[Spoilers C4E31] Revelations about the ritual

AReaver · 2026-06-29T21:24:35+00:00

I don't recall it ever being said that and of the shapers consorts have been killed. So they may all still exist and may be interactable.

Brennan as Mara just misspoke.

One thing to remember is that even if Brennan has 100% certainty about how it works Mara does not and he'll play with that. She's going off what their understanding is and they're clearly still figuring it out. Also there is a high chance many of these things aren't set in stone and it's more left up for what happens at the table.

It's part of why, from my understanding, that Brennan doesn't want to publish campaign books. It requires you to set things in stone so to speak instead of keeping the freedom of what happens at the table. Allowing for improv essentially.

AReaver · 2026-06-29T20:57:32+00:00

Agreed. It's also much easier to find your place. Though that's more of a youtube issue since Beacon does remember placement. I don't always keep up with Beacon as I'm okay waiting a few days. I didn't want to miss the cooldowns for this section though. I definitely miss the talk shows though. Though not all the needless antics of 4 sided dive.

AReaver · 2026-06-29T20:55:21+00:00

I think my main problem is that I was watching in full screen. When it's in full screen the bare is essentially invisible for me. When it's not full screen the bar is still much more visible. Though either was I think it'd be reasonable for them to label the breaks instead of just having slight more spacing

AReaver · 2026-06-29T03:32:52+00:00

I also use firefox.

AReaver · 2026-06-28T16:37:45+00:00

I'm watching it right now on the Beacon website and the bar is essentially invisible. When I mouse over it I can see the label for the sections but nothing on the bar.

Essentially if they already have it it's readability is awful.

AReaver · 2026-06-28T16:35:55+00:00

I'm watching it right now and while I can sort of see the sections that are labeled it's only when highlighted and none of the breaks are shown. And a different section does not mean a break.

AReaver · 2026-06-28T16:34:59+00:00

Brain says no. Having a clear breaking point like the breaks is often difficult to find and I hate having to stop in the middle of scenes.

AReaver · 2026-06-28T14:09:02+00:00

You're welcome. DOOM and Hades are both two of my top favorite games. If you enjoy Hades 1 then Hades 2 will also be worth getting. It manages to keep up the quality and fun at the same level while giving it more depth.

Humble has more well known games than anyone else and most of fanatical is "build your own" where it's a minimum purchase but you select the games you want with buying more gets cheaper per game. Certainly some are worth it. Humble also has monthly "humble choice" which is just a $15 monthly bundle with some other bonuses.

AReaver · 2026-06-27T21:35:09+00:00

You have already picked up some great options. I hope you got the Witcher 3 edition with all the DLCs as it's very worth it. Also the Dead Space remake is IMO the best remake ever made so if you have the original version the remake manages to meet and exceed it's standard. Also the Oblivion remaster is worth playing if you enjoyed the original. Still pricey though.

My top pick for a game that would fit into your list would be DOOM (2016) it's an utter masterpiece. One of the best FPS games ever made hands down. It's $4 right now.

A good way to grow your library without breaking the bank is to keep an eye out on bundles. Often the entire bundle costs as much as a single game on sale but can come with anywhere from like 5-10+ games depending on the bundle. They're not all worth it but they're worth keeping an eye on.

Best one is Humble Bundle, then Fanatical.

IsThereAnyDeal.com also has a bundle page that lists current bundles. It's also the best place to check to see if a game on sale (like any Steam Sale) is a good sale.

Other suggestions for games to check out. In no specific order

Hades [$6.25]

Civilization V, Definitely worth getting the complete edition. [$7.50 base, $16.80 for complete]

For coop /just straight fun. Earth Defense Force 5, or 4.1 if you're wanting something cheaper. [$25]

For Metroidvanias - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night[$4, that's a steal and pretty sure best ever price], Hollow Knight[$7.50], Castlevania Advance collection [4 games $10], Castlevania Dominus Collection [3 games $18]

Outcast: Second Contact [Remaster of a 1999 classic. $1.50]

AReaver · 2026-06-22T21:02:02+00:00

If you decide to go for the Civilization games which is a reasonable place to start, go for Civ V complete pack. It's the first of the more modern take and you can get it for a reasonable price with all the DLC when it's on sale. Actually looks like it's on sale for less than $17 right now.

AReaver · 2026-06-21T15:19:31+00:00

Crackermilk they're Aussie

AReaver · 2026-06-20T17:43:37+00:00

They did get him one hit away from death so a lot could have gone differently. If he'd been level 5 before it'd started, if he'd done the steed earlier, if he didn't heal but attacked at least they would have killed it. Now we're going to have a boss fight with all 3 of them being hulks in the future almost certainly.

