Metagaming Pigeon

→ This page is about the mythical information-giving pigeon. For the production company, see Metapigeon LLC.

Fan art of the Metagaming Pigeon, by Rachel Pomerleau.

“

Coo, coo, Hunter's Mark, coo, coo

”

– 

Travis Willingham, playing The Metagaming Pigeon

[!h]

The Metagaming Pigeon is a concept created by Sam Riegel in "Midnight Espionage" (2x12) to explain away metagaming comments. Thereafter, it was invoked on several occasions when players had knowledge that their characters were unable to share with each other.

Appearances

Episode and timestamp	Description
"Midnight Espionage" (2x12) at 0:25:04	After earlier establishing pigeon cooing as a sign for trouble, Laura Bailey and Sam Riegel cooed as pigeons to remind Fjord and Beau to get a handwriting sample of High Richter Prucine.
"Midnight Espionage" (2x12) at 0:41:30	Later, Liam O'Brien cooed at Jester and Beau to advise them that their haversack might be useful. When Laura protested that Liam was not present in the scene, Sam said it was a Metagaming Pigeon, at which point the cast cooed various reminders from Campaign One like Hunter's Mark.
"A Favor in Kind" (2x16) at 1:56:23	The Metagaming Pigeon commented that they're never coming back here when Mollymauk suggests they could stash items safely behind the waterfall in the underground river.
"Harvest Close" (2x17) at 1:26:48	Sam had a picture of the Metagaming Pigeon on his flask with the text "Cooo! Cooo! Use Mage Hand! Coo! Coo!".
"The Gentleman's Path" (2x19) at 2:41:10	The Metagaming Pigeon spoke to Jester telling her that Caleb was alive (and playing dead) and that she didn't need to save him.
"Commerce & Chaos" (2x31) at 0:43:28	The Metagaming Pigeon spoke to Jester whilst she was examining a broken sword hilt that Pumat Sol had for sale and advised her to buy it.
"Liam's One Shot: The Song of the Lorelei" (Sx36) at 1:24:52	The Metagaming Pigeon reminded the Lorelei siblings that they were separated and needed to communicate by some means other than low talking.
"The Ruby and the Sapphire" (2x33) at 3:08:27	The Metagaming Seagull explained how Caleb knew about the Sluice Weave.
"Homeward Bound" (2x48) at 1:19:21	The Metagaming Pigeon wanted Fjord to ask the fishmonger if he knew what Yussa Errenis looked like.
"Well Beneath" (2x54) at 1:21:25	The Metagaming Pigeon corrected Fjord that he was talking about a well, not a fountain.
"Duplicity" (2x55) at 1:12:23	After a succubus compelled Caleb to throw a Fireball at members of his party who couldn't see the source, the Pigeon tried to warn Beau that the wizard had turned against the party.
"Wood and Steel" (2x58) from 1:20:20 through 1:20:38	The Metagaming Pigeon talked to Caleb and Beau while they were discussing the payment for dealing with the giants at the Deepriver Mining Camp, it let them know that they should talk to the rest of the Mighty Nein before deciding which combination of items and gems to accept.
"Domestic Respite" (2x62) from 1:23:48 through 1:24:31	The Metagaming Pigeon advised Beau to use an insight check when she was talking to Caleb about his feelings towards Nott, but she claimed not to need it as she was so sure she was correct.
"Beyond the Eyes of Angels" (2x67) at 4:00:00	The Metagaming Pigeon spoke to the group to let them know that only radiant damage was of any use in the current fight against the zombies, if they wanted to successfully collect a golden heart. However, it was soon proven wrong.
"Manifold Morals" (2x74) at 3:11:48	The Pigeon reminded Beauregard that they needed teleportation circles on both ends of their journey, but they did not actually need the second one due to assistance from Essek Thelyss.
"Bathhouses and Bastions" (2x90) at 2:51:05	The Pigeon reminded Fjord to ask Adeen Tasithar what he had traded for the Luxon beacons he allegedly gave to the Dwendalian Empire.
"Stone to Clay" (2x91) at 2:44:59	The Pigeon told Veth she should buy the willowshade oil from Turmin that protects against being turned to stone.
