The Action Points Podcast! Episode 140 – GX Australia 2017 Recap
In this episode: We were at GX Australia 2017 and recap what we did there, the games we saw, and all the things we love about the convention. In our […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 139 – Mash It Up Real Good
In this episode: We talk about mashups and crossovers; why and how they work and our favourite ones. In our roundup: Dan was really into the letters L and G, […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 138 – When He Blew Up That Boat, He Blew Up My Pants
In this episode: We talk about villains that we love to hate, love to love and the role of tragedy and pathos in boners. In our roundup: Dan went to […]
Microscope: First Play Session Report and Initial Impressions
I recently played a 3-player game of Microscope with my friends Jonathan and Steve. Microscope is a storytelling game where you explore the timeline of a nation, group or civilization […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 137 – Always Read the Label
In this episode: We tackle the topic of genre and medium labels and how we deal with the stigma attached to certain labels when we try to share our hobbies […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 136 – Put It In And Around My Mouth Hole
In this episode: We are joined by ol’ pal Ken Lee to chat about something that we all need and love: food. We discuss the representation of food in various […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 135 – Hello 2017
In this episode: We start off our first recording session of 2017 with a big catch up on what we’ve been up to during our holiday breaks, including some big […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 134 – Best of 2016 Part 2
In this episode: We follow up on Part 1 and recount the things we loved from the back half of 2016, as well as our overall favourites. Episode link below […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 133 – Palaces Out Of Paragraphs
In this episode: We talk about worldbuilding and settings that we enjoy, covering what makes worldbuilding effective and fictional setting we would like to live in. In our roundup: Aaron […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 132/Victory Pointers 018 – The Great Action Victory Pointers Crossovercast
In this episode: It’s a big crossover podcast for Action Points and Victory Pointers as we all got together on the last day of PAX Aus 2016 to chat about […]
Victory Pointers 017 – PAX Aus 2016 Interviews
We were at PAX Aus 2016 and had a chat with some local creators about their projects, with the organizers behind the TGDA, and chat about connecting with the local […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 131 – PAX Aus 2016 Interviews
In this episode: We were at PAX Aus 2016 and we had a chat with some local (and one international guest) board game and video game creators about their projects. […]
Ashes of Ariandel: Lore Analysis
Note: These suppositions, speculations, revelations and conclusions were reached and realized with the help of Killian (@FionnBran) after a couple of days of ruminating on the items, characters, events, and descriptions […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 130 – Unlikable
In this episode: We talk about unlikable protagonists and why we end up liking or/and disliking them. We also take a digression into prawn cocktail crisps. In our round up: […]
GEEKY SHIT: 1/6 Scale Baby Hellboy Figure – Mondo Exclusive
I’m going to break a few rules with this GEEKY SHIT post. I don’t normally show off (nor collect for that matter) action figures. I don’t often bother with items […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 129 – This Episode Is Entitled This Episode Is Entitled…
In this episode: We tackle the topic of gamer entitlement, spurred on by the furor around the marketing and release of No Man’s Sky. Also, Sye from the Victory Pointers […]
Drinking from the Flame: A Dark Souls 3 “Let’s Play”, Episodes 1-5
Evan has been drinking hard and playing hard. What started as a standard “Let’s Play” soon drove Evan to grog. His wife wishes he’d stop recording so many episodes in […]
Video Review: Redout (PC)
Check out Evan’s latest video review! He’s terrible at racing games, so should you trust his review? Probably not! Evan’s YouTube channel
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 128 – Best of 2016 Part 1
In this episode: We recount our favourite games, comics, movies and TV from the first half (give or take a few months) of 2016 and also gush about one of […]
Victory Pointers 016 – GenCon 2016 with Sean Carroll
We are joined by Sean Carroll of 93 Made Games to chat about Gen Con 2016 from the perspective of a publisher attending for the first time. Sean Carroll – […]
GEEKY SHIT: The Four Horsies of the ‘Pocalypse, art toys by Bigshot Toyworks
Bigshot Toyworks sits at the intersection of great design, cool IPs, and excellent production. Their work on Maddie, the Cthuloid My Little Pony inspired character, was followed up in 2015 […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 127 – Lung Transplants and Emergent Storytelling
In this episode: We talk about emergent storytelling in games as Aaron has been playing Rimworld and encountering silly situations brought about by zany colonists. We also chat about things […]
Review: Silence! The Elder Speaks (PC)
As a toolset for budding game designers, RPG Maker has long been a staple of the scene. Silence! The Elder Speaks joins games like To The Moon in building a unique […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 126 – Social Geekdom
In this episode: We gather together to talk about the social aspects of our geeky hobbies, spurred on by the release of worldwide hit Pokemon GO. In our round up: […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 125 – Ask Jackson Anything
In this episode: It’s Jackson’s turn in the hot seat as we ask him all the burning questions we’ve been holding on to, like: what’s that burning sensation? How many […]
Catfishing with Kitty Kisses : Mediocre role-play, or inept deception?
