The Podge Cast

* Welcome back after Episode 49 & 50′s debacle!

* Thanks to Andrew, who got the St. Louis guys an ice-cream cookie cake!

* Congratulations to Asylos, winner of the D&D minis contest!

* We kick off the Pro-Tip Proving for all of The Podge’s released material. Listen to the episode for details, and then send adam@podgecast.com an e-mail with all of your answers!

* Big thanks to the Trap Cast for all of their hard work on episode 50. Go listen to their show, because they’re pretty awesome.

* The Sultan. Enough said.

* Auto-Tune The News

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Nocturnals: Black Planet by Dan Brereton

Dan Brereton creates a world of gene-crafted humanoid animals, android-hired torpedos, and supernatural pulp heroes. The Nocturnals are led by Doc Horror of the heroic cursed genius and two-fisted guns variety. He fights the evil of the Narn K Corporation and the alien Crim with his crew of undead gunsels, freed hybrids, and pyschics.

Brereton’s signature painted style brings out the best for his post-dusk setting. Lots of shadows and moonlit settings. Brereton crafts an excellent mash-up of scifi, Lovecraftian and gangster tropes into a pulp noir story.

* Introducing the new hosts

* A new segment: Getting to know your hosts

* Role-Playing Games

* In the Hodge (live), Joe talks about bagels

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A Distant Soil: The Gathering by Colleen Doran

Within the first dozen pages of Doran’s sci-fi/fantasy/romance epic you get a brother and sister with mysterious powers and the villainous Martin Institute. Then soon after that, you get the aliens. Beautiful, human-looking aliens and weird, hulking ones both. And more psychics. And a cynical but heroic cop. And a gang-banger with a good heart. And more beautiful alien psychics. And Sir Galahad of Avalon. And alien revolutions. And an alien threat to Earth. And a plan to gather heroes to stop it. And a were-panther/alien. And evil dictators who aren’t. And so on…

Colleen Doran manages to somehow blend together all these disparate elements into a cohesive and compelling story in a A Distant Soil. Even the Faerie. Did I mention the Faerie? Yeah, from what could easily be a giant mess, Doran creates a world and tale that lives up to the description of epic.

* Announcements

* Topic

* Hodge (if there is one)

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