Lore Watch

We conclude our Dragon Age lore series with the game that started it all: Dragon Age: Origins. This episode delves into the morally complex world of Thedas, the struggles of the Grey Wardens, and the foundation of the Blight plus other key elements introduced in this title and further developed in the sequels. As usual, more spoilers than Morrigan has witty retorts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt and Joe are joined by Liz as they dive into what you need to know about the Dragon Age 2 storyline to prepare you for this week's launch of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. They cover the major events and characters of the title as well as the themes of power, agency, and moral ambiguity the game explores. And, of course, the introduction of everyone’s favorite spicy novel writing scoundrel and hilariously unreliable narrator, Varric Tethras. As usual, spoilers abound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt and Joe are joined by Liz as they wrap up their discussion of the events in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred. They cover how the final confrontation of the campaign sets up the next chapter in the game’s story, the larger motivations of Mephisto, and the influence of corporate monetization strategies on the depth of storytelling.Also, multitasking with your mouth. No, really, it makes sense when you hear it. I hope. As usual, spoilers abound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt and Joe delve into the narrative, characters, and villains from the latest Diablo 4 expansion, Vessel of Hatred. They cover everything from Neyrelle’s continued story arc to the spiritborn’s connection to the spirit realm to the most memorable moments in the game. And, most importantly, how the appearance of a certain spirit was absolutely, totally not inspired by C. S. Lewis. Not one bit. /riversongvoice Spoilers, darling. /riversongvoice Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt, Joe, and Liz cover everything you need to know about the lore of Dragon Age: Inquisition in preparation for the upcoming release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. They cover topics ranging from the main Inquisitor storyline to the history of the elves to the deceitful companionship of trickster god himself, the Dread Wolf. Spoilers abound if you haven’t played the Dragon Age titles. Also, what’s wrong with you? Go play the Dragon Age titles! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Matt and Joe as they explore how the plight of the Nerubians of Azj-Kahet may provide insight into other groups corrupted by the Old Gods, more potential underground regions that could be explored in Azeroth, the history and destruction of Dalaran, and the burning question keeping us up at night: Why don’t the Earthen have Scottish accents? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Matt and Joe as they explore the theory that Xal’atath may have began as a Titan construct, the surprisingly inclusive beginnings of the Scarlet Crusade, and the recent influence of the most terrible, evil, and loathsome Old God of them all, daily grinds— uh, Y’Shaarj. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Matt and Joe as they untangle the history and origin of the Arathi from their establishment of the Seven Kingdoms to their alliance with the high elves to their war against the trolls. Plus an overview of which faction in WoW canonically beat major dungeons and raids in the game and how the unholy mixture of void magic and old god corruption pushed forward the monstrous evolution of the Nerubians. Because spider people weren’t disturbing enough already, apparently. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we are joined by Phil “The goblin with the dumb name that you all love” Ulrich as we go in-depth on the good, the bad, and the ugly of the new Player’s Handbook. Also the trend of more open development by TTRPG game designers, what upcoming games we are looking forward to playing, and what we want from Wizards of the Coast’s upcoming virtual tabletop, Project Sigil.Tavern Watch is our podcast devoted to tabletop roleplaying games brought to you by the people behind the Blizzard Watch and Lore Watch podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Matt and Joe as they explore the repeated use of echoes and memories through the storyline of the current expansion leading to a discussion about the cyclical nature of WoW’s storytelling as well as the subversion of tropes in recent narratives in the game. (Spoilers for the War Within main campaign.) Also, the origins of Moonkins and murlocs as well as the whereabouts of the third Windrunner sister, Vareesa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Matt and Joe as they explore the history and culture of the Arathi Empire, speculating on its transformation from a human-led nation into a society of mixed human and elven heritage. Tin foil hatting ensues about the empire's leadership, the role of prophetic visions from the Sacred Flame, and their zone in the new expansion, Hallowfall. And this leads to a discussion of the role of the Titans in all of this. Because of course it does. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt, Joe, and Liz have been playing through early access of The War Within and have tHOuGhTz & oPiNioNz on the new lore info in the expansion. Topics include the extra depth we're getting on the lead lore characters and themes of mental health throughout the game as well as how you can see the Earthen's Titan roots throughout their story, the environmental storytelling in the game and through its side-quests. Minor spoilers throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as we explore what we know so far about The War Within storyline to tin foil hat our way through implications for WoW’s larger narrative. Like we do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as we explore Marvel’s recent Comic-Con announcement that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the MCU as iconic villain Doctor Doom for the upcoming “Secret Wars” two-part movie. Discover why we think Viktor von Doom can be described as a villainous Boy Scout, how his relationship with Tony Stark is the world’s most dangerous and dysfunctional bromance, and how one of his misadventures was basically ‘Drunk History’, but with armor and magic. Which, ironically, is how you could describe WoW these days. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as we explore how the Scarred, a corrupted Earthen race in Khaz Algar of The War Within, may be connected to the twisted Dark Iron Dwarves of Grim Batol. Going further down the rabbit hole, we also delve (hehe) into how many underground zones in WoW could be linked through Old God corruption and how this might be a larger narrative in the game. Also Nephalem, Richard Knaak, and the return of Robert Downey Jr., because…uh, reasons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as we discuss how we think the story of Magni and Brann Bronzebeard might play out in the upcoming expansion, various interpretations of The Prophecy of The Boy King (spoiler: it may not be about Anduin), and the possible connection between the Nerubians and the underground spider-elf hybrids known as drider-- uh the Fal’dorei of Suramar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tavern Watch is our podcast devoted to tabletop roleplaying games brought to you by the people behind the Blizzard Watch and Lore Watch podcasts.In this episode, we discuss the updated D&D rulebooks rolling out soon, the impact of the recent massive layoffs at Wizards of the Coast on both their own products and the larger industry, the role of AI in game development, and the importance of community trust for TTRPG companies to be successful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as we discuss if WoW is a narrative-first game, the evolution of the portrayal of goblins, and if Anduin taking center stage in the upcoming expansion means Sylvanas will also make an appearance. Bonus: Just how old is Dadgar—uh, Khadgar? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the Old God-imbued Saronite to the crystalized blood of Azeroth we call Azerite, many of the raw materials we use for crafting in WoW have a deeper connection to myths and legends in the game. Join us as we go waaaay down the rabbit hole of the surprising lore behind many WoW crafting sources. Plus more Xal’atath background and what’s up with that giant abandoned snow covered bird nest in Townlong Steppes? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Shadow Priest artifact weapon to retconned manipulator of Azeroth’s history to the Old God-adjacent big bad of The War Within, we discuss what we know about the void entity known as Xal’atath. Followed immediately by everyone's favorite part: wild speculation! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.