Beyond the Veil: Stir of Echoes Redux

On Saturday night, the BtV crew had an exciting event (well exciting for us, anyway), a reprise of "Stir of Echoes," the investigation mission we presented on our Anniversary show. Due to other (official) events going on at the time, many people didn't have the opportunity to complete the mission in July.

The BtV crew warmed up by running Slaughterhouse Elite, and I have a better idea now how to organize this evening's NKL-107 fight with Dortmunder and the Knights of Mercy's Fire Team Bravo. Pumped up by a successful run, we got in position to start the "Stir of Echoes—Redux."

A large (for us) crowd had gathered in Agartha by the currently unused portal "down the hill" from Seoul. We were joined in game and on the show by TSW's Lead Designer Tilty, Community Manager Sezmra, and Lead Writer Scrivnomancer, who all played through the mission, as well. I was especially nervous about Scrivnomancer's participation because, while Xander outlined the plot of the mission, much of the text was written or refined by this humble blogger. But Scriv reassured us that we had done well in capturing the feel of TSW and particularly the "voice " of Mme. Rogêt.

All in all, about 40 people ran through the mission over the course of two hours, with members of the BtV crew serving in the roles of various NPCs. They braved zombies, haunted houses, and the dreaded boss encounter, "Error 500," in search of a lost soul with a dark destiny. Everyone who completed the mission received a brand new "Beyond the Veil t-shirt, black" directly from Tilty himself. And a special congratulations goes to our winner, Alicia "Momentary" Villicana, who not only completed the mission first, but also beat the BtV crew record by about ten minutes. She would have been done even sooner if I had been in position a little earlier, myself. Momentary received 1200 Funcom points to spend in the Secret Store, a $10 value.

Thanks again to everyone who participated, we had a blast that night and were very humbled by the enthusiastic response from the totally awesome TSW community.

Another BtV Double Feature!

Beyond the Veil Takes 68 and 69 are now available for download.

In "Skins" the BtV crew get excited about the weapons skins now available in the Secret Store. Also, Funcom recently took a stand against exploits in what we considered an even-handed manner.

In "Thanks Giving in TSW," we muck around killing giant golden hoodlums while talking about what we are thankful for.

You can subscribe to the show through Holosuite Media's RSS feed, through iTunes (with older episodes here), and now through Stitcher. Be sure to catch the live show tonight and every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess. Beyond the Veil is produced by "Xander Hayes" and Holosuite Media.

BtV Double Feature: The Venetian Zone!

Beyond the Veil Takes 66 and 67 are now available for download.

In "The Venetian Agenda," we welcome TSW Lead Designer Tilty and Community Manager Sezmra to the show to discuss Issue 8 and other (upcoming) developments in our favorite Conspiracy.

In "Danger Zone" the BtV crew get down to brass tacks analyzing the Scenarios: what we don't like, what we do like, and what takes our breath away.

You can subscribe to the show through Holosuite Media's RSS feed, through iTunes (with older episodes here), and now through Stitcher. Be sure to catch the live show tonight and every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess. Beyond the Veil is produced by "Xander Hayes" and Holosuite Media.

Beyond the Veil Take 65: Monster Mash!!

I had a blast hanging out with my fellow BtV crewmates and fans in front of the Black House on Halloween. If you missed it, the remastered version of Take 65 is now available for Download. During the evening, we gave away treats to attendees and conducted both a Halloween screenshot contest and a live costume contest.

You can subscribe to Beyond the Veil through Holosuite Media's RSS feed, through iTunes (with older episodes here), and now through Stitcher. Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess. Beyond the Veil is produced and hosted by "Xander Hayes" and Holosuite Media.

Beyond the Veil Take 64: A Picture Perfect TSW!

Beyond the Veil Take 64 is now available for download. Join the BtV crew as we announce the winner of our Picture Perfect TSW contest, give you an update on the Agartha Event, introduce you to the Ability Search function and tell you about TSW entering the movie screen and give you the news from the Forums!

