Best Andy Rau Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 183 – Build-a-Dungeon 2025: Kaiju vs. Theme Park Employees 1:31:07

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10d ago1:31:07

1:31:07

This is part 1 of our 2 part Build-A-Dungeon Play-a-Dungeon special for 2025! Chris and Andy are joined, yet again, by John Corey and Kyle Latino! In this episode we brainstorm and build out a one shot adventure that Chris will run in the following episode.By Roll For Topic

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The Mad Ghoul (1943) 1:19:54

13d ago1:19:54

1:19:54

Dr. Alfred Morris (George Zucco) has a deadly new obsession: an ancient Mayan nerve gas that creates a state of "death in life." When his star pupil Ted Allison (David Bruce) becomes the unwitting guinea pig, he is transformed into a subservient ghoul who requires fresh human hearts to survive. Is this a simple Jekyll-and-Hyde knockoff, or is there…

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The Last Man on Earth (1964) 1:25:47

19d ago1:25:47

1:25:47

Every day, scientist Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) wakes up to the same routine: scrounge for food. Repair his shelter. Head to town... and kill every vampire he finds there. How did he wind up as The Last Man on Earth(1964)? Is there any hope left for him after the apocalypse? And is it possible that this vampire movie is the biggest evolutionary …

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Episode 182 – Stranger Things, Doom, and One Shot Systems 27:24

25d ago27:24

27:24

Chris tries to get Andy to watch the new season of Stranger Things. Andy talks about Doom’s brilliance. Then they talk about simple systems for running one shots.By Roll For Topic

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War of the Zombies (1964) 1:26:08

27d ago1:26:08

1:26:08

When evil sorcerer Aderbal (John Drew Barrymore) invokes the power of a sinister three-eyed goddess to raise an invulnerable zombie army, only one man has the courage (and biceps) to stop him: centurion Gaius (Ettore Mani). This sword-and-sandal epic set in ancient Rome has it all: swords! sandals! beautiful women! bare-chested men! And, of course,…

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The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1964) 1:21:00

1M ago1:21:00

1:21:00

When three hep cats visit a sinister fortune teller at the carnival, their future takes a turn for the worse. The mysterious Madam Estrella wants Jerry to join her collection of hypnotized, murderous zombies. Will Harold and Angela save their friend before it's too late? John, Andy and Producer Brad gaze into their crystal ball to try and divine wh…

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Episode 181 – Netcrawl, Blades, and 13th Age, Oh My! 26:16

1M ago26:16

26:16

Every TTRPG Kickstarter from the last few years seemed to fulfill this month, so Andy and Chris take an episode to go through the piles of shiny new roleplaying games they’ve acquired recently. Along the way they discuss the impact of strong authorial voices in RPG books and plot to ensnare the author of Netcrawl.…

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Monstrosity (1963) 1:26:02

1M ago1:26:02

1:26:02

Three naive young women looking for work. One bitter old crone desperate for eternal life. And one mad scientist creating human/animal hybrids in the basement. Mix these ingredients together and you get a MONSTROSITY (1963) in more ways than one! Will Anita, Bea, and Nina (pronounced NINE-uh) escape this house of horrors? Join John, Andy, and Produ…

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What's So Scary About the 1960s? 59:17

2M ago59:17

59:17

What was the scariest part of living in the 1960s? We'd like to think it was all the zombies, but other little factors like massive societal transformation and the threat of atomic annihilation might be contenders too! Like all good horror monsters, zombies work best when they're exploiting the fears and anxieties of viewers. As the Zombie Strains …

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Episode 180 – How To Be a Good Player 28:54

2M ago28:54

28:54

Chris has found himself playing in two campaigns, so Andy and Chris talk about how he can be the best player he can be!By Roll For Topic

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The Living Head (1963) 1:19:59

2M ago1:19:59

1:19:59

A living decapitated head, a knife-wielding Aztec mummy, and something called the Ring of Death. That's a lot of scary stuff to store in your basement all at once, as a group of gentleman explorers in 1963 Mexico discovers to their peril. How many will die in gruesome Aztec rituals before the curse is ended? Will reincarnated Aztec lovers romantica…

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Carnival of Souls (1962) 1:20:27

2M ago1:20:27

1:20:27

A Criterion Collection film? Fantastic editing, camerawork, and direction? Are we sure Carnival of Souls is in the right podcast? After narrowly surviving a car accident, Mary uproots her life to become a church organist in Utah... but death isn't quite done with her. Her mind begins to unravel, and soon she cannot tell reality from her escalating …

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Episode 179 – Daggerheart, Draw Steel, and the Post-OGL Landscape 28:29