Note: Please do not harass any of the parties involved in this odd situation. This morning offered one of the strangest experiences of my online life. I was told by a […]
GEEKY SHIT: Durarara!!x2 – Orihara Izaya 1/8 scale Psychedelic Ver. by ALTAiR (Alter)
Of all the villains modelled on The Joker’s brand of “anarchy for interest’s sake”, Orihara Izaya is easily the most stylish. The fact that he’s a villain at all is […]
Victory Pointers 015 – Designing and Publishing with David Harding and Phil Walker-Harding
We are joined by guests Phil Walker-Harding and David Harding (in a rare back-to-back appearance) to chat about their different paths taken in designing and publishing games, getting your foot […]
Drinking from the Flame: A late-comer’s love affair with Dark Souls
Warning: This article contains extensive spoilers for the Dark Souls series, and many terrible Dark Souls puns. I make no apologies. Unlike many other recent converts who have been drawn […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 124 – More Like BORED Games
In this episode: Adam returns to the podcast to talk about E3 and all the hype for video games out of it. I lie, we actually just talk about food […]
Victory Pointers 014 – BorderCon with Joel Finch and David Harding
We were just in Albury for BorderCon, an annual board game convention that attracts plenty of board gamers from the surrounding states. While we were there, we caught up with […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 123 – Watching Over You
In this episode: There’s going to be some Overwatch in this episode. No escaping it. We talk about ethical game design, particularly in relation to representation and monetisation. We also […]
Victory Pointers 013 – Designing Experiences and Tabletopia Playtesting with Philip duBarry
We are joined by consummate game designer, Philip duBarry to talk about designing games around experiences, working with intellectual property, getting games published in the era of Kickstarter, playtesting on […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 122 – Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
In this episode: First up, we’re super sorry we’ve been away for a while. This episode was recorded quite a while ago, but a combination of hardware failures and incredibly […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 121 – A Marriage in the Key of Mother 3
In this episode: Be warned! This episode contains full spoilers for Mother 3! Welcome to an intimate evening with Evan and Kat, as they discuss their relationship with the 2006 JRPG, […]
Victory Pointers 012 – Designing for Kids and Networking with Peter C Hayward
Kim’s game, Monstrous, is now being shipped to backers! We also chat about shipping games, dexterity games and designing games with kids and families in mind. In the second half […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 120 – Influential Books That Are Not Mother 3
In this episode: As foreshadowed, Adam is back for a fiver on the podcast as we talk about influential books in our lives (that are not Mother 3). In “what […]
The Mechanics of Failure (XCOM2)
Let’s get this out of the way – XCOM2 – a turn based tactical combat / strategy game – is an extraordinarily well crafted game, and is right now the […]
Victory Pointers 011 – Game Industry Conventions
Kim and Sye have been busy attending some game industry conventions, GAMA in Las Vegas and the Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair in Melbourne, so we catch up with […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 119 – Have A Little Faith
In this episode: We chat about the representation of faith in games and other media, which is code for “Evan gives a lecture on the representation of faith in Mother […]
Victory Pointers 010 – Kickstarting Publishing with Allen Chang and Alistair Kearney
We are joined by Allen Chang and Alistair Kearney from Rule & Make to discuss collaborating on designs, focusing on the core of games, Kickstarting a publishing company, communicating with […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 118 – Things That Come In Threes
In this episode: We celebrate our 3rd anniversary by chatting about our favourite trilogies and other things that come in threes. We also take some time to answer some listener […]
Review: Pharaoh Rebirth+ (PC)
Thanks to Degica Games and their efforts to bring a growing catalogue of Japanese indie and arcade classics (Mushihimesama, RPG Maker, Crimzon Clover, Muv-Luv, and many more) to Steam, we […]
Victory Pointers 009 – Design Philosophies and Collaboration with Matt Dunstan
We are joined by Matt Dunstan to discuss finding a community, collaborating on designs, how we come up with game ideas, working with publishers, and recognizing different philosophies of game […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 117 – Out of Town at GX Australia
In this episode: We take a trip out to Sydney for GX Australia (and some tasty late night Thai desserts at Chat Thai), Australia’s first queer gaming convention. Features chats […]
GEEKY SHIT: Transistor Figure, and Val & Beholder Vinyl with Mimic
Some of my favourite recent pieces have been developed by Bigshot Toyworks, including Monkey with a Gun, and The Four Horsies of the ‘Pocalypse (review to come). Here I’ll be looking […]
GEEKY SHIT: Adventure Time Puff Jake N Lil Finn and Lady Rainicorn Med Figures by Kidrobot
As some of you may be aware, I consider Adventure Time to be one of the most important shows of our generation. The way it plays with fantasy tropes using […]
GEEKY SHIT: Doronjo (and Oda-sama) 1/7 scale figure by Amakuni
You might recognise Miss Leopard (alias: Doronjo) from my previous figure review, which took a look at PLUM’s release, and as such I’ll keep the exposition short. She’s the protagonist […]
GEEKY SHIT: The First Hellboy, Statue by Mondo
A couple of years before Mike Mignola would begin publishing stories featuring his iconic half-demon supernatural detective, there was a sketch of a character with the same name in the […]
The Action Points Podcast! Episode 116 – The Wars in Our Stars
In this episode: We finally get around to chatting about Star Wars Episode VII at length, since Evan was the last holdout who had not seen it. We talk about […]
