Acceptable Losses: A Grimdark Podcast

Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLossesJoin our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7​In this special episode of Acceptable Losses, we sit down with the legendary Tuomas Pirinen (creator of Mordheim) to discuss his latest grimdark wargame, Trench Crusade. We explore the game's inception, the challenges of scaling up production to meet massive demand, and the deep, horrifying lore of a Great War that never ended. From the Iron Sultanate to the Heretic Legions, Tuomas gives us an inside look at designing a world where faith and firepower collide. Plus, hear the story of how a John Blanche painting terrified a framer!

Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLossesJoin our Discord: discord.gg/nhX9NJ3EW7In this episode of Acceptable Losses, we step off the train into City 17 to analyze the Universal Union, better known as The Combine. Unlike most alien invasions that result in immediate annihilation, the Combine’s occupation of Earth is a slow, methodical erasure of what it means to be human. We explore how the "face" of our oppression isn't an alien warlord, but a fellow human—Dr. Wallace Breen—who negotiated our surrender to save us from extinction, only to enslave us in the process.​We dive deep into the mechanisms of control used to keep the population compliant, from the memory-erasing drugs in the water supply to the Suppression Field that ensures we are the last generation on Earth. We also break down the terrifying path of transhumanism within the regime: how a starving citizen joins Civil Protection for a meal, only to eventually have their humanity surgically removed to become an Overwatch Soldier or, worse, a Stalker.​Finally, we answer the big question: What does an interdimensional empire want with a dying planet?

Merch! https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-lossesSupport us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLossesJoin our Discord: discord.gg/nhX9NJ3EW7​"Hey, you like sci-fi, right? I've got a film for you."​That was the recommendation that led me to Aniara. I went in expecting a fun sci-fi flick; what I received instead was a harrowing dose of existential despair that I am still thinking about months later.In this episode of The Acceptable Losses, we take a departure from our usual game-based topics to discuss a film that embodies the ultimate grimdark reality. It starts with a routine voyage: a luxury vessel carrying colonists from a ruined Earth to Mars. It was supposed to be a three-week trip, complete with shopping malls, gyms, and swimming pools.​But when a piece of space debris forces an emergency ejection of fuel, the Aniara is set adrift, and a three-week cruise turns into a voyage into the void that none of the passengers are prepared for.

Merch! https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-lossesSupport us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLossesJoin our Discord: discord.gg/nhX9NJ3EW7Did Vlad the Impaler really stake one million heretics in 1573? What is Baba Yaga's hut doing on the front lines of Novgorod? In this episode, we explore the myths and folklore of Trench Crusade, from the Vampire Hussars of the Order of the Dragon to the skinless werewolves of the Path of the Beast.

Merch! https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-lossesSupport us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLossesJoin our Discord: discord.gg/nhX9NJ3EW7​In the Mass Effect games, the fate of the galaxy rests on the shoulders of Commander Shepard. But in a war that consumes countless billions, the story of a single hero can mask the darker implications and the true weight of the conflict.​This week on Acceptable Losses, we're pushing the "big hero" to the side and treating Commander Shepard as a myth. Instead, we are diving into the horror of the Reaper War from the perspective of the civilians, soldiers, and governments who fought and died on the front lines.​Join us as we recount the galaxy-defining conflict, starting from the first chilling silence as the Batarian Hegemony goes dark and the unstoppable horror that followed.