TCT 52: The Cavern Yesterday (20th Anniversary)

TCT has now been around for twenty years – can you believe it? To commemorate the occasion, for our Autumn 2025 edition we have prepared a special celebratory podcast, featuring: A new skit featuring Dalken and… Dalken? Retrospective TCT Talk with Alhon, Dalken, J’nathus, Maurus, Mowog, and special guest Tyion, returning to the show for our anniversary Music: “Waiting for You” by Mateus Interview with Bogey Mystman of the Competitive Myst Online League Mowog’s Thought for the Pod This episode is dedicated to Suzanne “Essjay” Jedlicka, a former TCT staffer who recently passed away. TCT wouldn’t be what it is today without her, and we will remember her fondly. Background music featured in this episode courtesy LCC and Tim Larkin.

Just in time for Mysterium 2025, we bring you our Summer 2025 edition, featuring: Cavern News with Dalken Starbyne TCT Talk with Esto, Maurus and Sh’aeri, with our thoughts on Myst 2020’s Rime update and more Music Piece: “Ascending the Void” by Sasha Strange Special report on the 2025 R.A.D. Contest TCT Talk addendum Background music featured in this episode courtesy LCC and Tim Larkin.

For our Holiday 2024 edition, we’re pleased to bring you a milestone – our fiftieth regular episode of The Cavern Today! Join us as we close out 2024 with: Cavern News with Dalken Starbyne Skit A Year-In-Review TCT Talk with Alhon, Dalken, Esto, Maurus and Sh’aeri Music Piece: “Explorers’ Emporium Suite” produced by Semjay Interview with community Agebuilder Semjay Chapter IV of “Deep Dive with Esto Centura,” concluding the Preafter era Sh’aeri’s “That’s Just Me of Course” Background music featured in this episode courtesy LCC, Arclife, Robyn Miller, Jack Wall and Tim Larkin. “Explorers’ Emporium Suite” produced using loops from Producer Planet.

“Endings and beginnings are within the Fissure…” Cyan’s Riven remake finally released earlier this year – and there’s a lot to discuss! So, for our Autumn 2024 edition, we’re bringing you our longest episode to date, featuring: Cavern News with Dalken Starbyne TCT Talk with Ankhangel, Esto and Maurus: Riven 2024 non-spoiler discussion, Mysterium 2024, and the future of the D’niverse Music Piece: “Abandoned Homestead” by Maurus Chapter III of our D’ni history series “Deep Dive with Esto Centura” TCT Talk Continued: Riven 2024 SPOILER discussion Background music courtesy LCC and Robyn Miller.

Happy Easter! For our Spring 2024 edition, we bring you: TCT Talk with Ankhangel, Dalken Starbyne, Esto Centura, Maurus, and Sh’aeri, covering Riven news & hype as well as a TCT year-in-review Chapter II of Deep Dive with Esto Centura, exploring the Preafter era Sh’aeri’s That’s Just Me Of Course, reflecting on 20 years in D’ni Musical Piece: “Rowena Forest” by Sasha Strange A Riven Sound Effect Mystery? Additional show notes: Note that our TCT Talk was recorded prior to the subtitle “New Discoveries of the Lost D’ni Empire” being removed from the promotional material for the Riven remake – this appears to no longer be part of the title. Our deepest apologies to the Video Game History Foundation for butchering the name of your organization multiple times – You guys are doing very important work helping to preserve art in a medium that often makes preservation very difficult! Background music featured in this episode courtesy LCC, Robyn Miller & Tim Larkin.

30 years of Myst – and 20 years of Uru! The Cavern Today is proud to present a very special celebratory episode for our Autumn 2023 edition, featuring: Cavern News with Alhon Ankhangel Op-Ed Skit TCT Talk with Alhon, Ankhangel, Dalken, Esto, Maurus & Sh’aeri, featuring our interview with very special guests Rand & Robyn Miller Musical Piece: “Sara’Aou (Shores Of Naybree)” by Maurus The premiere of Deep Dive with Esto Centura Mysterium Retrospective with Dalken Starbyne TCT Mad Lib Background music featured in this episode courtesy LCC, Tim Larkin, Robyn Miller and Jack Wall.

After visiting Cyan HQ as part of Mysterium 2023, we decided to record an impromptu addendum to Podcast 46, giving our immediate reactions to our experiences there. We set out intending to record about 10 minutes of audio we could append to the end of Podcast 46… and then went on recording for almost an hour. So instead, we are releasing this audio as a bonus episode. We hope you enjoy our impromptu deep dive into our visit to Cyan HQ! Please note this was hastily recorded in a hotel room after our Cyan visit, so the audio quality of this bonus episode is not to our usual standard. That being said, we hope you will bear with us, and enjoy our take on our visit to Cyan! Note: This episode contains minor spoilers for Riven – if you have not played the original game, listen at your own risk!

“Around the world and across the Ages…” The Cavern Today podcast has been bringing listeners news & views from the Myst fan community since 2005 – and now, for the first time, we’ve recorded a live, in-person podcast from Mysterium 2023 in Spokane! For this, our Summer 2023 edition, join Sh’aeri, Esto, Dalken and Maurus as we discuss: Our trials and tribulations getting to Mysterium The last time TCT members were at a Spokane Mysterium What we’ve loved about Mysterium so far Excitement for tomorrow’s trip to Cyan HQ Audience Q&A For the first time ever, you can also WATCH this episode, filmed live at the convention, at this link, courtesy of Mysterium! We want to give a HUGE shout-out to all the Mysterium staff for their help making this happen, and for their awesome job putting together the biggest Mysterium to date. You guys rock! We also want to extend a thank you to Justthinktink, who was a huge help to us, and made us awesome TCT-themed gear for the occasion. Thank you so much for your support – we love you!

For our Spring 2023 edition, we’re excited to bring you something a little different this time: our first LIVE episode, recorded live in The Cavern Today’s Hood in D’ni on May 5, 2023. Due to the “live” nature of this recording, the format for this episode will be a little different; a bit more like the streamlined talk-only format of Over the Fence. Join Maurus, Esto, Dalken, Bert and Sh’aeri, as we discuss: Cyan’s new Firmament Trailer Thoughts on the MOULa Q1 Update State of the Cavern TCT is coming to Mysterium 2023! Background music featured in this episode courtesy LCC.

‘Tis the season to be jolly! For our Holiday 2022 edition, we’re closing out the year with: Cavern News with Dalken Starbyne Skit TCT Talk with Bert, Esto, J’nathus, Maurus, Narym & Sh’aeri: Riven remake announcement Myst merch we’d love to see Highgarden release The Cavern during the holiday season How has Myst & Uru influenced the way you play other games? What other worlds have you been exploring, and what is your GOTY? Cavern PSAs with Mowog Interview with Keith “Tweek” Lord Musical Piece: “Ages of Tweek Suite” by Sasha Strange Background music featured in this episode courtesy LCC, Arclife, Robyn Miller, and Barentity.