Monkey in the Cage Productions

You walk into a room. It has some walls and there are some figures in it. What do you do? Sound familiar? If you've ever played a role-playing game, you've undoubtedly heard countless iterations of varying detail along those lines. Some may have been incredibly memorable, while others as vague and unappealing as the one written above. If you suffer from lack of attention to detail, or symptoms of poorly descriptive writing, just ask your favorite podcast Monkey if Episode 13 is the right prescription for you. This week the podcast crew is talking about what (in our opinions) are some of the ins and outs of successful worldbuilding. Everything from visual props to novel length world history, we look at some of the various aspects of world-building and campaign management that we think will help breathe some long-lasting life into your adventuring party's world. Strap on your ears, take some notes, and enjoy this week's discussion on bringing a setting to life.

The New Year is finally upon us.  2011 brought some good times for us here at Monkey in the Cage, namely the birth of our wicked cool podcast (that's for any fans we may have in Boston).  But, as awesome as 2011 was, 2012 is going to be a thousand time...

So, 2011 is finally winding down and coming to an end.  Another year come and gone with most of us having nothing to show for it but wracked up Christmas debt and extra pounds courtesy of the holiday season.  While this reality gets most people down as...

Season's greetings to all you out there in the internet world! Christmas is just a few days away and we, being the consumer whores we are, are celebrating the only way we know how. Join us this week as we exchange gifts of questionable and embarrassing nature while simultaneously testing the limits of friendship and faith in humanity, for the low low price of $25 a person! Plug in and listen up, because this is an episode you truly won't want to miss. From all the Monkeys to all of our listeners, Merry Whateveritisyoucelebrate!

Well, Christmas is just around the corner! It's time to wrack up that credit card debt, pack on the holiday pounds and try to squeeze some gaming time in between those pesky long hours at work, holiday get-togethers with extended family, and dodging pepper-spraying psycho shoppers at the malls. This week, the podcast Monkeys discuss geek culture and consumerism and reflect on the simultaneous joy and regret our over-spending on the hobbies we love has left us with some significant debt over the years. Pop on your fuzzy rabbit slippers, grab some hot cocoa, and be happy your finances aren't our finances in this week's pre-Christmas special!

We all love heroes, right? We also know that for a great story to exist, there needs to be great characters, and while not all stories are epic adventures of ass-kickery, they all most definitely have a main character we can relate to. Whether you're reading a book, watching a movie or playing a game it is fairly safe to say that during that time you have a vested interest in the characters and the world in which they exist. However, for every great protagonist, there should be a great antagonist and every once in awhile, the villains are even cooler than the hero, right! We know! This week, we're talking Heroes and Villains and what we feel make them effective, believable and deeply complex. Seal up your Bat Cave, double up on inept Henchmen, and make sure your Fortress of Solitude stays that way because you won't want to miss a minute of this!

Being a geek is awesome, plain and simple. Whether it's rolling dice during a dungeon crawl late on a Saturday night or schooling your friends in cut-throat battles of Mario Kart 64, the time we spend on our geeky hobbies and with our even geekier friends is definitely time well spent. This week, we discuss the personal and social benefits of "geeking out" and the reasons we feel that being a geek among geeks is the best place in the world to be. So, turn on your consoles, zip up your cosplay costume and grab your gaming dice, because it's about to get AWESOME!

