The Grey Company Podcast

It's the last Book Club...and the last episode of The Grey Company! Dan, Derek, Ian, and Matthew share their thoughts on Homeward Bound, The Scouring of the Shire, and The Grey Havens, then give a tearful farewell.

Dan and Derek continue the book club with special guest, lead developer Caleb Grace! We hit The Field of Cormallen, The Steward and the King, and Many Partings.

Dan, Derek, Ian and special guest Sierra continue the book club. We made it to Mordor! Chapters include, the Tower of Cirith Ungol, The Land of Shadow, and Mount Doom.

Dan, Derek, and Matthew chat about our experiences at Con of the Rings last week at Fantasy Flight Games Center! We also announce a giveaway we're having for our patrons.

Dan, Derek, and Matthew just got back from Con of the Rings 2018, and we're giving you two episodes of content to help recap this epic event. First and foremost is our interview with Tim and Luke of Fantasy Flight Interactive. We think you're going to love this conversation.

Dan, Derek and Matthew discuss the new digital Living Card Game and spend some time cracking into The Last Debate and The Black Gate Opens, as we finish book 5 in our book club!

Dan, Derek, and Ian keep the book club chugging along as we have a look at the aftermath of the great battle: The Pyre of Denethor and The Houses of Healing are coming up!

The full Grey Company (!!) takes on The Siege of Gondor, The Ride of the Rohirrim, and The Battle of the Pelennor Fields! We talk bravery, World Wars, and cards.

Dan, Derek, and special guest John (Peace & Thought) talk the first three chapters of Return of the King! We also get into some exclusive news about Con of the Rings. Derek has microphone issues (sorry)!

Dan, Derek, and Ian continue the book club! This time we finish up Two Towers, discussing Journey to the Cross-roads, The Stairs of Cirith-Ungol, Shelob's Lair, and the Choices of Master Samwise.

Dan, Derek, and special guest Jon follow along with Frodo, Sam & Gollum, having a look at Of Herbs & Stewed Rabbit, Window on the West, and The Forbidden Pool

Dan, Derek, and Ian follow along with Frodo and Sam as the second half of The Two Towers begins. Chapters include The Taming of Smeagol, Passage of the Marshes, and The Black Gate Opens.

Matthew, Derek, and Dan tackle the conclusion of The Two Towers.

Dan, Derek, and Ian continue the book club with a look at the chapters Helm's Deep, Road to Isengard, and Flotsam and Jetsam.

Dan, Derek, and special guest Mike (The Master of Lore) continue the book club!

Ian, Derek, Matthew, and special guest Electronjon get started with The Two Towers, discussing The Departure of Boromir, The Riders of Rohan, and The Uruk-hai.

Matthew, Derek, and Ian finally have the chance to talk some Trek! In this special bonus episode, the Grey Co crew discusses the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, how they got into Trek, and what the future holds for the franchise. Engage!

Ian, Derek, and Dan are joined by special guest Jon for the next installment of the book club. We conclude The Fellowship of the Ring with a look at Farewell to Lorien, The Great River, and The Breaking of the Fellowship.

Dan, Derek, and Matthew continue the book club with a look at The Bridge of Khazad-dum, Lothlorien, and The Mirror of Galadriel.

The book club continues as the Ring finally begins its journey towards Mordor with the chapters "The Ring Goes South" and "Journey in the Dark". We discuss Gandalf's power, Aragorn's destiny, the nature of nature, and more!

Dan, Derek, and Matthew discuss listener submissions for decks that they just can't seem to get to work. No metaphors were harmed in the making of this episode.

Dan, Derek, and Ian discuss the scenarios and player cards of The Sands of Harad deluxe expansion. We also take a moment to look back on the year in LOTR.

The book club continues with a first look at Book 2 and the chapters "Many Meetings" and "The Council of Elrond". We dive deep into the big issues of these momentous chapters.

In this episode, Derek, Dan, and Ian discuss the challenges and possibilities of balancing theme and power when building decks.

The book club continues with a look at the chapters "A Knife in the Dark" and "Flight to the Ford". We wrap up Book 1 of The Lord of the Rings in this episode!

The full Grey Company tackles the allies of each sphere, debating the strongest, weakest, and most likely to succeed. We also discuss our latest convention exploits. Enjoy an extra-long episode of The Grey Company!

Ian, Derek, and Dan catch up on some of the recent releases, sharing their thoughts on The Thing in the Depths and Temple of the Deceived scenarios, as well as reviewing some of the player cards.

In this episode, Matthew, Derek, and Ian run through the spheres, debating the best and worst heroes for each. No holds are barred and no punches are pulled as we engage in a true hero showdown.

