About this episode

The episode features discussions on board games, anime adaptations, and non-Disney animated films.

With Brock out traveling the wilderness this week, the dynamic duo teams up to deliver a jam-packed episode of nerdy deep dives. The guys kick things off with a countdown to PAX Australia before losing their minds over Stonemaier Games' newly announced title, Duel of Melok—an ambitious asymmetrical game allowing Scythe and Expeditions systems to battle head-to-head. Then, they step into the designer shoes to pitch how iconic anime IPs like Dr. Stone and One Piece could naturally fit complex resource management and dungeon-crawling board game systems without just being cheap reskins. Finally, they step into the screening room for a massive retro discussion on the greatest animated feature films that have absolutely zero affiliation with Disney or Pixar. They cover everything from the brutal heartbreak of The Land Before Time and the legendary rock soundtrack of the original Transformers movie to absolute anime milestones like Akira, Ninja Scroll, and Evangelion. Plus, get an update on Zach’s Diddy Kong Racing streams and find out how you can buy the crew's homegrown tabletop game, Monsters at War!

Topics covered

• board games
• anime
• animated films
• PAX Australia
• resource management
• dungeon crawling

Keywords

• Duel of Melok
• Stonemaier Games
• anime IPs
• animated feature films
• PAX Australia
• resource management
• dungeon crawling
• Monsters at War

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stonemaier Games

Products: Monsters at War

Books & works: Duel of Melok, Dr. Stone, One Piece, The Land Before Time, Transformers, Akira, Ninja Scroll, Evangelion

More episodes of Frantic Nerdcast

• Episode 117 - EB Games Scalping Drama, Sam Neill Tribute, & Pop Culture Deaths That Broke Us · July 16, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Episode 116 - he Pokemon 30th Anniversary Pre-Order Disaster! + Dune Part 3 & Anime Rants · July 9, 2026 · 1h 22m
• Episode 115 - The Death of Physical Gaming & Our Ultimate 80s & 90s Movie Tier List! · July 2, 2026 · 1h 33m
• Episode 113 - Master of the Universe, Mortal kombat, Zac Giveaway Winners and more! · June 18, 2026 · 1h 11m

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