Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

For some, the halcyon days of PC gaming involved D&D-based RPGs with unwieldy UI and gauntlet-shaped mouse cursors, and that is precisely what SKALD: Against the Black Priory (High North Studios, Raw Fury, 2024) is calling back to with its mix of sword-and-sorcery fantasy and cosmic/Lovecraftian horror. It's well-worth your time if you're nostalgic or even curious about that era of RPGs, while not being nearly as obtuse or and without relying on advance knowledge of early D&D systems. This episode's guest, Phil Morgan, has an extensive history with that bygone era of CRPGs, even appearing on this podcast to discuss the original Baldur's Gate, so we had a great conversation here. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Phil Morgan (he/him)

• Listen to Deleted Saves https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/deleted-saves/
• Check out Phil's art: https://philmorganart.com

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Podcast Start
• 0:18 Introductions
• 6:02 Our Histories with SKALD and Its Inspirations
• 10:11 Top-Level Thoughts about SKALD
• 18:15 Story Setup
• 22:13 Pixel Art and Writing
• 30:43 Subverting D&D Tropes
• 37:29 Role-Playing
• 48:38 Combat
• 56:54 Controller vs Mouse/Keyboard
• 1:04:54 Music and Sound
• 1:09:35 Closing Thoughts and Who Should Play?
• 1:13:48 Deleted Saves and Westland
• 1:18:37 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:23:08 Spoilers- Early Game Quests
• 1:38:27 Spoilers- Horryn
• 1:47:37 Spoilers- Firgol
• 1:57:06 Spoilers- The Story Expands
• 2:07:04 Spoilers- Ending Sequence and Thoughts

Music used in the episode is credited to Surt R. Tracks used: Against the Black Priory, The Curse of Knowledge, Sellsword's Honor, Horryn's Plight, Shores of Idra, Tomes Bound in Skin, Bane of the Starstrider

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

Everyone's got that game, book, movie, etc that a longtime friend has been recommending for years, decades or more and you just haven't quite gotten around to it. One of those for me and one of my oldest friends was Telltale's series of games based on The Walking Dead. For many reasons, despite believing that the games would be good, I just waited a wild amount of time to finally give them a shot, and hey- we did it! And I brought that friend back onto the podcast to give season one the deep dive treatment. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Aaron Angle (he/him)

• Check out A Top 3 Podcast https://atop3podcast.fireside.fm/

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card
• 0:35 Introductions
• 5:19 Our Histories with The Walking Dead
• 9:21 Top-Level Thoughts about The Walking Dead
• 13:57 Story Setup, Characters, Tone
• 27:21 Choices and Consequences
• 46:19 Puzzles and QTEs
• 51:18 Art, Music and Sound
• 1:01:46 Who Should Play?
• 1:04:14 A Top 3 Podcast
• 1:07:23 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:09:06 Spoilers- Episode 1
• 1:25:35 Spoilers- Episode 2
• 1:40:23 Spoilers- Episode 3
• 1:56:01 Spoilers- Episode 4
• 2:11:09 Spoilers- Episode 5

Music used in the episode: Clementine, Twist of Fate, Terror Mysterious, Folk Loop, Mother and Son, The Guantlet, Jewelry Store

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog

Games gather reputations for a variety of reasons, but one of the most unique among those are the games that are so hard to purchase that above all, they have a reputation for being expensive. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Team Andromeda, Sega, 1998) is one of the top examples of that phenomenon nowadays, after only tens of thousands of English-language copies were pressed, Team Andromeda was shuttered quickly after the game's release and Sega now claims to have lost the source code. All of this may leave you wondering...what is Panzer Dragoon Saga like as a game? I was certainly left wondering that, and Chris Coplien of Retro Hangover was up for the task of discussing the game behind the massive price tag. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Chris Coplien (he/him)

• Check out Retro Hangover https://linktr.ee/retrohangover
• Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/retrohangover.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Start
• 0:24 Introductions
• 5:13 Our Histories with Panzer Dragoon Saga
• 13:16 Top-Level Thoughts
• 20:41 Story Setup and Worldbuilding
• 28:16 Pacing and Storytelling
• 33:41 Visual Presentation
• 39:04 Music
• 43:05 Combat
• 1:07:41 Exploration and Side Quests
• 1:16:37 Who Should Play?
• 1:20:12 Retro Hangover Podcast
• 1:24:40 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:26:37 Spoilers- Setting the Stage
• 1:42:26 Spoilers- Some Big Themes
• 1:51:53 Spoilers- A Philosophical Dilemma
• 1:59:16 Spoilers- Uncovering a Very Familiar Trope
• 2:17:28 Spoilers- Revisiting the Dilemma and Ending

Music used in the episode is credited to Saori Kobayashi and Mariko Nanba. Tracks used: Behold the Precious Wings, A Premonition of War, Metamorphosis 1, Atolm Dragon, Rest, Area 3 Background, Wandering, Breath of Life

Panzer Dragoon Story and Lore Walkthrough https://youtu.be/BVc7QxiAO1k
Max Derrat's Development History Video: https://youtu.be/sIqM80qEY8s

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures