Episodes

  • BLAH 210 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Ostpolitik, with Jim McGeehin
    Aug 18 2025

    Today, we're taking a look at the detente between West and East Germany. What were the factors breaking the deadlock in domestic and international politics? How did it happen? And, most importantly, was it a success?

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • BLAH 209 | Best of ASOIAF - Jon's death, with Sean T. Collins
    Aug 13 2025

    Jon's death comes as a big surprise for first-time readers, and not because it's sprung on you but because Martin is a damn good writer. We explain all the ways of why and how.

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    49 mins
  • BLAH 208 | The Best of ASOIAF - The Whispering Wood, with Sean T. Collins
    Jul 23 2025

    We’re talking about the Whispering Wood, and come off with one fundamental insight: GRRM is a good writer.


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    1 hr and 1 min
  • BLAH 207 | Designing board games, with Artyom Nichipurov
    Jul 23 2025

    I’m talking to Artyom Nichipurov from Wolffdesigna Games, a Latvian firm that’s most famous for the excellent “Guards of Atlantis II”, a tabletop adaptation of the MOBA game experience. If you don’t know what any of this means, no worry, I got you covered - the first seven minutes of the episode explain what MOBAs are and how GoA2 specifically functions so you can understand the episode. If you already know, feel free to jump to minute 7.26 for the episode proper.


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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • BLAH 206 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Change, with Jim McGeehin
    May 28 2025

    Today, we're talking about the period from 1966 to 1974. Witness the Grand Coalition and the coming into power of Willy Brandt, heading the first SPD government of the Federal Republic with his slogan of "daring more democracy".

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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • BLAH 205 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Ulbricht, with Jim McGeehin
    May 16 2025

    Today, we’re covering the first half of the history of the Democratic Republic of Germany - or East Germany, to its friends. From the earliest days of popular insurrection to the construction of the Berlin Wall and the twilight days of Ulbricht’s reign, we have you covered.


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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • BLAH 204 | The Best of ASOIAF - The Bridge of Dream, with Sean T. Collins
    Mar 6 2025

    In our ongoing series on the best moments of the series, we take apart the Bridge of Dream sequence, which provides us with some unusualy challenges - we don't really know where any of this leads, so this is more meta and speculative as usual.

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    46 mins
  • BLAH 203 | A Tale of two Germanies - Conservatism, with Jim McGeehin
    Feb 28 2025

    Today, we're looking at why the CDU could rule for 20 years in the early German republic. There's a good combination of electoral shenanigans, foreign policy questions and old Nazis involved.

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    1 hr and 14 mins