In this special Gen Con edition of the Tavern Watch Podcast, we're looking at a mountain of new product announcements for our favorite games, some coming soon and others stretched out over the next few years, but all of them exciting. Mostly. Wizards of the Coast rented out out a whole theater for its big reveal, with a bunch of new upcoming releases for D&D -- including, yes, that World of Warcraft crossover that turned out to be real, one of their two announced "Universes Beyond" products (yes, D&D is now getting the Magic: the Gathering treatment). The D&D team also had plenty to say about their own internal projects, but a lot of them appeared to be backward-looking -- rather than something new and innovative, we're returning to old settings like Greyhawk and Dark Sun. There are also improvements to D&D Beyond in the works, including a new "LFG" feature in partnership with StartPlaying; anything that gets more players to tabletop games, we're here for. We also discuss whether Wizards and Hasbro, as corporate stewards of D&D, can actually do a satisfying job reviving what we like about Dark Sun, or if it's just going to be a nonstop blood-guts-and-gore fest like the teaser trailer led us to believe (content warnings for extreme gore and violence on that link).

But we may be more excited about the non-D&D stuff, where a whole lot of new ideas are brewing. We discuss Daggerheart and its three-year roadmap, Paizo dipping its toes into horror with an entirely new game system in 13 Omens, the upcoming sixth edition of Vampire: The Masquerade (now in alpha playtesting!), and the open license for the upcoming Cypher System 2E. And of course, what would a Gen Con show be without discussing the ENNIE Awards? Be prepared to grip your wallets in fear when Joe tells you what the price for The Crooked Moon's Ultimate Edition, which won the Gold ENNIE for Product of the Year, actually costs. It makes the thirty pound, $300 Invisible Sun Black Cubelook quaint.

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Tavern Watch Podcast, we wander very naturally into one of the most age-old discussions among tabletop players and GMs alike: do you have a preference for crunchy systems or streamlined ones? Do you get giddy at the idea of Shadowrun's forty pages of equipment and entirely separate game-within-a-game for Technomancers? Is D&Dabout as heavyweight a game as you like to get, or is even that too much and you'd rather have something like Kids on Bikes? Opinions on this always vary wildly, and it's a fun discussion to have every so often -- especially because sometimes playing games will either reinforce or flip an opinion.

On the news front, beloved Seattle-area cryptid Jimothy has stats in D&D now, Paizo reaches a new agreement with Archives of Nethys (great news given the incredible service the Archives offer the community), Daggerheart is testing a Summoner class as part of the new Blood domain (shared with Critical Role favorite the Blood Hunter), and Matt's perennial favorite Godzilla is coming to the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game later this year. Will we see the storyline return where Reed Richards shrinks Godzilla and sends her back in time? Were you at all surprised to learn that that was a Reed Richards plan? Of course you weren't. The crowdfunding roundup this time includes Dungeons and Daddies (not a BDSM sourcebook), cozy Hobbit murder-mystery solving game Merryshire Detective Club, and the beginning of developer logs on the Masks 2E Kickstarter ahead of its eventual launch, starting with: why a new edition of Masks?

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of our Legend in the Mist actual play, the Inkwell Club has managed to calm down the frenzied (and cursed) Spring Renewal Festival, only to see that several townsfolk are still caught in the thrall of something sinister and being led down the narrow switchback paths to the bottom of Skunk Glen Ravine. What awaits them there, other than a pile of the village's cast-offs? Will they get to the bottom without losing their possessions, their fellow villagers, or their lives? And if it's true that one person's trash is another person's treasure, does that mean Skunk Glen Ravine is full of treasure if you're the right kind of person? Only one way to find out -- down we go.

Narrator Phil Ulrich is starting to draw the curtain on this mystery; the Inkwells, as always, are played by:

• Joe Perez as Daisuke, a studious capybara-person from the local hot spring with a secret talent for water magic
• Trish Olson (AwkwardishPanda) as Meadow, a traveling diviner who sees omens and portents in the stars
• Kameron (Tetsemi) as Tom, a young and slightly-cursed runaway lad who tends to dive in head-first without thinking
• Matt Rossi as Sorena, a former bear cub polymorphed into a blacksmith's apprentice, torn between two worlds
• Liz Harper as Selby, the somewhat overworked town alchemist (and her loyal beast of a hound dog, Ollie)

This is the finale of a three-part series of Legend in the Mist -- the first episode is here, the second episode is here, and you can watch every Monday for new episodes of whatever we do next! This isn't our first time playing the rustic fantasy game from Son of Oak, however; you can check out our prior adventures here with a different trio of villagers. If you think this game sounds fun, you should be able to pick up your own copy from Son of Oak in the very near future!

The music in this episode is by Phat Phrog Studios -- "Mana Malt," from the Bard's Rest collection.

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Legend in the Mist actual play continues! Our party, the Inkwell Club, has helped solve a number of weird problems and disputes leading up to the Spring Renewal Festival in the little burg of Ravenhome. Surely all the problems are out of the way, right? Surely it's not an issue that folks are smiling a little too wide, yelling a little too loud, and dancing a little too closely to the edge of Skunk Glen Ravine -- and all before anyone's had a chance to tap into the wine? It's time for our hometown problem-solvers to solve another problem, while not succumbing to the allure of the Festival themselves.

