Geeks & Grounds is an asynchronous, monthly game club where we play video games and brew good conversation, together! β Each week, receive a newsletter with a reflection question and curated materials meant to help you thoughtfully connect with the games we play.
November Indiescovery + Starting Final Fantasy X [Geeks & Grounds #100]
this week's brew π§
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In today's podcast ~
- Introducing Dave Jackson, host of Tales from the Backlog! He'll be our cafΓ© discussion guest for the months of November and December.
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The Pastry Case: Our grab-bag of news + media we're engaging with outside of our game of the month:
- 2026 Geeks & Grounds Game Nominations begin today! Fill out the form by November 17th for your nomination to be included. FAQ in the link as well!
- Jenny: Quartet, Final Fantasy 16, The Haunting of Bly Manorβ
- Dave: Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Ghost of Yotei, Pokemon Legends ZA, Madden 2005, Frankenstein, Gardens of the Moonβ
- Introducing this month's brew: Final Fantasy X! Dave and I discuss impact, history, and personal significance ahead of jumping in.
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Listen to the episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!
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β¨ November Indie Games Highlighted β¨
percolate for next time... β
βwe're beginning our pilgrimage to Zanarkand!
For the next two months, we'll be journeying through the land of Spira. Not only will we get to know a memorable cast of characters, but through this game, we'll have lots of discussion related to faith (and THE Fayth, heh), legacy, expectations, and --most importantly -- how the heck people hold their breath so long while playing Blitzball!
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The deep dive podcast releases on November 18th~ and we'll have our community hangout to discuss the first half of the game on November 22nd (a little sooner than normal to adjust for the holiday weekend in the US).
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Find all the details and schedule for this month in the playthrough guide:
| Check out the Playthrough Guide |
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Reflection
Share your thoughts, questions, and reactions with the wider community! You can do that by writing back to this email, submitting a voice recording to be included in the next episode, sharing experiences in the community Discord, or simply pondering as you play. Here's a question to get you started:
- What are you drawn to learn more about as you explore Spira? Do you find yourself interested in a specific character, like Tidus and Yuna, or are you most intrigued by other elements, like the religion (Yevon) or Sin?
Pour Over
Supplementary books, articles, games, and resources to expand on what we're playing this month ~
- Listen to the Final Fantasy X OST (and download it for free!)
- βRead up on the legacy and history of the infamous laughing scene (from Kotaku)
- βTake a look at some of the (VERY) early concepts for Final Fantasy X when it was known as 17 SEVEN TEEN
- βMod to prevent bugs in the PC version of the game (thanks to WeGoGiant for sharing!)
- Just in case you'd like a walkthrough to help guide your time in Spira, here's a handy one from IGN! (Hint: For November, we're playing until the start of Chapter 7!)
Stay in the loop -- listen to the weekly podcast on Spotify and Apple, hang with the community in Discord, and find us on Instagram!
βThanks for joining our digital cafΓ© this week -- talk soon!
Jenny
Jenny | Geeks & Grounds
Geeks & Grounds is an asynchronous, monthly game club where we play video games and brew good conversation, together! β Each week, receive a newsletter with a reflection question and curated materials meant to help you thoughtfully connect with the games we play.
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