You can subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed, through iTunes (with older episodes here), and now through Stitcher. Be sure to catch the live show tonight and every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess. Funcom Lead Designer Tilty will be joining us live tonight the show to talk about The Secret World's Issue #8, "The Venetian Agenda"! Beyond the Veil is produced by "Xander Hayes" and Holosuite Media.

Samhain Song

Yesterday, Celestial Elf posted a link to the following video in the comment section of my Secret Monday Samhain post. It's delightfully creepy, though I'm not sure where the figures for his machinima come from.

I hope I see you all in The Secret World this evening between 7pm and 9pm Eastern time. The BtV crew will giving away treats in front of the Black House in Savage Coast. Come join us in game and on Holosuite Excess.

Happy Halloween, Dear Reader.

Beyond the Veil Take 60: Whispering Tide

Beyond the Veil, Take 60 is now available to download on Holosuite Media. With the Whispering Tide event in full swing, the BtV crew runs the "Enter the Filth" instance in Agartha and discovers the tentacles of Filth have a finite set of hit points, being damaged with the completion each mission.

We also discuss the Defend Agartha Contest being put on by Beyond the Veil and sponsored by WeLoveFine and Funcom. The deadline for entries is THIS EVENING at showtime, so send them in.

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed, through iTunes (with older episodes here), and now through Stitcher. Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday—that's TONIGHT—at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 59: We got DEVed!!

A very exciting episode, Beyond the Veil, Take 59 is now available to download on Holosuite Media. The BtV program got hijacked in the best way possible by TSW Lead Game Designer Tilty and Community Manager Sezmra. Listen as we (and our live audience) get answers to burning questions answered straight from the horse's mouth, plus a lengthy discussion on the choices for TSW’s Get Your Art in the Game Finalists.

Ten male and ten female designs were chosen by the Funcom development team from hundreds of email and forum submissions. The contest just ended with a vote from the players. Head on over to see the winning designs.

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's [EDIT: new feed link] RSS feed, through iTunes (with older episodes here), and now through Stitcher. Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil: Rowan Is Lazy Edition

I've been busy, OK?! So these updates are very delayed. Beyond the Veil, Take 57 and Take 58 have been available for quite some time now on Holosuite Media.

"From the Net" is a mind-bending experience with time travel and the August Director's Letter. Meanwhile, in "A Rosa By Any Other Name," the BtV crew chats with members of the bleeding edge Templar Cabal Rosa Kompaniet, and we discuss the Gilded Rage event.

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes (with older episodes here). Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 56: Solomon Island

Beyond the Veil, Take 56 is now available for download on Holosuite Media. The BtV crew does a whirlwind tour of the first main region, Solomon Island.

Also up, Feii’s Big Deck and Fee’s fashion weekly, withupdates on the “Get your art in the game” contest and the Twitterverse Experiment!

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes (with older episodes here). Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 55: C is for COOKIEEE!!!

Beyond the Veil, Take 55 is now available for download on Holosuite Media. The BtV crew chats with Sezmra, Funcom's new Community Manager for The Secret World.

Also, we have Azture, winner of the last PvP Tournament, with us. There's a new design contest: “Get your art in the game” Plus, new beachwear has been released just in time for your late-summer zombie luau.

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes (with older episodes here). Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 54: NPCs Я US

Beyond the Veil, Take 54 is now available for download on Holosuite Media. The BtV crew discusses who their favorite TSW characters are, the Twitterverse Experiment, new items released this week, and a lot of shenanigans. I had to sit this one out, since I'm two hours behind, and had to work late on Thursday besides. Have a listen!

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes (with older episodes here). Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 53: Lost in the game…

Beyond the Veil, Take 53 is now available for download on Holosuite Media. Thin news this week, so the BtV Crew chats about their sweet achievements, missions and a whole lot more!!!

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes (with older episodes here). Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 52: Community PUDDING!!!

