Blizzard Watch posts
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Blizzard Watch Weekly: The Midnight alpha begins!
WithMidnightnews everywhere, it's a big week inWarcraft...and while that's the biggest news, the Midnight alpha is far from the only thing that happened this week. So let's stop dawdling in this introduction and get to it!What happened this week?AnotherMidnightrevealgave us a good overview of the expansion after thescattered announcements and interviews at Gamescomlast month. Thevideo overview of expansion zones and featuresprovides lots of great visuals and was followed byan hour-long Q&A— both are worth watching.TheMidnightalpha...
Blizzard Watch Podcast Uncut: How much more hardcore can WoW get?
This week our hosts Liz and Joe were joined by Nick, our WoW Classic expert. While they waited very impatiently for the next round of news aboutMidnight, they talked about the new trend inClassic, to use addons to make Hardcore mode even more Hardcore by obscuring certain heads up data in the UI. When is enough enough? But that wasn't all. There was a new Trading Post, the Turbo Boost, and a nice little bonus for Wrath of the Lich King users in China.But it wasn't all WoW. A wholenew Hearthstone expansion was announced. Across the Timew...
Lore Watch from the Archives: What the elf expansion of our dreams would be
This week we're having a throwback episode from the Archives. Over a hundred episodes ago, Matt and Joe discussed what they would like to see from an elf-centric expansion, which is more or less coming to fruition withMidnight. They begin by talking about the lore behind elves in general, their historical origins as an offshoot of the Trolls, through the Night Elf schism with the High Elves, then Blood Elves, and then everything that transpired from their various splinter factions. Their vision of a elf-centric expansion definitely includes...
Tavern Watch Podcast: Thundercats and other TTRPGs we can't wait to play
There are a lot of games we're excited to play — and excited to watch! — on this week's Tavern Watch Podcast. A Thundercats game by Dynamite Entertainment will be launching Kickstarter soon (you can join us in watching for the campaign by clicking "notify me" on the Kickstarter campaign). It's a 5e game, which could make it an easy sell to play with friends since 5e is so well-known, so this may be a better bet than coming up with a unique system. But we may be even more excited for what this game means about other prope...
Blizzard Watch Weekly: Fat Bear Week
This is the best week of the year. Between Rutherford Bear Hayes my trusty Hunter pet and Bear & Breakfast, it's no wonder that I adore Fat Bear Week.While we renovate a B&B while trying to not tip off any humans that we are, in fact, a bear, let’s look back at what happened this week, what we have to look forward to next week, plus some stuff you may have missed.What happened this week?Brewfest began September 23, goes til October 9Diablo 4 season 10 started September 23Mists of Pandaria Classic phase 2 started September 23Hades 2 offici...
Blizzard Watch Podcast Uncut: Midnight Alpha is (really!) coming soon
In the preshow this week everyone was excited about Critical Role's next season, which is starting next week. Well, everyone except Cory. It's kind of a long story, I'll let him tell you. If you'd also prefer to avoid the interminable shopping episode, you can jump ahead to 30:23 to skip the preshow.This week, we got the announcement that the alpha for World of Warcraft's next expansion Midnight is beginning in just a few weeks. Blizzard ran down some of the content we'll be seeing and roughly when, which was a hot topic...
Lore Watch Podcast: Is it finally time for Forsaken Paladins?
The topic of Forsaken Paladins is the meat in a three listener question sandwich this week. We start off with the idea of corruption, and just how the Old Gods managed to bend the kobolds eating Milly Osgood's grapes in Elwynn Forest to their will, being that they're generally not all that geographically adjacent. Besides which -- kobolds? Really? Then, the Forsaken Paladin discussion, which dives all the way back into a history lesson on how Paladins came to be in the first place. Lastly, why hasn't Lor'themar stepped up and be...
