Jenny and Peter oversee the promotion of our ongoing series on gamifying Biblical figures with one of the most difficult yet: Samson! Though his story is found in the Book of Judges, Samson is a notorious and often actively awful outlier among Biblical figures. He’s a drunken, womanizing barbarian who only occasionally interacts with God, and often seems more like Heracles or other mythic figures. What, then, can we learn from Samson and his story? And what can we take back to the gaming table?

Scripture: Judges 13:2-5, Judges 16:28-30

Jenny’s off exploring France this week, so Peter and Grant sat down together for another bonus episode in our Biblical Figures series! This time, we’re talking about Matthew—apostle, Gospel author, and reformed tax collector. We provide some Fun Facts about Matthew Levi before Grant gives an overview of the peculiar system of Roman taxation. Then we talk about Matthew’s major appearance in Scripture, as well as his role as one of the four traditional authors of the Gospels and the different martyrdoms traditionally ascribed to Matthew. Finally, we wrap up by exploring ways to use elements of Matthew’s story in our own games. Enjoy!

Mentioned in this episode: Alfred Edersheim’s Sketches of Jewish Social Life and Fausset’s Bible Dictionary.

Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13, Luke 18:9-14, Luke 19:1-10, Revelation 4:5-8

Due to illness, it’s another short bonus episode this week; but Jenny and Peter are talking about Gideon, so it can’t be all bad! Gideon’s a fascinating figure from Judges 6-8, who (like so many others in Scripture) serves the Lord faithfully while remaining familiarly human. His story and character contain some very gameable elements, and we cover those here. Enjoy!

Scripture: Judges 6:11-16, Judges 8:22-25

It’s an emergency bonus episode due to illness and holiday stress, but an interesting topic: Joseph as a gameable figure! (Listen to find out which Joseph, naturally.)