Beyond the Veil, Take 52 is now available for download on Holosuite Media. Not a lot going on besides the Director's Letter, read magnificently by our very own wiseguy, Tony Soprano Katzushima. And the BtV Crew chats about their sweet achievements, missions and a whole lot more!!!

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes (with older episodes here). Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 51: Issue #7 Wrap Up!

Beyond the Veil, Take 51 is now available for download on Holosuite Media. We chat about Issue #7's final mission (my personal favorite), sweet achievements, and a whole lot more!!!

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes (with older episodes here). Be sure to catch the live show every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT (11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 50: I Walk into Empty!!

Beyond the Veil, Take 50 is now available for download on Holosuite Media. We talk Issue 7 (SPOILERS ABOUND), creepy songs, and ongoing developments in The Secret World.

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes (with older episodes here). Be sure to catch the live show TONIGHT and every Thursday at about 7p.m. EDT(11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 49: Lucky Number 7

Beyond the Veil, Take 49 is now available for download on Holosuite Media. We talk PvPvPvE, Issue 7, and a reminder about the dangers of ducks. (Minor spoilers, but nothing that wasn't in Funcom's official news).

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes. Be sure to catch the live show on Thursdays at about 7p.m. EDT(11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 48: Night of the Living Anniversary!

Well, crap. Egor failed to let me know recordings of Beyond the Veil, Take 48 have been posted on Holosuite Media. The audio version is now available for download. The video can be found here.

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes. Be sure to catch the live show on Thursdays at about 7p.m. EDT(11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

Beyond the Veil Take 47: Lights, Camera, Fashion!!!

I was about to feel bad, because this show is over a week old. But then again, everyone's been very busy between last week's Anniversary show, Galactrix and Feii's Joel Bylos-guided tour of Issue 7, and just general TSW event mayhem. Beyond the Veil Take 47 is now available for download. There is also a rather lengthy video of the event; or, if you'd rather just see pics of the participants, you can follow this link.

You can also subscribe through Holosuite Media's RSS feed or through iTunes. Be sure to catch the live show on Thursdays at about 7p.m. EDT(11p.m. UTC) on Holosuite Excess.

BtV: Stir of Echoes

It's been a great week for Beyond the Veil and our loyal listeners. We kicked off our First Anniversary celebration with a Fashion Contest at the Crusades in London. For creative types, Holosuite Media is running two contests, one is the opportunity to Design BtV's new Logo for the new season—codenamed "Issue 2"—and the other is for a fun in-universe Commercial that will be aired on the show during Issue 2. Follow the links for details, but realize that . . .

THE DEADLINE FOR BOTH CREATIVE CONTESTS IS TODAY!

Of all the contests we're running as part of Beyond the Veil and The Secret World's Anniversary Event, I'm personally most excited about the special Investigative Mission contest hosted by the BtV crew. We took it through a closed beta on Sunday afternoon; and after a few tweaks, I think it's quite challenging without being crazy impossible. We've managed to include a little bit of everything in this mission; it's got elements of Investigation, Sabotage/Stealth, Combat, even a little PvP (only in the sense that you're in a race against other players). Don't worry, no need for experience with Morse Code or the ability to distinguish Baroque from Rococo. Xander really outdid himself with the quest design. With significant contributions from the BtV crew, and a little final wordsmithing from Yours Truly, I honestly think we have a mission worthy of The Secret World.

A native of Kingsmouth has been awakened by Gaia unexpectedly. Each faction races to bring the young woman into the fold, equally confused as to why she didn’t come to their attention sooner. As a widely-traveled resident of the island, she could be anywhere. And your faction rep has made it clear to use every asset at your disposal to bring this woman into the fold. Who will get to her first? And what does her awakening mean in the larger scheme of things?

You can find details on prizes at Holosuite Media, as well, as some helpful reminders about the mission itself. Join us tomorrow, 3 July 2013, at 7 PM Eastern (UTC-4 hours) on Holosuite Excess to listen in on the show as you solve the mystery behind the Stir of Echoes.