A group of strangers gather in a dimly lit bar in the mechanical megalopolis of Striving at the behest of one Tier-99-Professor, who promised them some incredible news. Unfortunately, Tier-99-Professor -- "Tierney" to his friends -- has already experienced an unexpected shutdown, and now it's up to his group of friends to hunt down who would want to take out Tierney and why on the mean streets of a metal city. Was this just a robbery gone wrong, or is there some deeper conspiracy at play? Luckily, Liz Harper as GM is here to guide our group through their investigations, and we've got a crack squad on the case:<ul><li>Joe Perez as "Nitpick" Bennit, Ysoki Witchwarper, who always knows a guy, and is a daft hand with both magic and technology</li><li>Phil Ulrich as Lunar-17, Android Mystic, who's so terminally online that it gave her magic powers</li><li>Matt Rossi as Tooth Hug, Skittermander Solarian, who could really use a snack right now</li><li>Special guest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.twitch.tv/awkwardishpanda" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trish Olson, a.k.a. AwkwardishPanda</a>, as Jaedana, a Kasatha Operative gamer who's uncannily good with a gun, but doesn't know why she's here</li></ul> This is the first in a three-part actual play series of the&nbsp;Starfinder 2E&nbsp;published adventure&nbsp;<a href="https://store.paizo.com/starfinder-2e-murder-in-metal-city-deluxe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Murder in Metal City</a>&nbsp;-- look for new episodes every Monday! This game was played using the second edition of Paizo’s&nbsp;<a href="https://paizo.com/starfinder" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Starfinder</a>, which expands their&nbsp;Pathfinder&nbsp;game into space. We're really fomd of this rollicking science-fantasy game system -- so much so that&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2025/11/10/tavern-watch-plays-starfinder-episode-1-well-take-third-option-nobody-dies/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">we've even played it before on the show</a>&nbsp;-- and if you like what you hear today, you can easily pick it up for yourself! Music from this episode is “Start a Trek,” by Edgar Henderson; you can&nbsp;<a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-126456914" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">check out more of his music on Soundcloud</a>.

Tavern Watch Plays Starfinder: Murder in Metal City, episode 1: If you're watching this, I've already shut down

Keeping things tense and exciting in tabletop games without just resorting to throwing the players into a fight is a central part of our discussion today on Tavern Watch -- we're talking torches burning down in Shadowdark or Crows, using the spotlight like a TV show director to keep things tense in Monster of the Week, or the Chaos mechanic in Triangle Agency that makes every roll a balancing act. Do you really want to let the director get enough Chaos to flat-out kill an agent? Before we even broach that idea, though, we have so many upcoming games to talk about. We can't help ourselves! There's EN World's most anticipated games of 2026, of course -- we're all especially anxious to see #10, the&nbsp;Legend of Zelda and&nbsp;Dragon Quest-inspired&nbsp;Twilight Sword, do well -- as well as a number of Kickstarters; everything from the Dungeon Death zine, a 90s video-game-based isekai "setting" for&nbsp;Shadowdark&nbsp;to the&nbsp;Dark Matter Mega Box that gives the deluxe treatment to the 5E science fantasy setting (and includes a crossover with cutesy animal setting&nbsp;Humblewood by way of firing one of its cities into space). If you're interested in something closer to the games you're more familiar with, you might want to try some new mystical classes for&nbsp;D&amp;D 5E, check out Paizo's upcoming releases for&nbsp;Pathfinder including the return of four fan-favorite 1st Edition classes, or kick back and watch a Baldur's Gate TV show on HBO.... someday. Or you can be like Liz and continue vibrating excitedly over the idea that the&nbsp;Fallen London TTRPG might make it into your hands this year. You never know!

