Side Project: Game Store Prophets Podcast

This week, my first episode as a guest host on the Game Store Prophets podcast was posted. As a gift to Mike Perna for the birth of his new son, I offered to step into a host chair on the podcast so he could spend quality time with his wife and newborn. Mike leads InnRoads Ministries, and I have great respect for the work he does reaching out and ministering through games and game-related media. Since we met at Gen Con a few years ago, we have a strong and growing friendship. With the birth of his first child, I really wanted to offer him something special. As a father myself, I know how special it was to spend time with my newborn twins in those first few weeks of their lives. So, when you cannot be there face-to-face for a distant friend, you can still give the heartfelt gift of your time. Thus, I offered to step into this role as a guest host on the podcast. I listen to the podcast regularly, know their common discussions, and have growing friendships with the other hosts, Jeff Romo and Daniel Fisher. All three enthusiastically accepted my offer, and my journey into the guest hosting chair began.

So what is the Game Store Prophets podcast? Their BGG Guild states…

Game Store Prophets is the show where a couple of guys talk about the games they are playing, as well as general news from the tabletop community, through the eyes of Christian faith. Featuring board games, role playing games, as well as occasionally branching out into greater geek culture – games can teach us a lot about ourselves and the world around us.

GSP is just part of InnRoads Ministries. Check us out at innroadsministries.com to find other podcasts, articles, and videos.

My first episode as a guest host was Episode 169 – Locally Sourced Plans.

1. GaryCon
2. Fantasy Flight Games – Genesys
3. Modiphius Games – John Carter of Mars RPG Kickstarter
4. Spelljammer (link to Nerdarchy)
5. FFG – Star Wars (not Star Trek) The Roleplaying Game 30th Anniversary Edition
6. GenCon
7. Kolossal Games – Western Legends Kickstarter
8. Sine Nomine Publishing – Stars Without Number RPG
9. Making Meaningful Resolutions

I must admit, I was very nervous preparing for this first time guest hosting. Long ago, I was a co-host on a tiny podcast with a very small number of listeners. It has been a long time since I have been in a host chair. Wanting to do this the best I could as this was a gift, I invested in a better mic and did some test runs with Jeff to be sure everything would be ready. And as you are likely aware if you read my blog regularly, I am a planner and organizer. So, I worked along side Jeff and Daniel to develop a script for my first podcast so I would feel as prepared as I could. Even with all this testing, scripting, and planning, when the day came I was still so full of nervous energy. You can hear it on the podcast at first. But, Jeff and Daniel really were great co-hosts, helped me relax, and by the end of the podcast I was very comfortable in the hosting chair and enjoying the conversation.

As this was my first podcast as a guest host, and there will be at least another episode or two with me as a guest host, please feel free to offer me constructive criticism. Once I started to relax, acting more like myself than trying to perform on the mic, I really started to enjoy myself. After my time with GSP, I might be interested in being a guest on other podcasts. We shall see, or at least hear.

For now, please offer your suggestions, your encouragement, and your requested topics for our next GSP podcast.