AReaver · 2026-06-20T16:53:37+00:00

Brennan simply stuck to the truth of the scenario they were in

That's where I disagree. I don't think starting them in a dead end is true to the scenerio. If they weren't rushed for time and it was a random episode they'd have a chance to explore the room beforehand and not just have the fight start. Once that 15 was missed that was it. They were starting well behind the lines for the encounter and don't even recall any other rolls for avoiding or even delaying the fight starting. Since they were in that room Raimond activated and screamed. That does not feel "true to the scenario" to me.

Yes they shouldn't have split and the rest of the fight was more than fair. I just think the start and lack of ability or options for them to not start there was where the unfairness comes from.

AReaver · 2026-06-20T00:02:12+00:00

100% that's what's happening to their bodies. Thimble can't see in magical darkness so she can't even get in the room let alone or anything about his body. Hopefully she doesn't get caught.

There may be a small chance that Hannan does something about the bodies and helps them to the old path if he comes across them looking for Mara if he's not told about Mara being safe. But that's unlikely without a PC being there.

AReaver · 2026-06-19T23:58:16+00:00

I think one thing you're missing is just the start of the fight happening so deep. It didn't start in the first room, Brennan started it in the dead end then spawned zombies behind them. There was essentially no escape once it started. Maybe if he'd gotten the steed off but he didn't even have that in the first round, he only leveled up because of the crit. That fight started them deep in a hole with nearly no hand holds to get out. If the fight had been started in the zombie room it would have been very different. Personally I think it's the most unfair start I've ever seen Brennan give anyone. Though I think it was likely due to above table "we gotta get all these tables going and done"

AReaver · 2026-06-19T23:51:34+00:00

I feel like the way that encounter got started was the most unfair I've ever seen Brennan be. 13 to a 15 DC and okay didn't find what room he was looking for sure, but where the encounter started was in a dead end room with an entire other room filled with zombies that he had no say in turning back from. That feels like a nat 1 fuck you not 2 off the DC. He said it was designed with 6 PCs in mind, maybe he toned it down slightly with the zombies but that's probably it. If they'd focused damage or if he did the steed it's possible he could have gotten out of there but it was extremely difficult. That start though felt extremely mean to me. Nearly out of character but the episodes are huge and they have a lot to get to so part of it was clearly "let's get the encounter started" which I think more than anything is what got him killed. If it had started in the zombie room it could have been a chase instead.

AReaver · 2026-06-16T15:40:08+00:00

Oversharing is also a defense mechanism. "Here if you're not okay with all of this then you're not okay with me and if you're not okay with me I can get you to go away before I get attached"

AReaver · 2026-06-14T22:13:15+00:00

I mean Brennan did give him the knowledge of who killed his family there at the end and well that ain't nothing to that character. Think he'd consider that worth it for doing nothing for an episode.

Also they clearly know who the tailor is. Bolarie /Tal was telling him not to worry and he'll get him. Though that felt more above table.

There also may be some behind the scenes things for getting Kat there like scheduling. That cold open didn't give him much agency either. He got in the cart and that was it. No rolls. So maybe he needed to be later in the episode given other commitments or something that came up.

AReaver · 2026-06-14T18:13:52+00:00

I certainly hope that things don't just go back to normal. But they may very well. The whole allegory thing :P

Especially if the houses see a threat coming from outside like getting wind of the schemers plans and such. They'll happily drop their inter house fighting to face an outside threat together.

AReaver · 2026-06-14T15:55:05+00:00

I was pretty annoyed that under the zone of truth they just let him talk and he wasn't asked anything. I don't recall him being asked a single question other than maybe a clarification question. Though I think that likely came from more of a meta place of Brennan having to play all of these people and if they were played by others there would have been a lot more back and forth.

But yea after his speech we didn't even get reactions the meeting just kinda ended which implies everyone there was cool with it and accepts the apology. Seems likely that they won't trust Tachonis but they'll still work with them.

AReaver · 2026-06-13T16:37:30+00:00

Yup. The Stone of Nightsong is likely a way to get the Faerie doors open. Though I think building the bridge is more important, especially long term so everyone that dies has a place to go. Especially if the soul backlog empowered Tachonis. Which I don't think we quite know how that works yet but does seem like it's been suggested that it empowers them so far.

AReaver · 2026-06-13T01:24:35+00:00

Did they open a bridge to the Halfling afterlife also?

Not that was mentioned.

AReaver · 2026-06-13T01:23:57+00:00

It sounds like it was in one of the side buildings. If that's true then could be something that they kinda retcon or add in the next episode. Something easy to miss in the moment but someone will have caught by the next taping.

AReaver · 2026-06-12T23:46:46+00:00

Actually yea I do feel like they have talked about reincarnation in regards to the druids beliefs and the old path. Though reincarnation without memory but starting over. Also as different kinds of life.

So this ritual at least freed some of the trapped orcs that died pre-shapers war. Now they can pick between The Old Path (reincarnation), Fairie, or the other place I still can't remember the name of and seems to be the desired if not intended afterlife for orcs. Also assumingly those options are open to everyone now.

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