Derek, Ian, and Dan continue the book club with a look at the chapters At the Sign of the Prancing Pony and Strider. We delve into the nature of Bree, inns, beer, and Aragorn himself, while looking at the cards that have been created thus far in relation to these chapters, as well as some custom cards.

In this episode, the full Grey Company crew takes on the topic of benchmarking. How can you eyeball a deck and tell if it's strong or not? How can you go about testing a deck? Is there value to deck testing in a cooperative game?

Matthew, Derek, and Ian chase down the player cards of the Flight of the Stormcaller and give them the review they so richly deserve. We also debate the merits of the hottest spoiler from the Flame of the West announcement.

In this episode, Matthew, Ian, and Dan discuss potential alternatives to staple cards and unique characters, for those times when you just don't have a card (or enough copies of a card), want to avoid conflicts with other players, or want a different option for thematic reasons. We also bring back the overrated/underrated segment to really dig into a few cards.

In this episode, Dan, Derek, and Ian continue the book club with a look at the chapters In the House of Tom Bombadil and Fog on the Barrow-downs. We get all book club-y and discuss the literary themes, but also take some time to dig into how these chapters have been represented in the game or how they should be represented in the game.

Derek, Dan, and Ian set sail with The Grey Havens expansion, digging into the quests and player cards of this newest deluxe box. We also answer a ton of listener questions about The Grey Havens. Please forgive the audio disruption at the very beginning, it resolves within the first couple of minutes.

Derek, Dan, and Ian are joined by special guest, Matt Newman, co-developer of LOTR LCG. We look back at the Angmar Awakened cycle and forward to the Dream-chaser cycle (including a special spoiler). We did have an audio hiccup with our first attempt at the interview, but we hope you enjoy the final product!

In this episode, Derek, Ian, and Matthew discuss the fundamental concept of luck vs. skill within LOTR LCG. What does skill look like in the game? How much does luck play a part? How does one become more skilled?

Dan, Derek, and Matthew continue the book club with a look at the A Conspiracy Unmasked and The Old Forest chapters, as well as look back on 2015 and chat about the current state of the game.

Dan, Ian, and Derek discuss a set of cards that are commonly thought of as "staples". Are they truly staples? Or have they lost their luster? We also discuss the best candidates for deck sideboards.

The Grey Company podcast celebrates its 2 year anniversary! Matthew and Ian are joined by the Fifth Ranger as we reflect on 5 years of the game and 2 years of the 'cast. Enjoy!

The book club continues with special guest Mitch, the Mitch King himself! The crew discusses the chapters Three Is Company and A Shortcut to Mushrooms.

The Grey Company crew (sans Ian) discuss whether a variety of cards are overrated or underrated.

The book club returns as we investigate the first two chapters of Book 1! Also, the lads are debriefed on their GenCon 2015 experiences. Fireboarding is discussed. Enjoy!

Part one of our GenCon 2015 wrapup begins with an extended interview with lead developer Caleb Grace! Join Dan and Ian as they ask some great questions about the state of the game and where we're headed. Also, we announce a raffle for our patrons, who have a chance to win a copy of the GenCon 2015 quest, The Ruins of Belegost!

Derek, Ian, and Matthew expand the fellowship with Chris (Mirkwood Runner) and Matthew H! We discuss some big, general ideas about Nightmare play in LOTR LCG. Enjoy and sorry for the sound issues.

The gents are back with a strategic look at the Helm's Deep quest from Treason of Saruman. Spoiler: there is no easy way to beat it. Enjoy!

The Grey Company begins it new 'book club' series with a hard look at the Prologue. We discuss the text itself, cards that have been made from its examples, fresh card ideas, and custom cards from listeners. Enjoy!

The full Grey Company reviews the quests of the Lost Realm box and discuss strategy for beating the difficult scenarios. Also our new mailbag section and some important announcements! Dan's cat chimes in.

Dan, Derek, and Matthew take a look at the new player cards released with The Lost Realm expansion! Next episode will be a strategy session and review of the quests from that box.

The Grey Company goes back in time to talk about the Core Set and what it means to get into the game as a new player. We also offer some helpful tips to newcomers and talk about what Core cards hold up, and which don't.

Dan, Derek, and Ian are joined by Mike, the Master of Lore! They spend the longest episode yet discussing The Hobbit: the films, the book, and the game. Each quest is analyzed and compared to the other versions.

A special guest joins us to discuss how the game has come along since its inception, and where it is going. Along the way we discuss card development, burnout, and cycles passed.