2M ago28:29

28:29

Chris and Andy take a break from their usual format and have an open discussion about Chris’ new Daggerheart game, and what has their attention now that a wave of post-OGL D&D-alikes are finally arriving. As a bonus, we learn about the corporate merch with which Chris bedecks himself.By Roll For Topic

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Tales of Terror (1962) 1:10:57

2M ago1:10:57

1:10:57

What happens when film's most legendary B-horror director turns his unsubtle eye to the zombie genre? You get Tales of Terror, one of many Roger Corman films loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe stories. This anthology film (written by the iconic horror and scifi writer Richard Matheson) is packed with three separate creepy stories, and one of them fea…

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Santo vs The Zombies (1961) 1:07:28

3M ago1:07:28

1:07:28

When zombies are after you, only the world's greatest hero can save you. And who is that? It's El Santo, elite luchador and Mexican cultural phenomenon! After a professor vanishes and a sinister masked man unleashes a horde of zombies on a local orphanage, the police know that only the legendary luchador Santo can save the city. John, Andy, and Pro…

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Episode 178 – Stranger Things and Aliens 29:10

3M ago29:10

29:10

Andy and Chris talk about Stranger Things and then an issue that Andy had at the table with players and their pregen characters.By Roll For Topic

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The Curse of the Doll People (1961) 1:15:27

3M ago1:15:27

1:15:27

What's scarier than a zombie trying to kill you? A zombie teaming up with possessed dolls to kill you! In the Mexican zombie flick The Curse of the Doll People (Muñecos infernales), foolish adventurers steal a voodoo idol and face a fate is worse than death--unless the courageous Karina (Elvira Quintana) can stop a sinister voodoo master, his zombi…

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Doctor Blood's Coffin (1961) 1:24:31

3M ago1:24:31

1:24:31

This week, our bold Zombie Strains investigators chart a course for rural England, where the sinister Dr. Blood (Keiron Moore) is harvesting the still-beating hearts of his victims to empower his insane medical "research." Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they brave the dangers of the Cornish Tin Mines, meet scream-queen legend Hazel Court, fa…

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Weapons (2025) 47:04

3M ago47:04

47:04

Everybody's talking about Weapons, an unsettling 2025 horror film about a community in shock after a classroom of grade-school children vanishes overnight. Always on the hunt for modern films with connections to their favorite horror genre, John and Andy take a road trip to American suburbia to investigate for themselves. Don't tell Producer Brad t…

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Episode 177 – RPG Trivia from RfT Con 2025 32:43

3M ago32:43

32:43

Every year, we host a game convention in Ann Arbor. And every year, a highlight of the con is our obscure RPG trivia contest! This is the live recording of RfT Con 2025’s trivia segment. How does your RPG trivia knowledge stack up?By Roll For Topic

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The Dead One (1961) 1:26:50

3M ago1:26:50

1:26:50

Our first color zombie films is also a throwback to the 1930s! Newlyweds John and Linda (John McKay and Linda Ormond) inherit an old plantation outside of New Orleans, only to discover that their bitter cousin Monica (Monica Davis) has angry, zombie-related plans for them. Will Monica's voodoo magic spell a gruesome end to their honeymoon bliss? Jo…

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Teenage Zombies (1959) 1:11:42

3M ago1:11:42

1:11:42

We've been dreading their appearance ever since we started watching 1950s zombie films, and they're finally here: teenagers! That's right, 1959's Teenage Zombies is not only our first zombie film starring teenagers, but it's also a clear forerunner of the modern teenage-slasher flick. Can this crew of plucky '50s teens foil a foreign plot to turn t…

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Episode 176 – Autumn GM Plans and Convention Prep 19:50

4M ago19:50

19:50

Chris and Andy are busy planning RfT Con, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t brainstorming new campaigns they want to run. In this short pre-convention episode, they chat about the campaigns they’re gearing up to run this autumn/winter.By Roll For Topic

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Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) 1:29:40

4M ago1:29:40

1:29:40

Plan 9 is often called the worst movie ever made. But could there be a zombie gem buried beneath the hilariously bad sets, abysmal acting, and tortured script? John, Andy, and Producer Brad venture into this legendary fiasco and come face to face with a sexy vampire, a gigantic Swedish wrestler, Bela Lugosi’s last performance, arrogant space aliens…

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Invisible Invaders (1959) 1:22:15

4M ago1:22:15

1:22:15

The Zombie Strains crew have hit the motherlode of zombie firsts! Invisible Invaders brings together all kinds of famous and familiar zombie tropes in one film: a zombie-created apocalypse, heroes taking refuge in a science bunker, convincing zombie make-up, and a truly compelling tough moral choice. The story follows a sequence that will be famili…

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Episode 175 – How Do You Run a Game in Two Hours or Less? (with Garrett Douglas) 33:31

4M ago33:31

33:31

We revisit one of our earliest topics, this time with guest Garrett Douglas, creator of Wayne Scotting’s Guide to the Very Small Folk! Garrett shares insight from the many short-duration game sessions he’s run, but not before we chat Ars Magica and share our favorite Chicagoland game stores. Show notes…

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The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959) 1:22:50

4M ago1:22:50

1:22:50

Jonathan Drake suffers under an ancient curse! His cruel colonial forbears massacred a South American tribe, and the immortal zombie survivors will not rest until Jonathan is dead. And by dead, we mean injected with an ancient poison, decapitated, and his head shrunken in the lab of the scenery-chewing villain Dr. Emil Zurich (Henry Daniell). Will …

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Womaneater (1958) 1:24:54

4M ago1:24:54

1:24:54

Sally (Vera Day) is living day to day, just trying to get by. But things take a turn for the sinister when she crosses paths with mad scientist Dr. Moran (George Coulouris). Dr. Moran has plans for the women in his life—plans that involve feeding them to a carnivorous Amazonian plant in order to steal their life essence, extract a serum from the de…

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Episode 174 – Theater and Gaming with Andy Jones 35:08

5M ago35:08

35:08

Chris is joined by guest GM Andy Jones to talk about the intersection between gaming and theater and how good kids these days have it with being able to talk openly about their hobbies.By Roll For Topic

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Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) 1:28:10

5M ago1:28:10

1:28:10

Some treasures are best left undisturbed—especially when they're guarded by ancient curses. But if the treasure hunters in Zombies of Mora Tau were smart, we wouldn't get a horde of underwater zombies, a band of backstabbing scoundrels, the world's toughest grandma, and the legendary Allison Hayes (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman) as a scheming femme f…

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Voodoo Island (1957) 1:03:08

5M ago1:03:08

1:03:08

Who could possibly survive an expedition to “the weird jungle of cobra plants that feed on women... and rip men apart”? Boris Karloff plays a skeptical scientist who journeys into the heart of darkness alongside a brooding '50s adventurer, a shifty gangster, a plucky assistant, and a zombie. Grab your pith helmet and machete and join John, Andy, an…

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Episode 173 – Mechs with Toby Shearman 54:06

5M ago54:06

54:06

Toby’s going to run a game at RfT Con 2025 about mechs! He comes on to talk through some design ideas and Andy and Chris get very excited about mechs!By Roll For Topic

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Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) 1:19:25

5M ago1:19:25

1:19:25

Creature with the Atom Brain takes the science of zombie film to a whole new level. This movie is packed with exciting zombie firsts: atomic-powered zombies, rampaging zombie hordes (finally!), a city put under martial law to contain the zombie threat, and very cheap zombie make-up. Andy, John, and Producer Brad have their hands full sorting throug…

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The Revived Monster (1953) 1:13:26

5M ago1:13:26

1:13:26

The Zombie Strains crew stumbles across an unexpected delight in 1953’s El Monstruo Resucitado (The Revived Monster), the first Mexican zombie film! Set in Czechoslovakia and dripping with atmosphere, this film tells the story of a resourceful journalist (Miroslava) who finds herself tangled up in the hopes and hatreds of a hideously deformed mad s…

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Episode 172 – D&D on the Beach, Blue Prince, and The Gunslinger 47:33

6M ago47:33

47:33

Chris wants to pitch Andy on Blue Prince, but decides he should probably talk about some other stuff too.By Roll For Topic

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Scared Stiff (1953) 1:07:31

6M ago1:07:31

1:07:31

The Zombie Strains crew comes up against Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in this remake of the delightful The Ghost Breakers (1940). George Marshal directed both the original and this 1950s update. The team was eager to explore the new horrors Marshall would concoct this time around, but we were unprepared for the terror of... Jerry Lewis’s performance…

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Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952) 1:15:52

6M ago1:15:52

1:15:52

The Zombie Strains team is in for some serious culture shock as they burst into the 1950s. Voodoo masters? mesmerism? mad scientists? All gone! Instead we find aliens, atom bombs, and rocket ships. This is going to take some serious experimentation in the Zombie Strains lab to figure out what is going on in this crazy decade. Release date: July, 19…

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Episode 171 – The Kids Are Alright 38:31

6M ago38:31

38:31

Chris shares the experience of watching his young daughter and her friends play D&D for the first time. What can jaded adult GMs learn from watching kids hack their way through a D&D adventure? And in what is becoming our regular book discussion segment, Chris and Andy discuss the gaming appeal of Stephen King’s The … Continue reading "Episode 171 …

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28 Years Later and Last of Us Season 2 49:43

6M ago49:43

49:43

While Producer Brad is away on special assignment, John and Andy continue to break the rules by talking about zombie movies out of order. In this episode we talk about the biggest zombie events of 2025 - The Last of Us Season 2 (SPOILERS!) and 28 Years Later (NO spoilers). Plus, Andy reports on his participation in an actual voodoo ceremony.…

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The 1950s: Rockets, Red Scares, and Rock & Roll 51:24

6M ago51:24

51:24

Season 2 of Zombie Strains is almost upon us. In this special episode, John and Andy dissect the terrors and anxieties of the 1950s in the Zombie Strains lab. Our goal is to predict how the next wave of zombie movies will exploit the hidden fears of this most paranoid of decades. Join us as we brace for a brand new decade of horror!…

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Episode 170 – How Do You Run a One-shot for Non-gamers? 39:00

6M ago39:00

39:00

Andy seeks advice about an upcoming game for a group of newbie players. But not before our hosts talk books, Andy excitedly describes his first trip to a swamp, and Chris reveals that his young daughter is about to make her first foray into TTRPGs.By Roll For Topic

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Multiplex Overthruster: Poltergeist 1:33:20

6M ago1:33:20

1:33:20

Multiplex Overthruster is a podcast dedicated to the summer movie's of the 80s. It is hosted by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (writer of Lost, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Witcher, and creator of The Middleman), Paul Alvarado-Dykstra (co-founder of Fantastic Fest, the leading genre film festival in the US), and produced by Zombie Strain's Prod…

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Season 1 Wrap Up 1:21:39

7M ago1:21:39

1:21:39

We made it! We survived the first three decades of zombies--22 movies in all. What did we learn? And what's coming next? In this special season 1 wrap-up episode, John, Andy, and Producer Brad answer listener feedback, take a surprise zombie trivia quiz, reflect on the journey so far... and prepare for the horror to come as we strike out into the w…

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Episode 169 – I Know a Guy and Changing Rules 29:06

7M ago29:06

29:06

Andy and Chris are both about to go on trips so they freewheel a conversation about buying a suit and changing the system for a currently running campaign.By Roll For Topic

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The Devil's Daughter (1939) 52:22

7M ago52:22

52:22

John, Andy, and Producer Brad have time for one last trip to the Caribbean to see a movie they missed the first time around; 1938’s The Devil’s Daughter. In this loose remake of team favorite Ouanga the action moves from Haiti to Jamaica, and from voodoo to obeah. How does this film stand up to the original? Join us in the lab as we break it down. …

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The Walking Dead (1936) 1:10:01

7M ago1:10:01

1:10:01

Let's welcome a brand new horror legend to the zombie genre: Boris Karloff, playing a wrongly-executed man brought back to life by mad science. You'll be as surprised as we were by this somber, atmospheric tale of justice from beyond the grave. Whether this is truly a zombie movie is a matter of debate (and we do debate it!), but you won't regret t…

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Episode 168 – Do You Replay TTRPG Scenes That Go Wrong? 42:51

7M ago42:51

42:51

Would you ever call for a “re-do” of a scene or encounter that didn’t go as planned? In what situations might that make sense? And are there better ways to “roll with” an unwelcome development in the game? Chris and Andy discuss, along with talk about game pacing and Andy’s million-dollar idea for a mystery … Continue reading "Episode 168 – Do You …

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J'accuse (1919) 1:14:11

7M ago1:14:11

1:14:11

The Zombie Strains team goes waaaay back to 1919 and the dawn of cinema to watch J'accuse, a French zombie movie. Don’t worry, it is not as bad as that sounds. Actually, it is really good! The team skipped this one initially, but now that we have circled back to watch it… Is this the zombie horde John, Andy, and Producer Brad have been looking for …

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Valley of the Zombies (1946) 1:20:18

8M ago1:20:18

1:20:18

So much awaits us in the Valley of the Zombies: an undead mortician with very specific medical needs! A desperate car chase centered around a malfunctioning radio! And best of all, a chilling new zombie master (Ian Keith) who just might rival the great Bela Lugosi with his scenery-chewing menace. Join John, Andy, and Producer Brad as they explore a…

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Episode 167 – How Do You Use Weather in Your TTRPGs? 35:02

8M ago35:02

35:02

Does it matter in your D&D game if the weather outside is bright and balmy or cold and rainy? Are there ways to incorporate changing weather into a TTRPG that don’t just boil down to the occasional die roll penalty? Chris and Andy discuss, and Chris describes his experience with Bully Pulpit Games’ The Skeletons.…