Tavern Watch Plays Outgunned Adventure, episode 3: Surviving almost certain death
You know that feeling when you're exploring a viking ship suspended in the rocks over a volcanic chasm, and some poorly planned acrobatics cause it to slip and turn upside down? Well, I didn't either until this game of Outgunned Adventure, in which our party is attempting to survive this extremely unlikely situation... and frankly, it's only going to get worse from here.Join us for episode three, where we'll finally see if our intrepid explorers can survive certain (maybe uncertain?) death as we wrap-up our game! GM Joe Perez as...
Blizzard Watch Weekly: Witness this, buddy.
"Oh, you like puzzle games? You should play The Witness," they said. The thing is I like games with puzzles, plural, and The Witness thus far only has one puzzle that I'm being made to do a few hundred times At first it was alright. I did enjoy the ones where I had to find environmental cues like shadows to help me solve the puzzles. But it wore thin a while back. Still, I'm not a quitter so like it or not we're still in it to win it, whatever "win it" means in this context.While I trace yet another line on yet anoth...
Blizzard Watch Podcast Uncut: Fire up your lederhosen, Brewfest starts next week
Mass Effect, Starfield, No Man's Sky, Fallout, Outer Worlds. Many have spaceships, some have building, others are allegories, and yet all are the topic of this week's preshow all at once. It is, as usual, a chaotic ride. I'm not even talking about the spaceships here. Plus, video game movie adaptions, and how they are almost always universally awful but fun. If you'd like to avoid something else awful but fun, you can speed past the preshow by skipping ahead to 22:54.We're joined by Cory for this week's Blizzard Watch Po...
Lore Watch Podcast: What does the Void fear?
This week's show is devoted to two listener questions. The first asks what the Void fears, in reference to a line from our old pal Ve'nari who asserts that she knows what it is -- but doesn't let us in on the secret. Can Matt and Joe unravel the mystery posed by our Broker friend? They go down some twisting paths to discuss their way to the answer, including a lot of discussion of all the elves on Azeroth. Then, more Midnight discussion that goes into what we may see from magic (in a broad sense) as we go forward even further toThe ...
Tavern Watch Plays Outgunned Adventure, episode 2: A practical guide to completely safe tomb raiding
Are we heading towards death or certain death? So far in our game of Outgunned Adventure,our crew of daring explorers has survived a fall into the hidden grotto that concealed the lost tomb of Erik the Red. (Possibly the reason they're so daring is that they don't know how close they were to death along the way.) But what will they find hidden inside as they hunt for treasures for their employer (and themselves) in this viking tomb?Join GM Joe Perez as he guides the definitely ideal team of explorers through danger (sometimes self infli...
Blizzard Watch Weekly: the coziest game on the Citadel
Did you ever have a friend who started playing a game you really like and haven't played in a while, so you immediately want to go pick it up again? Anyway, Liz has been talking about playingThe Long Dark lately, so I'm back on my nonsense. I'm pretty sure her favorite part so far is that the voice actors for FemShep and MShep voice the lead characters in this game.While I pick up like 40 sticks in a blizzard and then wonder what I'm carrying weighs so much, let’s look back at what happened this week, what we have to look forw...
Blizzard Watch Podcast Uncut: More new Midnight info from Gamescom (which ended a month ago)
The Blizzard Watch Podcast preshow was a D&D smorgasbord this week. In addition to our usual D&D enthusiasm, Matt is DMing a for-fun house game for some of the crew, and wanted to discuss it. Liz and Matt have been watching Murderbot, and discussed why the show feels so different from the book. Liz's theory is that the titular Murderbot in the book is an unreliable, or at least biased narrator, and that's why the tone differs, which is a very interesting thing to contemplate. If you don't want your mind blown and would rather skip t...
Lore Watch Podcast: How "Satanic Panic" changed media in the 80s, with ripple effects to today
Most people think of the 80s as a simple time full of big hair and scrunchies, but those of us who were intoDungeons and Dragons will remember the Satanic Panic, a period of time when parents were terrified that every piece of media was making their children evil. Our hosts Matt and Joe take a walk through a history they remember quite well, drawing from their own experiences as kids trying to get into D&D and comics. A listener asked about the history and influence of the Satanic Panic, so Joe and Matt were more than happy to talk smack about ...
