336: Using Inspiration Creatively, with Seth Skorkowsky
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Release Date: 04/06/2026
345: Alien, with Holly from RPG Reanimators
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Main Topic: Alien Since its release in 1979, Alien has become a fan favourite, spawning any number of spin-offs across every medium. But what is the secret of its enduring appeal? How well does it stand up after almost five decades of imitators and pastiches? And what can we take from its strange DNA for our own games? Our Guest Host We are delighted to welcome Holly back to the Good Friends! Holly co-hosts , a podcast focusing on providing resources for GMs and players of horror RPGs. She’s also a regular on , an actual play YouTube channel. In addition to RPGs,...
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344: Why You Shouldn't Learn to Roleplay From Actual Plays, with Zach Reeves
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Main Topic: Why You Shouldn’t Learn to Roleplay From Actual Plays Actual play podcasts and streams have grown in popularity massively over the past 20 years, redefining and dominating the hobby. They play a huge role in bringing people into roleplaying games, and possibly an even larger one in teaching new players how they work. But is this always a good thing? What are the advantages and possible pitfalls of learning from APs? And what other approaches might we recommend? This episode was recorded live at A Weekend With Good Friends 2026. While it mostly follows the usual format, we do...
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343: Reactive GMing, with Ross Bryant
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Main Topic: Reactive GMing No game ever goes to plan. Whether you have prepared for every eventuality or are running off the cuff, players will always do the unexpected. Improvisation is a key skill for GMs, from spinning narrative on the fly to incorporating whatever chaos the players come up with. But what are some of the key techniques in making this work? How do you learn to let go as a GM? And are there ever times when you might want to keep a grip on the reins? We have discussed similar topics in earlier episodes on and . This episode was recorded live at A Weekend With...
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342a: ENnies Nomination Special
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We were delighted to hear that The Good Friends of Jackson Elias has been nominated for an ENnie Award in the Best Streaming Content category. This is both exciting and unexpected. The Good Friends has been running for over 13 years now and we’re just happy that people are still listening! The awards themselves are decided through . If you are a fan of the podcast and you’d like to vote for us (and earn our undying gratitude), you can find . Voting runs between the 10th and 19th of July 2026. If you are voting, you might also consider casting votes for Jayson Green’s “The...
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342: The Stuff, with cuppycup
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Main Topic: The Stuff Following on from our discussion of last episode, we’re taking a look at Larry Cohen’s 1985 film The Stuff. Cohen blended horror, social satire, and absurd comedy to create one of the stranger mainstream releases of the decade, lampooning America’s growing obsession with guilt-free snack foods and the intrusive ways in which they were marketed. As well as discussing the film itself, and how it might inspire our games, we’ll talk a little about Larry Cohen himself and what made him such a unique filmmaker. Our Guest Host We are delighted to...
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341: Food and Horror, with Cuppycup
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Main Topic: Food and Horror To live is to require sustenance. Food is not only nutrition but usually a source of pleasure. But our relationship with food is complicated and filled with potential horror. Can we trust that what we eat is not tainted? What happens when our relationship with food becomes dysfunctional? Should we blind ourselves to the horrors of how our food is manufactured? And how do we react when humans find themselves on the menu? We touched on some of these issues in episode 182, on . Content Warnings After our episode on gore, we had some requests for content warnings...
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340: Environmental Storytelling, with Alex Sun
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Main Topic: Environmental Storytelling Every location bears scars. These might have been left by human occupation, entropy, natural disasters, or something altogether more eldritch. Whatever the cause, places have their own stories to tell. But just how does environmental storytelling work in fiction and gaming? What turns seemingly random items into a non-linear narrative? And how might we use these techniques in our own games? We touched on related matters when we discussed with Heather Miller in episode 304. Our Guest Host This episode we’re delighted to welcome Alex Sun back...
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339: Liminal Spaces, with Alex Sun
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Main Topic: Liminal Spaces Liminal spaces have been a source of fascination on the internet for several years now. Like much of the analogue horror movement, they are defined more by an aesthetic than any specific subject matter or tropes. But for all their vagueness, they have found their way into fanfic, short films, video games, and now, with the forthcoming Backrooms movie, onto the big screen. So what makes a space liminal? Why are they so uncanny? What are some of the best uses we’ve seen in media? And how might we use them in our own games? We touched upon this topic when...
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338: New Takes on Classic Monsters, with Sasha Sienna
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Main Topic: New Takes on Classic Monsters It’s probably safe to say that every horror fan loves monsters. While we regularly see new creations breaking free from the laboratory, so many monsters in media are old favourites. Whether they’re vampires, werewolves, or Deep Ones, there are certain archetypes we’re drawn to over and over. But what are some ways of making them feel fresh? How have we seen others do so in films, stories, or other media? And how might we come up with some new takes on old favourites in our own games? Our Guest Host This episode we’re welcoming Sasha Sienna...
