On the show today:

The Exit 8 is not a long game, but it's not a bad thing. Can you imagine an Exit 80 just to pad the runtime? Some gamers want to maximize the amount of content, but it doesn't always apply. What do we want to experience in a game and how long is too long?

Traditional thinking is that villains are more interesting to play than heroes, but perhaps that's just because heroes were not written with complexity. Instead of just reacting to the villain's dastardly plans, the hero can have all sorts of character motivations, growth and history to flesh them out. Let's discuss how to make a more interesting hero and some examples of how that has taken shape in popular media.

Today's Reddit post is almost a decade old, so hopefully the poster found a resolution by now. The question involves a demon, a wish, a village turned to stone and a monkey's paw gone wrong. Three years into a mega dungeon campaign, will the party go out in a very silly way or live to tell the tale?

On the show today: Green Hell may have the most extreme level of survival mechanics Nathan has ever seen. It is unapologetic in how many ways you can die and presenting you with a world that wants you dead. It can be frustrating and will likely make you paranoid. It is also one of the best survival crafting games he has ever played. Why does this level of mechanics work so well for Green Hell and why can't you recreate it for other games in the genre? Mods can break a game but they can also enhance them. Nathan has traditionally tried to avoid using them until it becomes a necessity, but Alex uses them all the time. We will discuss kinds of mods and what the benefit or issue with them can be. During Steam Next Fest we played many demos, but there is also a rise in "Prologues" for upcoming games. Some of these serve as a stand-alone version of the demo, but others are their own thing. What would we like prologues to be, why do they exist and how could we distinguish them from demos?

On the show today: Have you ever started playing a survival crafting game where you wash up alone on an island? I know, it's never happened before, but for the sake of this conversation, we're going to talk about how this is a common trope and we can change up the formula. Maybe it's not an island. Maybe you're not alone. Maybe you went there intentionally. Also, we brainstorm a survival crafting version of Oregon Trail. A traditional RPG storyline involves a very powerful character who is specifically suited to kill a god. We discuss some ways to subvert this idea. Maybe you aren't special. Maybe the stakes are smaller. Maybe the chosen one is someone you need to stop. Your grandpa left you his farm. Welcome to Stardew Valley. Also, welcome to the basic structure of Harvest Moon, My Time at Portia, No Place Like Home, Blue Oak Bridge and so many others. But, what could we do to change this formula? Maybe you have to save up to afford the farm. Maybe you just have a backyard garden. Maybe you end up turning your farm into condos.