In this episode, host Eduard Gafton is joined once more by Althingi designer Joshua Gillingham as he makes a triumphant return to the show and talks about the challenges of making and releasing the expansion Saga Heroes. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 ○ 00:00:00 - Intro ○ 00:06:03 - When did Joshua realise that Althingi was worth expanding on? ○ 00:22:39 - How much c…

In this episode, University of Edinburgh graduate Eric Wood joins host Eduard Gafton to talk about his game The Last Samurai Rebellion and how students can get started with the world of wargaming. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 ○ 00:00:00 - Intro ○ 00:03:15 - How did The Last Samurai Rebellion begin? ○ 00:12:58 - How did Eric start designing his game? ○ 00:23:01 - Ho…

In this episode, award-winning game designer Brian Train joins host Eduard Gafton to talk about his game Brief Border Wars and using a card-driven system to model the chaotic, stop-and-start nature of impromptu wars. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 ○ 00:00:00 - Start ○ 00:08:01 - How did Brian get into games? ○ 00:33:17 - How does asymmetry make for interesting match-…

In this episode, game designer and professor James Coltrain joins host Eduard Gafton to talk about his game, Blackhaven, and how it explores racism, slavery and America’s past. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 ○ 00:00:00 - Start ○ 00:02:30 - How did Blackhaven start? ○ 00:23:10 - How does a 3D environment change how we interact with history? ○ 00:43:41 - Which games wo…

In this episode, award-winning game designer Volko Ruhnke joins host Eduard Gafton to talk about his game Labyrinth - The War on Terror and how it presents guerrilla warfare and counterinsurgency. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 ○ 00:00:00 - Start ○ 00:04:38 - How does Labyrinth anticipate the future of 'The War on Terror'? ○ 00:26:25 - Is it difficult to convince peo…

In this episode, game creator Tomislav Čipčić joins host Eduard Gafton to talk about his game Brotherhood & Unity and how it portrays the Bosnian War. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 ○ 00:00:00 - Start ○ 00:01:55 - How did Tom come up with Brotherhood & Unity? ○ 00:17:03 - Did the theme/setting of the game, i.e the Bosnian War, come first? ○ 00:41:21 - How is the tran…

In this episode, game creator Dave Beck joins host Eduard Gafton to talk about Distilled and how this upcoming spirited strategy game started with a sabbatical spent in Dalkeith. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 ○00:00:00 - Start ○ 00:02:20 - How did Dave come up with the idea for Distilled? How has being in Scotland influenced him? ○ 00:14:03 - Is Distilled historical…

In this episode, game designer Cole Wehrle joins host Eduard Gafton to talk Pax Pamir, John Company and Wehrlegig Games’ mission to ‘strive to publish beautiful games with historical themes that treat their subjects and their players seriously.’ 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 ○ 00:00:00 - Start ○ 00:02:24 - How did Pax Pamir start? ○ 00:17:14 - What is there to learn…

In this episode, game designer Erika Svanoe and illustrator Erik Evensen join hosts Eduard Gafton and Hannah Weaver to talk Marrying Mr. Darcy and the process of adapting Jane Austen's most beloved novel. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 ○ 00:00:00 - Start ○ 00:02:29 - How does a game like Marrying Mr. Darcy come to be? ○ 00:05:22 - Adapting Pride &Prejudice to a card …

Interview with Roberta Taylor In this episode, veteran game designer Roberta Taylor (Octopus’ Garden, Creature Comforts) joins host Eduard Gafton to discuss cozy and historical games alike, the role of history in making games and the compromises made between historical accuracy and game design. Time Stamps 00:00:00 – Start 00:01:25 – How does a gam…

In this episode, game designer and author Joshua Gillingham (Althingi, The Gatewatch) joins new podcast host and producer Eduard Gafton to discuss the making of Althingi, working with crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and share advice for game creators everywhere. Mentioned in this Episode Althingi’s Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/pr…

In this episode, veteran game designer Lew Pulsipher (Britannia, Stalingrad Besieged, Dragon Rage and many more) joins James and Gianluca to discuss creating historical games, how gamers have changed over the decades, and how creating games is as much about what you leave out as what you include. Mentioned in this episode: Pulsipher Games website: …

Wargaming has deep roots in history, but how does historical research inform wargames design? In this episode, host James Holloway talks to Giacomo Santopietro of Sir Chester Cobblepot Games and Gianluca Raccagni of the Edinburgh University History and Games Lab to talk about The Fall of the King (currently on Kickstarter), the first games project …

Although there are very few purely historical role-playing games, history still plays an important part in their design. In this episode, hosts James Holloway and Gianluca Raccagni spoke with Jon Hodgson of Handiwork Games and Davide Mana of Acheron Books about their work on upcoming historically-inspired role-playing projects: Handiwork's Beowulf:…

Professor Kathryn Tanner the Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School, delivers the Gifford Lecture entitled "Which World?". The sixth lecture in the series discusses how finance-dominated capitalism encourages one to relate to oneself, which in turn has a bearing on the understanding of one’s relations with others. It will…

Professor Kathryn Tanner the Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School, delivers the Gifford Lecture entitled "Another World?". The fifth lecture in the series explores how present and future are collapsed in the evaluation of assets on secondary financial markets, and the way efforts are made, by way of derivatives and othe…