Taking turns in the (tabletop) dungeon

Things are getting even weirder for our party of all Artificers as they wrap up their sojourn into the Mournlands in the name of... doing something. It's a little brain-bending. There's Kuo Toa, there's weird brain-sucking devices, there's dragon turtle friends, there's a lot going on here, honestly that I think we just managed to scratch the surface of. Also, someone turns into a kaiju, and it's not an enemy like you might expect! Our party of maybe slightly befuddled inventors in this session are:<ul><li>Joe Perez as Luther Benedict Greensmith, Esq., a Shifter Armorer Artificer</li><li>Anne Stickney as Coriell Kahz, a&nbsp;Changeling&nbsp;perfectly normal Halfling Artillerest Artificer</li><li>Liz Harper as Lionelle, a Kalashtar Cartographer Artificer</li><li>Nick Marino as Royial, a High Elf Alchemist Artificer</li></ul> I'll be honest, I'm not sure these Artificers managed to figure out what was going on, but at least they had a lot of fun doing it, and got to show off some of this extremely flexible class. This is the finale of a three-episode actual play; if you missed episode 1,&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2026/01/12/tavern-watch-plays-dd-oops-artificers-edition-episode-1-mournlands/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">you can check that out here</a>, and if you missed episode 2,&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2026/01/19/tavern-watch-plays-dd-oops-artificers-edition-episode-2-one-sticky-situation-another/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">that one's here</a>. If you enjoy our game, you can grab&nbsp;<a href="https://dndstore.wizards.com/us/en/product/1245197/eberron-forge-of-the-artificer-ultimate-bundle" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eberron: Forge of the Artificer</a>&nbsp;for yourself for your&nbsp;D&amp;D&nbsp;book collection today, adding the species of Eberron and 2024-compatible Artificers -- including the all-new Cartographer Artificer -- to your array of character options. Artificers are always a rollicking good time and can really fill any gap in a party, plus Eberron is just frankly one of the coolest worlds ever developed for any edition of&nbsp;D&amp;D, so I definitely recommend checking it out. Music from this episode is "Crossing the Chasm" by&nbsp;<a href="http://incompetech.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kevin MacLeod</a>. Licensed under&nbsp;<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</a>.

Tavern Watch Plays D&D, Oops! All Artificers edition, episode 3: Attack of the 90 foot pigman

There's an old chestnut about how if you confront an average&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/category/dnd/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">D&amp;D</a>&nbsp;party with a door, they'll try anything except going through it. Luckily, our merry band of&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2026/01/12/tavern-watch-plays-dd-oops-artificers-edition-episode-1-mournlands/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Artificers who trekked into the Mournlands</a>&nbsp;aren't just any old adventurers: they're extremely intelligent ones. This doesn't prevent them from being rude to talking doors and getting in fights with weird, goopy creatures (portrayed by DM Matt Rossi) that don't have any business on land, all in the name of getting their hands on something called an Annihilation Gauntlet. I'm sure that's nothing to worry about. The players juggling one collective braincell like an army of orange cats on this adventure are:<ul><li>Joe Perez as Luther Benedict Greensmith, Esq., a Shifter Armorer Artificer</li><li>Anne Stickney as Coriell Kahz, a&nbsp;Changeling&nbsp;perfectly normal Halfling Artillerest Artificer</li><li>Liz Harper as Lionelle, a Kalashtar Cartographer Artificer</li><li>Nick Marino as Royial, a High Elf Alchemist Artificer</li></ul> Join our band of merry crafters as they finally start to dig into the heart of this little adventure into one of the worst corners of Eberron, and find things they probably weren't expecting lurking in the heart of the Mournlands. This is the second of a&nbsp;D&amp;D&nbsp;2024 game played with an all-Artificer party; if you missed episode 1,&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2026/01/12/tavern-watch-plays-dd-oops-artificers-edition-episode-1-mournlands/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">you can check it out here</a>. If you enjoy our game, you can grab&nbsp;<a href="https://dndstore.wizards.com/us/en/product/1245197/eberron-forge-of-the-artificer-ultimate-bundle" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eberron: Forge of the Artificer</a>&nbsp;for yourself for your&nbsp;D&amp;D&nbsp;book collection today, adding the species of Eberron and 2024-compatible Artificers -- including the all-new Cartographer Artificer -- to your array of character options. Artificers are always a rollicking good time and can really fill any gap in a party, plus Eberron is just frankly one of the coolest worlds ever developed for any edition of&nbsp;D&amp;D, so I definitely recommend checking it out. Music from this episode is "Crossing the Chasm" by&nbsp;<a href="http://incompetech.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kevin MacLeod</a>. Licensed under&nbsp;<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</a>.

Tavern Watch Plays D&D, Oops! All Artificers edition, episode 2: One sticky situation after another

Is there any&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/category/dnd/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">D&amp;D 5E</a>&nbsp;class more flexible without a single multiclass level than the Artificer? Frontliner, support, pet class, magic gunsmith, weird mapmaker, Dr. Frankenstein, whatever your fantasy of "techno wizard who builds thing" is, the Artificer has a way to help you live it out. In celebration of that, this edition of Tavern Watch Plays goes to the original home of the Artificer class,&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/tag/eberron/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eberron</a>, as DM Matt Rossi guides a ragtag crew of adventuring tinkerers through an adventure into the dark and blighted expanse of the Mournlands. Our players for this adventure:<ul><li>Joe Perez as Luther Benedict Greensmith, Esq., a Shifter Armorer Artificer</li><li>Anne Stickney as Coriell Kahz, a&nbsp;Changeling&nbsp;perfectly normal Halfling Artillerest Artificer</li><li>Liz Harper as Lionelle, a Kalashtar Cartographer Artificer</li><li>Nick Marino as Royial, a High Elf Alchemist Artificer</li></ul> Join our band of merry crafters as they set off into an adventure that might end up a little spooky, a little ominous, and probably a lot more waterlogged than anyone was properly planning for.If you enjoy our game, you can grab&nbsp;<a href="https://dndstore.wizards.com/us/en/product/1245197/eberron-forge-of-the-artificer-ultimate-bundle" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eberron: Forge of the Artificer</a>&nbsp;for yourself for your&nbsp;D&amp;D&nbsp;book collection today, adding the species of Eberron and 2024-compatible Artificers -- including the all-new Cartographer Artificer -- to your array of character options. Artificers are always a rollicking good time and can really fill any gap in a party, plus Eberron is just frankly one of the coolest worlds ever developed for any edition of&nbsp;D&amp;D, so I definitely recommend checking it out. Music from this episode is "Crossing the Chasm" by&nbsp;<a href="http://incompetech.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kevin MacLeod</a>. Licensed under&nbsp;<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</a>.

Tavern Watch Plays D&D, Oops! All Artificers edition, episode 1: Into the Mournlands

