New Feed - Please Read - New Feeed - Please Read
MonsterTalk
If you're getting this in your MonsterTalk podcast feed it means you've somehow managed to miss the update to our new host. Please re-subscribe from your podcast platform, or if you want to use the RSS feed, the new URL is: Thanks so much! If you have any trouble please let us know. Blake @ Monstertalk dot Org
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Bonus - Chaosium and The Malleus Monstrorum
MonsterTalk
In this bonus episode, we're talking with Mike Mason of Chaosium, the gaming company that makes the role-playing system Call of Cthulhu. Mike is here to talk about the newest version of Chaosium's monstrous bestiary, which is called the Malleus Monstrorum, for the seventh edition of the classic game ecosystem based on the works of HP Lovecraft, and all kinds of Lovecraft-adjacent horror.
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8/1/2021 - MonsterTalk Live - 8 pm ET
MonsterTalk
Hey folks, we'll be doing another "MonsterTalk Live" event tonight, discussing psychic mediums. You can catch it at our YouTube channel and participate in the chat. Hope to see you there! 8/1/2021 - 8 pm ET - http://youtube.com/monstertalk -Blake
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233 - Bigfoot: America's Abominable Snowman
MonsterTalk
On July 18, 2021 the AiPT SciPhiFest Conference included a 45 min segment of my interview with author and comic-book artist Stephen R. Bissette (who is probably best known for his work on the Alan Moore run of the DC comic Swamp Thing). The interview is about Stephen's book CRYPTID CINEMA (http://bit.ly/CryptidCinema) with a special focus on the little-known touring film used by Roger Patterson to promote (and profit from) his famous alleged Bigfoot film.
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232 - Bacteria
MonsterTalk
They're everywhere. They're inside you. You can't escape them - and can't live without them: Bacteria!
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AIPT Presents SciPhi Fest 2021
MonsterTalk
The online convention starts at 10 am and I'll be participating in a couple of ways if you're interested. At noon, I've got a special interview with Stephen R. Bissette. You might know him as a key artist on Alan Moore's run of Swamp Thing in the 80s - but if you've been subscribing to BIG FOOTAGE the Patreon bonus cast, you'll know him as the author of CRYPTID CINEMA.
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231 - Asian Monsters with Sapphire Sandalo
MonsterTalk
Sapphire Sandalo is the host of the web series Stories with Sapphire. She's a writer, animator, podcaster, TV personality, and part-time university instructor. Her series tells stories with distinctive music and animation and has a strong representation of many monsters, ghosts and creatures that come from Asian folklore from multiple cultures and stories submitted by her audience.
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Progress Report - June 23, 2021
MonsterTalk
Hey there MonsterTalkers. We're not dead and I'm not on vacation. I'm happy to report that I've got a new job and have spent the past couple of weeks working on a software project that is nearing its first release. In the meantime Karen and I have been recording interviews, but those require edits and I haven't had time to get everything done to my level of satisfaction. But episodes are coming! I should be able to get our next one out this weekend and another by the end of the month. I'm doing some work on managing our workflow that I hope will put us ahead. In a...
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230 - Otter King & Other Things
MonsterTalk
Karen and Blake are joined by the hosts of MonsterFuzz, Eamonn O'Neill and Rob Billington, to discuss monsters and folklore of Ireland. Well, that's what we were supposed to talk about but we wandered a bit because it was obvious we all loved talking about monsters.
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229 - Watertown 2: Eclectic Boo-Galoo
MonsterTalk
Blake Smith has uncovered the uncropped "Watertown Ghosts" photo, lost to the public for more than fifty years, plus more discoveries about this famous alleged ghost photo.
info_outline We're making big changes in MonsterTalk, joining up with the AirWave podcasting network. This should mean more regular release schedules! Karen and I have been banking content and I've been working my arse off with behind-the-scenes administrative work.
So our next regular episode is about UFOs and I'm excited about it because there is a lot of really interesting stuff to be said about what's happening in that part of our culture right now. But for now? Let's relax and just talk monsters!
I'm excited to bring on Mike Mason of the roleplaying company Chaosium to discuss their new 2-volume book of Lovecraftian monsters: The Malleus Monstrorum!
MonsterTalk Podcast
Chaosium and the Malleus Monstrorum
Guest: Mike Mason
Episode Summary
In this episode, we're talking with Mike Mason of Chaosium, the gaming company that makes the role-playing system Call of Cthulhu. Mike is here to talk about the newest version of Chaosium's monstrous bestiary, which is called the Malleus Monstrorum, for the seventh edition of the classic game ecosystem based on the works of HP Lovecraft, and all kinds of Lovecraft-adjacent horror.
Notable Quotes
“Storytelling is a tradition and an art form that goes back to the very beginnings of humanity. And I think role-playing is just a different iteration of the same kind of will to tell stories.” - Mike Mason
“At the very heart of the [Call of Cthulhu], it's a horror role-playing system. And if you want to not use the Cthulhu mythos in any way, and you want to focus on traditional folklore monsters like werewolves and vampires, you can do. You could do a version of Dracula or whatever horror film you want to name, and use the game as a vehicle to do that.” - Mike Mason
“I've described in my own work how important narrative is to literally every culture. Like there's elements that are repeated inside these cultures, in their own different sort of idioms, but the storytelling process itself seems to be a very human thing. I'm not aware of any culture... and I don't know if you can have culture without story.” - Blake Smith
“I've mentioned it before, I'll mention it again. People ask me, wait, if you're going to start with Lovecraft, what do you think the best book to begin with is? And I always say a dictionary.” - Blake Smith
Relevant Links
Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft
Shadow over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft
The Dunwich Horror by H. P. Lovecraft
Dreams of the Witch House by H. P. Lovecraft
The Horror from Red Hook by H. P. Lovecraft
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
George RR Martin's WIldcards to become TV Series
Basic Role-Playing system (BRP)
Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rule Book
Gef! The Strange Tale of an Extra-Special Talking Mongoose by Christopher Josiffe
In this Episode of MonsterTalk
· (00:00:01) Introducing Mike
· (00:03:04) Call of Cthulhu, the role-playing game
· (00:08:21) Shadow over Innsmouth and The Dunwich Horror
· (00:09:27) Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green
· (00:11:42) The sanity game mechanic
· (00:14:50) Long-form, continuous gaming campaigns
· (00:16:36) Pulp Cthulhu
· (00:18:32) The Malleus Monstrorum, Book One: the monsters
· (00:21:00) The Malleus Monstrorum, Book Two: the deities
· (00:22:40) The art of The Malleus Monstrorum
· (00:26:03) The versatility of Call of Cthulhu’s game mechanics
· (00:30:12) Role-playing games and the pandemic
· (00:33:44) Demon Slayer
· (00:36:36) Role-playing and the cultural importance of storytelling
· (00:40:29) RuneQuest, Superworld, and the Basic Role-Playing (BRP) system
· (00:44:02) Lovecraft Country and the new, diverse voices of Lovecraftian horror
· (00:50:09) How to start playing Call of Cthulhu
· (00:53:35) Mike’s favorite monster
· (00:59:27) Embracing contemporary technology in horror role-playing
· (01:00:43) The importance of “the Onion” in storytelling
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Catch Mike Mason on social: Twitter | Facebook
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