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337: Gateway Horror, with Sasha Sienna
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Main Topic: Gateway Horror Every horror fan started out somewhere. The works that draw us into the genre are often gentler ones, created to appeal to those put off by terror or gore. These are often aimed at children or teens, although there are plenty of entry points for adults as well. What are some of our favourite examples of gateway horror? What makes them more accessible to someone who isn’t already a horror fan? And how can we use this approach in our games? We’ve touched on similar topics in , with Baz Stephens, and , with Josephine McAdam. Our Guest Host Sasha Sienna is...
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Main Topic: Using Inspiration Creatively
Scenario writers and GMs take inspiration from everything we can. Often, this means borrowing ideas from books, films, or other forms of media. But how do we do this without simply plagiarising? What kinds of ideas do we seize on? And how can we transform them into something new?
We took a more specific look at inspiration in episode 124, talking about the roots of a few of our own scenarios.
Our Guest Host
We are delighted to have YouTuber, podcaster and author Seth Skorkowsky join us for this episode. Most of our listeners will know Seth from his ENnie-Award winning YouTube channel, as well as the Modern Mythos podcast, which he hosts with Jon Hook.
Seth is also the author of many fine books, spanning fantasy, sword and sorcery, and horror. Most pertinently to this discussion, he has written a number of books that drawn upon urban fantasy, including the Valducan series and Ashes of Onyx.
You can hear Seth’s previous appearances with the Good Friends here:
- Interview with Seth Skorkowsky
- Interview with Jon Hook and Seth Skorkowsky
- Peril in Call of Cthulhu
- How to be an Investigator
- Quatermass and the Pit
- Call of Cthulhu and Urban Fantasy
Links
Things we mention in this episode include:
- Ashes of Onyx by Seth Skorkowsky
- Redemptor by Seth Skorkowsky
- Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
- Dämoren by Seth Skorkowsky
- Virtual Light by William Gibson
- Cryptomnesia
- Karaoke by Dennis Potter
- Cell by Stephen King
- “Getting the Band Back Together” from The Blasphemous Tome issue 14
- Supernatural
- Psycho Goreman (2020)
- Conan
- Appendix N
- Vampire: the Masquerade
- Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
- “A Message of Art” from Nameless Horrors
- Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
- Outland (1981)
- High Noon (1952)
- Seven Samurai (1954)
- The Magnificent Seven (1960)
- Edward de Bono
- Lateral thinking
- PO: Beyond Yes and No by Edward de Bono
- Alien (1979)
- Highlander (1986)
- The Duellists (1977)
- Mage: The Hero Discovered by Matt Wagner
- Grendel by Matt Wagner
- The Warriors (1979)
- Warhammer 40,000: Imperium Maledictum
- Warhammer Crime novels
- The Expanse by James SA Corey
- Bloodlines by Chris Wraight
- Chinatown (1974)
- The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
- The Final Revelation
- Portmanteau films
- Dr Terror’s House of Horrors (1965)
- The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
- Asylum (1972)
- “Waiting For the Hurricane” from Pulp Cthulhu
- “Waiting For the Hurricane” by Chris de Burgh
- “Intersections” from World War Cthulhu: Cold War
- The Sandbaggers
- Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon
- Hellsing
- “Lakeview” on Ain’t Slayed Nobody
- “Multiplied by Zero” by Attila Veres, from The Black Maybe: Liminal Tales
- North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud
- “Everything You Say Will Destroy You” by The Auteurs
- Blade Runner (1982)
- Blade Runner: A Movie by William S Burroughs
- The Bladerunner by Alan E Nourse
- Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human by KW Jeter
- “Blackwater Creek” from the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Screen Pack
- John Barleycorn Reborn
- “Pact” by Doug Peters
- “Behind the Neon Glare” from The Blasphemous Tome issue 14
- “Supper’s Ready” by Genesis
- Along Came a Spider by James Patterson
- Kiss the Girls by James Patterson
- “There Will Be No Divorce” by The Mountain Goats
- Glass Cannon
- Fist statue in Vilvoorde
- “Night Bus” from The Blasphemous Tome issue 8
- Hounacier by Seth Skorkowsky
- “Number 22” from The Blasphemous Tome issue 5
- Dreadnought underfloor safe
- “Baby” from Beasts
- “All-Inclusive” from The Scarlet Bride
News
A Weekend With Good Friends returns!
A Weekend With Good Friends will be returning this summer! This, of course, is the online convention organised by our lovely listeners, hosted on The Good Friends of Jackson Elias Discord server. The convention will take place between the 12th-14th of June this year, so keep your calendars clear.
Key dates for the convention are:
- 29th of April – 13th of May 2026 — GM signups
- 21st of May – 4th of June 2026 — Player signups
- Friday 12th June – Sunday 14th June 2026 — A Weekend With Good Friends!
We shall share more details as they become available.
Getting the Band Back Together Review From Seth Skorkowsky
Seth recently posted a video review of Scott’s scenario “Getting the Band Back Together”, which he played with Glass Cannon at Gen Con 2024. As ever, Seth offers some great insights into changes GMs may wish to make to the scenario.
You can find “Getting the Band Back Together” in issue 14 of The Blasphemous Tome. Anyone backing us on Patreon at any level will be able to download a PDF of this and all previous issues of the Tome.