

Axe of the Blood God: An RPG Podcast
Axe of the Blood God
Nadia Oxford, Eric Van Allen, and Victor Hunter explore the best in the wonderful world of role-playing video games! Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/bloodgodpod
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 17, 2025 • 1h 40min
Card-Based RPGs - PART 1: History and Appeal
I'm pulling a Retronauts and calling this "Part One" because we barely even got around to talking about the games themselves; instead, Victor, Eric, and Nadia wax philosophical about the seemingly-universal appeal of card games, the stories that can be told with a deck of cards, and how they fit perfectly into the systems and structure of both tabletop games and video games. Maybe in Part Two we'll talk about actual specific video games. Maybe Part Two will be the upcoming Mega Man Battle Network 2 Pantheon episode! Who can say? Go and get a tarot reading and find out!
Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com
Also in this episode:
Corpse Party cancelled
Octopath Traveler 0 Impressions
Canadian Cooking Shows and Human Anatomy
Timestamps:
6:20 Main Topic - Card-Based RPGs
26:44 - History of Decks of Cards
1:17:42 - Random Encounters
1:21:12 - The Tavern - Octopath Traveler 0 Impressions
1:30:40 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook
Music Used in this Episode:
Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]
Pub - [Lunar Knights]
A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]
The Valedictory Elegy (for guitar) - [Baten Kaitos Origins] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 10, 2025 • 2h 3min
Phantasy Star TTRPG Interview w/ Rich Lescouflair
May the Falz be with you!Award-winning creator of the Phantasy Star Tabletop RPG, Rich Lescouflair, joins Victor for an in-depth interview all about adapting a beloved JRPG into tabletop form, the joys of freeing oneself from the shackles of narrative canon, and why Phantasy Staar Online Episode III: CARD Recolution actually kicks ass.This is one multiplayer Phantasy Star that doesn't require a Hunter's License!Plus, Nadia, Eric, and Victor address why a 'Good Year For Games' isn't always a good year for the people who make them. All that and more on this episode of Axe of the Blood God!
Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com
Skydawn Games:https://skydawngames.com/
Liz Bushouse's Comparison of Phantasy Star Scripts:https://lizbushouse.com/phantasy-star-1-script-comparison-sega-ages-gba-part-1/
SkysNotTheLimit Phantasy Star Online Lore Channel:https://www.youtube.com/feed/subscriptions/UCUKqjgQUXrAGlQ35d4Aqn4Q
Tom's Bluesky Thread About the Importance of Square's Human QA:https://bsky.app/profile/iiotenki.bsky.social/post/3m4yqll6bdk2h
Also in this episode:
Layoffs at Square Enix and QA being replaced by AI
Happy N7 Day! Mass Effect is definitely still alive!
The Game Awards confirms the Future Class is gone
Exciting updates to Final Fantasy XI
Hyrule Warriors, and Zelda's history of busty villainnesses
Timestamps:
8:56 - Main Topic - Phantasy Star Tabletop RPG Interview w/ Rich Lescouflair
1:16:18 - Random Encounters
1:41:58 - The Tavern - Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
1:56:00 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook
Music Used in this Episode:
Rune - [Phantasy Star IV]
Valentine - [Phantasy Star Online]
Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]
Pub - [Lunar Knights]
A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]
Chaotic Bar - [Phantasy Star Online] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 3, 2025 • 1h 32min
Dragon Quest I & II Review w/ Lucas White
A podcast draws near!Eric, Nadia, and special guest Lucas White are here to discuss the latest Dragon Quest HD2D remake(s)! Is this collection of the first two entires in the seminal series a must-play or should you puff-puff pass?
Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com
Contribute to Jen's Gofundme:https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-jen-recover-from-mg-crisis
Nadia's Review:https://gameinformer.com/review/dragon-quest-i-ii-hd-2d-remake/level-up-and-up
Lucas' Review:https://www.shacknews.com/article/146558/dragon-quest-1-2-hd-2d-remake-review-score
Also in this episode:
What's the current state of Dragon Quest?
We give Naoki Ikushima his flowers
The Seance of Blake Manor
New episodes of Dispatch
Artis Impact
Simogo Legacy Collection
Final Fantasy House
Timestamps:
8:48 Main Topic - Dragon Quest I&II HD2D
57:44 - Random Encounters
59:12 - The Tavern - Pokemon Hate
1:32:48 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook
Music Used in this Episode:
Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]
Pub - [Lunar Knights]
A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]
Settings Menu (Intermezzo I) - [Theathrythm Dragon Quest] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 27, 2025 • 1h 44min
Outer Worlds 2, Enjoying Things For Grown Ups
Note: Microsoft and the Xbox brand remain subjects of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement for their complicity in the ongoing apartheid and genocide of Palestine. In the interest of journalism we've chosen to cover Microsoft but encourage you to visit https://www.bdsmovement.net/microsoft for more information.Capitalism. In space!Eric and Nadia have been spending time with Outer Worlds 2, Victor and Nadia have been redistributing the world's supply of umbrellas to themselves, and Triple Triad is bringing cultures together. All this and more on a very special episode of Axe of the Blood God!
Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com
Also in this episode:
How to get free umbrellas
Upcoming 'Tales of' Remaster news!
We hope Final Fantasy VII Part 3 doesn't make the same mistakes a Rebirth
The creators we love (and Palworld) who say hell no to genAI
Pokemon's cottage industry of outrage
Eric's Twin Peaks: The Return update!
Dispatch
What games were YOU playing in 1992?
How to solve a slide puzzle
Timestamps:
13:40 Main Topic - Outer Worlds 2
42:24 - Random Encounters
59:12 - The Tavern - Pokemon Hate
1:32:48 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook
Music Used in this Episode:
Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]
Pub - [Lunar Knights]
A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]
Sunflower Girl 2 - [Lunar Knights] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 20, 2025 • 1h 46min
Pokemon Z-A, Vampire: The Masquerade
During this month of Every Game Finally Coming Out, Victor, Nadia, Eric, and special guest Giovanni Colantonio talk Pokemon Z-A, walkable cities in games, and what makes a good sidequest.Plus, Eric gives us the (vampire) rundown on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines and why you probably shouldn't wait 20 years to make a sequel.
Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com
Also in this episode:
Dissidia Duellum fashion
Phantasy Star Tabletop Impressions
Where that expensive pokemon coffee comes from
Music Used in this Episode:
Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]
Pub - [Lunar Knights]
A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]
Lavender Town - [Pokemon Red/Blue] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 13, 2025 • 1h 44min
The Best GhoOoOosts in RPGs
Vampires are so last year.Call your local Hex Maniac because Victor, Nadia, and Eric are holding a seance to determine the best spectres, phantoms, ghasts, and frights across the history of RPGs. It's time to talk ghosts!From the cutest to the cultists, from friendly to frightening, it's all ghosts all the time. Just don't mess around with a ouija board while listening to this episode. Or if you do, don't tell Eric.
Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com
Also in this episode:
Sharlayan Dropouts News
TRUE Encounter With REAL GHOSTS!!
Unfortunate news for Heart Machine
Timestamps:
11:12 Main Topic - The Best Ghosts in RPGs
1:20:28 - Random Encounters
1:29:20 - The Future of Sharlayan Dropouts
1:34:08 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook
Music Used in this Episode:
Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]
Pub - [Lunar Knights]
A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]
Lavender Town - [Pokemon Let's Go]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 6, 2025 • 1h 34min
Digimon Story: Time Stranger w/ Kenneth Shepard, Jesse Vitelli
Digi-see? Digi-hear? Digi-know it was coming?Your digi-destiny starts today and Eric, Nadia, and special guests, Kenneth Shepard, and Jesse Vitelli are your digi-guides through it all. Time Stranger, the latest in the Digimon Story sub-series of RPGs is finally here and it might just be a perfect entry point into the digital world. Learn al about it on this prodigious episode of Axe of the Blood God!And you better not suggest that Digimon don't have feelings or you're getting banned from bluesky.
Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com
Also in this episode:
Why doesn't Nadia care about Digimon?
Protomen Act III
Bad News For EA
Timestamps:
8:00 Main Topic - Digimon Story: Time Stranger
43:12 - Random Encounters
46:00 - The Tavern - The Protomen, EA Has Gone Private
1:04:16 - Ken Plays Fortnite for KPop Demon Hunters
1:20:40 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook, Sort of...
Music Used in this Episode:
Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]
Pub - [Lunar Knights]
A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]
Central Park - [Digimon World 3] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 29, 2025 • 2h 27min
Kat's Mailbag Sendoff
Cheerio! Kat is moving to the UK and we celebrate with a mail bag AMA centered on her experience serving the Blood God, and you know it wouldn’t be a Kat episode without delving into the worlds of soccer and Magic The Gathering.
- Plus, discussion of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
- The meaning of “mature” storylines
- Whether or not Mario is a superhero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 22, 2025 • 2h 19min
Kat's Perfect RPG Library, Trails in the Sky, and BIG NEWS
As we prepare for our fearless leader's graduation, it's time to celebrate the RPGs that made her. From tactics to action, from sim to rogue-lite, Kat, Eric, and Victor discuss Kat's idea of the perfect RPG library. Plus, Eric's been playing Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter; is this the Trails games that will hook newcomers? Listen to this perfectly bitter-sweet episode of Axe of the Blood God to find out!
Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com
Also in this episode:
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2
Baroque is back, baby!
How easy it is to play old games
Timestamps:
3:12 - Big News!
10:52 Main Topic - Kat's Perfect RPG Library
22:32 - Tactics
35:12 - Turn-Based
47:28 - Action
56:48 - Dungeon Crawler
1:05:36 - Simulation
1:13:52 - CRPG
1:20:16 - Rogue-lite
1:26:48 - Monster Collecting
1:27:18 - Wildcards
1:32:08 - Random Encounters
1:53:20 - The Tavern - Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Remake
1:36:08 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook
Music Used in this Episode:
Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]
Pub - [Lunar Knights]
Cityscape - The Sun Rises for Ones Who Smile - [Etrian Odyssey V] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 15, 2025 • 1h 55min
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, Pokopia, and More Nintendo Direct News
Pick a god and pray; Fire Emblem is back along with a deluge of news from the latest Nintendo Direct. Slow-life Pokemon, collections of Mega Mans, and remakes of good Dragon Quests. Kat, Nadia, and Victor discuss all this and more on the this episode of Axe of the Blood God!
Tune in to live recordings of the show every Saturday morning at https://www.twitch.tv/bloodgodpod, subscribe for bonus episodes and discord access at https://www.patreon.com/bloodgodpod and celebrate our 10th Anniversary with new merch at https://shop.bloodgodpod.com
Also in this episode:
You can just play old games. Nothing is stopping you.
Super Robot Wars brings us together
Timestamps:
3:30 - Main Topic - Nintendo Direct Reactions - Fire Emblem
18:52 - Dragon Quest VII
29:28 - Pokemon Pokopia
35:34 - Virtual Boy
44:02 - Hades 2
45:08 Persona 3 Reload
46:44 - Danganronpa
48:20 - Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
52:00 - Mega Man: Star Force
1:05:12 - Random Encounters
1:10:24 - Remembering the PlayStation on its 30th Birthday
1:36:08 - Nadia’s Nostalgia Nook - 40 Years of Super Mario Brothers
Music Used in this Episode:
Do Your Best - [Breath of Fire III]
Pub - [Lunar Knights]
A Curious Tale - [Secret of Mana]
Shooting Star - [Mega Man Star Force] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


