New Podcast Roundup

Role play is breaking into the mainstream! While games like Dungeons and Dragons might once have been confined to people's basements, the success of shows like Critical Role, Acquisitions Incorporated and The C-Team has resulted in a deluge of new podcasts on subjects ranging from insightful DM advice to thrilling live-play. The downside of this is the sheer number of new podcasts coming can be a little overwhelming. It can be hard to decide which ones are worth listening to and impossible to find the time to listen to all of them. Well worry not, it's EN World to the rescue! It this series of articles we'll be highlighting some of the best and newest RPG podcasts to fill your ears with during the grey time between games.

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Seasons of Skyrend is a narrative-heavy real-play based in a custom 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons setting. Departing from the established D&D cannon allows the show to explore notions of good and evil and the characters are definitely played in shades of grey. While the show describes itself as a "slow burn" the narrative pace is tight, and the "theatre of the mind" combat is quick and satisfyingly visceral.

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Technical Difficulties takes a scatter-gun approach to its episodes. Instead of focussing on on a single system or games the run live-plays of multiple systems such as Eclipse Phase, Red Markets and Delta Green. Mixed in with this is their “Table Chatter” episodes where they discuss gaming news and interview game designers. The show is a great way to experience new gaming systems and hear about upcoming RPG projects. They are also open to playtesting RPGs that are currently under development.

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Turncloaks is unflinching in its commitment to bringing you a dark, gritty, low-fantasy version of D&D 5th edition. The narrative and voice acting are excellent, and if you like your fantasy grimdark, then you'll love it. However, the subject matter is definitely adult, and you should pay close attention to the disclaimers at the beginning of some of the episodes.

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Experience Pointers is a GM advice show. All three of its hosts are Twitch live-streamers from the Saving Throw Network. The focus of the show is drawing on the host's experiences as GMs or players and offering up ideas and suggestions for your own game. The show is very new, with only three episodes to date, but the hosts have good chemistry, and their advice is practical and valuable, especially for newer GMs.

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The Drift focusses on Paizo’s new magnum opus, Starfinder. The show itself is a mixture of live-play and interviews with Paizo's design crew. Starfinder, as a game, is excellent and the live-play episodes capture its themes of discovery and exploration fantastically. The interviews with talents like Amanda Hamon Kunz, Rob McCreary and Owen KC Stephens are an exciting exploration into exactly how much work goes into creating an RPG with Starfinder’s scope.

contributed by John McCloy

 

[fantasmamore]

I don't like actual plays. It's difficult for me to concentrate and to remember who is who, some players don't have decent mikes, I don't get all the jokes etc. What I would really love to hear is two people explaining how a system works, how to create a character or how an adventure is going to unfold, the strengths, the weaknesses, their impressions after running said system / adventure etc. There is a wonderful podcast named Wild Die but it's only for Savage Worlds. I only wish there were more like this for other systems... Then there is another one that I really enjoy, System Mastery, but it's only about old, out of print RPGs. Do you happen to know something else that I haven't discovered yet?

 

[1d4damage]

I don't like actual plays. It's difficult for me to concentrate and to remember who is who, some players don't have decent mikes, I don't get all the jokes etc. What I would really love to hear is two people explaining how a system works, how to create a character or how an adventure is going to unfold, the strengths, the weaknesses, their impressions after running said system / adventure etc. There is a wonderful podcast named Wild Die but it's only for Savage Worlds. I only wish there were more like this for other systems... Then there is another one that I really enjoy, System Mastery, but it's only about old, out of print RPGs. Do you happen to know something else that I haven't discovered yet?

The Drift podcast is about 50% live play and 50% looking into the mechanics of the game. If you're interested in Starfinder then it might be worth listening to them. They break down character creation and talk to the designers about how the game plays. I'm AFK at the moment , but I'll do a little research and put up a list of podcasts, say tomorrow, that are closer to what you want.

John

 

[lyle.spade]

I don't like actual plays.