Tavern Watch Plays Outgunned Adventure, episode 1: Climbing a cliff without any cliffhangers (maybe)
It's time for a new adventure with our Tavern Watch crew as we dive into Outgunned Adventure (and, yes, we're going to be using the word adventure a whole lot here). Our story opens with our daring explorers climbing to the top of a mountain in the middle of the ocean near Greenland in search of the tomb of the viking king Eric the Red, and whatever treasure he has left behind. (Valuable both monetarily and historically, of course.) Our party must brave the elements, each other (sometimes the biggest challenge), and any traps left behin...
Blizzard Watch Weekly: that decor feeling
Is it any wonder that, since I am in theory so excited aboutWoW's Player Housing, I would fill the gap left by its absence by playing other games where I can decorate things? It's almost Halloween, and I have a need to festoon something in spooky decorations which, unlike my own house, doesn't necessitate my first cleaning all the spider webs from under the eaves. Blech.So while I avoid the joros in style, let’s look back at what happened this week, what we have to look forward to next week, plus some stuff you may have missed.Wha...
Blizzard Watch Podcast Uncut: Dual wielding baguettes? plus more Midnight hijinks
Did you know that ferrets get into all kinds of wacky hijinks? Cory did, and as our special guest, he told us all about it on this week's preshow. Ferrets, cats, almost all animals can pour themselves into wild and wacky situations when it's least convenient. Perhaps not hippos, but that's a topic for another preshow. In this preshow they also discussed The Expanse and its unlikeable characters and the upcoming Expanse game. If, like Joe, you need to go find your jeweler's loupe so you can authenticate some cards so you need to ...
Lore Watch Podcast: Just a few of the breadcrumbs leading us to Midnight
Lore Watch this week explores three questions sent in by our listeners, all ending in answers we may see as we go forward into Midnight. First, they talk about the different types of magic -- specifically that Warlock magic stems from the Titans -- and why that knowledge didn't knock the socks clean off the Kirin Tor. Or maybe Xal'atath literally knocking those socks off also knocked some sense into them, and that's where we'll see them inMidnight.Then, we turn to the cry of Azeroth we saw in the teaser trailer for The War Withi...
Tavern Watch Podcast: Draw Steel is a spiritual successor to D&D 5e, and we're into it
On the latest Tavern Watch Podcast, we're excited about Draw Steel, a new game from MCDM that strikes us as spiritual successor to D&D 4e. The game features crunchy combat where all of your attacks hit (but may not hit very well) and you're encouraged to push your luck to rack up more victories before resting — but it also includes rules that encourage roleplay, like detailed downtime activities that could play back into your adventure (rather just saying you spent your downtime making healing potions and leaving it at that). The game...
Blizzard Watch Weekly: Pumpkin Spice Roundup
It's that time of year when everyone starts advertising stuff for fall, but it's still like, 85 degrees out where I live. I am wearing shorts and sweating and my hair is still summer frizzy, but I'm not going to pass up this opportunity for a nutmeg-flavored drink and apple cider donuts.While I drop the AC another degree and warm up my flat iron, let’s look back at what happened this week, what we have to look forward to next week, plus some stuff you may have missed.What happened this week?Overwatch 2season 18 begins August 26Eas...
Blizzard Watch Podcast: Transmog is not free, and other gamescom disappointments
This week's behind the scenes shows begin and end with Matt talking about dinosaurs. It's kind of a full circle sort of thing. They also talked about the newOsiris Reborn, which is from the Expanse series and was shown off quite extensively at gamescom. There was also a lot of discussion about TTRPGs, both the ones Hasbro has an iron fist on and all the others. If you'd like to skip the preshow, you can roll it forward to 33:33.Midnight and gamescom were the core topic of this week's Blizzard Watch Podcast. A big part of the dis...
Lore Watch: The weird similarities shared by the Kirin Tor and the Jedi Order
With the rigidity of the structure of the Kirin Tor and the Jedi Order, and their propensity for keeping secrets about power -- and sometimes that power for themselves -- there are a ton of parallels between the two organizations. Our hosts Matt and Joe dive deep into both theWorld of Warcraft universe and theStar Wars universe in order to compare and contrast the master light side wielders of the force and the best mages in Azeroth.While this doesn't imply that, for instance, Rhonin is a Jedi, it doesn'tnot imply it, either.
Tavern Watch Plays Rebel Scum, Episode 3: Fighting fascism with the power of friendship (and a blaster)
This week we're wrapping up our game ofRebel Scum, a game of anti-fascist space opera that seems a lot likeStar Wars -- so of course we just used it to play in theStar Wars universe! When an overwhelmingly powerful fascist Empire threatens those who want to see a better future for those around them and for the rest of the galaxy, what do you do? You fight back, you fight hard, and you don't stop until you win.Join GM Phil Ulrich as the crew of the Furious Tooka makes their way to a hidden base on the other side of the moon of Salient II...
Blizzard Watch Weekly: After Midnight
This week was dominated by theMidnight infodump from gamescom. So, what comes next? Other than Player Housing. Because we're also still fixated on when we're getting Player Housing.While let's look back at what happened this week, what we have to look forward to next week, plus some stuff you may have missed.What happened this week?GamescomAugust 19-24This week’sHearthstone Tavern Brawl: Idols of Azeroth Tavern Brawl (Wild, Provided)Active Twitch Drop campaignsEpic Games Store free game of the week: Strange Horticulture and Kamaer...
Blizzard Watch Podcast: The Midnight cinematic was released and we have thoughts
This week's preshow is all about concrete. No, I am not joking. The crew touches on building in games and history and a few other things, but no really, it keeps coming back to concrete. That may seem as dull as watching concrete dry, but it's more interesting than I'm making it out to be. If you'd still like to skip straight to the main show, the preshow ends at 24:51.If you thought this week's show would be entirely about the newMidnight trailer and the information we're getting out of gamescom, you would be right. Sit...
Lore Watch Podcast: What K'aresh might have to show us about the coming Midnight
While we're all excited about the new trailer forMidnight from gamescom, Matt and Joe took this opportunity to discuss what narrative threads we may see inMidnight as a whole. They recap some of our adventures on K'aresh, discuss the order of what might be coming, plus what the nature of the energy-based Ethereals have to do with Azeroth. It's a multi-faceted lore deep dive on the story up to now, and some conjecture as to what we may see in the future as a result.And we'd just like to disclaim that Matt and Joe recorded this on...
Tavern Watch Plays Rebel Scum, Episode 2: Liberation day at the mines
This week we’re continuing our game ofRebel Scum, a game of anti-fascist space opera that seems a lot likeStar Wars — so of course we just used it to play in theStar Wars universe! When an overwhelmingly powerful fascist Empire threatens those who want to see a better future for those around them and for the rest of the galaxy, what do you do? You fight back, you fight hard, and you don’t stop until you win.Join GM Phil Ulrich as we follow the crew of the Furous Tooka on their quest to free the overworked, underpaid, and Empire-oppressed ...
Blizzard Watch Weekly: It's too hot.
This intro is the last thing I do before I hit the weekend, so it's usually about what I have planned, something cool going on, you get the idea. However, today I went outside for fifteen (15) minutes and now every thought has exited my head other than "wow, it's hot."So while I sit next to a fan, let's look back at what happened this week, what we have to look forward to next week, plus some stuff you may have missed.What happened this week?Season 3 of The War Within begins August 12This week’sHearthstone Tavern Brawl: Du...
Blizzard Watch Podcast: Tazavesh is the best city ever, and more WoW patch 11.2 observations
On this week's preshow, Joe, Liz, and our special guest host Liz Patt discussed how based in consumption current fandom is. You can't just like a video game, you also have to buy all the merch, and as Liz said, you only have so much space to hold it all. Joe is especially annoyed about how that glut of stuff affectsMagic: The Gathering, and does so increasingly, as Hasbro realizes that, if they release more cards, people will have to buy more cards to keep up. If you want to break out of this vicious cycle, you can skip to 34:00 to spee...
