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E13 | Games | Gamemaster ft. Charles Mruz



We are joined this episode by Charles Mruz, director of the recently released documentary, Gamemaster. In the episode we learn a bit about Charles and his journey developing this lovely work which follows the lives of 4 independent board game designers. Lucky for us, Charles is also a lover of beer and bourbon and brought a drink of his own to the episode!

 

What's on our Flight (01:50)

  • Charles's drink: "Cold and Bold Fashioned." A take on the classic cocktail, an Old Fashioned which replaces the simple syrup with coffee liquor. This drink is at the top of my list for drinks to try!

  • Dalton’s drink: Bulleit Bourbon. About the lowest-tier bourbon I will regularly drink, the high rye in the mash makes it a great mixing bourbon. I was drinking it here to clear it off the shelf!

  • Nelson's drink: Terrapin Beer Co.'s Hopsecutioner. This midrange hoppy ale hails from Athens, GA and was recommended by one of our very good friends and avid listeners. Thanks so much for the recommendation!

 

For the icebreaker question this week, Charles walked us through his favorite Boardgame, Book, Beer, and Bourbon! (07:41)

  • Board game: Dominion. Have we talked about this game before? Possibly once or twice. A great choice and a FasF's favorite!

  • Book: The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker, a non-fiction work of psychology and philosophy which Nelson and I are entirely unfamiliar with.

  • Beer: Clown Shoes Beer's Tramp Stamp, a Belgian-style IPA beloved for managing to bring forward flavors besides hops to the IPA genre. We are hoping to find some, despite Charles's note that the beer may be discontinued!

  • Bourbon: Barrel Bourbon from Barrel Craft Spirits in Louisville, KY. A highly awarded blended bourbon with a long, sweet finish.

 

Discussion starts at 16:06 in the episode


The episode and discussion focuses on the recently released documentary, Gamemaster (which can be found on your favorite streaming service), directed by Charles Mruz who was kind enough to join us for an interview! The documentary follows the lives of 4 independent game designers and their journeys to publish and sell their works. It also includes interviews from some of the industry greats, including Eric Lang (Rising Sun, Bloodrage), Donald X. Vaccarino (Dominion), Bruno Cathala (Kingdomino, Abyss, 5 Tribes), and Reiner Knizia (600+ games, including like Chess, probably).


We've decided to let the interview stand alone in the episode, rather than summarize it here. However, we both want to convey that we truly enjoyed our conversation with Charles and would highly recommend the movie! Especially if you have an interest in board games (I suppose you do if you are actually reading these show notes) and/or documentaries. I bet you will spot several of your favorite games throughout the movie!


Thanks for reading! We hope you check out Gamemaster and enjoy it as much as we did!


Cheers!


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