Narrator Phil Ulrich guides the story, while the Inkwells are:

• Joe Perez as Daisuke, a studious capybara-person from the local hot spring with a secret talent for water magic
• Trish Olson (AwkwardishPanda) as Meadow, a traveling diviner who sees omens and portents in the stars
• Kameron (Tetsemi) as Tom, a young and slightly-cursed runaway lad who tends to dive in head-first without thinking
• Matt Rossi as Sorena, a former bear cub polymorphed into a blacksmith's apprentice, torn between two worlds
• Liz Harper as Selby, the somewhat overworked town alchemist (and her loyal beast of a hound dog, Ollie)

This is the second in a three-part series of Legend in the Mist -- the first episode is here, and you should watch for new episodes every Monday! This isn't our first time playing the rustic fantasy game from Son of Oak, however; you can check out our prior adventures here with a different trio of villagers. If you think this game sounds fun, you should be able to pick up your own copy from Son of Oak in the very near future!

The music in this episode is by Phat Phrog Studios -- "Mana Malt," from the Bard's Rest collection.

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Legend in the Mist TTRPG has finally released, and Tavern Watch is here to dip our toes back into the world of rustic fantasy adventure! It's time for the Spring Renewal Festival in the little town of Ravenhoem, kicking off the warmer part of the year by tossing out the old and welcoming in the new, but everywhere you look it just seems like things are going awry: there's a commotion blocking the bridge into town, the baker's got a fruit-related conundrum, and the old lady on the edge of town is having a wasp problem. What are the local book club/trouble investigators, the Inkwell Club, to do? Why, pitch in and help of course! Surely there's nothing more sinister going on here, right?

Your narrator for this adventure is Phil Ulrich, and Ravenhome's resident nosy problemselves and lore chasers are:

• Joe Perez as Daisuke, a studious capybara-person from the local hot spring with a secret talent for water magic
• Trish Olson (AwkwardishPanda) as Meadow, a traveling diviner who sees omens and portents in the stars
• Kameron (Tetsemi) as Tom, a young and slightly-cursed runaway lad who tends to dive in head-first without thinking
• Matt Rossi as Sorena, a former bear cub polymorphed into a blacksmith's apprentice, torn between two worlds
• Liz Harper as Selby, the somewhat overworked town alchemist (and her loyal beast of a hound dog, Ollie)

This is the first in a three-part series of Legend in the Mist -- watch for new episodes every Monday! This isn't our first time playing the rustic fantasy game from Son of Oak, however; you can check out our prior adventures here with a different trio of villagers. If you think this game sounds fun, you should be able to pick up your own copy of Son of Oakin the very near future!

The music in this episode is by Phat Phrog Studios -- "Mana Malt," from the Bard's Rest collection.

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Tavern Watch Podcast, we discuss one of the favorite pastimes of tabletop GMs: stealing borrowing very liberally from our favorite movies, books, and even other games for our own tabletop games. Matt has put players into an episode of Star Trek before, and Phil borrows heavily from everything (including perennial Blizzard Watch Discord favorite Vampire Survivors), but if Joe sends you to the Water Temple from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, you are a naughty player and should reconsider the life choices that brought you there. Hope you packed your iron boots.

In other news, there was a ton of D&D news to cover -- from the return (finally!) of reference cards and an unexpected crossover with Vampire: The Masquerade, to revised "evil" subclasses and news that Renegade seems to be abandoning their Essence20 system to port some of their biggest licensed games directly to 5.5e. Plus, we talk a little bit about Paizo's unfortunate restructuring in the face of the Diamond Comics distribution debacle.

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After finally catching up with the lost pet they were sent to chase, our mercenary crew only has only one problem: they're under attack by goose lizards (or possibly cobra chickens). Well, maybe two problems, because also their ship is grounded. But it's probably fine. It's gonna be fine, right?

This week on Tavern Watch Plays, we're doing an actual play of Planet Mercenary, a comic space opera based off of the Schlock Mercenary webcomics (but you don't need to be familiar with the comics to understand the game). Joan Albright is leading this game, with a colorful cast of team players who are doing a great job of coping with being stranded on an alien world for the entertainment of reality TV fans around the galaxy.

Here are our mercenaries this week:

• Trish (AwkwardishPanda) as Raven Crawford, captain of the Jackdaws mercenary company, and who is possibly regretting some of her hiring decisions during this mission.
• Christian as Brother Ron, the ship's chaplain, who offers the wisdom and comfort of the Star to help guide the crew in their journeys. He also carries a suspicious number of grenades, but that's probably just the wisdom of the Star at work.
• Liz as Eleanor Goodbite, an awakened polar bear but also the ship's doctor. (She also carries a suspicious number of grenades, because sometimes offense is the best defense.)
• Kameron (Tetsemi) as Helena Seonwu, the Jackdaws' legal counsel, who is here to read all of the annoying fine print in the contracts — and make sure everybody gets paid.
• Matt as Hudson James, an awakened wolverine who is also the ship's engineer. Ostensibly that means he's here to fix things, but he's also a wicked shot with the plasma rifle he carries.

This is the final episode in a three-part actual play of Planet Mercenary (listen to the first episode here and the second episode here), with new episodes every Monday! If you enjoy the game, you can pick up a copy of Planet Mercenary from the Schlock Mercenary store or DriveThruRPG.

Music for this episode is "Galactic Echoes" from ineedmusic.co.

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With their ship missing and a cheerful reality TV show host narrating their every move, our mercenary crew's simple mission — retrieve a lost pet — has gotten a lot more complicated. We probably should have expected that when someone hired an entire mercenary company to find one lost pet.

This week on Tavern Watch Plays, we're doing an actual play of Planet Mercenary, a comic space opera based off of the Schlock Mercenary webcomics (but you don't need to be familiar with the comics to understand the game). Joan Albright is leading this game, with a colorful cast of team players who are doing a great job of coping with being stranded on an alien world. (And they still have a pet to rescue.)

Here are our mercenaries this week:

• Trish (AwkwardishPanda) as Raven Crawford, captain of the Jackdaws mercenary company, and who is possibly regretting some of her hiring decisions during this mission.
• Christian as Brother Ron, the ship's chaplain, who offers the wisdom and comfort of the Star to help guide the crew in their journeys. He also carries a suspicious number of grenades, but that's probably just the wisdom of the Star at work.
• Liz as Eleanor Goodbite, an awakened polar bear but also the ship's doctor. (She also carries a suspicious number of grenades, because sometimes offense is the best defense.)
• Kameron (Tetsemi) as Helena Seonwu, the Jackdaws' legal counsel, who is here to read all of the annoying fine print in the contracts — and make sure everybody gets paid.
• Matt as Hudson James, an awakened wolverine who is also the ship's engineer. Ostensibly that means he's here to fix things, but he's also a wicked shot with the plasma rifle he carries.

This is the second episode in a three-part actual play of Planet Mercenary (listen to the first episode here), with new episodes every Monday! If you enjoy the game, you can pick up a copy of Planet Mercenary from the Schlock Mercenary store or DriveThruRPG.

Music for this episode is "Galactic Echoes" from ineedmusic.co.

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our crew of mercenaries has an unusual mission: to rescue some kind of space kitten, whose owner is very concerned for its wellbeing. But its owner's brother will pay us to not bring it home, so it's probably a troublesome space kitten. (But it's just as likely to be completely average kitten.) At least we're pretty sure it's a kitten. Our client didn't give us many details, but it's got to be kitten-adjacent, right?

This week on Tavern Watch Plays, we're doing an actual play of Planet Mercenary, a comic space opera based off of the Schlock Mercenary webcomics (but you don't need to be familiar with the comics to understand the game). Joan Albright is leading this game, with a colorful cast of team players who are sure to be able to handle rescuing a single animal from an alien planet. Here are our players:

• Trish (AwkwardishPanda) as Raven Crawford, captain of the Jackdaws mercenary company and is possibly regretting some of her hiring decisions during this mission.
• Christian as Brother Ron, the ship's chaplain, who offers the wisdom and comfort of the Star to help guide the crew in their journeys. He also carries a suspicious number of grenades, but that's probably just the wisdom of the Star at work.
• Liz as Eleanor Goodbite, an awakened polar bear but also the ship's doctor. (She also carries a suspicious number of grenades, because sometimes offense is the best defense.)
• Kameron (Tetsemi) as Helena Seonwu, the Jackdaws' legal counsel, who is here to read all of the annoying fine print in the contracts — and make sure everybody gets paid.
• Matt as Hudson James, an awakened wolverine who is also the ship's engineer. Ostensibly that means he's here to fix things, but he's also a wicked shot with the plasma rifle he carries.

This is the first in a three-part actual play of Planet Mercenary, and you can tune in every Monday for another new episode. If you enjoy the game, you can pick up a copy of Planet Mercenary from the Schlock Mercenary store or DriveThruRPG.

Music for this episode is "Galactic Echoes" from ineedmusic.co.

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Tavern Watch Podcast, we discuss some exciting news for fans of all things that go bump in the night: a new Vampire: the Masquerade project was teased for GenCon 2026, including a commitment to "human-created" art, as opposed to AI slop. Elsewhere, several of the new and returning Darklords from D&D's upcoming Ravenloft book were revealed, including an all-out stat block for Cthulhu, Darklord of Innsmouth -- does this mean all of Massachusetts is in the Domains of Dread?

We also discuss a sorely lacking element of today's tabletop RPG landscape, deeply in-depth city or area guides that don't also feel the need to be an adventure module in and of themselves, and discuss graceful retirements of intellectual property and the community as stewards, in the case of Modiphius ceasing development on Achtung! Cthulhu and turning it over to the community (along with a big bundle of official art for use in your products). Also, are the marbles in Jelle's Marble League sentient? Are they actually capable of making decisions? You make the call. (No, I don't know what this has to do with tabletop either.)

If you enjoy the show, please support us on Patreon, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.