental Survivors cover the modern gaming scene. POC: Fraser Ronald, accidental@swordsedgepublishing.ca.

ABOUT WAR PIG RADIO: War Pig Radio broadcasts game-related programming 24 hours a day. War Pig is available online, through syndication on gaming websites and blogs, and is played over the speakers at a growing number of local game retailers. POC: Ed Healy, warpigradio@gmail.com.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Samuel L (motherf#%kin’) Jackson has signed on to be Nick Fury in a whole whack of Marvel movies, possibly including a SHIELD movie.

So, perhaps someone at Marvel is reading this e-zine?

I mean, SLJ as Nick Fury, Kenneth Brannagh directing the Thor movie, . . . what’s next, a Nextwave, Agents of HATE movie?

A Nextwave, Agents of HATE movie?

Oh, man, now I have to go change my pants.

Extras Include Exclusive New Ship, 60 Days of Free Game Time, Instant War Access and More.

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND and LYON, FRANCE – 24 February, 2009 – Atari and CCP, one of the world’s leading independent game developers, today confirmed details regarding the contents of the retail box version of EVE Online, coming to retailers in North America beginning March 10th, 2009 and in Europe and Asia Pacific regions beginning March 12th. The retail version of CCP’s award winning PC massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) will ship with a number of high value extras offering newcomers a rewarding first voyage into the incredible universe of EVE Online. The Peak Concurrent User (PCU) record for EVE Online’s 260,000 subscriber single-shard game world has been broken three times in 2009, recently surpassing the 50k mark with 51,675 players online simultaneously, proving EVE’s long-lasting depth of gameplay and the importance of the players themselves in its success.

The EVE Online box will include all nine previously released expansions plus the forthcoming tenth expansion entitled EVE Online: Apocrypha which introduces numerous new features including unstable wormholes to explore and modular ships that pilots may tailor-build to suit their own specifications and needs. All subsequent expansions will be free of charge to all subscribers, continuing CCP’s commitment to offer free updates and expansions to its subscribers at regular intervals.

Breaking with tradition, the collection of extras will also include 60 days of free game time, a departure from the standard 30 days offered for most MMOGs, allowing players to sign up and get started without paying any subscription fees for the first 60 days of a new account. Alternatively, the included game time may be used to extend an existing subscription or be split into two 30-day codes known as “Pilot License Extensions” (PLEX) that can be sold to other players through the in-game market for in-game currency.

Players redeeming the code to activate a new account will also receive these special in-game items:
o INSTANT WAR ACCESS: This certificate allows rapid access to organized combat (through increased standings), helping new players get into the action quickly.
o EXCLUSIVE CAREER GUIDE: Accessed via the website to allow for dynamic updates, the guide includes insider tips and tricks.
o VIP PASS: Use this card to invite a friend to try the game for 21 days. When that friend becomes an EVE Online subscriber, you will get an additional 30 days of free game time
o EXCLUSIVE IN-GAME SHIP: An exclusive new ship, the Interbus Shuttle, will allow players to fly in style with an increased capacity cargo hold to ferry those extra crucial items at high speeds

More information about CCP is available at the company’s website.

Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the podosphere, Warpig Radiogets hit by some Collateral from the Accidental Survivors.

A concentrated burst of the inspiration and opinion listeners have come to expect from the Accidental Survivors, Collateral is a weekly podcast on role-playing game related topics. Unlike the Accidental Survivors podcast, Collateralwill cast further afield than just modern gaming. Any topic connected to role-playing games is grist for this mill.

And you can listen to Collateral on the gamers’ radio station, Warpig. Warpig Radio streams a variety of role-playing game podcasts, all of them under 20 minutes and all of them clean and safe for work.

So go check out Warpig Radio.

From the press release:

Da dada daaah! GOLD: Episode 3 – “Heart of the Enemy” is here!

It’s the British Invasion at casa GOLD. While Episode 2 introduced Oliver Crane’s Brits, Episode 3: Heart of the Enemy, is is the first episode to show us who these nasty Brits are, and how they plan to beat Richard’s new American team. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of action from the Americans as well at www.goldtheseries.com:

Faced with the prospect of battling a reconfigured American team, Oliver Crane launches his British team into a new training program, creating a rift between himself and his lieutenant, Martha. Meanwhile, Jon presses Tim for information about his old team’s training, and Richard forces Sam to choose a character class for the tournament.

“Heart of the Enemy” is available in SD (default), HD, and in downloadable format for iPods, iPhones, etc. You can also subscribe to the GOLD episodes through iTunes by clicking on the “Subscribe in iTunes” button at www.goldtheseries.com.

Other exciting GOLD news:
-        GOLD is mentioned in “Geek Monthly” magazine this month, in an article about the upcoming Streamy Awards. (PDF)
-        The GOLD Online Store went live this week, filled with GOLD logo items, character posters, and much more. Buy some stuff, and support GOLD.

What’s that? After four episodes and a half dozen emails you still haven’t watched GOLD? That’s okay. All the episodes are there — there’s plenty of time to catch up. In fact, here’s what you should do: on Sunday, while you’ve got your TiVo paused and are waiting for the last few ungrateful stragglers to show up at your party so you can start the Oscars, load up GOLD on your computer and play all the episodes back to back. It’ll delight you and your guests. Guaranteed.

from press release:

The GOLD online store is live!