Centuries ago, the wise Chinese philosopher Confucius once said "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  Undoubtedly, wise GM's the world round say "Hurry up and finish your damn character so we can start playing!"  While the latter is definitely important, particularly if your gaming group is pressed for time or really eager to loot your corpse, Confucious' wisdom is vital to an enjoyable and successful experience around the gaming table.  This week, we talk about the challenges we've each faced in bringing our favorite and forgettable characters to life in a myriad of gaming worlds.  We've got everything from interventions to creep-factor 10 this episode, so get ready for some seriously serious gaming talk! (00:55) - If there is anyone that is a close second to Matt in lagging behind in TV shows, it's Robert.  We have a spoiler free discussion on Burn Notice Season 4 and Sons of Anarchy Season 3, but the biggest take away we have is that we have finally found something Mr. Apathetic (Robert) himself loves, and that would be spies... less than suave and kinda inept spies.... (04:55) - When he isn't playing catch-up on television shows, Robert is at least staying current on books.  From Ed Greenwood Presents: Waterdeep to The Hunger Games, Robert drops some fantasy literature knowledge on the group.  At least Matt is caught up with AMC's The Walking Dead.... Suck it Robert! (07:49) - It's not all about gaming and books around here!  Ramses geeks out to the sweet beats of music nerd Ben Folds.  Chatroulette concerts and cutting albums with William "Captain James T. Kirk" Shatner himself?  How can you not be down with man's music??  Also, thanks to him and The Sing Off , A capella is cool again... right?  LET'S ROCK THIS BITCH!! (12:08) - Are you lonely?  Nothing better to do than think about gaming, visit our awesome website, and listen to how great our podcast is?  Great!  Keep it up!  However, if you really feel the need for actual human interaction but just can't find the right way to go about it, listen to Karen bring everyone up to speed on TLC's (or as she calls it, Terrible Life Choices) new special, Geek Love.  Sci-Fi Speed Dating - Bringing Wookies and Trekkies to marital bliss, 3 minutes at a time.  BobaPhat PimpBoba is where it's at!! (16:24) - From Robert's G4 casting call to Karen and other Buffy fans scrambling for Joss Whedon's autograph, nothing beats being surrounded by those that share your interests... even when you're like a salmon swimming up-stream in the Geek Mecca that is San Diego Comic-Con. (18:45) - Nowadays, everything is EXTREME.  We're inundated with everything from Extreme Couponing to Extreme Sitting (really), but Matt may have found the most extreme semi-pro sports enthusiasts around.  Charlie Andrews and his Knights of Mayhem get medieval (literally) when it comes to National Geographic's new reality show about the world of Full Contact Heavy Armor Jousting.  Armor up and bring the aspirin, because such paltry things like severe concussions, losing your family, and thinking about any sort of modern safety equipment (mouthpieces anyone?) are nothing when Ren-Faire honor and some gas money are at stake! (25:08) - As we delve into this week's topic, things start off  with our resident Power-Gamer, Robert, as he takes the lead and admits he's not so good with the process.  Aside from his Chaotic Neutral Bard that pelts the poor with gold (you heard that right), he has trouble when it comes finding a concept to exploit, other than himself... yes, Robert exploits himself... Don't judge. (28:41) - Matt discusses his "central concept" approach.  From redemption seeking Dwarves to Canadian Gnomes, he keeps it real.... real short. (30:43) - Ramses channels Nietzsche when talking about his ever-evolving second edition character.  Part pyromaniac, part Ryu from Street Fighter 2, Ramses brings it from the here and now.  Way to keep it Existential,