Agreed. The only time I've enjoyed watching actual play programs has been on YouTube for a few games for which I wanted to see the rules in action so as to better understand them. But watching others play, with their inside jokes and their group vibe, is boring to me. I much prefer advice and analysis programs, including those that provide reviews. I like listening to thoughtful, articulate gamers who offer up thoughts on things of interest to me as gamers...not as their characters.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Before I started working at my current job over a year ago, I probably would have never devoted as many hours to watching other people playing games as I have. But because I work in an environment with very little personal contact (i.e. no phones, no customers, etc.), and often working long hours focused on production at a computer, I have the luxury of listening to any audible content available from my phone or tablet. It has allowed me the opportunity to watch (or mostly listen to) every episode of Critical Role currently available on YouTube, which has filled about 400+ hours of work with entertainment and background noise. Figure that I work on average 45-55 hours per week, that's less than 10 weeks worth of content out of a year and two months, so far.

Of course, podcasts aren't the only forms of entertainment of interest for me. I have music and audiobooks, as well as the random bits of YouTube that can be enjoyed in small doses every now and then. But I find that live-play shows scratch a particular itch, as well as eat a larger block of time as most sessions average 3-4 hours per show. Considering the excessive amount of time I have to fill at work, this makes live-plays a more economical choice, especially if it is a continuous series with plenty of episodes. Needless to say, I am always looking for more content of interest to watch (or listen to) to fill up the other 40+ weeks of work in the year, and it's sometimes been a challenge. Here are some of the things I take into consideration:

Production Quality (sound): Whether it is a group of friends playing at home, linked online through a virtual table, or a sponsored show with a full production team to handle the equipment, sound quality is very important for me. If I can't hear everyone clearly, or if the room has a tendency to blow up my headphones with explosive yelling and cheering, I'm going to look elsewhere. Good equipment and a technician behind the scenes are obviously helpful, usually with a price tag. But even taking the time to check your levels, positioning your mics, and even communicating with your participating guests can reduce a lot of the unpleasant instances that could deter listeners from enjoying your content, no matter how good or interesting it may be.

Game System: This is more subjective as different people will have different likes and interests. Personally, I will look for shows about particular game systems that currently interest me before anything else. Since I am no longer interested in 5th Edition D&D, for example, those shows are less likely to grab my interest. I still watch Critical Role, however, and I may still find a show for 5e interesting but for different reasons that I will explain later.

I may also look for game systems I haven't played but want to learn more about. In these case, I'll want to find something that showcases the rules in action, or teaches you how to play. HyperRPG did a series of tutorial videos for their Shadowrun show to explain the basics of the rules for the latest edition. The series itself, called Corporate S.I.N.s, was actually quite good on many levels, checking off most of the boxes for me on this list.

My favorite system currently is the Star Wars RPG from Fantasy Flight Games, and though there are a few shows out there I follow, I find the overall outcome lacking. Pencils & Parsecs (also on HyperRPG) has great production and an entertaining cast, but the show began with an (in-game) adversarial attitude between the players and the GM (with the producer of the show). That rivalry has been noticeably subdued in later episodes, but that's not what bothers me most. They play very loose with the rules, utilizing specialty dice as frivolous "gifts" from audience through monetary donations that help fund the show. While I'm not opposed to seeing support for the channel, it irks me that it works against the principle of the game itself and gives the wrong impression of the wonderful mechanics. The game itself is more art than science, but I had hoped to find a show that gives a better idea of how the game actually works. The show itself is entertaining enough because of the cast members (Hector Navarro is funny!), but I am not getting the satisfaction of the good gameplay and style that I want to see from the system itself.

Side note: Nerdarchy did a short run of this system, and despite some audio issues and a room full of jedi characters, the game master was exceptionally talented and well-versed in this system. It was well worth enduring the shortcomings of the show to learn some interesting tricks and ideas from their GM! Which leads me to...

