Blizzard Watch

Lore Watch Podcast: Lorewalking: what to expect from this upcoming feature

Who would have thought that the hosts of the Lore Watch Podcast would be excited to talk about the new Lorewalking feature coming to World of Warcraft? The episode goes through the scenarios in detail, so if you'd prefer to have your Lorewalking experience as unspoiled as your own recollection of past events, note that they discuss everything about them at length. Part of that discussion also includes the implications of why we might be visiting these particular points in the lore --...

Tavern Watch Podcast: There are too many new TTRPGs to list (but we'll try anyway)

Daggerheart has just launched, so in this episode we talk about our first impressions of this new game, which seems poised to take on D&D. It's a game that encourages worldbuilding and storytelling, and it's flexible enough to tell different sorts of stories (and comes with several diverse campaign settings) — but not all of us love this new game from the creators of Critical Role.

Fortunately, ...

Blizzard Watch Weekly: I can’t stand the rain

It has been raining on and off almost every day for weeks now, and it's really harshing my mellow at this point. The slugs eating my zucchini plants love it though, which is just so great. Love that for them.

Anyway, while we figure out who got the keys to the jeep (vroom), 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.

2025-05-31 14:44:44 +0000 UTC View Post

Blizzard Watch Podcast Uncut: Mists of Pandaria Classic brings one more Classic into the WoW trenchcoat

In the preshow, Cory muscles his way through technical difficulties, as Liz discusses Blue Prince, and Joe and Matt discuss why they're just not that into it. This leads into a larger discussion on indie games and their role in innovation for the games industry as a whole. It's an interesting topic, but if it's one you'd enjoy about as Matt and Joe like Blue Prince and you'd likewise prefer to skip it, the preshow ends at 26:38.

During this week's...

Lore Watch Podcast: The War Within: The story so far

If, in between hauling Brann's sorry carcass through another delve and racing around in your car in Undermine you haven't been paying close attention to the story of The War Within, we've got your back. Starting from the pre-patch and the radiant song, Matt and Joe recap the events of the expansion so far. There will be spoilers up through the end of the Undermine raid, so be wary. And of course, it just wouldn't be a Lore Watch Podcast if there wasn't a bit of heavy...

Tavern Watch Plays Legend in the Mist, Episode 3: Why did it have to be snakes?

In our third and final game of Legend in the Mist, our little group of friends may be on their way to becoming proper heroes as they track the undead that attacked their village back to its source. (To protect the village, but also to make sure one of their own doesn't turn into a zombie after being poisoned in the attack. One undead zombie was bad enough.) But the sunken, abandoned watchtower they find has secrets of its own. And, knowing their luck, these secrets will have teeth. 2025-05-26 19:51:44 +0000 UTC View Post

Blizzard Watch Weekly: Meal prep

I hope everyone enjoys red lentil dahl, because I followed a recipe that made a good gallon or so of the stuff. The serving suggestion of 4 cups of rice probably should've been the tipoff I was making a comically large amount of anything. So after carefully portioning and freezing, I don't think I need to make dinner for the next six weeks or so, so it's really a happy accident.

While I warm up some naan, let’s look back at what happened this week, what we have to look forward to next...

Blizzard Watch Podcast: Horrific Re-Visions and (another) player housing preview

In the preshow Joe, Matt, and Liz talk Nintendo, and the upcoming Switch 2. There's a lot of back and forth on physical media, the right to repair, and so on, so if that isn't your cup of tea, the preshow ends at 23:57

We kick off the main podcast this week with the new hotness -- or maybe old hotness. Horrific Visions return this week in World of Warcraft. There are head enchants to collect, but no keys, which is great news for people who did these back in the...

Lore Watch Podcast: How we'd make Azeroth into a D&D campaign

This week's Lore Watch is based on a listener question, which mashes together two of Joe and Matt's favorite topics: Azeroth and Dungeons and Dragons. Specifically, this episode goes through doing just that: how they would play their way through a World of Warcraft-themed D&D campaign. They discuss their picks for the best tabletop system to play their way through a potential Azeroth-themed adventure, and then dive deep to discuss which small corner of Azeroth's...

Tavern Watch Plays Legend in the Mist, Episode 2: In which we learn that fairy tales aren't always tales

In our second game of Legend in the Mist, our group of hometown adventurers has set off and found that adventure isn't quite as exciting as the fairy tales make it seem. Even for a short trip to investigate the lone undead that ventured into their village, road is full of risks. For example, did you know a person could have the moldy status, because that's apparently a thing (and not a good one). But we're definitely not going to spiral out of control and worry about every fairy-tale...

Blizzard Watch Weekly: Player Housing HOA

Every new glimpse of the upcoming Player Housing feature we get, the more I get nervous that my little floral cozy cottage is definitely going to be forced into a neighborhood with someone who uses more bones and spikes than Joanna Gaines uses shiplap. I mean, what do I expect, my Blood Elf joined the Horde and all. But still, I think there should be a way to make sure my neighbors don't completely harsh my mellow.

But let's not borrow trouble just yet. Let's look back at what happened ...

Blizzard Watch Podcast Uncut: Legion Remix and more wild speculation

In this week's preshow, the crew is super excited about the upcoming tabletop games we have slated to play for the Tavern Watch podcast. Matt is particularly excited to play Masks, and superhero teens and/or teen superheroes were the topic for much of the preshow. If you'd like to skip it, the preshow ends at 26:08

In this week's podcast we talked about the reveals from the WoW team that came out of PAX East. Legion Remix has us particularly excited, b...

Lore Watch Podcast: The evolution of Dragons (and other fantasy creatures)

On this week's Lore Watch Podcast, Joe and Matt are joined again by our writer Eric O'Dea, and they continue to explore how the telling and re-telling of stories about creatures in folklore has evolved into the creatures we now know in some of our favorite media. This week they start the discussions with dragons and all their forms -- sapient, verbal, Dungeons and -- and how Dragons tend to affect the retellings of other creatures, too. It's a bit of a continuation of their chat from last wee...

Tavern Watch Plays Legend in the Mist, Episode 1: Never fight the undead after lunch

This week we're diving into a rustic fantasy of small town heroes (or heroes to be) in Legend in the Mist, where our humble villagers come together to deal with a single shambling undead that found its way to town. Where did it come from? Are there more of them? And is the right solution for the entire town to panic?

That last one really depends on who you ask, but join GM Phil Ulrich along with a group of wannabe heroes venturing out into the world, with:

• Chris a...

  2025-05-12 18:47:37 +0000 UTC View Post

Blizzard Watch Weekly: Welp.

Sometimes I foolishly try to get ahead by doing posts in advance, and then suddenly, something completely off the wall and unexpected will happen. So.

Let me take a huge swig of water as we look back at what happened this week, and what we have to look forward to next week, plus some stuff you may have missed, and then I'll check the news for a sec.

What happened this week?

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2025-05-09 23:00:31 +0000 UTC View Post

Blizzard Watch Podcast: The calculus of Diablo's seasons

This week's Blizzard Watch Podcast preshow, Matt talks about the game Wildermyth, and specifically how it's sort of similar to D&D. As such, of course, one of the most fun parts of the game is character creation. Plus, the one thing that the Oblivion remaster has made everyone want to do is re-download Skyrim and play that. Our fourth host this week, Liz Patt, is playing Mudborne, where you get to be a frog with a hat. If you aren't interested ...

Lore Watch Podcast: Kobolds, and the real life origins of in-game creatures

While they are unassuming little creatures, their presence in fantasy lore ranges all the way from traditional folklore all the way into modern day Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft. With the help of staff writer Eric O'Dea, Joe and Matt delve deep to discuss the history of these little critters, from their origins as sprites or brownies or the fae all the way up to "you no take candle." They also discuss the evolution of creatures in general, like vampires, and how...

Blizzard Watch Weekly: Where all the best work gets done

Almost every time I need to give something a title -- especially podcasts -- or I just need to think about it for a minute, I go outside and dig a hole or shovel mulch about it. A little physical repetitive task really helps me think. Plus, there is nothing on this earth that tastes better than a tomato you grew yourself. Anyway, if you need me, I'm gonna be here for the next few months.

Here, grab a pitchfork while we take a look back at what happened this week, and what we have to loo...

Blizzard Watch Podcast Uncut: Truly, transmog is the endgame of all things

In our preshow this week, Liz is still captivated by Blue Prince, though now she's moved on to watching speedrunners blaze through the house in under 5 minutes, which is a whole different game all over again. Seriously, it's got layers like an onion. Tabletop RPGs also have layers like an onion, especially since we see a lot of interesting projects come through the Blizzard Watch discord. But if you're not into onions, first of all, I feel bad for you because french onion soup is dow...

Lore Watch: Gallywix is only mostly dead, and other listener questions

This week, Joe and Matt take to the mailbag to answer your questions, which are as varied as you are. First, since WoW has a tendency to bring back characters from the dead, and we just quote-unquote "killed" Gallywix, do we think he's actually dead, or will he be back? Then, in harkening back to a past episode, the connection between the Arathi and the Nerubians -- and whether the Nazrethim is what is keeping them in balance.

Also, we discuss Galactus and his place in the Marvel univer...

Tavern Watch Plays Pigeon's 11, Episode 3: All the pretzels you can eat (just gotta steal them first)

It's a once-in-a-lifetime heist: to sneak into the biggest game convention around (celebrating much loved baking sim and MOBA Heroes of the Dough) and steal the esports trophy (which happens to be made of pretzels) from under everyone's noses (both literally and metaphorically). But that's not enough for our fine flock of feathered felons, who want to make off with the recipe for the limited edition pretzels that conventioneers are gobbling down, turning one heist into two heist...