At long last, the GOLD Online Store is live at www.goldtheseries.com.

The Online Store is full of fantastic goodies: posters and t-shirts featuring the GOLD Characters, the brand-new GOLD logo, quotes from the series and other geek awesomeosity.* If you like GOLD, RPGs or cool stuff in general, you should totally check it out: www.cafepress.com/goldtheseries.

And, on top of the general awesomeness, when you buy and wear or display something from the GOLD store you can feel proud in knowing that you’re helping to support the ongoing production of this little web series we love.

Of course, the whole point of our little website is the series itself. Please, watch it, share it with friends, if you’ve got a blog, mention us or embed the video on your site. Your good vibes and word-of-mouth is our best route to continued success (and continued episodes).

Badge Registration Goes Live!

Greetings Gamers!

As you probably know this weekend is the beginning of badge registration. We are excited for you to check out the new website and registration system! Please review all of the information below.

Badge Registration – Goes live on Sunday, February 15th
VIG Packages – Are available
Housing – Opens on Tuesday, February 17th

Regards,
The Gen Con Team

-Badge Registration opens this Sunday, February 15th, at Noon (Eastern)
If you haven’t already, be sure to create your new RUBI account by going to registration.gencon.com. Everyone will need to create a new account in RUBI in order to purchase a badge.Badge Prices:
4-Day Badge – $68
1-Day Badge (Thurs-Sat) – $38
Sunday Badge – will be available for purchase onsite
VIG Package – $500

-VIG Packages available
If you’re interested in becoming a VIG Member, there are over 100 slots available. The package is only $500 and includes merchandise, a VIG Lounge, a separate hotel block, and much more!

-Housing opens Tuesday, February 17th, at Noon (Eastern)
When you purchase a badge, you will see your housing code on the screen and receive a confirmation email with additional housing information. Be sure to keep this code handy! You will need it to reserve a hotel room when housing opens on Tuesday. If you have any trouble finding a hotel room, be sure to put your name on the waiting list, and we will let you know when more rooms become available.

For more information about RUBI, our new registration system, go to our RUBI Updates page at RUBI Updates

Pulp Gamer was one of the first podcasts I listened to on a regular basis. Out of Character remains a standard on my listening queue. Since I’ve been home and spending lots of time with my toddler, I appreciate Pulp Gamer: Out of Character even more. It’s a slick production with great hosts and family friendly language.

Pros: Excellent production values, engaging and dynamic hosts, great chemistry among the hosts, professional manner, family friendly language, extensive experience with a wide variety of games.

Cons: Long periods of discussion regarding card or board games which does not interest me. That’s about it.

Pulp Gamer: Out of Character is by far one of the most professional and enjoyable gaming podcasts available.

Fraser’s Rating: 4.75 out of 5 (if I liked card and board games, it’d be a 5)

Badge registration begins February 15th

SEATTLE, WA (February 10, 2009) For the 42nd year, gamers are eagerly anticipating the best four days in gaming as they lay out their plans to attend Gen Con Indy 2009 in August.  After much feedback from attendees, Gen Con LLC is excited to announce the implementation of a new registration system. The new, adaptable system promises to be flexible and agile enough to accommodate the growing number of attendees. Gone are the days of the system crashing, difficulty searching events and slow performance.

“We are really excited about the new registration system. We took input from everyone over the years, and incorporated everything that was possible into the new system to make it that much better,” said Adrian Swartout, CEO of Gen Con.

The announcement of a new registration system is evidence of the company’s commitment toward building a stronger, more focused company. In January, the US Bankruptcy court of Western Washington confirmed Gen Con’s plan of
reorganization and approved the company’s rejection of a hostile takeover bid.  With its emergence from Chapter 11, Gen Con has significantly reduced its expenses and increased its cash position. Under the confirmed plan, Gen Con will pay all of it creditors in full over time and will continue to operate. A three-member Advisory Committee will assist the company and its board with Peter Adkison retaining ownership.

Gen Con Indy 2009, which will be held August 13-16 in Indianapolis, will prove to be one of the best shows yet with thousands of events and hundreds of exhibitors. To register, attendees will need to create a new account in the system by going to www.registration.gencon.com .  Badge pre-registration will begin on Sunday, February 15th at 12noon (ET).  Housing registration opens on Tuesday, February 17th at 12noon (ET). Event pre-registration begins on Sunday, April 19 at 12noon (EST).  Both badge and event pre-registration will close at 11:59pm (ET) on June 27th.

Pre-registration will only be available online through the registration system. A four-day badge is $68 with pre-registration or $78 onsite.  A 1-day badge is $35 with pre-registration or $45 onsite. The VIG (Very Important Guest package) is only available online with pre-registration for $500.

About Gen Con
Gen Con, LLC produces the largest consumer hobby, fantasy, sci-fi and adventure game convention in North America. Its operations include Gen Con Indy and licensees for European and Asia Pacific Gen Con shows. It was acquired in 2002 by former CEO and founder of Wizards of the Coast Peter Adkison, who solely owns the company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Gen Con is a consumer and trade experience dedicated to gaming culture and community. For more information visit the website at www.gencon.com.