Divine Cycle

This article is about the Divine Cycle seasons. For the in-game setting, see the Divine Universe.

The Divine Cycle consists of several series (COUNTER/Weight, Twilight Mirage, PARTIZAN, and the upcoming PALISADE) and mini-series (the Road to PARTIZAN and Road to PALISADE) of Actual Play podcasts by Friends at the Table.

It is set in the Divine Universe over the course of tens to hundreds of thousands of years (the time between seasons is intentionally vague in many cases). In this setting, after the expansion of humanity across the Milky Way, giant robots called Divines and their pilots have had enormous influence on the course of history.

The Divine Cycle investigates the effects and interplay of capitalism, empire, pop culture, ideology, religion, technology, and war. Seasons vary in subgenre, ranging from cyberpunk/tech-noir to science fantasy to military science fiction.

COUNTER/Weight

COUNTER/Weight is the first season of the Divine Cycle, and the second season of Friends at the Table. It started airing in 2015 and ran for 43 episodes. The season was set in the Golden Branch almost ten years after a war between galactic powers. It was split between two sections: a faction-focused game of Stars Without Number, and a game focused on the Chime which was split between Mechnoir and The Sprawl. It also featured a game of Kingdom as a mid-season finale, the first instance of the Tower, and a modified version of Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands for the finale. The soundtrack for this season is The Long Way Around, and can be found on Bandcamp here.

Twilight Mirage

Twilight Mirage is the second season of the Divine Cycle, and the fourth season of Friends at the Table. It started airing in 2017 and ran for 68 episodes (the longest season to date). The season was set inside the Twilight Mirage many years after the events of COUNTER/Weight, and tells the story of the last days of the Divine Fleet and what became of it. It was played primarily in The Veil and Scum and Villainy, with three mid-season games of Follow, and a finale played in a highly modified combination of The Quiet Year and Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands called Futura Free. The soundtrack for this season is The Twilight Mirage, and can be found on Bandcamp here.

PARTIZAN

PARTIZAN is the third season of the Divine Cycle, and the sixth season of Friends at the Table. It was preceded by a mini-season, the Road to PARTIZAN, that spanned the years between the end of Twilight Mirage and the start of PARTIZAN. The Road to PARTIZAN started airing as a series of live games in 2018, and spanned 11 episodes. It was played as a series of one-shot (or two-shot) games in different systems and covered the founding of the Divine Principality.

PARTIZAN began airing late in 2019, and spanned 48 episodes. PARTIZAN begins inside of the Divine Principality and is focused on the Society of Banners and Bright Returns and the Rapid Evening, and the formation of Millennium Break. It was played primarily in Beam Saber with interludes in Kingdom and The Tower. The finale is played in a hack of War in the Year 3000 entitled War in the Year 1424 of the Perfect Millennium. The soundtrack for this season is PARTIZAN, and can be found on Bandcamp here.

PALISADE

PALISADE is the fourth season of the Divine Cycle, and the eighth season of Friends at the Table. It was preceded by the mini-season the Road to PALISADE, which spanned the years between the end of PARTIZAN and the start of PALISADE; unlike previous seasons, the Road to PALISADE spanned only five years in-universe, as PALISADE is a direct sequel to PARTIZAN. The Road to PALISADE began airing in 2022, and ended in 2023. It focused on the planet Palisade and the attempts of the Curtain of Divinity and the Pact of Necessary Venture to re-enter the Twilight Mirage.