"Frigid Propositions" (2x109) at 0:59:27	Fjord, upon expressing reluctance to spend a lot of money on a ring of fire resistance, was mysteriously reminded that Veth had plenty of money to contribute.
"The Tortoise and The Dare" (2x117) from 2:01:21 through 2:03:10	As Jester was expending one of her last spell slots on a whim to contact Kotho about Sabian for Fjord, the Pigeon reminded her that the party had planned to use her Sending to contact Essek.
"Fair-weather Faith" (2x123) at 1:31:20	During the battle with Gelidon, a flock of Metagaming Pigeons debated whether the Nein should betray the Tombtakers.
"Worth Fighting For" (2x126) at 1:05:01	Pigeons warned Yasha she was being ripped off when a merchant in Rexxentrum offered her oil to hide herself from divination. She still bought the oil, but for a slightly lower price.
"What Comes Next" (E1x08) at 0:25:42	When Liam reminded Robbie Daymond to make a roll with advantage, Aabria Iyengar joked that the pigeons have gotten into this game as well.
"Growing Bonds and Teasing Threads" (3x06) at 2:22:00	When Ashton Greymoore opened a mysterious letter, Liam and Sam cooed that Ashton should read the letter aloud despite being completely alone in the room.
"Ghosts, Dates, and Darker Fates" (3x10) from 41:26 through 43:20	When a forgetful Chetney was asked what he had heard while spying on the Nightmare King, several pigeons retroactively made it so that Chetney had told the party many details.
"A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 0:22:31	The group was split into two carriages, leaving them unable to communicate. After the first carriage pitched various haphazard and uncertain plans, Ariks Eshteross in the second carriage made an ironic comment about the party's "strong sense of planning and teamwork". Fresh Cut Grass and Laudna, as a joke, responded with firm confidence in the first group's planning. When Laudna outlined details "we talked about last night" that she hoped the other carriage remembered, Sam cooed, prompting Chetney to curse out and swipe at the "flying rats".
"A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 1:17:58	When Gryz Alakritos mentioned arriving with Ajit Dayal, a pigeon reminded Chetney that Ajit was the person who Chetney was supposed to find to get connected to the Gorgynei.
"Breaking and Entering..." (3x20) at 46:51	Searching the first floor of Twilight Mirror Museum for a secret descent toward the earring of Harudan, a pigeon suggested to look for the earring in the paintings but Fresh Cut Grass frightened them away.
"Breaking and Entering..." (3x20) at 54:50	Searching the second floor of Twilight Mirror Museum for the earring of Harudan, Chetney turned to a pigeon for guidance, but did not receive a definitive answer.
"Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 3:56:03	When Zerxus Ilerez approached an apparently resting woman with a small hand mirror under her bed, pigeons cooed a warning.
"A Race for the Prize" (3x27) at 2:50:29	A pigeon intervened when the other players were trying to prevent Fearne from taking a series of risks to investigate Otohan Thull's gear.
"Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 1:46:46	A pigeon let Chetney know the name of professor Ebenold Kai.
"Phantasmal Parley" (3x72) at 0:27:32	Pigeons gave Imogen a series of suggestions about which questions to ask a dead druid via Speak with Dead.
"The Promise and the Price" (3x77) at 3:02:13	A flock of pigeons gave Orym suggestions on how to handle his pastry purchase in the Slayer's Cake.

Trivia

Closing logo for Metapigeon from The Legend of Vox Machina.

• Metapigeon LLC is Critical Role Productions LLC's production company for The Legend of Vox Machina.
• An actual pigeon appeared as characters were introduced in "The Nameless Ones" (E1x01); Liam quipped that he expected the Metagaming Pigeon to show up much later in the mini-campaign.

References

Art: