Season 10 Episode 2: "Dune"

Welcome back, Cromrades! This week we go deep into the first section of Frank Herbert's Dune, from the standpoint of civilization and barbarism, unwanted power, drugs, factions vying for control of Arrakis, ecology, fathers and sons, mothers and sons, conservation, perceptions of native cultures as noble savages, space nuns, adapting to new environments, and more!

Need a copy? Here it is from Amazon.

One Things
Jon: Fables the comic book series
Josh: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Luke: Mindhunter on Netflix

Next time - we wander further into the deserts of Arrakis in the second section of Dune, titled "Muad'Dib".

Questions? Comments? Curses?

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Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. 

Outro: "Tomorrow's Dream" by Black Sabbath.  All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 10 Episode 1: Dune as Pulp, Dune as S&S!

Welcome, Cromrades! We embark upon a new season centered on Frank Herbert's Dune! Please join us as we start down the Road to Arrakis! In this episode we talk about the Golden Age of SF, the 3 B's (Bims, BEMs, and Bums), and how Dune breaks that mold of foundational science fiction pulps!

One Things
Jon: Jonah Hex, by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Josh: The Iron Lords, written by Andrew J. Offutt
Luke: 12 Monkeys, directed by Terry Gilliam

Otherwise, if you are looking for some context for the correspondence and narrative outlined here, seek out the The Road to Dune by Herbert, Anderson, and Herbert.

Questions? Comments? Curses?
Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)
You know you want to follow us on Twitter!
Did you know that we're on Facebook?
We're posting photos on the Instagrams!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!
Or, check us out on iTunes!
We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play!
Finally.... Call us! (859) 429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.
Outro: "To Tame a Land" by Iron Maiden.  All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 9 Episode 9: The Recapitulation – End of The Road of Revisions!

Welcome, Cromrades! We've reached the end of The Road of Revisions, and this week we reflect on what we've learned about Robert E. Howard's revision process and discuss the implications of posthumous collaborations.

One Things
Jon: The Helmet Project - an online index of the helmets worn by various American football teams at all levels of play throughout history.
Josh: My Father, The Pornographer: A Memoir by Chris Offutt.
Luke: Blue Oyster Cult - Fire of Unknown Origin

Robert E. Howard's bedroom as it might have looked as he wrote and revised his works...

Where do we go from here? How about setting sail across the gulfs of space to the desert planet of Arrakis?

Frank Herbert's Dune is a science fiction masterpiece that blends elements of fantasy to create a rich and fully realized fictional world.  At first it may seem like this is a substantial departure for us! But fear not (fear is the mind-killer!), because we think you'll see similar themes that we've explored in other stories unfold within this work in a unique way! 

This novel, first published in 1965, finds its roots in the pulps of the day. And that is where we will begin Season 10 - The Road to Arrakis, next time! 

Questions? Comments? Curses?

Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

You know you want to follow us on Twitter!
Did you know that we're on Facebook?
We're posting photos on the Instagrams!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!
Or, check us out on iTunes!
We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play!
Finally.... Call us! (859) 429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. 

Outro: "Astronomy" by Blue Oyster Cult.  All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 9 Episode 8: The Expansion – "Nekht Semerkhet" by RE Howard and expanded by Andrew J. Offutt

Greetings, Cromrades! This week, we are reading "Nekht Semerkhet" as orginally written by Robert E. Howard and then expanded upon by Andrew J. Offutt. There's a lot to cover today, including barbarism v. civilization, Egyptian contact theories, and how tropes can become larger than life. Tune in if you dare!

One Things
Jon: It was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi- Graphic novel depicting the brutality of WW1
Josh: Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix- An examination of 70s/80s paperback horror books
Luke: Lean Times in Lankhmar and Swords in the Mist by Fritz Leiber- You know 'em and love 'em

Next time: We reach the end of The Road of Revisions! We will be recapitulating all we learned and our feelings about the stories, as well as revealing our next road!

Questions? Comments? Curses?

Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

You know you want to follow us on Twitter!
Did you know that we're on Facebook?
We're posting photos on the Instagrams!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!
Or, check us out on iTunes!
We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play!
Finally.... Call us! (859) 429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. 

Outro: "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles.  All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Bourbon & Barbarians, Season 3 Episode 5: Casks of Oil!

Hile, travelers! We have returned with a finale of sorts for the 'prologue' for our third season of Bourbon & Barbarians! Never fear, our current party will embark on a much bigger adventure soon... RAVENLOFT! If you are interested, the entire prologue series of sessions for Season 3 is based on a 'creative commons' module that is free for the taking. See the first episode of the season for details!

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. "Gnarled Situation" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Likewise Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Our final track is "Warrior" by Wishbone Ash from the Argus album. All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Bourbon & Barbarians, Season 3 Bonus Episode with Planet X Games!

Hile, adventurers! We interrupt your regularly-scheduled Bourbon & Barbarians broadcast for this special release... We are joined by an old school friend from way back, Levi Combs, who is now spearheads Planet X Games!

Planet X has previously released their first D&D 5E module, Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride, and you may remember our previous discussion of that material. Well, Levi and Co. are back at it, and have a Kickstarter running for their new D&D 5E module, An Occurrence at Howling Crater! This is a legit sandbox module, so you'll get uber-playability out of the module. You can back the module and get in on the goodness at the $15 mark, so consider getting in on the action!

This was a fun episode. We didn't just talk about the Kickstarter. We spent way more time talking through our respective and shared histories with RPGs, and talk about RPGs in general! Hope you like it!

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. We close the episode with White Zombie's "Electric Head Pt. 1 (The Agony)." All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!