Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Class Conscious: Monks w/ Danielle Riendeau Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

This week on the Axe of the Blood God RPG podcast, Kat and Nadia have both gone out for cigarettes, which means that Eric is in charge. Our boy keeps his head on his shoulders and invites Mike Williams of Sharlayan Dropouts to talk about our next Class Conscious entry: Monks! You know, those fellows what pummel things with their fists and suplex trains. They're joined by martial artist Danielle Riendeau, who has good advice for all you baby monks who're just starting your training: The pavement always wins.

Also in this episode:

We say goodbye to esteemed RPG architect Rieko Kodama, who sadly passed away earlier this year
Marvel Snap is currently the most popular thing in the universe
Mike loves him some Mario Rabbids. (Or is that "rabid Mario?")
The gang dives head-first into the Fire Nation on this week's Autumn of Avatar

POST SHOW

Eric, Mike, and the Stars of Destiny throw down in the chat over a brand-new tier list: The Top Halloween Candies of All Time. It gets hot, folks. Hotter than a tamale. But only Canadian kids know the pain of getting Molasses Kisses by the handful. Who even likes those? They keep coming back. Smells like witchcraft.

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Pantheon of the Blood God: Phantasy Star Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

To honor the legacy of Rieko Kodama, who passed earlier this year, we are releasing this episode for free to all listeners.

For the August 2021 edition of Pantheon of the Blood God, Kat and Nadia are joined by Shane Bettenhausen for an exploration of one of Sega's seminal RPGs -- Phantasy Star! The trio discuss the rough early days of the Sega Master System, how the team with Sega greats Rieko Kodama and Yuji Naka came together, and how it differed from other RPGs in the 1980s. They also delve into its five best moments, from the lavish opening to the battle with Dark Falz. Then the verdict: Is Phantasy Star worthy of inclusion in the Pantheon of the Blood God? Listen and find out! As always, a sincere thanks to our $10 and above Patrons for your support! Every month we pick a new RPG for the Pantheon, which is voted on by the community. Join the Discord and jump into our Monthly Game Club conversation!

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Talking P5 Royal, Mario + Rabbids, Trails From Zero + Kat's Steam Deck Apology w/ Scott White Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

The weather is truly colorful and crisp — provided you live in the northern hemisphere and aren't currently in the grip of a climate change-fueled heatwave. Either way, it's a good time to stay indoors and play the piles of RPGs that are currently available, including DioField Chronicles, Mario + Rabbids, Valkyrie Elysium, Persona 5 Royal, Nier Automata, and Trails from Zero. You could also go outside, but you might, like, see a bug or something. Ew.

This week, Kat, Nadia, and Eric are joined by a very special writer friend, Scott White. Scott helps fill in the gang on some of the more important RPGs that have recently landed, including the excellent Trails from Zero, and the reasons why it's a great entry point for the Trails series.

Also in this episode:

Kat loves the Steam Deck now, we all saw her in the closet, kissing the Steam Deck
Final Fantasy XVI is looking pretty dope—and pretty inspired by Final Fantasy VI.
How's the new Mario and Rabbids game? "It's-a great! Woo hoo!"
This week on Autumn of Avatar: Book 2 comes to a close, and the kids are not all right.

In the Post Show

Blood God pal Scott White sticks around for this week's Axe of the Blood God post-show, which is piled with morsels of great RPG talk. For starters, can anyone out there think of a Christmas-themed RPG? Anyone? Bueller? Also, Eric talks Texas. Yee haw, and etcetera! Available exclusively to members on the Stars of Destiny tier!

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Special: Tim Rogers on Boku no Natsuyasumi, Why PlayStation is the Best Console, Taco Tico, and More Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

Following the release of Action Button's new review of Boku no Natsuyasumi, we welcome Tim Rogers to talk about this PS1 classic, which has plenty of connections to modern RPGs like Persona 5. Naturally, the conversation spreads out to hit many different topics within the realm of RPGs, including:

Tim's rising appreciation for Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Taco Tico, rats, and impromptu Nostalgia Pit
Pondering Yuji Horii's successor

This episode is currently available exclusively to our Patrons! You can find conversation timestamps below.

Timestamps 0:00: Intro 11:00: Boku no Natsuyasumi and Taco Tico

23:55: The connections between Boku no Natsuyasumi and Earthbound

28:30: Rats, racoons and possums

38:50: Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Kingdom Hearts, and old developers

1:00:00: The PS1 is the best console ever

1:10:00: Sony's quest to make its own Dragon Quest

1:17:00: Reminiscing about Japan and Saizeriya

1:25:25: Dragon Quest and Mad Catz

1:34:50: Cyberpunk and Mighty Ducks

1:39:10: Who is the successor to Yuji Horii?

148:55: LA Noire and why games should be structured like a TV show

1:59:00: Outro

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Pantheon Mini: Valkyria Chronicles Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

War is hell. Unless you're talking about Valkyria Chronicles, the much-celebrated tactics RPG by Sega. See, war is still hell in Valkyria Chronicles, but it's also very pretty and fun to play. This week, very special guest and valued Blood God Patreon contributor Vivicomplex joins Kat, Nadia, and Eric to talk about World War Anime. Protip: Just send your scouts to the front line. Ain't nbodoy getting through those rifle-toting maniacs.

Also in this episode:

Eric can't talk about what he's been playing because of embargos, but that's alright because hahaha Chainsaw Man goes brrrrrr.
Nadia maxed out her island paradise hideaway in FFXIV. Nobody is invited to visit. Suckers.
This week on Autumn of Avatar: There ain't no war in Ba Sing Se, and there never was.