Mastery of the Game/World: Despite not being a fan of 5e D&D, one of the reasons I still watch Critical Role is because Matt Mercer has a gift. He knows the game, he knows his group, he knows his world, and more importantly, he knows how to present it. I've lost interest in many of the story arcs some time ago, but I will never get tired of listening to Mercer bringing his world to life. And I'm not talking about the characters (NPCs) he portrays. He's a great voice actor, so that should be a given. It is the detail and insight he describes in ever scene. From visual details, to textures and smells. Even mood and emotion are inferred with his words, conjuring images and senses to bring you into his world. And combat is vivid and descriptive to the point of repulsive, but I tend to tune out because game mechanics, indecisiveness, and dice rolls are boring after the first ten or twenty minutes.

A Good Cast: Assuming that you're doing a live play, your players should bring something more to the table than just a character sheet. Not necessarily a professional actor or celebrity guest, but at least someone who is entertaining, interesting, and at least plays well. Don't allow someone who argues constantly, can't get along with other guests, has too many strong opinions about everything, and wants to showcase his/her character or particular style of play. If you want to play to an audience, you want to make sure you can appeal to them on some level.

Critical Role (last time to mention it, I promise) has an interesting group because a) they're professional actors, and b) they're close friends. As much as Mercer brings life to his world, these people bring life to their characters. But more importantly, they're very entertaining to watch, both in- and out-of-character. Sometimes more out- than in-, but entertaining nonetheless. It is also entertaining (and simultaneously annoying) to watch them fumble through books trying to figure out which spell to cast or how something works, but that is where Mercer's mastery (and patience) often shines.

Campaign Settings/Adventure: Like game systems, this is going to be highly subjective to personal tastes. Regardless of the system used, I am more likely to tune into a program if it is in a particular setting or adventure of interest to me. Dark Sun is probably on the top of my wish list, and there are several out there using different rules. But none of them have really gotten my attention yet. Likewise, some of the Pathfinder Adventure Paths are of particular interest, if anyone can actually get through an entire set. Granted, it's a tall order to start from level 1 to reach level 15 or higher. Doing so and meeting all of the criteria above may make it nigh impossible! Here's hoping someone out there is up to the challenge.

 

[Lord_Blacksteel]

I don't like actual plays. It's difficult for me to concentrate and to remember who is who, some players don't have decent mikes, I don't get all the jokes etc. What I would really love to hear is two people explaining how a system works, how to create a character or how an adventure is going to unfold, the strengths, the weaknesses, their impressions after running said system / adventure etc. There is a wonderful podcast named Wild Die but it's only for Savage Worlds. I only wish there were more like this for other systems... Then there is another one that I really enjoy, System Mastery, but it's only about old, out of print RPGs. Do you happen to know something else that I haven't discovered yet?

YES! In the earlier days of podcasting there were plenty of actual plays of various games out there but there were also quite a few devoted to talking about the game, not listening to a group playing the game. In fact I'd say that at one point that was the norm. Somewhere along the way it shifted and the actual play games, particularly for D&D, became the norm. I assume a lot of it is copycatting of Critical Role and the other more widely popular productions but ,,, how much time can you spend listening to other people play?

For another poster - if you want to hear a good FFG Star Wars Podcast I'd say "Order 66" sets the standard and has been for almost a decade now. It's not actual play, it's news, GM advice, in-depth looks at parts of the system, interviews with people writing for the system, discussion of new supplements, new NPCs and gadgets that can be dropped into a game ... it's a great example of a podcast "about" a game and running or playing it yourself.

Pathfinder has "Know Direction" which does a lot of the same things as Order 66 for that system.

4E had "Radio Free Hommlet" but they've been gone for years - just mentioning them because I really liked that show.

"Spellburn" does it for Dungeon Crawl Classics. "Glowburn" does it for Mutant Crawl Classics.

The only similar style podcast for 5E that I've found is "Crit Academy". I just recently discovered them so I'm still forming an opinion but it is definitely about the game, not an actual play.


Anyway, there are other approaches out there. They're a little trickier to find but they are there.