The Retro Adventurers

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May 2026

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Explore classic text adventure games from legendary publishers and authors including Magnetic Scrolls, Level 9, Infocom, Scott Adams, and Interplay. A podcast for fans of GET LAMP, Eaten By a Grue, The Classic Adventurer, Renga In Blue, and Quest For Clues. Follow us on your favorite podcast app, and keep the conversations going on Discord, Facebook, and Bluesky.

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42 recent

May 31, 2026Episode 4214 min

OPEN MAILBOX June 2026

Your monthly classic text adventuring news update delivered this month by Jason, Nick, and Tim. The top stories are game contests still open for players votes at time of publication! Don't delay, listen and click today! Text Adventure Literacy Jam 2026 https://itch.io/jam/talp2026 https://gameobserver.com/6th-annual-game-jam-inspires-next-generation-of-developers-to-keep-text-adventures-alive/ Iron CHiF Season One Episode Two: ZIL https://intfiction.org/t/iron-chif-season-one-episode-2-lancelot-vs-someone2-using-zil/79983 Inform 6 benchmarking https://discord.com/channels/830344544679493644/830344548315037739/1501871149288525844 PunyInform v6.6 https://github.com/johanberntsson/PunyInform/releases/tag/v6_6 Visible Zorker update: Deadline for backers, Zork III goes public https://blog.zarfhome.com/2026/05/visible-zork-3 https://archive.org/details/Suspended_Map_Recreation https://archive.org/details/Infocom_Starcross_Chart_Recreation Dialog 1b/01 https://intfiction.org/t/dialog-1b-01-library-1-2-0-a-machine-1-0-0-is-released/80151 https://github.com/Dialog-IF/dialog/releases/tag/release-1b01-1.2.0 War of the Worlds for Commodore 64 https://michel-molenaar.itch.io/war-of-the-worlds-c64 Modern PAW environment https://www.reddit.com/r/interactivefiction/comments/1tgyyj2/show_if_a_modern_jsonbased_paws_engine/ https://carlosparamio.itch.io/paws-ai Text Adventure Studio (formerly Apple II Adventure Studio) https://www.reddit.com/r/textadventures/comments/1t3yypi/apple_ii_adventure_studio_is_now_officially_text/ https://textadventurestudio.com/ The Forgotten Nightmare release https://intfiction.org/t/the-forgotten-nightmare-series-platform-expansion-release/80323/5 Voyage of the Beano for Spectrum Next https://qladventures.itch.io/the-voyage-of-the-beano Spring Thing 2026 recognizes C64 Latinorum, other neo-retro titles https://www.springthing.net/2026/play.html 2026 IntroComp kickoff https://mastodon.social/@Feneric/116636591715718306

May 13, 2026Episode 411 hr 10 min

Episode 41 - Infidel and The Smirking Horror

It's an Infocom antiheroic classic and a throwback Infocom parody this time out as modern IF legend Andrew Plotkin (Zarf) joins Jason and Nick for two perilous adventures. Lurking Horror sendup The Smirking Horror by Jason Davis leads off, a reasonably faithful re-interpretation of The Lurking Horror from Infocom. It's the first Amstrad CPC exclusive on the show and makes surprisingly minimal use of the graphics available in Graphic Adventure Creator. For the main course we take on Infocom's Infidel, memorably parodied by Zarf himself (Episode 27's Inhumane) and created by Michael Berlyn and Patricia Fogleman. Legendary for its surly protagonist and shock ending, does it hold up to modern scrutiny? Infidel (IFDB) Infidel packaging (gray box) Infidel packaging (folio) The Smirking Horror (CPCWiki) The Smirking Horror (playable online)

April 30, 2026Episode 4022 min

Episode 40 - OPEN MAILBOX May 2026

There's news out there in classic text adventures and neo-retro interactive fiction, and it's past time The Retro Adventurers got serious about delivering it! So, welcome to the first installment of a new monthly feature, OPEN MAILBOX -- where you GET NEWS AND LISTEN TO IT. This episode compiled and presented by Retro Adventurers Nick and Jason covers multiple new Infocom/Z-Machine interpreters, Andrew Plotkin's Visible Zorker developments, an amazingly layered Cornerstone prank-that's-also-real, and other novel developments. Zym II and Inform 6 Optimization: https://intfiction.org/t/zym-ii-an-8-bit-z-machine-interpreter-for-symbos/79520 https://intfiction.org/t/accelerating-inform-6-games-on-8-bit-interpreters/79531 https://github.com/fredrikr/krebf Visible Zorker - Deadline hijinx: https://blog.zarfhome.com/2026/03/visible-zorker-march https://www.patreon.com/VisibleZorker New Features for Old Hardware: https://intfiction.org/t/statusline-options/79162 https://github.com/johanberntsson/ozmoo/releases Retro Adventurers on Discord: https://discord.gg/8jrbVptACc Springtime in the PunyInform Century: https://discord.com/channels/830344544679493644/830344937252978718/1491913229721665840 https://www.springthing.net/2026/ Zabbrev: https://intfiction.org/t/zabbrev-has-been-ported-from-c-to-c/75176/24 https://jxself.org/git?p=zabbrev.git;a=summary The Linchpin to Infocom’s Database Strategy?: https://intfiction.org/t/cornerstones-vm-was-cornerstone-for-atari/79644 https://blog.zarfhome.com/2026/04/cornerstone-and-the-mu-machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgz5GIbKx3Y https://zilf.io/ Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation (IFTF) Grants: https://blog.iftechfoundation.org/2026-04-08-announcing-the-2026-iftf-grant-recipients.html Keep Circulating the Tapes: https://ifdb.org

April 6, 2026Episode 3940 min

Episode 39 - Second Anniversary Chatisode

Thank you for another year of Retro Adventuring with us! To celebrate we've gathered together to share important news about a change in the team roster, an exciting new monthly department, and to share a first look at our new handcrafted artwork (thank you, Emily Sergent)! Spend a little time with Jason, Nick, and Tim and watch for more game, interview, and news episodes coming soon to your feed (and YouTube, which did get sorted out!) Our YouTube channel Douglas Adams BBC interview (1985) The BDB Project (Bonaventura Di Bello adventure translations) Tim's 1987 (?) photo Adventure Game Aptitude Test (Maniac Mansion 4-hour challenge) Zork 78 logo pillow

March 23, 2026Episode 381 hr 7 min

Episode 38 - Aldebaran III and Dog Star Adventure

Hyperspace adventure awaits as Tim Gilberts joins Jason to play two underrated science fiction games from the 1970s. For starters it's Dog Star Adventure, the first type-in text adventure in Softside Magazine. True to its 1979 roots it's steeped in Star Wars lore and vocabulary, and was ported to plenty of classic platforms in its heyday. The feature game is Aldebaran III, one of the games created by Peter Langston in his Wander system. It, too, leans heavily on genre fiction, in this case the Retief novels by Keith Laumer, covering interstellar espionage, diplomacy, and bureaucracy in equal measure. Aldebaran III (IFDB) Wander source code (Github) Wander game analysis (Renga In Blue) Aldebaran III (CRPG Adventures) Dog Star Adventure (IFDB) Dog Star Adventure in Softside May 1979 Dog Star Adventure (Old School Gamer Magazine)

February 1, 2026Episode 3756 min

Episode 37 - Another Conversation With Ron Martinez

Ron Martinez, our guest from Episode 11, returns! This is actually a holdover from the 2025 Year-End Chatisode sessions, but it really stands alone as an exploration of Ron's recent work in narrative design involving generative AI, large language models, and other 21st century interactive storytelling techniques. Joining us on the call are regular Retro Adventurers Jason and Nick, along with This Week in Retro's Dave "Velociraptor" (Episode 29). And it's a big day for Nabokov fans as both Pale Fire and his lecture on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are invoked. Hidden Agenda 2026 preview Hidden Agenda 2026 landing page Invention Arts Headcanon

January 14, 2026Episode 3647 min

Episode 36 - Zork Novelties #1: Zork-285 and Mini-Zork I

It's the Infocom classic Zork, but in two unusual formats! First Nick and Jason explore the unusual covertape edition of Mini-Zork I, a stripped-down, memory-resident version of the original Great Underground Empire created in 1987 and later provided free to readers of the November 1990 issue of ZZap 64 magazine for the Commodore 64. It's a bold undertaking, but is it art? Indeed, does it even work at all? Then the Retro Adventurers take on Zork-285, a reconstruction "of the very first MDL version of Zork from June 14, 1977" as provided by Henrik Åsman. Only available to play by a small cadre of MIT insiders, this version has the bones of what would later become the full-fledged Dungeon game before being carved up for Infocom's commercial products Zork I, II, and III. It's full of pitfalls but notably empty of grues. Cover image from David Ardito's 1981 Zork poster, sourced from zarfhome.com Mini-Zork I on IFDB Zork 285 on IFDB The Newton (excerpt from The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, performed by Jason)

December 27, 2025Episode 352 hr 6 min

Episode 35 - 2025 Year-End Chatisode

Holiday merriment with many past guests and minimal editing! Retro Adventurers Jason and Nick chat about the year that was including recent developments in classic adventure open source, plans for 2026, and more with many of our past participants: Robin Raymond, author of Kingdom of the Seven Stones (Episode 9) Tim Gilberts of Gilsoft (Episodes 5, 13, 17, 25) Scott Adams of Adventure International (Episodes 3, 13) Andrew Plotkin (Inhumane covered in Episode 27 and interviewed in Episode 28) Dave "Velociraptor" of This Week in Retro (Episode 29) Christian Neuhaus, co-writer of You've Ruined a Perfectly Good Mystery! (Episode 23) Iain Lee, game show pilot host and media icon (Episode 18) A separate chat with Ron Martinez (Episode 11) will be published in a later episode. Parsely tabletop game Nick's unfinished PunyInform book

December 7, 2025Episode 3444 min

Episode 34 - Gremlins and A Spell Of Christmas Ice

Nick and Jason deliver holiday cheer straight from Santa's Grotto in the form of two 1980s Christmas classics. First up is the bite-sized Quill adventure A Spell Of Christmas Ice by Mike Turner, originally published on the tape-based 16/48 Magazine for ZX Spectrum users. For the main course, enjoy Brian Howarth's very British adaptation of the very American monster mayhem classic Gremlins. Curl up by the fire with your favorite picturebook adaptation of a Hollywood blockbuster, listen, and enjoy the season! 16/48 Magazine Issue 12 A Spell Of Christmas Ice, stand-alone tape image Mike E. Turner (IFDB) Gremlins: The Adventure (IFDB) Gremlins: The Adventure (MOCAGH) Level 9 Archive (Github) Andrew Plotkin's analysis of Zork I-III becoming open source Original cover photo by Gy21dds

November 16, 2025Episode 331 hr 6 min

Episode 33 - A Conversation with Mathbrush

No one has reviewed more text adventures and works of interactive fiction over the past decade than MathBrush. A self-described newcomer to the scene he has nonetheless posted over 3,600 reviews and counting of games old and new, along with creating or collaborating with others to create 30 games of his own. MathBrush's thousands of reviews MathBrush's IFDB profile MathBrush's games Intfiction.org profile