In the Post Show

Vivi sticks around after a spirited episode of Axe of the Blood God (aren't they all) to talk a bit more about what made her fall in love with Valkyria Chronicles in the first place. The gang also talks about how their Pokemon Black and White Pantheon playthroughs are going, and there's even a bit of talk about the band PUP. Wooo oooo ooooo, ooo oooo! Available exclusively to subscribers in our Stars of Destiny tier!

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Cyberpunk Sequel, Witcher Trilogy: Analyzing All of the CDPR Announcements Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric talk about CD Projekt Red's (overly?) optimistic road map for the future of Cyberpunk 2077 and the Witcher series. Looks like CD Projekt is working hard to repair Cyberpunk's tarnished reputation in addition to making new games set in worlds that lack indoor plumbing. It's a long and winding road that's sure to be full of challenges, and we salute CD Projekt for assuming we're still going to be here in a decade. Always look on the bright side of life!

Also in this episode:

We're really behind on the new batch of RPGs. Sorry, we're trying to fix it :(
Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM is going through difficult times
Autumn of Avatar continues as we delve deep into Book Two
Nadia electrocuted a lemon to go see the 1993 Super Mario movie in theatres

POST SHOW

Hey, Paisanos! Nadia and Eric talk about the new Super Mario Bros. movie trailer. Seems this movie might be fun and charming after all, even if Chris Pratt's flat-tire voice still isn't a great choice for everyone's favorite feisty plumber. Eh, I think we're all in agreement that Jack Black's Bowser is going to carry the movie, anyway. Available exclusively to subscribers in our Stars of Destiny tier!

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Does Cyberpunk 2077 Deserve Its Redemption Arc? w/ Kenneth Shepard Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 is currently experiencing something of a redemption arc. Does the (hugely) troubled RPG necessarily deserve said arc, though? Well…yes, but also no. This week on Axe of the Blood God, Kat, Nadia, and Eric invite Normandy FM's Kenneth Shepard for a chat about the state of Cyberpunk 2077, as well as what the future holds for the game—and for CD Projekt Red.

Also in this episode:

RIP Google Stadia, we hardly knew ye.
Downwell fans will "dig" Shovel Knight Dig. Heh, that's a good one. "Dig."
Autumn of Avatar continues. Toph has joined the party!

Forget Cyberpunk. It is all about Cybertwunk now.

POST SHOW

Cyberpunk 2077's recent renaissance is owed to Cyberpunk Edgerunners, a Netflix series based on CD Projekt's RPG. Eric and special guest Kenneth Shepard talk about what makes the series good enough to bolster its troubled source material. Predictably, all semblance of civilized discussion unravels about midway through the discussion and everyone just yells at each other about Star Wars for the rest of the post show's run time. Available to listeners in the Stars of Destiny tier!

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99 Potions x Axe of the Blood God: Our Problematic Faves Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

For this week's episode we're joined by the very talented folks behind 99 Potions, Fantbyte's dedicated RPG podcast that was unfairly cut short by the site's recent layoffs. In solidarity with our fellow creators, we invited Nere, Michael Higham, Andrea Shearon, John Warren, and Natalie Flores on the show to pour one out for a great website, talk about what they've been playing, and delve into some of their problematic favorite characters. Also in this episode:

One more Xenoblade Minute with Michael
Eric has thoughts on DioField Chronicle
And Autumn of Avatar wraps up Book 1!

Time Stamps

0:00 - 07:00: Intros and housekeeping

7:00 - 1:00:00: What we've been playing 1:00:00: Random Encounters 1:03:00: Problematic Faves 1:35:00: Autumn of Avatar, Book 1 Finale 1:50:00 - Pouring one for Fanbyte + Outro

In the Post Show

Nere, Michael, and Andrea stick around with Eric to talk about their favorite alcohol, discuss the reaction to unfinished assets from the GTA Mega Leak, and much more. This segment is available exclusively to our Stars of Destiny Patrons!

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The September Nintendo Direct: Paradise for RPG Fans, Paradise Plus for Farming Game Fans Sep 19, 2022

Show notes

This week on the Axe of the Blood God RPG podcast, Kat is out and Nadia learns one more time that it's really just that easy to take an inherently chaotic podcast and make it twice as dizzying. Friend of the show (and Nadia's former employer in the long ago and far away) Anthony John Agnello stops by for a visit and talks all about the huge RPG news deluge that occurred with last week's Nintendo Direct. A new Final Fantasy Theatrhythm game! A new Fire Emblem game! A name for the Breath of the Wild sequel! Farming! Farming! Farming!

Also in this episode:

How nice is Zack Fair's hair? (So nice.)
Harvestella is weird but good!
Holy crap! Suikoden remasters!
Things are heating up in Autumn of Avatar.
RIP Fanbyte. :(

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Harvestella, Tactics Ogre Reborn, and More in the Fall 2022 RPG Preview Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

This week, Axe of the Blood God tackles the 2022 fall RPG preview—which feels like a nutty thing to say, since summer only started yesterday. Right? Right…?

Oh.

Thankfully, RPGs help take away the sting of passing time for a little while. And it so happens the last quarter of 2022 is loaded with some bangers. Persona 5 for Nintendo Switch! Tactics Ogre Reborn! Valkyrie Elysium! Not to mention a couple of small indie games called Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. What a way to end the year that gave us Elden Ring and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Also in this episode: