The Mana Pool

The dorks take a look at the new Magic: the Gathering set, Reality Fracture, because why not? Jace wants to create a new multiverse without suffering, so of course everything is all screwed up in all kinds of ways. Jace may or may not be a bit of an idiot. Mechanics:  https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/reality-fracture-mechanics Gallery: https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/reality-fractur...

The dorks are Dirkless this week so we're Just Chatting. We talk about Brian's recent tumble that made us take an unexpected week off, it was pretty brutal. Then Chewie spends way too much time talking about Marvel's Midnight Suns, a game he's spent a ridiculous amount of time on recently. After that we bounce around to Final Fantasy Resonance, the new Darkwing Duck, a game called Cross Blitz that...

Like we did with Rogues back in episode 746, the Dorks are taking a look at bards and bard-like characters across all of media! From the very obvious and standards like Edward from Final Fantasy 4 and Jaskier from the Witcher to more speculative possibilities, we're digging around to see who we can find. What actually makes a character a bard? We're starting at D&D and going from there! Be sure to...

The dorks are talking about our favorite pets and animal companions in games! The dogs, dragons, horses, and whatever else that keep the player company or help out in some way need to be celebrated, and who better to do it than us? Let us know your favorites that we missed! Come join us in the future! The show is live on Thursdays around 8pm(ish) Eastern time on Twitch. Become a Lifeguard on Patre...

The dorks return to The Legend of Zelda to talk about our feelings on the next three games! We're hitting Link's Awakening (both the original Game Boy and the Switch remake), and the two Nintendo 64 games - Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. The weird little handheld one, the iconic jump to 3D, and the completely bizarre time loop fan favorite. Let us know how you feel about this batch of Zelda ga...

The dorks discuss evaluating older video games, television, and movies in modern times. A lot has changed since the early days of each of these forms of media, from technological advancements to cultural shifts to changes in how each one is consumed. It's not just four old nerds rambling about the way things used to be, because we're not saying anything was better before. But we do want everyone t...

The dorks take a look at the beginning of The Legend of Zelda! We're taking our time with this one since we have a lot to say, especially the early ones that laid so much of the groundwork for the series. On this one we're covering the two games on the NES - The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and the one on the SNES - A Link to the Past. Let us know what you love (and hate) a...

Due to a sudden medical...issue, and yes you'll hear all about it on this episode, we decided at the last minute to do a low pressure DJC. Listen to the Dorks discuss music, Brian's eye, co-op gaming with one of the children, the stupid state we live in, what we've been playing lately, and an old story from the stand-up days. Enjoy, and don't worry - Brian's fine. Check out Jourdain Fisher's new s...

The dorks take a look at the new Marvel Magic set, because why not. Marvel Super Heroes Mechanics - https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/marvel-super-heroes-mechanics Card Image Gallery - https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/marvel/marvel-super-heroes/card-image-gallery Come join us in the future! The show is live on Thursdays around 8pm(ish) Eastern time on Twitch. Become a Lifeguard on Pat...

The dorks are doing something a little different this week. The Summer Game Fest happened recently, showing off all kinds of new and upcoming video games. Each of us have picked out a handful of the games shown at the SGF that we're excited about or that just look really cool. From the biggest reveals like Final Fantasy & Zelda to the midsized releases like Castlevania & Star Wars all the way to t...

Oh my god this guy is SO big and scary! How am I ever gonna...oh. Is that all? Huh. This week we're doing the opposite of last week, with enemies that look big and scary that turn out to be...nothing. Come join us in the future! The show is live on Thursdays around 8pm(ish) Eastern time on Twitch. Become a Lifeguard on Patreon! –  patreon.com/themanapool Podcast RSS Feed:  themanapool.libsyn.com/r...

Oh look, a cute little turtle lizard guy with a teeny little knife! Why's he just walking towards us? What does he think he's gonna OH DEAR LORD WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! We're talking about enemies that look like they'd be pushovers, but will instead absolutely wreck you for one reason or another. We'll do the inverse of this on a future episode, so be sure to give us your ideas! Come join us in the f...

The FINAL definition of vamp on the Merriam-Webster site says "Improvise, extemporize." That's the one we're using here. Not "a woman who uses her charm or wiles to seduce and exploit men," which is the FIRST definition. What the actual hell? On this Dorks Just Chatting, Chewie talks all about his newly-purple beard and his mom's stay in the hospital. Dirk has no idea when things happened and tell...

The dorks have returned! You know when there's a game or movie or whatever media that, when you look at it, you just know that this is gonna be right up your alley? But then you give it a shot and it just...isn't? What's that about? We're going to give lots of examples of this phenomenon for ourselves and try to figure out what happened with each other them. Let us know about things that seem like...

This is what happens when there's no Dirk and when the Pooligans don't give us a direction. You can't just leave us to our own devices! We cannot be trusted! Come join us in the future! The show is live on Thursdays around 8pm(ish) Eastern time on Twitch. Become a Lifeguard on Patreon! –  patreon.com/themanapool Podcast RSS Feed:  themanapool.libsyn.com/rss YouTube:  youtube.com/TheManaPool The De...

The dorks return to Magic to take a look at Secrets of Strixhaven, the new set that amazingly isn't based on some other IP! Two of the dorks actually went to a prerelease for it, so they have Thoughts. You know the drill, mechanics then the card image gallery bouncing around looking at cool stuff. Oh, because of the main new mechanic there are a lot of Scar and Illidan Stormrage references, so you...

We've done it! We're made it to three quarters of four figures! To celebrate doing this for over 18 years (not quite half our lives) we're going to take a look at what it's been like being a nerd over the course of our lifetimes. How we're viewed by society and even the very defintion of "nerd" have changed a lot over the years, so we're digging into it from our own experiences. To help us with th...

And then it all came crashing down. After Overwatch, the Devil Himself took over and ran decades of goodwill into the ground in the pursuit of the mighty dollar. And also other...problems...came to light that accelerated the fall. But is it all doom and gloom forever? Can Blizzard save itself under the control of...Microsoft? Wait, seriously? Why Jeff Kaplan left Blizzard:  https://kotaku.com/over...

We pivoted away from our second Blizzard show to save Brian's mental health, but we'll do it very soon! Instead we're doing a DJC that starts with the titular question and just goes from there, as these shows tend to do. Also, I think Dirk talks more on this episode than he has on a single episode in YEARS. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did! Come join us in the future! The show is...

Remember when Blizzard was great? Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo were some of the most powerful IPs in gaming, and they all came from a singular company that could do no wrong. It was truly a glorious time to be alive. So let's bask in the warm glow of nostalgia for this episode, remembering only the good times back before the Devil Himself took sole control and destroyed two and a half decades o...

The dorks (most of them anyway) return to do exactly one (1) episode on the TMNT MTG set. There are improved versions of old mechanics, video game nostalgia, and lots of ampersands. What's your take on the turtle set, and have you ever had turtle soup? Mechanics: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-mechanics Gallery: https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/teenage-...

The dorks are joined this episode by our old buddy and former Monday Night Magic host Squee! Or Bill, if you prefer. And we're talking about rogues across all media. The archetype of The Rogue is far wider than just the D&D definition of sneaking around in the shadows to pick locks and stab people in the back, and we'll be going into detail about all the different aspects of roguishness with plent...

The dorks dive into the idea of crossovers, when intellectual properties show up in other intellectual properties. We're placing examples on a two-axis spectrum and discussing the good, the bad, the stupid, the greedy, and the ugly. Let us know about any types we missed and tell us about your favorite (or least favorite) media crossover you've encountered! Come join us in the future! The show is l...

The dorks return for our second week on Lorwyn Eclipsed, which is officially more than Wizards of the Coast spent previewing the entire set. Sigh. So join us as we bounce around the gallery as usual! Just uh...ignore the bit about feet. Gallery: https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/lorwyn-eclipsed/card-image-gallery Come join us in the future! The show is live on Thursdays around 8pm(ish) Eastern...

It all comes full circle eventually. We first went to Lorwyn waaaay back in 2007, when The Mana Pool started, and we haven't been back since. Until now! The dorks are taking a look at the mechanics and then diving into the full set, focusing on the returning characters! We'll bounce around the rest of the set next episode! Mechanics:  https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/lorwyn-eclipsed-mecha...