It's the beginning of one year and the end of the next here on&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/category/tavern-watch" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tavern Watch</a>, and so we're both looking back with fond remembrance on the games we played this year (including&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2025/07/08/tavern-watch-plays-games/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the ones we played on Tavern Watch Plays</a>, which you should check out!) and the ones due to come out next year. Liz was particularly pleased and surprised by&nbsp;<a href="https://sonofoak.com/pages/legend-in-the-mist" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Legend in the Mist</a>, a statless rustic fantasy RPG. Matt played a lot of solo mythical create-your-own-god game&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stardist.com/deify-a-mythical-solo-role-playing-game" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Deify</a>&nbsp;this year, but also is still thinking about&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2025/06/09/tavern-watch-plays-masks-01/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">that game of&nbsp;Masks&nbsp;we played</a>&nbsp;(me too, Matt, me too). Joe had a great time with&nbsp;<a href="https://9thlevel.com/products/rebel-scum-2nd-edition" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rebel Scum</a>, which is part of a lineage of games that really lower the barrier of entry on the rules and let you get straight into telling cool stories with your friends, and is hoping to get to play&nbsp;<a href="https://modiphius.net/en-us/pages/cohors-cthulhu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cohors Cthulhu</a>&nbsp;-- the Roman Empire meets cosmic horror, sounds good to me! And, a lot of games crossed Phil's table this year, including the phenomenally weird&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.hauntedtable.games/collections/games-and-accessories" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Triangle Agency</a>&nbsp;and the tactical crunchy cinematic action of&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.mcdmproductions.com/collections/draw-steel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Draw Steel</a>, but it's really&nbsp;<a href="https://need.games/fabula-ultima/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fabula Ultima</a>&nbsp;that lives in my head rent-free. But it's not all nostalgia. In current events,&nbsp;we discuss Wizards of the Coast's light 2026 schedule, <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/less-than-a-week-after-dropping-a-big-new-trailer-at-the-game-awards-exodus-studio-head-james-ohlen-has-stepped-down-because-he-felt-his-work-on-the-game-was-complete/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Ohlen leaving Archetype Entertainment</a>&nbsp;to become a tabletop game consultant for WotC directly,&nbsp;<a href="https://mythmakers.com/realmsbound/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ed Greenwood's new independent Forgotten Realms project</a>,&nbsp;a general sci-fi toolkit coming to 5th Edition in the form of&nbsp;<a href="https://magehandpress.com/darkmatter/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dark Matter</a>, and we're wondering whether&nbsp;<a href="https://www.warlockthegame.com/en-US" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a video game about a single class</a>&nbsp;(and from a studio with a shaky reputation) can be a satisfying experience. I guess we'll see! Kickstarters are still going strong into 2026, too; a whole passel of them funded around the end of the year (<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-crowdfunding-news-%E2%80%93-thundercats-toon-2e-meshline-and-more.716966/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">including&nbsp;Thundercats</a>, which funded fully in one minute). MCDM has funded an entire year's worth of content with their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mcdm-productions/draw-steel-crack-the-sun" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Crack the Sun crowdfunding campaign</a>, and we're all mesmerized by&nbsp;Fomoria, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jnohr/fomoria" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">is funding in the near future</a>&nbsp;and really needs to be seen for its striking art style and dark fantasy story. Last but definitely not least, we pay brief tribute to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/tim-kask-tsrs-first-employee-passes-at-age-76.716970/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the passing of Tim Kask</a>, TSR's first employee back in the 80s. Tim was not just part of this burgeoning industry we love in its infancy, but also a person who continued to be funny, opinionated, and inclusive right up until the end -- who could ask for anything more?

Looking back and looking forward to a year of great TTRPGs

It's a valid question for our group of little old lady detectives, who have learned more than they expected about the strange history of their little town on a casual visit to the Brindlewood Bay Whaling Museum... with a little side of murder. It happens a lot in Brindlewood Bay. It's probably fine. This is the last episode of our game of&nbsp;Brindlewood Bay, a cozy mystery with a few dark twists. I'm running this game, along with some excellent role-players on the team who have taken well to mystery solving. Here is our party of little old ladies:<ul><li>Joan as Louisa, resident gardener who loves getting her hands dirty and has seen absolutely every episode of MacGyver. Always carries her Swiss Army knife (the TSA hates her).</li><li>Matt as Ludmilla, an ex-powerlifter who has retired to a peaceful life in Brindlewood Bay. She keeps an indeterminate number of cats (and is never seen anywhere without at least one of them).</li><li>Mitch as Bordy, a collector of all things, who has never seen a bauble she didn't want to add to her collection. She's also been getting mysterious messages on her answering machine lately, but it's probably nothing.</li></ul> Confused about what's going on? You should listen to&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2025/12/15/tavern-watch-plays-brindlewood-bay-episode-1-night-whaling-museum/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the first episode</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2025/12/22/tavern-watch-plays-brindlewood-bay-episode-2-tragic-accident-murder/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the second episode</a>&nbsp;before starting this one! If you enjoy our game, you can give it a try yourself! You can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/brindlewood-bay.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pick up the&nbsp;Brindlewood Bay&nbsp;rulebook</a>&nbsp;from from The Gauntlet, including the&nbsp;Nephews in Peril&nbsp;supplement which includes the adventure we're playing here! The whole thing is a little bit&nbsp;Murder, She Wrote&nbsp;and a little bit&nbsp;X-Files, and a whole lot of roleplaying. We had a lot of fun with it, so check the game out! Music from this episode is "Villainous Treachery" by&nbsp;<a href="http://incompetech.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kevin MacLeod</a>. Licensed under&nbsp;<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</a>.

Tavern Watch Plays Brindlewood Bay, episode 3: Did we move to a cursed retirement village?

A peaceful visit to the annual Brindlewood Bay Whaling Museum fundraiser has taken a turn for the worse when one of the volunteers turns up dead. Fortunately we have a team of little old lady detectives on the case... and they're pretty sure it wasn't an accident at all. (The harpoon stuck in his back is a pretty big clue.) This week we're playing a game of Brindlewood Bay, a cozy mystery with a few dark twists. Elizabeth Harper is running this game, along with some excellent role-players on the team who have taken well to mystery solving. Here is our party of little old ladies:<ul><li>Joan as Louisa, resident gardener who loves getting her hands dirty and has seen absolutely every episode of MacGyver. Always carries her Swiss Army knife (the TSA hates her).</li><li>Matt as Ludmilla, an ex-powerlifter who has retired to a peaceful life inBrindlewood Bay. She keeps an indeterminate number of cats (and is never seen anywhere without at least one of them).</li><li>Mitch as Bordy, a collector of all things, who has never seen a bauble she didn't want to add to her collection. She's also been getting mysterious messages on her answering machine lately, but it's probably nothing.</li></ul> This is the second episode in our three-part game! If you haven't had a chance to listen,&nbsp;<a href="https://blizzardwatch.com/2025/12/15/tavern-watch-plays-brindlewood-bay-episode-1-night-whaling-museum/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">start with the first episode</a>. If you enjoy our game, you can give it a try yourself! You can&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/brindlewood-bay.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pick up the&nbsp;Brindlewood Bay&nbsp;rulebook</a>&nbsp;from from The Gauntlet, including the&nbsp;Nephews in Peril&nbsp;supplement which includes the adventure we're playing here! The whole thing is a little bit&nbsp;Murder, She Wrote&nbsp;and a little bit&nbsp;X-Files, and a whole lot of roleplaying. We had a lot of fun with it, so check the game out! Music from this episode is "Villainous Treachery" by&nbsp;<a href="http://incompetech.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kevin MacLeod</a>. Licensed under&nbsp;<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</a>.&nbsp;

Tavern Watch Plays Brindlewood Bay, episode 2: A tragic accident... or murder?

Welcome to Brindlewood Bay, a peaceful New England village on the sea with picturesque views, cozy bookshops, and quaint B&amp;Bs. It also has an unusually high murder rate, and that's where today's adventure comes in to play, as our party of sleuths attempt to untangle a mysterious death. And, of course, our adventurers are all little old ladies. Let me introduce them:<ul><li>Joan as Louisa, resident gardener who loves getting her hands dirty and has seen absolutely every episode of MacGyver. Always carries her Swiss Army knife (the TSA hates her).</li><li>Matt as Ludmilla, a retired powerlifter who has retired to a peaceful life inBrindlewood Bay. She keeps an indeterminate number of cats (and is never seen anywhere without at least one of them).</li><li>Mitch as Bordy, a collector of all things, who has never seen a bauble she didn't want to add to her collection. She's also been getting mysterious messages on her answering machine lately, but it's probably nothing.</li></ul> So let's dive into today's adventure, where our little old ladies talk about the first mystery they solved... and head to the whaling museum. Probably no one's going to get murdered. (Probably.)If you enjoy our game, you can give it a try yourself! You can<a href="https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/brindlewood-bay.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;pick up the&nbsp;Brindlewood Bay&nbsp;rulebook</a>&nbsp;from from The Gauntlet, including the&nbsp;Nephews in Peril&nbsp;supplement which includes the adventure we're playing here! The whole thing is a little bit Murder, She Wrote and a little bit X-Files, and a whole lot of roleplaying. We had a lot of fun with it, so check the game out! &nbsp;Music from this episode is "Villainous Treachery" by&nbsp;<a href="http://incompetech.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kevin MacLeod</a>. Licensed under&nbsp;<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License</a>.

Tavern Watch Plays Brindlewood Bay, episode 1: A night at the whaling museum

If you enjoy the show, please <a href="http://patreon.com/blizzardwatch" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">support us on Patreon</a>, where you can get these episodes early and ad-free!

Tavern Watch is devoted to tabletop roleplaying games news, discussion, and group play sessions brought to you by the people behind the Blizzard Watch and Lore Watch podcasts.

Tavern Watch Podcast

Social Media

Follow