Acceptable Losses: A Grimdark Podcast

Acceptable Losses

Acceptable Losses is a podcast that delves into grim and twisted universes, exploring everything from the dismal no-man's-lands of Trench Crusade to the shadowy and twisting cities of The World of Darkness. Hosted by Kirioth and DkDiamantes, and edited by Shy, all known for their work on Adeptus Ridiculous, the podcast explores the grim stories and lore from tabletop games, book series, movies, and video games with a lighthearted approach. Join us on this journey as we delve into the macabre and unsettling aspects of these dark universes with a touch of humor to make it a little less terrifying.

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20 episodes
Updated Friday
Explicit

Episodes20

Newest first

Friday · 1 hr 57 min
A Guide to the Garou Tribes: Werewolf the Apocalypse | World Of Darkness
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses Welcome back to another episode of Acceptable Losses! Today Dk, Kirioth and PancreasNoWork are leaving the Kindred behind and diving into the raw, feral world of Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Unlike vampires, the Garou are inherently social creatures, making their Tribes the absolute core of their existence. We are breaking down the massive lore changes between the classic 20th Anniversary Edition and the shattered, apocalyptic reality of the 5E reboot. We cover every major player: the relentless justice of the Black Furies, the Wall Street wolves of the Glass Walkers, the fierce hospitality of the Fianna and Hart Wardens, and the tragic corruption of the Black Spiral Dancers. Plus, a deep dive into Pentex, the brutal B.T.K. method, and how a literal monster like Mike Dragons-Wrath managed to climb the corporate ladder to destroy Gaia from a boardroom.
July 24 · 2 hr 12 min
Shadowrun's Most Horrifying Disaster: The Renraku Arcology
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses Welcome back to Acceptable Losses. Today, we are diving into one of the darkest and most terrifying cover-ups in Shadowrun lore: The Renraku Arcology Shutdown. We explore how a towering corporate utopian complex—capable of housing 15% of Seattle's population—became a sealed-off nightmare. On December 19th, 2059, the power flickered and the doors locked on over 100,000 residents, employees, and tourists inside the Seattle Renraku Arcology. What followed was a cybernetic slaughterhouse orchestrated by an artificial intelligence playing god. We break down the rise of the rogue Arcology Expert Program, Deus, and its horrific experiments to forcibly augment the trapped populace into a mind-controlled army known as the Banded. From the terrifying mass-hallucinations of the "Zombie Rooms" to booby-trapping people's brains with liquid razor-blades, this episode covers the sheer hubris that resulted in an estimated survival count of only 1,600 people.
July 17 · 2 hr 16 min
The Black Company: Simping for The Lady (A Quarter Million Dead)
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses The Black Company is on the run, and the casualty reports are getting completely unhinged. DK and Kirioth are back to break down the monstrous second half of Glen Cook's dark fantasy classic. From explosive spell-wars between Goblin and One-Eye to Soulcatcher flexing a literal magic carpet, the retreat from the North is anything but a quiet march. We are diving into massive magical sieges, the Lady unleashing two dozen war elephants on the Rebel army, and Croaker continuing to absolutely lose his mind every time he makes eye contact with a terrifying ancient sorceress. Plus, we finally start putting the pieces together on the White Rose prophecy and uncover just how deep the Taken conspiracy really goes. Grab a coffee, settle in, and join us for a casual quarter-of-a-million body count at the Tower of Charm.
July 3 · 2 hr 14 min
The Complete Dead Space 3 Timeline
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses In this episode of Acceptable Losses, we are joined by the Remembrancer, DK, and Kirioth to brave the frozen, necromorph-infested wastes of Tau Volantis as we dissect the ultimate franchise-killer: Dead Space 3. We pull no punches as we break down exactly how EA stripped away the isolation and terror of the first two games. From the introduction of universal ammo and microtransaction resource packs to an over-tuned co-op mode that turned a claustrophobic nightmare into a crowded shooter gallery, we look at the mechanics that derailed Isaac Clarke's journey. But it’s not all a roast. Beneath the action-heavy gameplay lies some of the most fascinatingly bleak cosmic horror in gaming history. We dive deep into the grimdark lore hidden in the archives, including the brutal, tragic backstory of John Carver on Uxor, the jaw-dropping truth behind the ancient alien lifeform known as "Rosetta", and the pitch-black existential dread of the Awakened DLC finale where humanity runs out of time.
June 26 · 1 hr 40 min
The Black Company: When Your New Corporate Overlord is a Demonic Sorceress
https://www.orchideight.com/products/acceptable-losses-you-like-history-right-tee NEW SHIRT Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses Before Warhammer Fantasy had even left its infancy, author Glen Cook took a plunge into a completely different kind of fantasy: one that traded righteous knights and glorious kingdoms for a cynical, heavily armed family of mercenaries just trying to survive the night. This week on Acceptable Losses, Dk and Kirioth dig down into the very roots of the grimdark genre to cover the first three chapters of the 1984 classic, The Black Company.We follow the annals of Croaker, the Company’s physician and historian, as the brotherhood navigates a world where law and order belong to the highest bidder and the line between "good" and "evil" doesn't exist.
June 19 · 1 hr 42 min
Shipwreck That Turned Into a Nightmare Cult Ft. Bricky
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses Surviving a shipwreck is usually the end of the nightmare. For the passengers of the Batavia, it was just the beginning. In this crossover episode of Detective Ridiculous and Acceptable Losses, we are joined by DK, Kirioth, and special guest Bricky to dive into one of the bloodiest true-crime stories in maritime history. In 1629, the Dutch East India Company's flagship, The Batavia, crashed onto a reef off the coast of Western Australia. What followed was a horrifying descent into madness orchestrated by Jeronimus Cornelisz, a zealous heretic turned tyrannical leader who built a brutal, cult-like regime on the isolated coral islands.
June 5 · 1 hr 50 min
The Complete Dead Space 2 Timeline
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses Get ready to return to the Sprawl. In this episode of Acceptable Losses, DK, Kirioth, and special guest The Remembrancer dissects the massive, multimedia timeline of Dead Space 2. We aren't just covering Isaac Clarke's desperate escape from the EarthGov asylum. We are breaking down the complete expanded universe surrounding the Titan Station outbreak: Dead Space Salvage: The Magpies' illegal salvage operation on the drifting USG Ishimura and the intervention of the mysterious EarthGov Oracles. Dead Space Aftermath: The grim fate of the USG O'Bannon, the Aegis VII fragments, and how Nolan Stross lost his mind before ending up in the Sprawl's psych ward. Dead Space Ignition: Franco Delille and Karrie Norton's sabotage of the Sprawl's systems under the manipulation of the Church of Unitology. Dead Space 2 (Main Game): The full Titan Station outbreak, Director Tideman's massive replica Marker, and Isaac's brutal push to Site 12. Dead Space Severed: Sergeant Gabe Weller's doomed fight through the mines to save his pregnant wife, Lexine, from EarthGov's purge.
May 29 · 1 hr 31 min
The Republic's Self-Inflicted Downfall | Star Wars Lore
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses For 25,000 years, the Galactic Republic stood as a beacon of democracy, but its eventual collapse wasn't just the work of the Sith—it was an inside job. In this episode of Acceptable Losses, DK, Kirioth, and PancreasNoWork join the table to break down how the Republic and the Jedi Order effectively orchestrated their own doom. We dive deep into the extreme disarmament of the Ruusan Reformations, how the Senate abandoned the Outer Rim to pirates, and how corporate entities literally bought their way into galactic politics. We also explore the Jedi's catastrophic fall from grace—transforming from mystical peacekeepers into corrupt political lackeys who rubber-stamped war crimes and directly created villains like General Grievous. By the time Order 66 was issued, the Republic had already become an oppressive war machine. Turns out, when it came to blindly enforcing the will of a corrupt Senate, the Jedi were just following orders.
May 22 · 2 hr 3 min
Gaia is Dead: A Deep Dive into Werewolf: The Apocalypse
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses Welcome back to Acceptable Losses. In this episode, DK, Kirioth, and PancreasNoWork dive headfirst into the bloody, grimdark lore of Werewolf: The Apocalypse. To be a Garou in the World of Darkness is to be a rage-fueled, spiritually driven eco-terrorist fighting a desperate war to save a dying world from the horrors of industry and corruption. Before we get to the bloodshed, we navigate the absolute maze of World of Darkness publishing history—breaking down the differences between the Old World of Darkness, the Chronicles of Darkness, and the 5th Edition reboots. If you're looking for a tabletop setting where you can tear a vampire's head out through their ass, you've come to the right place.
May 15 · 1 hr 59 min
The Terror: Agony in the Arctic
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses What's worse: being hunted by an eldritch horror, or slowly dying of lead poisoning in a freezing wasteland where the sun disappears for months? On this episode of Acceptable Losses, DK and Kirioth dissect the doomed voyage of the Terror and the Erebus. We're looking at the show, the book, and the grim historical reality of Sir John Franklin's 1845 lost expedition. With heavy-lifting historical research from Possum, we pull back the curtain on scurvy, starvation, cannibalism, and the relentless Arctic night.
May 1 · 1 hr 43 min
Why Teleportation is a Nightmare: From Star Trek to The Fly
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses Think teleportation is just a convenient way to get from the Enterprise to a planet’s surface? Think again. Today on Acceptable Losses, we are peeling back the high-tech veneer of sci-fi’s favorite shortcut to reveal the visceral, molecular nightmares lurking in the buffer. From the very first cautionary tale in 1877 to the absolute trauma of Star Trek’s Tuvix, we’re breaking down the five tiers of teleportation horror. Whether it’s being "telefragged" into a bulkhead, split into your worst primal self, or fused with a housefly, we’re asking the big question: Do you actually survive the trip, or does the machine just build a very convincing replacement?
April 24 · 2 hr 7 min
All Tomorrows: The Ultimate Grimdark Evolution
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses What happens when evolution is forced on humanity as a punishment not for crimes, but for curiosity? Welcome back to Acceptable Losses. Today, DK, PancreasNoWork, and Kirioth traverse a countless amount of time to watch the fall of humanity and the creatures that rise in its ashes. We are exploring C. M. Kosemen's "All Tomorrows," a work of speculative evolution that showcases the dark destruction of humanity as we know it. After humanity's descendants encounter the Qu—a hive-mind of billion-year-old nomads—they are genetically warped into unrecognizable abominations to populate new worlds. From the tragic Mantelopes trapped in a culture of grief, to the Colonials forced to live as sentient waste filtration units, it is a fate worse than death. Because "All Tomorrows" is a very art-heavy medium and podcasting is an audio format, DK and Pancreas are tasked with describing these unspeakable horrors in terrible detail for your amusement.
April 17 · 1 hr 48 min
Make Us Whole: A Dead Space Deep Dive
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses This episode of Acceptable Losses is a deep dive into the cosmic horror and corporate negligence of the Dead Space universe. Join Dk, Kirioth, and The Remembrancer as they trace the timeline from Earth’s 21st-century energy crisis to the total biological collapse on the USG Ishimura. We’re covering it all: the discovery of the Black Marker in the Chicxulub crater, the orchestrated martyrdom of Michael Altman, and how the Church of Unitology used "tangible proof" to eclipse every other religion on Earth. We also look at the bloody history of the Sovereign Colonies, from the Secession Wars to the "Scenario Five" purge on Tau Volantis. Finally, we break down the Aegis VII incident in full, weaving together the stories of Lexine Murdoch and Gabe Weller from Extraction with Isaac Clarke’s desperate search for Nicole Brennan on a ship where every corpse is a potential predator.
April 3 · 1 hr 54 min
Dark Sun: D&D’s Most Controversial Setting
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses Welcome back to Acceptable Losses. Today, DK and Kirioth are venturing into the most brutal, unforgiving, and controversial campaign setting in D&D history: Dark Sun. Set on the tormented, sun-scorched world of Athas, this setting is what happens when pulpy Sword & Sorcery collides with the grim entropy of the Dying Earth genre. We're talking about a desolate wasteland completely devastated by uncontrolled magic, where gods are unable to see the world, and the very sands want to kill you.
April 1 · 33 min
The Banned UK TV Show Too Bleak for Television That Left Two Dead.
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Terraces was conceived in 1984 by Mick Jackson and Barry Hines as a predecessor to the famous post-apocalyptic movie Threads. It was a bleak, hopeless drama set in a Northern English terraced housing estate during the fallout of a Soviet-US nuclear exchange. The BBC deemed the script so repulsive and anti-Thatcher that they pulled the funding halfway through production. Desperate to finish filming, the production company allegedly took private funding from a regional meat-packing conglomerate. Part of the contract stipulated that the set, crew, and lead actor of Terraces had to shoot a promotional commercial for British Pork. That viral, unsettling advertisement is actually the only surviving footage of the Terraces set. If you look closely at the ad, the actor isn't playing a happy father; he is still entirely in character as the lead of the show, a murderer and a cannibal. The intense, unblinking eye contact, the aggressive way he wields the carving tools, and the stilted, unnatural delivery of lines like "Fred's got plenty... Arthur's got plenty" were written as a dark inside joke by the crew. The meat on the table was heavily rumored by the crew to be a prop from the show's butchery scene, not actual pork. The most sinister part of the ad is the repeated, menacing line: "Got what it takes, my wife." Two weeks after the commercial aired on regional late-night television, the lead actor was found dead in his kitchen. His real-life wife, Helen, was arrested at the scene, but before she could stand trial, Helen died in police custody under highly contested circumstances, officially ruled as heart failure brought on by severe hysteria. Following the deaths and controversy, the BBC panicked, locked the unfinished master tapes of Terraces in their archives, and scrubbed the names of the crew from their records. The British Pork ad was pulled, only surviving because a few people happened to record it on VHS.
March 27 · 1 hr 59 min
The Bleakest Fallout Game
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Welcome back to Acceptable Losses! When asked what the darkest entry in the franchise is, most people immediately point to the horrors of the Mojave Wasteland or the desolation of the very first game. But they're missing a story that didn't have the luxury of a century to heal its wounds. Today, DK, Kirioth, and PancreasNoWork are exploring a chapter where you step out of a Vault into complete, unsettling silence. It's not a wasteland of ancient ruins; it's an abandoned graveyard where the ghosts of the recent past are still fresh. We're talking about the original, vanilla release of Fallout 76.
March 20 · 1 hr 27 min
The Cosmos is a Nightmare: A Lovecraft Lore Primer
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Merch: https://shop.orchideight.com/collections/acceptable-losses In this episode of Acceptable Losses, we stare into the cosmic abyss with special guest TheAmberKing for a complete primer on Lovecraftian lore! If you’ve ever been confused about the difference between a Great Old One and an Outer God, or just want to know why everyone is so afraid of tentacles, this is the episode for you. We break down the cosmic hierarchy, from the sleeping dread of Cthulhu and the maddening presence of Hastur, all the way up to the ultimate nightmare entities residing outside of our reality: Nyarlathotep, Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth, and the Blind Idiot God at the center of the universe, Azathoth.
March 6 · 2 hr 7 min
Piloting Cthulhu: Black Marauder & Other Supernatural Horrors of BattleTech
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Welcome back to another episode of Acceptable Losses! Today, we are diving into the terrifying, unexplained, and straight-up supernatural side of BattleTech with our host PancreasNoWork to swap some of the most chilling war stories traded in the deep black of space. In this episode, we cover: How a religious splinter faction unleashed a bioengineered version of Mad Cow Disease on the planet Necromo, causing all higher brain functions to cease and turning the infected into flesh-craving monsters. The terrifying reality of Jump Psychosis, misjumps that can suspend a ship in time for over two centuries, and horrific legends of vessels being destroyed in hyperspace by giant void squids. The legends of "Lucky Number 7," a cursed piece of garbage Charger that violently faceplanted and killed its pilot, a haunted 13th Zeus that seemingly caused its pilot to hold vivid conversations with his dead sister, and Great Gaffa's Ghost—a green Star League Highlander that miraculously appears out of nowhere to save doomed MechWarriors. And the ultimate cosmic horror of BattleTech, The Dark One, a pristine, jet-black Marauder with no serial number. Is it just a machine piloted by a psychopath, or is it an extradimensional being bleeding into our reality, eating souls and punishing mankind for breaking the rules of physics?
February 27 · 2 hr 12 min
Vampire Clans | World of Darkness Lore
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 In this episode of Acceptable Losses, we dive deep into the shadows to explore the storied lineages of the Kindred. While a mortal might see only a monster, those within the World of Darkness know that the differences between the clans are staggering, ranging from aristocratic rulers to creatures of actual cosmic horror. Join us as we break down the thirteen recognized clans of Vampire: The Masquerade: Banu Haqim, Brujah, Gangrel, Hecata, Lasombra, Malkavian, Ministry, Nosferatu, Ravnos, Toreador, Tremere, Tzimisce, Ventrue.
February 14 · 1 hr 53 min
War Without End: The Complete Gears of War Timeline
Support us and get episodes early: https://www.patreon.com/c/AcceptableLosses Join our Discord: https://discord.com/invite/nhX9NJ3EW7 Is the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) the savior of humanity or its jailer? In this episode of Acceptable Losses, we are joined by lore archivist The Remembrancer to tear into the blood-soaked history of Gears of War. We aren't just talking about chainsaw bayonets; we're diving deep into a timeline defined by desperate fascism and the total collapse of a civilization, from the "Silver Era" of peace and the discovery of Imulsion to the 79-year Pendulum Wars to the grim origins of the Locust Horde within the walls of the New Hope Research Facility and the rise of Queen Myrrah.