Okay, admit it.  You're just as guilty as the rest of us.  When it comes to the geeky things you know and love, there isn't anyone out there that is going to change your mind on why it influences you or why it's important.  Even if that means a little "nerd rage" from time to time, or a lot if you happen to be Matt.  This week we're talking about the proverbial Dark Side of geekdom, that evil place where your passion for something geeky almost destroys it's awesomeness because you're too hung up on your own fanaticism.  So, sit back and enjoy as the battle lines are drawn in this epic nerd rage debate! (00:39) - Matt's out the gate with a video game heavy intro offering his first impressions on the newly released Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.  We talk improvements to the engine, organic class progression, and the possibility of Matt never interacting with the real world again.  Who needs sleep, human interaction, or other hobbies when you can play an awesome (or awesomely creepy) fantasy version of yourself and get punted into the air by giants? (09:40) - Robert and Matt briefly discuss their embarrassing debacle that was Battlefield 3 Co-Op using a baseball analogy.  This ain't no sports show!! (10:38) -  Ramses talks about the newly released Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.  The group educates Matt on this generation's version of Lara Croft / Indiana Jones, we speculate on a potential film franchise and things get super meta thanks to a Japanese ad campaign.  Also, Ramses reveals that he shoots to maim, not to kill. (18:03) - Robert quantifies his "hatred" for Bethesda Softworks.  We think he may start an Occupy Bethesda movement over it. (19:08) - We revisit Plants vs. Zombies on various platforms, mini-games, and Sony's upcoming limitations on game sharing.  Anyone want to take bets that Matt adds this to the long list of unfinished games? (21:13) - Robert loves games, but he doesn't really care for racing games.  Additionally, he isn't very fond of Michael Bay.  How in the world, then, is he excited for the new Need for Speed The Run?  Powerful marketing my friends, powerful marketing - Need for Speed The Run TV Trailer.  It's almost as exciting as Tony Hawk's Extreme Walking!! (22:58) - While Matt has temporarily traded in assault rifle for a sword and shield, Robert is still going strong in Battlefield 3 multiplayer.  We talk Battlefield 3 vs. the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise and Robert's rage over the apparent baby-soft skulls of first person shooter protagonists.  Oh, and what genius at Electronic Arts came up with Project Ten Dollar?? (26:45) - While the guys (lovingly and willingly) rot their brains playing video games, Karen has been feeding hers by reading Image Comics' Morning Glories series.  It's like LOST meets X-Men with a healthy dose of Battle Royale and a sprinkling of Fringe.  Spoiler:  There are no polar bears, and that makes Matt a sad (kung-fu) panda. (31:31) - Let the Nerd Rage begin!  We start with a Star Wars fan vs. fanatic debate related to changes on the newly released Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray collection and look at some of the ways George Lucas ruined Matt's childhood, although he swears he's cool with it.  Han shot first, Ramses.  Look into your heart, you know it to be true. (36:44) - On Robert's home planet, the "humans" love to hate as part of their nature.  Although we disagree, he may have been using alien technology to bring us around to his way of thinking when it comes to The Twilight Saga.  From Karen's begrudgingly disciplined and spite-filled read through to Matt's utterly blind hate, some things are worth the anger. (39:00) - Why is it we let ourselves get filled with rage over the things we love?  Everything from being overprotective and nostalgic to being selfish and immature we look at the continuation of the Star Wars galaxy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Matrix.  Oh, and to set the record straight,

We sure do love gaming and we know you love it too, but what happens when those minor annoyances like jobs, bills, relationships, kids, etc. get in the way of you pursuing your geek passions? You smite them down like the bad-ass paragon of heroics that you are and sally forth onto the next adventure!!! Or, you know... prioritize the things in your life and be sure to make room for everything, especially gaming! This episode, we talk about the ways we try to squeeze out a little time each week to spend time on the geeky passions that help make us who we are. So make a little time this week to take a listen, you might learn something... but probably not.

Happy Halloween listeners! Welcome to our special Halloween episode. Today we're talking about the horror genre and the reasons we all enjoy having the crap scared out of us. We're joined in-studio with by our first ever special guest, Troy "Zombee Munkee" Parsons, resident horror expert and the new horror writer for our friends over at www.therealmcast.com. So, turn of the lights, ignore those trick-or-treaters and get ready to have some spooky fun with the Monkey in the Cage crew!

In our second episode, we talk about everything from zombies and bikers to Batman and Buffy. More importantly, we take on the serious task of dispelling common generalizations about gaming and gamers while simultaneously proving that everyone deep down is a geek, whether they know it or not!

We have arrived! In this, our inaugural episode, we introduce ourselves to the podcast listening world, offering insight into our geek pedigree's, gaming interests and touching on a host of inside jokes. We welcome all of you out in internet land to start joining us in our weekly discussions on gaming, geek culture and everything in between. Sit back and relax as we here at Monkey in the Cage make a valiant attempt to entertain you, the gracious listener.