Professor Kathryn Tanner the Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School, delivers the Gifford Lecture entitled "Nothing but the Present". The fourth lecture in the series investigates the causes and consequences of a preoccupation with the present in the lives of both workers and the indebted poor, and of the short-term time …

Professor Kathryn Tanner the Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School, delivers the Gifford Lecture entitled "Total Commitment". The third lecture in the series explores the strategies used in finance-dominated capitalism to ensure worker compliance with company demands. It will contrast these strategies, point by point, wi…

Professor Kathryn Tanner the Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School, delivers the Gifford Lecture entitled "Chained to the Past". The second lecture in the series considers the way in which persons, as both workers and debtors, are encouraged to relate to past decisions that constrain present action within finance-dominat…

Professor Kathryn Tanner the Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School, delivers the Gifford Lecture entitled "Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism". The first lecture in this series discusses the Weberian approach to the influence of Christian beliefs and practices on economic behaviour, and ties it to the sort of …

In this episode of BioPOD we talk to Professor Keith Matthews about his Sanofi - Institut Pasteur award for studying Trypanosomes. We also talk to the Edinburgh iGEM team who developed a paper-based biosensor for screening illicit drugs as well as to Professor Catherine Kidner about her work on how a novel sequencing approach can help to understand…

Julia Marton-Lefèvre, environmentalist and academic, delivers the final lecture in the 2015 Our Changing World series. This lecture is also part of our Enlightenment Lecture series. In this lecture Julia Marton-Lefèvre will compare the profound changes that took place in the 18th century European Enlightenment, emphasizing reason rather than tradit…

Professor Sharon Abrahams, Personal Chair in Neuropsychology, delivers her inaugural lecture entitled Mind Matters in Motor Neurone Disease. In this lecture, Prof. Abrahams discusses her work with people living with a degenerative disease and in particular motor neurone disease. This disease was commonly thought to affect the system controlling mov…

In this edition of BioPOD, we'll be learning about how studying fundamental enzymes can help to tackle parasitic disease from Professor Malcolm Walkinshaw. We'll also be hearing a bit more about the Excellence with Impact winners before finding out how a group within the school are coming up with new strategies to reduce the spread MRSA. We also an…

Professor Andrew Morris, Chair of Medicine, delivers his inaugural lecture entitled, Medicine in the Information Age. Recorded on 22 June 2015 at the University of Edinburgh's Chancellor's Building.The University of Edinburgh

Jack Matlock, former US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, delivers the 2015 Fulbright Lecture, entitled The Ukrainian Crisis: Reflections on Power in Today's World. In this lecture, Jack Matlock suggests that Western policies have exacerbated Ukraine's internal problems and estranged Russia. The lecture is part of an initiative by the Fulbright Commi…

Professor Martin Chick, Chair of Economic History, delivers his inaugural lecture entitled, "The Times They Are A-Changin': Time, Economics and a Political Economy of Britain since 1945". This lecture considers the changing use made of the concept of time in economics and economic policy-making in Britain since 1945. Recorded on 5 May 2015 at the U…

Professor Paolo Quattrone, Chair in Accounting Governance & Social Innovation, delivers his inaugural lecture entitled, "Accounting, Governance and Social Innovation: Establishing the Links". In this lecture, Professor Quattrone will present the idea that accounting creates specific forms of ‘socie-ties’, where the ties amongst members of a communi…

We talk to Gytis Dudas about his work on the Ebola genome. We also meet the team from CIIE and ASCUS Art & Science behind a micro-residency featuring in the 2015 Edinburgh International Science Festival, and learn about some fascinating behaviour reported in vultures by Dr Luke McNally.BioPOD

Professor Mark Dorrian, Forbes Chair in Architecture, delivers his inaugural lecture, entitled What's Interesting? On the Ascendency of an Evaluative Term. This lecture will consider the rise of 'interesting' as a critical category, and examine the sort of judgement-in-suspension that it seems to enact, addressing what kinds of issues might be at s…

Professor Chris Speed, Chair in Design Informatics, delivers his inaugural lecture entitled, The Random Lift and Other Algorithmic Stories. This talk draws connections between a series of projects that explores the emerging conditions of living with algorithms. The playful presentation unpacks Professor Speed's growing neurosis about the uncertaint…

Professor Nicola McEwen, Personal Chair of Territorial Politics, delivers her inaugural lecture entitled, "Independence and Interdependence: The Dynamics of Scottish Self-Government". The Scottish independence referendum may have resulted in a No vote, but it has reignited debates over Scottish self-government. Professor McEwen explores the meaning…

Professor Richard Freeman, Personal Chair of Social Science and Public Policy, delivers his inaugural lecture entitled, Doing Politics. How does politics happen? When we do politics, what are we doing? In this lecture, Professor Freeman will show how we might understand politics as action, as a mode of doing. Recorded on 4 February 2015 at the Univ…

Professor Jeremy Waldron, University Professor at the New York University Law School, delivers the sixth in the 2015 Gifford Lecture series, entitled "Hard and Heart-breaking Cases: The Profoundly Disabled As Our Human Equals". In this lecture, Professor Waldron explores ways of thinking about these aspects of the human condition that allow us to m…